May is certainly one of my favourite months of the year: flowers are in full bloom, the first fruits appearing, we have marriages and birthdays galore (at least in my family and circle of friends), and there’s also a collective feeling of hope with the prospect of Summer just around the corner.

As the weather gets warmer and quarantine restrictions ease down is some countries, the desire to go outside and explore deepens. So, if you’ve been staying at home for the past couple of months and are eager to reconnect with the wildwoods, or you’re simply looking for a good read, these seven books will help you get closer to nature.  

“there’s a collective feeling of hope with the prospect of Summer.”

 

7 books to get closer to nature

 

1. The Complete Tales, Beatrix Potter

One of my favourite childhood reads, The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter is a delightful collection featuring all of Potter’s published tales in a single volume. Even if you haven’t grown up with these stories as a child, I believe you might find them amusing and entertaining to read.

The watercolours of Potter’s iconic characters, from Peter Rabbit, to Squirrel Nutkin, Benjamin Bunny, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and so many more, are a beautiful addition to the stories as they make the rural pastures and greenery of her world truly come to life.

2. Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens

A NYT bestseller, Where the Crawdads Sing is the story of Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. Kya was abandoned by her parents at a young age and soon learns to thrive alone in the wilderness of the North Carolina coast.

Part love story, part murder mystery, this novel is a beautiful exploration of life in the wilderness and the lessons that nature can teach us. In fact,  Delia Owens is a wildlife scientist herself who won the John Burroughs Award for Nature Writing and has been published in several wildlife magazines.

3. Poems on Nature, Gaby Morgan (editor)

Some of the most beautiful writing evoking nature has been found in poetry. This collection edited by Gaby Morgan and introduced by Helen Macdonald (author of H is for Hawk) is part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library and contains poems from authors who, over the centuries, have found solace and inspiration in the wilderness.

Compiling poems by season, this lovely collection features some of the most beautiful poetry of the English language, with poems by Emily Brontë, Christina Rossetti, William Wordsworth, Shakespeare, and more.

4. Red Sky at Night: The Book of Lost Countryside Wisdom, Jane Struthers

Particularly resonant for those who grew up in the countryside, Red Sky at Night is an exploration of rural wisdom. This book reads like a guide for reconnecting with the rhythms of nature.

If you’ve ever wanted to decipher the night sky, recognize different types of plants, and animal species, understand what different herbs do, or simply learn about ancient costumes and tales of the wonders of nature, this is a useful and entertaining read.

5. The Wood: The Life & Times of Cockshutt Wood, John Lewis-Stempel

Another non-fiction read, this book is the diary of John Lewis-Stempel, a man who managed a three and half acres woodland in Herefordshire, England.

As we read about Stempel’s relationship with the woods, the animals and the trees he starts to recognize, we witness how the woods function as an escape for him. Cockshutt becomes his safe haven, away from the chaos of everyday life.

It’s a beautiful read about the restoring power of nature and it teaches us that reconnecting with its rhythms can definitely change us.

6. Birds, Art, Life, Death: A Year of Observation, Kyo Maclear

When her dad is hospitalized, author Kyo Maclear finds herself stuck in what looks like long-term writer’s block. Eager to find ways to reconnect with her creative self, she decides to follow a musician with a passion for birds, going on walks and birdwatching with him for a year.

Ultimately, birds will teach Maclear all sorts of unexpected lessons about creativity, patience, looking for beauty in the ordinary and solace in the wilderness.

7. The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt’s New World, Andrea Wulf

Alexander von Humboldt was one of the most important explorers and scientists of the early 19^th century. Oddly, many of us have never heard about him in our History, or Science classes.

With this biography, Wulf demonstrates Humboldt’s importance for our understanding of nature. The author also explains how this naturalist influenced the works of Charles Darwin, with his theory of a global unity between plants, animals, the sea and the atmosphere.

Have you read any of these books? Let me know in the comments below!

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