Snorkelling Britain: 100 Marine Adventures by Emma Taylor and Gordon Taylor, Wild Things Publishing
Snorkelling in the UK isn’t something I’d considered until we featured snorkelling instructor Katie Maggs in JUNO for My Life My Way (issue 82). Since then, it’s been lodged in the back of my mind as something I’d like to try, and so I was thrilled to see this new guide.
In the introductory pages, there’s all the information you need to get started, including tips for safe and responsible snorkelling – not to disturb marine habitats, what to do (and what not to do) if you encounter a seal, and a reminder to use environmentally friendly products, for example.
There’s then a directory of 100 sites around Britain. Each entry includes photos, a description of snorkelling there, and a succinct information box with reasons for visiting, what you need to know, getting there and finding the site. The sites have been categorised so you can easily see the safest sites if you’re a beginner, or perhaps you’re particularly interested in snorkelling wrecks, tidal pools, or kelp forests. And there’s a helpful ID guide towards the end of the book with some of the most common species you might encounter.
Many popular destinations are included. If you enjoy spending time at the British coast, I’m sure you will have visited some of them already, and it’s exciting to think you might encounter them in a new way, if snorkelling isn’t something you’ve already tried there. The authors researched the book with their children in tow, and there are many sites that are suitable for families.
As always with the Wild Guides, the photography is spectacular, there’s a clear map of the sites, and the book is beautiful to navigate.
I am a BSAC Sports Diver and (some time ago) spent 10 weeks scuba-diving in the South China Sea for a marine conservation project. I spend far too much time wistfully dreaming of returning to warmer waters, but this book has encouraged me to look beneath the surface of the cooler seas much closer to home. AE
Grandparenting: On Love and Relationships Across Generations by Terri Apter, September Publishing
In this fascinating book, psychologist Terri Apter examines intergenerational relationships and the changing role grandparents play in our society, drawing on research involving families from across the world.
Apter delves into dynamics that can emerge in the bonds and boundaries between generations. Actions of a grandparent in relation to a new baby might be experienced by the adult child as supportive or, conversely, as critical, and this might change as the adult child gains confidence in caring for the grandchild. Witnessing interactions of the grandparent with the grandchild might cause difficulties from the parent’s childhood to resurface. While grievances here might be voiced openly, Apter discusses how tensions with in-laws follow quite another set of rules that can be complex to navigate for all involved. She offers evidenced ways interactions can be improved.
I found myself sometimes identifying with the grandchild, as I thought about my relationships with my grandparents, and sometimes identifying with the adult child (which I now am), so often the gatekeeper of the grandchild–grandparent relationship. Readers who are grandparents will have this third identity to draw upon. I enjoyed reflecting on how I might relate differently to grandchildren compared to children.
The book looks at grandparenting in different situations – for example, through divorce, grief, estrangement – and highlights the important role many grandparents play in offering stability when times in the immediate family unit might be tough.
Many grandparents from the case studies featured expressed how they felt less worried by boundary-pushing teenage behaviour than they did as parents. And there was an ease to some teens’ relationships with grandparents compared to parents, who expressed feeling less judgement, both negative – who they’re friends with, how they spend their time – and positive – praise can be equally controlling. It made me recognise how intense parents can be with their children in trying to guide them and reminded me that it’s nice to back off a bit – to try and be a bit more grandparent-like.
What is communicated most strongly in the book is how important a grandparent, in most instances, is for their grandchild. It demonstrates how the bonds are created and maintained and how the legacy of these bonds is lifelong. I loved Apter’s suggestion that one’s relationship with a grandparent might be stored as “trace memories”. “These memories emerge, not as specific recollections, but through networks of assumptions about self, relationships and the world.” The impact of positive intergenerational relationships is cellular, effecting our core identity and beliefs. This is a wonderful thing to experience as a grandchild, as a parent witnessing this for your own children, and, I imagine, as a grandparent. AE
The Ayurvedic Approach to Cancer: Engaging Your Body’s Powerful Healing Abilities Through Mindset, Diet and Lifestyle by Dr Sam Watts, Chelsea Green Publishing
I really appreciated the positive mindset of this book. One of the key themes is that staying positive can help healing. Watts reflects on why cancer is considered the “scariest” of diseases when actually heart disease kills more people. From that standpoint, he sets out to help readers feel positive in terms of taking control of optimising their healing potential.
Another key concept is that of kaizen: the process of initiating change in small, progressive ways, rather than trying to do it all at once. Watts sets out his five-step plan to help adopt the practices set out in the book in a way that does not feel overwhelming.
Watts describes how Ayurveda is a perfectly balanced way to support those with cancer work through healing practices: if we eat from each of the six tastes of Ayurveda, we ensure we are putting the optimal foods in our bodies; adopting the morning routine of Brahma muhurta helps us start the day with positivity and purpose. What I found really inspiring is the holistic approach of Ayurveda – it’s about listening to your body and understanding what it needs. It’s an “ancient science of healing based on a deep understanding of the inherent truths of the human body and mind”. By learning more about Ayurveda, we can adopt a way of life that maximises both health and the ability to thrive in the face of diagnosis.
There can be fear and mistrust around non-conventional treatments. What is powerful in this book is that Watts has worked for the NHS and has a PhD from the University of Southampton’s School of Medicine, but he brings all this alongside his Ayurveda practice – he suggests the Ayurvedic approach is an “adjunct” to conventional treatments, not a replacement. There is a chapter on how Ayurveda can support you when struggling with side effects of chemotherapy, with lots of practical suggestions.
I enjoyed reading this book for its uplifting approach. Crushing as a cancer diagnosis can be, Watts encourages us to take control, understand that there can be “exceptional” cases of healing and asks us to remain positive as a key part of that. I like the thread that a cancer diagnosis does not have to be the end, but can be a beginning of something new. SF
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Reviews by Alice Ellerby and Saffia Farr
Published in issue 95. Accurate at the time this issue went to print.
