This is the last book in the series, and I actually enjoyed it way more than I thought. Summer isn't my favourite season - I hate it; I'm dying from this unbearable heat- but this was surprisingly nice. The entries were all different from each other - there was ones on wildlife, plant life, weather patterns, landscapes, and so on - which I think lacked from Spring.

As always, I was introduced to a variety of new authors and I was able to re-live some of my favourite pieces of writings. This collection achieved it aim: to make me appreciate nature. I can now look at a season that I hate and view it with completely new eyes. I can appreciate the hot weather, despite never wanting to go out in it. I can appreciate the insects, despite them terrifying me. I can learn to love summer thanks to this.

I took my time reading this anthology and at the end I can say that I enjoyed the collection, but not as much as the Winter version I read during winter. I did not conjure up the magic of summer for me quite often enough.

I felt the second half of the stories/poems/snippets was definitely stronger than the first half of the book. In the first half there were too many stories that felt more spring-y than summer-y and the imagery was just not quite strong enough.

The second half felt much more on the nose and I enjoyed much more. There were still some writing that missed the mark for me, certainly more than in Winter, but I will still treasure this anthology. I am especially fond of the nature writing when it conjures the epic feeling of summer and there were plenty of snippets that did just that.

If you enjoy nature writing and poems relating to nature and the seasons you are bound to enjoy this anthology. I am looking forward to reading Autumn and Spring in their respective seasons.

‘’If spring is all about looking forward, and autumn about looking back, summer surely is the present moment: a long, hot now that marks the sultry climax of the year. {...} it is a time of fruition and plenty, of promises fulfilled. Spring’s generative riotousness slows and ceases, and a stillness settles over the land.’’

The summer of 2018 is slowly coming to an end. Eventful or not, unusually warm or not, summer always brings me to a contradictory state of mind. When May begins, I can’t wait for summer to come but by the mid of July, I become restless, hating all the heat and the noise and the long days. You see, this is why I cherish the dog days and save the main part of my holidays for the end of August. This lovely anthology dedicated to summer, edited by Melissa Harrison made me appreciate the season slightly more.

A wonderful array of articles, poetry, essays, extracts from classic literary moments, stories and passages from famous writers, from the Middle Ages to our times. It is focused on the British landscape but it will touch the heart of every reader regardless of our home countries. If it managed to touch my obnoxiously autumn/winter- worshipping soul, it will definitely make you fall in love and perhaps the summer days will last a little longer.

...‘’In late springtime the evening sun leaves a residue of light and brightness on sea, loch and river waters. Nights, still dark and starlit, become thinner somehow, and watery. Evening lengthen, end-of-day airs are white and turquoise, amber and rose, insect-humming and bird-filled.’’

The summer evening sun and wind, stargazing once darkness arrives while the perfume of the jasmine fills the air. The summer storms that leave behind the smell of the refreshed grass. The open-air performances where nature provides the finest stage sets for beloved plays. There are so many beautiful moments in this anthology...A beautiful text on the changes summer brings to the nature of the Highlands by Annie Worsley, a moving account of the life cycle of the glow - worm by John Taylor, a rather dark, haunting text on gulls, owls, and bats by Esther Woolfson, a memorable extract from Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy, one of the greatest writers in Literature (a writer that a certain ‘’reviewer’’ in Goodreads felt necessary to disrespect through vile words and unspeakable phrases…Why am I surprised, though? As I have said, there is an idiot in every corner….)

‘’Throughout the long evenings of July, the village women bend low in their gardens over raspberry cane and currant bush, gooseberry and loganberry.’’

Start a journey to the Highlands, Dartmoor, Dorset, Hampshire, Cumbria. Feast while the haymaking takes place, see the gulls, the wrens, the curlews, the badgers and the otters. Smell the roses and the orchids, bow to the beauty of the dahlias and the sunflowers. Taste the currants and the apricots, the peaches and the corns. Rest under the ivy on the wall of a pretty, peaceful village church under the afternoon sunlight. This is an urgent plea to respect nature, our mother. The most generous mother of all, the one that gives freely only to receive burnt forests, disrespect and violation by the greed and the bottomless stupidity of the humans. This is a book full of colours, sounds and perfumes, a homage to the British summer landscape.

‘’Those Elysian summers, polished to dazzling brightness by the flow of years, can never be recaptured; but we have this summer, however imperfect we as adults may deem it, and we can go out and seek it at every opportunity we find.’’

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com

For me summer as a kid was no more school forever until September at least, camping, exploring the woods and flying ants swarming my grandparents house. This book covers most of those things and many many more. All kinds of birds, animals, insects and plants are written about by people who love their favourite creature. I do feel a few things got forgotten about, camping for one, also I have been on many a summer hike, come to a village and a game of cricket would be happening, you'd hear the game way before you saw it, such a bizarre sight. Thunderstorms are a big feature of and English summer and that could have been covered more....so the book needed at least another 200 pages. :-)

Each piece in this collection was very good, well written and sometimes poetic. It was nice that not just well known authors have been included, the public have been given a chance too. There is not one weak piece of writting here, they all could easily get 4 stars from me. The weakness of the book is no voice stands out, each piece tends to blur into the next one. This might just be an issue for me, maybe I needed to read a couple of pieces here and there between other books. I definitely prefer it when a nature book is written by the one author.

The whole book is a nice reading experience and if you like reading anthologies then you mustn't miss out on this. And I've managed to read the whole book whilst sat in the sun. Next up will be the book for Autumn which I shall have to read when it is windy.