This week I did a mini road-trip to visit some of my bookstores a little further out in the ‘burbs. While Surrey and Langley aren’t very far from the Ampersand West home-base in Richmond, the drive was long enough that I decided to start listening to a new audiobook that had been languishing in my phone for a few months.

I am a sucker for memoir audiobooks read by the author and H is for Hawk hits all the sweet spots:

Fierce birds of prey? Check.
Family drama? Check.
Growing self awareness during times of tragedy? Check.

Helen Macdonald even manages to work a partial biography of T.H. White, author of The Once and Future King. This was something I didn’t even know I wanted, but I was absolutely captivated.

Driving out in the “country” meant that I got to see several bald eagles and hawks living their best lives and hunting in fields beside the highway, a sight that the book really helped me to appreciate. Sadly I have no more road-trips, mini or otherwise, between now and the WBRA Book Fair in Victoria. However, this lack of car time won’t stop me from gobbling up the rest of H is for Hawk like a hungry raptor with a rabbit’s leg!

-Dani “Wannabe Falconer” Farmer