Earth Day Staff Picks (4/24/23)

We are celebrating Earth Day all month long! Searching for your next read? Look no further! Check out these staff picks and dive into some of MacLib’s favorites with a special focus on all things Planet Earth!

Amanda’s Pick: GATOR COUNTRY: Deception, Danger, and Alligators in the Everglades by Rebecca Renner | 9781250842572 | 11/14/23

David Grann meets Susan Orlean in this page-turning true story of an underground operation into the mysterious world of alligator poaching.  To catch a Florida Man, you have to become one, and that’s what Officer Jeff Babauta did. As his ponytailed, whiskey-soaked alter ego, he established Sunshine Alligator Farm. His goal? Infiltrate the shady world of illegal poachers in the Florida Everglades in order to protect the natural world.  This wholly unique blend of reporting, nature writing, and personal narrative is a fast-paced tale of the risks people will take to survive in one of the world’s most beautiful yet formidable landscapes and the undercover investigation that threatens to topple the whole scheme.

Available for download on Edelweiss know more. LibraryReads votes due by October 1st.

Emily’s Pick: BIRDGIRL: Looking to the Skies in Search of a Better Future by Mya-Rose Craig | 9781250807670 | available now

Birder, environmentalist, and activist Mya-Rose Craig is an international force. She is the youngest person to see half of the world’s species of birds, and also the youngest person to be awarded an honorary Doctorate of Science from Bristol University. In BIRDGIRL, Craig lays bare the realities of her mother’s struggle with mental health, and the ways that birding and exploring the natural world have helped and hindered their progress. She shares her experiences to advocate for the simple, profound gift of nature, and for making it accessible to all, calling her readers to rediscover the power of our natural world.

Samantha’s Pick: A WINTER’S RIME by Carol Dunbar | 9781250826886 | 9/12/23

Author Carol Dunbar does all of her writing from a solar-powered office in a water tower near her home in the woods of rural Wisconsin. She uses her love of nature and idyllic surroundings to inspire her writing. Her previous novel THE NET BENEATH US told the story of a family living off the grid, and now she brings an emotional novel about one woman’s journey to finding peace and freedom from the violence of her past. This poignant story takes a deeper look at our surroundings and dives into how nature can teach us about bearing hardship. This is the perfect read for any fiction lover looking for an absolutely transporting setting that will make you appreciate the intricacies of our environment and the world around us.

Available for download on Edelweiss know more. LibraryReads votes due by August 1st.

Michelle’s Pick: THIS IS WILDFIRE: How to Protect Yourself, Your Home, and Your Community in the Age of Heat by Nick Mott and Justin Angle | 9781639730797 | 8/29/23

Mott and Angle detail everything you need to know about wildfires in this handy guide. They explain climate change’s effect on the increase in wildfires, how we can be proactive about preventing damage to our lives and our property from wildfires, and they even get into the necessity of wildfires for the health of ecosystems. Not only will this book teach you practical steps you can take to accommodate our new reality, but it will also provide you with a fascinating history of fire and Earth’s climate.

Available for download on Edelweiss know more. LibraryReads votes due by July 1st.