CHC Reading Recommendations
The Board of Directors and Team of CHC offers up a list of their recommended reading materials from this year. Scroll to find out what each of us suggests for your library...
Nancy Patch gives a recommendation and review of one of this year's most talked-about environmental publications by Ethan Tapper as well as for a petite publication by Indigenous author Robin Wall Kimmerer that offers up thoughtful reflections on the definition of "value," something we can all reflect on during the Holiday Season.
How to Love a Forest - the bittersweet work of tending a changing world
By Ethan Tapper
"This book tells a story so personal, so moving, so enlightening; it is about a forest that the author calls Bear Island. A forest that had been severely degraded by a series of events over the last 200 years; clearing of the forest for agriculture, soil loss, regrowth that was followed by several exploitive harvests, introduced insects and disease, and a heavy infestation of invasive plants. This is a forest that Ethan Tapper purchased knowing that he had the skill to restore this landscape, all he needed was the will. The forest is also a metaphor..." [click to read her complete review]
The Serviceberry, Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Ronin Wall Kimmerer
"This small, beautiful nook is a fast read with a grand and audacious idea to save the world. Robin Wall Kimmerer uses "The Serviceberry", (Latin name: Amelanchier) as a model for an economic system based on the gift economy. Taking lessons from nature and the Indigenous world view (Kimmererer is Citizen Potowatami, part of the Haudenosaunee confederacy), we can see that cooperation and not competition is an evolutionary win for diversity, nature and human society. Love this Book!"
OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS...
Renee Reiner, who is co-owner of Phoenix Bookstores, has been plugging the book Gather by Ken Cadow for most of this year; and for good reason, as it is a personal and profound response to the historical landscape for anyone who lives in, is from, or can appreciate the complexities of Vermont's socio-economic entanglement and the deep ties to tradition, land, and community that impact our population. Sold as a young-adult novel, this book is just as impactful of a read for adults, too.
"Gather is not only a wonderful story. I believe it is the most important book of our time. It is a story of rural Vermont: our neighbors, friends, colleagues, and the familiar challenges faced by many of us. It is a story of resilience and hope, grit and determination. It is a dog-saves-boy story. Vermont Humanites has selected Gather as this year's Vermont Reads; this means that Vermont Humanities wants everyone in the state to read this one book. And although it is a story of rural Vermont, Gather was also nominated for the National Book Award, which is a tremendous accomplishment made even more powerful because it is Cadow's first novel. Gather is considered a young adult novel, primarily because our protagonist Ian is 15 years old. I believe that Gather should also be read by any and every adult who works with young people in any capacity or who cares about what happens to all of us going forward. This book has the power and capacity to change lives for the better."
For parent's looking for engaging nature-based reading content for small children:
- Melissa Manka recommends Outside In by Deborah Underwood
- Suzanne Dollois recommends Water is Water by Deborah Paul
Our resident Wildlife Tracker Sophie Mazowita recommends these relevant readings...
These Trees Tell a Story by Noah Charney
"Noah Charney is a wildlife tracker, and These Trees Tell a Story extends those tracking skills to an exploration of patterns, processes and puzzles on the landscape. Why do plants grow where they do? Why is the land shaped the way it is? How does that change over time? The book is organized into a series of field trips, bringing you into the woods alongside Noah's undergraduate "Field Naturalist" class or on family outings with his two young kids in tow. While some of the personal narrative can feel like a distraction, it is largely successful in inviting you into the process of observation, questioning, and discovery. Rich imagery of vernal pools, bite marks on a tree, or a tiger beetle burrow in the sand serve as springboards for a thoughtful dive into topics like forest succession, tidal dynamics, bedrock formation, and invasive species. Readers will naturally grasp and gravitate to some of these topics more than others, and some of the southern New England species may feel less familiar to us in Northern Vermont, but at its core this book is an invitation to look more closely at your landscape, wherever it may be, with an author adept at sharing how and where to look."
Interested in more reading recommendations?
The Board put together an extensive list of publications back in 2021 that you can find in the Newsletter Archives or by clicking the link below. The list features all genres and variety of publications, and is worth perusing for your next Library visit. Books, articles, poetry, etc. -- related to our work, for all ages!