The books I read in April 2023
Each month I have a goal of reading five books. Here’s my list from April 2023.
All posts tagged: David George Haskell
The networks that sustain and shape us
Life is about relationships. If you don’t believe it, just look at trees.
The hidden life of trees
Peter Wohlleben’s love of the forest is clear in the stories he tells of life, death, and regeneration.
Our entangled life
Merlin Sheldrake’s revelatory book on fungi changes our understanding of how the world works.
Eleven ways of smelling a tree
The February 10th newsletter of Chapter 16, a website celebrating Tennessee literature, was titled Paying Attention. Editor Maria Browning writes that, to her mind, February is “the most fickle month of the year in Tennessee,” with shifts between the stirrings of spring and days of snow (or, worse, ice). She continues, “Wardrobe challenges notwithstanding, this is a wonderful time to pay attention to the ever-dynamic natural world.” Her suggestion for some inspiration led me to read “Eleven Ways of Smelling a Tree” by Sewanee writer David George Haskell. As Browning notes, the piece at Emergence Magazine is a collaborative effort, with musician Katherine Lehman and art by Studio Airport. I’ve recommended Haskell’s The Forest Unseen in the past as a delightful book written by a scientist with the soul of a poet. “Eleven Ways of Smelling a Tree” has the same observational mix and magic. Haskell opens his piece with an ode to the American Basswood. “Harlem, New York CityVintage: 1908 We crack the windows on summer’s first warm days. I taste diesel smoke, acid and oily. The fumes rise …
The importance of roots
George David Haskell’s book is a meditation of a year’s worth of observation on a small patch of old growth forest. Sublime.
Summer Reading 2013: Part 1
It is that time of year again, dear readers, where I have finished a couple of books on my summer reading list and pass along thoughts and recommendations. First up is the best natural history/science book I’ve read in years. Now that’s a low bar, because I don’t usually read natural history/science books. But in this case, with the reviews in, my reading habits don’t really matter as others use the same accolades. A colleague, who also happens to be an alumnus of The University of the South, recommended Sewanee professor David George Haskell’s The Forest Unseen: A Year’s Watch in Nature. Ever since I finished the book I’ve been meaning to thank George for the suggestion. This is a gem of a little book. Haskell’s work is a meditation of a year’s worth of observation on a small patch of old growth forest near Sewanee in Tennessee. Several reviewers commented that the book is both very modern and very old-fashioned, and I had the same reactions. As a modern-trained biologist, Haskell’s knowledge of science touches …
More to Come... 