Our Favorite Books

Summer may be over, but we're still reading! Our team has put together a list of some of our favorite books, covering a wide range of topics, with lots of natural science, biology and botany - of course! Now, we’re sharing it with you for your own reading pleasure.

A Place of My Own, by Michael Pollan
Recommended by Mark McKnight

“I read this recently while on vacation at a friend's cabin at the lake. Warning: it'll make you want to start building your own place in your back yard.”

A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold
Recommended by Scotty Smith

Botany of Desire, by Michael Pollan
Recommended by Dylan Hackett

Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Recommended by María Gonzales (Wauhatchie School)

Crossing Ebenezer Creek, by Tonya Bolden
Recommended by Heather DeGaetano

Food Rules, by Michael Pollan
Recommended by Heather DeGaetano

Illumination in the Flatwoods: A Season Living Among the Wild Turkey, by Joe Hutto
Recommended by Scotty Smith

“The best book ever written!”

Ishmael, by David Quinn
Recommended by Scotty Smith

Making More Plants, by Ken Druse
Recommended by Scotty Smith

Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Save the World, by Paul Stamets
Recommended by Scotty Smith

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers - Eastern Region, John W. Thieret, William A. Niering, Nancy C. Olmstead
Recommended by Scotty Smith

Native Trees of the Southeast, by L. Katherine Kirkman, Claud L. Brown, Donald L. Leopold
Recommended by Scotty Smith

Once Upon a River, by Diane Setterfield
Recommended by Heather DeGaetano

The Art and Science of Forest-BathingThe Art and Science of Forest-Bathing, by Dr Qing Li
Recommended by Charlie Treichler

The Art of Relevance, by Nina Simon

Recommended by Mark McKnight

“I had the pleasure of hearing Nina Simon speak at a recent Association of Nature Center Administrators conference. Her story of re-orienting a failing history museum in California sounded surprisingly similar to the work we've been doing to make your nature center more relevant to a larger part of the Chattanooga community over the past few years. It's essential reading for any nonprofit board member, donor or employee who wants to ensure their organization will thrive in the future.”

The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America, by Richard Rothstein
Recommended by Heather DeGaetano

Washington Black, by Esi Edugyan
Recommended by Heather DeGaetano

Wheel of Time (series), by Robert Jordan
Recommended by Scotty Smith

Wildflowers and Plant Communities, by Timothy P. Spira
Recommended by Scotty Smith

Wildflowers of Tennessee, The Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians, by Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl
Recommended by Scotty Smith

Reflections of Eden, My Years with the Orangutans of Borneo, by Birute Galdikas

Recommended by Nancy Belin, Volunteer