July is Wild About Wildlife Month! As we soak in the sun’s warmth and explore the outdoors, why not take the opportunity to expand our knowledge about the incredible natural world we live in? Whether hiking through forests of towering trees or taking a dip in ocean waters, it becomes clear how interconnected we are with the living world surrounding us. Discover captivating, and sometimes hilarious, stories of the intricate, complex relationships and behaviors that shape the natural environments we know and love. Accessible through the Library’s OverDrive collection, these reads are perfect companions for a relaxing read in the park, camping, or at the beach - wherever your next adventure may take you!
- American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West - Nate Blakeslee. “"The enthralling story of the rise and reign of O-Six, the celebrated Yellowstone wolf, and the people who loved or feared her... challenged on all fronts: by hunters, who compete with wolves for the elk they both prize; by cattle ranchers who are losing livestock and have the ear of politicians; and by other Yellowstone wolves who are vying for control of the park’s stunningly beautiful Lamar Valley.”
- Woman Watching Louise de Kiriline Lawrence & the Songbirds of Pimisi Bay - Merilyn Simonds. “"From award-winning author Merilyn Simonds, a remarkable biography of an extraordinary woman -- a Swedish aristocrat who survived the Russian Revolution to become an internationally renowned naturalist, one of the first to track the mid-century decline of songbirds."
- The Climate Book - Greta Thunberg. “""In The Climate Book, Greta Thunberg has gathered the wisdom of over one hundred experts - geophysicists, oceanographers and meteorologists; engineers, economists and mathematicians; historians, philosophers and indigenous leaders - to equip us all with the knowledge we need to combat climate disaster. "
- The Wildest Hunt: True Stories of Game Wardens and Poachers - Randy Nelson. “"Get ready to read some of the wildest true crime imaginable. Showcasing fish and wildlife poaching stories from every province and territory in Canada and every state in the United States, decorated fishery officer Randy Nelson offers a thrilling look into a dangerous industry."
- Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World - Christian Cooper. “"Christian Cooper is a self-described “Blerd” (Black nerd), an avid comics fan and expert birder who devotes every spring to gazing upon the migratory birds that stop to rest in Central Park...Better Living Through Birding exults in the pleasures of a life lived in pursuit of the natural world and invites you to discover them yourself."
- An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us - Ed Yong. “In An Immense World, author and acclaimed science journalist Ed Yong coaxes us beyond the confines of our own senses, allowing us to perceive the skeins of scent, waves of electromagnetism, and pulses of pressure that surround us. Because in order to understand our world we don't need to travel to other places; we need to see through other eyes.”
- Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants - Robin Wall Kimmerer. “"Incoporating traditional scientific knowledge and indigenous wisdom, Kimmerer brings these lenses of knowledge together to show that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world."
- In Search of Mycotopia: Citizen Science, Fungi Fanatics, and the Untapped Potential of Mushrooms - Doug Bierend. “In In Search of Mycotopia, Doug Bierend introduces readers to an incredible and oft-overlooked kingdom of life and the potential it holds for our future, by way of the weird and wonderful communities of citizen scientists and microbe devotees working on the fungal frontier.
- The Brilliant Abyss: Exploring the Majestic Hidden Life of the Deep Ocean, and the Looming Threat that Imperils It - Helen Scales. “Teeming with unsuspected life, an extraordinary, interconnected ecosystem deep below the waves has a huge effect on our daily lives, influencing climate and weather systems, with the potential for much more--good or bad, depending on how it is exploited... The Brilliant Abyss is at once a revelation and a clarion call to preserve this vast unseen world."
- Empire of Ants: The Hidden Worlds & Extraordinary Lives of Earth's Tiny Conquerors - Susan Foitzik & Olaf Fritsche. “"Evolutionary biologist Susanne Foitzik and biophysicist Olaf Fritsche reveal all in Empire of Ants, inviting readers to live alongside the workers, soldiers, and conquerors of the insect world—and the researchers who study them. (How do we observe the behavior of ants just a few millimeters in size—or monitor activity in a brain as small as the tip of a needle?)"
- Walleye: A Beautiful Fish of the Dark - Paul J. Radomski. “"In A Beautiful Fish of the Dark, Radomski unspools the mysteries of this fascinating fish. Radomski looks at walleye from every angle, with something to say to the curious naturalist, committed ecologist, and avid fishing enthusiast."
- The Modern Bestiary: A Curated Collection of Wondrous Wildlife - Joanna Bagniewska. “"From the familiar to the improbable, the gross to the endearing, The Modern Bestiary is a compendium of curious creatures. It includes both animals that have made headlines and those you've probably never heard of, such as skin-eating caecilians, harp sponges, or zombie worms - also known as bone-eating snot flowers."