Go Green Reads

The Backyard Bird Chronicles is a gorgeous, witty account of birding, nature, and the beauty around us that hides in plain sight, written and illustrated by Amy Tan, the best-selling author of The Joy Luck Club. What began as an attempt to find solace turned into something far greater—an opportunity to savor quiet moments during a volatile time, connect to nature in a meaningful way, and imagine the intricate lives of the birds she admired.

Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do

Blue Mind is a fascinating study of the emotional, behavioral, psychological and physical connections that keep humans so enchanted with water

The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World

As Indigenous scientist and author Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How, she asks, can we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? We have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love.

Life as We Know It (Can Be)

Award-winning journalist and CNN chief climate correspondent Bill Weir draws on his years of immersive travel and reporting to share the best ideas and stories of hope and positivity from the people and communities around the world who are thriving in the wake of climate change, and what we can learn from them to build a more promising future.

Song for the Blue Ocean:

Encounters Along the World's Coasts and Beneath the Seas

Join us on a bridge over troubled waters. ;) In his first book, marine scientist and author Carl Safina confirms something has gone badly wrong in our oceans. 

Kingbird Highway: The Biggest Year in the Life or an Extreme Birder

Kingbird Highway is a unique coming-of-age story, combining a lyrical celebration of nature with wild, and sometimes dangerous, adventures, and starring a colorful cast of characters, literally and figuratively.

Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America

A masterful work of narrative science writing that highlights how this unusual and unlikely protagonist has played - and will continue to play - an oversized role in American history.
 

The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket

Peek behind the curtain in the highly secretive US grocery industry. What does it take to run an American supermarket? How does our food get on the shelves? Who sets the prices? And who suffers the consequences of our ever-increasing demands for efficiency?
 

Purified: How Recycled Sewage is Transforming Our Water

Veteran journalist Peter Annin shows how wastewater has become a surprising weapon in our country's war against water scarcity.
 

Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don't Know You Have is a fascinating and unexpectedly entertaining look at the way our everyday lives impact environmental pollution and climate change.
 

Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale

Secondhand delves into the vast, multibillion-dollar, worldwide industry that resells used stuff. Author Adam Minter follows the trail of objects from the closets, garages, and storage units of Middle America to epic used-goods markets around the world. The book takes the reader through the often painful and heartbreaking process of cleaning out a lifetime’s worth of possessions—and shows that used stuff still has an important place in a world that values the new and shiny. Used items entertain us, make fortunes, fulfill needs, and transform the way we live and work.

In-Person Author Visit

Join us for a special in-person discussion with Jon Grand and local author Laurie Lawlor, at The Book Stall. Laurie’s book, Restoring Prairie, Woods, and Pond: How a Small Trail Can Make a Big Difference, is  about something near and dear to our hearts – activism at the community  level. It tells the story of how a small village in southeastern  Wisconsin has transformed an eight-acre, municipally-owned dumping  ground and wasteland into a nature trail with three distinct ecosystems.

A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds

      Pulitzer Prize finalist and master storyteller Scott Weidensaul explores the science and wonder of global bird migration in A World on the Wing,  bringing to life the extraordinary navigational and physiological feats  that enable birds to cross oceans, fly over mountains, and remain in  unbroken flight for months at a time.

The Tragedy of the Commons

The Tragedy of the Commons explains individuals' tendencies to make  decisions based on their  personal needs and self-interest, regardless of the negative impact  they may have on others.

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Paddling to Winter:

A Couple's Wilderness Journey from Lake Superior to the Canadian North

Fen, Bog & Swamp: A Short History of Peatland Destruction and Its Role in the Climate Crisis

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things

Now Is the Time For Trees: Make an Impact by Planting the World's Most Valuable Resource

Bright Green Future: How Everyday Heroes Are Re-Imagining How We Feed, Power, and Build Our World

Irreplaceable: The Fight to Save our Wild Places, by Julian Hoffman

The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times, by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams with Gail Hudson

The Myth and Mystery of Ground Water

by Jon Grand

Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World

by Katharine Hayhoe

The Fate of Food: What We'll Eat in a Bigger, Hotter, Smarter World

by Amanda Little

Join us for a special Go Green Reads session when Amanda Little will lead a discussion of her book, The Fate of Food, a fascinating story of the sustainable food revolution and winner of the 2019 Nautilus Book Award.

Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard

by Douglas W. Tallamy

Forever Open, Clear, and Free: The Struggle for Chicago’s Lakefront 

by Lois Wille

Sacred Cow

by Diana Rodgers, RD and Robb Wolf