Henley's Big Green Read

Henley’s Big Green Read. Eight must-read books on nature, recommended by Greener Henley’s Diana Barnett. Informative and enjoyable – nothing too heavy, but certainly brain-stimulating!

Most books can be bought from The Bell Bookshop or borrowed from Henley Library. You might also consider purchasing a secondhand copy.

Share your book with someone after you’ve read it. Talk about it, take it to your book club – or start a book club. Let’s get conversations going around these important and inspiring topics!

1. The Golden Mole, by Katherine Rundell

   Katherine Rundell, teamed up with illustrator Talya Baldwin to weave these tales of animals, some rare, endangered, others more common. The book walks us through ‘a world that is more astonishing, more miraculous and more wonderful than our wildest imaginings’.

2. Drinkable Rivers, by Li an Phoa and Maarten van der Schaaf

   A rich tapestry of travelogue, memoir, reportage, philosophical musings and poetry.

3. Endless Forms, by Seirian Sumner

   ‘Where bees and ants have long been the darlings of the insect world, wasps are much older, cleverer and more diverse. They are the bee’s evolutionary ancestors – flying 100 million years earlier – and today they are just as essential for the survival of our environment. A book to upturn your expect

4. The Garden Jungle, by Dave Goulson

   The Garden Jungle  ‘is about the wildlife that lives right under our noses, in our gardens and parks, between the gaps in the pavement, and in the soil beneath our feet’. Goulson helps us see how ‘with just a few small changes, our gardens could become a vast network of tiny nature reserves, where humans and wildlife can thrive together in harmony rather than conflict.’

5. The Darkness Manifesto, by Johan Eklöf

   ‘How much light is too much light? The Darkness Manifesto urges us to cherish natural darkness for the sake of the environment, our own wellbeing, and all life on earth. Eye-opening and ultimately encouraging

6. The Age of Resilience, by Jeremy Rifkin

   Jeremy Rifkin is the president of the Foundation on Economic Trends in Washington, D.C., teacher, writer and advisor to the EU, the People’s Republic of China and heads of state around the world. Humans have long believed we could force the natural world to adapt to us; only now are we beginning to face the fact that it is we who will have to adapt to survive in an unpredictable natural world.  The transformation has started – see if you agree.

7. Orchard, by Benedict Macdonald & Nicholas Gates

   Written by two field naturalists who met whilst working on Springwatch and came across this original orchard by accident, which has been kept in its natural state since 1930 and is habitat for many species disappearing elsewhere.

8. Doughnut Economics, by Kate Raworth

   Devised by Kate Raworth an economist focused on exploring the economic thinking needed to address the twenty first century’s sociological and ecological challenges.  Her idea has won international acclaim – what do you make of it?