This weekend is looking to be a great one for reading, at least here in the northeastern U.S. where we’re expecting lots (more) snow. I’m in the midst of David Gessner’s new book, Soaring with Fidel, and it’s excellent so far. The author physically follows his favorite bird, the osprey, during its annual migration from the North Atlantic to Cuba and beyond.

It’s more than a book about a bird and its range, though. It’s mostly about the osprey’s human geography: the people Gessner meets along the way who love this particular creature and have fought to steward its recovery from the brink. Humorous and very human storytelling makes it a page-turner, and it’s a fine example of what the editors of Orion magazine, with whom I work, call "the new nature writing."

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So what’s on your reading list these days, gentle Gristmill reader?

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