Words Tina Kelly
One step forward, three steps back. That is the rhythm of my to-read list.
In 2025, I worked hard to shrink the list below 100 titles but with the constant stream of new publications, it’s ballooned to 137.
These science and nature-focused books await reading in 2026.
Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures, Katherine Rundell
Already in my hands, I’m poised to start this “rare and magical book.” So says the quote on the book jacket from the prolific and hilarious Bill Bryson. 23 chapters highlight the diversity of animals facing environmental challenges including wombats, wolves, seahorses and elephants. Rundell commits that half of this book’s author royalties will go, in perpetuity, to charities pushing back on climate change and environmental destruction, one sea-based and one land-based.
Nursery Earth: The Wondrous Lives of Baby Animals and the Extraordinary Ways They Shape Our World, Danna Staaf
Scientist Staaf was featured on CBC’s Quirks and Quarks. The segment “Ugly Babies: A new book looks at cute-challenged but fascinating baby animals” caught my attention. As stated, some young animals may not all be cute, but Staaf argues some baby animals are not simply smaller versions of the adult but “beings in their own right,” with connections, purposes and importance linked to their early life stages.
To Have or to Hold: Nature’s Hidden Relationships, Sophie Pavelle
Species rarely, if ever, live in isolation. Ecology shows us much of the natural world is interconnected with other species and their physical environment. Pavelle’s book highlights symbiotic relationships between species and asks the question: what can nature teach us about living together?
The Life-Affirming Magic of Birds: and the Extraordinary Things They Can Teach Us, Charlie Bingham
Birds are accessible to everyone! If you look or listen, birds are all around and above us. When I get to this read, the first chapter that will greet me features a favourite – the oystercatcher. 12 chapters, 12 birds, 12 lessons learned. This book aims to open our eyes, inspire awe and promote a renewed fascination with the winged among us.
Sing Like Fish: How Sound Rules Life Under Water, Amora Kingdon
A Victoria-based author, Kingdon is an award-winning science journalist. In Sing Like Fish, she showcases the acoustic abilities of marine life and surprise: it’s not just whales. Even fish and shrimp make and use sound. But what does the impact of human-caused ocean noise have on ocean ecosystems? For a taste of her science journalism, visit www.amorinakingdon.com.
Close to Home: The Wonders of Nature Just Outside Your Door, Thor Hanson
A finch chirps away on my ninth-floor balcony – can’t get much closer to home! The blurb on this book’s dust jacket starts: “We all live on nature’s doorstep but we often overlook it. From backyards to local parks, the natural places we see the most may well be the ones we know the least.” The chapters are organized into three parts – seeing, exploring and restoring with a goal of retraining our eyes to look out for nature.
Wild Cities: Discovering New Ways of Living in Modern Urban Jungle, Chris Fitch
Wild Cities couldn’t be newer: it published in November. Keeping a connection to nature as the urban landscape expands is the focus of this book. Fitch travels the globe to learn firsthand about cities applying nature-based solutions and in the process offers hope for nature in cities.
The read and to-read lists ebb and flow. Will this year see these books move from one to the other?
