Fall 2019Recommended Reading
by Susan Voss and Ivy Sinaiko
Here are the books the FROGS Book Groups are reading:
FROGS Book Group I
The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate: Discoveries From a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben. A German forester’s observations about the processes of life, death, and regeneration of trees. You’ll never look at trees in the same way again after reading this fascinating book.
American Eden: David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic by Victoria Johnson. “The untold story of Hamilton’s―and Burr’s―personal physician, whose dream to build America’s first botanical garden inspired the young Republic.” Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize (History); finalist for the National Book Award (Nonfiction).
FROGS Book Group II
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren. Lab Girl is a beautifully written memoir by a geobiologist who grows up and changes from a little lab sprout into a glorious blooming scientist while she absorbs the wonder and knowledge of the environment that surrounds her. You watch her life change as she handles and describes a plant’s stages of growth.
All The Tea in China: How England Stole the World’s Favorite Drink and Changed History by Sarah Rose. In 1848 the British East India Company, having lost its monopoly on the tea trade, engaged Robert Fortune, a Scottish gardener, botanist, and plant hunter, to make a clandestine trip into the interior of China—territory forbidden to foreigners—to steal the closely guarded secrets of tea horticulture and manufacturing. For All the Tea in China is the remarkable account of Fortune’s journeys into China—a thrilling narrative that combines history, geography, botany, natural science, and old-fashioned adventure…one of the most daring acts of corporate espionage in history.
Also of note—two books new to the Horticulture Center Gift Shop:
Everyday Sanctuary, A Workbook for Designing a Sacred Garden Space by Jesse Bloom. This book has inspiring ideas for finding peace in your own space, and who couldn’t use more peace? Themes include establishing your own powerful rituals, exploring the healing properties of plants, and deepening your connection with nature.
The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden. First issued in 1977, this is a facsimile reproduction of a naturalist’s diary for the year 1906. The illustrations are beautiful; the text old-fashioned yet still relevant. It’s easy to get lost in this book, an invitation to time traveling.
And a new book in the children’s corner of the Green Spring library:
Karl, Get Out of the Garden! Carolus Linnaeus and the Naming of Everything by Anita Sanchez. Though aimed at children, this book could be an entertaining read for anyone interested in how plants got their names. It came to Green Spring Gardens courtesy of a generous donor and our Amazon Wish List. If you wish to contribute via this list, here’s how:
Go to Friends of Green Spring Gardens (FROGS) on Amazon to see what's on our Wishlist. To help grow our library, select a book from this Wishlist and click 'Add to Cart' to purchase. Please use the gift card message to provide notification information. If your purchase is in memory or honor of someone, include the name and address of the person you wish us to notify. Book plates will be added to your book selection, honoring this person.
