Bookfairies_southwales

“Sunshine, brilliant and inviting. The weather outside is quite nice as well.”

Hiding at Dyffryn Gardens National Trust!

The Book Fairies are celebrating the release of The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Volume 1 and 2 by Beth Brower across the UK today!

Who will be lucky enough to spot a bundle?

About Volume 1:

The year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighbourhood of St. Crispian’s. But Emma’s plans for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian’s.

Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.

 

The Green Book Fairies are hiding some treats! Who was lucky enough to spot this copy of The Last Drop by Tim Smedley hiding on the beach in Barry?

About the book:

Water scarcity is the next big climate crisis. Water stress – not just scarcity, but also quality issues caused by pollution – is already driving the first waves of climate refugees. Rivers are drying out before they meet the oceans and ancient lakes are disappearing. It’s increasingly clear that human mismanagement of water is dangerously unsustainable, for both ecological
and human survival. And yet in recent years some key countries have been quietly and very successfully addressing water stress.
How are Singapore and Israel, for example – both severely water-stressed countries – not in the same predicament as Chennai or California?
In The Last Drop, award-winning environmental journalist Tim Smedley meets experts, victims, activists and pioneers to find out how we can mend the water table that our survival depends upon. He offers a fascinating, universally relevant account of the environmental and human factors that have led us to this point, and suggests practical ways to address the crisis, before it’s too late.

“We have a responsibility to each other and the future of every species on this incredible rock called Earth.”

Today’s green book recommendation:

Go Gently by Bonnie Wright.

About the book: An inspiring and approachable tip-filled guide to changing your habits, living more sustainably, and taking action, by Greenpeace ambassador Bonnie Wright. Go Gently is a guide for sustainability at home that offers simple, tangible steps toward reducing our environmental impact by looking at what we consume and the waste we create, as well as how to take action for environmental change.

The title reflects Bonnie Wright’s belief that the best way to change our planet and ourselves is through a gentle approach, rather than a judgmental one. This is a book of do’s rather than don’ts. It’s also an invitation to Wright’s followers to join her on this journey to sustainability. Going through every room in her home, Wright helps us assess which products are sustainable, and alternatives for those that are not. She shares recipes to avoid waste, homemade self-care products to avoid packaging, small space-friendly gardening ideas, and a template for creating your own compost system.

Finally, to sustain yourself, there are exercises and meditation prompts to keep you energized, plus info on how to get involved in community and organizations.

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BONNIE WRIGHT HarperCollins HarperCollinsUK

“Ascending the three steps, he admires the intricate metalwork – fleurs-de-lis cover everything, including the poles supporting the twenty-four carved horses, which are paused mid-motion, manes flowing and hooves kicking, each one centred above a large hexagonal shape engraved on the platform.”

Waiting at the carousel on Barry Island!

The Book Fairies are sharing copies of The Midnight Carousel by Fiza Saaed McLynn across the UK and Paris today!

Who will be lucky enough to spot one?

About the book:

Paris, 1914

Detective Laurent Bisset has reluctantly closed a most puzzling case. Fairgoers have been vanishing while riding a dazzling carousel. The only man who could be responsible is behind bars – but Laurent cannot explain what happened to those missing.

Chicago, 1920

Maisie Marlowe acquires a beautiful, antique carousel, and sets up the Silver Kingdom amusement park. It is a place of delight and wonder – until a child goes missing on its most famous ride.

When rumours of the Chicago disappearance reach Laurent, he crosses the Atlantic in search of new answers to an old mystery. Together, can he and Maisie uncover the carousel’s secret before it claims another?

“This is the landscape my colleagues and I have been charged with looking after, a landscape of shattered fragments, longing to be put back together.“

Today’s green book recommendation comes from the UK:

Wild Fell by Lee Schofield

About the book: In 2015, England's last and loneliest golden eagle died in an unmarked spot among the remote eastern fells of the Lake District. It was a tragic day for the nation's wildlife, but the fight to restore the landscape had already begun.

Lee Schofield, ecologist and site manager for RSPB Haweswater is leading efforts to breathe life back into two hill farms and their thirty square kilometres of sprawling upland habitat. The farms sit at the edge of the region's largest reservoir, beneath which lie the remains of a submerged village. The area's history has been a turbulent one for both its people and its wildlife, leaving its habitats in tatters.

In the search for inspiration, Lee sought out England's rarest mountain flower and travelled from the wild fells of Norway to the pristine meadows of the Alps. Informed, too, by the local land, its history and the people who have shaped it, Lee and his team have remeandered a straightened river and are repairing damaged wetlands, meadows and woods. Each year, the landscape is becoming richer, wilder and better able to withstand the shocks of a changing climate.

But in the contested landscape of the Lake District, change is not always welcomed, and success relies on finding a balance between rewilding and respecting cherished farming traditions. This is not only a story of nature in recovery, it is also the story of Lee's personal connection to place, and the highs and lows of working for nature amid fierce opposition.

Wild Fell is a call to recognise that the solutions for a richer world lie at our feet; by focusing on flowers, we can rebuild landscapes fit for eagles again. A landscape of flowers is a landscape of hope.

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Please share your recommendations with us and follow along to see if your recommendation gets featured!

“Sometimes Eufrasia felt tempted to turn left when she came out of the building and head towards that fruit-seller who stationed himself on the esplanade.”

Waiting along the beach on Barry Island! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

The Book Fairies are releasing One Hundred Guinea Pigs into the wild today! This novel by Gustavo Rodríguez will be hidden all around the UK, and is translated from the Spanish by Daniel Hahn.

Who will be lucky enough to spot one?

About the book:

Friendship makes life worth living, and worth ending too.

Eufrasia Vela is a caregiver—it’s not just her job. But when she begins working with Doña Carmen, a bedridden elderly woman who spends her days staring out the window at her now-obstructed view of the sea, she confronts the limits to her ability to help. That is, until Doña Carmen makes a big, last request: to transform her caretaking from helping her stay alive to helping her die.

A good death has much in common with a good life, after all, and incapacity, loneliness, and isolation are devastations that a compassionate friend can help ease. Dignity, community, respect, and generosity—they’re what Eufrasia offers her clients, and what their friendship offers her. One Hundred Guinea Pigs is the lifegiving, warmhearted novel about euthanasia you didn’t know you needed.

 

are loving the trend and want to share some of our favourite offline activities (other than reading of course 😉)!

This week we are featuring crafting! 🧶🎨🖍️ 🪡🧵

Crafting is an excellent way to keep from scrolling!! (plus there are some great creative activities to do while listening to an audiobook!)

What are your favourite crafts?

If you are looking for an easy place to start we suggest something simple like drawing, colouring, or painting as it is an easy and affordable starting place. You don’t need any of the fancy markers or sketchbooks, see what you have around your home to get started then you can upgrade if it is something you love.

Thrift stores often have a crafting supplies section, which is a great way to get started or to add to your supplies! There are pretty much always knitting needles and crochet hooks, but you can also find a variety of supplies from beads and fabric to markers and paints. Some areas even have specific second hand crafting stores!

“This had not been in my original plan for Saturday.”

Waiting at Barry Train Station! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

The Book Fairies are sharing copies of Ask Me What I’m Reading by Eleanor Goymer all around the UK today!

Who will be lucky enough to spot one?

About the book:

Every morning, Sophie boards the same train.

Every morning, she spots him – tall, unreadable, always with a novel in hand… often the same one she is reading.

Soon, their commute becomes a silent exchange of titles, a game only they seem to be playing. But how long can a love story stay between the lines before someone dares to take it off the page…

Going offline and being outside is the new trend of 2026 and we are so here for it! Analog isn't new, but even the online world is starting to realise how important it is to spend time off the apps and away from our phones.

Analog bags are a great way to avoid just reaching for you phone out of habit. So to help celebrate this month we've teamed up with book fairies around the world to show you our different Analog bags.

This hiking Analogue bag is from a travelling Book Fairy in Australia! Swipe across to see everything that makes it into an Aussie day hiking bag. Its an old backpack repurposed into a hiking bag instead of buying something new. We've then filled with plastic free snacks, eco-friendly sunscreen from goodbye | outdoor skincare from New Zealand an old reusable water bottle and of course a book or two!

We hope our hiking analog bag inspires you to get outdoors this weekend. 💚 This bag has seen some epic adventures, where will you take your own analog hiking bag?

“This is what it means to live beyond the “end of nature”—that it is human action that will determine the climate of the future, not systems beyond our control” - David Wallace-Wells.

The will be sharing green book recommendations throughout the month to celebrate Plastic Free July!

Here are a couple of wonderful recommendations that dive into our beautiful planet:

Earthshot: How to Save Our Planet by Colin Butfield and Jonnie Hughes.

The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming by David Wallace-Wells.

And

How to Be a Climate Optimist: Blueprints for a Better World by Chris Turner.

Please share your recommendations with us and follow along to see if your recommendation gets featured!