Light Rains Sometimes Fall: A British Year in Japan's 72 Seasons

___ See the British year afresh and experience a new way of connecting with nature through the prism of Japans seventy-two ancient microseasons. Across seventy-two short chapters and twelve months, writer and nature lover Lev Parikian charts the changes that each of these ancient microseasons (of a just a few days each) bring to his local patch garden, streets, park and wild cemetery. From the birth of spring (risshun) in early February to the greater cold (daikan) in late January, Lev draws our eye to the exquisite beauty of the outside world, day-to-day. Instead of Japans lotus blossom, praying mantis and bear, he watches bramble, woodlouse and urban fox; hawthorn, dragonfly and peregrine. But the seasonal rhythms and the power of nature to reflect and enhance our mood remain. By turns reflective, witty and joyous, this is both a nature diary and a revelation of the beauty of the small and subtle changes of the everyday, allowing us to look, look again, look better. It is perfect gift to read in real time across the British year. ___ A fresh new look at the microseasons of natures calendar, seen through Lev Parikians eyes with his usual humour, attention to detail and beautifully written prose. Stephen Moss Buy this book. Plant it somewhere handy and whenever youre in need of a spark of joy pick it up and read a few pages. Its wit will make you smile. It will transport you to a wilder, gentler, more beautiful world. Ann Pettifor