Hidden Lives

The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben my daily walks are an entirely different experience. I see the details of a tree's struggle, the tree's heroic attempt to repair a slashed limb, to repel invaders, or how so often a root flare buried by a careless landscaper will eventually suffocate the strongest. I see how hard it is to live on a boulevard and not in a forest composed of myriad types of tree with a magical underground connection that can choose to harden against invaders or to sustain young trees with extra food. The Hidden Life of Trees is a marvel of understanding and science.

Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien still haunts me. A novel of charismatic truth where reality feels like myth and myth is history. A young woman and her ancestors live, and do not live, through the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Gorgeous storytelling.