Koncocoo

Best Ecology of Lakes & Ponds

The Death and Life of the Great Lakes
The Death and Life of the Great Lakes is prize-winning reporter Dan Egan’s compulsively readable portrait of an ecological catastrophe happening right before our eyes, blending the epic story of the lakes with an examination of the perils they face and the ways we can restore and preserve them for generations to come. In an age when dire problems like the Flint water crisis or the California drought bring ever more attention to the indispensability of safe, clean, easily available water, The Death and the Life of the Great Lakes is a powerful paean to what is arguably our most precious resource, an urgent examination of what threatens it and a convincing call to arms about the relatively simple things we need to do to protect it. “Dan Egan’s deeply researched and sharply written The Death and Life of The Great Lakes . nimbly splices together history, science, reporting and personal experiences into a taut and cautiously hopeful narrative. early acclaim, [ The Death and Life of the Great Lakes ] is easy to read, offering well-paced, intellectually stimulating arguments, bolstered by well-researched and captivating narratives.”. - Lekelia Danielle Jenkins, Science. “This book feels urgent to policymakers and laypersons alike.”. - Kerri Arsenault, Literary Hub. The Death and Life of the Great Lakes is an engaging, vitally important work of science journalism.”. - Eva Holland, The Globe and Mail. “Dan Egan has done more than any other journalist in America to chronicle the decline of this once-great ecosystem, to alert the public to new threats, and to force governments to take remedial action.”. - Grantham Prize for Excellence in Reporting on the Environment, Special Merit citation.
Reviews
"He makes a cogent argument that the Great Lakes are left open to the import of more invasive species in small ship ballast tanks, which are the only ones which can still get through the St. Lawrence Seaway, and these ships bring less than 2% of foreign cargo into the United States. Bottom Line: That cargo could just as easily be off-loaded to trains and trucks at our seaports at very little extra cost."
"If you like having fresh water to drink from the Great Lakes or live near one of the "HOMES," this book is for you."
"I live near the great lakes and have been a big fan of all the shore lines."
"A well-researched book that should be required reading for every Michigander."
"Having lived,vacationed and traveled around the Great Lakes most of my life, I have gained a much deeper understanding and appreciation for these spectacular inland seas."
"Any midwesterner drawing water from the Great Lakes will appreciate this thoughtful and well-researched book."
"Sad reading about one calamity after another to the Great Lakes."
"Should be forced read for every person associated with making decisions that cover the Great Lakes."
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A Year in the Wilderness: Bearing Witness in the Boundary Waters
From National Geographic ’s 2014 Adventurers of the Year, a beautifully illustrated account of a year in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. “The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is among our nation’s great natural treasures. At this moment in our history, when calls are growing to privatize public lands and weaken national parks, adventurers Amy and Dave Freeman spent a year in the Boundary Waters, experiencing its singular beauty and advocating for its preservation. “Recounting their adventure in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Amy and Dave Freeman offer a compelling tale about the beauty as well as the brutal challenges of living a year in this northern wilderness―one of our nation’s very first areas protected by the Wilderness Act of 1964. Exemplifying a new generation of outdoors writer-adventurers, the Freemans infuse excitement and energy into the wilderness canon crafted by Mardy and Olaus Murie, Sigurd Olson, and other champions in earlier generations who have done so much to protect our wild places by describing them with a keen eye and a passionate heart.” ―Jamie Williams, President, The Wilderness Society. “Although my adventures have taken me to both ends of the earth, I share with Amy and Dave Freeman the same life-affirming natural centerpoint for physical and spiritual sustenance: Minnesota’s Boundary Waters wilderness. “Dave and Amy Freeman understand something very significant―that an iconic object such as a canoe can make a strong political statement, in this case in opposition to sulfide-ore mining in a pristine wilderness―much like an earlier American hero, Woody Guthrie, used his guitar to fight fascism. “For 365 days in 2015 and 2016, the Freemans lived in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, paddling a canoe or towing a toboggan from campsite to campsite.
Reviews
"I really enjoyed reading about the year Amy and Dave Freeman spent in the beautiful Boundary Waters. The pair set up camp in a tent which they carried with them, portaged across the land, traveled from one lake to another, there are numerous lakes. The book is beautiful, the photography is lovely and well done. I received the book and am happy to be able to read of this wonderful trip and the great time the two had though there was much work involved, setting up camp, breaking it down and moving on, plus the dangers involved. Loved reading about the pair's adventure."
"wonderful book."
"Beautiful well written book."
"Outstanding Saga of dedication to OUR. Wilderness!"
"A beautiful book!"
"Whether read in an intentionally quiet time away or casually picked up on a coffee table and browsed simply for the wonderful photographs, this is an exceptional book by two exceptional people."
"In this book Amy and Dave Freeman share their adventure of spending a full year in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to bring attention to the risks of toxic sulfide-ore copper mining to this pristine wilderness."
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North Carolina Waterfalls
From its comprehensive coverage, detailed trail directions, to its helpful photography tips and beauty ratings, the new North Carolina Waterfalls remains the definitive guide to its subject. Although he provides information for 1,000 waterfalls in this new book, Adams specifically highlights over 250 of the best waterfalls found in North Carolina with full descriptions, comprehensive directions, and four-color photographs.
Reviews
"Well worth the investment if you only head out once or twice to shoot falls but most folks will be hooked on shooting moving water after ingesting a chapter or two of this book."
"This book is just ESSENTIAL for anyone serious about making the most of seeing every waterfall possible in North Carolina!"
"Kevin is a thorough and thoughtful author."
"Just when I thought the 2nd edition was the greatest thing, here comes Adams with another beautiful collection of his photography and experience!"
"This is a must-have book for anyone who loves waterfalls."
"The previous edition was very thorough with every bit of information needed for visiting the waterfalls (or not visiting some if you have physical limitations)."
"If you need a guide to hiking in NC in search of waterfalls this book is a MUST HAVE!!"
"This is an amazing book."
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Best Ecology

The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History
A major book about the future of the world, blending intellectual and natural history and field reporting into a powerful account of the mass extinction unfolding before our eyes Over the last half-billion years, there have been Five mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Ms. Kolbert shows in these pages that she can write with elegiac poetry about the vanishing creatures of this planet, but the real power of her book resides in the hard science and historical context she delivers here, documenting the mounting losses that human beings are leaving in their wake.” ― The New York Times. “Natural scientists posit that there have been five extinction events in the Earth's history (think of the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs), and Kolbert makes a compelling case that human activity is leading to the sixth.” ― Bill Gates. “[Kolbert] grounds her stories in rigorous science and memorable characters past and present, building a case that a mass extinction is underway, whether we want to admit it or not.” ― Discover Magazine. “The factoids Kolbert tosses off about nature's incredible variety--a frog that carries eggs in its stomach and gives birth through its mouth, a wood stork that cools off by defecating on its own legs--makes it heartbreakingly clear, without any heavy-handed sermonizing from the author, just how much we lose when an animal goes extinct. In the same way, her intrepid reporting from far-off places--Panama, Iceland, Italy, Scotland, Peru, the Amazonian rain forest of Brazil, and the remote one tree Island, off the coast of Australia--gives us a sense of the earth's vastness and beauty.” ― Bookforum. “Kolbert accomplishes an amazing feat in her latest book, which superbly blends the depressing facts associated with rampant species extinctions and impending ecosystem collapse with stellar writing to produce a text that is accessible, witty, scientifically accurate, and impossible to put down.” ― Publishers Weekly (starred review). “Rendered with rare, resolute, and resounding clarity, Kolbert's compelling and enlightening report forthrightly addresses the most significant topic of our lives.” ― Booklist (starred review). Like Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, Elizabeth Kolbert's The Sixth Extinction is destined to become one of the most important and defining books of our time.” ― David Grann, author of The Lost City of Z. Her long view of extinction excited my joy in life's diversity -- even as she made me aware how many species are currently at risk.” ― Dava Sobel, author of Longitude and Galileo's Daughter. “With her usual lucid and lovely prose, Elizabeth Kolbert lays out the sad and gripping facts of our moment on earth: that we've become a geological force, driving vast swaths of creation over the brink.
Reviews
"Along the way, other startling observations emerge: biodiversity is declining not only due to the "old causes" such as hunted to extinction for various reasons but also new ones such as global warming impact on life-sustaining ranges, the loss of habitat space, the inability to regenerate a species due to slower reproduction rate and the rapid vulnerability to new diseases (fungal, bacterial or viral). In the prior roughly 500 million years there have been upwards of 25 periods of species extinction, of which five are considered to have been major ones due to breadth and probably rate of surrounding change. Nearly all of these were due to factors beyond the control of the inhabitants at the time: changes in chemical balances, glaciations and global warming due to Earth orbit wobbles, volcanic eruptions and asteroid impact leading to global cooling that killed off many of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. At a speed of change far beyond anything that has happened before - be it global warming by burning millions of years of fossil fuels, by eliminating living space on land or in sea for other species, or by sheer carelessness."
"One con to some people would be that the book does not end like a regular fiction book but it simply ends like all the other chapters ended in the book. but this book truly gives a look into the reality of our future environment and of many people/scientists who have dedicated much of their life to preserving the diversity of life."
"This is a fascinating book, and I am really just joining the chorus of readers who have appreciated the research and excellent presentation by the author."
"You can quickly sum up the man made behaviors that are creating the Sixth Extinction: global warming, destruction of habitat and the Columbian exchange."
"Instead of long expositions on the key points of various studies and voluminous research, the author personalizes the information with profiles of, and introductions to, dedicated people working in the field today."
"This book takes you through a series of vignettes and focuses less on the politics of today than on the quest to understand our planet and the special role played by our species."
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Best Coastal Ecosystems

Florida's Living Beaches: A Guide for the Curious Beachcomber
Now, the second edition of this supremely comprehensive guide has even more to satisfy the curious beachcomber, including expanded content and additional accounts with more than 1800 full-color photographs, maps, and illustrations. Blair and Dawn have merged their art, writing, photography, and design in a number of projects, including Florida's Living Beaches: A Beachcomber's Guide , Florida's Seashells , Living Beaches of Georgia and the Carolinas: A Beachcomber's Guide , and Seashells of Georgia and the Carolinas: A Beachcomber's Guide .
Reviews
"This is the perfect book for those who love exploring Florida's beaches and want to learn more about what they find."
"I came to using it after beachcombing with either pictures (preferred) or specimens."
"Good gift for an adult or young beachcomber."
"I learned a lot about beaches and sand movement from the "Beach Features" section."
"What impressed me was seeing that it covers the entire gambit of everything and anything a person may find at the beach, from shells to corals, sponges, jellyfish, land and water animals, plant/tree life, seabeans and seeds and even drift item that commonly wash ashore. As others have mentioned it's full of photographs on every page, a corresponding map telling you where in Florida you'll tend to find each particular item and during what season, and is a well organized, easy and fun to read high quality book."
"If you live in Florida, this is a must."
"What an incredible book!"
"It is so entertaining and informative that you can spend hours with it and you will certainly be referring to it often to identify things that you see on the beach or shells that you collect."
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Best Environmental Policy

The Death and Life of the Great Lakes
The Death and Life of the Great Lakes is prize-winning reporter Dan Egan’s compulsively readable portrait of an ecological catastrophe happening right before our eyes, blending the epic story of the lakes with an examination of the perils they face and the ways we can restore and preserve them for generations to come. In an age when dire problems like the Flint water crisis or the California drought bring ever more attention to the indispensability of safe, clean, easily available water, The Death and the Life of the Great Lakes is a powerful paean to what is arguably our most precious resource, an urgent examination of what threatens it and a convincing call to arms about the relatively simple things we need to do to protect it. “Dan Egan’s deeply researched and sharply written The Death and Life of The Great Lakes . nimbly splices together history, science, reporting and personal experiences into a taut and cautiously hopeful narrative. early acclaim, [ The Death and Life of the Great Lakes ] is easy to read, offering well-paced, intellectually stimulating arguments, bolstered by well-researched and captivating narratives.”. - Lekelia Danielle Jenkins, Science. “This book feels urgent to policymakers and laypersons alike.”. - Kerri Arsenault, Literary Hub. The Death and Life of the Great Lakes is an engaging, vitally important work of science journalism.”. - Eva Holland, The Globe and Mail. “Dan Egan has done more than any other journalist in America to chronicle the decline of this once-great ecosystem, to alert the public to new threats, and to force governments to take remedial action.”. - Grantham Prize for Excellence in Reporting on the Environment, Special Merit citation.
Reviews
"If you like having fresh water to drink from the Great Lakes or live near one of the "HOMES," this book is for you."
"I live near the great lakes and have been a big fan of all the shore lines."
"A well-researched book that should be required reading for every Michigander."
"Having lived,vacationed and traveled around the Great Lakes most of my life, I have gained a much deeper understanding and appreciation for these spectacular inland seas."
"Any midwesterner drawing water from the Great Lakes will appreciate this thoughtful and well-researched book."
"Sad reading about one calamity after another to the Great Lakes."
"Should be forced read for every person associated with making decisions that cover the Great Lakes."
"Great history of Lake Superior, everything except why the fluctuations in water levels."
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Best Environmental Science

The Death and Life of the Great Lakes
The Death and Life of the Great Lakes is prize-winning reporter Dan Egan’s compulsively readable portrait of an ecological catastrophe happening right before our eyes, blending the epic story of the lakes with an examination of the perils they face and the ways we can restore and preserve them for generations to come. In an age when dire problems like the Flint water crisis or the California drought bring ever more attention to the indispensability of safe, clean, easily available water, The Death and the Life of the Great Lakes is a powerful paean to what is arguably our most precious resource, an urgent examination of what threatens it and a convincing call to arms about the relatively simple things we need to do to protect it. “Dan Egan’s deeply researched and sharply written The Death and Life of The Great Lakes . nimbly splices together history, science, reporting and personal experiences into a taut and cautiously hopeful narrative. early acclaim, [ The Death and Life of the Great Lakes ] is easy to read, offering well-paced, intellectually stimulating arguments, bolstered by well-researched and captivating narratives.”. - Lekelia Danielle Jenkins, Science. “This book feels urgent to policymakers and laypersons alike.”. - Kerri Arsenault, Literary Hub. The Death and Life of the Great Lakes is an engaging, vitally important work of science journalism.”. - Eva Holland, The Globe and Mail. “Dan Egan has done more than any other journalist in America to chronicle the decline of this once-great ecosystem, to alert the public to new threats, and to force governments to take remedial action.”. - Grantham Prize for Excellence in Reporting on the Environment, Special Merit citation.
Reviews
"He makes a cogent argument that the Great Lakes are left open to the import of more invasive species in small ship ballast tanks, which are the only ones which can still get through the St. Lawrence Seaway, and these ships bring less than 2% of foreign cargo into the United States. Bottom Line: That cargo could just as easily be off-loaded to trains and trucks at our seaports at very little extra cost."
"If you like having fresh water to drink from the Great Lakes or live near one of the "HOMES," this book is for you."
"I live near the great lakes and have been a big fan of all the shore lines."
"A well-researched book that should be required reading for every Michigander."
"Having lived,vacationed and traveled around the Great Lakes most of my life, I have gained a much deeper understanding and appreciation for these spectacular inland seas."
"Any midwesterner drawing water from the Great Lakes will appreciate this thoughtful and well-researched book."
"Sad reading about one calamity after another to the Great Lakes."
"Should be forced read for every person associated with making decisions that cover the Great Lakes."
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Best Mountain Ecology

Ansel Adams 2018 Wall Calendar
For more ways to enjoy the photography of Ansel Adams, look for the 2018 Ansel Adams Engagement Calendar . Ansel Adams (1902-1984) was the most honored American photographer of the twentieth century.
Reviews
"This calendar is the same as the one sold in retail bookstores at year's end, but I like to buy it from Amazon as soon as it is offered (my 2013 calendar shipped in August), so that I can write in next year's appointments (beyond January) as soon as they are scheduled."
"Ansel Adams was an expert at capturing stunning, majestic, mesmeric scenery that just makes you wish you could jump right into the picture to experience it yourself."
"Good size with space for appointments & reminders."
"I buy one every year."
"This is by far the best quality calendar I have ever purchased, and the pictures could bring a tear to your eye."
"This was a Christmas Gift for my Wife of 38 years."
"If you're a photographer and a fan of film and Ansel Adams....this is the calendar for you."
"Love this calendar."
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Best Ecosystems

Ocean: A Photicular Book
Open the book, and the reader is swept into the magic of an underwater world, face-to-face with a floating Yellow-Banded Sweetlips; with a glow-in-the-dark Deep-Sea Anglerfish; with a Sea Horse swaying in balletic motion; with a Sand Tiger Shark gliding along the ocean floor, its gaze haunting, its hook-toothed mouth gulping open and closed. “Showcasing stunning photographic images that ripple with movement, Dan Kainen fully immerses readers in a captivating underwater realm. (The Bookseller). “Showcasing stunning photographic images that ripple with movement, Dan Kainen fully immerses readers in a captivating underwater realm.
Reviews
"Here's a short video of what this book does."
"Brought this for my Mom and Dad, who are pretty much housebound due to their age."
"-- but even the youngest kids will enjoy the graphics and pictures!"
"We saw this at a toy store and put in on the mental list for our child's upcoming birthday."
"These books are great."
"The plastic in the images was a bit damaged but for $5 it’s fine."
"I love how realistically the pictures move, it is amazing!"
"Lovely book!"
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Best Oceans & Seas

Ocean: A Photicular Book
Open the book, and the reader is swept into the magic of an underwater world, face-to-face with a floating Yellow-Banded Sweetlips; with a glow-in-the-dark Deep-Sea Anglerfish; with a Sea Horse swaying in balletic motion; with a Sand Tiger Shark gliding along the ocean floor, its gaze haunting, its hook-toothed mouth gulping open and closed. “Showcasing stunning photographic images that ripple with movement, Dan Kainen fully immerses readers in a captivating underwater realm. (The Bookseller). “Showcasing stunning photographic images that ripple with movement, Dan Kainen fully immerses readers in a captivating underwater realm.
Reviews
"Here's a short video of what this book does."
"-- but even the youngest kids will enjoy the graphics and pictures!"
"It would be great to see future books with possibly forest animals, maybe desert animals, flying animals, creepy crawlies...the possibilities are endless!!"
"These books are great."
"We saw this at a toy store and put in on the mental list for our child's upcoming birthday."
"Okay, for those of you who've not seen these, they are a MUST have for kids of all ages."
"The plastic in the images was a bit damaged but for $5 it’s fine."
"I love how realistically the pictures move, it is amazing!"
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Best Forests & Rainforests

The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit
Living in a tent even through brutal winters, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store edibles and water, and to avoid freezing to death. It is a gripping story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded. MICHAEL FINKEL is the author of True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa , which was adapted into a 2015 major motion picture.
Reviews
"Not only is this story of Chris Knight one of the most compelling that I have read in some time, but the lengths that you went to, to research his venture into the woods of Maine, to understand him, to get to know him, clearly better than anyone else has, and to represent him with such dignity, astounds me. While some, especially those whose homes were burgled, might still never understand what would cause a person to want to live in such extreme conditions let alone in solitude, far removed from the ‘regular’ world, after reading the book, while I will never spend a night, let alone an hour in the woods, what drew Knight makes sense to me now. It’s not to say that after reading THE STRANGER IN THE WOODS that every reader will feel compelled to pick up and leave their jobs, families, and the comfort of modern society behind, but it sure does offer food for thought."
"I wanted to read this book as the Maine woods have been a part of my life and I was unfamiliar with this story until I saw this book. I realized from the start that at the core of this story was an important topic I already have been worrying about that I feel American society either is unaware of or is purposefully ignoring: the neuro-atypical person and the challenge of how they will live (not thriving but suffering) in modern America. Knight was content and found peace in living that life until he was caught with the help of sophisticated surveillance equipment while robbing food from a nonprofit camp for disabled children (including kids on the Autism Spectrum). The heartbreaking part of this story is that the suffering that Knight endured was due to square pegs not fitting in the round holes of modern American society, his relief and contendedness was found living in isolation in nature, but this is not really allowed in America, and when possible it's only available to those who are able to financially support themselves due to an inheritance or some income stream that they are lucky to find that meshes with their talents and abilities. But this book provides more food for thought, for me at least, than just Knight's hermit years story. I hope this book is a catalyst for Americans to think about this issue, with the rising rates of Autism and mental illness, we have more people this decade than ever before who are not fitting in with the mandatory American public school system and who are not fitting in to work jobs as adults enough to support themselves independently let alone the issue of if a person is happy or content."
"Many of us dream of secluding from the busyness of modern living—the fast-paced, noisy, cyclical nature in which life has become; yet many of us do not have the courage or tenacity to pursue such a dream, much less achieve this dream for the amount of time that Knight did. On a practical level, Michael Finkel has written this biographical account excellently."
"My heart goes out to Mr. Knight."
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Best Water Supply & Land Use

Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water, Revised Edition
"The definitive work on the West's water crisis." "Essential background reading for anyone who cares about the drought ravaging the West and the region's prospects for changing course before it is too late." Resiner captures Western water history in Cinemascope and Technicolor. Beautifully written and meticulously researched, it spans our century-long effort to moisten the arid West. Anyone thinking of moving west of the hundredth meridian should read this book before they call their real estate agent." "A revealing, absorbing, often amusing and alarming report on where billions of [taxpayers'] dollars have gone-- and where a lot more are going .
Reviews
"This is a timeless work detailing the history of water wealth and distribution in the West."
"Man this book is encyclopedic, with all that implies."
"While the editing causes some revisiting of projects ant times, this book gives a clear picture of the technical, economic, political, and bureaucratic forces surrounding the largest group of public works in American history."
"I recommend this book to anyone wanting to understand the history of the water "crisis" or has the least bit of interest in our nation's history!"
"It is not a perfect work: the author occasionally allows his passion to overwhelm his recounting of the facts, and it detracts from both his case and the flow of the book."
"It's easy to call all cities in the American West "cancers", and state or imply how and how much the West should've been settled, based on 20/20 hindsight and without thought for where settlers could've gone if every inch West of the 100th meridian had been settled only by a very limited number of environmentally prophetic, conscientious stewards."
"Between this book and the "King of California" a very concise history of water in the lands west of the Mississippi and then west of Sierra Nevada Mountains is painted and highlighted with political and bureaucratic bumbling that has lead to the "crisis" that lives on today."
"Although written in 1986, revised and updated in 1993, it is a useful source of history and a means of understanding how we got ourselves into the difficulties we are now facing."
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Best Outdoors & Nature Reference

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Eastern Region, Revised Edition
It features a durable vinyl binding and brilliant full-color photographic identification pictures arranged for quick access and definitive text, including information on the bird's voice, nesting habits, habitat, range, and interesting behaviors. Introduced in 1977 and completely revised in 1994, these bestselling photographic field guides have become the birding bibles of more than four million enthusiasts.
Reviews
"I have tried many bird books to ID the local Maine birds and this one is the best one I have found."
"I have had this book for years and bought this one for my daughter."
"This is the definitive bird book."
"I love being able to identify the birds at my feeder...easy to look up and all my bird visitors have been in this book!"
"I have it on the porch facing the 8 bird feeders out in the yard."
"Great book, clear pictures and good description."
"This is a very comprehensive guide to birds."
"Great book good field manual I carry it with me often."
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Best Endangered Species

National Geographic The Photo Ark: One Man's Quest to Document the World's Animals
The lush and unique photography in this book represents National Geographic's Photo Ark, a major initiative and lifelong project by photographer Joel Sartore to make portraits of the world's animals—especially those that are endangered. He has written several books including National Geographic's Rare: Portraits of America's Endangered Species , Photographing Your Family , and Let's Be Reasonable , a collection of essays from the CBS Sunday Morning show.
Reviews
"In either case, the recipients were fascinated with the beauty of the photos and the description of the animals' name and survival."
"She loves the book."
"Gorgeous, large tabletop book."
"Beautiful book!"
"Absolutely amazing pictures and incredible record of species on our planet!"
"Beautiful beautiful book."
"EXCELLENT. 25 YRS OF WORK IN ATTEMPT TO PHOTO AND RECORD ENDANGERED SPECIE ON THI PLANET."
"Beautiful photos as are all NG photos."
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Best Nature Writing & Essays

The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate―Discoveries from a Secret World
In this international bestseller, forester and author Peter Wohlleben convincingly makes the case that, yes, the forest is a social network. Peter Wohlleben spent over twenty years working for the forestry commission in Germany before leaving to put his ideas of ecology into practice.
Reviews
"At this job, he was expected to produce as many high quality saw logs as possible, with maximum efficiency, by any means necessary. Luckily, he made friends in the community of Hümmel, and was given permission to manage their forest in a less destructive manner. In one portion of the forest, old trees are leased as living gravestones, where families can bury the ashes of kin. The book is built on a foundation of reputable science, but it reads like grandpa chatting at fireside. He’s a gentle old storyteller explaining the wondrous magic of beautiful forests to befuddled space aliens from a crazy planet named Consume. Their root systems intermingle, allowing them to send nutrients to their hungry children, and to ailing neighbors. When a Douglas fir is struck by lightning, several of its close neighbors might also die, because of their underground connections. Analyzing the rings of their trunks, they learned that the pines that survived a climate that warmed 42°F, and then cooled about the same amount — in a period of just 30 years! Dinosaurs still exist in the form of birds, winged creatures that can quickly escape from hostile conditions. (Far more questionable is the future of corn, wheat, and rice, whose genetic diversity has been sharply reduced by the seed sellers of industrial agriculture.). They unfold in the spring, capture sunlight, and for several months manufacture sugar, cellulose, and other carbohydrates. When the tree can store no more sugar, or when the first hard frost arrives, the solar panels are no longer needed. Now, with bare branches, the tree is far less vulnerable to damage from strong winds, heavy wet snows, and ice storms. In addition to rotting leaves, a wild forest also transforms fallen branches and trunks into carbon rich humus. By the end, readers are likely to imagine that undisturbed forests are vastly more intelligent than severely disturbed communities of radicalized consumers. More and more, scientists are muttering and snarling, as the imaginary gulf between the plant and animal worlds fades away. Wohlleben is not a vegetarian, because experience has taught him that plants are no less alive, intelligent, and sacred than animals."
"Review The Hidden Life of Trees Peter Wohlleben. The Hidden Life of Trees” is an amazing book presenting trees as sentient, purposeful beings living in dynamic relationship with each other. This single fact has hidden the true life of the trees from us. “The Hidden Life of Trees” is carefully and well presented with humor, with gentleness, with compassion, with joy, even with love."
"He outlines how trees work in terms of light and water, their intricate relationship and co-dependence with the mushroom family. How they communicate, how they deal with pests and warn nearby trees of danger, how they even feed and support each other. These are very human characteristics and we share them with most animals as they are necessary to stop us killing ourselves as we learn to move about our environment and also to make choices. But it is hard to see how they would be of any advantage to a sessile tree with limited options, and so there is no obvious reason to think they would have evolved in plants."
"Wohlleben is a charming guide to magical, but very real, world."
"Live on a tree-filled island in the summer and have always "felt" the companionship of the trees but thought I was crazy."
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Best Natural Resources

The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit
Living in a tent even through brutal winters, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store edibles and water, and to avoid freezing to death. It is a gripping story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded. MICHAEL FINKEL is the author of True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa , which was adapted into a 2015 major motion picture.
Reviews
"Not only is this story of Chris Knight one of the most compelling that I have read in some time, but the lengths that you went to, to research his venture into the woods of Maine, to understand him, to get to know him, clearly better than anyone else has, and to represent him with such dignity, astounds me. While some, especially those whose homes were burgled, might still never understand what would cause a person to want to live in such extreme conditions let alone in solitude, far removed from the ‘regular’ world, after reading the book, while I will never spend a night, let alone an hour in the woods, what drew Knight makes sense to me now. It’s not to say that after reading THE STRANGER IN THE WOODS that every reader will feel compelled to pick up and leave their jobs, families, and the comfort of modern society behind, but it sure does offer food for thought."
"I wanted to read this book as the Maine woods have been a part of my life and I was unfamiliar with this story until I saw this book. I realized from the start that at the core of this story was an important topic I already have been worrying about that I feel American society either is unaware of or is purposefully ignoring: the neuro-atypical person and the challenge of how they will live (not thriving but suffering) in modern America. Knight was content and found peace in living that life until he was caught with the help of sophisticated surveillance equipment while robbing food from a nonprofit camp for disabled children (including kids on the Autism Spectrum). The heartbreaking part of this story is that the suffering that Knight endured was due to square pegs not fitting in the round holes of modern American society, his relief and contendedness was found living in isolation in nature, but this is not really allowed in America, and when possible it's only available to those who are able to financially support themselves due to an inheritance or some income stream that they are lucky to find that meshes with their talents and abilities. But this book provides more food for thought, for me at least, than just Knight's hermit years story. I hope this book is a catalyst for Americans to think about this issue, with the rising rates of Autism and mental illness, we have more people this decade than ever before who are not fitting in with the mandatory American public school system and who are not fitting in to work jobs as adults enough to support themselves independently let alone the issue of if a person is happy or content."
"Many of us dream of secluding from the busyness of modern living—the fast-paced, noisy, cyclical nature in which life has become; yet many of us do not have the courage or tenacity to pursue such a dream, much less achieve this dream for the amount of time that Knight did. On a practical level, Michael Finkel has written this biographical account excellently."
"My heart goes out to Mr. Knight."
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Best Nature Conservation

Overview: A New Perspective of Earth
A stunning and unique collection of satellite images of Earth that offer an unexpected look at humanity, derived from the wildly popular Daily Overview Instagram account. "Absolutely gorgeous, yet utterly gut-wrenching" – Wired "Stunning, surprising and intriguing photographs of Earth from the skies." "Grant’s book...uses satellite photography to reveal both environmental wonders and suburban sprawl from a new perspective." – Smithsonian "The awesomeness of earth from above" – The Atlantic "Stunning" – Huffington Post "A tour de force of research and image presentation" – American Photo.
Reviews
"Have spent the past couple nights flipping through it with my kids and discussing fascinating subjects."
"It's really more than just a coffee table book - I found it mind-expanding; a combination of great beauty and deep truth."
"Great book and Pictures Amazing."
"A totally necessary and beautiful book."
"The images are stunning!"
"The kids loved to flip through it and got more ideas on how human being have intervened the Earth."
"Absolutely BEAUTIFUL book!!!!"
"This beautiful book is now the star of our coffee table."
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Best Field Guides

National Geographic The Photo Ark: One Man's Quest to Document the World's Animals
The lush and unique photography in this book represents National Geographic's Photo Ark, a major initiative and lifelong project by photographer Joel Sartore to make portraits of the world's animals—especially those that are endangered. He has written several books including National Geographic's Rare: Portraits of America's Endangered Species , Photographing Your Family , and Let's Be Reasonable , a collection of essays from the CBS Sunday Morning show.
Reviews
"With a goal to document animals alive on earth, and with many in decline and/or facing extinction, he knew the best chance would come from photographing animals in captivity and in breeding programs. As a photographer, I appreciated a series of vignettes scattered through the volume on “Making the Photographs.” The images alone are reason enough to buy the book. A true art book would be beyond the reach of many people, which would defeat Sartore’s purpose in creating the book."
"Stunning photos, brief descriptions and quotes, and high quality paper and binding."
"Saw a documentary about this on PBS."
"In either case, the recipients were fascinated with the beauty of the photos and the description of the animals' name and survival."
"She loves the book."
"Gorgeous, large tabletop book."
"Beautiful book!"
"Absolutely amazing pictures and incredible record of species on our planet!"
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Best Fauna

Creative Haven Owls Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)
Specially designed for experienced colorists, Owls and other Creative Haven® adult coloring books offer an escape to a world of inspiration and artistic fulfillment.
Reviews
"The pages of the book are single-sided and are perforated at the bound edge so you can remove the page to color or to frame afterwards. The images have a wide range, including: an owl sitting on a wildly decorated crescent moon, an owl with butterflies, a "smart" owl amongst his/her books, owls on a wooden rocking horse, pirate owls, fairy tale owl, totem pole owls, steampunk owl, the owl and the pussycat (yes, cat included!)."
"She has filled this book with Charming Owls that entrance you and entwined them with intricate, captivating, unparalleled combinations of patterns, embellishing the backgrounds, scenery, borders, and even adorning the Owls creating illustrations that will make this your favorite coloring book, and you won’t be able to put it down. All Markers and Gel Pens leak through the pages so place two pieces of paper under the page you are coloring to prevent damage to the next page. If you love this book, you will also want to look at Marjoie Sarnats first coloring book (Creative Haven Cats)."
"This is a really cute and charming coloring book perfect for owl aficionados and colorists who like quirky pictures."
"I love owls so I'm probably bias about this coloring book."
"This makes using water colored pencils and markers easier as they do not bleed through to the other picture. I do put another piece of paper or thin cardboard in between so that it also helps to catch the bleeding if I am being heavy handed."
"5 bucks for a coloring book?"
"It has a good variety of images, however the paper is not the best quality."
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Best Animal Rights

Eating Animals
Jonathan Safran Foer spent much of his life oscillating between enthusiastic carnivore and occasional vegetarian. " Eating Animals isn't just an anti-meat screed, or an impassioned case for vegetarianism. " Eating Animals carefully, deliberately, takes you through every relevant dimension of factory farming....One sees it from the inside, the outside, the moral high ground, the dithering consumer level, through Foer's family stories, from slaughterhouse workers, animal behaviorists, even from defenders of the system....Foer's aim is not to make your choice, but to inform it. "A work of moral philosophy....The fact that Foer makes me wonder whether I'm being, at best, a hypocrite every time I eat a piece of beef suggests he's completely successful in at least one ambition." What makes Eating Animals so unusual is vegetarian Foer's empathy for human meat eaters, his willingness to let both factory farmers and food reform activists speak for themselves, and his talent for using humor to sweeten a sour argument.
Reviews
"However, he states in the beginning of the book that that is not his purpose, so I recommend keeping that in mind during the reading. This book focuses on the main point of factory farming and the steps that go into getting their meat to the consumers. I think Foer did a very good job of conveying his information and getting his point across, making the reader actually think about their choices."
"I've bought more than 200 books on Amazon and it's the first time I write a review."
"If this is the case how can I reconcile my ethical convictions that torture and suffering of innocent creatures is wrong and then blindly eat meat or dairy that is routinely produced under such conditions?"
"Whether you consume meat or are vegetarian or vegan, this book is a must read."
"The book Eating Animals by Jonathan Foer would be a great read for anybody, as it is relatable to everyone. Doesn’t matter if you’re a carnivore, vegetarian, or vegan, this book contains great information about meat that everybody should know. I thought I knew everything about the meat I eat for every single meal, but this book opened my eyes. The author spent over 3 years researching and traveling the country to gather information for this book. Throughout the entire book Jonathan Foer informed the reader about the lives of animals through factory farming. I never really thought deeply about if the meat I was eating at the dinner table had a happy life or not. The book had a perfect balance of a story line about him and information about factory farming."
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Best Natural History

Overview: A New Perspective of Earth
A stunning and unique collection of satellite images of Earth that offer an unexpected look at humanity, derived from the wildly popular Daily Overview Instagram account. "Absolutely gorgeous, yet utterly gut-wrenching" – Wired "Stunning, surprising and intriguing photographs of Earth from the skies." "Grant’s book...uses satellite photography to reveal both environmental wonders and suburban sprawl from a new perspective." – Smithsonian "The awesomeness of earth from above" – The Atlantic "Stunning" – Huffington Post "A tour de force of research and image presentation" – American Photo.
Reviews
"Have spent the past couple nights flipping through it with my kids and discussing fascinating subjects."
"It's really more than just a coffee table book - I found it mind-expanding; a combination of great beauty and deep truth."
"Great book and Pictures Amazing."
"A totally necessary and beautiful book."
"The images are stunning!"
"The kids loved to flip through it and got more ideas on how human being have intervened the Earth."
"Absolutely BEAUTIFUL book!!!!"
"This beautiful book is now the star of our coffee table."
Find Best Price at Amazon
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