Don’t know why I requested from our library but glad I did. Beautifully written. Left an indelible imprint in my mind and will buy a forever copy for my library. Read the reviews and you will agree this is the book of the year for everyone.

I bought this book a few weeks ago after finding my love for books, and didn’t know anything about the author or what it was about. I was worried that I wouldn’t enjoy the book since I’m picky at times. But, after reading, and reading, and reading I realized the wonder this book is. Filled with beautiful descriptions of the world creatures with life experiences we the readers can relate too. I brought me back to my kid years even though I’m a teen! Overall, I read it quite quick but it was such a marvelous feeling to be connected to a book, the world, and life. 10/10 recommend.

I was skeptical when buying this book because I was afraid it wasn't my style, but I really enjoyed it! She definitely makes you feel like you need to spend more time outside and enjoy nature. I recommend!

Our Book of the Year for 2020. There are songs we hear, certain phrases, certain melodies, forever evoking emotions and memories of times and places like a key to our soul. We are not always aware of those connections, but for some there exists a catalog of songs which define most of their lives. With her latest effort Aimee Nezhukumatathil shares with us a catalog of the natural world, its bonds with her experiences, and how they define each other. Wonderfully crafted with flowing lyrics and beautiful imagery it truly is a natural field guide from her heart and soul. World of Wonders ultimately reminds us that how we view our world is relative to how we view ourselves. Like its predecessor of 2019, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse, this treasure is an essential read for all.

A beautiful collection of essays, reflecting on the world around us. It's a 'stop and smell the roses' sort of book that shows the reader the importance of slowing down and take a look at the wonders in nature. The essays evoke feeling of calm and peace. Something that we all need from time to time. A great gift book.

I'm a huge fan of Kiese Laymon's and his love for this book made me pick it up. He's not kidding when he says, "This book is about to shake the earth." World of Wonders is a marvelous surprise! This is the kind of delightful book that you can either read straight through or dip in and out of as you please, which is great, because Aimee does such an incredible job of capturing the unexpected beauty and humor in and around her world that you won't want to leave.

Regrettably, I tore through this gorgeously composed collection of memoir-esque essays in a few hours, and then I went back for more…which I never do. I am not a reader that goes back to read books again and again, but with World of Wonders, that is exactly what I did! My favorite essay was “Bonnet Macaque,” with its painterly prose that makes you feel as if you are transported to the place Aimee is describing. “The rain in southern India pimpled the lake in the morning and greeted us in the afternoon, smelling of crow feathers and cumin.” This one, in particular, brought me right back to a trip I took to India, not too long ago. Or how Aimee describes her “secret” conversations with birds – even a secret from her husband – that makes you want to slow down and appreciate the beauty surrounding life. “But I think it’s the quiet way you settle into the crook of a tree trunk, the still and slowdown of your heart in a world that wants us to be quick and to move onto the next thing. The secret in talking to birds is in the steadiness of each limb as you make your way into their territory, in the deliberateness of each movement and bend of tree branch and grass blade.” And the way Aimee took an ordinary object like oranges and explained the multigenerational connection of this fruit to her family, make her essays completely approachable and relatable. Lastly, to quote Aimee who says, “as Emily Dickinson once wrote, hope is the thing with feathers.”

I really didn't know what to expect when I sat down with this book. I thought there would be life lessons from what we can learn from nature, i.e., "bees are team players,' etc. But this is a memoir, wrapped up as a nature observation, written by a poet. I had to force myself to slow down as I read it, and I immediately started from page one again as soon as I finished.