The Fields Pond Book Group meets monthly on Thursday nights at 6:30 p.m., in-person at the Orono Public Library and online via Zoom. If you would like to participate, please contact Joyce directly at rumery@maine.edu to sign up for the Zoom link, which she will send out shortly before the meeting.
Fields Pond Book Group – books for 2026 to 2027
September 10, 2026
Brusatte, Stephen. The Story of Birds: A New History from Their Dinosaur Origins to Today. 2026. 448p.
Tens of billions of birds share the planet with us, a diverse array of species that are present nearly everywhere. Delicate creatures with hollow bones and thin skin protected by downy feathers, how did such a seemingly fragile species begin to fly, how have they survived millennia, and how does their legacy shape our world? Brusatte tells the story of the dinosaurs' living legacy: birds. He begins by exploring how dinosaurs gradually developed the features of birds: feathers, wings, beaks, big brains, keen senses, and warm-blooded metabolisms. He investigates why birds were the only dinosaurs to survive the asteroid impact and chronicles how these survivors proliferated to produce the diversity of avian species.
October 8, 2026
Beston, Henry. The Outermost House. 1928. 100p.
This contemplative memoir captures the essence of solitude and the natural world. Set on Cape Cod, Beston spends a year in a small beach house, immersed in the rhythms of nature. His writing eloquently reflects on the changing seasons, the power of the ocean, and the intimate connections between humans and the environment.
November 12, 2026
Dunne, Pete. The Courage of Birds: and the Often Surprising Ways They Survive Winter. 2024. 192p.
From our own backyards to the rim of the Arctic ice, countless birds have adapted to meet the challenges of the winter season. Despite the seasonal cold, birds have evolved strategies that meet winter's vicissitudes head on, driven by the imperative to make it to spring and pass down their genes to the next generation. He explores widespread adaptations, such as feathers that protect against the cold, and unpacks the unique migration patterns and survival strategies of individual species and addresses the impact of changing climatic conditions on avian longevity.
February 11, 2027
Hall, Stephen. Slither: How Nature's Most Maligned Creatures Illuminate Our World. 2025. 416p.
Hall has been fascinated by snakes since childhood, and his enthusiasm comes through in this sweeping overview of all things herpetological. He covers topics including people’s fear of snakes, snake venom, locomotion, evolutionary history, religious symbolism, and the ease with which snakes adapt to their surroundings. An enticing choice for snake lovers and others
March 11, 2027
Yovel, Yossi. The Genius Bat: The Secret Life of the Only Flying Mammal. 2025. 320p.
Ecologist and neurobiologist Yovel shares his deep knowledge of bat behavior and the over 50 years of research that has enhanced human understanding of the only flying mammal. With nearly 1500 species, bats account for more than twenty percent of mammalian species. The most successful and most diverse group of mammals, bats come in different sizes, shapes, and colors, from the tiny bumblebee bat to the giant golden-crowned flying fox. Some bats eat fruit and nectar; others eat frogs, scorpions, or fish. Vampire bats feed on blood. Bats are the only mammals that can fly; their fingers have elongated through evolution to become wings with a unique, super-flexible skin membrane stretched between them. Their robust immune system is one of the reasons for their extreme longevity. A tiny bat can live for forty years.
April 8, 2027
McKibben, Bill. Here Comes the Sun: A last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization. 2025. 224p.
McKibben, one of the first to sound the alarm about the climate crisis, insists the moment is also full of possibility. Energy from the sun and wind is suddenly the cheapest power on the planet and growing faster. He tells the story of this sudden spike in power from the sun and wind and the desperate fight of the fossil fuel industry and their politicians to hold this new power at bay. He shows how solar power is more than just a path out of the climate crisis: it is a chance to reorder the world on saner and more humane grounds.
May 13, 2027
Bennett, Mia and Klaus Dodds. Unfrozen: The Fight for the Future of the Arctic. 2025. 352p.
From the rising temperatures of the climate crisis to the cooling of relations between Arctic states, metaphors of hot and cold pop up frequently in discussions about the Arctic. Political geographers Bennett and Dodds cover a range of subjects, from Indigenous sovereignty to economic development, military infrastructure and scientific research. It is a comprehensive, informative, and entertaining account of centuries of climate and geopolitical change in the Arctic, and a look at what the future might hold.
June 10, 2027
Haskell, David George. How Flowers Made Our World: The Story of Nature's Revolutionaries. 2026. 352p.
We live on a floral planet, yet flowers don’t get the credit they deserve. We admire them for their aesthetics, not their power. In this examination of the role flowers played in creating the world we know today, Haskell observes, smells, and studies flowers such as magnolias, orchids, and roses, as well as fascinating but less celebrated flowers such as seagrasses and tea. When flowers evolved, they remade the natural world: gorgeous petals and alluring aromas transformed former enemies into cooperative partners. Through radical genetic flexibility, flowers turned past environmental upheavals into opportunities for renewal. This inventiveness allowed them to build and sustain rainforests, savannahs, prairies, and even ocean shores.