Arbor Readers

The Monkey Wrench Gang

2011-01-17T15:01:00.000-05:00

Looking for an interesting read? Next on the Arbor Reader's list is The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey. Pick up a copy and join the discussion, in person or on line. We will be at the Warren H. Corning Library at 10 a.m., Feb. 19 if you like to discuss the book with the group. If you can't make it, share your insights here. We look forward to hearing what you think.

Arbor Readers Returns!

2011-01-04T16:54:00.002-05:00

Arbor Readers is back on a new day and time, the 3rd Saturday of each month from 10 AM to 11:30 AM. The first meeting is January 15, 2011. The book to be read and discussed is Edward O. Wilson's autobiography Naturalist. February 19th is a change of pace with Edward Abbey's satirical The Monkey Wrench Gang.

Come to talk books and enjoy the free coffee and goodies. (Secret # 4 of good meetings: have good snacks.)

2010-02-10T11:27:00.002-05:00

The meeting of the Holden book discussion group Arbor Readers scheduled for Weds. Feb. 10 has been canceled due to inclement weather. Do read the book Teaching the Trees: Lessons from the Forest by Joan Maloof, it's a good use of your time, snowed-in or not.

Edward Abbey's Desert Solitaire

2010-01-11T12:11:00.003-05:00

Writers about Edward Abbey seem to be stuck on the same page of the thesaurus: eccentric, irascible, rebellious, curmudgeonly, angry, misanthropic, inspiration for environmental extremists, liable to say anything for shock value, prickly as a cactus, etc. etc. But he loved the desert and wrote eloquently about it, most memorably in his first book Desert Solitaire. He was a gifted writer and thinker and the desert lives and breathes in his descriptions and explorations of the canyon country of southern Utah. A great escape from a freezing winter day in Ohio.

His summer job as a park ranger gave him access to the unspoiled, undeveloped desert around Arches National Monument. (Later National Park.) He despised the "Industrial Tourism" he saw closing in on his desert and all wilderness places. Maybe it's just as well we can't hear his opinion of Moab now with its motels, river expeditions, jeep tours of the desert, and all the other trappings he dreaded. He knew the irony that his writings inspired people to come and see the spectacular scenery he brought to life.

To learn more start with the Edward Abbey Foundation www.edwardabbeyfoundation.org and Arches National Park www.nps.gov/arch/ especially the photo galleries and go from there. For contrast, or for travel planning, try www.discovermoab.com.

One final suggestion, have a good detailed map of the area beside you while you read. Getting lost in the desert is serious business.

Any other readers with reactions to Abbey's book?

Reading List for 2009-2010

2009-09-18T12:41:00.002-04:00

Here's the list for the coming year:

October 14, 2009
The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
A well- written, eye-opening plea to stop and think about what we eat and the natural world that feeds us.

November 11, 2009
The Wild Trees by Richard Preston
A fast-paced account of the eccentric, dedicated scientists who study the redwood forest canopy.

December 9,2009
$64 Tomato by William Alexander
This hilarious book describes the author’s attempt at organic gardening that sets him at odds with nature.

January 13, 2010
Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey
With humor and loving descriptions, Abbey chronicles his stint as a seasonal ranger in Arches National Park.

February 10, 2010
Teaching the Trees: Lessons from the Forest by Joan Maloof
An engaging collection of meditations on individual trees that blends scientific lore and acute personal observation.

March 10, 2010
John James Audubon: the Making of an American by Richard Rhodes
Rhodes breathes life into Audubon the man, artist, and scientist and creates a vivid portrait of America of his times.

April 14, 2010
Great Chain of Life by Joseph Wood Krutch
Krutch's firsthand observations of nature mixed with insightful musings make fascinating and enlightening reading.

May 12, 2010
Epitaph for a Peach by David Masumoto
Slow farming reveals the art of living for Masumoto who produces juicy heirloom peaches you can almost taste.

June 9, 2010
My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir
In 1869, John Muir found the love of his life – Yosemite Valley. His account is a classic of environmental literature.

Meetings are the second Weds. of the month 6:30 to 8 pm, Warren H. Corning Library
Free, no registration required.
For Details call the Library at 440.602.3825

Nature's Narratives Book Group

2009-09-05T11:27:00.002-04:00

Funny how a new interest will turn up in many places you never noticed before. So it is with nature and environment oriented book clubs. Here's one I just found: Nature's Narrative's is a book discussion group sponsored by the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College. Here's a link to their reading list for 2008-2009:

http://www.scottarboretum.org/special/naturesnarratives.html

Any more out there? Please let us know.

In Search of Tree Books

2009-09-05T11:14:00.003-04:00

As librarian of a "tree" place, it seems logical to get some tree reading done. This past month I've read Joan Maloof's Teaching the Trees: Lessons from the Forest. She writes short essays on different tree species linked to her experiences as an ecology instructor, tree lover, and forest preserver. Tree: A Life Story by leading naturalist David Suzuki is a readable, informative biography of a Douglas fir tree. Finally, there's Richard Preston's The Wild Trees. Preston's book is a fast, engaging account of the eccentric, dedicated scientists who study the unique hidden world in the canopy of redwood forests.

Any other titles to recommend? Please post your suggestions on this blog.

Sibley's Book of Trees -- Author Appearance

2009-09-05T10:23:00.002-04:00

It's not often that a book about trees gets national publicity and an author tour. In this case, well-known Bird expert David Sibley has turned his attention to trees. His newest book is Sibley's Guide to Trees (what a coincidence!) He will be at Joseph-Beth Bookstore in Lyndhurst Ohio's upscale Legacy Village from 7 to 9 PM on Thursday, September 17. For more information, and a book review click this link:
http://www.josephbeth.com/Default.aspx?tabindex=2&tabid=3&storeId=3

For information about Sibley and other appearances click here:
http://www.sibleyguides.com/

(Editorial comment: Support your local bookstore, especially the independents.)

Favorites from Botanical Librarians; or Too Much to Read, Too Little Time

2009-08-22T09:50:00.006-04:00

Here's what librarians read in the summer!

From the Atlanta Botanical Library:
Arvigo, Rosita. Sastún.
Bail, Murray. Eucalyptus: a Novel.
Fleeson, Lucinda. Waking Up in Eden.
Hansen, Eric. Orchid Fever.
Hansen, Eric. Stranger in the Forest.
Hogan and Peterson. The Sweet Breathing of Plants: Women Writing on the Green World.
Laurance, William. Stinging Trees and Wait‑a‑Whiles: Confessions of a Rainforest Biologist.
Ray, Janisse. Ecology of a Cracker Childhood.
Ray, Janisse. Pinhook. (these last 2 are decidedly Southern*)

From San Luis Obispo CA Botanical Garden:

Abbey, Edward. Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness. (Published in 1968, the author tells of his quest to experience nature in its purest form.)

Barbato, Joseph and Lisa Weinerman, eds. Heart of the Land: Essays on Last Great Places. (31 prominent novelists, journalist, and nature writers capture personal places in the United States and why they are meaningful to them.)

Carey, Ken. Flat Rock Journal: A Day in the Ozark Mountains.

Masumoto, David Mas. Epitaph For a Peach: Four Seasons on My Family Farm. and Four Seasons in Five Senses: Things Worth Saving. (Slow farming reveals the art of living, which for California farmer Masumoto is the kind that notices each change of light and temperature and produces heirloom peaches with juice that runs down your chin.)

And from the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, Virginia:

This is both hilarious and instructive:
The $64 tomato by Alexander, William, 1953‑.‑‑ Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2006.

If you want to read something really scary (and a very good read):
Dirt: the erosion of civilizations by Montgomery, David R. ‑‑ University of California Press, 2007.

2009-08-08T11:47:00.005-04:00

Looking for suggestions for good reading on nature? Try these links for recommendations from other book discussions and organizations:

From the Morton Arboretum's book discussion group Leaving Through the Pages:

http://www.mortonarb.org/sterling-morton-library/library-events/book-club.html

From the Scott Arboretum's Nature's Narratives:
http://www.scottarboretum.org/special/naturesnarratives.html

The Sierra Club's list of Nature's 12 Best Books:

http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200011/nature1.asp

A follow-up list from Sierra Club members adding their favorites to the 12 best:

http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200103/books.asp

Bibiographies and discussion from the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment:
http://www.asle.org/site/resources/ecocritical-library/bibliography

Have other sources to share? Please let us know.

Books Read by Arbor Readers, May 2007 to June 2009

2009-08-08T10:37:00.005-04:00

Arbor Readers
Book List 2007-09
The Holden Arboretum

Meetings are on the second Wednesday of the month from 6:30 PM to 8 PM at the Warren H. Corning Library in the Corning Visitor’s Center. For information call the library at 440.602.3825

May 5, 2007
The Man Who Planted Trees by Jean Giono

June 2, 2007
A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold

July 11, 2007
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

August 8, 2007
The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan

September 12, 2007
The Outermost House by Henry Beston

Oct. 10, 2007
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard

Nov. 14, 2007
A Natural History of Lake County, Ohio by The Cleveland Museum of Natural History
and
A Journey Through Time on Little Mountain by The Holden Arboretum

Dec. 12, 2007
Timothy, or the notes of an abject reptile by Verlyn Klinkenborg

Jan. 9, 2008
Flower Confidential by Amy Stewart

Feb. 13, 2008
Oak: the Frame of Civilization by William Bryant Logan

March 12, 2008
The World Without Us by Alan Weisman

April 9, 2008
The Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley

May 14, 2008
A Blessing of Toads: A Gardener's Guide to Living with Nature by Sharon Lovejoy

June 11, 2008
Journey Into Summer: a Naturalist’s Record of a 19,000 Mile Journey Through the North American Summer by Edwin Way Teale

July 9, 2008
Walden by Henry David Thoreau

Aug. 13, 2008
Ishmael: an Adventure of the Mind and Spirit by Daniel Quinn

Sept. 10, 2008
The Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin

Oct. 8, 2008
Ages of Gaia: a Biograpy of Our Living Earth by James Lovelock

Nov. 12, 2008
Biophilia by Edward O. Wilson

Dec. 10, 2008
Bird Song by Donald Stap

Jan. 14, 2009
Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez

Feb. 11, 2009
Last Child in the Woods: Nature Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv

March 11, 2009
Moods of the Ohio Moon by Merrill Gilfillan

April 8, 2009
Animal Encounters by Craig Childs

May 13, 2009
Fresh Water by E. Pielou

June 9, 2009
When Elephants Weep: the Emotional Life of Animals by Jeffrey Masson

ArborReaders September Meeting

2009-08-08T10:20:00.001-04:00

The next meeting of the Arbor Readers book discussion group will be Wednesday, Sept. 9 from 6:30 to 8 PM in the Corning Library at the Holden Arboretum. Come prepared to suggest books to be read during the coming year and to vote for your favorite choices.

Can't make the meeting, but want to join in the fun? Post a comment, sharing your suggestions for the reading list. Each month, we will post the book allowing online members to add their thoughts and see what members of the Holden staff have to say about the book.