
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
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Historical Fiction
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Mystery and Thriller
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Speculative Fiction
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Eco-Fiction
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Realistic Fiction
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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.
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The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer - Narrative Nonfiction
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The Arrogant Ape: The Myth of Human Exceptionalism and Why It Matters by Christine Webb - Narrative Nonfiction
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Awake in the Floating City by Susanna Kwan - Eco-Fiction/ Rising Seas
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Before Dorothy by Hazel Gaynor - Historical Fiction, Dust Bowl
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Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon by Melissa L. Sevigny
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California Against the Sea: Visions for Our Vanishing Coastline by Rosanna Xia - Narrative Nonfiction/ Rising Seas
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Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet by Ben Goldfarb - Narrative Nonfiction/ Environment
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Drawing Water: The Art of Finding My Way by Barbara Olson Lawrence - Memoir/ Healing Power of Nature & Art
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Dry Spells by Archana Maniar - Realistic Fiction/ Climate Change
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Everest and the Rest of Us: Four Journeys in Search of Adventure by James Nehring - Adventure Memoir/ Walk, Bike, Row
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Go As a River by Shelley Read - Historical Fiction/ Iona, Colorado Flood
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Grey Wolf by Lousie Penny - Mystery Fiction/ Eco-Terrorism
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Havoc: Trouble on the Trail by Cam Torrens - Adventure Suspense/ Colorado Trail
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Here Comes the Sun: The Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization by Bill McKibben - Narrative Nonfiction
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The History of Bees by Maja Lunde - Historical & Future Eco-Fiction
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Is A River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane - Narrative Nonfiction/ River
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The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton - Eco-Fiction/ Florida Rising Seas
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The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley - Eco-Fiction/ Climate Change
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On Hiking: Life Lessons from the Trail by Arnold Marsden - Adventure Memoir
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One, Two, Three by Laurie Frankl - Realistic Fiction/ Environment
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Force of Nature: Three Woman Tackle the John Muir Trail by Joan M. Griffin - Adventure Memoir/ Hiking
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Orbital: A Novel by Samantha Harvey - Realistic Fiction/ Space Station
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Storm Warning: A Novel of Suspense by Alice Henderson - Mystery Adventure/ Eco-Fiction
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Unspoken: A Dust Novel by Jann Alexander - Historical Fiction/ Dust Bowl
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The View from Half Dome: A Novel by Jill Caugherty - Historical Fiction/ Early Yosemite
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A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko - Adventure Memoir
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Watership Down by Richard Adams - Classic Fantasy Fiction/ Rabbits
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Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy - Eco-Fiction/ Climate Change
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Wild Robot by Peter Brown - Children’s Fantasy Fiction
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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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