Nature, Ecology, and the Environment

Below are just a few of the recent environmental books available from the Ferguson Library.

Roach, Margaret
The Backyard Parables: Lessons on Gardening and Life
635.01 R628b

Review
An enjoyable journey through the year with a knowledgeable guide whose fascination with her garden and its inhabitants will delight readers. The book follows the seasons, and it includes useful sidebars that expand on topics such as garden design and heirloom vegetables. Source: Library Journal, Dec 01, 2012

Wilkinson, Todd
Last Stand: Ted Turner’s Quest to Save a Troubled Planet
333.72 T953W

Review
The focus here is on CNN founder Turner’s surprising devotion to the environment. Ranging from his concern about endangered species such as prairiedogs to instilling an appreciation of philanthropy in his five children, septuagenarian Turner walks the walk of his beliefs. Source: Publishers Weekly, Feb 25, 2013

Klingaman, William K.
The Year Without Summer: 1816 and the Volcano That Darkened the World
551.21 K65y

Review
The violent eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia, almost unnoticed by the Western world when it happened in 1816, had an enormous global impact. As much as a hundred cubic kilometers of material was ejected, creating a cloud that changed weather everywhere and caused famines and food riots. Source: Library Journal, Feb 01, 2013

Taylor, Marianne
Owls
598.97 T244o

Summary
These wonderful birds share our world so discreetly that you could easily live out several lifetimes without ever seeing one. However, with a little patience and luck, you could step into their realm and enjoy some unforgettable close encounters, whether abroad or at home. Richly illustrated. Source: From the Publisher

Fagin, Tom
Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation
363.720974 F155t

Review
Toms River, NJ is a small town near the shore that grew up around chemical industries and the wartime technology boom of WWII. The author details the history of the town from its founding until now, focusing on the extremely high occurrence of childhood cancer in Toms River. Source: Library Journal, March 01, 2013

Holway, Tatiana M.
The Flower of Empire: An Amazonian Water Lily
580.74 H759f

Review
To gardeners and fans of Victoriana, no flower captures the horticultural exuberance or social excess of those times better than the water lily named after the queen herself. This soccer ball sized flower inspired death-defying voyages of exploration through alligator-infested waters. Source: Booklist, April 01, 2013

Streever, Bill
Heat: Adventures in the World’s Fiery Places
551.415 S915h

Summary
Melting glaciers, warming oceans, droughts-it's clear that today's world is getting hotter. But while we know the agony of a sunburn or the comfort of our winter heaters, do we really understand heat? A bestselling scientist and nature writer sets off to find out what heat really means. Source: From the Publisher

Madison, Deborah
Vegetable Literacy: Cooking and Gardening With Twelve Families
641.65 M182v

Review
Leading vegetarian cooking authority Madison illustrates the similarities between edible plants, teaching readers to become more intuitive cooks.  Madison groups her recipes into 12 vegetable families subdivided by species. This is an ambitious reference, beautifully photographed. Source: Library Journal, March 15, 2013

Saulitis, Eva
Into Great Silence: Discovery and Loss Among Vanishing Orcas
599.536 S256i

Review
When graduate student Saulitis volunteered to help study a group of orcas in Prince William Sound in 1988, she set her life's course and found herself in paradise. A year later that paradise was lost when the wrecked Exxon Valdez spilled millions of gallons of oil into the pristine sea. Source: Booklist, Jan 01, 2013