Favorite Animal Non-Fiction

List of the Month
February 2024 (see all)
Description
The mind of the raven, the voyage of the turtle... the weeping of the elephant, the spell of the tiger: there is so much to learn about the animals that share our planet! Our List of the Month this February is devoted to our favorite non-fiction works about animals. Each participant may vote on ten titles. Please only downvote titles if they do not fit the theme, and are either not about animals, or not non-fiction.
2
The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness
by Sy Montgomery
3,075 members
131 reviews
3.8
24 Members
lorax, Bookmarque, autumnesf, Storeetllr, jeshakespeare, claire.rivers, lizzy50usa, CoriatLib, Heather39, zooeybat, carterepstein, PrueGallagher, Lisa_Francine, maschi, CharlesTheB, HH_Library, Charon07, auldhouse, tokenn, baronvoncoolio, roxrosengarten, bookmelon, azzouzi, guemesgirl
Explanations
jeshakespeare: I have read this book and found it fascinating! It was a library signed copy too which helped me bond with the author at the time.
auldhouse: So much to learn about Octopuses! (And yes, as Montgomery explains it is Octopuses not Octopi).
4
My Family and Other Animals
by Gerald Durrell
5,920 members
177 reviews
4.2
18 Members
jjmcgaffey, Sandydog1, charl08, Faradaydon, dewasus1, victoriapeak, gentcat, YavorD, peterveen, ahef1963, Bookwomble, SusanBraxton, SherryB, Lisa_Francine, hsauvage, auldhouse, guemesgirl, SummerLynnYarbrough
Explanations
auldhouse: This memoir is delightful.
5
Last Chance to See
by Douglas Adams
4,410 members
87 reviews
½ 4.3
13 Members
hipdeep, avere, wdwilson3, norabelle414, navelos, paulmdh, al.vick, timetunnel, Kyler_Marie, hsauvage, maschi, CharlesTheB, JerBa
6
H Is for Hawk
by Helen Macdonald
5,231 members
306 reviews
3.8
14 Members
Silver, aprille, dchaikin, charl08, PeggyDean, birder4106, perennialreader, vwinsloe, msjudy, HH_Library, Charon07, loulourevisited, guemesgirl, GMbooks,
9
Never Cry Wolf
by Farley Mowat
3,037 members
66 reviews
4.1
13 Members
tardis, aprille, hipdeep, jjmcgaffey, marc.slingerland, RBeffa, Lisa_Francine, mombot, Stan47, roxrosengarten, sheabird, guemesgirl, GMbooks,
Explanations
Stan47: In addition to the observations about wolves, the books is a hilarious commentary on the foibles of the Canadian provincial government at that time.
10
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating
by Elisabeth Tova Bailey
1,572 members
108 reviews
4.2
11 Members
aprille, lahochstetler, lizzy50usa, Heather39, perennialreader, janerawoof, msjudy, hsauvage, Tosta, Charon07, mombot
11
Born Free: A Lioness of Two Worlds
by Joy Adamson
1,383 members
24 reviews
4
12 Members
Aquila, Silver, tardis, victoriapeak, PeggyDean, birder4106, perennialreader, ahef1963, SusanBraxton, Hope_H, Lisa_Francine, MauroFrancesco
Explanations
birder4106: Wahrscheinlich das erste Tierbuch für Erwachsene, welches ich gelesen habe.
12
The Genius of Birds
by Jennifer Ackerman
1,691 members
57 reviews
4
12 Members
lorax, charl08, lizzy50usa, FAMeulstee, YavorD, carterepstein, Aug3Zimm, msjudy, hsauvage, auldhouse, baronvoncoolio, Unwornstarship
14
The Origin of Species
by Charles Darwin
16,558 members
133 reviews
4.1
9 Members
wester, FAMeulstee, masterdeski, birder4106, peterveen, catherine_raven, tokenn, baronvoncoolio, guemesgirl
Explanations
birder4106: Für mich ein richtungsweisendes Buch der Naturgeschichte. Dazu gehört meiner Meinung nach auch die würdigung von Alfred Russel Wallace zum gleichen Thema. Und natürlich das Buch "Die Entstehung der Kontinente und Ozeane" von Alfred Wegener.
16
Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?
by Frans de Waal
1,348 members
55 reviews
3.9
7 Members
antqueen, FAMeulstee, mitchma, SherryB, Lisa_Francine, msemmag, GMbooks
17
Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog
by John Grogan
12,339 members
389 reviews
4
7 Members
dara85, gypsysmom, LibraryCin, Karen74Leigh, Tosta, HH_Library, Leifacornson
21
Seabiscuit: An American Legend
by Laura Hillenbrand
8,650 members
159 reviews
4.2
7 Members
hipdeep, jjmcgaffey, masterdeski, carterepstein, vwinsloe, msjudy, auldhouse
23
The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time
by Jonathan Weiner
1,936 members
41 reviews
4.2
5 Members
lorax, jjmcgaffey, masterdeski, perennialreader, catherine_raven
24
The Peregrine
by J. A. Baker
1,060 members
21 reviews
4.1
5 Members
aprille, gabriel, perennialreader, miller.max, loulourevisited
25
All Things Wise and Wonderful
by James Herriot
4,909 members
44 reviews
4.2
5 Members
jjmcgaffey, gmathis, mitchma, itstheblob, Leifacornson
26
The Name of the Cat
by Barbara Holland
19 members
1 review
½ 4.5
4 Members
mldg, lizzy50usa, MauroFrancesco, PHQTUBS
27
Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival
by Bernd Heinrich
968 members
19 reviews
4.1
5 Members
wester, DandelionCottage, CharlesTheB, norfolknaturalist, itstheblob
28
The Snow Leopard
by Peter Matthiessen
3,060 members
55 reviews
4
4 Members
perennialreader, SusanBraxton, CharlesTheB, JerBa
29
The Ring of Bright Water Trilogy
by Gavin Maxwell
156 members
2 reviews
4
4 Members
Aquila, saskia17, aliklein, perennialreader
30
American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West
by Nate Blakeslee
605 members
40 reviews
4.2
4 Members
vwinsloe, Tosta, catherine_raven, beatlegrrl
31
Catwatching
by Desmond Morris
840 members
11 reviews
½ 3.6
4 Members
gentcat, kleh, SherryB, Karen74Leigh
32
The Corfu Trilogy
by Gerald Durrell
661 members
7 reviews
½ 4.3
4 Members
elliepotten, gentcat, perennialreader, TeresaBlock
33
All Things Bright and Beautiful
by James Herriot
5,507 members
58 reviews
½ 4.3
4 Members
jjmcgaffey, gmathis, itstheblob, Leifacornson
34
Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist
by Frans de Waal
235 members
7 reviews
4.1
4 Members
FAMeulstee, birder4106, SherryB, hsauvage
36
The Cat Who Came for Christmas
by Cleveland Amory
1,477 members
33 reviews
½ 3.6
4 Members
gmathis, masterdeski, MauroFrancesco, HH_Library
37
Through a Window: My Thirty Years with the Chimpanzees of Gombe
by Jane Goodall
811 members
13 reviews
½ 4.3
4 Members
al.vick, ahef1963, LibraryCin, msjudy
38
Bird Brains: The Intelligence of Crows, Ravens, Magpies, and Jays
by Candace Savage
403 members
11 reviews
4.2
4 Members
carterepstein, slimikin, tokenn, baronvoncoolio
39
The Dog Who Wouldn't Be
by Farley Mowat
1,401 members
23 reviews
4
3 Members
Pebblesgmc, TeresaBlock, Stan47
Explanations
Stan47: I read this book as a kid, in the Reader's Digest. When I read the complete book as a senior citizen, it was even better than I'd remembered.
40
Wild Horse Annie and the Last of the Mustangs: The Life of Velma Johnston
by David Cruise
38 members
2 reviews
3.9
3 Members
Pebblesgmc, zooeybat, vwinsloe
41
A Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons
by Robert M. Sapolsky
1,188 members
37 reviews
4.2
3 Members
eclbates, peterveen, ahef1963
42
And Tango Makes Three
by Justin Richardson
2,989 members
323 reviews
½ 4.5
3 Members
jjmcgaffey, EerierIdyllMeme, al.cover
43
Menagerie Manor
by Gerald Durrell
636 members
7 reviews
3.8
3 Members
tardis, jjmcgaffey, gentcat
45
The Bluebird Effect: Uncommon Bonds with Common Birds
by Julie Zickefoose
132 members
7 reviews
½ 4.4
3 Members
msjudy, Tosta, Qshaden
46
Collins Bird Guide: The Most Complete Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe
by Lars Svensson
810 members
10 reviews
½ 4.5
3 Members
birder4106, YavorD, JerBa
48
Coyote America: A Natural and Supernatural History
by Dan Flores
496 members
20 reviews
4
3 Members
miller.max, DandelionCottage, SealedArchive
50
Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot
by Sy Montgomery
347 members
25 reviews
4.1
3 Members
PeggyDean, navelos, al.vick
51
How to Be a Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals
by Sy Montgomery
775 members
40 reviews
4
3 Members
Heather39, zooeybat, Charon07
52
Fox and I: An Uncommon Friendship
by Catherine Raven
480 members
23 reviews
3.8
3 Members
gypsysmom, hsauvage, catherine_raven
54
The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary: A True Story of Resilience and Recovery
by Andrew Westoll
119 members
8 reviews
½ 4.4
2 Members
PeggyDean, gypsysmom
55
Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body
by Neil Shubin
2,956 members
80 reviews
3.9
2 Members
Bookwomble, SealedArchive
56
My Beloved Monster: Masha, the Half-Wild Rescue Cat Who Rescued Me
by Caleb Carr
231 members
15 reviews
½ 4.3
2 Members
RBeffa, Lichnlemonade
57
Owls of the Eastern Ice: A Quest to Find and Save the World's Largest Owl
by Jonathan C. Slaght
594 members
22 reviews
4.1
2 Members
Tess_W, maschi
58
Leviathan or, The Whale
by Philip Hoare
941 members
31 reviews
3.8
2 Members
CharlesTheB, loulourevisited
60
Audubon Birds: Selected Prints From the Birds of America
by John James Audubon
21 members
4
2 Members
Rommert, itstheblob
61
De raaf
by Louis Beyens
13 members
4.1
2 Members
FAMeulstee, EMS_24
Explanations
EMS_24: The Raven
62
Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know
by Alexandra Horowitz
2,388 members
62 reviews
½ 3.6
2 Members
hipdeep, rarm
63
Lost Cat: A True Story of Love, Desperation, and GPS Technology
by Caroline Paul
326 members
36 reviews
4.1
2 Members
terran, carterepstein
64
A Street Cat Named Bob and How He Saved My Life
by James Bowen
1,790 members
93 reviews
3.9
2 Members
RBeffa, vwinsloe
Explanations
vwinsloe: Cats know.
65
Wild Animals I Have Known
by Ernest Thompson Seton
1,178 members
10 reviews
3.9
2 Members
saskia17, mombot
66
Making Rounds with Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat
by David Dosa
880 members
131 reviews
3.8
2 Members
gmathis, Pebblesgmc
67
The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think
by Jennifer Ackerman
598 members
15 reviews
4.2
2 Members
Aug3Zimm, baronvoncoolio
68
De gnoe en andere beesten
by Midas Dekkers
21 members
2 Members
gentcat, Rommert
69
The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory
by Carol J. Adams
696 members
7 reviews
3.8
2 Members
elenchus, susanbooks,Aug3Zimm
Explanations
susanbooks: Books about veganism & its philosophical underpinnings are most certainly about animals. What don’t vegans eat? These books talk about why.
70
Mama's Last Hug: Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves
by Frans de Waal
546 members
17 reviews
4.1
2 Members
FAMeulstee, peterveen
71
The Cat and the Curmudgeon
by Cleveland Amory
545 members
9 reviews
3.8
2 Members
gmathis, Pebblesgmc
72
Parasite Rex: Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures
by Carl Zimmer
1,146 members
37 reviews
4.2
2 Members
wester, SealedArchive
73
A Field Guide to Bird Songs: Eastern and Central North America
by Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology
76 members
2 reviews
½ 3.6
2 Members
Tess_W, itstheblob
74
Beasts of Burden: Animal and Disability Liberation
by Sunaura Taylor
101 members
4.1
2 Members
SealedArchive, johanliebert
75
Man O'War
by Walter Farley
742 members
2 reviews
4
2 Members
Aquila, SusanBraxton
76
To See Every Bird on Earth: A Father, a Son, and a Lifelong Obsession
by Dan Koeppel
349 members
13 reviews
3.8
2 Members
marc.slingerland, birder4106
77
Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95
by Phillip Hoose
283 members
22 reviews
4.2
2 Members
PeggyDean, navelos
78
The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival
by John Vaillant
1,471 members
73 reviews
4
2 Members
marc.slingerland, gypsysmom
79
Parrots Over Puerto Rico
by Susan L. Roth
334 members
67 reviews
½ 4.3
2 Members
terran, PeggyDean
80
Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter
by Ben Goldfarb
387 members
18 reviews
4.1
2 Members
Bookmarque, norabelle414
81
The Christmas Day Kitten
by James Herriot
1,048 members
6 reviews
½ 4.4
2 Members
masterdeski, MauroFrancesco
82
Crow Planet: Essential Wisdom from the Urban Wilderness
by Lyanda Lynn Haupt
461 members
20 reviews
3.8
2 Members
auldhouse, johanliebert
83
The Man Who Listens to Horses
by Monty Roberts
1,289 members
11 reviews
3.9
2 Members
EerierIdyllMeme, Pebblesgmc
84
Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains
by Bethany Brookshire
212 members
7 reviews
3.9
2 Members
Kyler_Marie, baronvoncoolio
86
Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene
by Donna J. Haraway
464 members
7 reviews
3.8
2 Members
paradoxosalpha, elenchus,itstheblob
Explanations
paradoxosalpha: Chapters delve into the relations between humans and specific animal species: notably pigeons, squid, horses, and butterflies. It is so a book about animals, including human animals.
itstheblob : This looks like it's primarily a sociological or philosophical work moreso than an animal book- at least that's what I'm understanding from the description and tags...
87
Travels with Charley: In Search of America
by John Steinbeck
9,613 members
234 reviews
4
2 Members
msjudy, Stan47
88
Mozart's Starling
by Lyanda Lynn Haupt
399 members
19 reviews
4
2 Members
janerawoof, auldhouse
89
Rascal
by Sterling North
6,328 members
51 reviews
4
2 Members
dara85, msjudy
90
Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea
by Sy Montgomery
479 members
42 reviews
4
2 Members
PeggyDean, al.vick
91
The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild
by Lawrence Anthony
965 members
47 reviews
½ 4.3
2 Members
vwinsloe, LibraryCin
Explanations
vwinsloe: Deepens one's understanding of the intelligence of elephants as emotional beings.
93
Vesper Flights
by Helen Macdonald
943 members
39 reviews
4
2 Members
seabelis, FAMeulstee
94
Ravens in Winter: A Zoological Detective Story
by Bernd Heinrich
521 members
9 reviews
4.2
2 Members
aprille, CharlesTheB
95
Jaguar: Struggle and Triumph in the Jungles of Belize
by Alan Rabinowitz
96 members
1 review
3.8
2 Members
Aquila, LibraryCin
96
The Overloaded Ark
by Gerald Durrell
492 members
10 reviews
3.9
2 Members
victoriapeak, gentcat
97
Of Wolves and Men
by Barry Lopez
984 members
12 reviews
4.2
2 Members
miller.max, CharlesTheB
98
A Whale for the Killing
by Farley Mowat
590 members
11 reviews
3.9
2 Members
Pebblesgmc, gypsysmom
99
Babylon's Ark: The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo
by Lawrence Anthony
291 members
17 reviews
4.1
2 Members
Pebblesgmc, LibraryCin