Tag: nature

American Wolf

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

American Wolf shares the life story of O-Six, a wolf born and raised in Yellowstone. She was an Alpha, fiercely leading her pack and raising pups and creating a legacy, in the midst of a controversial time for wolves. Avid wolf watchers in Yellowstone grew to admire O-Six. Elk hunters saw her kind as competition for their prey. Cattle ranchers resented the loss of their livestock to wolves. This book explores not only O-Six’s life, but also the greater cultural context in which she lived. I listened to this in audiobook format, and would highly recommend it – Mark Bramhall is such a wonderful narrator, and he brings this story by Nate Blakeslee to life.

What I loved most:

Humans, y’all. We think we know best, and we’re just wrong sooo much. It was fascinating to hear the story of humans trying to manage wildlife – from “oh there are too many wolves, let’s kill them” to “wait we need more wolves, let’s create a new program to bring the wolves back” and everything in between. This is the kind of book that makes you ponder what life would have been like back in ye old days, before we chopped down all the trees and paved all the roads, when animals were able to roam in their natural habitats and just live their lives.

Read this book if you like:

Nature, conservation, animals, celebrating God’s creation, considering the impact of human intervention

Book details:

  • Author: Nate Blakeslee
  • Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
  • Date of Publication: October 17, 2017
  • Interest Level: Adult

Ms. Adventure

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

Can you even imagine if someone asked you what your job was, and you legitimately replied that you were a Volcanologist? Because that’s actually a job that some people can have. It blows my mind. Jess Phoenix is a Volcanologist. In Ms. Adventure, she shares stories of working on the side of a volcano with hot lava flows, studying the ocean depths, being the only woman on most job crews, and chasing down cartel members when they stole her favorite rock hammer. This book is part science, part memoir, and part adventure.

What I loved most:

I used to say that I wasn’t a science person. Chemistry and physics were my least favorite classes in high school. My brain leans more toward books and writing than it does toward atoms and matter (and yes, I definitely just googled “physics basic concepts” to have an example of a physics thing that I’m not drawn to. #crushing it). But THIS BOOK Y’ALL. Phoenix makes science SO interesting, and SO accessible to absolutely anyone who wants to learn. You are so wrapped up in reading about lava flows and the ocean depths that you forget you’re actually learning scientific concepts. Come for the volcanoes, stay for the incredible scientist teaching you geology.

Read this book if you like:

Memoirs, science (but even if you don’t like science, read this anyway), adventures, smashing the patriarchy by dominating in your field

Book details:

  • Author: Jess Phoenix
  • Publisher: Timber Press
  • Date of Publication: March 2, 2021
  • Interest Level: Adult

Honey and Venom

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

When I think of beekeeping, I definitely don’t tend to think of New York City. Little did I know… urban beekeeping is a thing. In Honey and Venom, Andrew Cote shares a year in his life as a beekeeper in NYC. From selling honey from his hives at local farmers markets, to serving as a liaison between beekeepers and businesses that don’t want bees near their companies, to helping police remove illegal beehives… Cote is as busy as a bee (I’m so sorry but how could I possibly resist). For real though, this is a captivating memoir that I would highly recommend.

What I loved most:

I drink black tea with honey every. single. morning. of my life. As such, I was excited to learn more about the honey production process, and bees in general. This was such a good mix of bee information with personal stories – it was exactly what I was hoping it would be. Plus, Cote founded a nonprofit organization called Bees Without Borders. This group teaches beekeeping all around the globe to fight poverty. Cote shares some of his stories of traveling around the world to teach people beekeeping, helping them figure out a new way to earn income. I always get super pumped when people want to use the skills that they have to make other people’s lives better, so I love that Cote started this organization and is helping provide people with information and tools they can use to climb out of poverty.

Read this book if you like:

Biographies, bees, honey, nature, figuring out what nature looks like in an urban setting

Book details: