Books for Nature Nuts
Enjoy learning about wild places, fascinating animals, or extreme weather and natural events? I sure do, and this selection of new and old titles are some of my favorites. So check out one of these books from the library and find a park, mountain top, beach, or backyard to enjoy while you read! (Summaries below provided by Syndetics Unbound)
Cod by Mark Kurlansky - An unexpected, energetic look at world history on sea and land from the bestselling author of Salt and The Basque History of the World. Cod, Mark Kurlansky's third work of nonfiction and winner of the 1999 James Beard Award, is the biography of a single species of fish, but it may as well be a world history with this humble fish as its recurring main character.
Isaacs Storm by Erik Larson - Meticulously researched and vividly written, Isaac's Storm is based on Cline's own letters, telegrams, and reports, the testimony of scores of survivors, and our latest understanding of the hows and whys of great storms. Ultimately, however, it is the story of what can happen when human arrogance meets nature's last great uncontrollable force.
The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel - Many people dream of escaping modern life, but most will never act on it. This is the remarkable true story of a man who lived alone in the woods of Maine for 27 years, making this dream a reality--not out of anger at the world, but simply because he preferred to live on his own.
The Wild Trees by Richard Preston - From the #1 bestselling author of The Hot Zone comes an amazing account of scientific and spiritual passion for the tallest trees in the world, the startling biosystem of the canopy, and those who are committed to the preservation of this astonishing and largely unknown world.
Krakatoa by Simon Winchester - The bestselling author of The Professor and the Madman and The Map That Changed the World examines the enduring and world-changing effects of the catastrophic eruption off the coast of Java of the earth's most dangerous volcano -- Krakatoa.
In The Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick - In the Heart of the Sea brings to new life the incredible story of the wreck of the whaleship Essex--an event as mythic in its own century as the Titanic disaster in ours, and the inspiration for the climax of Moby-Dick. In a harrowing page-turner, Nathaniel Philbrick restores this epic story to its rightful place in American history.
The Lost City of Z by David Grann - In 1925, the legendary British explorer Percy Fawcett ventured into the Amazon jungle, in search of a fabled civilization. He never returned. Over the years countless perished trying to find evidence of his party and the place he called "The Lost City of Z." In this masterpiece of narrative nonfiction, journalist David Grann interweaves the spellbinding stories of Fawcett's quest for "Z" and his own journey into the deadly jungle, as he unravels the greatest exploration mystery of the twentieth century.
The Big Burn by Timothy Egan - In THE WORST HARD TIME, Timothy Egan put the environmental disaster of the Dust Bowl at the center of a rich history, told through characters he brought to indelible life. Now he performs the same alchemy with the Big Burn, the largest-ever forest fire in America and the tragedy that cemented Teddy Roosevelt's legacy in the land.
If none of these suggestions piqued your interest then try some of the popular authors and books in the slideshow below. And please let me know some of your favorite nature reads next time you see me at the front desk!
Enjoy the outdoors this summer,
Mat Bose - Assistant Director
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