286 ratings | 4 reviews | avg rating:4.38

Paula’s Year In Books

Paula’s 2024 Year in Books

Take a look at Paula’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to Paula’s 2024 Year in Books

Paula Whyman’s Followers (39)

Paula’s Bookshelves

to-read (206)
currently-reading (3)
read (305)
favorites (15)

Paula’s Friends (71)

Clifford

1,536 books | 3,193 friends

Ron Charles

1,466 books | 5,001 friends

Kathy

2,392 books | 232 friends

Laura Scalzo

49 books | 19 friends

Jenna

4,773 books | 921 friends

Sara

2,479 books | 712 friends

Vincent Scarpa

1,277 books | 533 friends

Anne

1,576 books | 336 friends

More friends…

Paula Whyman

Goodreads Author

Born

Washington, DC, The United States

Website

http://paulawhyman.com

Genre

Nonfiction, Memoir, Fiction

Member Since

June 2014

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/paulawhyman

edit data

Paula Whyman’s new book, BAD NATURALIST: One Woman's Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintop, is out from Timber Press/Hachette. It’s a memoir about the author's attempts to restore native meadows on a mountain in the foothills of the Blue Ridge--the obstacles she encountered, her mistakes and successes, and the connection she made with the land, its plants and wildlife. Her first book, the linked story collection YOU MAY SEE A STRANGER, won praise from The New Yorker, a starred review in Publishers Weekly, and was awarded the Towson Prize for Literature.

Whyman's writing has also appeared in The American Scholar, McSweeney’s Quarterly, Ploughshares, VQR, The Washington Post, and on NPR. She is a fellow of MacDowell, Yaddo, VCCA ...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

Paula Whyman is currently not accepting new questions.

Combine Editions
Paula Whyman’s books

Average rating: 3.94 · 246 ratings · 60 reviews · 2 distinct works • Similar authors

	Bad Naturalist: One Woman’s Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintop 4.02 avg rating — 156 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	You May See a Stranger: Stories 3.80 avg rating — 90 ratings — published 2016 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

0 posts
Paula Whyman's Blog

Paula Whyman hasn't written any blog posts yet.

Paula is Currently Reading

Paula Whyman is currently reading

The Keep: Living with the Tame and the Wild on a Mountainside Farm

by Henry T. Ireys

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Aug 18, 2025 06:00PM

Paula Whyman is currently reading

The Words of Dr. L: & Other Stories

by Karen Bender

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Jul 07, 2025 01:17PM

Paula Whyman is currently reading

Fox & I

by Catherine Raven

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Jan 04, 2025 09:29AM

rss
Paula’s Recent Updates

Paula Whyman is currently reading The Keep: Living with the Tame and the Wild on a Mountainside Farm by Henry T. Ireys	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 18, 2025 06:00PM · like
Paula Whyman rated a book it was amazing Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet by Ben Goldfarb (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 04, 2025 07:33PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Crossings by Ben Goldfarb. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Crossings by Ben Goldfarb <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paula Whyman is currently reading The Words of Dr. L: & Other Stories by Karen Bender	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 07, 2025 01:17PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Words of Dr. L by Karen Bender. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Words of Dr. L by Karen Bender <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paula Whyman entered a giveaway How Can I Help?: Saving Nature with Your Yard by Douglas W. Tallamy	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 07, 2025 01:16PM · like · see giveaway · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of How Can I Help? by Douglas W. Tallamy. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — How Can I Help? by Douglas W. Tallamy <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paula Whyman rated a book it was amazing Anything Is Possible (Amgash, #2) by Elizabeth Strout (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 06, 2025 01:10PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paula Whyman wants to read All This Can Be True by Jen Michalski (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 28, 2025 02:52PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of All This Can Be True by Jen Michalski. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — All This Can Be True by Jen Michalski <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paula Whyman rated a book it was amazing Bad Naturalist: One Woman’s Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintop by Paula Whyman (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 21, 2025 03:18PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Bad Naturalist by Paula Whyman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Bad Naturalist by Paula Whyman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paula Whyman started reading Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet by Ben Goldfarb (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 21, 2025 03:17PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Crossings by Ben Goldfarb. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Crossings by Ben Goldfarb <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paula Whyman rated a book it was amazing My Name Is Lucy Barton (Amgash, #1) by Elizabeth Strout (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 21, 2025 03:17PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paula Whyman is currently reading Anything Is Possible (Amgash, #2) by Elizabeth Strout (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 21, 2025 03:16PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of Paula's books…

Quotes by Paula Whyman (?)

“The goal is not to end up with a pristine field of native plants. The trick is to keep the undesirable stuff from passing a tipping point and taking over,”
― Paula Whyman, Bad Naturalist: One Woman's Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintop

0 likes

Paula’s Quotes

“The late John Gardner once said that there are only two plots in all of literature. You go on a journey or a stranger comes to town. Since women, for many years, were denied the journey, they were left with only one plot in their lives --
to await the stranger. Indeed, there is essentially no picaresque tradition among women novelists. While the latter part of the twentieth century has seen a change of tendency, women's literature from Austen to Woolf is by and large a literature about waiting, usually for love.”
― Mary Morris, The Illustrated Virago Book of Women Travellers

9 likes

“When I think about how I understand my role as citizen, setting aside being president…the most important stuff I've learned I think I've learned from novels. It has to do with empathy." President Obama, in conversation with Marilynne Robinson, in New York Review of Books”
― Barack Obama

0 likes

Paula’s Year In Books

Paula Whyman’s Followers (39)

Paula’s Bookshelves

Paula’s Friends (71)

Paula Whyman

Goodreads Author

Learn more
Ask the Author

Popular Answered Questions

Combine Editions
Paula Whyman’s books

0 posts
Paula Whyman's Blog

Paula is Currently Reading

rss
Paula’s Recent Updates

See a Problem?

Preview — Crossings by Ben Goldfarb

See a Problem?

Preview — The Words of Dr. L by Karen Bender

See a Problem?

Preview — How Can I Help? by Douglas W. Tallamy

See a Problem?

Preview — Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout

See a Problem?

Preview — All This Can Be True by Jen Michalski

See a Problem?

Preview — Bad Naturalist by Paula Whyman

See a Problem?

Preview — Crossings by Ben Goldfarb

See a Problem?

Preview — My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

See a Problem?

Preview — Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout

Paula’s Quotes

recent posts
Paula’s Groups

Paula’s Friend Comments

Paula Whyman’s Followers (39)

Paula Whyman

Goodreads Author

Popular Answered Questions

rssPaula’s Recent Updates

See a Problem?

Preview — Crossings by Ben Goldfarb

See a Problem?

Preview — The Words of Dr. L by Karen Bender

See a Problem?

Preview — How Can I Help? by Douglas W. Tallamy

See a Problem?

Preview — Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout

See a Problem?

Preview — All This Can Be True by Jen Michalski

See a Problem?

Preview — Bad Naturalist by Paula Whyman

See a Problem?

Preview — Crossings by Ben Goldfarb

See a Problem?

Preview — My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

See a Problem?

Preview — Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout

rss
Paula’s Recent Updates