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There’s nothing I enjoy more than sitting in the sunshine on my porch with a cup of coffee and a good book. As the days are getting longer and warmer, I’ve found myself adding new books to my pile to make sure I never have a shortage of enriching words at an arm’s length. Whether I’m popping into my favorite neighborhood bookstores to peruse their used sections and new releases stacks or browsing my local library branch, there’s always an exciting amount of writing that explores our human relationships to the world around us. Here is a collection of some of my recent favorites that you may be interested in adding to your own to-read list.
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
Available on Amazon
John Green is best known for his hugely popular works of young adult fiction, like The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska. The Anthropocene Reviewed is a charming essay collection reviewing a diverse array of human-ness. The essays are peppered with bright spots that serve as antidotes to apathy towards overwhelming global issues like climate change and COVID.
The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
Available on Amazon
This book sometimes reads like science fiction with how incredible some of the recent discoveries about how trees sound. Delightfully magical and rigorously scientific, this is a great book to feel more connected with the natural world around us.
Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake
Available on Amazon
This is such a fun and engaging exploration of how fungi shape our environments and interact with our cultures. If you liked Michael Pollan’s This Is Your Mind on Plants, this is an awesome follow-up.
Environmental Ethics: A Very Short Introduction by Robin Attfield
Available on Amazon
A pocket-sized book from the Oxford University Press that’s absolutely packed with info. I had always found the concept of “environmental ethics” scarily abstract and never really knew where to start if I wanted to wrap my head around it, so I hesitantly added this to my pile while doing holiday gift shopping at the Harvard Book Store. This quick read is sharp, approachable, and left me feeling infinitely more informed on the topic.
Go Green! Energy: My First Pull-the-Tab Eco Book by Pintachan
Available on Amazon
I was so excited to come across this board book when shopping for a friend’s baby shower at Porter Square Books. Illustrations by Spanish artist Pintachan are whimsical and brightly colored, injecting so much joy into images of simple sustainable energy technology — fun for the whole family!
