Whatever your plans are for getting outside this Earth Day, Grove Atlantic has the perfect book for you to bring along! Whether you’ll be hiking, at the beach, or stuck inside wishing you were outdoors, these books are ideal for appreciating the awe-inspiring beauty of our home planet.

 

Books To Contemplate on a Walk in the Woods

Thought-provoking and timely nonfiction and poetry to pack as food for thought on your next hike.

 

A “Working Life” by Eileen Myles

A luminous collection of poems about the beauty and absurdity of our daily lives, full of meditations on intimacy, permanence, and our possible future on earth.

 

“Ruthlessly unguarded, surgically self-parodic and infinitely funny.”—Kit Fan, The Guardian

 

 

The Glorians by Terry Tempest Williams

A revelatory work of narrative non-fiction about the small yet transformative moments of hope in nature that demonstrate the interconnectedness of our world.

 

“I go to Terry Tempest Williams for the reasons I go to Whitman and Thoreau: to recover a capacious spirit and to rejoin the urgent living world.” ―Richard Powers, author of The Overstory

 

Recognizing the Stranger by Isabella Hammad

An illuminating essay on the Palestinian struggle for freedom and the power of narrative, excerpted from the Edward W. Said Memorial Lecture at Columbia University.

 

“An urgent work for a devastating time . . . an ethical, political, and artistic confrontation with the text, the world, and the other.”

—Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of The Sympathizer  

 

H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald

A singular memoir that’s part mediative nature writing, part devastating exploration of loss. Grieving her father’s passing, a woman decides to train and raise a wild goshawk, armed with the wisdom of The Once and Future King author T.H. White’s guide to hawk-rearing.

 

“Beautiful and nearly feral . . . so good that, at times, it hurt me to read it.” —Dwight Garner, New York Times

 

Hotshot by River Selby

A cinematic and intimate memoir on the history of wildfires and the people who fight them, exploring the effects of gender dynamics, climate change, and land policy in the wildland firefighting industry.

 

“A beautiful reflection on justice, the environment, the self, and much more.”—George Saunders, author of Lincoln in the Bardo

 

Pacy Reads Perfect for a Beach Day

Books that are ideal for devouring in one sitting, preferably with the ocean in view.

 

Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner

An incisive novel that follows the tempestuous bond between the Shred sisters—the erratic Ollie and the pragmatic Amy—across two decades as they navigate mental illness, loss, and love.

 

“I love this book. It moves like a souped-up pickup truck.”—Patti Smith, author of Just Kids

 

 

The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan

The lives of three strangers in the idyllic seaside town of Maple Bay collide when they become entangled in the search for a legendary lost pirate treasure, though they find more than just gold buried in the soil.

 

“One of those rare, unexpected gems . . . both utterly original and an homage to the great lost treasure stories at the same time.” —Alex Finlay, author of If Something Happens to Me

 

The Castaways by Lucy Clarke

A gripping, atmospheric read from bestselling author Lucy Clarke, “queen of the destination thriller.” When Erin’s sister disappears on a plane that goes missing over Fiji, she is certain there’s more to be uncovered—but what she discovers is beyond her wildest predictions.

 

“An elegant, sinister, beautiful nightmare.”—Chris Whitaker, author of All the Colours of the Dark

 

The Hitch by Sarah Levine

A darkly funny and slightly unhinged novel that follows a woman’s attempts to exorcise the spirit of a dead corgi from her nephew. This big-hearted romp asks just how far we’ll go in the name of unconditional love.

 

“Winningly zany . . . [Levine’s] commitment to boinging around the loopy little world she’s built is total. Only a killjoy would refuse to join her.”—New York Times Book Review

 

Ruby Falls by Gin Phillips

A nail-bitingly suspenseful historical mystery set in an underground cave during the onset of The Great Depression. When a murder takes place during the tour of the underground cave system, tour guide Ada needs to get everyone—including the killer—back aboveground before the light runs out.

 

“Fearlessly explores the darkest, most primal corners of the human heart.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

 

Atmospheric Novels that Bring the Outdoors to You

Even if you’re stuck inside this Earth Day, the immersive landscapes in these novels make for the perfect outdoor escape.

 

Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard by Kiran Desai

A witty and immersive novel set in a small Northern Indian city about a man who finds unexpected fame as a holy man when he climbs a guava tree in search of quiet contemplation.

 

“So fresh and funny and delicious that it defies comparison.”

—The Times (London)

 

Euphoria by Lilly King

A love triangle blooms between three young anthropologists in the 1930’s conducting research in the Territory of New Guinea, as they explore the boundaries of desire, possession, and discovery.

 

“A taut, witty, fiercely intelligent tale of competing egos and desires.”—New York Times Book Review

 

Foster by Claire Keegan

During a hot summer in rural Ireland, a child is taken to live with relatives on a farm without knowing when or if she will return home. Told in delicate, sparing prose, Foster is a contemporary classic, a heartbreaking story of familial bonds.

 

“Stunningly alive.” —Los Angeles Times

 

 

Orbital by Samantha Harvey

A snapshot of one day in the lives of six men and women careening through outer space on the last mission before the dismantling of their space program. As they observe our planet from a distance, we catch glimpses of their daily lives on earth and the beauty of our shared humanity.

 

“Ravishingly beautiful.”—Joshua Ferris, New York Times

 

The Unveiling by Quan Barry

A striking work of literary horror that follows a Black film scout who becomes stranded on a remote island along the Antarctic Peninsula. As the polar ice thaws in unseasonable warmth, the survivor’s prejudices, secrets, and inner demons will emerge.

 

“Virtuosic . . . The Unveiling, with its icy twists and deep blue horrors, is a blend of wrought historic layers and contemporary anxieties.”—Jane Ciabattari, Literary Hub 

 

The Son of Man by Jean-Baptiste Del Amo

Set in a forested mountain town in France, the story of a man who reunites with his wife and young son, intent on being a family again. As they return to the man’s dilapidated childhood home, they realize the cost of inherited violence between generations.

 

“Undeniably, powerfully evocative. Del Amo is a writer like no other.”—Times (UK)

 

Books to Read on a Day Out on a Boat

If sailing is on your agenda this Earth Day, here are some books that are perfect to bring out to sea.

 

Call Me Ishmaelle by Xiaolu Guo

A feminist re-imagining of Moby Dick following the journey of the orphaned Ishmaelle aboard the whaling ship Nimrod as she navigates the bloody male violence of whaling and forms a deep bond with the white whale.

 

“Propulsive and immediate . . . A rich addition to Melvilliana.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

 

Big Meg by Tim Flannery with Emma Flannery

A fascinating account of the giant shark Otodus Megalodon, charting its evolution from super-predator to extinction and its impact on both marine ecosystems and the human psyche.

 

“A lively investigation into a marine mystery.”—Kirkus Reviews

 

 

In Ascension by Martin MacInnes

The profound story of a young microbiologist searching for earth’s first life forms in the trenches of the Atlantic Ocean, who embarks on a journey to confront the greatest questions of human existence.

 

“A thrilling, thought-provoking celebration of the marvels and mysteries of the universe.” —Wall Street Journal

 

 

I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger

Set in a not-so-distant future America, a story of a grieving musician setting sail on a sentient Lake Superior in search of his beloved, deceased wife.

 

“Heartbreaking, frighteningly prophetic and defiantly hopeful.”

—Wall Street Journal

 

Books for Facing Your Climate Anxiety

No Earth Day outing is complete without dreading the inevitable depletion of our earth’s natural resources, and we’ve got just the books for that too!

 

What the Wild Sea Can Be by Helen Scales

A bracing, yet hopeful account of the future of our oceans on earth from an acclaimed marine biologist.

 

“A moving, evocative, and instructive journey . . .  A matchless and unforgettable exploration of the life-critical ocean.” —Shelf Awareness

 

 

Sunbirth by An Yu

A richly surreal novel following two sisters in an isolated village as the sun begins to diminish above them.

 

“Marvelously dreamlike . . . An unsettling mystery that’s also a tender work about the pain of watching the degradation of a homeland one loves.”—Shelf Awareness

 

Circular Motion by Alex Foster

A propulsive novel about two strangers searching for belonging and love as the earth’s rotation rapidly accelerates and the world quite literally spins out of control.

 

“The increasing whirligig of the many strands of storytelling converge . . . with Foster’s sparky writing, clever plotting and biting wit spinning an excellent tale.”—Guardian  

 

The End We Start From by Megan Hunter

The lyrical, poetic tale of a new mother’s attempts to seek refuge from a not-so-distant future London which has been submerged underwater.

 

“A beautifully spare, haunting meditation on the persistence of life after catastrophe.”—Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station Eleven

 

Here Lies by Olivia Clare Friedman

A grieving woman attempts to reclaim her mother’s ashes in a climate change stricken future Louisiana town that has made cremation mandatory and the ashes of loved ones state-owned.

 

“Vividly imagined . . . poses questions about the replacement of traditional expressions of grief and the possibilities of women to reimagine the future.”—National Book Review