Nature Books & Reading Adventures | August 2025
Rivers & woods | The Rights of Nature | Tiny creatures | Travels through the Americas & Norway
Hello, I’m Claudia, and Happy Quiet Life is where I share my view on the world as a Highly Sensitive Person. You’ll find reflections and stories about slowing down & living simpler, reconnecting with nature, mental health & self-care, books & reading adventures. Welcome!
Nature writing has become my favourite genre over the last year or so, and there are months when I seem to read nothing else (or can’t find anything else worth mentioning). There are so many interesting topics and wonderful books out there.
August has brought me some excellent nature books, thought-provoking, inspiring and fascinating (even when I least expected it).
I’ve travelled along rivers in Ecuador, India and Canada, followed the hummingbirds through the Americas, met the most important creatures in my garden and went to Norway twice. All in one month. I love books! :)
A Year in the Woods: Twelve Small Journeys into Nature (Torbjørn Ekelund)
If you’ve seen my most recent post, you know about my ongoing journey to reconnect with nature and to do it gently and in small steps. Norwegian nature writer Torbjørn Ekelund shares his own creative method for immersing himself in nature more.
As a child, everything he did was influenced by nature, he was at one with it. As an adult, however, he experienced an unwelcome distance, he felt like he now stood outside and observed.
This really resonated with me.
The author started out to repeat a small, simple ritual: to leave the city after work one day per month, camp near the same tiny pond in the forest, and return to work the next day. He keeps this up for a year, usually goes alone and uses his time for reflection, noticing and appreciation.
His ‘micro-expeditions’ are deliberately kept small. This applies to distances, experiences and the length of stay in the forest. It makes it manageable for him (and probably for most people) in a busy life.
This is not a book specifically about woods, he doesn't write that much explicitly about them. He chose the location because it reminded him of his childhood, but ultimately, it serves as a starting point for further topics related to nature, the perception of nature, etc. And he has a lot to say.
A Year in the Woods asks to reconsider our relationship with the natural world. It’s a modest, sensitive, also humorous book, beautifully written, accessible, and engaging.
What stood out for me is his honesty. Eklund doesn’t hide that it’s sometimes boring and it’s never perfect. There’s not always a message or big insight on his day and night out. It doesn't always have to be something great. Yes, it is sometimes cold, dark, wet - and that’s it. The author doesn't make himself out to be bigger or wiser than he is. Very refreshing and an interesting read nontheless!
I could also relate to his great respect for nature. It’s neither just a beautiful backdrop for our activities nor a resource to be utilised as we please.
Is a River Alive? (Robert Macfarlane)
Our language, laws, and economies still treat rivers as inanimate resources - channels to be controlled, polluted and utilised. But can that be right?
Isn’t it crazy that we give rights to a company that has been around for two years, but deny those rights to a river that is ten thousand years old? Water is life. The river is life.
Nature should have rights similar to humans, companies and organisations, the Rights of Nature movement claims. Inspired by the activists, artists and lawmakers, Macfarlane explores the past, present and futures of this ancient, urgent concept.
He delves into the deep cultural, ecological, and spiritual bonds between people and waterways and undertakes three journeys. They take him to the river regions of the Rio Los Cedros in Ecuador, the Mutehekau Shipu in Canada and the Adyar in India where he meets local activists, scientists and others who fight for the rights of nature, the protection of rivers and habitats. He tells of his own experiences and also weaves their stories into his work.
Recognizing rivers as living entities, the author argues, is essential to restoring our damaged ecosystems. It calls for a radical reimagining of law, language, and land.
The book is passionate, immersive and insightful. Until now, I had only read legal texts on the subject, which were not always easy to understand or were a bit dry to read, but this book takes a whole new approach. It tells stories that really draw you in. It’s lively and captivating, deeply moving and beautifully written.
This is the book that touched, moved and inspired me the most this year. (As the subject of the Rights of Nature is close to my heart, I might explore it more deeply in another post.)
The Book of the Earthworm (Sally Coulthard)
There are the animals that get all the attention because they are cute or majestic and impressive or that share our homes. Then there are others who are underrated and overlooked, although they are extremely important (also for us) and fascinating in their own right as I have come to find out.
I encounter them very often in my garden, but I’ve known very little about earthworms. I didn’t even know there were three categories depending on how deep down they live and if they construct horizontal or vertical burrows (or non at all).
What I did know, though, was that through their tireless activities, such as burrowing and feeding on decomposing organic matter, they loosen and aerate the soil and help rain to seep away. They improve soil structure, aeration, drainage, and nutrient cycling, which in turn supports plant growth and contributes to the stability of entire terrestrial food webs. Without them, fields and soils would become infertile.
No wonder that earthworms are called a keystone species because they have a disproportionately large and positive impact on soil quality, health and overall ecosystem function.
Sally Coulthard wrote an entertaining and very informative tribute to earthworms. Lots of short chapters answer every kind of question and provide everything you ever wanted to know (or didn’t know you wanted). Her guide is insightful, entertaining, full of facts and also offers practical advice. It’s a sweet little book about surprisingly fascinating animals.
I had no idea that even Charles Darwin was already interested in earthworms. In 1881, he published a book containing the findings he had gathered over a period of 40 years. I guess he was onto something there …
The Glitter in the Green: In Search of Hummingbirds (Jon Dunn)
From inconspicuous, underrated animals to stunning, mesmeric ones, although they are pretty tiny too.
Hummingbirds are found exclusively in the Americas, so living in Europe, I’ve sadly never seen one in real life. Neither did British author Jon Dunn when he fell in love with them as a boy in London’s Natural History Museum. The passion never left him, and years later he embarked on a journey in search of the most remarkable examples of this wildly variable family.
Small in stature yet fiercely tenacious, they have conquered very different habitats: from boreal woodlands to deserts, mangrove swamps to volcanic slopes, and on islands both tropical and sub-polar. It took Dunn several years to travel the Americas. The book however is organised geographically from north to south, from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. On his trips he also visited Arizona, Mexico, Cuba, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Brasil, Bolivia and Chile.
Dunn describes the beautiful, extraordinary birds he met on his adventurous travels in great detail. His passion (you could almost call it obsession) is infectious and shines through in every sentence.
He combines the telling of this journey with lots of interesting information about hummingbirds in history, mythology, art, culture, spirituality and more. He doesn’t shy away from the negative side either, the history of their exploitation as in the rich Europeans' obsession with shooting hummingbirds for their collections, fashion trends like decorating hats with feathers or entire birds or using them as good-luck charm. But there are also fun bits like what James Bond had to do with (humming)birds - or straight scientific facts like the explanation for the iridescent colours of their feathers that are unmatched.
It was an interesting read, especially for someone from a part of the world where these beautiful birds don’t exist. That said, I would have liked more pictures. With the long and detailed lists of species, I often didn't have a clear idea of what the birds looked like, and googling each one was too much, to be honest. I was impressed by the hummingbirds nontheless, they are something truly special and remarkable.
Norwegen der Länge nach: 3000 Kilometer zu Fuß bis zum Nordkap (Simon Michalowicz)
I just had to include this book, although it’s only available in German. The title translates as Norway lengthwise: 3,000 kilometres on foot to the North Cape.
It was a favourite of mine this month and rekindled my desire for long-distance hiking and an even simpler life. Every inch of my body said yes, yes, yes to both.
Simon Michalowicz, not a trained outdoor professional and unsure in his use of maps and compasses, sets out to fulfil a dream. He walks 3,000 kilometres from the southernmost point of Norway at Cape Lindesnes to the North Cape in 140 days. Hiking ‘Norge på langs’ (Norway lengthwise) is the ultimate challenge among hikes in Scandinavia.
He hikes alone through the vastness of the Norwegian mountains, enjoys the magic of the Scandinavian autumn and watches the northern lights. And despite a lost tent, early snow and unplanned detours, he perseveres towards his goal. The journey demands everything from him and grants him plenty in return.
It’s an exciting and wonderful book, easy to read too. The author takes the reader through all the ups and downs of the journey he experiences - physically and mentally. It’s an honest book that does not sugarcoat anything, but there is also plenty of humour. And his descriptions of nature made me want to set off on my own hike right away.
I’m looking forward to September and new reading adventures! It’s very likely that they include some nature books … 🌿
But for the meantime, I’ve planned some articles on slow & simple living and self-care next. Stay tuned!
Thank you for sharing your book tips Claudia 🌿🌲👏🏽👍🏼 I got inspired to read several of them. The Norwegian Torbjørn Ekelund seem to be very for me🙂🌲 Great post Claudia 💚🌿
I have a friend who does one camping trip a month! That book is like the perfect gift for him! Thanks for the tip. 😁