Unbound’s fastest-ever crowdfunded title, reaching its target in just seven hours, Tom Cox’s ninth book favours an altogether slower tempo. A hybrid of nature writing, memoir and social history, it rambles, leisurely, through the English countryside, often pausing to ponder the relationship between people and place. The author, who runs several comic social media accounts, is an astute observer of character, and there are several funny and poignant scenes with his family. His writing is at its best, though, when he turns his gaze on the animal kingdom: bats, bees and owls appear throughout, and there is a memorable search for an escaped lynx. And while Cox’s entertaining walk through English folklore is digressive, he keeps us with him for the whole journey.
• 21st-Century Yokel by Tom Cox is published by Unbound (£16.99). To order a copy for £14.44 go to guardianbookshop.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. Phone orders min p&p of £1.99
