While it is not possible to read every book sold at Destination: Books it doesn't keep me from trying. Here are two books of interest:
Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Although Kimmerer is best known for her Braiding Sweetgrass book, Gathering Moss (2003) was written earlier in her career. It is a short read and borrowing from the book jacket copy it is a "mix of science and personal reflection. In this series of linked personal essays, the author (Kimmerer) clearly and artfully explains the biology of mosses and reflects on what these fascinating organisms have to teach us."
Also, after reading this book, you'll never look at the moss the same way again. Nowadays when I walk around the neighborhood, I take special interest in bryology, (which includes the study of mosses and liverworts, but not lichens). Inspired, I have even successfully transplanted moss from a drainage area to a barren, but shady and wet hillside in an area I am trying to revitalize. Don't ask me to identify any of the 22,000 species of moss, but I did learn that not all moss is the same and it is much more environmentally responsible than grass.
Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet by Hannah Ritchie
Ritchie is an internationally renowned data wonk who focuses her research on world's largest problems, and is, in her own words " trying to correct public miscommunications of data" on climate related issues such as air pollution, deforestation, food, biodiversity, ocean plastics and overfishing.
Whereas many books about climate change are pessimistic this one—judging from the bright, colorful cover—is cautiously optimistic. The health of the planet is in trouble, but she uses bar graphs, to show that historically on many fronts, the conditions have improved dramatically, and we are trending in the right direction. She is especially quick to point out the misleading catastrophic headlines that the media bombards us with.
Although Ritchie's book is chocked full of numbers overall, it has an unassuming style. Her "we can do this" attitude makes the sobering numbers more palatable, but anything encouraging on climate change is appreciated.
Both books will be at my next popup scheduled for the Freedom Farmer's Market at the Carter Center on Saturday morning, March 30th. But they can also be found at my online presence here at Bookshop.org (the Amazon alternative).
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