Book Review: Tapestries of Life by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson

It’s the weekend and I plan to spend it reading and appreciating the garden which is coming into bloom. The last year made me appreciate it more than ever and having somewhere to connect with nature has been a godsend for my mental health while shielding during lockdown. Every time a new species of bird visited the feeder or butterfly appeared, I felt extremely lucky. Today’s book Tapestries of Life by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson discusses this and so much more.

Book Review: Tapestries of Life by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson

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Title: Tapestries of Life

Author: Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson

Publisher: Mudlark

Genre: Non-fiction, Nature, Environmental

Release date: 15th April 2021

Blurb

The second book by the bestselling author of Extraordinary Insects

Trees clean air and water; hoverflies and bees pollinate our crops; the kingfisher inspired the
construction of high-speed trains. In Tapestries of Life, bestselling author Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson
explains how closely we are all connected with the natural world, highlighting our indelible link with
nature’s finely knit system and our everyday lives.

In the heart of natural world is a life-support system like no other, a collective term that describes all
the goods and services we receive – food, fresh water, medicine, pollination, pollution control, carbon
sequestration, erosion prevention, recreation, spiritual health and so much more. In this utterly
captivating book, Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson sets out to explore these wonderful, supportive elements
– taking the reader on a journey through the surprising characteristics of the natural world.

My Thoughts

OK confession time. I wanted to read this book purely for its cover. Like a bright flower to a bee, it drew me in and demanded to be held and read. It promised so much, and it delivered on every count. This book is superb, one of the best and most readable non-fiction books I have read about a complex topic that could have been dry under a different penmanship. It is educational without being preachy. Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson’s passion and knowledge of nature and its connectivity to us is outstanding and shines on the page. Part imparting facts, and part memoir it focuses on how nature and humans interact beyond what we see and how nature is the foundation of our lives and without the help it gives disaster looms. From water, bugs to pharmaceuticals it covers a lot of material. It’s a delight to read, and I reverted to the ten-year-old me who blurted out the random facts I learnt to members of the family when they walked by. It was also horrifying because we are pushing our planet to the limits, and we need to tip the balance in favour of protecting nature even those things we don’t see and help it flourish. This book made me more grateful for what I have and consider ways I can help nature further and also see nature in a different light especially those things like bugs I shy away from. I loved the poems threaded into the book too.

Would I recommend?

Yes! Everyone should read it and every person in the G7 summit also running this weekend should have a copy. Maybe it would convince them to take the issue seriously.

The stunning cover reflects the beautiful book inside. It’s beautifully written, enabling the reader to access knowledge about the connection between humans and nature easily and has changed my outlook for life. It is on my forever shelf and I know I will read it again and again. I look forward to reading her previous book Extraordinary Insects and people who know me will tell you, I usually hate creepy crawlies.

Author Biography

Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson is the bestselling author of Extraordinary Insects. A professor at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences(NMBU) in Ås, Norway, she is also a scientific advisor for The Norwegian Institute for Nature Research NINA. She has a Doctorate degree in conservation biology and lectures on nature management and forest biodiversity.

Thank you Random Things Tours for inviting me to this tour and providing me with this gem of a book to give my honest and unbiased opinion.

Happy weekend and reading!

Love

The Enchanted Emporium bookshelf is for magic-orientated books only but I know it would make this an exception. Every witch should read this to boost their connection with the nature they already love.