Part of that appreciation is thanks to my enjoyment of books about nature and animals. While I am definitely partial to books about animals in particular, all of these books make me think deeper about my relationship with the natural world. Questions that run the gamut from what bird makes a queedle queedle sound to what is our relationship to the world? Do rivers and mountains have rights? Here is a list of eight recently published nonfiction books that explore the natural world, whether it is the tree outside your home or the journeys of salmon upstream to their natural spawning ground. I hope these books enlighten you all on how wonderful the natural world can be and how we can think about our relationship with the world. Also, birds are cool. For folks who want more nature books, here’s a list of nature books for kids and here’s another list of nature memoirs.