I recently shared my recommended forest bathing resources with our email subscribers and I thought I’d share it again here, along with a giveaway of TWO of my favorites on this list. Make sure you scroll all the way to the bottom.
Also, I’ll add all these books to our Suggested Resources page when I get a chance for easy reference.
{BTW, I’ve used Amazon affiliate links for all the books in this post. I make a small commission if you make a purchase, but it doesn’t affect your cost at all}
My foray into nature literature began in a college class…
I was assigned to read a clip from Henry David Thoreau’s, Walden, which I hadn’t discovered yet and recently re-discovered in my basement boxes. Little did I know what that little clip would ignite inside of me!
When I started to read the clip, it moved and mesmerized me. You can see the evidence in my voracious underlining and margin notes.
Check out that little note on the bottom. My little to-do list says to wash my car, schedule a haircut, and buy this book.
Something about this literature made me swell inside.
Someone had put the things I’ve felt in nature into succinct words.
Those words and the imagery they created made me feel lighter and alive-er.
I recognized from a soul level that nature was part of my calling.
I went on to study Environmental Studies for awhile before changing my major and earning my bachelor’s degree in English.
(See that? It was there all along: Nature + Literature = Pure Me)
And if you’re anything like me, you feel that too when you read a piece of nature literature.
Or, maybe you haven’t even discovered it yet.
I want you all to be able to soak in the rejuvenating vibes these pages conjure up.
So, I put together a list of recommended forest bathing resources.
The top 15 forest bathing resources for your library:
The Top Three Forest Bathing Books
1. Forest Bathing, by Dr. Qing Li
Dr. Qing Li is the head researcher behind all dedicated forest bathing studies to date. When he writes a book about forest bathing, you just buy it. Because Qing is king.
2. Your Guide to Forest Bathing, Amos Clifford
Amos Clifford runs the organization that certifies forest bathing guides. He’s very knowledgeable about forest bathing and all the subtle nuances of shinrin-yoku. This book provides a great overview of forest bathing.
3. Forest Therapy, Sarah Ivens
Sarah Ivens book is like hanging out with your best friend, talking about how to find meaning and contentedness in your life. She infuses the practice of nature bathing with whimsy and enchantment.
Though it looks like this book is back-ordered, you can still get existing new or used copies. That’s how I snagged a copy.
Watch for my forest bathing book one day, k?
The Top Five Nature Literature Writings
If I were to run a nature literature course, these books would be part of my quintessential reading list. You just can’t talk about nature literature without mentioning names like Thoreau, Muir, and Leopold.
4. Walden, Henry David Thoreau
5. Nature Writing, John Muir
6. Nature and Selected Essays, Ralph Waldo Emerson
7. A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold
8. The Singing Wilderness, Sigurd Olson
Top Three Nature and Science Picks
If you’re anything like me, you like to understand how things work. You like to understand as much about nature and trees as you can, not just at a surface level, but at a cellular level. These books provide detailed insight into how nature actually affects your body and mental state. They give you a scientific insight into why you’re drawn to the forest, which is pretty fascinating.
9. Your Brain on Nature, by Selhub & Logan
10. Vitamin N, by Richard Louv
11. The Nature Fix, by Florence Williams
Top Two Field Guides
I would always recommend you pick up a field guide for your area, because they help you identify nature better. When you can name the trees, animals, wildflowers, and birds around you, you start to feel better acquainted with the forest. You start to understand what’s going around you better.
12. Trees, from the Discovery Channel
13. Kaufman Field Guide to Nature of the Midwest (This is the field guide for my area, but there are Kaufman Field Guides for other areas too)
Top Two Mainstream Non-Fiction Nature Stories
14. A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson
Bryson decides to walk the Appalachian Trail and takes you along as he encounters all sorts of natural phenomena and human conditions. Compelling descriptions of nature and tidbits about natural history add richness and depth to his own story.
15. The Forest Unseen, David George Haskell
Forest bathing is often an activity we do on the move, in different areas of the forest. However, imagine returning to the same exact location and examining the same few square feet of ground every time you go. It’s amazing the type of details Haskell notices and the richness inside his one small circle! Read this, then practice it yourself, and I guarantee you’ll see things a whole lot differently from now on.
Well, I could go on and on, listing kids nature books and naturalist guides, but I’ll leave it at the most pertinent 15. If you love forest bathing, these are the best books for your library.
Now, I promised you a giveaway;)
I have double copies of both Forest Bathing by Qing Li and Walden & Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau, so I’d like to pass them on to another nature lover.
I’m giving you four different ways to earn entries into the Rafflecopter giveaway.
The giveaway runs until 12:00 midnight ET on 9/4/18.
Good luck!