My Summer Reading List

Inspired by Nature 🌿

Reading in the summertime is delightful. One of my favorite things is to read with my morning coffee. It inspires me. It makes me want to make stuff. It makes me want to slow down and just be.

Here are some of my favorite summertime reads…

Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures
by Katherine Rundell

This is the kind of book that leaves you looking at the natural world with awe. Each short chapter introduces an endangered creature and reveals something astonishing about its life. I found myself slowing down to indulge each one, and when I reached the final page, I was a bit sad.

As I read, I kept wanting to paint every creature and share its story. It’s a beautiful reminder of just how much there is left to discover about the world around us—and that magic is often hiding in places all around us.

When I finished the book, I found myself thinking about all the nature-inspired books that have stayed with me over the years. I started pulling them back off my shelves, revisiting favorite passages and rediscovering why I loved them in the first place.

The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl
I have a feeling Margaret Renkl and I would happily lose an entire morning over coffee on her porch. In this beautiful book, she invites us into her own backyard, where even the smallest lives matter. She carefully places little fences around mother rabbits and their babies to keep them safe in the tall grass.

I first experienced The Comfort of Crows as an audiobook, and hearing Renkl read it in her gentle Southern accent made me love it even more. By the end, I felt as though I’d found a kindred spirit—someone who delights in the creatures and wonders of the natural world. She reminds us that extraordinary stories are unfolding just beyond our back doors.

Wild and Precious: A Celebration of Mary Oliver
In her popular poem The Summer Day, Mary Oliver asks a question that has punctured the hearts of many humans: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” It hits.

Her words have been saved, shared in journals, passed between friends, and woven throughout the internet. But it is more than a single famous line that endures. Mary Oliver had a remarkable gift for reminding us to slow down, step outside, and truly notice the living world. Through her poetry, an ordinary grasshopper, a pond, or a handful of wildflowers becomes an invitation to pay closer attention.

This isn't a collection of her poetry, but a celebration of the woman behind the words. Through essays, personal stories, and reflections from those who knew her or were deeply moved by her work, the book paints a portrait of Mary Oliver's life and the profound impact her poetry continues to have on readers around the world.

Night Magic by Leigh Ann Henion

If you’ve ever wondered what happens after the sun goes down, this book is pure delight. Each chapter celebrates the hidden world of the night—from moths and owls to bats, moon gardens, and other nocturnal wonders that quietly come alive after dusk.

It’s the kind of book that happily geeks out over the magic of the nighttime world, filling every page with fascinating facts and beautiful discoveries. Reading it made me want to step outside after dark and pay closer attention. If you love learning about the creatures and plants that share our world (and if you’re here, I have a feeling you do), you’ll absolutely enjoy this one.

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Now it is your turn! What are your favorite summer reads? I’m open to all kinds of books. Share what you are reading, or your favorite all-time book? I would love more recommendations! Please put them in the comments.

Hope you are enjoying your summer! 🌞

Kim