I really liked this book. The information is easy to comprehend, it’s very interesting, I learned a lot.
The picture were relevant and beautiful. I recommend this book.

Thank you, NetGalley, Storey Publishing, and Christopher Hobbs for this arc. In exchange for an honest review.

Christopher Hobbs Medicinal Mushrooms The Essential Guide is a delightful and informative read. The phrase "you learn something new every day" is correctly applied to this guide as every page is filled with information, explanations, and great photos. The information discussed includes the benefits of everyday dietary needs to fighting infections, assisting bodily pains, and advancing organs' well-being widely expressed in this book. Also included are details on the identification, harvesting, and storage of mushrooms. Directions for making tinctures and extract powders are reviewed. As a homeschooling family, this beautiful book inspires us to take the time to explore and forage for mushrooms. This book is a resource we will refer back too often and one I will recommend.

"Forest therapy" is right! Foraging and identifying mushrooms is like no other experience. Nature is truly miraculous, generous and endlessly fascinating. As a forager and fungi lover, this book is such a pleasure to absorb and learn from.

Connecting with nature, in this case fungi, is super sensory. We rely on nature and it relies on us and this book is chock full of information on how and why. I learned much more about healing/medicinal properties and nutritional values of various fungi. Though I've always loved eating fungi I haven't paid as much attention to nutrients and healing as flavour and texture...it is beneficial to be more mindful of that and, in fact, seek out fungi with particular purposes. There is much more than merely drying them and grinding them into powder to use as seasoning and making stock. They are nutritional and healing powerhouses used as salves, tinctures, anti-inflammatories, Vitamin D boosters and to improve insomnia, amongst many others.

The astounding photographs capture the earthiness of fungi and nature in colours and textures humans simply cannot replicate. Christopher Hobbs does a brilliant job of educating and communicating so naturally, full of passion and firsthand knowledge. If only this were to be required reading...people would be hooked! Mycology is pure joy. So is nature. Sometimes people look but don't see. This beautiful book helps the reader to appreciate what is around (and beneath!) us. I'll definitely be buying a copy of it to complement field guides. However, you needn't be a forager or mycologist to glean information from this book. Those interested in nutrition and feeling better (nearly everyone?) would benefit as well, as would hikers, walkers and armchair nature lovers.

My sincere thank you to Storey Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this enthralling book. Much appreciated.

This was fascinating! Who knew mushrooms were so beneficial? Not being an expert at mushrooms (but love eating them!) I enjoyed much of this book. My only issue was- where do you find these mushrooms to buy?? Unless you are an expert, foraging for them, can be extremely dangerous! Thankfully, Mr. Hobbs has included mushrooms that should be easily found in a well stocked grocery store, so there are some I can buy and try! Still, it was interesting to read about the many 'shrooms out there and their medicinal qualities. Good read for foragers, and natural medicine folks!

Interesting look at mushrooms and their medicinal purposes. Author gives you a guide to the how and what of each mushroom beneficial to medicinal under the guise of his journey with the fungus and certain study trials. I am not a big connoisseur of mushrooms but I study botany and I thought this was an interesting book.

What did I like? Author gives a well rounded amount of information about a variety of medicinal mushrooms. I also enjoyed the part where the mushroom was cut up, and used for tinctures in a step by step way. I’m not a huge fan of mushrooms but I think most of the ideas in the book can be used in a variety of botany related medicinal purposes. I’m more likely to buy a powdered form but unfortunately you never really know what your getting in a powdered form.

Would I recommend or buy? This is for die hard fans of mushroom lovers but I still found the study interesting. I think the author did an amazing job and has shown quite a bit of knowledge about a majority of mushrooms. I would definitely love a copy. I’m hesitant to really try foraging for mushrooms mainly because certain poisonous ones look similar to edible ones. Still this was a fun and educational book.

I received a copy to read and offer an opinion. Five stars and educational read!

This is an utterly fantastic book that covers all you'd need to know about medicinal mushrooms -- why they're so good for so many things, how to use them in many different ways, how to grow them, how to find good quality ones, how to forage them, you name it. It's packed with information of all kinds and full of charts and color photos. I've been holding on to some turkey tail mushrooms that my husband foraged for me a few months ago because I was unsure of how to properly use them. Online sources usually sell either a powdered form or tincture, but many herbalists say it needs to be double extracted (in boiling water and alcohol) to be used best. This book taught me how to do it all, and all the ways I can use it, plus others that we gather in our area. I may get a copy for my foraging hubby or my wild mushroom-loving photographer daughter (or just me).

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.