The Beasts of the Sea by Iida Turpeinen, translated by David Hackston, is a richly detailed and visceral historical fiction of centuries-old discoveries–from when men sailed blindly across the sea and starved on uncharted islands and scientific classification depended on luck, room in the hold, and the variable knowledge and skill of natural historians. The beast of the title is Steller’s sea cow, a gentle manatee-like creature that lived near the Aleutian islands between Russia and Alaska until it was hunted to extinction in the 18th century. Mere decades later, scholars were trying to piece together its life and death from skeletal remains and sailor’s sketches. The narrative doesn’t flinch from examining the ways that scientific progress was inseparable from colonial brutality, and both resulted in waste, bloodshed, and–for more species than the sea cow–extinction.

Voice of the Fish by Lars Horn is a memoir of the body, explored through lyric essays that range widely in structure and style. Throughout, the author intersperses images of water and the creatures that live there–mythological allusions and historical footnotes as well as real fish observed, real rivers they dipped their feet into. As they recount their experiences traveling before and after coming out as trans, recovering from a terrifying attack and a disabling injury, and seeing their own body as a medium for artwork (their own or others’), the aquatic imagery emphasizes the potential slipperiness and fluidity of physical form.

Ecology of Center City, Philadelphia by Kenneth D. Frank is a 2015 book that contextualizes the urban wildlife of our city within history and ecology. From the ubiquitous gray squirrels and house wrens to the adaptable plants you might not notice, like groundsel and boxelder, this book explores how different species arrived in Philadelphia and why they thrive here. The print copy is for sale, and a .pdf of the book is available for free online, courtesy of Fitler Square Press.

What have you been reading this month?