Science & Nature

The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben — This was a great book. A little whimsical at times, but I learned many things that I never knew about trees. For instance, I had learned that they communicate through mycelium underground, but I didn’t know that they actually share resources to support the growth of weaker trees and even stumps. I didn’t know that they release toxic chemicals to protect themselves from beetles, and release scents to warn other trees to prepare a defense. The whole thing was really incredible. As Annie Dillard said, “I never saw a tree that was no tree in particular.”

But we shouldn’t be concerned about trees purely for material reasons, we should also care about them because of the little puzzles and wonders they present us with. Under the canopy of the trees, daily dramas and moving love stories are played out. Here is the last remaining piece of Nature, right on our doorstep, where adventures are to be experienced and secrets discovered. ― Peter Wohlleben

This Green World by Rutherford Platt — This is the best old botany book I’ve ever read. I liked how it was organized differently than any of the others I’ve read. For one, the author covers trees first and then flowers. He also approaches the material in a way that is easy to understand and had me on the edge of my seat during some chapters, wanting to know what he would tell me next. I know, I’m a little passionate about these things, but I’m here to tell you there are some boring botany books out there! This was an exception. I hope to see it reprinted someday.

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren — Hope Jahren is passionate about her job as a geobiologist and through this book we learn what it means to teach and research at a major university. I had no idea how much effort goes into raising money or the unrealistic number of hours one must work. Jahren also gives us an intimate look at her struggles with bipolar disorder and the deep friendship she shares with Bill, whom she met in graduate school. There are some deeply moving parts and some hysterical and even gross parts.

Science has taught me that everything is more complicated than we first assume, and that being able to derive happiness from discovery is a recipe for a beautiful life. It has also convinced me that carefully writing everything down is the only real defense we have against forgetting something important that once was and is no more, including the spruce tree that should have outlived me but did not. ― Hope Jahren

Martin Marten by Brian Doyle — Sometimes I look for a book that I can listen to when I’m having trouble sleeping. Therefore, it must be rather light. This book fit the bill well. It’s actually written for younger people — maybe older teens. I enjoyed it myself. Martin is a male marten, who are in the same family as weasels, badgers, otters, and ferrets, and part of the tale is told from his perspective. The rest is primarily told from the perspective of a boy who is about to start high school. It’s a coming of age story for both the boy and the marten, but there is a lot of natural history woven in, which I greatly enjoyed. The author is a beautiful writer and I look forward to reading one of his other books.

Most of a place is not what human beings think. Maybe we will be better human beings when we begin to see all the other things a place is besides all the things we think it is or wanted it to be. ― Brian Doyle

A Naturalist at Large: The Best Essays of Bernd Heinrich — Heinrich is a naturalist in New England and this particular book is a compilation of his best essays. It’s a good place to start because it includes essays on plants and animals from close to his home in Maine and as far as Africa. One thing I appreciate the most about Heinrich’s books is that he shows that studying nature means observing nature. Sometimes we find him up in a tree, another time he has cut a hole in the wall of his cabin to observe a nest. He watches a yellow iris, hardly blinking, so he can witness the way it opens in seconds. He is always observing and often not finding confirmation of what he has observed when he researches what he’s seen. Still, he allows his observations to lead him, not what others say is true. It’s true scientific work. Add to that, Heinrich is a great writer.

One Wild Bird at a Time: Portraits of Individual Lives by Bernd Heinrich — Another great book but I will make one suggestion — take it slow. I read it too quickly and I wish I would have savored it over a longer time.

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer — Well, we have finally reached a book that I did not like. In fact, after slogging through this one I was quicker to give up on a book when I was really not enjoying it. The interesting thing is that Kimmerer’s book Gathering Moss is still one of my very favorite natural history books! Braiding Sweetgrass is just a different kind of book. It is part natural history and part Indian folklore and part ecological entreaty. If you are in the mood for that you will probably really like it because Kimmerer is a beautiful writer and storyteller.

The land is the real teacher. All we need as students is mindfulness. ― Robin Wall Kimmerer

Education & Parenting

Home Education by Charlotte Mason — In searching for a link to this book I was overcome by joy that there are several publishers who have worked hard to bring Charlotte Mason’s work to all of us in the last few years. There was a time when I could not afford to purchase the whole set because it was out of print. I’m always reading Miss Mason’s books, but often I jump around based on what we are studying for the ADE Podcast. Therefore I’m grateful to have other women to study a single book at a time with. This year I read Home Education with my new study group in California, and it was a true pleasure!

It is not only for your own selves and for your own children, but for the world that you are working. It is not only that you and our teachers here can pass on what you receive here, but you yourselves become finer persons, simpler human beings, more loving human beings, because of the many interests that you gain from Charlotte Mason having lived. ― Herietta Franklin (The Parents’ Review. Vol. 47 p. 359)

12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You by Tony Reinke — Several times while reading this book I broke out in narration while I had my family [as unwilling captives] in the car. Frankly, they didn’t always appreciate me pointing out some of the things this book brought to light. I tried to explain to my teens that it wasn’t an attack on them. Having a miniature computer in our hands is something new for adults too and all of us have to make decisions about how we are going to deal with the challenges it presents. It’s not all negative though. As the author pointed out, having a GPS at our disposal is pretty great.

The question of this book is simple: What is the best use of my smartphone in the flourishing of my life? To that end, my aim is to avoid both extremes: the utopian optimism of the technophiliac and the dystopian pessimistic of the technophobe. ― Tony Reinke

The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You by Elaine N. Aron — This was a lovely book that a friend loaned me, likely because she recognized a kindred spirit in me. I found this book to be a huge source of encouragement as it accentuated the strengths of the highly sensitive person rather than just noting the weakness of it. If you are highly sensitive or have a child who is then I would encourage you to read it.

Everyone has a limit as to how much information or stimulation can be taken in before getting overloaded, overstimulated, overaroused, overwhelmed, and just over! We simply reach that point sooner than others. Fortunately, as soon as we get some downtime we recover nicely. ― Elaine N. Aron

The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery by Ian Morgan Cron — I finally gave in and learned about the enneagram, but I had to read a book to figure out my type because it was less than clear to me. There are several books on the topic and I have only read this one, but I thought it was really good. The kids and I laugh and laugh when we read or listen to enneagram stuff about each other’s type. One noted that they weren’t sure they liked learning about it in a group setting because they felt somewhat exposed! I haven’t come so far as to put it to use in my life, but maybe that will be something for 2020.

The Enneagram is a tool that awakens our compassion for people just as they are, not the people we wish they would become so our lives would become easier. ― Ian Morgan Cron

To Be Continued…

Books read in 2019:
Bible
History & Geography, and Novels & Essays