It’s Amazon Prime Day, and we’re re-sharing a few of our favorite book lists. Last year, I shared my six favorite wilderness reads, books I would take on the trail with me or read by headlamp in a tent.
If you’ve been following along, Kate and I are hittin’ the books hard this year. Our Read With Me series is growing each month and as we close out April, earth month, we wanted to share our favorite nature reads with you. It was hard for me to pick only a handful, but these are the first ones that came to mind and they’re all quite different at that.
Our Favorite Nature Reads :
Arts & Photography :
Andy Goldsworthy: A Collaboration with Nature is a must have. Seriously. This book is my favorite and I pull it out each time I have guests over. Goldsworthy uses a variety of purely natural materials, from rocks to leaves and twigs to snow and ice, to sculpt the environment. Each creation interrupts, or temporarily alters nature and yet eventually the materials used to create each piece will return to their natural state and leave no trace. Each image and sculpture is simply impeccable.
Science :
The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative – a neuroscience read written by a journalist, The Nature Fix is equal parts informative and entertaining. Author Florence Williams travels the globe and explores scientific studies pertaining to effects on our mood, energy level, and anxieties. The Nature Fix is easy to process. Page after page is intriguing as the entire book focuses on our mental and physical health and yet it doesn’t read like a textbook. Here’s my full synopsis on The Nature Fix.
Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature by science writer and lecturer, Janine M. Benyus. Biomimcry is innovation inspired by nature, basically studying nature’s best ideas and adapting them for human use. Benyus writes about her experience in the lab and out in the field with researchers as they stir, analyze, convert, and record their new discoveries inspired by the infinite wisdom of nature.
Biographies :
Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail by Ben Montgomery details the adventure of Emma Gatewood. The first woman to hike the entire Appalachian Trail alone, as well as the first person ever to walk it twice and three times – all after the age of 65! Besides this feat, it’s said that Gatewood’s criticism of the difficult stretches of the trail led to more maintenance and may have helped save the trail from becoming defunct.
When Grandma Gatewood Took a Hike by Michelle Houts is Emma Gatewood’s story geared towards kids. This book actually won School Library Journal’s Best Picture Book of 2016. We bought it for Alex and we love it.
Stories and Essays :
Nature’s Healing Spirit by Sheri McGregor is a compilation of 33 accomplished writers’ experiences with the natural world. Some stories have a succinct ending while others leave you wanting for more. Luckily, each author’s piece is followed by a short biography where you can find other published works and their websites. Here’s my full synopsis on Nature’s Healing Spirit.
Wilderness Essays by John Muir – features some of Muir’s most beautiful essays ranging in subject matter from Alaska to Yellowstone, from Oregon to the High Sierra. Muir’s love for America’s wild spaces comes through with each passage. It’s easy to imagine why he fought to preserve these lands he loved so much. Reading Muir’s words is therapeutic and (in the best way possible) they lull me to sleep without fail.
There are many more nature reads that are on my list to read, here are a few :
The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs by Tristan Gooley.
H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald.
The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate—Discoveries from a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben.