Members enjoy a morning of community, connectivity, and spirited discussion.
Leafing Through the Pages meets on the second Thursday of every month from 10:00 a.m. until noon. This group explores works of fiction and non-fiction relating to natural history, ecology, and gardens. Participants are encouraged to read each month’s selection prior to the gathering to fully share in the discussion. (For a full discussion history, please click here).
If you would like more information about Leafing Through the Pages, contact Rita Hassert at rhassert@mortonarb.org or 630-719-2430.
2023 Discussion List
January 12, 2023 – Burnett, Frances Hodgson. The Secret Garden (1911) AND Unearthing the Secret Garden: the Plants and Places That Inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett by Marta McDowell, 2021. Note: Meeting via Zoom.
February 9, 2023 – Sheldrake, Merlin. Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures (2020) AND the following articles by Andrew Hipp, Senior Scientist in Plant Systematics and Herbarium Director:
- Each Year in the Forest: Winter – Arnoldia, v. 77, issue 3
- Each Year in the Forest: Spring – Arnoldia, v. 77, issue 4
- Each Year in the Forest: Summer – Arnoldia, v. 78, issue 1
- Each Year in the Forest: Autumn – Arnoldia, v.78, issue 2
March 9, 2023 – Simard, Suzanne. Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest (2021) AND the following article by Kim Shearer, Curator of Collections and Manager of New Plant Development:
- George Ware and the Thornhill Elm: A Vision of Trees for the Future – Arnoldia, v. 78, issue 4
April 13, 2023 – The Biggest Little Farm, 2018. (Film – viewing and discussion)
May 11, 2023 – Yong, Ed. An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us, 2022.
June 8, 2023 – Sciolino, Elaine. The Seine: the River that Made Paris, 2020.
July 13, 2023 – Attenborough, David. A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future, 2020.
August 10, 2023 – Montgomery, Sy. The Soul of an Octopus: a Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness, 2015.
September 14, 2023 – Weidensaul, Scott. A World on the Wing: the Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds, 2021.
October 12, 2023 – Wohlleben, Peter. The Heartbeat of Trees: Embracing Our Ancient Bond with Forests and Nature, 2019.
November 9, 2023 – Isaacson, Walter. The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race, 2021.
December 14, 2023 – Winn, Raynor. The Salt Path, 2018.
2022 Discussion List
January 13, 2022 – Lopez, Barry. Arctic Dreams, 1986.
February 10, 2022 – Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring, 1962.
March 10, 2022 – Brosnan, Kathleen A., William C. Barnett, Ann Durkin Keating (editors) City of Lake and Prairie: Chicago’s Environmental History, 2020.
April 14, 2022 – Leopold, Aldo. A Sand County Almanac: And Sketches Here and There, 1949.
May 12, 2022 – Ballowe, James. A Man of Salt and Trees: The Life of Joy Morton, 2009.
June 9, 2022 – Berry, Wendell. The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture, 1977.
July 14, 2022 – Macfarlane, Robert. The Old Ways: a Journey on Foot, 2012.
August 11, 2022 – Carson, Rachel. The Sea Around Us, 1951.
September 8, 2022 – Maclean, John N. Home Waters: a Chronicle of Family and a River, 2021.
October 13, 2022 – Tallamy, Douglas W. The Nature of Oaks, 2021.
November 10, 2022 – Stegner, Wallace. Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs, 1992.
December 8, 2022 – Peterson, Dale. Jane Goodall: The Woman who Redefined Man, 2006.
