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Library Journal's Best Science Books 2019 January 2020
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The dreamt land : chasing water and dust across California
by Mark Arax
A journalist with roots in Central Valley, California, farming chronicles the battles over water that led to a unique distribution system that was built in the 1940s but is straining to keep up with the state's modern growth.
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The weather machine : a journey inside the forecast
by Andrew Blum
The author of Tubes presents a lively tour through the global network that predicts weather, the work of cutting-edge forecasters and what weather technology reveals about our planet and its climate. 50,000 first printing
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Floating coast : an environmental history of the Bering Strait
by Bathsheba Demuth
An environmental historian draws on her experiences living among the indigenous people of Beringia in a comprehensive exploration of the relationship between capitalism, communism, and Arctic ecology since the dawn of the industrial age
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How to know the birds : the art & adventure of birding
by Ted Floyd
A unique blend of narrative and field studies introduces a new, holistic approach to bird-watching, by noting how behaviors, settings and seasonal cycles connect with shape, song, color, gender age distinctions and other characteristics traditionally used to identify species.
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Symphony in C: Carbon and the Evolution of (Almost) Everything
by Robert M. Hazen
What it is: a sweeping history of carbon, the basic yet multifaceted chemical element that's essential to life as we know it.
What sets it apart: Structured like a symphony, this book unfolds in four parts inspired by the classic elements of earth, air, fire, and water.
About the author: Geologist (and semi-professional musician) Robert M. Hazen is a founder of the Deep Carbon Observatory, an international, interdisciplinary group of scientists dedicated to carbon research.
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Sprout Lands: Tending the Endless Gift of Trees
by William Bryant Logan
What it is: an arborist's lyrical examination of the lost arts of coppicing and pollarding, tree pruning techniques that once formed the basis of a mutually beneficial relationship between humans and trees.
What sets it apart: the author's travels to California, Japan, Norway, and the Basque country to learn firsthand about traditional forest management practices.
For fans of: Peter Wohlleben's The Hidden Life of Trees.
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Horizon
by Barry Holstun Lopez
The National Book Award-winning author of Arctic Dreams presents a lyrical, intellectual account of his world travels and the extraordinary encounters with people, animals and natural elements that shaped his life
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Underland: A Deep Time Journey
by Robert Macfarlane
What it is: a lyrical and wide-ranging exploration of the world beneath our feet from tunnels and caves to catacombs and burial chambers to underground vaults and bunkers.
Why you might like it: Nature writer Robert Macfarlane embarks on a journey both literal and metaphorical, connecting real-world observations to representations of the underworld in mythology, art, and literature.
Want a taste? "Into the underland we have long placed that which we fear and wish to lose, and that which we love and wish to save."
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That good night : life and medicine in the eleventh hour
by Sunita Puri
Combining stories of the author's family and the patients she cares for, a meditation on impermanence in the role of medicine in helping us to live and die well arms readers with information that will transform how we communicate with our doctors about what matters most to us.
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Gardenlust : a botanical tour of the world's best new gardens
by Christopher Woods
A renowned gardening authority explores the world's most beautiful gardens in an illustrated guide to over 50 locations in the Americas, Europe, Africa, Australia and Asia including the Geelong Botanic Gardens, Sunnylands Center and Gardens and the Golden Rock Inn.
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The first cell : and the human costs of pursuing cancer to the last
by Azra Raza
A world-class oncologist and coeditor of the 3QuarksDaily website explores the medical, scientific, cultural and personal impact of cancer while outlining more beneficial alternatives to today’s high-cost, largely ineffective treatments. 50,000 first printing.
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