I have always found solace in books. They make trusted companions on long journeys, allow for moments of quiet reflection, help us become better scholars and empaths, and provide a sometimes welcome escape from the world outside.

Over the last year, the incredible value of books has crystallised in a way I hadn’t appreciated before. When I suddenly found myself confined to my home, stuck within the same four walls and glued to screens, books were there to comfort me and take me to far-away lands. Few things captured my imagination and grounded me during this time like nature books. There was something reassuring in reading and learning about the world that felt so closed-off to me.

Throughout lockdown, spending time outside on walks was one of the only ways to escape the solitude and stasis of each day. I cherished these moments out in nature and sensed the healing powers they had on my mind and body. There is no shortage of literature exploring the benefits of walks in nature on mental health, to name a few: Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty; The Wild Remedy: How Nature Mends Us – A Diary by Emma Mitchell; and Losing Eden: Why Our Minds Need the Wild by Lucy Jones.

Today is World Book Day, a worldwide celebration of books that aims to promote reading for pleasure. While I devoured books as a child, at university I felt that if I had any time for reading, it should be kept for my studies. Pursuing a geography and conservation degree meant that any nature reading felt like homework rather than fun. It wasn’t until I’d finished studying and started working at Fauna & Flora International at the Cambridge Conservation Initiative (CCI) that I rekindled my love for reading about the natural world.

Over the last two years I’ve had the pleasure of helping manage CCI’s Book Club: a place for its members to come together and share their interest in reading and nature writing through fiction, non-fiction and poetry. There’s something magical and cathartic about discussing a book, and forging community through shared literary journeys. I hope by telling you about some of the spectacular titles I’ve read recently that you, like me, will rediscover a love for sinking into a good book.

Whether taking me on a journey deep underground, introducing me to the wonders of fish diversity, teaching me about Indigenous knowledge or regaling me with the adventures of natural historians, these books allowed me to feel connected to the world around me, and reminded me why I love working in conservation.

Non-fiction

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• Underland: A Deep Time Journey by Robert Macfarlane – A beautifully written book and stunning exploration of the world that lies beneath us. Full of brilliant facts, history, and tales of the author’s epic travel adventures. If you pick up one nature book this year, let it be this one.
  
   
• The Invention of Nature: The Adventures of Alexander von Humboldt The Lost Hero of Science by Andrea Wulf – Through the retelling of the remarkable influence that Alexander von Humboldt’s explorations and discoveries had on the world, this book will transform the way you see and understand nature in a profound way. A terrifically executed book, ideal for those interested in natural history.
  
   
• Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer – A poetic exploration of nature and our relationship to it through the eyes of a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. A powerful and thought-provoking ode to plants and the lessons they can teach us.
  
   
• Eye of the Shoal: A Fishwatcher's Guide to Life, the Ocean and Everything by Helen Scales – A perfect read for anyone fascinated by marine life who wants to learn more about the incredible variety of fishes that inhabit our oceans. It is full of fish facts and stories from the author’s own research and experiences. Also, her latest book The Brilliant Abyss about the wonders of the deep sea comes out later this month (March 2021).

Fiction

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• The Overstory by Richard Powers – A literary feat of interwoven narratives culminating in an explosive ending. A masterful showcase of how nature can touch us indelibly, and profoundly impact the course of our lives.
  
   
• Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier – A historical fiction novel reimagining the life of Mary Anning, the remarkable woman who discovered the first plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs in Dorset’s Lyme Regis, specimens of which are now on display in London’s Natural History Museum.
  
   
• Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens – A captivating tale of a young girl and her inextricable bond with the marshes she inhabits. This book has it all: a turbulent coming of age story, youthful romance, ruthless yet beautiful nature, and a thrilling crime that will keep you turning the pages until the very end.
  
   
• Dark Matter: A Ghost Story by Michelle Pavel – A ghost story for lovers of all things eerie, set against the backdrop of a remote and desolate Arctic landscape: a dramatically atmospheric book that will make you question the true meaning of isolation.

As is often the case, the most celebrated and well-known books, particularly in the nature genre, tend to centre white, western narratives, an issue which reflects the dominance of white voices in this field as a whole. It’s vital for us to continue to amplify and recognize the diversity of voices in nature writing both to benefit the genre as a whole, and our experiences as readers, which only stand to gain from the inclusion of these perspectives and stories in the literature we enjoy. Here are a few great titles to start with:

• Trace: Memory, History, Race and the American Landscape by Lauret Savoy (non-fiction)
• Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors by Carolyn Finney (non-fiction)
• The Vanishing: India’s Wildlife Crisis by Prerna Bindra (non-fiction)
• The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh (fiction)
• Archipelago by Monique Roffey (fiction)

Hopefully this has given you a few titles to get excited about on World Book Day. Whether you get through one book a year or 50, there is always something to be gained from investing time in reading. I hope they bring you as much comfort and joy as they did to me.

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Guest post written by Emma Muench

Editorial Assistant at Oryx–The International Journal of Conservation