H is for Hawkby Helen MacdonaldI don’t read a lot of non-fiction, but when I read a review about how fantastic this book was I decided to give it a try – and I’m so glad I did! First of all, the writing is phenomenal. The author Helen Macdonald definitely has a way with words (the back cover notes she is also a poet and it shows). Her description of her goshawk and country surroundings make it all so real (even the gross parts where the hawk is tearing into wee little animals!).However, even though the book is slotted into the bird subject area of the library, it is about much more than a hawk and how to train it. Macdonald wrote this book after the passing of her father which hit her really hard. Training the goshawk helped her deal with her loss and the devastating grief that gripped her when her father died. Loss happens at the most unexpected times and Macdonald’s book reminds us to make the most of the time you have with loved ones. Always an important reminder and one easily forgotten.