I wasn't sure what to expect when I opened the pages of this book. It has a beautiful cover, but would I really want to read quite such a big book all about birdwatching?!

It didn't take long for me to be completely engrossed, unable to put the book down, desperate to know the outcome of this extraordinary account of family, mental illness, and an obsession.

The author is known now as a birder, an environmentalist and a diversity activist and in the latter part of the book she describes how she came to organise conferences and speak to the media and audiences about her passion.

Since a young child she has travelled the world to collect sightings of more and more birds. It was originally her father's obsession but then he realised it helped his wife's mental wellbeing. And their youngest child didn't want to be left behind, so Mya-Rose joined them.

To date she has seen over five thousand different types of bird: half the world's species. In travelling the world, she has seen the destruction that is being wrought on the planet and the resulting threat to birds in particular.

It is an extraordinary account which is all-consuming and fascinating to read. I loved it!