From the world of both fiction and non-fiction, get into the woods with these titles — and learn how KFPL can help you enjoy a walk in the forest, too.
The Overstory by Richard Powers
Powers’ Pulitzer-winning novel is an intricately woven tale that will enthrall anyone who stands up for trees. Written through multiple characters and timelines, the common roots of The Overstory probe deep into the ground on which we stand.
Greenwood by Michael Christie
Canadian Michael Christie’s novel, Greenwood, branches off with multiple timelines under the common roots of forestry and conservation, and engages the reader throughout.
The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
You will be astounded to learn how trees are beings that feel emotions and communicate in this easily accessible book written by forestry scientist Peter Wohlleben.
Forest Bathing by Qing Li
Shirin-yoku, or the Japanese practice of forest bathing, is said to be healthy both for mind and body. Learn more about this convention with Dr. Qing Li.
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
In this KFPL collection favourite, botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer uses traditional Indigenous wisdom to help us acknowledge our deeper connection to the wider ecological world.
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
In this 150-year-old classic, Thoreau emphasizes quiet reflection in nature as a remedy to societal woes.
Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard
Part memoir and part popular science, this book by Suzanne Simard, popular TED Talk lecturer and professor of Forest Science at the University of British Columbia, will convince you that trees are both interconnected and intelligent.
Barkskins by Annie Proulx
Through multiple centuries and forests alike, Pulitzer prize winner Annie Proulx’s novel Barkskins gravitates around the story of the land rather than those who exploit and take care of it.
The Golden Spruce by John Vaillant
You will be perplexed to read the true mystery of a logger turned activist who cut down a sacred Haida tree near Haida Gwaii, British Columbia.
Frontenac Park Pass from Ontario Parks
Explore 5355 hectares of wildlife and forests (part of the UNESCO listed Frontenac Arch Biosphere) at Frontenac Provincial Park with one of KFPL’s Ontario Park Passes!
