Rose Martin picks up a copy of William Hall’s latest block buster, which frames the building materials that make up our world. This time he concentrates on timber.

I WAS doing a guided walk through a forest the other day and several people asked me about the ash die-back disease and the threat it poses to Irish ash trees.

IT’S RAINING, ‘pull-over-it’s-too-dangerous-to-drive’ rain. Hardly ideal conditions for roaming the forest and hills around Kinnitty Castle Hotel, Co Offaly, foraging for mushrooms.

Review by Dick Warner