The Book of Birds by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris
Written by Robert Macfarlane with illustrations by Jackie Morris, The Book of Birds is the spiritual successor to their project The Lost Words.
Nature
Blue thinks itself within me by Kim Trainor
Full of a variety of works of art and poetry, slices of history, theories, and anecdotes of Trainor’s activism, all sections weave source material and personal experience back to the pulsing questions Trainor poses: what can artists do in the face of climate disaster, and more specifically how can activism be informed and impacted by ecopoetry?
The Time of Falling Apart by Wendy Donawa
As with movies that start gritty and move to hope or start sunlit and move to grim, this book has an arc starting quiet and small and becoming more vivid and joyful as it progresses, as if affirming to live every day.
What’s The Point? An Irreverent Guide to Point Pleasant Park by Steven Laffoley
As he wanders, “with thoughts of a hot Tim Hortons coffee…dancing in his head,” he reflects on everything from the seasons to the birds, from Hurricane Juan to Shakespeare By The Sea, from the battlements and the long-horned beetle to “the most common mammal in the park…the Canis lupus familiaris, the domesticated dog”.
40 Days and 40 Hikes: Loving the Bruce Trail One Loop at a Time by Nicola Ross
This book gives hikers concise one-page summaries of each loop, including maps, technical information about trail requirements, entrances and exits, interesting plants and animals to look for along the way. The accompanying text offers a well-researched recounting of the history, present circumstances and possible futures of the snake spine of land that rises through South-Central Ontario and is the Niagara Escarpment and of the Bruce Trail that follows it.
Throwback: The Imperilled Ocean by Laura Trethewey
Laura Trethewey’s The Imperilled Ocean: Human Stories from a Changing Sea is the perfect blend of entertainment and education.
A Perfect Day for a Walk by Bill Arnott
When I arrived, a tourist in Vancouver twenty years ago, it was apparent almost immediately how incredibly walkable the city is.
The Sunshine Coast From Gibsons to Powell River, Third Edition by Howard White
I live in the Lower Mainland of BC. When I go to the “Baja” Sunshine Coast, I take a 40ish minute car ferry ride from the Horseshoe Bay terminal. When we pass by Soames Hill, somewhat resembling the shape of Homer Simpson’s belly if lying down, I know it’s time to ditch the outdoor view …
The New Beachcomber’s Guide to the Pacific Northwest, Second Revised Edition
J. Duane Sept’s Beachcomber’s Guide provides a well-organized and comprehensive list which identifies many of the strange organisms I encountered that day. Those weird little black beatles crawling about as I lifted up rocks to unblock the sand to sea beeline of a juvenile Norther Kelp Crab? Oregon Pill Bug.
Signs of Life by Sarah Cox Spirits Us to Extinction’s Front Lines
An unswerving look at issues related to biodiversity in Canada.
The Road to Appledore by Tom Wayman
Written by someone who clearly respects and appreciates the natural world, The Road to Appledore might well appeal to a broad range of people.
Medicinal Perennials to Know and Grow
Some of my musings of late have been inspired by this rather practical little book which reminds us that flowers aren’t only there to be beautiful. Many of them offer health benefits and — best of all, as far as the lazy gardener in me insists — the flowers in these pages, perennials, keep coming up on their own, year after year.
Hazard, Home Evokes Nature’s Beauty and Vulnerability
In Hazard, Home, Christine Lowther offers 52 poems about the natural world and our relationship with it.
Hot Springs of Western Canada: a Complete Guide, 4th edition
Explore the natural glory of hot springs with the updated 4th edition of Hot Springs of Western Canada.
In the Slender Margin: The Intimate Strangeness of Death and Dying by Eve Joseph
Originally published in 2014, In the Slender Margin was enthusiastically received and applauded for its respectful sensitivity in dealing with a subject that is still, to many, an avoidable topic of conversation: death and dying. Using her 20+ years’ experience working as a palliative care counsellor in a hospice as a springboard for exploration, Joseph probes our collective knowledge of that final life experience that we all must face.
