2021 PEFF Reading List - Books for Adults | Princeton Public Library

A Novel

by Wilson, Diane

Book - 2021

“Weaving together the voices of four indelible women, The Seed Keeper is a beautifully told story of reawakening, of remembering our original relationship...Show more “Weaving together the voices of four indelible women, The Seed Keeper is a beautifully told story of reawakening, of remembering our original relationship to the seeds and, through them, to our ancestors.” (Novel Seed Stories Cherokee) A Literary Hub “Most Anticipated Book of 2021” A Bustle “Most Anticipated Debut Novel of 2021” A Thrillist “Best New Book of 2021” An Observer “Can't-Miss Book of Spring 2021” A Ms. Magazine “Most Anticipated Read of 2021” An Alma “Best New Book of Spring 2021” A Books Are Magic “Most Anticipated Book of 2021” Named a “Most Anticipated Book of 2021” by The Millions A Minneapolis Star Tribune “Book to Look Forward to in 2021” Show less

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Underland

A Deep Time Journey

by Macfarlane, Robert

Book - 2019

In Underland, Robert Macfarlane delivers an epic exploration of the Earth’s underworlds as they exist in myth, literature, memory, and the land itself. Tr...Show more In Underland, Robert Macfarlane delivers an epic exploration of the Earth’s underworlds as they exist in myth, literature, memory, and the land itself. Traveling through the dizzying expanse of geologic time—from prehistoric art in Norwegian sea caves, to the blue depths of the Greenland ice cap, to a deep-sunk "hiding place" where nuclear waste will be stored for 100,000 years to come—Underland takes us on an extraordinary journey into our relationship with darkness, burial, and what lies beneath the surface of both place and mind. Global in its geography and written with great lyricism, Underland speaks powerfully to our present moment. At once ancient and urgent, this is a book that will change the way you see the world. National Bestseller • New York Times "100 Notable Books of the Year" • NPR "Favorite Books of 2019" • Guardian "100 Best Books of the 21st Century" • Winner of the National Outdoor Book Award Show less

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Under A White Sky

by Kolbert, Elizabeth

Book - 2021

One way to look at human civilization, says Kolbert, is as a ten-thousand-year exercise in defying nature. In The Sixth Extinction, she explored the ways ...Show more One way to look at human civilization, says Kolbert, is as a ten-thousand-year exercise in defying nature. In The Sixth Extinction, she explored the ways in which our capacity for destruction has reshaped the natural world. Now she examines how the very sorts of interventions that have imperiled our planet are increasingly seen as the only hope for its salvation. By turns inspiring, terrifying, and darkly comic, Under a White Sky is an utterly original examination of the challenges we face. Show less

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The Hidden Life of Ice

Dispatches From A Disappearing World

by Tedesco, M.

Book - 2020

Marco Tedesco is a world-leading expert on Arctic ice decline and climate change. In The Hidden Life of Ice, he invites us to Greenland, where he and his...Show more Marco Tedesco is a world-leading expert on Arctic ice decline and climate change. In The Hidden Life of Ice, he invites us to Greenland, where he and his fellow scientists are doggedly researching the dramatic changes afoot. \Following the arc of his typical day in the field, he unearths the surprising secrets just beneath the icy surface—from evidence of long-extinct “polar camels” to the fantastically weird microorganisms that live in freezing cryoconite holes—as well as critical clues about the future of our planet. This is an urgent tribute to an awe-inspiring place that may be gone all too soon. Show less

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Whose Water Is It, Anyway?

Taking Water Protection Into Public Hands

by Barlow, Maude

Book - 2019

In Whose Water Is It, Anyway?, renowned water justice activist Maude Barlow recounts her own education in water issues as she and her fellow grassroots wa...Show more In Whose Water Is It, Anyway?, renowned water justice activist Maude Barlow recounts her own education in water issues as she and her fellow grassroots water warriors woke up to the immense pressures facing water in a warming world. Concluding with a step-by-step guide to making your own community blue, Maude Barlow’s latest book is a heartening example of how ordinary people can effect enormous change. Show less

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Fathoms

The World in the Whale

by Giggs, Rebecca

Book - 2020

With the immediacy of Rachel Carson and the lush prose of Annie Dillard, Giggs gives us a “masterly” (The New Yorker) exploration of the natural world eve...Show more With the immediacy of Rachel Carson and the lush prose of Annie Dillard, Giggs gives us a “masterly” (The New Yorker) exploration of the natural world even as she addresses what it means to write about nature at a time of environmental crisis. With depth and clarity, she outlines the challenges we face as we attempt to understand the perspectives of other living beings, and our own place on an evolving planet. Evocative and inspiring, Fathoms “immediately earns its place in the pantheon of classics of the new golden age of environmental writing” (Literary Hub). Winner of the 2020 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction * Finalist for the 2020 Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction * Finalist for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award Show less

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All We Can Save

Truth, Courage, & Solutions for the Climate Crisis

Book - 2020

Intermixing essays with poetry and art, this book is both a balm and a guide for knowing and holding what has been done to the world, while bolstering our...Show more Intermixing essays with poetry and art, this book is both a balm and a guide for knowing and holding what has been done to the world, while bolstering our resolve never to give up on each other or our collective future. We must summon truth, courage, and solutions, to turn away from the brink and toward life-giving possibility. Curated by two climate leaders, this book is a collection and celebration of visionaries who are leading us on a path toward all we can save. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE • “A feast of ideas and perspectives, setting a big table for the climate movement, declaring all are welcome.”—Rolling Stone Show less

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World of Wonders

In Praise of Whale Sharks, Fireflies, and Other Astonishments

by Nezhukumatathil, Aimee

Book - 2020

“What the peacock can do,” she tells us, “is remind you of a home you will run away from and run back to all your life.” The axolotl teaches us to smile, ...Show more “What the peacock can do,” she tells us, “is remind you of a home you will run away from and run back to all your life.” The axolotl teaches us to smile, even in the face of unkindness; the touch-me-not plant shows us how to shake off unwanted advances; the narwhal demonstrates how to survive in hostile environments. Even in the strange and the unlovely, Nezhukumatathil finds beauty and kinship. For it is this way with wonder: it requires that we are curious enough to look past the distractions in order to fully appreciate the world’s gifts. Warm, lyrical, and gorgeously illustrated by Fumi Nakamura, World of Wonders is a book of sustenance and joy. A New York Times Best Seller ◆ Barnes & Noble 2020 Book of the Year ◆ An NPR Best Book of 2020 ◆ A Kirkus Prize Finalist for Nonfiction ◆ A Southern Book Prize Finalist ◆ An Esquire Best Book of 2020 ◆ A BuzzFeed Best Book of 2020 ◆ A Kirkus Best Nonfiction Book of 2020 ◆ A Literary Hub Favorite Book of 2020 ◆ A BookPage Best Book of 2020 ◆ A New York Public Library Best Book of 2020 ◆ A Literary Hub Best Reviewed Essay Collection of 2020 ◆ A Smithsonian Magazine “Top Ten Book About Travel of 2020” ◆ A Wall Street Journal “Holiday Gift Guide 2020” Selection ◆ A Minneapolis Star Tribune “Holiday Books” Recommendation ◆ An Indie Next Pick, September 2020 ◆ A Publishers Weekly “Big Indie Book of Fall 2020” ◆ A Literary Hub “Most Anticipated Book of 2020” ◆ A Ralph Lauren Magazine Summer Reading Recommendation ◆ A Garden & Gun Summer Reading Recommendation ◆ A Bustle “Best Book of Fall 2020” ◆ Named a “Most Anticipated Book of 2020” by The Millions ◆ An Alma “Favorite Book for Fall 2020” ◆ A Literary Hub “Recommended Climate Read for September 2020” ◆ A Mpls.St.Paul Magazine Reading Recommendation for Fall 2020 Show less

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Paying the Land

by Sacco, Joe

Book - 2020

A graphic ethnography and appreciation of the Dene people of the Mackenzie River Valley. NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2020 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE GUARDIAN, THE BROOKLYN RAIL, THE GLOBE AND MAIL, POP MATTERS, COMICS BEAT, AND PUBLISHERS WEEKLY A graphic ethnography and appreciation of the Dene people of the Mackenzie River Valley. NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2020 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE GUARDIAN, THE BROOKLYN RAIL, THE GLOBE AND MAIL, POP MATTERS, COMICS BEAT, AND PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Show less

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To Know the World

A New Vision for Environmental Learning

by Thomashow, Mitchell

Book - 2020

How can we respond to the current planetary ecological emergency? In To Know the World, Mitchell Thomashow proposes that we reinvigorate how we think abou...Show more How can we respond to the current planetary ecological emergency? In To Know the World, Mitchell Thomashow proposes that we reinvigorate how we think about our residency on Earth. Mixing memoir, theory, mindfulness, pedagogy, and compelling storytelling, Thomashow discusses how to navigate the Anthropocene's rapid pace of change without further separating psyche from biosphere; how to achieve constructive connectivity in both social and ecological networks; and why we should take a cosmopolitan bioregionalism perspective that unites local and global. Throughout, Thomashow invites readers to participate as explorers, encouraging them to better understand how and why environmental learning is crucial to human flourishing Show less

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