Wednesday, August 25, 2021

 

I recently finished reading Underland: A Deep Time Journey by Robert Macfarlane. This book is wide ranging in the subjects Macfarlane delves into. His focus throughout the book is places underground that people tend to ignore because they are often off-limits or at least difficult to get to. To him this means everything from soil and caves to human built places like the Paris catacombs and underground labs where scientists search for dark matter. I really enjoyed going on this journey with him and exploring such places as underground lakes and rivers in Italy, caves in England, forest soils in London and glaciers in Greenland. Macfarlane does a wonderful job describing all of these places, and he piqued my interest into many topics. I’ve rounded up some books we have in our collection that Macfarlane either referred to or cover topics he touched on. Happy exploring and don’t forget a flashlight!

 

Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest by Suzanne Simard

The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben          

The Overstory by Richard Powers

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Wisconsin Underground: A Guide to Caves, Mines, and Tunnels In and Around the Badger States by Doris Green

Paris: The Secret History by Andrew Hussey

All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat

Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs: The Astounding Interconnectedness of the Universe by Lisa Randall

Einstein’s Telescope: The Hunt for Dark Matter and Dark Energy in the Universe by Evalyn Gates

Underground: A Human History of the Worlds Beneath Our Feet by Will Hunt

Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver by Jill Heinerth

Encyclopedia of Caves, edited by David Culver and William B. White

In Oceans Deep: Courage, Innovation and Adventure Beneath the Waves by Bill Streever

"Greenland is Melting” in The New Yorker by Elizabeth Kolbert (Oct. 2016)