Publication year 1916
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Environment
Tags Lyric Poem, Relationships, American Literature
Earth Day
Every April, we honor our planet on Earth Day with a selection of works celebrating the natural world. With titles ranging from stories of wilderness survival to nonfiction works about conservation and sustainability, this Collection features a broad spectrum of ideas regarding nature and our role within it.
Publication year 1916
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Environment
Tags Lyric Poem, Relationships, American Literature
Publication year 2026
Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction
Themes Perseverance, Fear, Memory, Revenge, Indigenous Identity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Animals, Environment, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Self Discovery, Justice, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology
Tags Literary Fiction
Python's Kiss by Louise Erdrich is a collection of 13 stories ranging across time and place, from midwestern childhoods to speculative futures, linked by animal encounters, the persistence of memory, and the bonds between people who love and harm one another.The title story is narrated by a woman recalling the summer she was eight and sent to stay with her German grandparents, who run a butcher shop. A guard dog named Nero patrols at night;... Read Python's Kiss Summary
Publication year 1813
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Religion & Spirituality, Death, Place, Environment, Future, Politics & Government, Power & Greed, War
Tags Narrative Poem, Christian, Poetry: Dramatic Poem, Mythology, Fantasy, Philosophy, Politics & Government, Military & War, World History, Science & Nature, Religion & Spirituality, Grief & Death, Romanticism, British Literature, Health, Philosophy, Food, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2025
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Friendship, Environment, Grief, Hope, Love, Animals, Self Discovery
Tags Memoir & Autobiography, Nature Writing, Animals, Science & Nature
Publication year 1999
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Religion & Spirituality, Environment, Animals, Good & Evil, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Hope, Place, Self Discovery
Tags Science & Nature
Reason for Hope: A Spiritual Journey (1999) is a piece of autobiographical and environmental writing by Jane Goodall. The text traces episodes from her personal life while delving into more philosophical and spiritual subject matter. Goodall’s anecdotes from her childhood through her late adulthood fuel her thematic explorations of Reconciling Faith, Morality, and Scientific Discovery, Overcoming Grief, Fear, and Despair, and Compassion and Hope as Resistance to Violence.Goodall (1934-2025) was known for her anthropological, ethnological... Read Reason for Hope Summary
Publication year 1992
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Space, Conflict, Perseverance, Loneliness, Nostalgia, Future, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Food, Place, Family, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Immigration, Politics & Government, War, Beauty, Equality, Fate, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies
Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy
Red Mars, a 1992 science fiction novel by Kim Stanley Robinson, is the first book in the Mars trilogy about settling and terraforming the planet Mars. Red Mars follows the first 100 people who land on Mars and begin the complex process of terraforming the planet. In 1993, Red Mars won the Nebula Award and the British Science Fiction Association Award. This guide uses the 2009 HarperVoyager edition.Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions... Read Red Mars Summary
Publication year 2009
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Gender Identity, Environment, Religion & Spirituality
Tags Women`s Studies, British Literature, World History, Historical Fiction
Remarkable Creatures (2009), a novel by Tracy Chevalier, is historical fiction that explores the unlikely friendship between Mary Anning, a working-class woman with a passion for fossil hunting, and Elizabeth Philpot, an unmarried middle-class woman. The novel is set against the backdrop of the rigid societal conventions of 19th-century England. When Mary uncovers a prehistoric fossil on the cliffs of Lyme Regis, her discovery ignites enthusiasm in the scientific community and threatens her village’s deeply... Read Remarkable Creatures Summary
Publication year 1982
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Aging, Family, Memory, Environment, Appearance & Reality
Tags Science & Nature
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Guilt, Memory, Mental Health, Environment, Place, Teamwork, War, Equality, Loyalty & Betrayal, Science & Technology, Wins & Losses
Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction, Narrative Poem
Publication year 1980
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Memory, Language, Environment
Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Coming of Age, Trauma & Abuse, Disability, Science & Nature, Technology, American Literature
Riddley Walker (1980) is a dystopian science fiction novel by Russell Hoban. The novel is famous for its use of a phonetic, idiosyncratic version of English, spoken by the characters who live in a post-apocalyptic society. Riddley Walker won numerous awards, including the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1981.Plot SummaryA young boy named Riddley Walker lives in Inland, the name given to the south of England 2,000 years after a nuclear war sent human... Read Riddley Walker Summary
Publication year 1904
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Grief, Fate, Apathy, Conflict, Perseverance, Death, Environment, Mothers, Siblings, Nation
Tags Tragedy, Irish Literature
Riders to the Sea (1904) is a one-act Irish play by John Millington Synge, originally performed in the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. The play portrays the events of one day in the cottage of a low-income family living on Inishmaan, one of the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland, as they cope with the loss of male relatives to the rough waters between the islands and mainland Ireland. This short play incorporates themes... Read Riders to the Sea Summary
Publication year 2018
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Climate, Social Class, Science & Technology, Environment
Tags Science & Nature, Climate Change, Journalism, World History, Politics & Government
Publication year 2010
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Grandparents, Childhood & Youth, Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Conflict, Nostalgia, Memory, Love, Loneliness, Joy, Literature, Good & Evil, Fame, Justice, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Safety & Danger, Religion & Spirituality, Order & Chaos, Appearance & Reality, Animals, Environment, Plants, Food, Place
Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Crime & Law, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature
IntroductionEmma Donoghue’s Room is a 2010 novel about a boy named Jack who lives in a single room with his mother, Ma. Room is a crime thriller novel that explores themes of trauma, innocence, and adaptability through the eyes of five-year-old narrator, Jack. Room has received many awards, including the ALA Alex Award, the Indies Choice Book Award for Fiction, and The New York Times Book Review Best Book of the Year award. Room was... Read Room Summary
Publication year 1872
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Environment, Immigration, Colonialism, Politics & Government, Perseverance
Tags Classic Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, Travel Literature, Humor, American Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Western, Action & Adventure
Roughing It (1872) is the second major work by American humorist Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens). It recounts his experiences during the Nevada silver rush of the 1860s. After his failed attempts to make a fortune as a miner, Twain would later achieve prominence as a lecturer and writer. He initially drew acclaim for his fanciful short story entitled “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” (1865). His best-known titles include The Innocents Abroad (1869)... Read Roughing It Summary
Publication year 2002
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Coming of Age, Death, Environment, Family, Fathers, Self Discovery, Power & Greed
Tags Animals, Action & Adventure, Fantasy
Publication year 2014
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Animals, Place, Environment
Tags Poverty
Publication year 2004
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Memory, Environment
Tags Southern Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Southern Gothic, Dramatic Literature, Historical Fiction
Saints at the River is Ron Rash’s first novel. Before the book’s appearance in 2004, Rash established a reputation as one of the most promising young voices in contemporary Appalachian literature as a poet and short story writer. In his poetry collections, Rash, a native of rural South Carolina, captured the beauty of the Carolina wilderness and, at the same time, investigated the challenges of preserving that wilderness in the new millennium. His award-winning short... Read Saints at the River Summary
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Apathy, Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Regret, Memory, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Aging, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Future, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Plants, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Social Class, Economics, Globalization, Politics & Government, Art, Beauty, Fame, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses
Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense
Published in 2025, Saltwater is a literary thriller by Katy Hays, author of the New York Times bestselling novel The Cloisters (2022). Like her debut, which is in development as a television series, Saltwater blends suspense with a richly detailed, atmospheric setting. The novel follows the wealthy Lingate family on their annual trip to Capri, an island that holds the dark secret of playwright Sarah Lingate’s mysterious death 30 years prior. Sarah’s husband, Richard Lingate... Read Saltwater Summary
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Music, Family, Environment
Tags Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Arts & Culture
Same Sun Here, co-written by Silas House and Neela Vaswani, details a year in the lives of two young people: an Indian immigrant living in New York City, and a small-town boy from Kentucky. Written as a series of letters between the two main characters, this middle grade novel is narrated by each author writing from the perspective of a separate character. Published in 2011, the book received the Nautilus Book Award, the E.B. White... Read Same Sun Here Summary
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Coming of Age, Appearance & Reality, Climate, Environment, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery
Tags Action & Adventure