Grandma Joy and Me by Brad Ryan

GRANDMA JOY AND ME by Brad Ryan is subtitled “A Journey of Healing, One National Park at a Time” and it shares the story of his reconciliation with his grandmother and their subsequent adventures to visit each of the 63 National Parks.  Sadly, the text of this book feels rather self-centered; Ryan is working through their past decade long estrangement and the trauma of coming out to his judgmental father. The book needed even more of Grandma Joy’s effervescence and positive attitude. I loved the idea of their journeys together and had bookmarked this news video (from 2025 about a current goal) long before I knew there was going to be a book:

Noticing by Richard Louv

NOTICING by Richard Louv (Last Child in the Woods, Vitamin N and more) is subtitled “Intimate Encounters with the Natural World” and once again Louv, a journalist and nature advocate, offers insight regarding our relationship with wildlife and the environment. He includes over two dozen chapters, loosely grouped into categories like the Neuroscience of Noticing or the Art and Music of Nature or Our Human-Nature Spirit. NOTICING is full of gentle observations, it feels almost cleansing, and frequently prompts images of one’s own childhood. There are many comments about children as when Louv writes, “Being new to the world and closer to the ground, children notice such details and create stories about them, or they paint or draw them.” He shares perspective from others, too, (like a soon to be forest therapy guide or a PhD student in marine biology) and intersperses some of his own photos of animals and trees. Several final pages list Suggested Readings and numerous Notes are also included. Overall, there is a sense of curiosity and awe.

Storm Warning by Alice Henderson

STORM WARNING by Alice Henderson is her latest novel featuring biologist Alex Carter.  Henderson has written several other “action-packed mystery thrillers with a wildlife twist” and I am sure that her fans will enjoy this one. However, I found it a bit unrealistic, and I seriously doubted that Alex could survive the many dangers and human “predators” that she faced. The premise of the story is that Alex is in Hawaii trying to protect endangered turtles when a major hurricane arrives along with armed thieves seeking to rob the local paleontology museum. STORM WARNING is certainly action-packed, danger is everywhere, and there are many deaths. There are some references to earlier books in the series, but this works as a stand-alone read.

Consider the Birds edited by Callie Smith Grant

CONSIDER THE BIRDS contains a series of essays about human interaction with birds, sometimes with them as pets, sometimes observing them in nature. The collection is edited by Callie Smith Grant and the audiobook is narrated by Siiri Scott. Together with the contributing authors they do indeed share “Heartwarming True Stories of Our Feathered Friends.”  There are some religious references, but overall, CONSIDER THE BIRDS contains gentle stories and offers pleasant listening.  It was informative to hear about wildlife rehabilitation and the special connection, like knowing when backyard birds were in distress, that an author developed. This recording is full of facts, too; did you know that swallows who can fly and eat at the same time? There are tales about a pet crow, about hummingbirds, and a seagull (coincidentally, the state bird of Utah) named Coco who was adept at asking for food from a restaurant waiter. The antics are often fun and generally informative, describing actions, diet, and even parenting styles for these amazing creatures.

Uplift by Jessica Mann

UPLIFT by Jessica Mann is an absolutely charming debut novel whose main characters are birds and insects. Psychology Today said, “Mann's book is a must-read for appreciating how birds sense their world, and what they can teach us about the value of family and friendship.” Readers will not soon forget Columbina, a Clark’s Nutcracker, and her family, including siblings Donius and Limber. She is an adventurous, somewhat rebellious soul who makes friends with a hummingbird named Calliope and with Halcyon, a belted Kingfisher. The story spans three winters and I learned a great deal about the birds’ habitat and scavenging for food. There is also a touch of magical realism as some of their creation myths are shared. And, the author stresses the challenges to the environment in a number of ways which will leave readers contemplating the impact of humans and what actions they might make in the future. UPLIFT has won numerous awards, including a silver medal from the Independent Book Publishers Association and being a National Indie Excellence Award Winner. Don’t miss this wonderful, surprising tale!

Saltcrop by Yume Kitasei

SALTCROP by Yume Kitasei (The Deep Sky and The Stardust Grail ) has a beautiful cover. The story centers on three sisters living in a dystopian world. I listed to the audiobook which is narrated by Eunice Wong and she did an excellent job of relating the story. Unfortunately, it just seemed really slow and rather sad. Two of the sisters, Carmen and Skipper travel around the coast in search of their missing sister Nora. No one has heard from her in a long time and their only clues point to extending the dangerous voyage with little hope of success. Instead, they will potentially be sacrificing access to much needed medical help and a steady job for Carmen. The publisher describes this text as “an epic journey spanning oceans and continents and a wistful rumination on sisterhood, friendship, and ecological disaster.” It is all that – just too slow and potentially heartbreaking for me. Kirkus (“the sisters’ world is one full of both darkness and hope”), Library Journal ([about] “family bonds and ordinary people fighting corporate greed, sure to appeal to fans of Carrie Vaughn's Bannerless and Cory Doctorow's Walkaway”) and Publishers Weekly (“moving portrayal of sibling dynamics set in a disturbing near future”) all gave SALTCROP starred reviews so have a look (or a listen) and decide for yourself.

Human Nature by Kate Marvel

Does it seem lately that you are hearing frequently about extra high temperatures, heavy deluges, or strong storms?  How does that make you feel? In a new book called HUMAN NATURE author Kate Marvel devotes a chapter to each of nine emotions to explore both science and stories behind climate change. Marvel, a climate scientist and quoted in The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg, says that she wrote this book for three reasons: (1) to share some of the science behind climate change; (2) to explain how, with things changing so rapidly, it feels to do this science; and (3) to share the range of emotions she felt. Shifting between Greek myths and theoretical physics, Marvel looks at Wonder; Anger; Guilt; Fear; Grief; Surprise; Pride; Hope; and Love in a relatively accessible manner. She obviously cares. Her chapter on Hope acknowledges that we need to stop emitting the greenhouse gases that cause climate change by taking steps to “build renewable energy sources, transmission lines to carry that energy where needed, and batteries to store that energy, which would push aside fossil fuels. Stop heating and cooking with dirty fuels. Learn how to make cement and plastics and steel without spewing carbon dioxide. Replace gasoline cars with electric vehicles, public transportation, and walkable cities. Steward our land more wisely and eat fewer cows.” She admits that this will be difficult, but not impossible and that “renewables are already being deployed at rates forecasters never imagined.” The stories (e.g., transition from whale blubber to kerosene) are fascinating, emotion evoking, and clearly relevant today. Subtitled “Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet,” HUMAN NATURE was described in a Kirkus review as “A highly readable argument for tackling climate change that reckons with both cold hard facts and the human heart.” At least twenty-five percent of the book is devoted to Notes and an Index. 

The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny

THE GREY WOLF by Louise Penny is number 19 in the Inspector Gamache mystery series set in Three Pines, Quebec. The title comes from a tale about a Cree elder who referred to two wolves who war inside each of us. One is strong and compassionate, wise and courageous, the forgiving Grey Wolf; the other, the Black Wolf, is vengeful, unforgiving, cruel, cunning and brutal. And once again, Gamache faces evil – this time related to a threat to the infrastructure and an environmental challenge: “How lucky he'd been. To be of a generation that believed it would last forever. The forests and clean rivers, the fresh air. His was the last generation, as it turned out.” Jean Guy and Isabelle are stalwart aides as they seek to prevent terrorism and to root out treachery and corruption, travelling to homeless shelters, remote monasteries, and the Vatican itself. In her Acknowledgements, Penny provides an eloquent summary: “The Gamache books are proudly crime novels, … but at their core they are about community. Acceptance. Belonging. Courage. The books are about the triumph of love and the power of friendship about trying to do better. Progress, not perfection.” THE GREY WOLF received starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly (“one of the series’ best”). I was sorry to learn that Book People had run out of copies when I visited, but it appears they have restocked and they conveniently list ALL of the titles in this excellent series. Note: number 20, The Black Wolf, is scheduled for 2025!

Dust by Alison Stine

DUST by Alison Stine features Thea, a sixteen-year old who is deaf in one ear, but whose parents choose to ignore that reality. In fact, her father seems to increasingly separate from reality and has moved the family to a place called Bloodless Valley in Colorado where dust is everywhere and farming, especially without any modern aides, is almost impossible.  Thea and her younger sister are “unschooled,” kept at home and made to work on the farm, although Thea has a brief reprieve when she is able to work to support the family at a small café. Through the owner’s kindness she meets the agricultural agent and his great nephew, Ray, plus the local librarian and some other homesteaders.  Ray is also hard of hearing and begins to teach Thea to sign. Her father objects and her life narrows considerably. It is obvious that Stine, who is herself half deaf due to a congenital disability, has compassion for people with differences. She writes, “What I hope you take away from this book is: desire and energy to protect Earth and all its inhabitants, and also the knowledge that your story, whatever it is, matters. It's sometimes hard being both/neither, but there's a lot of joy too. And you're okay the way you are.” Stine effectively uses empty spaces and underlining to convey the frustration of Thea’s inability to hear clearly. Plus, the author does build suspense about an impending storm, but the pat way in which Thea’s father is suddenly transformed into accepting help and technology like new cell phones does not seem probable. DUST was very sad and the pace was slow. Reflecting on other books with hard of hearing characters, I would highly recommend True Biz which received multiple starred reviews and was an Alex Award nominee as well as a New York Times bestseller. 

How to Steal a Galaxy by Beth Revis

HOW TO STEAL A GALAXY by Beth Revis is a sequel to Full Speed to a Crash Landing, a witty blending of futuristic space adventure and attraction between space “thief” Ada Lamarr and security officer Rian White. They are re-united here at a very fancy charity gala. Ada is on a mission; and although readers are privy to her thoughts, her ultimate target remains a mystery and complications arise. Rian, keenly aware of Ada’s presence, just wants to guarantee that the announcement of a new technology goes off smoothly. Together, they must thwart a third-party attempt at sabotage. The backstory involves climate change and corporate greed, adding a further twist and relevance. HOW TO STEAL A GALAXY is the LibraryReads Bonus Pick for December 2024.The audiobook, once again narrated by Dara Rosenberg and David Bendena, is excellent. The inflections in Ada’s voice are spot on, aptly showcasing her “snarky,” sardonic, sarcastic character. One can also hear the affection in her voice for Rian. The cliffhangers in this series - whether chapter to chapter or book to book – are plentiful and I am looking forward to the third entry in the Chaotic Orbits novella trilogy.   

Full Sped to a Crash Landing by Beth Revis

FULL SPEED TO A CRASH LANDING by Beth Revis (Across the Universe) is a great mixture of sci-fi and romance. Readers meet Ada Lamarr whose spaceship has been damaged while she is attempting to loot another abandoned ship. It’s a very close call, but the vessel that comes to her rescue is looking for some important information and that mission is headed by government agent Rian White. Sparks fly and Ada takes some daring risks while implying to readers that she may know quite a bit of background about the government project. I listened to the excellent audiobook which is narrated by Dara Rosenberg and David Bendena. I especially liked her feisty voice which seemed to really convey Ada’s character. She reminded me of another space adventurer who dabbles in contraband: Jasmine “Jazz” Bashara from Andy Weir’s Artemis. FULL SPEED TO A CRASH LANDING is a quick, action-packed read; the entire story takes about four hours on the audiobook so it is a perfect read for a short road trip or weekly commute. A trilogy (Chaotic Orbits) involving these characters is planned with the second installment, How to Steal a Galaxy, scheduled for a December publication.

The Nature of Our Cities by Nadina Galle

THE NATURE OF OUR CITIES by Nadina Galle is a book which educates by highlighting some very scary situations. For example, she notes that “in 2018, the European Union recorded 104,000 heat related deaths among older people, over one-third of the global total.” In fact, she encourages her son “not to think about this day as the hottest it's been in the last 100 years but as one of the cooler July days that he and his children would experience in the next 100 years.” Galle, a Dutch-Canadian ecological engineer, travels the world and describes actions being taken to help monitor water needs of trees in Groene Loper park in Maastricht, Netherlands, or measuring heat across neighborhoods in Portland, Oregon, plus many more locales and activities. Her emphasis, as the subtitle suggests, is on “Harnessing the Power of the Natural World to Survive a Changing Planet” as it faces threats from urban growth and climate change. She writes eloquently about current research and innovations, concluding that “tomorrow cities must rely on emerging technologies - and repurposed older ones - to build durable ecosystems,” but lacks the ability to synthesize and point to specific action steps for her readers. Notes make up a little over fifteen percent of this text, but unfortunately, a list of resources and relevant organizations (like MIT’s Senseable City Lab where she had a fellowship) or perhaps even commercial suppliers or government entities is missing. 

Stay Dead by April Henry

I have commented over the years on suspenseful young adult reads by April Henry like Eyes of the Forest or The Girl I Used to Be and STAY DEAD is another gripping mystery from this prolific, talented author. Sixteen-year-old Milan (great name, right?) has just been expelled from her third boarding school after the death of her Dad, Senator and environmentalist, Jack Mayhew. She and her Mom, Heather, who is now the serving Senator, are with staff aboard a private plane when it crashes. As the only survivor, Milan must rely on quick thinking and her past hiking experiences to beat the cold, the snow, and an animal predator as she struggles to get to Portland, Oregon and the only person her Mom told her to trust. That hazardous journey is exciting enough, but Henry treats readers to added perspective from Lenny, the woman hired to kill Milan and her parents, plus details from Jane, a dairy farmer dealing with the consequences of allowing fracking to occur on her farmland. The pace is quick – and Milan needs to draw on inner resources, remembering a favorite quote of her Mom’s from Amelia Earhart: “The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity.” In her acknowledgments, Henry sounds super curious and adventuresome herself; she says, “as a writer, I've done many things for research, but probably the most intense was a three-day course called Urban Escape and Evasion. The final day of class you are kidnapped; hooded, cuffed, and mouth duct-taped.… You must use all your newly learned skills to escape...” Wow – that is serious research! And her adrenaline-charged writing reflects it. Enjoy! 

Also wanted to note this quote... from another character who reflects on his departed wife: “She just got to heaven a little sooner than me, … she always liked to be early to things.”

The Weight of Nature by Clayton Page Aldern

Since it is Earth Day it seemed appropriate to look at a couple of new climate related texts:

THE WEIGHT OF NATURE by Clayton Page Aldern is subtitled “How a Changing Climate Changes Our Brains.” Aldern, a neuroscientist turned award-winning environmental journalist, looks at both the emotional and physical impacts on people from changes in nature. For example, he discusses PTSD triggered by more wildfires or the increased range for bats and mosquitoes (and the diseases they spread like rabies or Zika) due to higher temperatures. In addition to infection or trauma, the text explores memory, cognition, and behavior. Aldern stresses that hotter temperatures lead to more aggressiveness and make it harder to concentrate and focus. Other chapters which look at pain, sensing, and language are where he notes that “a changing climate also threatens our ability to notice some of the signals most relevant to our survival.” He describes examples of how water temperature and ocean acidification can impact crustacean olfactory systems or how pesticides “impair the homing abilities of honeybees.” Just reflect on the trees and plants in your neighborhood and how they seemed “confused” about when to bud or when to drop leaves, especially after periods of unusual cold or warmth or record-setting precipitation. Aldern documents his years of research in a section titled Notes and Further Reading which comprises roughly twenty percent of the text. Somewhat rambling in places, THE WEIGHT OF NATURE received a starred review from Kirkus (“a unique—and uniquely disturbing—addition to the literature”). 

BEFORE IT’S GONE by Jonathan Vigliotti, national correspondent for CBS News, is subtitled “Stories from the Front Lines of Climate Change in Small-Town America.” And Vigliotti does indeed write movingly about the devastation due to wildfire (and human errors) at Lahaina, Hawaii. In another section, he writes rather humorously about the “kamikaze iguanas” who in cold temperatures fall out of trees in South Florida. In short, this book is geographically and thematically all over the place. His preface (about Hawaii) and prologue (about climate change in Syria) raise some of his concerns but don’t really provide any guideposts for his readers. Then, BEFORE IT’S GONE is divided into four sections: Fire, Water, Air and Earth, although Vigliotti readily admits that “most if not all environmental disasters are fueled by more than just one element.” Yes, he introduces readers to local activists – one especially poignant section is about the increased suicide rate for farmers in Minnesota – but he does not clearly lay out a coherent argument, seemingly presenting more sensationalized (including some unnecessarily vulgar language) tales. His statistics are supported in a Notes section that is about fifteen pages. This is a widespread (“in 2021, 14.5 million American homes were affected by environmental disasters that figure works out to one in 10 homes in the country”) and expensive (“according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), between 2020 and 2023 the United States was hammered by more than eighty billion-dollar environmental disasters that destabilized highly developed communities”) issue. Perhaps attempting to personalize these trends will prompt action, but this text felt too disjointed and not focused enough on the small-town America referenced in its subtitle.