Avon Lake Public Library: Nature and Science: February 2026

Calling All Patrons. . .

Do you have a book you would love to recommend to other patrons? We would like to hear from you! Please click on the link below and fill out the form. (Your title should be part of the Avon Lake Library collection.) The review may be posted in the library for patrons who are looking for book suggestions.

http://alpl.org/patron-picks/

Recent Releases

Poppy State: A Labyrinth of Plants and a Story of Beginnings
by Myriam Gurba

Latine author Myriam Gurba’s poetic essay collection -- structured around 20 plants of her native California -- is intentionally designed to disorient the reader. The process of finding one’s way through the book’s “labyrinth” entails careful attention to Gurba’s observations about life and nature, which range from the scientific to the deeply personal. For fans of: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.

Lab Dog: A Beagle and His Human Investigate the Surprising World of Animal Research
by Melanie D.G. Kaplan

Journalist Melanie D.G. Kaplan was curious about her beloved rescue beagle Alexander Hamilton -- a.k.a. Hammy -- and his past as a test subject in an animal research lab. In the course of exploring Hammy’s history and the ways animals are used in biomedical research, product testing, and veterinary training, Kaplan poses thorny questions about ethics and animal rights in her moving debut. For more on these issues, try Justice for Animals: Our Collective Responsibility by Martha C. Nussbaum.

Tigers Between Empires: The Improbable Return of Great Cats to the Forests of Russia...
by Jonathan C. Slaght

In conservation biologist Jonathan C. Slaght’s Tigers Between Empires, he describes a coordinated effort between Russian and American scientists to rescue the wild tigers of the Amur River basin -- a forested area straddling Russia and China -- from unchecked hunting and habitat loss. After decades of work, the population of these magnificent predators is robust and growing. For fans of: The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant.

The Breath of the Gods: The History and Future of the Wind
by Simon Winchester

Author and journalist Simon Winchester presents a celebration of wind. Drawing fascinating references from science, engineering, and literature, Winchester is clearly enraptured by this natural force, evidenced by his vivid depictions of its role in civilization’s destruction (typhoons, tornadoes, wildfires) and salvation (wind-powered energy solutions). This is a captivating ode to elemental nature in the vein of Cynthia Barnett’s Rain: A Natural and Cultural History.

Birds and Birding

The Feather Detective: Mystery, Mayhem, and the Magnificent Life of Roxie Laybourne
by Chris Sweeney

Journalist Chris Sweeney's richly detailed debut profiles pioneering forensic ornithologist and Smithsonian Institution taxidermist Roxie Laybourne (1910-2003), who utilized her avian expertise to solve murders, investigate poaching activities, and inspect bird-related plane crashes, the latter of which led to aircraft safety reforms. For fans of: The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson.

Contact your librarian for more great books!