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I’ve recently become really interested in books that deal with nature and natural history. Here are nine that I can’t wait to get my hands on:
Mrs. Moreau’s Warbler: How Birds Got Their Names by Stephen Moss
We use names so often that few of us ever pause to wonder about their origins. What do they mean? And where did they come from? This book explores the bird kingdom and the stories behind their names. Sounds really interesting!
Old Herbaceous: A Novel of the Garden by Reginald Arkell
This classic British novel is “a witty comic portrait of the most archetypal–and crotchety–head gardener ever to plant a row of bulbs at a British country house.” There are supposed to be little bits of gardening wisdom sprinkled throughout too.
Four Wings and a Prayer: Caught in the Mystery of the Monarch Butterfly by Sue Halpern
“Every autumn, the monarch butterflies east of the Rockies migrate from as far north as Canada to Mexico. Memory is not their guide — no one butterfly makes the round trip — but each year somehow find their way to the same fifty acres of forest on the high slopes of Mexico’s Neovolcanic Mountains, and then make the return trip in the spring.” This book explores this phenomenon and is a blend of memoir, science and travel writing.
The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson
How about a true crime adventure? In 2009, a bizarre crime occurred at the British Museum of Natural History, where many rare bird specimens were displayed. These specimens had gorgeous feathers worth a lot of money, especially to men who enjoyed salmon fly-tying. The thief grabbed hundreds of bird skins and escaped into the night. This book explores another man’s investigation into the case. Intriguing!
The Dun Cow Rib: A Very Natural Childhood by John Lister-Kaye
This book is a memoir “of a boy’s awakening to the wonders of the natural world.” Sounds like another British gem.
The Trees by Conrad Richter
From the description: “The Trees is the story of an American family in the wilderness–a family that “followed the woods as some families follow the sea.” The time is the end of the 18th century, the wilderness is the land west of the Alleghenies and north of the Ohio River. But principally, The Trees is the story of a girl named Sayward, eldest daughter of Worth and Jary Luckett, raised in the forest far from the rest of humankind, yet growing to realize that the way of the hunter must cede to the way of the tiller of soil.”
What the Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World by Jon Young
I find bird calls fascinating. This book explores bird vocalization and what the different sounds mean, looking at everything from happy songs to distress calls.
Let Them Eat Dirt: Saving Our Children from an Oversanitized World by B. Brett Finlay
Since moving to the country, my kids have been exposed to a lot of dirt. And praised be to God, we’ve also been incredibly healthy. I was reflecting about that possible connection when I came across this book!
The Secret World of Weather by Tristan Gooley
I’m still slowly working my way through The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs, another one of Gooley’s books, but this one sounds equally as good! I’m sure it will be full of helpful information and tips.
OBSESSED.
What a fabulous list! I’m off to go add some to my TBR immediately 🙂 A few more you might want to check out: Wilding by Isabella Tree, Second Nature by Michael Pollan, and The Well-Gardened Mind by Sue Stuart-Smith. Most of those have a definite gardening slant, but all of them talk about the evolving relationship with nature that humans have had over time 🙂
Those sound great! I’ve recently come across a handful of interesting gardening-type books too, so I may have to make another post!