21st-Century Yokel by Tom Cox

21st-Century Yokel Reviews

• 
  Jennifer

  It mortifies me to admit that I might prefer Tom Cox's more mainstream, commercially viable writing about cats to his indie outings, but I had to renew 21st-Century Yokel three times at the library to finish it. Three.
  
  This is definitely a case of 'it's not you, it's me' - I picked this up at the start of my busiest fieldwork season and have been too tired at night, when I usually read, to do anything but peruse BuzzFeed cat articles. I'm also not the ideal audience for a book about intimate relationships with the landscapes of Devon and East Anglia - despite being an anglophile who spent a couple years in England, I didn't visit those parts of the country. (Who knew my decision to study abroad at Durham instead of East Anglia would have such lifelong repercussions?) And finally, I might be envious of Tom's wild swimming in rivers where the worst pollution is that of a cow pissing into the water. The urban rivers I work in are not safe to go into without full chest waders due to coliform bacteria, staph, typhoid, hepatitis, etc. I'd take cow piss any day!
  
  Despite the weekend-only reading, I enjoyed a majority of Cox's essay-peregrinations. His loosely organized thoughts are often perceptive and entertainingly random. One essay ('Full Jackdaw') takes him from a quirky hour spent at the local owl club (free advice: 'Always have a plastic bag with you in case you see a car hit a pheasant') to going without power/wifi when a tree comes down on his line ('With no mobile phone signal to be found in most of my house and garden, I spent several not unpleasant days cut off in every technological sense. One morning I also ate an apple. I felt like I was getting a very minor insight into what it would be like to live as a horse'). Also foul-mouthed invasive squirrels, the utter crap that is firewood from petrol stations, and meditative walking classes. In just one essay!
  
  That's fairly representative of what the essays are like, although the topics in each are highly variable (subjects covered include: swimming, scarecrows, bat detectors, terrifying folk art, grandparents, hiking). Peripatetic is the perfect word for these pieces of writing. I must confess I got bogged down in the essays that are mostly about people. I like Tom's dad in small doses ('my mum likens the way he talks to the way a man with two brains might talk, or someone acting as translator for his own words') and love the inclusion of pieces of his art, but reading all caps is a bit...shouty when it goes on too long.
  
  It should come as no surprise that I liked the chapter about Tom's cats best, in which he details his interactions with a stray that he dubs Uncle Fuckykins (later updated to Fuckmittens per discovery of a microchip declaring his name to be Mittens) and his business-like cat's close shave after being mauled by a dog. I just like the way he writes about these small, intensely bossy animals with outsized personalities - he clearly knows cats and loves them despite their asshole tendencies.
  
  The ineffable Britishness about this whole endeavor is uniquely filtered through Tom Cox's brain. This sentence showed up almost randomly in a section about moths and butterflies and almost made me snort my morning coffee:
  

  You get the feeling Donald Trump could learn a lot about the complexities of genetic identity by spending a day in a never-fertilised, insect-heavy field such as this, but of course, as a massive closedbrain fuckshined pissface, he wouldn't. He'd be too busy nuking it and turning it into a golf course.

  
  
  A fair description, I'd say.
  
  21st-Century Yokel is often quotable, sporadically laugh-out-loud funny, but perhaps more easily digested in small doses than in a single large-ish book. I'm not sure I need it in my personal collection, but I'd be happy to support Tom Cox's next endeavor.
• 
  Paul

  The facets that make up our character are drawn from many sources; our DNA, our family, our culture, our history and as Tom Cox argues in this book, the places where you grow up that can define you as much as these other things. The way that Cox recommends that immerse yourself in the local landscape is to walk through the lanes and paths, climb the hills and the stiles, take in the views and soak up the natural world at walking pace.
  
  The blurb on the cover says: It’s not quite a nature book, not quite a humour book, not quite a family memoir, not quite folklore, not quite social history, not quite a collection of essays, but a bit of all six. But there is a lot more in this book than that; crammed into the covers of the book. He is captivated by all sorts of things that he encounters on his strolls, from bees to beavers, scarecrows to owls and even his cats make an appearance a few times. Keeping his sanity by taking longs walks in the country around his Devon home gives him plenty of time to consider the world. All of the subjects he tackles begin with a narrow focus, before becoming wider ranging and for me, much more interesting.
  
  He is fascinated equally by the ghosts of the past as he concerned by the future of the countryside, but what makes 21st Century such a really good book is that it defies categorisation. Part of this reason behind this is because Cox writes about what he wants to without following any set agenda, and partly this is because this reflects modern life and all its distractions where you start on one project, get distracted by something else, wander off to get an item and arrive back four hours later wondering why you were starting that in the first place. Because of this, the book feels fresh and interesting, it has its poignant moments, the chapter on scarecrows is really quite creepy and is a great example of modern folklore, His VERY LOUD DAD makes me laugh every time he appears in the narrative too. This rich and varied book is not quite many things, but one thing it is, is fantastic.
• 
  Bethnoir

  Finishing this books feels like saying farewell to a friend. I've really enjoyed Tom sharing his world with me, he's made me think differently as well as recognsing similar views to my own on nature, the sea, folk horror and the love of grandmothers. An uplifitng and delightful book.
• 
  Penny

  3.5
  
  I enjoyed spending time with Tom and his family. I'm using his first name already!
  And that's what this book felt like - a series of conversations about Tom's World.
  And I have to say his world can sometimes be a little strange (scarecrow obsession?) but always very entertaining. In lesser hands a book such as this could become mere ramblings, but with Tom we usually see where he is going - even though his thoughts twist and turn.
  
  I loved the mixture of personal memoir, local history, nature and walking. His tribute to his much loved Liverpool born Nan was very touching.
  
  Tom has a huge sense of place. His surroundings and where he defines 'home' are hugely important to him. He doesn't have a 9 to 5 job taking him away from a house or village each day. So his home, also his workplace, becomes all encompassing, maybe to an excessive extent.
  
  When I started reading I did assume Tom was a young man, possibly in his late 20s or early 30s. There was a naivety about him - and I was very surprised later on to work out he was actually in his 40s.
  I also realised that his Leftie, Green, Hippy tousled haired persona was carefully cultivated. I often felt we weren't really getting the real Tom although there were hints - maybe he is nowhere near as 'interesting'?
  
  What stops me giving the book a higher marking is the constant repetition - he must tell us a dozen times that he moved from East Anglia to Devon.
  I also found his VERY LOUD DAD an irritant especially the constant TALKING IN CAPITALS. Quite amusing at first but it soon wore very thin.
  
  Many thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this work.
• 
  Nicki

  Well what can I tell you about this terrific book, except that I absolutely loved it and that I’ve discovered a new favourite author. Just thinking about writing this review is making me smile as I remember some of the anecdotes. Fortunately I’d recently stocked up on new post -it notes so I could mark all the parts that made me think, laugh out loud and smile as I was reading.
  
  There are so many great stories in this wonderful collection and here are some of my favourites. His recollection of his Dad’s way of telling him stories as ‘someone acting as a translator for his own words’, likening a male tawny owl’s call to that of the Fonz from Happy Days, Bad Weird and Good Weird (you’ll have to read it to understand), ‘hello people’ when out walking, how unreliable phone apps are for identifying caterpillars, bees mating on his flares, and his wonderful account of watching the beavers. I could go on as I’ve remembered some more, but that would spoil it, and I definitely don’t want to do that as you really do need to discover this fab book for yourself.
  
  I also love his thoughts on social media and the internet, of how we’re so focussed on sharing stuff that we don’t enjoy the actual moment we’ve just witnessed. I’m very guilty of this, so it was good to be reminded to just enjoy nature and wildlife without thinking that I need to be sharing it online.
  
  I thoroughly recommend this if you like reading nonfiction, in fact even if nonfiction is not your thing, give this a try as I’m certain you’ll enjoy this fantastic book.
• 
  Sophy H

  I enjoyed this mix of nature writing, journal and human study of Cox's own family members (including cats) and their heritage.
  
  His writing style is conversational and jokey; jokey to the point that I note other people have reviewed his books and said the constant humour is distracting. Whilst it didn't bother me too much, I can see what people mean. It feels sometimes like he's trying too hard to make an anecdote amusing. Nevertheless there were some genuine actual laugh out loud moments in this tale.
  
  His imparting knowledge of local legends in Devon is impressive, and I particularly like his reminiscing about random conversations with his Dad. His dad's part of the conversation are written always in capitals as apparently his dad is super loud!! I liked that!
  
  Generally an enjoyable meander through someone's random mind whilst they tramp outdoors, look after funny cats and visit eccentric relatives.
  
  **The only thing that spoiled this book for me has nothing to do with the author but the complete arsehole who borrowed this from the public library prior to me, and has insisted on crossing out grammatical errors and re-writing over them in biro!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EVERY SINGLE TIME!!! What a tosser!!!! **
• 
  Susan

  As a huge fan of Tom Cox’s writing I helped fund this book to be published. However, he had said that this was going to be different from what had gone before because it was the book he had always wanted to write, free from the restrictions put on him by publishers. So I was curious to see whether I would love it as much as the others I’d read. The answer is yes, and even more so. There’s a real mix of subject matter and the style is rambling, like listening to an old friend tell you their fascinating stories. Tom’s passion for the countryside around where he has lived is clear, and he combines beautiful descriptions of his walks there with folklore and humour. Interweaved with the places are tales of family past and present, his cats, his borrowed dog, and other wildlife he encounters. All accompanied by his mum’s gorgeous drawings and a few of his own photos. Some books you rush through, and I could have done that with this, but I loved savouring the writing and tried to put off the inevitable end. It’s a precious treasure trove, one I shall enjoy revisiting again and again.
• 
  Wendy

  I loved this book. I recommended it to a friend when I was only a couple of chapters in and I have no doubt I will recommend it to many more people. I’ve already bored a work colleague almost to death by going on about how wonderful and funny and clever it is. I will certainly be looking out for more from the delightful cat and countryside loving Mr Cox.
• 
  Vicki Antipodean Bookclub

  “Cats are ardent creatures of habit but they also do not like to get into a rut. Cats only sleep regularly in one place for a month. After that, by law they must move or they stop being cats”
  .
  .
  .
  I first came across Tom Cox’s writing with The Good, The Bad and The Furry. I fell in love with Bear, his rescue cat, named for a Teddy Bear but more reminiscent “of a sad owl”
  
  
  His 2017 book, 21st-Century Yokel, is a delightful ramble around the British countryside searching out scarecrows, rescuing bees from swimming pools and finding otters in Devon. In and amongst are cat stories, family memories and photographs of sheep (and scarecrows). It all adds up to one joyous collage of a life led in the country
• 
  Elite Group

  21st Century Yokel - Lovely Man
  
  I first came across Tom Cox when a friend alerted me to one of his Twitter feeds - My Sad Cat. I had a black cat at the time called Puzzle and my friend saw some kind of similarity between them, although now I would say that Puzzle was a composite of both The Bear and Shipley, another black cat that Tom had at the time. The puzzle was an existentialist potty mouth and could silence anyone with a look! But I followed the feed and immensely enjoyed the photos and captions. I remember showing my sister the feed whereupon she promptly found the My Sweary Cat and the My Smug Cat feeds too. Eventually, I explored the whole Tom Cox internet concept more and more and found that I liked it! A lot.
  
  I love Tom Cox and his books. I love the conversational style that can belie the truths contained within the words. I love his sincere realism and the sense of humour that runs through all his work. I love his honesty. Perhaps best known for his ‘cat’ books this latest offering is a genre-defiant piece of writing that is joyous to read. To laugh, to think, to experience, to learn are not often found in one book.
  
  What I am puzzled about is why Tom had to turn to crowdfunding to finance this work given the success of his other books? But he did and so Unbound (crowdfunding publisher) was brought into my consciousness and, I am sure, the consciousness of many others. All to the good. I felt proud and, given the hours of enjoyment Mr Cox’s online presence has given me, obliged almost to support this project.
  
  It would possibly be required to have a love of the countryside to truly appreciate this book but maybe it could foster such a love in those without. Certainly, the easy style of writing makes it very readable and accessible. Existing lovers of Tom Cox’s work will be familiar with all of the cats and be happy to read about them. Full details of poor, sweet Roscoe cat’s dreadful encounter with a dog and subsequent recovery are well documented here as well.
  
  The world needs people like Tom Cox. If there were more Tom Coxes I doubt the world would be in such a mess. Maybe by reading this book, we can all get a little closer.
  
  Whizz (who pledged financially to the publishing of this book}
  
  
• 
  M. Langlinais

  Mr. Cox is a modern-day bard with a unique voice. It may not be for everyone, but I sure enjoy it.
• 
  Snoakes

  Reading 21st Century Yokel is like going for a long rambling walk with Tom Cox, chatting all the way. He is a lover of landscape and place, taking us around places where he has lived and walked from the Peak District to his current home on the edge of Dartmoor, digressing on the way about the local folklore and wildlife, his cats and his somewhat eclectic taste in music. His anecdotes about his family often steal the stage though, particularly his father, who is larger (and louder) than life. Interesting and entertaining, it will make you want to get your walking boots on.
  
• 
  Elizabeth

  Highlights included: learning the Irish phrase for the bits of black bin liner that snag on barbed wire - 'witches' knickers'
  
  And ‘the sun went down…like a party balloon losing the friction that had attached it to a wall and gently falling to rest behind a squishy sofa’
  
  And, best of all, ‘"My mind is heavy and troubled today,” you’ll say to the sea. “Properly stare at me for a moment and get a grip on yourself,” the sea will reply. “Do I honestly look like I care? I’m the fucking sea”’
• 
  Bettie

  "For a long time, lots of people told me I shouldn't write this book - which is about wildlife, landscape, family, folklore, but much more - & that it was unpublishable, & unsellable. It's out in paperback today."
• 
  Rebecca

  This is miles better than Cox’s earlier memoirs about his cats. Never fear, there are still mentions of his many feline companions, but there’s so much more to this hybrid book: the landscape and wildlife of the British places he knows best (Nottinghamshire, Norfolk and Devon), local folklore and superstitions, the distancing effect of technology, his family history, and so on.
  
  Looking back now, I have a hard time summing up what these long essays are actually about, because they are suitably rambling in a way that mirrors Cox’s approach to his exploration of the countryside: There’s not really a plan, just a loose itinerary that may or may not change completely before the end. But there are a lot of laughs along the way, many of them provided by his delightfully nutty father, Mick, whose speech is all in capital letters and whose catchphrase is “WATCH OUT FOR FOOKWITS AND LOONIES.”
  
  The variety of the book speaks to Cox’s wide-ranging curiosity about life, an enthusiasm that doubles as gratitude for all that he has access to. “I believe it is my duty to get to know my immediate natural world thoroughly, to not be complacent about it, as it’s the least I can do as a gesture of thanks to it for being kind enough to allow me to live within it.” It may not be fashionable to be passionate about nature (Jonathan Franzen writes a lot about this, too), but it should be encouraged as a way of combating short-sighted thinking: “This view – seeing a love of nature as Bad Weird – seems to be at the root of so many of the ecologically damaging decisions made, big and small, by humans.”
• 
  The Literary Shed

  
  We’re great Tom Cox fans. We love him, in fact. He first came into our lives on Twitter, when we, like many, many others, followed the hilarious, poignant and sometimes quite daft escapades of his feline friends. This essay collection, 21st-Century Yokel, is, in fact, dedicated to two of them, his (and our) beloved The Bear and Shipley, both no longer with us.
  
  As with Cox’s other books, the wide-ranging essays in 21st-Century Yokel showcase the conversational style which makes his writing so appealing: it’s as if we’re old friends and he’s gifting us with his most intimate thoughts on the world, on nature, swimming, walking, feline interlopers and the people whom he loves best. We’re personally enamoured with his shouty dad, who makes his presence known in essays such as ‘WOFFAL’ and ‘Dawn of the Dad’, but then that’s hardly surprisingly given most Tom Cox fans are.
  
  We were talking with a friend the other day about the rhythms of writing and how quite often the authors one likes most have a particular beat to their works. Cox’s is very steady, yet surprisingly fast-paced given that whatever his subject matter, his tone is often reflective, his humour wry, affectionate – rather lovely really.
  
  Cox was a music journalist and music features quite prominently in all his writing. He says that while 21st-Century Yokel isn’t a music book, ‘music found its way in there … and I tended to think of it as an album in some ways: one of those that aren’t quite a concept album but where the track sequence is crucial and sustains a sort of mood and overall coherence.’
  
  If that’s the case, it’s certainly an album that works.
  
  See:
  http://www.theliteraryshed.co.uk/read...
  
  This review originally appeared as part of the book's virtual book tour. Thanks to the publisher for supply a review copy. All opinions are our own. All rights reserved.
  
• 
  Dorothy

  I loved this book. Tom Cox has a cheerful natural style of writing and his descriptions of the English landscapes he walks around are engaging. He is the sort of person you would like to meet in an English pub and know you were going to enjoy the conversation. In this book, Tom describes the eccentric members of his family, the walks he goes on, the swimming he takes risks with and the animals who share his life. Roscoe the cat looks just like my cat so it is easy for me to empathise with her when she is wounded by a local dog. This is the perfect book to read while socially isolated due to the Covid19 crisis. I was given this book by an English friend and I am looking forward to lending it to Anglophiles of my acquaintance.
• 
  Freya

  Review to come :)
• 
  Jen

  4🌟 for literal and literary ramblings.
• 
  Nicki

  Loved this second time round but as a library audiobook. Really enjoyed his interview at the end especially when he said he loves audiobooks and really enjoyed reading his own book! :-)
• 
  Katie

  This was the first audiobook I have heard by Tom Cox, and I wasn't really sure what to expect. Initially I thought it might have been a mistake to have it narrated by the author (4 words that can strike fear into the heart of any audiobook enthusiast, unless followed by 'Neil Gaiman'). But as I settled into the book I found Tom's narration quite endearing, and doubt that it would have felt as personal a memoir if delivered by anyone else. His habit of repeating phrases irked me a little at first but it soon became less irritating as I familiarised myself with his style. The book turned out to be a charming stream-of-consciousness set against lush landscapes, and as someone who is often housebound by illness I really found myself enjoying the images he conjured of his many walks, especially those with the black poodle, Billy, who so reminded me of my own curly little black poodle cross. (Who would also leap onto a chair at the sight of a mouse rather than doing anything more practical or dog-like.)
  
  Although the book sometimes feels as though it is wandering through Tom's recollections as much as it is wandering through the countryside, his humour and warmth meant that it at no point felt as dull as such a memoir really ought to have. It was like visiting an elderly relative in a nursing home, and discovering that you don't really mind the fact that the heating is up too high or the smell of cabbages, because one of the other residents always has an interesting story to tell about his life, and before you know it he's reminiscing about his grandfather and you're on your fourth cup of tea.
  
  I will certainly look out for other books by this author, and hope he narrates those too.
• 
  Kristy

  A thoroughly enjoyable memoir-ish collection of essays that exist at the intersection of the British countryside, cats, the author's endlessly amusing family (especially his dad), and lots and lots of walking. I got to know Cox's writing through his My Sad Cat Twitter feed and his social media presence (especially the instagram pictures he takes on his long walks) is all extremely enjoyable. This book proves that he is just as enjoyable in long form, even when he isn't writing more exclusively about his charming cats, who were the focus of his previous books. Not every essay held together for me, but the good ones were extremely good and, taken as a whole, the structure and imagery of the essays makes you feel like you are listening to the rambling and warm memories of a good friend. The book also features a beautiful design, including woodcuts by the author's mum that couldn't be more perfect for the text.
  
  I helped support the publication of this book on Unbound, which is a pretty cool crowdfunding model for authors, and I hope to check back in and support some more independent writers this way.
• 
  Ade

  Rather directionless - discursive if you want to be kind, or rambling if less so, which I realise was the point of the book but it didn't work for me, as I frequently found I'd lost the thread of the narrative. The chapter about Mr Cox Senior was wicked funny though.
• 
  Ailish Sinclair

  This book is a wonderful, humorous and comforting read that can be picked up and dipped into at leisure. It's a bit like visiting with a wittily observant but non-judgmental friend, one who loves owls, and wildlife, and badgers. And witch's knickers; let's not forget those!
  
  The beauty and majesty of the British landscape shines from each page, encouraging us to get out there and see it all too.
• 
  Robyn Roscoe

  I've had this book on my shelf for ages, purchased shortly after I read Cox's short stories (Help the. Witch) a few years ago. I enjoyed some of those and the writing style - especially the evocative text describing landscape and outdoor spaces in several of the stories, so thought I'd try this collection of nature writing essays, as they seemed to be more what Cox specialized in.
  
  I really really really want to enjoy nature writing. I've tried over the years, partly because I enjoy nature and want to enjoy reading about it, and maybe even write about it myself some day. There have been a few nature writing books that I have enjoyed and even revisit every now and then (Nan Shepherd's The Living Mountain, Gwen Moffat's Space Below My Feet, RM Patterson's The Dangerous River and Buffalo Head), but my more recent attempts have proven one thing: I don't enjoy reading nature writing, especially the convoluted, rambley examples I've tried over the past few years (Rebecca Solnit's A Field Guide to Getting Lost, Robert Macfarlane's Landmarks). To that ignominious list, I now add 21st-Century Yokel.
  
  This type of writing usually takes me a long time to get through, a real problem for an already-slow reader like me. I get easily distracted from these books, don't look forward to finishing them (but feel like I should), and rarely take anything of note away from them. Sadly, Tom Cox's book is not different. It took me nearly 2 months to get through and required a period of near-unemployment to provide the time and space to push to the end. I wanted to like it. I wanted to learn about places and animals and ancient ways, and live vicariously in those nature spaces in Devonshire. But while there were a few memorable bits (see below), I found each of the chapters overlong and not very engaging. The writing that I enjoyed in the short stories was given full stream-of-consciousness flood, and the diversions and digressions often had me wondering where the story was going (often nowhere) or needing to flip back a few pages to remember what the chapter was about.
  
  There were three bits that I flagged as clever/enjoyable:
  •The essay/chapter called "Full Jackdaw" - a meandering contemplation of (in no particular order) the houses the author lived in, the yards/gardens of same, trees and wood, owls, birds, and communication - invokes the phrase "full jackdaw" as an alternative to "perfectly fine" or "top shelf" or "well done". The phrase is amusing, but then is beat to near death over the course of a few pages and afterwards never appears again, even near then end when, having his phone service repaired, he could easily (and completely appropriately) referred to his restored status as "back to full jackdaw".
  •The best chapter is called "The Best Waves", a partial reminiscence of a recently-deceased grandparent that digresses into various other narrative cul-de-sacs. Therein is one of the truest assessments of the sea-as-comforts:
  
  "'My mind is heavy and troubled today,' you'll say to the sea. 'Properly stare at me for a moment and get a grip on yourself,' the sea will reply. 'Do I honestly look like I care? I'm the fucking sea.' It is inconceivably vaster than any of us, will still be here when we're gone...and doesn't care about our problems. Strangely this is often the biggest reassurance of all, especially in those moments of worry that derive directly from the delusion that as humans we are in some way important, which is ultimately all moments of worry, when you think about it." In addition to being unnecessarily long, that last sentence has grammatical challenges that gave me the shivers.
  
  •Whenever his father appears in a story, Cox uses ALL-CAPS for his dialogue, which makes his already somewhat humorous speeches and conversations a bit funnier.
  
  Ultimately, the book is not terrible, it is just not for me. I was so very glad to reach the end of this book, and will be even gladder to pass it along through a little library or charity shop to a reader who will hopefully enjoy it much more than I did and give it the full jackdaw.
• 
  Em-Bee

  The book is made up of 10 chapters, each having their own theme and tale, but somehow connecting through common themes - Tom's love of the countryside, wildlife, and his wonderful eclectic family... and of course his cats. I can't give you a story-line, a twist, a denouement... that's not this sort of book. Tom gives you a gleeful insight into his mind, his life, his take on the world. You can't categorise Tom's books into a specific genre, and they're all the better for it.  This book is at once a rambler's guide, a celebration of the natural world, a family diary, stirred with a bit of spritely witchy mystery, and a little bit of activism - the first couple of chapters alone mention the recent badger cull and fox hunting ban.
  
  Tom, for me, is like a modern Wordsworth (Romantic poet and activist) - I've seen few contemporary authors who have such a genuine connection to the natural world as Tom does, and even less that take the time to include the amount of detail. His writing is as beautiful as the scenery - poetic, and intricate. An example:
  
  "..the final deleafing of trees will often take place on the most windless of days, the pressure of icy still air sending the last crinkled brown survivors gently to the ground, defeated."
  
  There's also lots of Gothic imagery dotted through the book, with sprites and witches, and reapers made out of discarded clothing left on fence posts. It's wonderfully atmospheric, and all part of his rambles across his local countryside. He literally pulls the magic out of the land for you to enjoy.
  
  But if you think this is a heavy read, think again! Tom's writing is actually casually hilarious. You can be walking up romantic enigmatic yellow hills, pondering how they came to be, and the next minute you recall memories of being chased by a 'small determined pig'.
  
  There's badgers loving peanut butter sandwiches and then stealing the crockery, there's a dad off his face on Red Bull about to start a marathon.. but the book just wraps you up and cuddles you - then makes you giggle, all the way through.
  
  Dotted throughout the book are Tom's collection of photos; it was a joy to see this happy face pop out at me!
  
  Tom's anecdotes about his dad make me chuckle out loud.
  
  "..my dad jogged after the car as if he had forgotten to give or tell me something important. I wound down the window. 'WATCH OUT FOR FOOKWITS AND LOONIES', he said." I think this might just be his dad's favourite phrase, it appears several times and made me giggle a little louder each time I saw it.
  
  I haven't even mentioned Tom's family of cats - each with their own very distinctive character and included in his charming stories. Have a look on his Instagram and you will get the idea.....
  
  Tom's writing is a joy to read and you simply have to appreciate it as it is, without trying to label with with a genre.  If you need a reminder of what beauty England has to offer, look no further. If you love misbehaving animals, a bit of psychedelia stirred in with humourous family tales, grab this book. It's full of warmth and written from the heart.
• 
  Shelley

  I absolutely jumped at the chance to take part in the blog tour for 21st Century Yokel, I've heard many wonderful things about it and I thoroughly enjoyed Tom's short story collection Help the Witch  which I reviewed towards the end of last year.  So as I've been wanting to read it for such a long time, this seemed an opportunity too good to miss.  I absolutely adore the way Tom writes.  I follow him on Twitter, Instagram and via his website.  He comes across as funny and sensitive but with such a wise old head on his shoulders that I'm sure he is actually a very old soul.  His connection with nature is absolutely entrancing and whilst reading it almost feels as though I am wondering along beside him as he discovers the countryside that surrounds him.  He certainly doesn't see  through rose-tinted glasses but he notices things that, in this day and age, we are more often than not too darn busy to stop and appreciate.  21st Century Yokel is such an interesting book.  It's one that I want to linger over, take my time and enjoy each and every tale.  The images he invokes are incredibly powerful and I can almost see the witches' knickers blowing in the breeze or his dad lying in a starfish position talking VERY LOUDLY.  It is such an intimate book in some ways but it also looks at much bigger issues going on in the world.  His highly readable and beautiful prose brings together the historical detail, folklore and the challenges faced today with wit, and panache.  He reminds us that we are simply passing through in this world of ours.  It has been here much longer than we have and there are many tales to be told and retold.  If only the trees could talk! Tom, however, is possibly the next best thing.
  
  I envy the source of inspiration for his writing. I too have a love of nature and find being outside incredibly healing, a great antidote to the madness that often surrounds us in day to day life.  For me the sound of birdsong in the morning is incredibly special and never fails to fill me with cheer and wonder.  The rare occasion when I hear an owl hoot is one to treasure.  Unfortunately for many of us the reality is that we don't spend as much time as we would like outside, so for me, reading Tom's writing is the perfect way to bring a little more of the natural wonder of our world, along with the magic and mystery into my life every day.  It also brings me new ways to look at my surroundings on the occasions when I am out and about.  And more than anything it makes me want to get out and explore, explore , explore my surroundings; to see the beauty in whatever part of the world we live in.  This would also be a wonderful book for any reader who, for whatever reason, are unable to get out walking.  Tom's writing will most certainly take you there.
  
  This is a real treasure of a book and one that I will return to many times.  I urge you to read this and let yourself be swept away in the wonder and magic of the world we live in and the stories that Tom has to tell.