My Bookshelf
Nature books are a great way to reconnect with our natural world. Here's some inspiration, what have you been reading?
EMPIRE OF PAIN
By Patrick Radden Keefe
A paradigm of outstanding investigative journalism.
THE UNEXPECTED TRUTH ABOUT ANIMALS
By Lucy Cooke
A fascinating history of anthropomorphism and the co-opting of fabrications about animal behaviour to support moral sermonising
ON WRITING
By Stephen King
Advice on writing from an incredible storyteller.
YOU CAN HAVE A BETTER PERIOD
By Le'Nise Brothers
Don't let a frustrating first few chapters put you off this useful book
FOUR THOUSAND WEEKS
By Oliver Burkeman
If we live until we're 80 our life will consist of only 4,000 weeks. How do we live with that fact and make the best of the time we have?
THE AUTHORITY GAP
By Mary Ann Sieghart
I hesitate to describe books as something everyone should read; the phrase is over-used. Everyone really should read this book.
THE EDGE OF THE SEA
By Rachel Carson
A beautiful book filled with nature learning.
ETTA LEMON
By Tessa Boase
A review on the back cover of the book describes it as a triumph. It is.
SWIFTS AND US
By Sarah Gibson
I had a feeling we don’t know much about swifts, and I was right - but this book did make me feel closer to them.
HOW BEAUTIFUL WE WERE
By Imbolo Mbue
A David and Goliath story with an environmental slant; what's not to love? Well a lot, actually.
100 BIRDS
By Carl Bovis
Carl Bovis is a wonderful photographer and brings us insight into the world of our feathered friends that is uniquely his.
UNDER THE ROCK
By Benjamin Myers
If you like gothic writing and Yorkshire, this is the perfect book for you.
WILDING
By Isabella Tree
When eco anxiety threatens to overwhelm you, pick up Wilding to listen to a story of success.
THE MOST PERFECT THING
By Tim Birkhead
A detailed exploration of what we know (and don't know) about birds' eggs. If ever you feel your awe at the wonder of the natural world fading, pick up this book.
DIVIDED
By Tim Marshall
Accessible enough for those new to geopolitics but detailed enough to interest those who know more, Divided is a great read for anyone interested in why the world behaves the way it does.
BITCH
By Lucy Cooke
Have we, in our devotion to Darwin, been perpetuating biased and therefore unscientific views for more than a century? In Bitch Lucy Cooke reveals that yes, we have.
THE NEW MAP
By Daniel Yergin
If your aim is to engage with climate issues in a meaningful way, then context is critical. Books like this one, covering the geopolitics of energy and climate recovery, are vital reading.
BACK TO NATURE
By Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin
A great book if you’re looking for an informal introduction to conservation and natural history.
WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING
By Delia Owens
A story about loneliness and the power of the natural world, heart-breaking and heart-warming in equal measure.
THE BOOK OF TRESPASS
By Nick Hayes
The public are excluded from 92% of the land in England, and from 97% of our waterways. Can you truly love and connect with a country when you can only hope to see or experience 8% of it?
GATHERING MOSS
By Robin Wall Kimmerer
For a grounding, mindful way to connect with the natural world take this book to somewhere mossy.
THE WREN: A BIOGRAPHY
By Stephen Moss
A love letter to the wren – one that you can visit time and time again to learn something new about these precious little birds.
THERE IS NO PLANET B
By Mike Berners-Lee
A book that contains some insightful analysis, but is loaded towards opinion rather than fact.
BRAIDING SWEETGRASS
By Robin Wall Kimmerer
This review is a love letter. Read this book and let love, gratitude, and wonder for the natural world wash over you.
AWAY WITH THE PENGUINS
By Hazel Prior
Easy reading with an important message and a protagonist who will capture your heart, this is a book to read with a hot chocolate in front of the fire.
THE TWELVE BIRDS OF CHRISTMAS
By Stephen Moss
This is a fantastic book to dip into over the festive period – keep it close by as you wait for guests, wrap presents, and wait impatiently for the roast to cook.
REBIRDING
By Benedict Macdonald
Rebirding is an in-depth look at the space we have in the UK and what we could achieve if we used just a small percentage of that space to bring wildlife back.
THE WILD PLACES
By Robert Macfarlane
I’ve only heard good things about Robert Macfarlane’s writing so let me tell you: I must have picked up the wrong book.
SECRETS OF A DEVON WOOD
By Jo Brown
The pages are so beautiful that this book would make a great bedside of coffee table book, if only it were possible to put it down.
ELEGY FOR A RIVER
By Tom Moorhouse
Reading Moorhouse’s story is like being down the pub with a research ecologist. An entertaining introduction to water voles and white clawed crayfish.
ROCK POOL
By Heather Buttivant
If you want a holiday full of wonder and new discoveries, take Rock Pool by Heather Buttivant to a rocky shore in the UK and marvel at everything she reveals to you.
FINDING THE MOTHER TREE
By Suzanne Simard
Suzanne Simard tells the story of how she and her teams made discoveries that changed the way we look at trees forever.
INGLORIOUS
By Mark Avery
Should we have an outright ban on driven grouse shooting? Mark Avery thinks so.
SKYLARKS WITH ROSIE
By Stephen Moss
Encouraging people to care about exotic, endangered animals is one thing; inspiring people to find the joy in the everyday is quite another altogether – and something Moss does very well.
WHO OWNS ENGLAND?
By Guy Shrubsole
Understanding land ownership is critical to the success of conservation action in England. Shrubsole gives us the lowdown.