Wendell Berry is a farmer, poet, and visionary whose book The Unsettling of America: Culture & Agriculture, written in the late 1970’s, is now an American classic. Berry addresses many issues that he perceives as cultural dysfunction in modern times, from human and soil health problems to the destruction of local economies, and ties them back to the industrial revolution of farming and the creation of agribusiness. He comments on almost all aspects of modern life, and predicted much of what came to pass in the last 30 years since the original publication of this book. It is impossible to read this book and to not think about how life might be different if we all lived closer to our local farmer, to our food, and to our earth.

Many of his viewpoints are controversial, and will make an excellent discussion at our next Nature’s Narratives Book Discussion group. Please join us tomorrow, Wednesday, January 11 at 5:30 pm, in the Scott Horticultural Library for what is sure to be an interesting discussion on agribusiness and its relationship to the problems that plague modern life.

by Sue Hubbell

For those of us that have made the time and space in our lives for regular observations of nature, this book asks the same questions that we do and is is organized into a series of seasonal reflections on nature from a single woman who is a beekeeper in the Ozarks. Hubbell shares with the reader her trials and tribulations of such a life, from finding out what is wrong with a sick beehive to getting along with her community members who have a decidedly different background from hers.

Prior to becoming a beekeeper in the Ozarks, Hubbell was married and was a librarian at Brown University. What brought her to the Ozarks to start beekeeping, and what keeps her there alone, is a personal story she shares with readers as though they are her close friends.

This book is an education in natural history revolving around interesting flora and fauna and a window into the incredible world of the Ozarks. Ultimately, what makes this book so enjoyable is the authors’ willingness to share her personal fears, thoughts, anxieties, and questions about nature and the world around her; and the reader’s realization that so many of us are asking the exact same questions.

I encourage you to read this book and join us in a group discussion. We will be discussing this book at Nature’s Narratives Book Discussion Group on December 12, 2011 at 5:30 pm. Please register to join us for the discussion and check out the other must-reads as part of this group!

by Hugh Raffles

I make it a point to read Orion’s book of the year each year. It’s one of my favorite magazines and their book selection is unparalleled. So when Insectopedia was named the winner of the 2011 Orion Book Award, I raced out to the bookstore to sink my teeth into it.

The format was unexpected; it actually is an encyclopedia about insects! But rather that the usual A-Z describing insect lifecycles and  reproductive habits, this encyclopedia dives into the complicated and entertaining relationship that people and insects have had with each other over time. Stories range from malaria victims in the Amazon to an artist who is fascinated with deformed and mutated bugs.

The titles of each of the topics are arranged alphabetically, and so, in theory, one could feel free to skip boring sections, and go back and forth as they choose among the topics. However, I appreciated reading the book in the order in which it was presented, and rarely found myself bored at all. For a 386 page book about bugs, that’s really saying something.

I encourage you to read this book and join us in a group discussion. We will be discussing this book at Nature’s Narratives Book Discussion Group on November 9, 2011 at 5:30 pm. Please register to join us for the discussion and check out the other must-reads as part of this group!

There is a common theme in nature and environmental writing concerning the lack of connection that humans feel towards other living creatures and nature. This disconnect, many environmentalists argue, is the reason for ever increasing environmental destruction. But does this disconnection actually exist? Where did it come from? And is it a relatively new phenomenon?

David Abram argues that is much more than air conditioning, office cubicles, and too much traffic that has contributed to the lack of awareness of the rest of the living world that is so prevalent in modern people’s lives in the Western world.  Through a complex web of philosophical arguments, stories of personal spiritual encounters, and the history of human language, Abram traces the advent of the phonetic alphabet as a major factor in the process of human alienation with the rest of the natural world.

This book broke my mind open and has brought me new insight into what it means to be alive and to be human. It has spurred so many conversations in my life, on topics ranging from what wildness is, to how we use spoken and unspoken language to influence the world around us.

I encourage you to read this book and join us in a group discussion. This book will be discussed at Nature’s Narratives Book Discussion Group on October 10 from 5:30 to 6:30 pm. Please register to join us for the discussion and check out the other must-reads as part of this group!

By Ray Rogers and Rob Cardillo

This new book is a fantastic reference for anyone interested in growing unusual annuals and tropicals in containers.  The book is beautifully illustrated with container designs from Chanticleer, the Scott Arboretum, etc.  Over 500 choices of plants are highlighted.

The A-Z reference covers everything from Abutilon to Zinnia.  For each entry there is a description of the plant’s attribute, several species or cultivar listing, beautiful color picture, and cultivating and overwintering information.

We are excited to have Ray Rogers and Rob Cardillo on hand for book sales and signing, and to serve as plant experts at the Unusual Tropicals and Annuals Sale on Saturday, May 21. Many of the plants featured in our sale are featured in their book including Abutilon, Acalypha, Aechmea, Alocasia, Begonia, Brugmansia, Cissus, Dahlia, Hedychium, Kalanchoe, Melianthus, Musa, Salvia, Solanum, Solenostemon (syn. Coleus), Strobilanthes, and Xanthosoma.

Ray Rogers is well known to many in the Delaware Valley for his exquisite plants at the Philadelphia Flower Show.  Over the last couple decades, Ray has won 397 blue ribbons and 88 top awards.  In addition to his most recent reference, Ray has also authored Coleus and Pots in the Garden.

Rob Cardillo is a professional horticultural photographer who was formerly the Director of Photography at Organic Gardening magazine.  Rob is widely published in both gardening books, as well as, in many periodicals including Green Scene, House and Garden, and Horticulture.

Come on May 21^st and to meet and talk to Ray Rogers and Rob Cardillo while doing one-stop-shopping from an incredible range of tropicals and unusual annuals. Pick up a copy of their book to inspire and inform your containers combinations.

by Amy Stewart

What gardener hasn’t spent time thinking about earthworms and their impact on the soil? Earthworms can be gross, and they actually sometimes are gross in Stewart’s book that describes the natural history and role of earthworms in our soils.

Earthworms are shown as heroes to farm crops and polluted soils as well as sources of destruction for forests. Stewart’s book is scientifically based and a wonderful source of information about earthworms and their ecological impact and role. But what makes this book appealing and worth reading, is the author’s personal connection and the relationships she makes with her garden, its soils and inhabitants. The stories and accounts of earthworms around the world are fascinating, Stewart engages the reader in meaningful ways while encouraging us all to look at the big picture of ecosystems with all of its many interconnected pieces.

This book will be discussed at Nature’s Narratives Book Discussion Group on March 14 from 5 to 6 pm. Please register to join us for the discussion and check out the other must-reads as part of this group!

by Thomas Berry

As a reader of environmental literature, the recurring theme of our planet’s irreversible destruction and humanity’s downward spiral into a bottomless pit of greed can sometimes be a little disheartening. Books about remaining hopeful for no particular reason in the face of this reality haven’t necessarily made the situation less bleak for me, either. Instead, I longed for a book that affirmed our culture’s problems, but envisioned a different future, one where people make different choices about the priorities in their lives. Thomas Berry’s The Great Work is one such book.

Berry is a religious scholar, and his faith in humanity and in our inherent relationship with earth are the basis for his vision and this book. The reader is left feeling as though we are standing at a crucial moment in history where we must reconnect on a deep level with the earth in order to heal our wounds and those we have inflicted on the planet.

Berry is a wise visionary and The Great Work is inspiring and eye-opening to anyone who desires a healthier, more connected future.

This book will be discussed at Nature’s Narratives Book Discussion Group on February 14 from 5 to 6 pm. Please register to join us for the discussion and check out the other must-reads as part of this group!

By Terry Tempest Williams

Williams deals with loss on many levels in her moving account of her mother’s cancer and the rising of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Each chapter (except for one) is named after one of Williams’ favorite bird species as well as a notation explaining the level of the lake. These set the scene for each chapter as Williams uses what is happening in the natural world a metaphor for what is going on in her life.

This book is beautifully written and incorporates natural history stories with personal, human stories. The takeaway point, that our lives are not as separate from the natural world as we might believe, is refreshing and eye-opening.

Terry Tempest Williams writes about losing her cherished bird sanctuary as well as her cherished mother. As a Mormon naturalist, her spiritual and religious connections as well as her knowledge as a naturalist, give the reader a unique insight into the natural world. She is a strong woman who has experienced loss in many ways and continues to see the beauty that life and the human spirit have to offer.

This book will be discussed at Nature’s Narratives Book Discussion Group on January 10 from 5 to 6 pm. Please register to join us for the discussion and check out the other must-reads as part of this group!

by Janine M. Benyus

The modern world offers us many problems: feeding a large population, energy shortages, and health care inadequacies to name a few. While professionals in each of these disciplines work towards finding the solutions to many of these seemingly impossible-to-solve problems, Janine Benyus challenges us all to take a look from a new perspective: nature’s. Benyus argues that many of the problems that we find ourselves with are because we managed to totally disconnect ourselves from the natural order of the rest of the planet, and that the solutions are right in front of our faces in the natural world.

Biomimics are everywhere, according to Benyus, working within a variety of fields to examine natural processes and nature’s designs and use these as the basis for our own. As Benyus puts it, nature has been working for millions of years and has managed to solve some of the problems that we struggle with everyday.

Tackling concepts such as agriculture, harnessing the sun’s energy, and using plants as medicinal healers, Benyus gives the reader lots to ponder. She offers dozens of ideas and projects that are underway by biomimics worldwide as proof that some of our problems are solvable, if only we look to nature for the solutions. One is left to wonder why the biomimcs movement is not larger than it actually is, not only because it is exciting and creative, but mostly because it seems to make so much sense.

This book will be discussed at Nature’s Narratives Book Discussion Group on December 13 from 5 to 6 pm. Please register to join us for the discussion and check out the other must-reads as part of this group!

by Edward Abbey

Walt Whitman’s quotation in the beginning of the book puts the theme of this novel into perspective: “Resist much. Obey little.”

What started the environmental movement? Rachel Carson’s response to the wanton use of DDT in her famous book Silent Spring. So, what started the environmental activist movement? Edward Abbey’s novel about a group of misfits who rail against the development and destruction of the American West called The Monkey Wrench Gang.

This is Abbey’s most famous novel and in addition to inspiring environmental activists everywhere, Abbey also entertains the reader through the comedic adventures of his characters. They attempt to blow up dams, take down bridges and destroy industrial equipment. They are not politically correct, and do not behave like “modern” environmentalists (for instance, they throw their beer cans on the side of the desert road!) but they are violent, unafraid, and true individuals. This is a classic American novel, and should be required reading for anyone who loves the American desert or has dreamed of resisting authority.

This book will be discussed at Nature’s Narratives Book Discussion Group on November 8 from 5 to 6 pm. Please register to join us for the discussion and check out the other must-reads as part of this group!