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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Silk : a world history
Prasad, Aarathi
Paper Book
A Next Big Idea Book Club Must-Read for April "Aarathi Prasad's Silk: A World History is a love song to this protean material. . . . Beautiful [and] fascinating." --Wall Street Journal "Aarathi Prasad spins a masterpiece of a story, as luminous, supple, and surprising as the...
Of time and turtles : mending the world, shell by shattered shell
Montgomery, Sy
Ebook
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...
Alien worlds : how insects conquered the Earth, and why their fate will determine our future
Nicholls, Steve
Paper Book
A beautifully illustrated journey into the hidden realm of insects Life on Earth depends on the busy activities of insects, but global populations of these teeming creatures are currently under threat, with grave consequences for us all. Alien Worlds presents insects...
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...
The other family doctor : a veterinarian explores what animals can teach us about love, life, and mortality
Fine, Karen R.
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER . Calling all animal lovers! A heartwarming memoir about one woman's career as a vet and the unique role pets play in our lives."Filled with compassion and wisdom, Karen Fine is a healer whose own wounds have deepened her gifts for bringing animals and their...
On animals
Orlean, Susan
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER "Magnificent." --The New York Times * "Beguiling, observant, and howlingly funny." --San Francisco Chronicle * "Spectacular." --Star Tribune (Minneapolis) * "Full of astonishments." --The Boston Globe
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
Audiobook
Understanding someone who belongs to another species can be transformative. No one knows this better than author, naturalist, and adventurer Sy Montgomery. To research her books, Sy has traveled the world and encountered some of the planet's rarest and most beautiful animals. From tarantulas to...
The soul of an octopus : a surprising exploration into the wonder of consciousness
Montgomery, Sy
Audiobook
In this astonishing book from the author of the best selling memoir The Good Good Pig, Sy Montgomery explores the emotional and physical world of the octopus-a surprisingly complex, intelligent, and spirited creature-and the remarkable connections it makes with humans.
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). ...
The cat's meow : how cats evolved from the Savanna 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 Cat's Meow is a readable and informed exploration of the wildcat that lurks within Fluffy." --...
Dewey : a small-town library cat who touched the world
Myron, Vicki.
Paper Book
Experience the uplifting, "unforgettable" New York Times bestseller about an abandoned kitten named Dewey, whose life in a library won over a farming town and the world -- with over 2 million copies sold! (Booklist) Dewey's story starts in the worst possible way. On...
Pony confidential
Lynch, Christina
Paper Book
An NPR "Book of the Day" In this one-of-a-kind mystery with heart and humor, a hilariously grumpy pony must save the only human he's ever loved after discovering she stands accused of a murder he knows she didn't commit. Pony has been passed from...

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