Climate-related books from 2023 that inform, entertain, terrify and inspire

Every year for the holidays, my mother gifts each family member a hardcover book, whether they want a book or not. On Christmas morning, after the presents have been opened, the food feasted and the new toys tested, we all typically curl up in some corner of the house to read for a few hours.

It feels like a treat, an escape into a time portal, a hot air balloon swooping in to whisk you away from whatever stress or disappointments the year has brought. For a few hours, no one expects anything of you other than to drip yourself page by page into a whole new world.

In my most tumultuous moments, I have often found peace inside a library or a bookstore. The idea that there is so much knowledge yet to explore, sitting right there on the shelf within reach, feels reassuring. Maybe the answer, to whatever question, is right there too. Maybe I'll find it.

Vexingly, that same idea can also be incredibly overwhelming. We are now in the information era of our global climate change tour. Gone are the days (decades, truly) of a handful of scientists and journalists trying to drum up interest in the hazards of a warming planet.

Now, the task at hand is to figure out how on Earth to sift through veritable mountains of breakthrough research, beautiful narratives and brilliant (amid many bogus) solutions.

I read a lot of climate news and reports these days, and usually that feels like work. But it still feels like a treat to sink myself, like carbon, into a new climate-related book, deepening my professional fluency while being whisked away on a new knowledge adventure. That's true for me even though the topics of the books I choose as my vessels are often heavy, with no clear-cut answers in sight.

On the off chance this is true for you too, I've put together a shortlist of my favorite climate-related books of 2023 (plus a few extras). It's not an exhaustive list, but maybe it's one you can use as a gift giving guide, or to fire up your own hot air balloon.

In our backyard: Climate books set in Arizona

My favorite book of 2023 was probably "Brave the Wild River" by Flagstaff-based journalist Melissa Sevigny. In telling of two female botanists who rafted the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon to collect plant samples before such things were done, it charts a daring adventure undertaken by bold women leaders to give us the back story of the only botanical collection from beneath what would become Lake Powell.

In a much different way, I also enjoyed Jeff Goodell's "The Heat Will Kill You First," which could not have been better timed with a release date in the middle of this record-scorching July. Chapter by chapter, Goodell takes readers through horrifying and fascinating ways that turning up the temperature dial, even just a little bit, makes life on Earth much harder. (Did you know the proteins in your cells can start melting before you realize you're overheated?)

July took a toll on Arizona's signature saguaros. But Noelle Johnson, the "AZ Plant Lady," has home remedies for how to maintain a thriving garden while conserving water in this dry climate. I was glad to tour her yard and review her new book last spring.

• "Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon" by Melissa Sevigny (W.W. Norton & Co.; May 23, 2023)

• "The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet" by Jeff Goodell (Little, Brown and Co.; July 11, 2023)

• "Dry Climate Gardening: Growing beautiful, sustainable gardens in low-water conditions" by Noelle Johnson (Cool Springs Press; March 7, 2023)

From the past: Wisdom for the ages

This next book isn't new, but I've included it in my 2023 list because it was the January selection for the Desert Botanical Garden's "Read Between the Spines" book club. And it's a good reminder that not all relevant climate knowledge is new.

In "Climate Chaos: Lessons on Survival from Our Ancestors," two archaeologists team up to affirm that "yes, the climate has always been changing," as climate skeptics like to declare. But that's not the whole story by any stretch. We'd be wise to understand what happened to human civilizations of the past who were faced with a changing and unwieldy climate.

Long-time water expert Peter Gleick also graced readers with a new compilation of old wisdom this year. "Three Ages of Water" contains more show-stopping stats than you can shake a rain stick at. I was amazed to learn that human construction of dams and reservoirs, for example, has shifted the weight balance and rotation of the globe. If you're worried about drought, this book will horrify and inspire you.

• "Climate Chaos: Lessons on Survival from Our Ancestors" by Brian Fagan and Nadia Durrani (Public Affairs; September 21, 2021)

• "The Three Ages of Water: Prehistoric Past, Imperiled Present, and a Hope for the Future" by Peter Gleick (Public Affairs; June 13, 2023)

For the future: You've been warned

This year also brought outstanding accounts of what to expect under various warming scenarios going forward. The best of these was Jake Bittle's "The Great Displacement," which chronicles how climate change will displace people living in vulnerable landscapes via a series of devastating, detailed and deeply-researched profiles of communities across the country. I recommend spending some time in a corner with that one.

I also enjoyed "Ignition," for which science journalist M.R. O'Connor actually became an experienced fire lighter and fighter in order to help us understand how a warming, drying world will lead to more destructive megafires, and how burning some landscapes on purpose may help clear our best pathway to safety.

I was intrigued by "Purified," the story of wastewater treatment as a solution to water shortages in the southwest and the politics that have so far stunted its potential. The technology to produce top-quality drinking water from sewage has been available for decades, but the realization of this relatively simple (compared to Colorado River negotiations) solution has been hampered by the "ick factor" (as if Colorado River water is somehow cleaner). Author Peter Annin quotes a consultant in San Diego as saying "Toilet to tap is hazardous to the political health of anyone who touches it. It is a politically — not scientifically — but politically indefensible idea."

As climate talks at the United Nations conference in Dubai wrapped up yesterday after two weeks of much political action but limited climate action, many would say the end of that quote also applies to our climate situation.

• "The Great Displacement: Climate Change and the Next American Migration" by Jake Bittle (Simon and Schuster; February 21, 2023)

• "Ignition: Lighting Fires in a Burning World" by M.R. O'Connor (Bold Type Books, October 17, 2023)

• "Purified: How Recycled Sewage is Transforming our Water" by Peter Annin (Island Press, November 9, 2023)

In the wings: Peripheral climate knowledge

Though not explicitly climate related, two new books I read this year featured insights into how climate change is permeating every aspect of modern life. Sociologist Matthew Desmond touched on how poor Americans will be most affected by climate impacts in his book about how impossible it can be to realize the "American dream" in 2023 given all the ways societal systems function to keep people poor.

And I fully nerded out on Tucson biologist Stephen Buchmann's latest book about bees, known to be threatened by climate change, which focused on their unusual sensory experiences and abilities.

• "Poverty, by America" by Matthew Desmond (Crown; March 21, 2023)

• "What a Bee Knows: Exploring the Thoughts, Memories, and Personalities of Bees" by Stephen Buchmann (Island Press; March 7, 2023)

On the shelf: What I didn't get to in 2023

Among my biggest disappointments of 2023 might be that I didn't find time for all these books. I hope to remedy that soon. I'm especially looking forward to Elizabeth Rush's reflections on the tradeoffs of having children in an increasingly chaotic climate, as well as two works about the future for wolves and bears, both apex predators that play large roles in maintaining balance in our wild lands as well as in our mythology and imaginations.

I can't wait (I'm serious) to learn about how roads have reshaped wild lands and wildlife from Ben Goldfarb, who brought readers up to speed on beavers in his 2018 "Eager." L.A. Times reporter Rosanna Xia's "California Against the Sea" also sounds too good to miss, even for Arizonans who may feel safe from rising tides. I hope to find time for a book about applying justice concepts to the climate transition by Melanie Joy. And I included Greta Thunberg's "The Climate Book" here, though it's just one of many notable works on climate impacts and action out this year.

Read our climate series: The latest from Joan Meiners at azcentral, a column on climate change

What I didn't include, but should have — and will try to in 2024 — are any works of climate fiction, or "cli-fi," as the growing genre is called. I used to be a huge fan of this approach to helping readers conceptualize the far-reaching consequences of climate change, but haven't kept up with it. If you have recommendations, please let me know.

• "The Quickening: Creation and Community at the Ends of the Earth" by Elizabeth Rush (Milkweed Editions; August 15, 2023)

• "Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear" by Erica Berry (Flatiron Books; February 21, 2023)

• "Eight Bears: Mythic Past and Imperiled Future" by Gloria Dickie (W.W. Norton and Co.; July 11, 2023)

• "Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet" by Ben Goldfarb (W.W. Norton and Co.; September 12, 2023)

• "California Against the Sea: Visions for Our Vanishing Coastline" by Rosanna Xia (Heydey; September 26, 2023)

• "How to End Injustice Everywhere: Understanding the Common Denominator Driving All Injustices, to Create a Better World for Humans, Animals, and the Planet" by Melanie Joy (Lantern; September 12, 2023)

• "The Climate Book: The Facts and the Solutions" by Greta Thunberg (Penguin Press; February 14, 2023)

Overdue: Favorites to catch up on from 2022

Although these books were published in 2022, their influence spanned the New Year for me. Last fall, I covered Barbara Kingsolver's latest novel, "Demon Copperhead," about a boy in coal country struggling to escape the opioid epidemic. To me, its subtle climate themes are another indication of the brilliant ways Kingsolver, who spent decades writing from Tucson, weaves contemporary themes into timeless narratives. The Pulitzer committee also recognized this book with 2023's top prize in Fiction. It's worth a read.

Other works worth a look back include Madeline Ostrander's contemplation on the meaning of "home" and what climate change is doing to ours, as well as Michael Yochim's and McKenzie Long's thoughtful and deeply personal accounts of how warming temperatures are affecting public lands. I also enjoyed long-time climate activist Bill McKibben's reflection on the America of his childhood as a window into his commitment to our planet.

• "Demon Copperhead" by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper; October 18, 2022)

• "At Home on an Unruly Planet" by Madeline Ostrander (Henry Holt and Co.; August 2, 2022)

• "Requiem for America's Best Idea" by Michael J Yochim and William Lowry (High Road Books; March 15, 2022)

• "This Contested Land: The Storied Past and Uncertain Future of America's National Monuments" by McKenzie Long (Univ. of MN Press; October 18, 2022)

• "The Flag, The Cross, and The Station Wagon: A Graying American Looks Back at His Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened" by Bill McKibben (Henry Holt and Co.; May 31, 2022)

On deck: Books to watch for in 2024

While I consider Barbara Kingsolver a fiction superhero, fictional superheroes are also starting to infiltrate the climate arena as real-life superstar activists. Still, I was surprised to see Robert Downey Jr.'s name pop up in my email inbox recently with news about his upcoming book on how to eat for the climate, due out in January. I'll probably skim it.

I'll likely spend more time with Arizona State University professor Randy Cerveny's forthcoming book "Judging Extreme Weather." Cerveny helps determine and certify when extreme weather records have been broken globally, so he's one to watch on this topic. I'm also excited for Kate Schapira's book on counseling those with climate anxiety. I spoke with Schapira in 2019, when she was offering this service via a homemade sign while she sat in a "Peanut's style" booth in a public park in Rhode Island. She and this concept have come a long way since.

• "Cool Food: Erasing Your Carbon Footprint One Bite at a Time" by Robert Downey Jr. and Thomas Kostigen (Blackstone; January 23, 2024)

• "Judging Extreme Weather: Climate Science in Action" by Randy Cerveny (Routledge, February 29, 2024)

• "Lessons from the Climate Anxiety Counseling Booth: How to Live With Care and Purpose in an Endangered World" by Kate Schapira (Hachette Go; April 9, 2024)

Whatever your holiday traditions are, I hope you find time to float away, lifted by wonder, into some of these pages and expand your world as we head together into a warmer, better-informed 2024.

Joan Meiners is the climate news and storytelling reporter at The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Before becoming a journalist, she completed a doctorate in ecology. Follow Joan on Twitter at @beecycles or email her at joan.meiners@arizonarepublic.com. Read more of her coverage at environment.azcentral.com.

Sign up for AZ Climate, The Republic's weekly climate and environment newsletter.

Support climate coverage and local journalism by subscribing to azcentral.com at this link.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Here are the best climate-related books from the past year