Animal (Fiction and Nonfiction)

It's a wild world and we're just living in it. Try this list for reads about wildlife, ecology, and human/animal connections that matter for survival.

Updated June 6, 2024
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What an owl knows : the new science of the world's most enigmatic birds
Ackerman, Jennifer
Paper Book
For millennia, owls have captivated and intrigued us. With their forward gaze and quiet flight, owls are often a symbol of wisdom, knowledge, and foresight. But what does an owl really know? And what do we really know about owls?
Eat, poop, die : how animals make our world
Roman, Joe
Paper Book
Joe Roman reveals how ecosystems are sculpted and sustained by animals eating, pooping, and dying-and how these fundamental functions could help save us from climate catastrophe
Twilight Falls
Black, Juneau
Paper Book
The fourth book in the Shady Hollow mystery series sees Vera embroiled in a case involving star-crossed lovers whose affair may have turned deadly. It's spring in Shady Hollow, and romance is in the air. Even reporter Vera Vixen is caught up in the season as her relationship with...
George : a magpie memoir
Hughes, Frieda
Paper Book
"Poignant and funny...a passionate book about unconditional love and commitment." --The Washington Post * "Captivating." --Associated Press * "Rich with imagery...It's impossible not to be smitten." --Star Tribune (Minneapolis) From poet and painter Frieda Hughes...
On animals
Orlean, Susan
Paper Book
A delightful and entertaining collection of a lifetime of musings, meditations and in-depth profiles about animals, by the bestselling author of The Orchid Thief and The Library Book.
Funny farm : my unexpected life with 600 rescue animals
Zaleski, Laurie
Paper Book
An inspiring and moving memoir of the author's turbulent life with 600 rescue animals. Laurie Zaleski never aspired to run an animal rescue; that was her mother Annie's dream. But from girlhood, Laurie was determined to make the dream come true. Thirty years later as a...
How to be a good creature : a memoir in thirteen animals
Montgomery, Sy
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller! National Book Award finalist Sy Montgomery reflects on the personalities and quirks of 13 animals--her friends--who have profoundly affected her in this stunning, poetic, and life-affirming memoir featuring illustrations by Rebecca Green. ...
Perestroika in Paris
Smiley, Jane
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * From the Pulitzer Prize-winning and best-selling author: a captivating, brilliantly imaginative story of three extraordinary animals--and a young boy--whose lives intersect in Paris in this "feel-good escape" (The New York Times). ...
Venomous lumpsucker
Beauman, Ned
Paper Book
A dark and witty story of environmental collapse and runaway capitalism from the Booker-listed author of The Teleportation Accident. The near future. Tens of thousands of species are going extinct every year. And a whole industry has sprung up around their extinctions, to...
The age of cats : from the Savannah to your sofa
Losos, Jonathan B.
Paper Book
The past, present and future of the world's most popular and beloved pet, from a leading evolutionary biologist and great cat lover. 'Engaging and wide-ranging ... The Age of Cats is a readable and informed exploration of the wildcat that lurks within Fluffy' Washington Post
Dewey's nine lives : the legacy of the small-town library cat who inspired millions
Myron, Vicki.
Paper Book
The cat that captured America's hearts returns, to share more of his special brand of magic. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World was a blockbuster bestseller and a publishing phenomenon. It has sold nearly a million copies, spawned three children's...
Remarkably bright creatures : a novel
Van Pelt, Shelby
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Soon to be a Netflix Film A Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick! NAMED A BEST BOOK OF SUMMER by: Chicago Tribune * The View * Southern Living * USA Today "Remarkably Bright Creatures [is] an ultimately...
The blanket cats
Shigematsu, Kiyoshi
Paper Book
"Utterly charming . . . I would read a hundred of these stories" Shelby Van Pelt, bestselling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures Is three days with a cat enough to change your life? The troubled and anxious of Tokyo are desperate to find out. They...
My beloved monster : Masha, the half-wild rescue cat who rescued me
Carr, Caleb
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "The most brilliant feline portrait in literary history." -People Magazine (Book of the Week) The #1 bestselling author of The Alienist tells the extraordinary story of Masha, a half...

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