Green Group discussion

Okay it's that time again, what would people like to read for the spring bookclub? I suggest that we stick with two suggestions each and then take a poll on the top six books, and just read one or two so people don't get too overwhelmed (lets face it, I'm sure you all want to read other things too).

It doesn't matter what genre your suggestions are, just if you think they're worth giving a go, put it here. Suggestions will be taken until the 22nd then we'll vote on it.

Oh and it would be great if you could write a little on what the book is about, not much just a line or two, ta.

Given the recent lack of action at the Copenhagen Summit, I'm going to suggest The Coming Global Superstorm by Art Bell and Whitley Strieber. This book basically looks at the hard data indicating that climate change is real but in a clear and straight forward way. This was also the book used as a basis for the film The Day After Tomorrow.

My second suggestion is Darwin: A Life in Science by Michael White. This tells of Darwin's struggle to get his theories listened to and accepted and his personal turmoil while doing so. I think many lessons could be learnt from his struggle with the Theory of Evolution and the struggle today with Climate Change science. And he is a man we all owe a lot to.

Sam, I would like to suggest Michael Crichton’s novel, State of Fear, as one of the books for the Spring Book Club reading. It should stimulate a good amount of discussion. Crichton proposes that the idea of human-induced global warming is nothing more than political and media hype to create fear in our population. He uses a radical environmental group as the antagonist in this thriller. The novel is full of graphs and data to show that global warming is a cyclic event. Crichton did an enormous amount of research for this novel. He has a 30 page bibliography at the end of his book for readers who wish to check out his hypothesis.

I'll throw "Where the Wild Things Were" by Will Stolzenberg into the ring. It's a fascinating, and relatively short, look at the consequences of removing keystone predators from various environments. Definitely recommended reading even if not chosen for Book Club

In the light of The Year of Biodiversity, I'm going to suggest two books. The first one is about honey bees, an endangered species. The second one is about different life forms.

A Spring without Bees: How Colony Collapse Disorder Has Endangered Our Food Supply Honey bees are essential to the production of fruit, nut, and vegetable crops around the world.
Many beekeepers and some researchers think IMD is the new prime suspect for the devastating syndrome known as Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD, which has raised the annual die-off rate of honey bees to 30% of all the beehives in the United States. Their demise could spell catastrophe for our food supply and economy.
In a riveting detective story that melds science and politics, A Spring without Bees: How Colony Collapse Disorder Has Endangered Our Food Supply investigates the case of the missing bees, examining the many theories on the cause. Using CCD as a metaphor for our own human hive, Michael Schacker asks: Are the bees trying to tell us something? Could this be the warning sign of a much larger crisis looming directly ahead ? How must we change our human hive in order to ensure its survival? A call for action.

The second book is Southcrop Forest, a contemporary quest from Science and Nature to Eco-fantasy . There are deadly challenges and striking discoveries, amidst a colourful cast of allies, enemies and heroes. But it's also a familiar story about the world around us and is heavily grounded in the natural sciences and Canadian history.
Southcrop Forest is also about trees. Not trees as near-inanimate objects—but as intelligent and highly social beings with an ancient civilization and rich culture that arose millions of years before we humans entered the stage. It's about their plight in a world that we are rapidly changing but also their remarkable powers that bring hope to this tale.
It would appeal to young adults, interested in ecology, environmental affairs and a school reference library.

Right, that's the deadline for nominations done and dusted, I've created a poll so we can vote on which book we all want to read for Spring