21 Fascinating Nature Books That Will Transport You to Your Next Adventure

For anyone who has ever experienced grief, this beautiful book about the healing power of animals is a must-read. Helen Macdonald’s instant classic about her father’s death and her surprising relationship with a hawk is a stunning and moving story.

No list of nature books would be complete without Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. After all, it fundamentally changed the American public’s consciousness around pesticides and their environmental impact, and as the effects of climate change continue to become more pronounced, this 1962 publication feels oddly modern.

This may be a book written for children, but no matter how old you are, you can enjoy this expertly narrated and endlessly interesting meditation on survival in the Catskills. Complete with a falcon, weasel, and a lot of youthful ingenuity, this is a story you’ll read again and again.

A read that really puts human life into perspective, Underland helps us understand just how insignificant we as a species are in the natural world. “What does human behaviour matter,” writes author Robert Macfarlane, “when Homo sapiens will have disappeared from Earth in the blink of a geological eye?” 

You may not think of Life of Pi as a nature book, but its three main characters are a young boy, a tiger, and the ocean, which makes it pretty nature-centric. Stranded at sea on a lifeboat after an ocean liner and his family sink in the Pacific, Pi must find a way to survive with no one but a tiger by his side. If you haven’t seen the movie adaptation, you’ve probably at least heard of it. (And it’s definitely worth a watch.)

When Elizabeth-Jane Burnett faces loss, she doesn’t turn to a pet, but instead, an entire countryside. The ecopoet sets her father’s remote village as the backdrop for this beautiful meditation on nature that explores loss, hope, and joy. 

If you need literal proof that being one with nature is really and truly good for you, reach for Lucy Jones’ 2020 publication. The book explores “why our minds need the wild” from a scientific perspective, and will arm you with the factoids you need to convince your friends, family, and coworkers to get out more often. 

You could sit down and read this compendium of 25 profiles of female writers, activists, and trailblazers all in one go, but it’s worth savoring slowly. Aalto writes biographies for each of the featured women—Helen Macdonald and Dorothy Wordsworth to name a few—but also includes an impressive list of additional books and resources about the natural world.

If you think that spending 337 days with 11,000 emperor penguins would make for a good book, you’d be spot on. Photographer Lindsay McCrae spent nearly an entire calendar year in Antarctica with these majestic creatures and not only lived to tell the tale, but wrote about it, too. Don’t miss the intensely beautiful snapshots. 

This book is about a taxonomist who, with much determination and fervor, discovered and preserved nearly a fifth of the fish known to man, only for his findings—kept in little glass jars—to be destroyed by natural disasters in the form of lightning, fire, and even the 1906 San Fransisco earthquake. The book’s subtitle promises that the story explores loss, love, and the hidden order of life, and it delivers on all three of those topics.

One for true naturalists, Thoreau’s classic rumination on the natural state of the world is a classic. Find your way to Walden Pond to read it and you may uncover some version of nirvana. 

The phrase “clever as a fox” did not just emerge out of nowhere—it has its roots in observations and science. Adele Brand’s study of foxes across continents explains why they’re known as such cunning, wily, and fascinating creatures.

Another fabulous collection of stories, this anthology of 30 writers and essays give a new spin to the genre of environmental writing. With a strong focus on intersectionality, this beautiful compendium is well worth your time and passing along to others. 

It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly 50 years since Annie Dillard’s classic was published. There’s still much debate on whether it’s a nature journal or a theological exercise, and you may be able to settle it yourself by revisiting the book or reading it for the first time.

If you’re looking for an icy adventure, look no further than Slaght’s 2020 hit. It follows a wildlife biologist’s quest through snow-ridden Russia to save the unusual Blakiston’s fish owl from going extinct. The story comes with many twists and turns, to say the least.

Set in North Carolina, this devastating novel uses the marshes of the state as an allegory for human nature. At once brutal and beautiful, the book explores the many nuances of nature and “civilized” behavior, ultimately questioning just how far we as people have come.

Dungy’s book about crossing the United States as a Black mother is more poignant now than ever. Equal parts travel reflections, maternal diary, and meditation, this book explores the natural (and unnatural) parts of the United States as told through the intersectional lens of a woman of color.

Another book turned movie, Strayed’s memoir explores a 2,000 mile hike catalyzed by divorce, drugs, and death. Written by a friend, for a friend, this book is an absolute page-turner that may just have you reaching for your hiking boots. 

It reads like fiction, but this is a true story about a falcon thief and the investigators who would stop at nothing to solve the crime. Whether you’re a bird lover or a mystery fiend, there’s something for you in this super intriguing book. 

The beginnings of creative nonfiction are largely credited to John McPhee, and this book about California makes clear why. Assembling California considers the plate tectonics of the state, and ties this seemingly dry topic to some of the most glamorous moments in history like the California Gold Rush and the emergence of California’s agricultural industry.