The Magic of Mushrooms//Sandra Lawrence - A review by Stacy @locs_on_location

"A walk in the woods is never just a walk. With a little knowledge you start to notice more. Once you begin to notice, it's hard not to look a little closer on every walk."

Stacy has walked more hills than she'll admit, mostly in pursuit of the trig points at the top. A paddleboarder, a slow hiker, and a passionate advocate for stopping to look at things — mushrooms, insects, the view, her lunch. You can follow her gentle chaos at @locs_on_location.

"One of the great small pleasures of a woodland walk is fungi. The little surprises in leaf litter and bark, the damp soil smell rising with the rain. These enigmatic organisms have fascinated, disgusted and intrigued humans throughout history, and this book explores all of it — stories and uses, accompanied by beautiful illustrations from the archives of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

It will appeal to a lot of people. Whether you're into botany, history or folklore, there's something here. It's not a field guide — you wouldn't rely on it for identifying mushrooms where a mistake could have serious consequences. But if you'd like to start developing your identification skills and understand more than just the appearance of fungi, this is a wonderful starting point.

The illustrations are a highlight. Structurally accurate, delicately presented, they accompany the words beautifully and begin to give you a feel for how each species actually looks. There's a section that feels like a gentle biology lesson, a little naming of parts, and then the book opens out into culture and cuisine, medicines and mythology, and the more dangerous side of mushrooms.

Last month, dipping into this on a woodland walk, I came across some bracket fungi — which have the delightful name of "conks." Reading this book gave me a renewed appreciation for them. They are among the few organisms capable of fully breaking down decomposing trees, returning nutrients to the forest and quietly sustaining ecosystems around the world. Quietly getting on with it, completely unbothered.

That's what this book does. It gives you a reason to look closer. And once you start looking, you can't stop."