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Science & Nature

Conversations with Birds by Priyanka Kumar

Come for the lush, thoughtful essays about the joys of birding; stay for the glimpses of our own hometown. Priyanka Kumar writes beautifully about her first encounter with a long-billed curlew at Elkhorn Slough, and how falling in love with birds made her feel at home on the trails of Nisene Marks and Wilder Ranch. As someone who also fell in love with birdlife in Santa Cruz, I couldn’t get enough of Conversations with Birds.  

—Kat

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Conversations with Birds By Priyanka Kumar Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9781571313997
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Milkweed Editions - November 8th, 2022

Is Math Real? by Eugenia Cheng

This book both celebrates asking questions (even if they may seem silly) and serves as a great introduction to abstract math concepts. There were many points where I felt like I finally understood something that had never made sense to me in math class, and I came away from the book with more of an appreciation for math. It also answered questions I never thought to ask!  

—Sofia

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Is Math Real?: How Simple Questions Lead Us to Mathematics’ Deepest Truths By Eugenia Cheng Cover Image
$30.00
ISBN: 9781541601826
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Basic Books - August 15th, 2023

Of Time and Turtles Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell by Sy Montgomery

In Of Time and Turtles, Sy Montgomery (Soul of an Octopus) opens up to us the world of turtle rehabilitation (and really all things turtle). Montgomery works as a volunteer in a well-respected turtle rescue organization and does a wonderful job of describing the amazingness of turtles along with the hardships they face in living among humans. A snapping turtle heals himself from paralysis; a tortoise seemingly comes back from the dead; another is a picky eater who enjoys cuddles. You will find yourself holding your breath and cheering on behalf of these incredible spirited souls.  

—S.M.C.

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Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell By Sy Montgomery, Matt Patterson (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Sy Montgomery, Matt Patterson (Illustrator)
$28.99
ISBN: 9780358458180
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Mariner Books - September 19th, 2023

A City on Mars by Kelly Weinersmith & Zach Weinersmith

Have you really considered the challenges of creating a viable settlement on Mars? Or do you gloss over the details because it just sounds like a cool idea? Well, the Weinersmiths have done a lot of research and they’d like you to consider staying on Earth for a while, even though things look dire at the moment. You’ll love this book, even if their logic (and humor) doesn’t sway you.  

—Glenn

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A City on Mars: Can we settle space, should we settle space, and have we really thought this through? By Kelly Weinersmith, Zach Weinersmith Cover Image
$32.00
ISBN: 9781984881724
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Penguin Press - November 7th, 2023

Fear of a Black Universe by Stephon Alexander

In reading Fear of a Black Universe, not only do we experience the expansive mind of a brilliant physicist as we delve into cosmic potentialities, we also break away from traditional narratives to explore why creativity, imagination, and the uplifting of marginalized scientists are necessary components of making new discoveries. Quantum physics is still largely a complete mystery, and it is in the unknown that we get to dream what is possible. This book reaches far beyond the ordinary boundaries of physics and is a radical, immersive journey of the mind.  

—Tyler

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Fear of a Black Universe: An Outsider's Guide to the Future of Physics By Stephon Alexander Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9781541604223
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Basic Books - September 5th, 2023

Knowing the Trees Discover the Forest from Seed to Snag by Ken Keffer

Even a tree standing alone is never alone. As Ken Keffer guides us from the seed ready to fall from the branch to the broken stump, we meet the creatures and forces that turn a tree into part of a forest. Facts are gorgeously illuminated with Emily Walker’s pen-and-watercolor paintings that manage to be clear and lush at the same time. This utterly beautiful book is a perfect gift for any lover of the natural world.  

—Cat

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Knowing the Trees: Discover the Forest from Seed to Snag By Ken Keffer, Emily Walker (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Ken Keffer, Emily Walker (Illustrator)
$24.95
ISBN: 9781680515527
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Mountaineers Books - August 15th, 2023

Crossings How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet by Ben Goldfarb

An exploration of the profound ecological impacts caused by roads, Crossings will have you in the palm of environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb’s calloused hand. It delves into the often-overlooked consequences of roads on both human and animal environments. The noise pollution. The spoiled migration routes. The road-salt contamination. It looks toward a future that balances human convenience with the well-being of all living beings. Great for fans of the YouTube channel Not Just Bikes.  

—Lindsay

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Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet By Ben Goldfarb Cover Image
$30.00
ISBN: 9781324005896
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: W. W. Norton & Company - September 12th, 2023

Echo Loba, Loba Echo Of Wisdom, Wolves and Women by Sonja Swift

Echo Loba, Loba Echo: Of Wisdom, Wolves, and Women is a thoughtfully written and thoroughly researched look into our relationship with wolves throughout history. Through her own stories and poetry, Sonja Swift reminds us of the importance of our relationship with nature in our increasingly disconnected world. If you enjoyed reading Braiding Sweetgrass, this book is for you!  

—Maddy

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Echo Loba, Loba Echo: Of Wisdom, Wolves and Women By Sonja Swift, Winona LaDuke (Foreword by) Cover Image
By Sonja Swift, Winona LaDuke (Foreword by)
$32.00
ISBN: 9781771606288
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Rocky Mountain Books Incorporated - October 3rd, 2023

Climate Resilience: How We Keep each Other Safe, Care for Our Communities, and Fight Back Against Climate Change

This book is part of our 2023 Fall Reading Challenge. Read more about the challenge here.

While most everyone knows that the planet is in crisis, it’s hard to know how to help when the task feels overwhelming. Flanagan’s book, a collection of essays from activists, community organizers, and climate experts, does not allow you to shy away from the responsibility we all owe to the earth and to each other. It does provide a lot of excellent history and background, and I especially appreciate the “action sections” that give a range of ways you, as an individual, can help. I went into this book hoping to be challenged, and while I certainly was, I also found hope and a wealth of resources.

—Jax

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Climate Resilience: How We Keep Each Other Safe, Care for Our Communities, and Fight Back Against Climate Change By Kylie Flanagan Cover Image
$19.95
ISBN: 9781623179021
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: North Atlantic Books - August 1st, 2023

The Quickening: Creation and Community at the Ends of the Earth by Elizabeth Rush

In 2019, Pulitzer Prize finalist Elizabeth Rush joined a research vessel sailing to study the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica, called the Doomsday Glacier for its potential effect on sea level rise. What follows is a wondrous combination of environmental journalism, travel writing, and memoir that also asks: how do we build community in the face of escalating climate change? How can we choose to bear children into this world of uncertainty? Amiably and thoughtfully articulated, Rush shines refreshing light on science, her on-board crew, and an offer of collective, intentional hope.

—Melinda

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The Quickening: Creation and Community at the Ends of the Earth By Elizabeth Rush Cover Image
$30.00
ISBN: 9781571313966
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Milkweed Editions - August 15th, 2023

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