Insipid writing worthy of a high school student.

A pleasant mystery that kept me guessing.

A good story. But the climax was muddy and hard to grasp. (A common shortcoming in many magical/supernatural stories, IMO.) And the dialogue was often a bit too mature for characters in their late teens/early 20s

This book was so much more than I expected. Hay provides a dive into history, culture, economics, biology, and more. Yet the level of detail was not confusing or off-putting.

Amaze! Amaze! Amaze!
The most sciencey of science fiction novels.

Solid Southern Gothic folk horror

[I know I read this when it first was published. But my memories are quite vague.]
Astonishingly good. Also, quite unsettling given the state of the USA in 2026.

Bad formatting. Hard to read on phone or kobo.

Anything by Mary Oliver gets 5 stars from me. She touches my soul like no other poet I have found. (But I'm willing to take suggestions!)

My new favorite translation of The Mabinogion. Davies does a great job of respecting the oral tradition lying underneath the medieval text, but without letting it club you over the head. The foot notes are useful. It was just a pleasure to read. (Except for "The Dream of Rhonabwy", which is a satire of the other tales. So, it is intentionally tiresome.)

Holdstock remains hit-and-miss for me.

Charming, slim volume that explores a neglected means of communing with and appreciating trees.

This field guide gets points for (a) covering multiple domains (insects, birds, mammals, plants, mushrooms, rocks), and (b) not attempting to be exhaustive. Focusing solely on DC proper, it can pinpoint likely viewing locations for most of the entries.

Fantastic sequel.

Astonishingly good. I immediately purchased the sequel.
(The audiobook narrator is great, as well )

Somewhat easier to follow than was Bardskull. But not as good, either.

Astonishingly good. But I am glad I didn't read it in my teens. I would not have understood the history or the underlying mythos.

Fascinating writing.

An excellent addition to this thought-provoking series. I hope Burke can come up with more.

Even though it is about trees (my favorite subject), somehow it just didn't grab me.

Extremely well written book about a fascinating subject.

I much enjoyed the later, more modern pieces. But most of the entries from all the historical periods were interesting and (often enough) informative. On the whole, the book cemented for me my appreciation for having the Blue Ridge a mere hour's drive away , practically in my back yard

A second reading gave me no reason to increase my rating. It is surprising and irritating that the author chose to not include the binomial identifiers for the living things covered in the book.

Delightful. (But short. Barely qualifies as a book, IMO.)

Favorites: "Aunt Leaf", "Last Days", "Beaver Moon - The Suicide of a Friend", "The Night Traveler", "A Blessing", "Worm Moon"

I have given up on this at 7% in. This is no reflection on the author or the writing. Even though it is historically accurate, I simply cannot get through the cruelty inflicted by and upon the characters. In the US of 2026, it all hits too close to home.

Quite interesting if one doesn't mind the hopscotching between storylines.

I want to like this book more than I, in fact, do. The writing overall is good, and Jeff's manages to run a set of common threads through all the stories. But somehow, l am coming away from it a little dissatisfied.

The essay "Staying Alive" is gutting, astonishing, revelatory, wondrous.
The rest of the book is good, too.

Slow. Repetitive. I kept at it, believing there had to be a significant revelation coming. I was disappointed.