There is nothing better than curling up with a good book when it’s cold outside, and these books are not only page-turners, but are sure to teach you something new, challenge the way you think, and open you up to a totally different world.
Instead of adding individual links to each book below, I encourage you to visit and support your local bookstore to shop for these books. Here are some websites to help you find a bookstore near you:
The Heartbeat of Trees: Embracing Our Ancient Bond With Forests and Nature
by Peter Wohlleben
Written by the International bestselling author of “The Hidden Life of Trees”, this book invites all readers to go into the woods and breathe. Why? Because the air in the forest can actually help heal your body and mind, because trees have a heartbeat and a brain that you can commune with, and the ancient connection between humans and trees is still very much alive. While this may sound a little too “granola” for a lot of you, Wohlleben has backed up everything in this book with actual science, making this a fascinating read that will have you longing for green canopies and the scent of the forest on a warm day.
The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World
by Steve Brusatte
While the idea of reading a book written by a paleontologist might not sound like a lot of fun, Brusatte has crafted a book that turns a bunch of bones into a fascinating story of survival. This is not the history of the dinosaurs that you learned in elementary school, it gives eye-opening insight into how they evolved, where they came from, how they disappeared, and how the chicken that you ate for dinner is related to T-Rex (really!).
Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save The World
by Tyson Yunkaporta
An Indigenous man from Australia, Yunkaporta’s writing style is almost like being in a dream. He tells stories in the style of his people, and then switches to modern-day language in order to communicate how the ancient knowledge of ancient peoples can apply to the issues in the modern world. The stories he weaves are perspective-shifting and give insight into a way of thinking and living that most of us don’t slow down enough to ever consider,
Why We Sleep: Unlocking The Power of Dreams and Sleep
by Matthew Walker, PhD
Reading this book has changed my life, and I want everyone to read it. I know that sounds a bit extreme, but the research that Walker has conducted has led to ground-breaking insights into the power of sleep. Did you know that your deep and REM sleep are different lengths in each cycle throughout the night, and if you miss even one cycle, you could lose memories or cause health issues? Did you know that people who can’t wake up in the morning aren’t actually lazy? This book will completely change the way you look at sleep.
Ancient Bones: Unearthing the Astonishing New Story of How We Became Human
by Madelaine Bohme, Rudiger Braun, Florian Breier
The thing I always find fascinating about archeology is that as technology advances, so too does what we learn about discoveries both new and old. In this book — written like a page-turning investigation or mystery novel — Boheme and team tell a thrilling new account of where we came from based on the discovery made at a groundbreaking dig. The goal is to find the elusive answer to the question: How did we become human?
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism
by Amanda Montell
What do Scientology, Crossfit, Jonestown, and SoulCycle have in common? A way of speaking, a language, that is exclusive to the group of insiders that are a part of this organization. Montell dives into the fascinating world of cults — making clear the difference between a dangerous cult and one that is more of a community of like-minded people — and the language they use to entice, win over, scare, and keep the people that they recruit.
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Meet The Author
Lindsay Shapka is an avid traveler and the creator of The Anthrotorian — a website dedicated to sharing travel tips, stories about adventures, culture quirks, artists you should know, fascinating bits of history, and more!
She is also an artist, marketing specialist, editor, and freelance writer who has work featured on websites, blogs, and in magazines like National Geographic Traveler.
The sky was a mosaic of grey, and my face felt raw from the wind that had been whipping against it for most of the afternoon. The thin, pink silk scarf wrapped around my shoulders was doing very little to keep out the chill.