Natural History Reading- Monday Mindfulness
This week’s Mindful Monday is all about books; or to be more specific reading books! According to health experts reading for just 30 minutes a week has been proven to increase health and wellbeing; it is also a great way to ‘escape’ from the real world for a little while.
I love reading natural history books or those centred around the outdoors, so I thought this week I would share my current favourites as well as two I enjoyed when I was younger in case you are looking to introduce more of the natural world to your children or looking to buy a gift. I have also set myself a target of reading for one hour a week, every week for the rest of the year and have specifically scheduled a time for this into my weekly ‘timetable’ so I do not loose track. Eventually I hope to feed back to this article whether specifically reading for one hour a week has any noticeably benefits.
The Elephant Whisperer – Lawrence Anthony
I first received this book as a birthday present from my mum years and years ago, looking back it may have been the first book in the natural history genre I read and to this day it remains a firm favourite. It follows the real life story of Lawrence Anthony a conservationist, explorer and environmentalist (as well as one of my personal heroes) as he accepts a herd of ‘troubled’ elephants onto his game reserve in Zulu land, South Africa. This book is just a remarkable read, all the way through that I could not recommend highly enough!
Where the deer and antelope play- Nick Offerman
Firstly, let me state how much I am a fan of Nick Offerman, ever since Parks and Rec, I’ve totally loved him! Where the deer and antelope play is an awesome exploration of our relationship with nature and the outdoors. It is both extremely humorous and an inspiring look into nature; which I think should be enjoyed by all.
Tales from the ant world- Edward O. Wilson
Okay, so I will admit this is probably not the exciting book about nature you thought I was going to recommend BUT stay with me now. Edward O. Wilson is one of my personal scientific heroes, his research and insights are amazing and so in turn is this book. It does not bombard you with ant facts (although I will admit my knowledge has increased) but rather discusses Wilson’s journey into science and how others can get involved. I love the personal anecdotes and scientific curiosity that is conveyed in this book.
