Nature Minute Book Club

While it's not as cold as it was this time last year, I'm still hunkered down for winter. Even though temperatures are more seasonable this year, it's still a good time to curl up with a good book. Here are a few I read in the last year.

The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery

Naturalist Montgomery spent time at the New England Aquarium in Boston, where she got to know the aquarists and their charges. Getting up close and personal with the octopus (several over the course of a few years). In that time, we explore animal personalities and intelligence. As the aquarium loses and acquires new octopuses we learn about their life cycles. Overall, the book does a good job of breaking down the stigma against this odd-looking mollusk.

The Gulf by Jack E. Davis

Part history, part geology, part ethnography, and part ecology, this book examines every facet of the Gulf of Mexico. Beginning with the Gulf’s prehistoric origins to its modern day exploitation and ecological disasters, Davis shares his intimate knowledge of what he terms “the American Sea”. Meet some of the colorful characters who shaped Gulf culture as we know it today: from Colusa chieftains to Spanish conquistadors to tarpon fishermen, oil barons, feather hunters, and conservationists.

What a Fish Knows by Jonathan Balcombe

Balcombe dives into what makes a fish different from a mammal or a bird, and what is surprisingly similar. Anecdotal evidence, mixed with lab and field research reveals much about a fish’s sensory and perception, emotion, thought, communication, intelligence, and farts.

Rain: A Natural and Cultural History by Cynthia Barnett

For centuries, mankind has had a love-hate relationship with rain. We curse it for ruining our picnics and parades. We suffer from not enough or too much. Take a journey through time and see how our understanding of rain has changed over the years and how rain (or lack of it) has shaped the course of history and influenced pop culture.

Furry Logic by Matin Durrani and Liz Kalaugher

This book takes place at the intersection of biology and physics, exploring how animals of all shapes and sizes use physics in their daily lives. Learn about how snakes and ground squirrels use thermodynamics; see Komodo dragons and shrimp use force. Marvel as bees defy our understanding of aerodynamics, elephants communicate through seismic waves, and ants find their way home with polarized light. The section on eels will shock you!