Announcing the Winner! - Reading Naturally Challenge 2019

Third time pays for all!

Another year of the Reading Naturally Challenge is in the books, and the good intentions of others (including me) fell by the wayside, leaving plenty of space for the enthusiastic participation of Carolyn of Riedel Fascination. She ran circles around the rest of us, reading 35 books in 12 categories! (Her list and reviews are posted here.)

For her achievement, Carolyn will receive a prize package that combines outdoorsy and reading-related goodies, including the Orion Book Award winner or finalist of her choice. Congratulations, Carolyn!

With regret, I have decided not to host this challenge for 2020. Limited time plus limited resources equals hard decisions sometimes, and this is one of those times. If anyone would like to take it over, I will be happy to pass it along. The Orion Book Award winners and finalists are uniformly interesting, inspiring, and deserving of wider recognition.

Catching Up

And here we go! Lots of things are in play throughout my life right now, so here's another of those list-intensive posts . . . .

1. The reading challenges I'm hosting for 2019 are now closed. I think I'm caught up with everyone's sign-ups and books read so far. If you don't see yourself and your books, please give me a shout.

2. Prizes from 2018 are gathered and being posted soon. If you're a winner, I'll let you know when I actually make it to the post office.

3. Since my last post I landed a fabulous new job with a law firm and finished my first week this past week. Yay, me! I will miss doing water advocacy, and the fabulous people I got to work with on a daily basis for a supremely important cause. (I plan to keep volunteering, though.) After the semester ends, I suspect I will also miss teaching. BUT the new job pays more than the other 3 jobs combined, and comes with a generous benefits package. Ultimately, I had to make a practical decision . . .  and I was recruited by a good friend who's worked there several years and loves it. That made it especially difficult to resist.

4. Thanks to #3, I expect to recover my weekends -- rather than spending them getting ready for juggling 3 sets of responsibilities during the week to come. That should mean more time for outdoor fun, reading, and even blogging. We'll see if that holds!

5. Meanwhile, baseball season has started with the local college team. And my wild yard is producing multitudes of volunteer flowers with no prompting whatsoever from me. I'm even going to enter it into a contest for the most "river-friendly" yard, meaning no fertilizer, pesticides, watering, or other interventions. That makes it easy on Mother Nature and the river, as well as on the local wildlife large and small.

Life is good!

Thanks for your patience with my sporadic check-ins. I'll see you again soon! 

RNC 2019 Progress & Reviews

Are you reading naturally this year, as part of the Reading Naturally Challenge? (Review the rules here, if you need to. Note that sign-ups for this challenge are now closed.)

If so, this is the place to keep me posted on your progress, with books read and your reviews and reactions. Remember, when you finish your list, you get a little sur-prize!

Andrea - Exposed to Nature (sign-up in comments here)

Carolyn - Riedel Fascination (sign-up)

Reading Naturally Challenge 2019

Note: Sign-ups for this challenge are now closed. 

Reading comes naturally, right, so why not read something natural? This challenge encourages reading books about nature from a variety of perspectives.

The categories are intentionally broad and numerous, and both fiction and non-fiction are eligible. All genres are eligible, too, so everything from a camping how-to book to a Harlequin romance can qualify! 

Even if you're not outdoorsy, you'll find something to suit you. Reading outdoors is highly recommended, but optional.

RULES

1. Join anytime before March 1, 2019. The challenge ends at midnight EST on January 15, 2020.

2. Choose your reading level:

     Exposed to Nature: Read 1 to 3 books
     Engaged with Nature: Read 4 to 6 books
     Immersed in Nature: Read 7 or more books

3. Books can be fiction or non-fiction, any genre.

4. Choose your books from some of these categories -- or pick them yourself!

CLASSIC 

written by Rachel Carson, Henry David Thoreau, Aldo Leopold, 

Gary Snyder, or another giant of science or conservation 

OUTDOORS GEAR ON THE COVER 

backpack, snowshoes, snorkel and fins, etc.

ANIMAL OR BIRD RELATED 

OUTDOORSY HEROINE

WATER RELATED

DYSTOPIA FLAVORED

emphasizing future consequences

EXTREME ELEMENT

sailing around the world, mountain climbing, etc.

PLANT RELATED 

SET IN A WILDERNESS LOCALE

SPIRITUAL 

emphasizing connection

SKILLS RELATED

how to camp, kayak, survive in the woods, etc.

ADVOCACY RELATED 

speaking up for nature

BIOGRAPHY OR MEMOIR OF AN ENVIRONMENTALIST/CONSERVATIONIST 

Jacques Cousteau, Jane Goodall, Teddy Roosevelt, or another nature advocate

ORION BOOK AWARD WINNER OR FINALIST

any year, any subject (2016 winners and finalists here, 

earlier winners and finalists here)

5. Books may come from your TBR pile or list, but they don’t have to.

6. Overlaps with other challenges are allowed and encouraged.

7. Lists must be determined and posted in the comments on this post before the challenge closing date of March 1, 2019. After that date, books may be substituted at any time.

8. Reviews and reactions are encouraged, but you don’t need a blog to participate. Goodreads is just fine.

9. Progress will be tracked at a “Progress & Reviews page” in the sidebar.

10. Please pass the word about this challenge! A sign-up post on your blog would be excellent. Feel free to borrow the button for display, too.

PRIZES

When you meet your reading goal, you'll receive a small, fun, nature-related prize personally selected for you!

GRAND PRIZE

Soon after the challenge closes on January 15, 2020, all the readers who've met their reading goals will be entered into a drawing for a new or gently used copy of the Orion Book Award winner or finalist of their choice. Any reader who has already read an Orion Book Award winner or finalist as part of the challenge (see categories suggested above) will receive an extra entry into the drawing. Doesn't that sound nice?

If you're in, sign up below by leaving a message in the comments with your list or a link.

Announcing the Winner! - Reading Naturally Challenge 2018

The second year of the Reading Naturally Challenge again saw light participation. Even I (accompanied by my best intentions) only read 3 of the 13 books I intended to read. Not much of an example, I am -- unless being a bad example counts!

Once again, Carolyn of Riedel Fascination ran circles around the rest of us, reading a plethora of books in 15 of the 17 categories! (Check out her accomplishment here.)

In recognition of her achievement, Carolyn will receive a prize package that combines outdoorsy and reading-related goodies, including the Orion Book Award winner or finalist of her choice. Congratulations, Carolyn! 

To everyone who was interested in this challenge, please accept my sincere thanks. I will be hosting again in 2019, with a few simplified rules. I will also be including nature-related books in my other reading challenges and I invite you to do the same.

As a point of fact, every book is a "nature-related book" because without breathable air, drinkable water, pollinating insects for our food, natural materials like paper, and a host of other necessities that Nature provides us every day for free, no books would be written or read. Aside for the cultural and spiritual benefits of the outdoors, the natural world sustains us in a very basic way every day and deserves our gratitude and attention. Please join me in some consciousness-raising reading this year!

Classic for a Reason

After years of reading excerpts from Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac, and even after visiting his family's famous shack and the nearby educational center operated by The Aldo Leopold Foundation, I finally sat down to read it cover to cover. How happy I am that I finally did!

In a series of short essays tracing the seasons from January to December, followed by a handful of place-oriented pieces, Leopold blends his views of the often uneasy relationship between modern humankind and ancient-but-evolving Nature with his sharp and careful observations of phenomena in the field. It's a satisfying pairing that makes his vision of an ecosystem-wide "land ethic" accessible and understandable to the humans who are also part of that land community, whether they come to the book as naturalists, or not. 

It's no wonder that this work -- ahead of its time when published in 1949, after Leopold's death -- has endured among environmentalists and others who care enough to explore the possibility of a positive, supportive, unexploitive relationship between humans and the places they live. Leopold has a knack for pushing the reader toward certain conclusions, without being overbearing about it. His words are saturated with love and enthusiasm, without sentimentality or idealization of the realities of the food web. After all, Leopold was a hunter as well as a conservationist. 

May this classic continue to inspire generations of readers to participate more consciously, more actively, and more gently in the broad natural systems that surround them.

Excerpt (regarding the passenger pigeon, extinct since September 1, 1914, when the last known pigeon died):

There will always be pigeons in books and in museums, but these are effigies and images, dead to all hardships and to all delights. Book-pigeons cannot dive out of a cloud to make the deer run for cover, or clap their wings in thunderous applause of mast-laden woods. Book-pigeons cannot breakfast on new-mown wheat in Minnesota, and dine on blueberries in Canada. They know no urge of seasons; they feel no kiss of sun, no lash of wind and weather. They live forever by not living at all.

Our grandfathers were less well-housed, well-fed, well-clothed than we are. The strivings by which they bettered their lot are also those which deprived us of pigeons. Perhaps we now grieve because we are not sure, in our hearts, that we have gained by the exchange. The gadgets of industry bring us more comforts than the pigeons did, but do they add as much to the glory of the spring?

Note: I read this book for the Reading Naturally Challenge 2018 and the Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2018.

Reading Challenges Update

If you're part of the Birth Year Reading Challenge, the Dread & Read Challenge, or the Reading Naturally Challenge, this post is for you!

I apologize that I've gotten so far behind on your comments and reported progress. Thanks to Marina Jevdokimova's tactful comment, I realize I have lots of catching up to do! I'll get to that ASAP so please keep an eye open for updates, and thank you for your patience.

The Dread & Read Challenge is still open until December 1, as is the Reading Naturally Challenge. If you're feeling the urge to enter, there's still time. 

And if you happen to know it got to be (yikes!) November already, please explain it to me!

Reading Naturally Challenge 2018 - My Sign-Up

This is the second year for the Reading Naturally Challenge 2018 and I hope to do much better with it this year!

Sign-ups are still open here and the rules are simple:  Choose your reading level by how many books you'd like to commit to reading. Then choose one book per category (fiction or non-fiction, any genre) from the categories identified. Categories include Classics, Animal or Bird Related, Outdoorsy Heroine, Set in a Wilderness Locale, and several more.

The idea is that even if you like reading, say, cozy mysteries, you could probably easily find one that had an outdoorsy heroine or was set in a wilderness locale. Nature thoroughly infuses so much of what we do--and what we read!--that the categories ought to be easy to fill.

There are prizes, too! Doing the reading might be enough of a prize, but a little extra incentive never hurts!

My level: Immersed in Nature (7 or more books--all from the TBR list!)

1. Plant Related: Plants as Persons: A Philosophical Botany - Matthew Hall
2. Classic: A Sand County Almanac - Aldo Leopold (review)
3. Set in a Wilderness Locale: Swamplandia! - Karen Russell (Orion Book Award finalist)
4. Spiritual: The Earth Path: Grounding Your Spirit in the Rhythms of Nature - Starhawk
5. Dystopia Flavored: Apocalyptic Planet: Field Guide to the Everending Earth - Craig Childs (Orion Book Award)
6. Extreme Element: Return to Wild America: A Yearlong Search for the Continent's Natural Soul - Scott Weidensal
7. Outdoorsy Heroine: Flight Behavior -Barbara Kingsolver (Orion Book Award finalist) (review)
8. Skills Related: Joy of Backpacking: Your Complete Guide to Attaining Pure Happiness in the Outdoors - Brian Beffort
9. Current Issue: The New Normal: An Agenda for Responsible Living - David Wann
10. Water Related: River-Horse: Across America by Boat - William Least Heat-Moon
11. Orion Book Award Winner: 2012 winner: The View from Lazy Point - Carl Safina
12. Biography or Memoir of an Environmentalist or Conservationist: A Naturalist in Florida: A Celebration of Eden - Archie Carr
13. Animal or Bird Related: H Is for Hawk - Helen MacDonald (Orion Book Award finalist) (review)

Announcing the Winner! - Reading Naturally Challenge 2017

This was the first year for the Reading Naturally Challenge and participation was light. Heck, even I didn't do the reading I signed on for, and I'm the host.

What this challenge lacked in quantity was more than offset by the quality of reading and enthusiasm provided by Carolyn of Riedel Fascination! She knocked the categories out of the park, reading and reviewing a total of 43 books in 14 of the 17 categories, along with some helpful suggestions for improving the challenge in future years. For her efforts, Carolyn will receive a prize package that combines outdoorsy and reading-related goodies, including the Orion Book Award winner or finalist of her choice. Congratulations, Carolyn!   

A hearty and grateful thank you goes out to everyone who was interested in this challenge. I invite you to sign up here for the 2018 version. 

Reading Naturally Challenge 2017 - Reading Wrap-Up

Actually, this should probably be called the Nonreading Wrap-Up, because much as I wanted to accomplish this challenge, I failed miserably by reading only one of the 12 books I identified as my goal.

Sigh.

It just didn't get prioritized, and that's all I can say.

Here's to better luck and better choices in 2018! I'm going to roll over the books to see if I can make them happen. Mother Nature has a long time frame for some things, and so shall I.

If you'd like to join the Reading Naturally Challenge for 2018, check it out here. It has many fun options and any genre qualifies, so it works even if you're not particularly outdoorsy.

Reading Naturally Challenge 2018 - Progress & Reviews

Are you reading naturally this year, as part of the Reading Naturally Challenge? (Find out more and sign-up here before December 1, if you want to join in. Update: This challenge is now closed.)

Personally, I'm looking forward to the extra incentive to "get around to" the nature-related books on my shelves. How about you?

Please let me know how you're doing as the year goes on (reviews and reactions would be nice, even if just 1-2 sentences). I'll post your progress, congratulate you, and send out your prize as quickly as possible.

ici: Engaged with Nature (4-6 books)

OwlReadMore2: Immersed in Nature (7 or more books)

Carolyn Riedel at Riedel Fascination: Immersed in Nature (7 or more books) (sign-up post) (wrap-up post with reviews) Completed
1. Animal or Bird Related: The Mounties: Tales of Adventure and Danger in the Early Days - Elle Andra-Warner; The Tale of Ginger and Pickles - Beatrix Potter; Billy and His Friends Rescue Betsy Bear - Kevin Donovan; Great Cat Stories: Inspirational Tales About Exceptional Cats - Roxanne Willems Snopek; Cat Miracles: Inspiring True Tales of Remarkable Felines - Brag Steiger & Sherry Hansen Steiger; 10 Drowsy Dinosaurs - Wendy Frood Auger & Les Drew; Over in the Meadow (A Musical Story / Play) - Pamela Conn Beall & Susan Hagen Nipp; Gypsy’s Fortune - Caroline Stellings; How Do Dinosaurs Count To Ten? -  Jane Yolen & Mark Teague
2. Outdoor Gear on the Cover: The Mystery Of Cabin Island - Leslie McFarlane; Murder Will Travel - Emily Toll; Little Audrey and the Moon Lady - Harvey Cartoon Studios; When Grandma and Grandpa Rode the White Pass Train - Bernd & Susan Richter
3. Outdoorsy Heroine: Surfacing - Margaret Atwood; The Lion in the Valley - Elizabeth Peters; Street of Five Moons - Elizabeth Peters; Catnap - Carole Nelson Douglas; The Old Fox Deceiv’d - Martha Grimes
4. Current Issue: Nobody Likes Trina - Phyllis A. Whitney; Dead and Buried - Howard Engel; The Late Mrs. Fonsell - Velda Johnston
5. Water Related: Bluegate Fields - Anne Perry; A Nice Class Of Corpse - Simon Brett; Daring to Dream - Nora Roberts; Miss Zukas and the Library Murders - Jo Dereske; Scuffy the Tugboat - Tibor Gergely & Gertrude Crampton
6. New (published in 2015*, 2016, or 2017): Ghost Gifts - Laura Spinella; In  a Dark, Dark Wood - Ruth Ware; The Other Side of Midnight - Simone St. James
7. Dystopia-Flavored: Barometer Rising - Hugh MacLennan; The Tin Flute - Gabrielle Roy; Bells of Freedom - Dorothy Gilman; The Silence - Sarah Rayne
8. Extreme Element: The Secret Treasure of Oak Island - D’Arcy O’Connor; The Mystery of the Lost Lemon Mine - Ron Stewart; Extreme Canadian Weather - Joan Dixon; Little Lost Lamb - Margaret Wise Brown (Golden MacDonald) & Leonard Weisgard
9. Season Related: Manitoba Stories - Joan Parr (editor); The Brutal Telling - Louise Penny; A Killing Spring - Gail Bowen; Arthur’s Hallowe’en - Marc Brown; Franklin’s Hallowe’en - Paulette Bourgeois & Brenda Clark
10. Plant Related: The Murder Stone - Louise Penny; A Medium for Murder - Mignon Warner; The Garden of Friendship - Thomas Kinkade; One Corpse Too Many - Ellis Peters
11. Set in a Wilderness Locale: Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen; The Sea for Breakfast - Lillian Beckwith; The Shimmering Stones of Winter’s Light - Constance Walker; A Great Deliverance - Elizabeth George; The House of Broken Dolls - Dorothy Daniels
12. Spiritual: Haunted - Ophelia Julien; Ghosts of Government House - Judith Silverthorne; The Strangers on Montagu Street - Karen White; Arrow Book of Ghost Stories - Nora Kramer & George Wilde; Mysterious Brockville - Nancy Wickwire Fraser; A Ghost in the House - Betty Ren Wright; Adventures of a Psychic - Sylvia Browne & Antoinette May
13. Skills Related: The Bears of Broadway - Cancer Care Manitoba; Mistress of Mellyn - Victoria Holt; Murder on Astor Place - Victoria Thompson; Evans Above - Rhys Bowen; Ghost Abbey - Robert Westall
14. Advocacy Related: The Hot Pink Farmhouse - David Handler; Ghost Hotel - Larry Weinberg; Penny Visits Oak Hammock Marsh - Carol & Kristin Szuminsky & Jack Brown
15. Biography or Memoir of an Environmentalist or Conservationist: His Banner Over Me - Jean Little; Driftwood and Other Poems - P.J. Peters; The Jesus Mystery (Of Lost Years and Unknown Travels) - Janet Bock

Margie: Immersed in Nature (7 or more books) (sign-up in comments here)
1. Non-Fiction Nature Classic: Land of Little Rain - Mary Austin (Penguin classic & a wonderful memoir about life in the Mojave desert)
2. Outdoor Gear on Cover: What If: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions - Randall Munroe (has a harness on the cover)
3. Animal Related: Going Bovine - Libby Bray (protagonist gets "mad cow disease")
4. Extreme Element: Calvin - Martine Leavitt (protagonist attempts to cross one of the Great Lakes in the middle of winter - this one could also work for the "skills" category as well)
5. Season Related: Slow Storm - Danica Novgorodoff (story centers around tornado season)
6. Plant Related: A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness (protagonist is haunted by a tree)
7. Set in a Wilderness Locale: Ruby - Cynthia Bond (much of the story takes place in the woods surrounding a very isolated community)
8. Spiritual/Emphasizing Connection: Bog Child - Siobahn Dowd (protagonist finds body that was preserved in an Irish bog and starts seeing visions of her life)
9. Skills Related: Wild Bird - Wendelin van Draanen (angry teen protagonist forced to go to Utah wilderness rehab camp and has to learn to make fire, find water, etc.)

J.G. at Hotchpot Cafe: Immersed in Nature (7 or more books) (sign-up post) (host: not eligible for prizes)

Reading Naturally Challenge 2018

The purpose of this challenge is simple: encouraging readers to dip their reading toes into books that will deepen their understanding of nature via excellent writing about a variety of subjects. Renewing our connection with the natural world is good for us on many levels--let's spread that around!

READING NATURALLY CHALLENGE 

Reading comes naturally, right, so why not read something natural? The categories are intentionally broad and numerous, and both fiction and non-fiction are eligible. All genres are eligible, too, so everything from a camping how-to book to a Harlequin romance can qualify! Reading outdoors is highly recommended, but optional.

Even if you're not outdoorsy, you'll find something to suit you. That's the point, actually: Nature is everywhere, around us and within us. After all, as Wendell Berry says, "The earth is what we all have in common"--but there are many good ways to approach that.

RULES

1. Join anytime before December 1, 2018. The challenge ends at midnight EST on December 31, 2018.

2. Choose your reading level:

     Exposed to Nature: Read 1 to 3 books 
     Engaged with Nature: Read 4 to 6 books
     Immersed in Nature: Read 7 or more books

3. Choose from these categories (one book per category, fiction or non-fiction, any genre):

*Classic: written by Rachel Carson, Henry David Thoreau, Aldo Leopold, Gary Snyder, or another giant in the field
*Outdoors Gear on the Cover: backpack, snowshoes, snorkel and fins, etc.
*Animal or Bird Related
*Outdoorsy Heroine
*Current Issue: climate change, biodiversity loss, etc.
*Water Related
*New: published in 2017 or 2018
*Dystopia Flavored: emphasizing future consequences
*Extreme Element: sailing around the world, mountain climbing, etc.
*Season Related
*Plant Related
*Set in a Wilderness Locale
*Spiritual: emphasizing connection
*Skills Related: how to camp, kayak, survive in the woods, etc.
*Advocacy Related: speaking up for nature
*Biography or Memoir of an Environmentalist or Conservationist: Jacques Cousteau, Jane Goodall, Teddy Roosevelt, or another nature advocate
*Orion Book Award winner or finalist: any year, any subject (2016 winners here, earlier winners here)

4. Books may come from your TBR pile or list, but they don’t have to.

5. Overlaps with other challenges are allowed and encouraged.

6. Change your list at any time.

7. Reviews and reactions are encouraged, but you don’t need a blog to participate.

8. Progress will be tracked at a “Progress & Reviews page” in the sidebar.

9. Please pass the word about this challenge! A sign-up post on your blog would be excellent. Feel free to borrow the button for display, too.

PRIZES

When you meet your reading goal, you'll receive a small, fun, nature-related prize personally selected for you!

CATEGORY PRIZES

On January 15, 2019, all the readers who've met their goals in each category will be entered into a drawing for a prize package combining bookish and outdoorsy interests. The prize package will include, among other things, an Orion Book Award winner or finalist of your choice. What could be nicer?
 
So, are you in? If so, sign up below by leaving a message in the comments with your list or a link.

Almost December

It's such a cliche to lament how quickly the year passes and the new year comes on . . . so I'll skip that part.

One of the realities of this time of year is that reading challenges are nearing their deadlines. I'm not going to make a few of mine, unless I put on a tremendous push (highly unlikely with my schedule). I've already hatched a plan to minimize failure by being strategic about this last month, salvaging what I can.

Meanwhile, the challenges I'm hosting are also coming to an end.

The Birth Year Reading Challenge has been going great guns, which is lovely to see via the progress page. This is by far my most popular challenge. Those of you who're participating may want to check your progress, to make sure you're meeting your reading goals and eligible for a prize in January. But no worries if you're lagging a bit. I've only read 1 of the 3 books on my list, so I'm not much of an example -- whereas Bev at My Reader's Block has set the pace.

The Reading Naturally Challenge is new this year and sign-ups are still open until December 1, so if you want to dive in with what you've already read so far, feel free. Multiple categories should make it easy to find something you qualify for. I haven't done very well on this one at all, but I haven't given up, either. The progress page tells the tale. Check in if you're reading along, to make sure the prizes don't elude you in the 11th hour. That said, the inimitable Carolyn of Riedel Fascination is leaving the lot of us in the dust!

Last but not least, the Dread & Read Challenge, another newbie, also remains open for sign-ups until December 1. Why not fill it with one of the books you finally got around to this year? I'm still procrastinating my dreaded books like crazy, and maybe I'm not the only one! It's been pretty quiet at the progress page, and I suspect Neer of A Hot Cup of Pleasure is going to swoop in soon with those other books she's happy to get off her TBR list. This one may come down to the wire. Still, it's prizes for everyone who reads what they said they'd read, so you have nothing to lose. 

Onward! Strategically, of course.

Reading Naturally Challenge 2017: My Sign-Up

I'm definitely having fun with this one--to show what's possible with the categories--and looking forward to each of these in a different way.

It's my first year hosting the Reading Naturally Challenge, so if you'd like to sign up, please check it out here.

My level: Immersed in Nature (7 or more books--all from the TBR list!)

1. Plant Related: Plants as Persons: A Philosophical Botany - Matthew Hall
2. Classic: A Sand County Almanac - Aldo Leopold
3. Set in a Wilderness Locale: Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness - Edward Abbey (review)
4. Spiritual: The Earth Path: Grounding Your Spirit in the Rhythms of Nature - Starhawk
5. Dystopia Flavored: Apocalyptic Planet: Field Guide to the Everending Earth - Craig Childs
6. Extreme Element: Return to Wild America: A Yearlong Search for the Continent's Natural Soul - Scott Weidensal
7. Outdoorsy Heroine: Flight Behavior: A Novel - Barbara Kingsolver
8. Skills Related: Joy of Backpacking: Your Complete Guide to Attaining Pure Happiness in the Outdoors - Brian Beffort
9. Current Issue: The New Normal: An Agenda for Responsible Living - David Wann
10. Water Related: River-Horse: Across America by Boat - William Least Heat-Moon
11. Orion Book Award Winner: 2012 winner: The View from Lazy Point - Carl Safina
12. Biography or Memoir of an Environmentalist or Conservationist: A Naturalist in Florida: A Celebration of Eden - Archie Carr

That last one's a bit of a stretch, but Archie Carr was personally acquainted with the creatures and places he wrote about, not just as an author doing research but as a long-time Florida resident who spent his weekends at a remote cabin in the sandhills of Ocala, very much like Aldo Leopold's "shack" in Wisconsin. I've been lucky enough to visit the cabin, which is not open to the public, and it is a gorgeous, inspirational place that makes one's heart swell with the natural beauty of Florida.

Here's a brief video of the cabin as it is today, after restoration. You can see more pictures and short videos, and read a lot more about the cabin here. It's a Florida treasure.

Reading Naturally Challenge 2017 - Progress & Reviews

Are you reading naturally this year, as part of the Reading Naturally Challenge? (Sign-up is now closed, but you can find the rules here, if you want to know more.)

Personally, I'm looking forward to the extra incentive to "get around to" the nature-related books on my shelves. How about you?

Please let me know how you're doing as the year goes on (reviews and reactions would be nice, even if just 1-2 sentences). I'll post your progress and congratulate you as quickly as possible.

Debbie at ExUrbanis: Exposed to Nature (1-3 books) (sign-up coming soon)

The Book Dragon at Book Dragon's Lair (sign-up post)

Carolyn at Riedel Fascination: Immersed in Nature (10 books "so far") (sign-up post)

J.G. at Hotchpot Cafe: Immersed in Nature (11 books) (sign-up post) (wrap-up post) (host: not eligible for prizes)

Reading Naturally Challenge 2017

The purpose of this challenge is simple: encouraging readers to dip their reading toes into books that will deepen their understanding of nature via excellent writing about a variety of subjects. It's my personal conviction that renewing our connection with the natural world is good for us on many levels, and I'd like to spread that around. And so:

READING NATURALLY CHALLENGE 

Reading comes naturally, right, so why not read something natural? The categories are intentionally broad and numerous, and both fiction and non-fiction are eligible. All genres are eligible, too, so everything from a camping how-to book to a Harlequin romance can qualify! Reading outdoors is highly recommended, but optional.

Even if you're not outdoorsy, you'll find something to suit you. That's the point, actually: Nature is everywhere, around us and within us. After all, as Wendell Berry says, "The earth is what we all have in common"--but there are many good ways to approach that.

RULES

1. Join anytime before December 1, 2017. The challenge ends at midnight EST on December 31, 2017.

2. Choose your reading level:

     Exposed to Nature: Read 1 to 3 books   

     Engaged with Nature: Read 4 to 6 books

     Immersed in Nature: Read 7 or more books 

3. Choose from these categories (one book per category, fiction or non-fiction, any genre):

     *Classic: written by Rachel Carson, Henry David Thoreau, Aldo Leopold, Gary                               Snyder, or another giant in the field
     *Outdoors Gear on the Cover: backpack, snowshoes, snorkel and fins, etc.
     *Animal or Bird Related
     *Outdoorsy Heroine
     *Current Issue: climate change, biodiversity loss, etc.
     *Water Related
     *New: published in 2016 or 2017
     *Dystopia Flavored: emphasizing future consequences
     *Extreme Element: sailing around the world, mountain climbing, etc.
     *Season Related
     *Plant Related
     *Set in a Wilderness Locale
     *Spiritual: emphasizing connection
     *Skills Related: how to camp, kayak, survive in the woods, etc.
     *Advocacy Related: speaking up for nature
     *Biography or Memoir of an Environmentalist or Conservationist: Jacques      
               Cousteau, Jane Goodall, Teddy Roosevelt, or another nature advocate
     *Orion Book Award winner or finalist: any year, any subject

4. Books may come from your TBR pile or list, but they don’t have to.

5. Overlaps with other challenges are allowed and encouraged.

6. Change your list at any time.

7. Reviews and reactions are encouraged, but you don’t need a blog to participate.

8. Progress will be tracked at a “headquarters page” in the sidebar.

9. Please pass the word about this challenge! A sign-up post on your blog would be excellent. Feel free to borrow the button for display, too.

PRIZES

When you meet your reading goal, you'll receive a small, fun, nature-related prize personally selected for you!

CATEGORY PRIZES

On January 1, 2018, all the readers who've met their goals in each category will be entered into a drawing for a prize package combining bookish and outdoorsy interests. The prize package will include, among other things, an Orion Book Award winner or finalist of your choice. What could be nicer?
   
So, are you in? I certainly hope so! Sign up below by leaving a message in the comments with your list or a link.