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The Harvester by Gene Stratton - Potter

Rachael wrote: "Would the graphic novel Be Prepared count for this one?"

I think it sounds iffy, but it's your challenge, so if you think it works, go for it! There are other graphic novels, such as John Muir, Earth - Planet, Universe and The Rime of the Modern Mariner, that might work better.

I was going to read Lab Girl for this one. Then I considered Gods, Wasps, and Stranglers. It’s about fig trees in history and culture. But then I spotted “A Green History of the World�� on my shelves, languishing unread, so I will probably read that.

Do either of these books count?
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
Into the Wild

Loving “the Nature Fix��! Great non-fiction book about why the outdoors have such an effect on our bodies and brains. Lots of NPS facts and nature literature quotes throughout. Good for people who have already read John Muir, John Krakauer, Edward Abbey, Mary Oliver, etc.

Elzhraa wrote: "Do either of these books count?
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
Into the Wild"

I read Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail to meet the Oprah book selection task. It's a memoir, but she does occasionally mention the history of the Pacific Crest trail, & how plant communities & weather change as she passes through different ecosystems. And it's very much about her interactions with herself, & nature, & what that takes. I'm a plant geek, so it wasn't as nature-y as I would have wished, but it could certainly count.

Emily wrote: "Loving “the Nature Fix��! Great non-fiction book about why the outdoors have such an effect on our bodies and brains. Lots of NPS facts and nature literature quotes throughout. Good for people who h..."

Oooh, thanks for the recommendation! Just added The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative to my list. :)

Erin wrote: "I’m ready for pushback:

“Houseplants for Dummies��; count?"

Do you want arguments for, or against? I can provide either. :p

Mya wrote: "Elzhraa wrote: "Do either of these books count?
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
Into the Wild"

I read [book:Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific ..."

Thank you very much. I just wanted more popular books that I can find in my country :)

I am halfway through H Is for Hawk. I am wondering if this is considered a book about nature. It seems more like a memoir to me.

LindaN wrote: "I am halfway through H Is for Hawk. I am wondering if this is considered a book about nature. It seems more like a memoir to me."

I hope it is, because it is my choice also

Deborah wrote: "LindaN wrote: "I am halfway through H Is for Hawk. I am wondering if this is considered a book about nature. It seems more like a memoir to me."

I hope it is, because it is my choice also"


I think it's predominantly a memoir, but more than 350 users have shelved it as being about the environment/nature. And how humans interact with animals that are normally wild is very much a facet of nature. Plus it's your challenge to shape as you will. If you read it & feel you read about nature, task complete! :)

I couldn’t have said it any better, Mya.

Mya wrote: "Erin wrote: "I’m ready for pushback:

“Houseplants for Dummies��; count?"

Do you want arguments for, or against? I can provide either. :p"

Either! Looking for honest feedback.... (I’m learning lots about the structure of plants, water conservation, propagation.) ;)

Erin wrote: "Mya wrote: "Do you want arguments for, or against? I can provide either. :p"

Either! Looking for honest feedback.... (I’m ..."

Arguing for Houseplants For Dummies (For Dummies to satisfy the task:

Houseplants are a fascinating subset of how humans interact with nature. We want to be close to nature so we bring it inside to have some wildness near us. We also want to control it, so we take huge jungle plants & grow them in pots as much smaller houseplants. Successful growing of houseplants is exercising dominion over the wild. However the constraints of growing something in a pot require all sorts of modifications to what the plant would want if it were growing where it evolved; we have to understand something of that evolution & ecosystem. Unlike how humans exert control over other humans, our dominion of houseplants requires some level of understanding what we are enslaving. Why is it the way it is?

Arguing against? Houseplants for Dummies is not really a book about nature-as-nature. I wouldn't count it for me, at least not without supplemental reading (or viewing).

But it's your challenge, & for the reasons I gave immediately above, there are a lot of reasons why it could satisfy the task. There. Both sides! :)

Mya wrote: "Erin wrote: "Mya wrote: "Do you want arguments for, or against? I can provide either. :p"

Either! Looking for honest feedback.... (I’m ..."

Arguing for [book:Houseplants For Dummies (For Dummies|..."

Very thoughtful reply! Thanks for sharing. :)

I highly recommend The Lightkeepers by Abby Geni.
/book/show/2...

Why Dinosaurs Matter

Loved this short TED book.

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry - Neil de Grasse Tyson

Pamela wrote: "Astrophysics for People in a Hurry - Neil de Grasse Tyson"

I'm currently listening to this audiobook for this prompt.

I just finished A Green History of the World: The Environment & the Collapse of Great Civilizations. It will have me thinking for some time. I discovered there’s an updated edition, but not sure I have the stamina to read that. What I got from the original edition was chilling enough. I do highly recommend, but it’s a bit of a marathon.

Just finished The Death and Life of the Great Lakes which is excellent for this task. It was interesting and informative. Should be required reading. Can't recommend highly enough.

I read a LOT of nature writing and have been trying to increase the diversity in authorship. Drew Lanham did a phenomenal job with The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man's Love Affair with Nature. Anyone have suggestions for others?

Would The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History count for this one? It's been on my TBR for a while.

Monica wrote: "Just finished The Death and Life of the Great Lakes which is excellent for this task. It was interesting and informative. Should be required reading. Can't recommend highly enough."

I had read that as well! I agree that it really was interesting. I've been recommending it to friends as a summer read.

I can recommend Trace: Memory, History, Race and the American Land by Lauret Savoy. It's a wonderful memoir of relationship with the land - and she's a beautiful writer.

Kimberly wrote: "Would The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History count for this one? It's been on my TBR for a while."

Absolutely!! It's a fantastic book.

I read "My Absolute Darling" by Gabriel Tallent for this one, however, as it isn't really about nature, per se, I may redo this challenge. It is really about a girl that escapes from her abusive, obsessive, and psychopathic father into nature. It has rich descriptions of the wilderness surrounding her home and town so I won't feel too bad if I don't read another book for this task.

***Warning, do NOT read this book without first reading a summary or some reviews. It is not for the faint of heart but it is, honestly, so good. ***

I tried reading Rain for this topic but just couldn't get into the book - the subject was interesting, but I think the writing was too much like a textbook for my taste. I dove into The Soul of an Octopus, though, and absolutely loved it. I recommend it even if you're not a frequent reader of non-fiction (I read mostly fiction myself).

I read The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World by Andrea Wulf for this task and it was great! I really enjoyed learning about the way science learned to approach nature in a modern ecological sense. Alexander von Humboldt was a really interesting guy :)

American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West

I read The Waking Land, It's fantasy but it's very much about nature. The main character is the first warden of the land in centuries, and has the magical abilities to make things grow in her hands and see through animal eyes, etc. She's also been studying to be a botanist, so there's a little bit of science within the fantasy. I really enjoyed it, if anyone's looking for something other than nonfiction.

I read Walking with Aalasi: An Introduction to Edible and Medicinal Arctic Plants for this task. It was a really interesting introduction to plant life in the tundra, especially in the ways it can be used (medicine, food, tea, diapers, lamp wicks, etc). It's in both Inuktitut and English, and makes for a really accessible read.

I read Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine for this prompt.

Finished
by Michael Finkel

My Review:
/review/show...

My choice for this category is Deep Blue Home: An Intimate Ecology of Our Wild Ocean by Julia Whitty. I read and loved her book The Fragile Edge: Diving and Other Adventures in the South Pacific several years ago, being a huge fan of snorkeling, scuba diving and all things ocean. This has been sitting on my kindle for years, so I can't wait for an excuse to read her writing again. One of my most anticipated reads for the challenge.

Would For All The Tea In China by Sarah Rose count as being about nature as its about trying to steal tea plants, or would it need to be more specific?

Jenny wrote: "Would For All The Tea In China by Sarah Rose count as being about nature as its about trying to steal tea plants, or would it need to be more specific?"

I think For All the Tea in China: Espionage, Empire and the Secret Formula for the World's Favourite Drink would count for task #2, a book of true crime, & since it's about history, economics, food, & culture, it could count for task #14, a book of social science. But it doesn't seem to be so much about nature, whether at large, or in specific.

Edited to add: oh, & it could qualify for #5, a book set in or about one of the BRICs countries, as it involves both India & China.

OK, thanks

Jenny wrote: "OK, thanks"

I forgot to note that I haven't read it. It could be the book spends most of its pages talking about the history & ecology of Camellia sinensis. For me, since it's been used by humans since at least the 2nd century BC., I'm less inclined to consider that about nature, & more about human history & all the fields that go into our relationships with food.

However, this challenge is everyone's to make their own, & you may have a different perspective. :)

I'm going to be reading it anyway, so I can see whether it applies as I do :D

I just finished The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan for this challenge. What a great book - a comprehensive, informative, well researched and extremely readable history of the Great Lakes. I’ve been recommending it to everyone. Thanks to the reading challenge for suggesting a topic I would not normally explore.

Barbara wrote: "I just finished The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan for this challenge. What a great book - a comprehensive, informative, well researched and extremely readable histor..."

I read this one too and I found it to be a great read! It's not something I would have normally picked up, but it was actually kinda fun reading out of my comfort zone.

Beth wrote: "Barbara wrote: "I just finished The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan for this challenge. What a great book - a comprehensive, informative, well researched and extremely..."

Another book that I read and enjoyed recently was The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl. Well written and informative.

I just finished The Triumph of Seeds: How Grains, Nuts, Kernels, Pulses, and Pips Conquered the Plant Kingdom and Shaped Human History for this task. I loved it! Alongside Lonesome Dove for task 7, this is tied for my biggest surprise hit of the challenge so far, and like Lonesome Dove, it is a book I never would have picked up without it.

Does World Without Us by Alan Weisman count?

Ashley Andrews, I think it counts. It specifically talks about how nature would take over and re-wild all the human structures.

I read Flower Fairies of the Autumn. I read it every Fall.

Thanks!

I read Climbing Mount Improbable by Richard Dawkins for this one, all about evolution. The chapter on the development of the eye in different species was fascinating!