calcitestar's review against another edition
3.0
At the beginning I thought "I love this book". In the middle I began to wonder how much more he could say about walking but by the last chapter I was back liking it. Definitely liked December best. It will kill or cure your walking habit.
kerlthm's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
4.25
toonan's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
As walking in nature has always been my main form of exercise and foundational to my mental health I pretty much devour anything written on the subject. Especially by and about women walking.
les_allan's review against another edition
Brought to life a forgotten corner of England & Wales. Inspirational.
kizzia's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
tardycreative's review against another edition
4.0
Inspired me to want to start walking long distances someday, though I have been sick for quite sometime so it will take me a while to get started properly. I really loved this, it was inspiring to see that a friend she had made along the way was also sick but carried on walking very long distances to raise money for research into her sickness and helping others with it.
eternalscout's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.5
krisandburn's review against another edition
4.5
This is the second book by TV presenter Kate Humble that I have listened to. There is something very soothing about both the way she tells her stories and the way she narrates them.
This is a diary style book about a year of walking, both close to her home and as far away as the Arctic Circle and Rwanda. She lays direct connections between the act of walking and mental well-being. She talks about the effect walking has on her own mind as well as those of others, talking about inspiring people she has met along the way for who walking has made a big difference to their lives.
I really enjoyed this one, especially on audio. It was very calming and it made me realise that I do not walk enough these days and I need to change that.
I would highly recommend this book if you enjoy a book about nature, a little bit of mental health and a lot of inspiration to get walking again.
This is a diary style book about a year of walking, both close to her home and as far away as the Arctic Circle and Rwanda. She lays direct connections between the act of walking and mental well-being. She talks about the effect walking has on her own mind as well as those of others, talking about inspiring people she has met along the way for who walking has made a big difference to their lives.
I really enjoyed this one, especially on audio. It was very calming and it made me realise that I do not walk enough these days and I need to change that.
I would highly recommend this book if you enjoy a book about nature, a little bit of mental health and a lot of inspiration to get walking again.
sadie_slater's review against another edition
3.0
I was only vaguely aware of Kate Humble as a TV presenter (I don't think I've ever watched a show she presented), but I have been looking out for books about walking that aren't written by men and had noted her Thinking on My Feet: The small joy of putting one foot in front of the other as a book I might want to try.
Thinking on My Feet is written in diary format, chronicling a year of Humble's walking (and sometimes running). I wasn't entirely enamoured of it to start with; the early sections involve rather a lot of walking in far-flung locations where Humble is working (Kenya, India) or on holiday (the Caribbean), and I was a little uncomfortable at these countries, where for many of the locals walking is the only option, being used as a backdrop for a white woman from a privileged Western country's narrative about the benefits of walking. However, I enjoyed the descriptions of walks nearer to Humble's home in the Welsh Marches, and as I kept going I found myself liking the book more. It didn't really seem to settle into its stride until about half-way through, when instead of being a day-by-day diary of short walks the whole "Summer" section is devoted to a single nine-day walk along the Wye Valley Way, from the river's source to Chepstow, while the "Autumn" section that follows has a much stronger thematic unity, exploring the connections between walking and mental health and including interviews with other people who have found that walking has positive effects on mental health and a New York therapist who conducts his appointments while walking. I felt that the second half of the book was much stronger than the first half, and wondered whether Humble had found that her theme only emerged gradually through the writing process, and she wasn't able to reshape the earlier material enough to completely fit it.
In the end, what I liked most about Thinking on My Feet (and the reason why the bits set in other countries worked least well for me) was the way it captured the everyday pleasure of walking and reminded me just how much I like getting out in the fresh air and countryside (not that I need reminding, really, but I don't always think about walking while I'm reading a book).
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free eARC for review.
Thinking on My Feet is written in diary format, chronicling a year of Humble's walking (and sometimes running). I wasn't entirely enamoured of it to start with; the early sections involve rather a lot of walking in far-flung locations where Humble is working (Kenya, India) or on holiday (the Caribbean), and I was a little uncomfortable at these countries, where for many of the locals walking is the only option, being used as a backdrop for a white woman from a privileged Western country's narrative about the benefits of walking. However, I enjoyed the descriptions of walks nearer to Humble's home in the Welsh Marches, and as I kept going I found myself liking the book more. It didn't really seem to settle into its stride until about half-way through, when instead of being a day-by-day diary of short walks the whole "Summer" section is devoted to a single nine-day walk along the Wye Valley Way, from the river's source to Chepstow, while the "Autumn" section that follows has a much stronger thematic unity, exploring the connections between walking and mental health and including interviews with other people who have found that walking has positive effects on mental health and a New York therapist who conducts his appointments while walking. I felt that the second half of the book was much stronger than the first half, and wondered whether Humble had found that her theme only emerged gradually through the writing process, and she wasn't able to reshape the earlier material enough to completely fit it.
In the end, what I liked most about Thinking on My Feet (and the reason why the bits set in other countries worked least well for me) was the way it captured the everyday pleasure of walking and reminded me just how much I like getting out in the fresh air and countryside (not that I need reminding, really, but I don't always think about walking while I'm reading a book).
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free eARC for review.