The books in the list below are recommendations from book club members.   This list is in alphabetical order by author. If you’ve read a natural history related book that you would like to add to this list, please e-mail your ideas to Linda at linda.rhines@gmail.com. We also have a list of more than 100 books we have already discussed in this group on the first page of the Book Club website, so make sure your suggestion is not already there. 

Deborah Cramer, The Narrow Edge: A tiny bird, an ancient crab, and an epic journey (2016).  The Narrow Edge offers unique insight into how the lives of humans, red knots and horseshoe crabs are intertwined, and is an inspiring portrait of loss and resilience, of the tenacity of birds, and the courage of the many people who bird by bird and beach by beach, keep red knots flying.  (Recommended by Peter)

 Charles Fishman, The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water (2011) Excellent information about water, with information also about other parts of the world, particularly the water crisis issues in Australia. (Recommended by Dave)

Chad Hanson, Smokescreen: Debunking Wildfire Myths to Save Our Forests and Our Climate (2025) Scientist and activist Hanson makes a powerful, evidence-based case for rethinking fire—seeing it not as a disaster, but as an essential part of forest health and climate resilience.

Thor Hanson, Close to Home: the wonders of nature just outside your door (2025) “A fascinating look at interesting creatures going about their business in the most mundane habitats, demonstrating that observing nature is available to all. For readers who relish accessible scientific studies and lyrical nature writing.” ―Library Journal

K. David Harrrison, The Last Speakers: The quest to save the world’s most endangered languages (2010).  The author is a linguist who is documenting languages in danger of disappearing.  Barry Lopez recommended it in his book Horizon. (Recommended by Andrea Woods)

Kurt Holting, Apprentice to the Wild (2025)  Long-time wilderness guide and meditation teacher Kurt Hoelting charts the evolution of his path from his early encounters with wildness and risk on commercial fishing vessels in Alaska to his embrace of Zen practice as a gateway to the wild within. (Recommended by Jackie)

Tom Jay, The Blossoms are Ghosts at the Wedding, expanded ed. (2019)  This is an expanded edition since the one we read in 2021.  (Recommended by Oma)

Ada Limon, You Are Here: poetry in the natural world (2024) “Contemporary American poets were asked to reflect on their relationship to the natural world in this evocative anthology of poems edited by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón . . . The poems range from meditating on planting flowers in a garden to flora and fauna in parks and the wild, and express how each poet has their unique—frequently surprising—relationship to nature.”  Seattle Times.  (Recommended by Peter)

Tim Low, Where Song Began: Australia’s birds and how they changed the world (2016). This eye-opening book tells the dynamic but little-known story of how Australia provided the world with songbirds and parrots, among other bird groups.

Robert Macfarlane, Is a River Alive? (2025).  “Like its subject, Is a River Alive? is a work of flow and counter-flow. It is lyrical, evocative, closely observed and deeply moving. Robert Macfarlane offers new ways to think and, just as importantly, feel about the majestic and mysterious non-human world.” Elizabeth Kolbert.  (Recommended by Peter)

Lynda Mapes, The Trees are Speaking: dispatches from the salmon forests (2025).  In a bicoastal journey, environmental journalist Lynda V. Mapes connects the present and future of Pacific Northwest forests to the hard-logged legacy forests of the northeastern United States. (Recommended by Nan)

Trish Okane, Birding to change the World (2024) Each chapter features at least one species of bird that O’Kane has learned from. She recounts the astonishing science of bird life, including migration and survival strategies, along with many compelling stories about birds and the humans who love them. (Recommended by Noreen)

Marina Richie, Halcyon Journey: In Search of the Belted Kingfisher (2022). Marina takes us along with her as she turns citizen scientist in pursuit of kingfishers along a Montana riverbank and, over time, around the world. Part memoir, part scientific investigation, bird lovers will comes away with a new understanding about this species and their extended family. (Recommended by Holly)

Marc Reisner, Cadillac Desert: The American west and its disappearing water (2018 edition). It was originally written in 1986 and was made into a four-part television documentary in 1996. It is a classic, well written historical account and provides a lot of insight about water management and law in the western US. The 2018 is not a revised edition but has a 50-page Postscript to the revised edition. (Recommended by Dave)

Mary Roach, Fuzz: when nature breaks the law (2022)   A humor filled investigation into the unpredictable world where wildlife and humans meet. What’s to be done about a jaywalking moose? A grizzly bear caught breaking and entering? A murderous tree? As New York Times best-selling author Mary Roach discovers, the answers are best found not in jurisprudence but in science: the curious science of human-wildlife conflict, a discipline at the crossroads of human behavior and wildlife biology. PTLibrary Book Club Kit

What the Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World by Jon Young 

Deep bird language is an ancient discipline, perfected by Native peoples the world over. Finally, science is catching up. This groundbreaking book unites the indigenous knowledge, the latest research, and the author’s own experience of four decades in the field to lead us toward a deeper connection to the animals and, in the end, ourselves.

If you’ve participated in the Jefferson Land Trust Natural History course, you’ve been introduced to the idea of a “sit spot,” a special place outdoors that you regularly spend time just watching and listening. That concept is derived from the teachings of this author, Jon Young, and is discussed in more detail in this book.

Please join us at the Pink House next to Port Townsend Public Library on Monday, January 27th, 3:30-5:00 p.m. to talk about what we learned from the book and to share your experiences with listening to birds. We’ll also share with everyone some news from our special “sit spot.”

Our December 2019 natural history book club selection is Arctic Dreams: Imagination and Desire in a Northern Landscape by Barry Lopez. Originally published in 1986, Arctic Dreams won the National Book Award and remains a classic in natural history literature. Lopez offers a thorough examination of this obscure world-its terrain, its wildlife, its history of Eskimo natives and intrepid explorers who have arrived on their icy shores. But what turns this marvelous work of natural history into a breathtaking study of profound originality is his unique meditation on how the landscape can shape our imagination, desires, and dreams. Its prose as hauntingly pure as the land it describes, Arctic Dreams is nothing less than an indelible classic of modern literature. Please join us to share in discussion and your personal experiences in arctic wildlands.

We’ll be meeting at the Pink House next to the Port Townsend Public Library on Monday, December 9th, from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. After the discussion, we’ll be making a list of suggested reading for February-July 2020. We’ll be e-mailing the list to all book club participants to vote for their top 6. If you have any titles you’d like us to consider, please e-mail Kathy at katherine.darrow@outlook.com and I’ll add it to the list. Keep in mind that we prefer books on natural history topics that are related to the Pacific Northwest.

The September 2019 selection for Jefferson Land Trust Natural History Society book club is Wintergreen by Robert Michael Pyle.  We are honored to have the opportunity to meet with the author for our book discussion on Monday, October 7, from 3:30 – 5:00.  Please RSVP to Jean at indexmann@gmail.com for information, including directions, about the location.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Naturalist, scientist, and poet Robert Michael Pyle describes the land, animals, plants, and people of the Willapa Hills area of southwest Washington State.  In spite of the obvious disruption caused by widespread logging, Pyle moved to the little town of Gray’s River, Washington, in the 1970s and continued his career as a writer and naturalist.  His explorations of the area are recounted in Wintergreen, winner of the 1987 John Burroughs Medal for the best natural history book of the year.  Although originally written in the 1980s and republished with a new preface in 1996, the well-written book has valuable insights and lessons for today.