Discover the must-read nature books of the year: from rewilding our landscapes to the ethics of conservation
Nature is all around us. From the insects that crawl around in our back gardens to the mountains that tower over landscapes, our planet’s flora, fauna and ecosystems shape so many parts of our lives – and we, in turn, shape our surroundings too. The ways humans have interacted with nature – through burning fossil fuels and driving ecosystems to extinction, to the strong counter-efforts of rewilding and conservation – are varied enough to cover countless books and stories.
With so much to explore, we’ve made it easy to dive in. Our latest book guide dives into our top six nature books of the year, complete with a brief review to know exactly what you’ll be reading.
1. The Garden Against Time by Olivia Laing
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Recommended by our reviewer Olivia Edward
In The Garden Against Time Olivia Laing recounts her journey of restoring an overgrown Suffolk garden, uncovering layers of history and cultural symbolism.
Laing looks at how gardens have represented beauty, paradise and the utopian dream through different cultures in history; she connects ancient Persia to modern figures like William Morris and Capability Brown, creating a rich picture of the history and geography of gardening.
Read more of Olivia’s recommended books here:
2. Cull of the Wild by Hugh Warwick
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In Cull of the Wild, Hugh Warwick explores the challenging decisions and complex ethics behind managing invasive species. With wit and insight, he explores the moral grey areas of conservation, from controlling cane toads to parakeets, urging readers to reconsider simplistic solutions to biodiversity threats.
Read our review of Cull of the Wild here
3. Nature’s Ghosts by Sophie Yeo
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In Nature’s Ghosts, Sophie Yeo examines how humans have impacted and tamed the natural world throughout history. She discusses the idea of rewilding and how vital it is for the conservation efforts of today.
Yeo makes the case that while restoring the environment necessitates human engagement, it is also an opportunity to learn from the resiliency and adaptation of the past through vivid histories and the ‘ghosts’ of extinct ecosystems.
Read our review of Nature’s Ghosts here
4. Moving Mountains by Louise Kenward
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Moving Mountains is a groundbreaking collection of nature writing in which people living with disabilities and chronic illness share their connections with the natural world, challenging the norms that define who can belong in nature.
Through stories of crawling across landscapes to exploring beauty amid chronic pain, these authors reveal nature as a place of acceptance, resilience and healing for all bodies, disrupting ableist perspectives in both literature and life.
Read our review of Moving Mountains here
5. Land Smart by Tom Heap
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Tom Heap’s book Land Smart advocates for a balanced strategy to land management that addresses the UK’s need to meet demands for energy, food, and conservation without sacrificing the country’s natural environment.
The book, which draws from Heap’s experiences on BBC’s Countryfile, blends real-world advice and innovative tales—like floating solar panels on lakes and multipurpose solar farms—with an appeal to adopt sustainable behavioural shifts rather than just technology fixes.
Heap provides practical, flexible answers to urgent environmental problems through interactions with farmers, ecologists, and regional specialists, advocating for wider implementation to build robust, multipurpose land systems.
Read our review of Land Smart here
6. Infinite Life by Jules Howard
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In Infinite Life, Jules Howard traces the evolution of the egg from early aquatic life to sophisticated adaptations that allowed land-based animals. Howard explains how eggs influenced species variety and survival tactics through engaging storytelling.
The egg is reframed in this intriguing book as a potent force in natural history, demonstrating how it continues to influence life and why its future is important to all of us.
Read our review of Infinite Life here
Over the next few weeks, we will be diving into more of our recommended books – from the best of travel writing to geopolitical reads. Stay tuned as we cover all of the must-reads rounded up for 2024.
