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Book list curated by

Joan M. Griffin

EARTH MONTH

APRIL 2026

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I'm super excited to unveil the 30 books selected for the 2026 Earth Month book list.   

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The new calendar of books is beautiful to look and includes a wide variety of titles. 

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All the books have a strong Earth-centered or nature-centered theme, and were selected from across many genres, including:

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  • Nonfiction and Memoir

  • Historical Fiction

  • Mystery and Thriller

  • Speculative Fiction

  • Eco-Fiction

  • Realistic Fiction

  • Fantasy Fiction​

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WHICH BOOKS HAVE YOU READ?

WHICH WILL YOU ADD TO YOUR "TO BE READ" PILE?​

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Join Joan at one of the five community events

"Read Your Way Through Earth Month"

March 19, 25, April 6, 27, May 3

Click here to see details of events

Earth Month 2026:

This eclectic collection of environment-related books contains something for every reader.

  1. The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer - Narrative Nonfiction

  2. The Arrogant Ape: The Myth of Human Exceptionalism and Why It Matters by Christine Webb - Narrative Nonfiction

  3. Awake in the Floating City by Susanna KwanEco-Fiction/ Rising Seas

  4. Before Dorothy by Hazel Gaynor - Historical Fiction, Dust Bowl

  5. Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon by Melissa L. Sevigny 

  6. California Against the Sea: Visions for Our Vanishing Coastline by Rosanna Xia - Narrative Nonfiction/ Rising Seas

  7. Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet by Ben Goldfarb - Narrative Nonfiction/ Environment

  8. Drawing Water: The Art of Finding My Way by Barbara Olson Lawrence - Memoir/ Healing Power of Nature & Art

  9. Dry Spells by Archana Maniar - Realistic Fiction/ Climate Change

  10. Everest and the Rest of Us: Four Journeys in Search of Adventure by James Nehring - Adventure Memoir/ Walk, Bike, Row

  11. Go As a River by Shelley Read - Historical Fiction/ Iona, Colorado Flood

  12. Grey Wolf by Lousie Penny - Mystery Fiction/ Eco-Terrorism

  13. Havoc: Trouble on the Trail by Cam Torrens - Adventure Suspense/ Colorado Trail

  14. Here Comes the Sun: The Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization by Bill McKibben - Narrative Nonfiction

  15. The History of Bees by Maja Lunde - Historical & Future Eco-Fiction

  16. Is A River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane - Narrative Nonfiction/ River

  17. The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton - Eco-Fiction/ Florida Rising Seas

  18. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley - Eco-Fiction/ Climate Change

  19. On Hiking: Life Lessons from the Trail by Arnold Marsden - Adventure Memoir

  20. One, Two, Three by Laurie Frankl - Realistic Fiction/ Environment

  21. Force of Nature: Three Woman Tackle the John Muir Trail by Joan M. Griffin - Adventure Memoir/ Hiking

  22. Orbital: A Novel by Samantha Harvey - Realistic Fiction/ Space Station

  23. Storm Warning: A Novel of Suspense by Alice Henderson - Mystery Adventure/ Eco-Fiction

  24. Unspoken: A Dust Novel by Jann Alexander - Historical Fiction/ Dust Bowl

  25. The View from Half Dome: A Novel by Jill Caugherty - Historical Fiction/ Early Yosemite

  26. A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko - Adventure Memoir

  27. Watership Down by Richard Adams - Classic Fantasy Fiction/ Rabbits

  28. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy - Eco-Fiction/ Climate Change

  29. Wild Robot by Peter Brown - Children’s Fantasy Fiction

  30. Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derrick Thompson - Narrative Nonfiction/ Environment

Earth Month 2025:

1. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson - Nature Writing - the book that launched the Environmental Movement

2. Barkskins by Annie Proulx - Historical Fiction - multi-generational epic set in Eastern Canada's forests

3. Becoming Earth by Ferris Jabr - Nonfiction Science - how living things turned Earth into our Earth

4. A Black Fox Running by Brian Carter - Historical Fiction - a lost classic of nature writing

5. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer - Memoir - combining Native American wisdom with science

6. Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson - Historical Fiction - set in the lumber towns of the Pacific Coast

7. Eager by Ben Goldfarb - Narrative Nonfiction Science - secret life of beavers and why they're so important

8. The Edge of Life by Lena Gibson - Eco-Fiction & Romance - finding love during a climate change emergency

9. Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard - Memoir Science -amazing science of trees, forests, and fungi

10. Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver - Historical Fiction - family, love, monarch butterflies in Appalachia

11. Gloryland by Shelton Johnson - Historical Fiction - becoming a Buffalo Soldier in Yosemite

12. Grandma Gatewood's Walk by Ben Montgomery - Biography - one woman's walk on the Appalachian Trail

13. Heartwood by Amity Gaige - Adventure Suspense - search for a lost hiker, who may not want to be found

14. In My Boots by Amanda Jaros - Adventure Memoir - one woman's inspiring hike on the Appalachian Trail

15. The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson - Eco-Fiction - set in the near future of climate change

16. Muir Trail Magic by Arnold Marsden - Adventure Fiction - one man's magical trek on the John Muir Trail

17. The Overstory by Richard Powers - Historical Fiction - Pulitzer Prize winner, all about trees and their people

18. Scorched by Cam Torrens - Adventure Suspense - wildfire, mystery, and adventure in the Rockies

19. The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson - Historical Fiction - four women, four voices, ancestors, and seeds

20. The Story of More by Hope Jahren - Nonfiction Science - Climate Change, how we got here, what's next?

21. A Solitude of Wolverines by Alice Henderson - Adventure Suspense - murder mystery in the wilderness

22. Force of Nature by Joan Griffin - Adventure Memoir - three women tackle the John Muir Trail

23. Tales From a Rogue Ranger by Rosanne McHenry - Short Story Memoir - a woman park ranger's adventures

24. Tangles by Kay Smith-Blum - Historical Fiction - scientists and secrets in the early Atomic Age

25. Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson - Eco-Fiction - set in the near future of climate change

26. The Trail by Ethan Gallogly - Literary Fiction - two men's transformative journey on the John Muir Trail

27. The Truth of Who You Are by Sheila Myers - Historical Fiction - growing up with FDR's WPA in Yosemite

28. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson - Adventure Memoir - the classic hiking story everyone loves

29. Wanderlust by Rebecca Solnit - History - the history of walking and hiking

30. Beauty by John O'Donohue - Nature Writing - philosophy of beauty and final word on the power of nature

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I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. I donate to Sierra College Food Pantry and/or the Interfaith Food Bank of Auburn.

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