Several people have asked me to recommend some good nature related winter reading and today, being a bit cold and blustery outside seemed a good day to look over my bookshelves to find some of my favorite books…some days I just pick up one of them to reread a chapter or two…

These are newish books focuses on the nature and beaches of Cape Cod and they are all wonderful. Although “The Fo’c’sle” is a “children’s” book it so lovely and so beautifully illustrated that adults who love Cape Cod should add it to their collection… And Bob Finch’s little book is just like book candy. Throw it in your bag or glove compartment for those little pockets of time when you need something quick to read but don’t feel like reading a magazine that is about 3 years old….

I got my first nature books as a very young child and I still have many of them. I also collect ones I see at yard or estate sales. Reading books written about nature so long ago is very revealing and also nostalgic. We have changed the way we see and think about nature but even 50 or 100 years ago there were people out there trying to get people to understand why conservation was important on a personal as well as societal level. The John Hay is from my mother’s collection and has been a family favorite since my childhood, along with all the rest of his books.

I love to read essays and personal accounts of people;s interactions with nature and all these books fit into that description. If you don’t know all or any of these authors, I highly recommend them…”Life of the Skies” is a new one or me and I hope to settle in and read it this weekend…

Do you have any special nature related books you find yourself returning to again and again? I will add more over the next few weeks so feel free to add your own recommendations in the comments.