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Must-read Books for Nature Lovers <3
14
items My all-time favorite books that address nature (and sometimes climate) from both fiction and non-fiction perspectives. Must read all!!! Links from Bookshop.org, which supports independent bookstores. Happy reading!
Sections
3
Novels
Non-Fiction
California
Novels
A masterpiece that weaves climate anxiety and ecosystem loss anxiety together in a new way. Everyone should read this tragically beautiful book. Woman author.
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
1
A wild read showcasing the power of nature and of eldery women. Woman author. Translated.
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
An all-time favorite and the best of her books. Homesteading 1920s Alaska, it tells the story of family, love, loss, and nature. Woman author.
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
A beautiful book about a period and place (Cyprus) in history I knew little about — with nature woven throughout.
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
Popular for a reason, this book will change your life if you're indifferent about trees. Long, but worth it!
The Overstory by Richard Powers
Technically a sequel, this book is wonderful and horrible and definitely a must-read for today's world. Woman author. Black author.
Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler
Non-Fiction
Cover-to-cover nature non-fiction books
Reflections on indigenous and western science told in stories. A modern environmental classic. Woman author. Indigenous author.
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
This book started a movement, and is worth a read from anyone in the environmental space. Beautiful nature observations that make you want to go outside and better understand the place you call “home.”
A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold
Picked this up at a used bookstore and was not disappointed! Even 30+ years later, it is relevant, poignant, funny, and somehow almost inspiring.
Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams (yes, that Douglas Adams) and Mark Carwardine
This is a book for people who like to dive deep on random times and ideas in history. You know who you are. It's a fascinating look into how and why we name and categorize nature today.
Every Living Thing by Jason Roberts
California
Cover-to-cover California nature non-fiction books
What makes the oak woodlands of California so special? The species accounts are fun, informative, and easy to read. Perfect to read one account a night before bed! Woman author.
Secrets of the Oak Woodlands by Kate Marianchild
Pre-order what will soon be a must-have book profiling thirteen iconic kelp forest species of the western US coast. I can't wait! Woman author.
The Mysterious World of the Bull Kelp Forest by Josie Iselin
Disclaimer that this book is not by a member of any Ohlone or indigenous tribe. Still, it gave me the most comprehensive and readable account of Bay Area indigenous life pre-Colonization. Worth a read if you're in the Bay Area!
The Ohlone Way by Malcom Margolin
We may no longer have P-22, but that doesn't mean this book is irrelevant. Learn more about wildlife-human interaction and coexistence in California. Woman author.
When Mountain Lions Are Neighbors by Beth Pratt