Best of
Earth

2016

Chosen By The Karal: The Complete Series


Harmony Raines - 2016
    But what if the lottery wasn't random? What if they want you for what you know, and to punish you for what you've done? This is the fate awaiting Elissa. She didn't enter the lottery, but somehow she still won. As the puzzle unravels, she finds herself trapped, with no option but to go to the planet Karal. All she can hope, is that her chosen alien mate will see her for who she really is, and not for the person he thinks she is. Marin has been chosen to be the first prize in the Earth lottery. With no females of their own, the Karalians have no choice but to take females from the dying Earth. Only this time they are avoiding taking them by force, unless absolutely necessary. But with resistance to their presence on Earth, his mission soon changes. Not only does he have the responsibility of creating the first of the next generation of Karalians, he also has to find a way to change the attitude of the Earth female he has been given. But is there any way to change the opinion of a woman who is responsible for the deaths of two of his species? Time is not on his side, because as soon as the female is with child, she will be sent to the breeding house, there to be shut away until she gives birth to their child. When he starts to fall for Elissa, he questions whether they are better off together. However, the Hierarchy rule Karal, can he persuade them to break with traditions? Love 'Skim', Celia, entered the lottery because she felt like a burden on her poor family. However, when she wins, she realises she has made the biggest mistake of her life. Love is worth more than clean air in your lungs and food in your stomach. Now it is too late. She is going to have to leave her family behind and travel to Karal Power What the Hier Ruler wants, the Hier Ruler gets. And he wants Vanessa. Vanessa is an artist, stuck in the grey world Earth has become. Yet she doesn't yearn to leave, despite there being nothing left for her on her home planet. The chance to win the lottery, to go and live on Karal, a planet filled with life and colour, is not for her. But a chance encounter with Lytril, the Hier Ruler of Karal, means control over her own future, her own destiny, is taken from her. Hunger Ishk has made it his job to protect his home planet from human females. Instead of offering to help Earth, the Karal should simply take the females they need, to breed the next generation, and imprison them in the breeding house. Forced to take a mate for himself, he is adamant that he is one Karalian who will never fall under the spell of a female from Earth Evie is desperate, with no home she is forced to live on the streets, finding shelter wherever she can. In a bid to be more than a forgotten soul on the dying Earth, she enters the lottery, never expecting to win. She certainly never expected her lottery "prize" to be the hard faced, emotionless Ishk. Can a life on Karal, with an alien who hates everything about your species, be better than the life she wants to escape? Devotion As the one Karalian who has always sympathised with Earth, Okil is at last given the chance to take a lottery winner as his mate. He doesn't need to go through any selection process, he has known for months who he will choose as the mother of his child.

Jellyfish: A Natural History


Lisa-Ann Gershwin - 2016
    They are found in every ocean at every depth, and they are the oldest multi-organed life form on the planet, having inhabited the ocean for more than five hundred million years. In many places they are also vastly increasing in number, and these population blooms may be an ominous indicator of the rising temperatures and toxicity of the world’s oceans.Jellyfish presents these aquarium favorites in all their extraordinary and captivating beauty. Fifty unique species, from stalked jellyfish to black sea nettles, are presented in stunning color photographs along with the most current scientific information on their anatomy, history, distribution, position in the water, and environmental status. Foremost jellyfish expert Lisa-ann Gershwin provides an insightful look at the natural history and biology of each of these spellbinding creatures, while offering a timely take on their place in the rapidly changing and deteriorating condition of the oceans. Readers will learn about immortal jellyfish who live and die and live again as well as those who camouflage themselves amid sea grasses and shells, hiding in plain sight.   Approachably written and based in the latest science and ecology, this colorful book provides an authoritative guide to these ethereal marine wonders.

Improbable Planet: How Earth Became Humanity's Home


Hugh Ross - 2016
    But what most people don't know is that the more thoroughly researchers investigate the history of our planet, the more astonishing the story of our existence becomes. The number and complexity of the astronomical, geological, chemical, and biological features recognized as essential to human existence have expanded explosively within the past decade. An understanding of what is required to make possible a large human population and advanced civilizations has raised profound questions about life, our purpose, and our destiny. Are we really just the result of innumerable coincidences? Or is there a more reasonable explanation?This fascinating book helps nonscientists understand the countless miracles that undergird the exquisitely fine-tuned planet we call home--as if Someone had us in mind all along.

Grown & Gathered


Lentil Purbrick - 2016
     The first part of the book is Matt and Lentil's guide to producing your own food. The information, advice and projects can be used whether you have a 3-acre block or a courtyard with planter boxes. The Grow chapter shows you how to grow vegetables and fruit in whatever space you have, using the most earth-friendly practices; Gather explains how to forage for things like mushrooms, native greens and wild fruits; Nurture provides guidance on raising your own animals, from chickens and bees to cows. The second part of the book features over 100 delicious, nourishing and creative wholefood recipes. There's a host of staples, everything from how to prepare and sprout grains in a traditional way, to making and maintain a sourdough culture, and techniques and recipes for preserving and pickling. Other super tasty dishes include greens and kimchi pancakes; sweet and spicy turnips; fig, bacon and zucchini pizzas; duck ramen; and carrot crepes with burnt oranges and labne. This is a specially formatted fixed layout ebook that retains the look and feel of the print book.

Gem: The Definitive Visual Guide


D.K. Publishing - 2016
    The stories, myths, and legends that surround the most celebrated gems and jewel-laden artifacts from around the world are revealed, from their journeys in the company of royalty, film stars, and thieves to the curse of the Hope Diamond. For additional reference, an 80-page reference section at the back of the book highlights a variety of other rocks and non-precious stones.Created in association with the Smithsonian Institution, Gem combines stunning photographs with expert knowledge, and its lavish jacket features a debossed and foiled diamond, making it perfect for gift giving.

Orangutans: My Cousins, My Friends


Leif Cocks - 2016
    As an author, speaker and founder of the international charity, The Orangutan Project, he is recognised globally as an expert in his chosen field. In his latest book, Orangutans. My Cousins, My Friends he shares with us the fascinating inside story of his personal journey, a journey which ultimately led him to dedicate his life to the care and conservation of all orangutans and their natural habitats. Combined with his personal insights he shares the captivating and sometimes challenging stories of the many orangutans he was worked for over the years. And perhaps, most importantly, he explains the key philosophies underpinning the work of his organisation, The Orangutan Project, and outlines the fundamental shifts in thinking and behaviour that we, as humans, must make if we are to avoid the imminent extinction of our remarkable orange cousins. Part memoir, part philosophical discussion, part scientific case for conservation and 100% a call to action for all who wish to help save this critically endangered Great Ape, Leif’s book will inspire, inform and touch hearts…. And it may just change the way you see and act in the world forever.

Orangutans My Cousins, My Friends: A journey to understand and save the person of the forest


Leif Cocks - 2016
    For almost 3 decades Leif Cocks has tirelessly worked for orangutans to improve their welfare in captivity and ensure their ongoing survival in the wild. As an author, speaker and founder of the international charity, The Orangutan Project, he is recognised globally as an expert in his chosen field. In his latest book, Orangutans. My Cousins, My Friends he shares with us the fascinating inside story of his personal journey, a journey which ultimately led him to dedicate his life to the care and conservation of all orangutans and their natural habitats. Combined with his personal insights he shares the captivating and sometimes challenging stories of the many orangutans he was worked for over the years. And perhaps, most importantly, he explains the key philosophies underpinning the work of his organisation, The Orangutan Project, and outlines the fundamental shifts in thinking and behaviour that we, as humans, must make if we are to avoid the imminent extinction of our remarkable orange cousins. Part memoir, part philosophical discussion, part scientific case for conservation and 100% a call to action for all who wish to help save this critically endangered Great Ape, Leif’s book will inspire, inform and touch hearts…. And it may just change the way you see and act in the world forever. In this inspiring book, you will learn: • The 4 specific characteristics which differentiate the orangutans from other Great Apes • Why orangutans are the most intelligent beings on the planet today, second only to humans • Leif's personal journey to know and understand orangutans and how he came to be an expert witness in a human rights case on behalf of an orangutan named Sandra • The 5 things you can start doing today to help save the orangutans from extinction and preserve the last remaining populations of these critically endangered species in the wild • Learn how by protecting and conserving their rainforest habitat we can also save the planet for future generations • Plus the remarkable, heart warming stories of some of the orangutans, Leif has come to know as friends… and much, much more "I am often asked why I choose to work for orangutans. And my honest answer is, that in many ways, it was the orangutans who first chose me. As I’m sure you can imagine, my answer is often met with quizzical looks, raised eyebrows and an even greater curiosity on the part of the questioner. But the truth is that I never consciously planned to do this work. Nor did I envision myself as becoming an author, a speaker or an outspoken campaigner on their behalf. And I certainly had no idea that I would one day found and lead an international conservation charity, The Orangutan Project, to ensure the welfare and survival of our remarkable orange cousins. However, from experience, I’ve come to see that life has a way of putting unexpected possibilities and significant choices across our paths, and the decision is always our individual responsibility as to how we will respond. So it was for me, that by the time we started The Orangutan Project back in 1998, it had become the single, most obvious course of action for me to take. In fact, to not start the organisation and dedicate my life to this work was simply no-longer an option…."

Pipsie, Nature Detective: The Lunchnapper


Rick DeDonato - 2016
    But that isn’t all Pipsie and Alfred have to find. Someone has stolen their PB&Js!The search is on for the lunch that left, and soon Pipsie and Alfred are following animal tracks and discovering deer, birds, and even some beavers. Can Pipsie make this mystery history and finish the scavenger hunt? And hopefully before lunchtime, because Alfred is one hungry turtle!

The Earth Book


Jonathan Litton - 2016
    Examine every corner of the Earth, from outer space to underground and from the Maasai steppe to Manhattan.

Storyworlds: Nature (360 Degrees)


Thomas Hegbrook - 2016
    Explore the beauty and wonder of nature in this wordless picture book-and let your imagination bring everything to life! Stunning artwork captures the lives of a variety of animals and bugs in their natural surroundings and the changes that occur as they endure the passage of time, from birth to adulthood, winter to autumn, and more.

Ultimate Explorer Field Guide: Rocks and Minerals


National Geographic Kids - 2016
    Created for the ultimate explorer, this book gives kids the knowledge and skills they need to identify just about anything they dig up and become true rock hounds. With tons of info and interactivity prompts, it's the perfect companion for backyard or field trip, camping and vacation. Durable and portable, it's just right for pocket or backpack.

California Through Native Eyes: Reclaiming History


William J. Bauer Jr. - 2016
    Noticeably absent from these stories are the perspectives and experiences of the people who lived on the land long before European settlers arrived. Historian William Bauer seeks to correct that oversight through an innovative approach that tells California history strictly through Native perspectives. Using oral histories of Concow, Pomo, and Paiute workers, taken as part of a New Deal federal works project, Bauer reveals how Native peoples have experienced and interpreted the history of the land we now call California. Combining these oral histories with creation myths and other oral traditions, he demonstrates the importance of sacred landscapes and animals and other nonhuman actors to the formation of place and identity. He also examines tribal stories of ancestors who prophesied the coming of white settlers and uses their recollections of the California Indian Wars to push back against popular narratives that seek to downplay Native resistance. The result both challenges the "California story" and enriches it with new voices and important points of view, serving as a model for understanding Native historical perspectives in other regions.

Big Picture Atlas


Emily Bone - 2016
    Lots of busy maps with fun illustrations to learn about the food and culture of other countries as well as capital cities. Putting pictures onto facts helps with memory and this big, satisfying book will help children memorize geography facts with ease.

The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable


Amitav Ghosh - 2016
    How else to explain our imaginative failure in the face of global warming? In his first major book of nonfiction since In an Antique Land, Ghosh examines our inability—at the level of literature, history, and politics—to grasp the scale and violence of climate change.The extreme nature of today’s climate events, Ghosh asserts, make them peculiarly resistant to contemporary modes of thinking and imagining. This is particularly true of serious literary fiction: hundred-year storms and freakish tornadoes simply feel too improbable for the novel; they are automatically consigned to other genres. In the writing of history, too, the climate crisis has sometimes led to gross simplifications; Ghosh shows that the history of the carbon economy is a tangled global story with many contradictory and counterintuitive elements.Ghosh ends by suggesting that politics, much like literature, has become a matter of personal moral reckoning rather than an arena of collective action. But to limit fiction and politics to individual moral adventure comes at a great cost. The climate crisis asks us to imagine other forms of human existence—a task to which fiction, Ghosh argues, is the best suited of all cultural forms. His book serves as a great writer’s summons to confront the most urgent task of our time.

Amazing Animal Journeys


Chris Packham - 2016
    Meet these masters of migration, and follow their incredible journeys in this beautiful, fact-filled nonfiction picture book by BBC wildlife expert Chris Packham. From whales and wildebeest to butterflies and bats, you can discover each of their stories, pore over the map to see their migration routes, and uncover extra information in the “Find Out More” section.

Lichens of North America: Updated and Expanded Keys


Irwin M. Brodo - 2016
    An ideal laboratory resource, it covers over 2,000 species of lichens indigenous to the continent. There is no comparable volume available for classroom, workshop, or private use. A glossary is illustrated with photographs by Sylvia Duran Sharnoff and Stephen Sharnoff and drawings by Susan Laurie-Bourque, all from the original book. The revised keys are an indispensable identification tool for botanists, students, scientists, and enthusiasts alike.

Living on the Land: Indigenous Women’s Understanding of Place


Nathalie Kermoal - 2016
    This research has for the most part been conducted by scholars operating within Western epistemological frameworks that tend not only to deny the subjectivity of knowledge but also to privilege masculine authority. As a result, the information gathered predominantly reflects the types of knowledge traditionally held by men, yielding a perspective that is at once gendered and incomplete. Even those academics, communities, and governments interested in consulting with Indigenous peoples for the purposes of planning, monitoring, and managing land use have largely ignored the knowledge traditionally produced, preserved, and transmitted by Indigenous women. While this omission reflects patriarchal assumptions, it may also be the result of the reductionist tendencies of researchers, who have attempted to organize Indigenous knowledge so as to align it with Western scientific categories, and of policy makers, who have sought to deploy such knowledge in the service of external priorities. Such efforts to apply Indigenous knowledge have had the effect of abstracting this knowledge from place as well as from the world view and community - and by extension the gender - to which it is inextricably connected.Living on the Land examines how patriarchy, gender, and colonialism have shaped the experiences of Indigenous women as both knowers and producers of knowledge. From a variety of methodological perspectives, contributors to the volume explore the nature and scope of Indigenous women's knowledge, its rootedness in relationships both human and spiritual, and its inseparability from land and landscape. From the reconstruction of cultural and ecological heritage by Naskapi women in Qu?bec to the medical expertise of M?tis women in western Canada to the mapping and securing of land rights in Nicaragua, Living on the Land focuses on the integral role of women as stewards of the land and governors of the community. Together, these contributions point to a distinctive set of challenges and possibilities for Indigenous women and their communities.

Once Upon an Elephant


Linda Stanek - 2016
    Elephants dig to find salt for animals to lick, their deep footprints collect water for everyone to drink, and they eat young trees to keep the forest from overtaking the grasslands. In every season, the elephants are there to protect the savanna and its residents but what would happen if the elephants were only "once upon a time"? Read along to discover the important role this keystone species plays in the savanna and explore what would happen if the elephants vanished.