Nature Lover

After reading “Released into the Wild,” my friend Beth Ann Bassein’s lovely book of essays and poems about nature, I’m almost persuaded to take a long walk outside. Beth Ann makes “the out-of-doors” sound so appealing. Too bad I’m stuck here in cyberspace. If I ventured out, I might gain a better understanding, as Beth Ann points out, of what William Wordsworth meant by “O world, I cannot get thee close enough, thy winds, thy wide grey skies, thy mists that roll and rise.”

One of the many joys of reading “Released into the Wilds” comes from the author’s use of poetry -- her own and the words of poets like Wordsworth and William Blake – to illustrate her feelings about the places, plants and animals she observes. As a retired English professor who taught college literature classes, Beth Ann has a wealth of knowledge in this area, and she happily shares it with her readers.

I also enjoyed the intelligent and fascinating observations Beth Ann offers about so many of nature’s treasures. A description of Pikes Peak as “Her Royal Highness,” an intriguing lady who entertains viewers with a colorful changing wardrobe, is especially creative. And Beth Ann’s comparison of kingfisher birds to philosophers made me smile. “I have never seen them reading scholarly texts, but perhaps there are more ways than one to channel lofty mental pursuits,” she concludes.

Beautiful watercolors, sketches and photos add to the enchantment of this very special book from Xlibris Corporation.