Suggested Reads, Fall 2026

Four thought provoking books to consider as the days get shorter.

The Overstory by Richard Powers (2018)

The Overstory is a collection of 9 different people’s lives. These people are interconnected by their love of trees. Much of it deals with the Pacific Northwest fight to preserve old growth forests but covers many years and subjects. It is a 2019 Pulitzer Prize winner and is full of thoughtful, provocative prose and interesting characters. In the end you will have a greater appreciation for all trees, I’m sure. I enjoyed this book a great deal.

Submitted by: Lynn Sudduth

Is A River Alive?  by Robert Macfarlane (2025)

An amazing and insightful book that asks the question, “Can a natural entity, such as a river, be regarded as a living thing?”  This book takes a look at three rivers; the ‘River of Cedars’ in Ecuador, the creeks, lagoons, and estuaries of the city of Chennai in India, and the Magpie River (“Mutehekau Shipu”) that runs through the wild interior of the homeland of the Innu people and makes sea-fall in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada.  All three waterways are in a fight for survival.  In the book you meet some amazing people fighting for the “rights of nature”.  Beautifully written, it’s a call to action asking us to think of rivers, mountains, trees, and all the creatures inhabiting them as living beings.  Worth a read!

Submitted by: Michael Flynn NPR - Books We Love

Economist, New Yorker, and Guardian - Best Book of the Year

Time - Must Read Book of the Year

The Nature Fix – Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative

by Florence Williams (2017)

This book makes a compelling argument for time outdoors.  Williams travels the globe, investigating the science behind nature’s positive effects on the brain.  It is full of insights about the health benefits of spending time in nature and makes you think about how you spend your time.  “As our modern lives shift dramatically indoors, these ideas – and the answers they yield – are more urgent than ever.” A wonderful, witty, thought-provoking book, best read outside! Submitted by: Michael Flynn New York Times Book Review – Books We Recommend

A Walk in the Park—The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko (2024) This is not just a story of a hike in the Grand Canyon. This chronicles the misadventures of the author and his good friend, Pete McBride (National Geographic photographer), as they journey the winding and very dangerous path that will take them one year to complete. There is no trail for this 750-mile undertaking.  Fedarko’s story documents the hazards, extreme temperatures, thirst and hunger, of hiking in this wild and harsh environment. He weaves in the historical significance of the indigenous people that lived there for millennia and the explorers that attempted to study and document it. And he discusses the concerns about commercial tourism impinging on the Park’s wildness.  This book gives an in-depth look at the Grand Canyon and all its wonders, all the timelier with the recent devastating flash floods that occurred in August of this year. Submitted by: Jay and Karrie Stemmler

New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine – Best Book of the Year

Andrew Carnegie Medal of Excellence in Nonfiction -Winner