By Cincinnati Nature Center Naturalist Bob Buring for the January 10, 2024 issue of Now in Nature.

So, we have satisfied ourselves with a frigid foray into the natural world, followed by a retreat indoors, where we can ensconce in a comfy chair with a blanket, warm socks, a hot drink, and a book.

But what should we read?

Should we go for enhanced knowledge of our favorite topics, exploring an unfamiliar perspective, or pure escapism?

To avoid an analysis paralysis of choosing a book, begin with a comfortable read followed by choosing one a bit more challenging. A list of suggestions from peers and friends might make the task a bit easier.

Our Winter hibernation seems to last forever – why not emerge in Spring more tolerant and wiser?

At the Cincinnati Nature Center we have a formidable collection of naturalist staff, volunteers, and outside teaching talent. What follows are reading suggestions from each:

Jeff Corney, PhD – Executive Director, Cincinnati Nature Center:

• Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer

• The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan

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Brenda Hunda, PhD – Invertebrate Paleontologist, Cincinnati Museum Center:

• The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet by Jeff Goodell

• The Mill Creek: An Unnatural History of an Urban Stream by Stan Hedeen

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Connie O’Connor – Director of Applied Learning, Cincinnati Nature Center:

• The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben

• Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake

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Anne Horne – Public Engagement Manager, Cincinnati Nature Center:

• A Guide to Nature in Winter: Northeast and North Central North America by Donald W. Stokes

• Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de Waal

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Melissa Sabo – School Program Manager, Cincinnati Nature Center:

• Journey to the Ants: A Story of Scientific Exploration by Bert Holldobler & E.O. Wilson

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Anne Robinson – Visitor Services Manager, Cincinnati Nature Center:

• The New Wild: Why Invasive Species Will Be Nature's Salvation by Fred Pearce

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Jen Gillen – Staff Naturalist, School Programs, Cincinnati Nature Center:

• The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior by David A. Sibley

• The Bluebird Effect: Uncommon Bonds with Common Birds by Julie Zickafoose

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Bob Buring – Staff Naturalist, School Programs & OCVN Program, Cincinnati Nature Center:

• Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature by Janine M. Benyus

• The Ends of the World by Peter Brannen

• The Natural History of the Cincinnati Region by Stan Hedeen

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Andy Fix – Cincinnati Nature Center volunteer, naturalist, birder, and retired veterinary pathologist:

• The Last Prairie: A Sandhills Journal by Stephen R. Jones

• Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds by Scott Weidensaul

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Jeanette Tacon – Naturalist, Cincinnati Nature Center:

• Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses by Robin Wall Kimmerer