Secret Lives of Animals

Updated June 7, 2026
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Raising hare : a memoir
Dalton, Chloe
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK * NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * FINALIST FOR THE 2025 WOMEN'S PRIZE * A fascinating meditation on freedom, trust, loss, and our relationship with the natural world, explored through the story of one woman's unlikely friendship with a wild hare.
We should all be birds : (a memoir)
Buckbee, Brian
Paper Book
Longlisted for the 2026 Reading the West Awards A charming and moving debut memoir about how a man with a mystery illness saves a pigeon, and how the pigeon saves the man. "I loved every page of this book: funny, sad, romantic, and full of pigeons."--Sy Montgomery
The backyard bird chronicles
Tan, Amy
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the author of The Joy Luck Club comes a gorgeous and witty exploration of birding and nature. This inspiring work cultivates hope and connection, revealing the rhythms of our world and uncovering its beauty hidden in plain sight. * With a foreword...
The soul of an octopus : a surprising exploration into the wonder of consciousness
Montgomery, Sy
Paper Book
Finalist for the National Book Award for Nonfiction * New York Times Bestseller * A Huffington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of the Year * One of the Best Books of the Month on Goodreads * Library Journal Best Sci-Tech Book of the Year * An American Library Association Notable...
Fuzz : when nature breaks the law
Roach, Mary
Paper Book
What's to be done about a jaywalking moose? A bear caught breaking and entering? A murderous tree? Three hundred years ago, animals that broke the law would be assigned legal representation and put on trial. These days, as New York Times best-selling author Mary Roach discovers, the answers are...
An immense world : how animal senses reveal the hidden realms around us
Yong, Ed
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A "thrilling" (The New York Times), "dazzling" (The Wall Street Journal) tour of the radically different ways that animals perceive the world that will fill you with wonder and forever alter your perspective, by Pulitzer Prize-winning science...
The sound of a wild snail eating
Bailey, Elisabeth Tova.
Paper Book
In a work that beautifully demonstrates the rewards of closely observing nature, Elisabeth Tova Bailey shares an inspiring and intimate story of her encounter with a Neohelix albolabris--a common woodland snail. While an illness keeps her bedridden, Bailey watches a wild snail...
The tiger : a true story of vengeance and survival
Vaillant, John.
Paper Book
It’s December 1997, and a man-eating tiger is on the prowl outside a remote village in Russia’s Far East. The tiger isn’t just killing people, it’s annihilating them, and a team of men and their dogs must hunt it on foot through the forest in the brutal cold. As the trackers...
The elephant whisperer : my life with the herd in the African wild
Anthony, Lawrence.
Paper Book
When South African conservationist Lawrence Anthony was asked to accept a herd of "rogue" wild elephants on his Thula Thula game reserve in Zululand, his common sense told him to refuse. But he was the herd's last chance of survival: they would be killed if he wouldn't take them. In...
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 animal memoir featuring illustrations by Rebecca Green.<...
Other minds : the octopus, the sea, and the deep origins of consciousness
Godfrey-Smith, Peter.
Paper Book
Philosopher Peter Godfrey-Smith dons a wet suit and journeys into the depths of consciousness inOther Minds Although mammals and birds are widely regarded as the smartest creatures on earth, it has lately become clear that a very distant branch of the tree of life has...
Eager : the surprising, secret life of beavers and why they matter
Goldfarb, Ben (Environmental journalist)
Paper Book
WINNER of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award Washington Post "50 Notable Works of Nonfiction" Science News "Favorite Science Books of 2018" Booklist "Top Ten Science/Technology Book of 2018" "A marvelously humor-laced page-turner about the...
What an owl knows : the new science of the world's most enigmatic birds
Ackerman, Jennifer
Paper Book
An instant New York Times bestseller! A New York Times Notable Book of 2023 Named a Best Book of 2023 by Publishers Weekly From the author of The Genius of Birds and The Bird Way, a brilliant scientific investigation into...
Fox and I : an uncommon friendship
Raven, Catherine
Paper Book
Winner of the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award * 2022 Nautilus Book Awards Gold Winner * Shortlisted for the John Burroughs Medal * Finalist for the Stubbendieck Great Plains Distinguished Book Prize * Shortlisted for a Reading the West Book Award Instant New York Times<...
Running with Sherman : the donkey with the heart of a hero
McDougall, Christopher
Paper Book
"A delight, full of heart and hijinks and humor . . . McDougall is a gifted storyteller who gets to the heart of the human-animal connection." --John Grogan, author of Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog From the best-selling author of Born to Run...
Beaverland : how one weird rodent made America
Philip, Leila
Paper Book
An intimate and revelatory dive into the world of the beaver--the wonderfully weird rodent that has surprisingly shaped American history and may save its ecological future.  From award-winning writer Leila Philip, Beaverland is a masterful work of narrative science writing,...
The inner life of animals : love, grief, and compassion : surprising observations of a hidden world
Wohlleben, Peter
Paper Book
"Like The Hidden Life of Trees, Peter Wohlleben's The Inner Life of Animals will rock your world. Surprising, humbling, and filled with delight, this book shows us that animals think, feel and know in much the same way as we do--and that their lives are, to them, as precious...
American wolf : a true story of survival and obsession in the West
Blakeslee, Nate
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The enthralling true story of the rise and reign of O-Six, the celebrated Yellowstone wolf, and the people who loved or feared her.   Before men ruled the earth, there were wolves. Once abundant in North America, these majestic...
What the chicken knows : a new appreciation of the world's most familiar bird
Montgomery, Sy
Paper Book
A charming and eye-opening exploration of the special relationship between humans and chickens from Sy Montgomery, "one of our finest chroniclers of the natural world" (The New York Times). For more than two decades, Sy Montgomery--whose The Soul of an...
Animals make us human : creating the best life for animals
Grandin, Temple.
Paper Book
The best-selling animal advocate Temple Grandin offers the most exciting exploration of how animals feel since The Hidden Life of Dogs. In her groundbreaking and best-selling book Animals in Translation, Temple Grandin drew on her own experience with autism as well as her...
Wesley the owl : the remarkable love story of an owl and his girl
O'Brien, Stacey.
Paper Book
Written with the same heartwarming sentiment that made the memoir Marley & Me a runaway bestseller, biologist and owl expert O'Brien chronicles her rescue of an adorable, abandoned baby barn owl--and their astonishing and unprecedented 19-year life together.
What it's like to be a bird : from flying to nesting, eating to singing -- what birds are doing, and why
Sibley, David
Paper Book
The bird book for birders and nonbirders alike that will excite and inspire by providing a new and deeper understanding of what common, mostly backyard, birds are doing-and why- "Can birds smell?"; "Is this the same cardinal that was at my feeder last year?"; "Do robins 'hear' worms?"
Of time and turtles : mending the world, shell by shattered shell
Montgomery, Sy
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * NATIONAL BESTSELLER * AMAZON EDITOR'S PICK and BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR * INDIE BESTSELLER * A SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE'S BEST SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR * THE WASHINGTON POST'S BEST NONFICTION OF THE YEAR PICK * A NEW SCIENTIST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR *THE PERFECT...
Otherlands : a journey through Earth's extinct worlds
Halliday, Thomas (Paleobiologist)
Paper Book
"Immersive . . . bracingly ambitious . . . rewinds the story of life on Earth--from the mammoth steppe of the last Ice Age to the dawn of multicellular creatures over 500 million years ago."--The Economist LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE * "One of those rare...
A most remarkable creature : the hidden life and epic journey of the world's smartest birds of prey
Meiburg, Jonathan
Paper Book
"Utterly captivating and beautifully written, this book is a hugely entertaining and enlightening exploration of a bird so wickedly smart, curious, and social, it boggles the mind."--Jennifer Ackerman, author of The Bird Way "A fascinating, entertaining, and totally...
1438886-1001
XX(1438886.1)
Paper Book
"[A] wonderful book." --Nature "A mind-opening adventure." --Natural History An awe-inspiring tour of bat world by the world's leading expert With nearly 1500 species, bats account for more than twenty percent of...
Cat sense : how the new feline science can make you a better friend to your pet
Bradshaw, John
Paper Book
Cats have been popular household pets for thousands of years, and their numbers only continue to rise. Today there are three cats for every dog on the planet, and yet cats remain more mysterious, even to their most adoring owners. Unlike dogs, cats evolved as solitary hunters, and, while many...
Voices in the ocean : a journey into the wild and haunting world of dolphins
Casey, Susan
Paper Book
From Susan Casey, the New York Times bestselling author of The Wave and The Devil's Teeth, a breathtaking journey through the extraordinary world of dolphins  Since the dawn of recorded history, humans have felt a kinship with the sleek and beautiful...
The bird way : a new look at how birds talk, work, play, parent, and think
Ackerman, Jennifer
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Genius of Birds, a radical investigation into the bird way of being, and the recent scientific research that is dramatically shifting our understanding of birds -- how they live and how they think. "There is the...
Spying on whales : the past, present, and future of earth's most awesome creatures
Pyenson, Nick
Paper Book
"A palaeontological howdunnit...[Spying on Whales] captures the excitement of...seeking answers to deep questions in cetacean science." --Nature   Called "the best of science writing" (Edward O. Wilson) and named a best book by Popular Science, a dive into...
The truth about animals : stoned sloths, lovelorn hippos, and other tales from the wild side of wildlife
Cooke, Lucy
Paper Book
Mary Roach meets Bill Bryson in this "surefire summer winner" (Janet Maslin, New York Times), an uproarious tour of the basest instincts and biggest mysteries of the animal world Humans have gone to the Moon and discovered the Higgs boson, but when it comes to...
Alfie & me : what owls know, what humans believe
Safina, Carl
Paper Book
When ecologist Carl Safina and his wife, Patricia, took in a near-death baby owl, they expected that, like other wild orphans they'd rescued, she'd be a temporary presence. But Alfie's feathers were not growing correctly, requiring prolonged care. As Alfie grew and gained strength, she became a...
Are we smart enough to know how smart animals are?
Waal, F. B. M. de
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestseller From world-renowned biologist and primatologist Frans de Waal, a groundbreaking work on animal intelligence destined to become a classic. What separates your mind from an animal's? Maybe you think it's your ability to design tools, your...
Sentient : how animals illuminate the wonder of our human senses
Higgins, Jackie
Paper Book
Perfect for fans of The Soul of an Octopus and The Genius of Birds, this "masterpiece of science and nature writing" (The Washington Post) explores how we process the world around us through the lens of the incredible sensory capabilities of thirteen...
Animal wise : the thoughts and emotions of our fellow creatures
Morell, Virginia.
Paper Book
Noted science writer Virginia Morell explores the frontiers of research on animal cognition and emotion, offering a surprising and moving exploration into the hearts and minds of wild and domesticated animals.      Have you ever wondered what it is like to be a fish? Or a parrot,...
Slither : how nature's most maligned creatures illuminate our world
Hall, Stephen S.
Paper Book
In this "wise and wondrous" (David Quammen) exploration, a science writer reintroduces readers to The Snake, encouraging our initial reaction to the slithery creature to be one of awe rather than disgust. For millennia, depictions of snakes as...
Zoobiquity : what animals can teach us about health and the science of healing
Natterson-Horowitz, Barbara.
Paper Book
In the spring of 2005, cardiologist Barbara Natterson-Horowitz was called to consult on an unusual patient: an Emperor tamarin at the Los Angeles Zoo. While examining the tiny monkey's sick heart, she learned that wild animals can die of a form of cardiac arrest brought on by extreme emotional...
Endless forms : the secret world of wasps
Sumner, Seirian
Paper Book
"A book that draws us in to the strange beauty of what we so often run away from." -- Robin Ince, author of The Importance of Being Interested In this eye-opening and entertaining work of popular science in the spirit of The Mosquito, Entangled Life, and...
Hurricane lizards and plastic squid : the fraught and fascinating biology of climate change
Hanson, Thor
Paper Book
A beloved natural historian and biologist explores how climate change is driving evolution. "Hanson is an affable guide and storyteller., with a knack for analogy, a sense of humor and the natural curiosity of a scientist." ―New York Times <...
Do unto animals : a friendly guide to how animals live, and how we can make their lives better
Stewart, Tracey (Organizational consultant)
Paper Book
#1 New York Times bestseller and USA Today bestseller The more we know about the animals in our world and the better we care for them, the better our lives will be. Former veterinary technician and animal advocate Tracey Stewart understands this...
What it's like to be a dog : and other adventures in animal neuroscience
Berns, Gregory
Paper Book
"Dog lovers and neuroscientists should both read this important book." -- Dr. Temple Grandin What is it like to be a dog? A bat? Or a dolphin? To find out, neuroscientist and bestselling author Gregory Berns and his team did something nobody had ever attempted: they...
Supernavigators : exploring the wonders of how animals find their way
Barrie, David
Paper Book
Publisher's note: Supernavigators was published in the UK under the title Incredible Journeys. Animals plainly know where they're going, but how they get there has remained surprisingly mysterious--until now. In...
Tamed & untamed : close encounters of the animal kind
Montgomery, Sy
Paper Book
Extraordinary new insights into the minds and lives of our fellow creatures from two of the world's top animal authors, Elizabeth Marshall Thomas and Sy Montgomery. A Mail on Sunday "Critic's Pick" Best Read of the Year "In their writing and in their...
Beyond words : what animals think and feel
Safina, Carl
Paper Book
I wanted to know what they were experiencing, and why to us they feel so compelling, and so-close. This time I allowed myself to ask them the question that for a scientist was forbidden fruit: Who are you? Weaving decades of field observations with exciting new...
When elephants weep : the emotional lives of animals
Masson, J. Moussaieff
Paper Book
This national bestseller exploring the complex emotional lives of animals was hailed as "a masterpiece" by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas and as "marvelous" by Jane Goodall. The popularity ofWhen Elephants Weephas swept the nation, as author Jeffrey Masson appeared onDateline NBC, Good Morning America...
The bald eagle : the improbable journey of America's bird
Davis, Jack E.
Paper Book
The bald eagle is regal but fearless, a bird you're not inclined to argue with. For centuries, Americans have celebrated it as "majestic" and "noble," yet savaged the living bird behind their national symbol as a malicious predator of livestock and, falsely, a snatcher of babies. Taking us from...
Monarch and milkweed
Frost, Helen
Paper Book
One of nature's most perfect relationships Every spring the monarch butterfly migrates thousands of miles in search of the ideal milkweed plant. When she finds it, she lays her eggs on the plant, so when each egg hatches, the baby caterpillar can feed on the milkweed leaves. The...
The Ravenmaster : my life with the ravens at the Tower of London
Skaife, Christopher
Paper Book
The first behind-the-scenes account of life with the legendary ravens at the world's eeriest monument The ravens at the Tower of London are of mighty importance: rumor has it that if a raven from the Tower should ever leave, the city will fall. The title of...

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