Simply Wander-Full!

Ah, the glorious days of summer are upon us!  Which is why I've been hiding indoors, listening to the audiobook version of '21st Century Yokel' by music journalist and writer Tom Cox.  Well, you don't want me getting sunburnt, do you?

Released by the innovative, crowd-fund publisher Unbound, '21st Century Yokel' is as genre-defying as it is lovely.  Part-memoir, part-travel book and part ode to the British landscape, it meanders through tales of creatures and countryside, family and folklore to weave a charming narrative that you just want to wrap yourself up in.  Cox uses gorgeous, lyrical language to capture the important places, pets and people in his life with humour and optimism.  From his native Nottinghamshire, via Devon, Derbyshire and Norfolk, '21st Century Yokel' takes the reader on journey that is both laugh-out-loud funny and deeply thoughtful, but never, ever dull - especially if his Mr Cox Senior is around.

Can you tell that I liked this book immensely?  That in itself is quite interesting, because I had a bit of a false start with it.  I began reading the ebook at first, but found it so soothing that I ended up nodding off within a page or two!  On the one hand, this shows it's a great choice for people who need a bit of calm in their lives, but it also meant that, in the end, I had to switch to the audiobook version, which offered the unexpected benefit of hearing '21st Century Yokel' read by the Yokel himself.  I think I would've missed something without experiencing the contrast of Cox's soft, Nottinghamshire accent and the impression of his forthright father's bold volume.  No chance of nodding off this time!

Overall, I'd thoroughly recommend '21st Century Yokel' in any format.  It's calm, composed, relatable and just downright charming.  Counter-intuitively, it's proof that memoirs don't have to be the 'me, me, me' of extroverted narcissists, that people can tell the stories of their lives in other, indirect ways that are ultimately more fulfilling.  Journeys off the beaten track often are.

Now, what next...