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Nature and Science October 2026 |
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Our Wild Familiars: How Animals are Adapting to Cities and Reshaping the Natural World by Dan WerbWhat it is: "Our Wild Familiars" brings to spectacular life the world’s most successful synanthropes, from bats, raccoons, and crows, to some of its weirdest, including the Giant Pacific Octopus. Acting as a guide to the curious, Werb reveals how the cracks in our millennia-long efforts to shield ourselves against the outside world might just lead us to a new and necessary balance with nature—or to an ever more savage future.
Did you know?: Synanthropes, comes from the Greek roots syn- ("together with") and anthropos ("human").
For readers of: "Birds and Us" by Tim Birkhead, "Urban Jungle" by Ben Wilson, and "Wildscape" by Nancy Lawson.
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The Echoing Universe: How Radio Astronomy Helps Us See the Invisible Cosmosby Emma ChapmanContains: How learning to listen to the universe using radio waves has revolutionized our understanding of everything from gravity to little green men. Despite the seeming silence of space, "The Echoing Universe" reveals that the future of astronomy is loud and vibrant. When we turn our radio telescopes to the sky and simply listen, we'll discover far more than what our eyes could ever see.
About the author: Dr. Emma Chapman is a Royal Society research fellow and lecturer in astrophysics, based at the University of Nottingham. She has been the recipient of multiple commendations and prizes, including the Royal Society Athena Medal. This is her 4th book.
Similar reads: Emma Chapman's "First Light," Philip Plait's "Under Alien Skies and Paul Sutter's "Your Place in the Universe."
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| It Could Be Otherwise: Science in the Age of Uncertainty by Stuart FiresteinWhat's inside: Neuroscience professor Stuart Firestein argues against those who criticize science for not providing fixed, definitive answers to big questions. On the contrary, Firestein posits that this uncertainty is science’s greatest strength.
Why you might like it: Firestein challenges the traditional view that science is a search for single, fixed, and immutable laws that dictate a predictable universe.
Try these next: "Determined" by Robert Sapolsky, "Free Agents" by Kevin Mitchell, and "Rationality" by Steven Pinker. |
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Invincible: Defy Your Genetic Destiny to Live Better Longerby Florence ComiteWhat it's about: Your genes do not have to be your destiny. Dr. Florence Comite helped thousands of patients reverse biological aging and halt emerging diseases. Her proactive precision care is built on one central truth: your unique biology is the key to your longevity.
Line from the book: "Some research suggests that aging isn't a gradual linear process but rather one made up of rapid bursts of aging at set tipping points."
Further reading: Barbara Ehrenreich's "Natural Causes," Ezekiel Emanuel's "Eat Your Ice Cream" and Andrew Steele's "Ageless."
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The Savage Landscape: How We Made the Wilderness by Cal FlynWhat it is: "The Savage Landscape" takes us into these breathtaking wilds—deep into dark forests, to the tops of mountains, and into the hearts of deserts—asking provocative questions about the nature of wilderness, its preservation, and its meaning.
What reviews say: “Flyn delivers an exhilarating exploration of the nature and meaning of wild lands . . . blend[ing] exciting travel writing with deep philosophical discussions. Readers will be forced to rethink what wilderness is and whom it benefits.” - Publishers Weekly
You may also like: "Deep Creek" by Pam Houston, "The End of Eden" by Adam Welz, and "The Age of Deer" by Erika Howsare.
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Focus On: The Garbage Problem |
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Total Garbage: How We Can Fix Our Waste and Heal Our Worldby Edward HumesWhat it is: This story-driven and in-depth exploration of the pervasive yet hard-to-see wastefulness that permeates our daily lives illuminates the ways in which we've been duped into accepting absolutely insane levels of waste as normal. "Total Garbage" also tells the story of individuals and communities who are finding the way back from waste, and showing us that our choices truly matter and make a difference.
First line of the book: "You swallowed 285 pieces of plastic today." - Edward Humes
Try these next: Tatiana Schlossberg's "Inconspicuous Consumption," Oliver Franklin-Wallis' "Wasteland" and Tara McKenna's "Don't Be Trashy."
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| Discarded: How Technofossils Will Be Our Ultimate Legacy by Sarah Gabbott & Jan ZalasiewiczWhat's inside: "Discarded" describes how fossils transform as they are attacked by bacteria, baked by the Earth's inner heat, squashed by overlying rock, permeated by subterranean fluids, and crumpled by mountain-building movements--and what will be left of them.
What you'll learn: How the massive influx of manufactured, everyday human goods is rewriting the rules of geology and leaving an indelible footprint on Earth's deep time.
For readers of: "Becoming Earth" by Ferris Jabr, "The Story of CO2 is the Story of Everything" by Peter Brannen and "Ocean Worlds" by Jan Zalasiewicz. |
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Waste Wars: The Wild Afterlife of Your Trashby Alexander ClappContains: A journalist based in Greece travels far and wide to uncover the filthy secrets of the garbage business. Alexander Clapp’s exposé reveals the eco-conscious “recycling” programs of wealthy northern hemisphere nations to be something a bit shadier: e-waste, plastics, and other disposables are often exported to countries in the Global South, where toxic waste poisons ecosystems and local labor is exploited.
Why you might like it: If you are drawn to true-crime-style investigations, environmental issues, or global geopolitics, then you might like this book.
Further reading: Judith Enck's "The Problem With Plastic," Matt Simon's "A Poison Like No Other" and Michael Grunwald's "We Are Eating the Earth."
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| Trash Talk: An Eye-Opening Exploration of Our Planet's Dirtiest Problem by Iris GottliebWhat it's about: Today, the trash industry is designed to keep our waste isolated from wealthier segments of society, so that many people never have to give it much thought. Gottlieb contrasts this with pre-industrial civilizations, in which people lived in proximity to waste sites and repaired many of the items that we dispose of today.
Did you know?: The United States generates roughly 1.38 tons of waste per capita annually, which contributes to a massive global footprint totaling around 4.5 billion pounds of trash per year.
You may also like: "Chasing Icebergs" by Matthew H. Birkhold, "Throwaway Nation" by Jeff Dondero and "Junkyard Planet" by Adam Minter. |
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Year of No Garbage: Recycling Lies, Plastic Problems, and One Woman's Trashy Journey to Zero Wasteby Eve O. SchaubContains: Convincing her husband and two daughters to go along with her, Schaub attempts the seemingly impossible: living in the modern world without creating any trash at all. For an entire year. During a pandemic. If you’ve ever thought twice about that plastic straw in your drink, you'll want to read this book.
You'll learn: That going completely trash-free is virtually impossible in modern society because plastic packaging is systematically forced onto consumers at every level of the supply chain.
Similar reads: Colin Beavan's "No Impact Man," Brigette Allen's "Living Without Plastic" and Bea Johnson's "Zero Waste Home."
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Forsyth County Public Library
660 W. Fifth St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101
336-703-2665forsythlibrary.org |
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