Growing up, my dad’s Christmas gifts were always books. That’s something I took for granted and complained about as a teen, but when I look back they are the gifts I remember most. Because you don’t just unwrap a book once. Stories stays with us, we can carry the contents wherever we go. So this year for the holiday season, I recommend giving the gift of a damn good story.

Books for Desert Rats

The Sonoran Desert Literary Field Guide

More than 50 poets and writers contributed to this book, pairing scientific identification of plants and animals with beautiful illustrations by Paul Mirocha. I’d like to see more books like this published, which connects readers not just to the names of birds and plants but to their souls through poetic musings and observations. Buy it here.

Life After Dead Pool by Zak Podmore

This book is an important part of the Colorado River conversation, as Lake Powell continues to drop closer and closer to minimum power pool and eventually, dead pool. A mix of adventure stories and journalistic style reporting, this book will drop you into Glen Canyon’s rivers and reservoirs to educate you on the political controversies surrounding the nation’s second largest reservoir. Buy it here.

The Line Becomes a River by Francisco Cantu

While camping next to the Arizona/Mexico border, I read this book non-stop for two days. A researcher on immigration joins Border Patrol to better understand the dynamics of border crossing through Arizona’s harsh deserts. Rich with history, personal anecdotes and emotional storytelling, this book will have you questioning immigration ethics and leave you raw. I absolutely love this book. Buy it here.

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Books for River People

Is the River Alive? by Robert MacFarlane

Already a bestseller and one of the most read books of 2025, this book is deliciously written, the kind of book where I want to underline every sentence and then sit there, staring off into space thinking about the paragraph I just read. MacFarlane argues that rivers are living, breathing, vastly connected beings and explores how that perspective shift might change the world. Buy it here.

Brave the Wild River by Melissa L. Sevigny

The words “total badass” come to mind when I talk about this book. Written by a badass about two women I ADORE, set in 1938 following two women Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter who became the first people to survey the plant life in Grand Canyon. The women ran the entire Colorado River during a time when women weren’t supposed to be river runners or scientists, but they collected and catalogued the most in depth botanical research of the Grand Canyon known today. Buy it here.

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For Hiking Enthusiasts

A Walk in the Park by Kevin Fedarko

A long anticipated book by Fedarko, who wrote The Emerald Mile, which has become synonymous with any mention of the Grand Canyon. This book follows a massive trek through Grand Canyon- mostly off trail route-finding. This book will immerse you in desert adventure! Buy it here.

For Nature Poets

You are Here: Poetry in the Natural World edited by Ada Limon

This collection of poems features 50 writers rooted in the natural world. Each writer shares a slice of their home with readers, taking us to backyards, gardens, and trails across the country. A delight to read, easy to pick up and put down at leisure. Buy it here.

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For Colorado People

Playing with Wildfire by Laura Pritchett

Laura Pritchett is a dear mentor of mine, and this book opened me to up to the endless possibilities of writing. Playing with Wildfire rotates POVs, one of my favorite literary tactics, and even gives us words from the perspective of trees and animals. The book rotates POVs, following a whole community affected by a wildfire and evacuations, written from a true experience of watching from her porch the Cameron Peak Wildfire burn for 5 months in Colorado. Buy it here

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For Plant Lovers

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

This is one of those foundational books I think everyone should read if they’re engaging with conservation about human’s relationships with nature. This book opened my eyes to the positive relationship humans have with nature in a society that overwhelmingly asserts humans are only destructive. Buy it here.

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For Appalachian Folks

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver

Kingsolver’s descriptions brought me into the mountains and culture of Appalachia. Another rotating POV book, a masterful way to write if you ask me, explored characters dealing with grief in different ways. It also explores land ethics with farming, hunting, and old growth forests. This quickly became one of my favorite reads this year. Buy it here.

*If you have any amazing books set in Appalachia, please drop some title suggestions in the comments! I’m looking to expand my library*

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