Carrollton Public Library: Nature and Science: December 2025

Recent Releases

Shade: The Promise of a Forgotten Natural Resource
by Sam Bloch

It’s a simple, ancient idea whose time may have come again: if you want to cool down on a hot day, find some shade. Environmental journalist Sam Bloch argues for numerous strategies to use shade to offset the environmental impact of air conditioning in urban heat islands but also discusses the associated cost and policy barriers in this thoughtful, urgent book. For more on this topic, try After Cooling: On Freon, Global Warming, and the Terrible Cost of Comfort by Eric Dean Wilson.

The Story of CO₂ Is the Story of Everything: How Carbon Dioxide Made Our World
by Peter Brannen

Science journalist Peter Brannen elucidates the role of carbon dioxide on Earth, explaining the paradox that this substance is both an essential part of the carbon life cycle and the reason that our climate is in trouble. Brannen’s book is both alarming and fascinating and makes clear that it is only in the last couple of centuries that human activity has pushed the CO₂ equation out of balance.

Unequal: The Math of When Things Do and Don't Add Up
by Eugenia Cheng

An exciting new perspective on equality and difference (Stephon Alexander) that shows why the familiar equal sign isn't just a marker of sameness but a gateway into math's--and humanity's--most profound questions. Mathematics isn't a series of rules, facts, or answers. It's an invitation to a more powerful way of thinking.

BBC Walking with Dinosaurs: Uncovering the Secret Stories of Prehistoric Life
by Andrew Cohen

Travel back in time to the prehistoric world of the dinosaurs, brought to life in spectacular detail. Revisit the spectacle of the incredible new season of BBC One's Walking With Dinosaurs in this richly detailed look into the distant past. With the latest up-to-date facts, interviews with leading dinosaur hunters, and insights from the TV series, this is the ultimate prehistoric book that every dinosaur enthusiast needs to read.

The Call of the Honeyguide: What Science Tells Us About How to Live Well With the Rest of Life
by Rob Dunn

The evolution of life is mainly a story of competition. But this has caused scientists to miss the cooperation between organisms happening everywhere in nature. These “mutualisms” (mutually beneficial relationships between species) occur between animals and plants of all types on every continent, and biologist Rob Dunn’s vivid descriptions enable the reader to envision the complex interdependencies in nature’s ecosystems in his “triumph of popular science” (Publishers Weekly).

Spirit of the Rainforest: How Indigenous Wisdom and Scientific Curiosity Reconnects Us to the Natural World
by Rosa Vasquez Espinoza

The Spirit of the Rainforest sweeps you into an unforgettable journey where an explorer's insatiable curiosity becomes a bridge between Indigenous wisdom and scientific discovery. With luminous storytelling, it reveals how even the rainforest's tiniest creatures can hold the keys to understanding and protecting our living planet. It's a pulse-quickening ride that will leave you awed by nature's brilliance and hungry to protect it. - Ariel Waldman

Leaving the Ocean Was a Mistake: Life Lessons from Sixty Sea Creatures
by Cara Giaimo

Sixty bizarre and beautiful marine creatures offer affirmations for self-confidence, serenity, and fulfillment—drawn from real-life facts about our fascinating natural world. Beautifully illustrated with striking watercolor portraits of the ocean’s most eccentric creatures, Leaving the Ocean Was a Mistake will make you long to return to the seas—but it will also help you bring a freewheeling, relaxed, self-actualized ocean spirit to even the driest life.

The Shape of Wonder: How Scientists Think, Work, and Live
by Alan Lightman & Martin Rees

Physicist Alan Lightman and cosmologist Martin Rees mount a persuasive argument for trusting good science. By introducing readers to prominent scientists in various disciplines and showing the impact of the scientific method on everyday life, the authors hope to demonstrate the value of scientific research in policy-making and discourage the current rise in anti-science rhetoric. For fans of: The Premonition: A Pandemic Story by Michael Lewis.

Super Natural: How Life Thrives in Impossible Places
by Alex Riley

Journey through Earth’s most extreme, seemingly hostile environments―and marvel at the remarkable creatures that call them home. From scorching deserts to frozen seabeds, from the highest peaks of the Himalaya to the hadal depths of the oceans, there are habitats on this Earth that appear hostile to life―yet where, nevertheless, life flourishes.

Contact your librarian for more great books!