National Book Lovers Day is celebrated on the ninth day of August each year. This unofficial holiday marks an opportunity for people to put away any technological distractions and pick up a book to read—whether that means cozying up in an armchair or lounging outside by the pool. Below, 10 of our wonderful FalconGuides authors share some of their current reads, favorite childhood books, and their ideal environments for reading.
1) Abbie Mood
Abbie Mood is the author of Best Hikes Colorado’s Front Range: Simple Strolls, Day Hikes, and Longer Adventures (June 2024). She is a lifelong explorer who has called Colorado home since 2011.
What are you reading right now?
Right now, I have a stack of books to finish (which is pretty typical, to be honest). I’m reading Plant Magick by Jessica Hundley, Against a Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa, and 101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think by Brianna Wiest.
What was your favorite childhood book?
First was Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss because it was one of the first books I could “read” by myself, but as I got older, I loved Superfudge by Judy Blume. I didn’t (and still don’t!) reread many books, but that one was well-loved.
What is the book that changed or influenced you the most?
As I mentioned before, I don’t typically reread many books, but Polishing the Mirror by Ram Dass is my all-time fav. There are so many good nuggets of wisdom in there that helped me to see myself from a different perspective.
2) Syren Nagakyrie
Syren Nagakyrie is the author of The Disabled Hiker’s Guide to Western Washington and Oregon (2022) and the upcoming guidebook The Disabled Hiker’s Guide to Northern California (September 2024).
What are you reading right now?
Fables and Spells by adrienne maree brown. It’s a collection of poetry and short fiction that is giving me a lot of hope and inspiration to keep going during these difficult times.
How do you make time for reading?
This can be a challenge, because I often use up all of my mental spoons at work. But I make an effort to carve out time and energy for reading by reading more fiction or light nonfiction.
What’s your ideal reading environment?
Sitting outside in a chair or hammock on a nice day with my dog.
3) Jamie Siebrase
Jamie Siebrase is the author of Exploring Colorado with Kids (June 2024), Mythbusting the Great Outdoors (2022), and Hiking with Kids Colorado (2021).
What are you reading right now?
I love to read, and I’m usually reading a few books at once. Currently, that would be The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams and Romantic Comedy: A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld. I don’t typically read commercial fiction, but I’m glad I’m giving this title a go. Sittenfeld is a very talented storyteller, and I’m really enjoying the book.
How do you make time for reading?
Audiobooks! What I like to do is check out both the physical book and the audiobook from my local library, and then I toggle back and forth throughout the day. This allows me to get lots of reading done while I’m on the move, and I have three kids, so I’m always on the move!
Do you have a favorite quote from any of the books you read?
John Muir: “Between every two pine trees there is a door leading to a new way of life.” I’m thinking about opening my latest book with this quote. So powerful, right?
4) Mimi Zieman, MD
Mimi Zieman is the author of Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor’s Unlikely Adventure (April 2024), a coming-of-age story about the risks we take to become our truest selves.
What was your favorite childhood book?
Charlotte’s Web, it still guts me whenever I read it or see the movie.
Do you have a favorite quote from a book you’ve read?
I love this quote by Rebecca Solnit from A Field Guide to Getting Lost and used it as an epigraph in Tap Dancing on Everest: “The question then is how to get lost. Never to get lost is not to live, not to know how to get lost brings you to destruction, and somewhere in the terra incognita in between lies a life of discovery.”
5) Jamie Fleck
Jamie Fleck is the author of Hiking Oklahoma (2021) and the upcoming guidebook Best Lake Hikes Texas (October 2024). You can find her online at flecksoflove.com.
What’s the best book you’ve read over the past year?
I have two of them! Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt and Real Americans by Rachel Khong.
How do you make time for reading?
About 30 minutes to 1 hour before going to bed, I try to settle down and read a few chapters.
What was your favorite childhood book?
I read a lot when I was a kid. Any of the Newberry Medal Winners or books from the Ramona Quimby series.
6) Marcus Heerdt
Marcus Heerdt is the author of the recent guidebook Hiking South Dakota (March 2024). Marcus lives and works in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota in the southern Hills community of Hot Springs.
What are you reading right now?
Sabine Pass: The Confederacy’s Thermopylae by Edward T. Cotham Jr.
What’s your ideal reading environment?
Outside on the patio on a nice autumn day.
What is the book that changed or influenced you the most?
Reflections from the North Country by Sigurd F. Olson.
7) Christine Conners
Christine Conners is the talented illustrator behind Knots for Kids (2022) and Outdoor Skills for Kids (June 2024). If you’d like to see more of her work across other mediums, visit artbyconners.com.
What was your favorite childhood book?
I grew up in Hawaii and would spend hours watching tidal pools when I’d visit the beach. My favorite children’s book was Pagoo, a beautifully illustrated story about the life of a hermit crab.
What’s the best book you’ve read over the past year?
One of the more interesting books I’ve read recently was Mirage: Napoleon’s Scientists and the Unveiling of Egypt. There was a strange dreamlike quality to the story that really captivated me.
What are you reading right now?
I just started Genius in the Design: Bernini, Borromini and the Rivalry that Transformed Rome. I love Italy, so when I can’t be there, I visit through books.
8) Buck Tilton
Buck Tilton has written many books for FalconGuides, including Wilderness First Responder, Knots for Kids (2022) and Outdoor Skills for Kids (June 2024).
What are you reading right now?
I am currently reading Cooking the One-Burner Way. Even though I am very familiar with the book, I am working on a new cookbook and felt the review would be helpful.
What’s the best book you’ve read over the past year?
The best book I’ve read in the past year is Crazy Horse by Maria Sandoz. I love her writing.
How do you make time for reading?
After 50 years of teaching, I retired in May, a couple of months ago. I have a lot of time to read!
9) Randi Minetor
Randi Minetor is the author of many FalconGuides, including Birding Florida (2021), Best Easy Day Hikes Albany (2024), and the upcoming guidebook Birding Texas (September 2024).
What’s the best book you’ve read over the past year?
My Name is Barbra, by Barbra Streisand. I read mostly nonfiction and I love autobiographies; I’ve also loved Barbra since I saw her on the Ed Sullivan Show when I was four years old. Barbra answers every single question I had about her career and personal life, making it worth the 972-page read. It’s not for everyone, but this book might as well have been written for me personally.
Do you have a favorite quote from any of the books you read?
“Something very weird is happening, and I want it to be happening to me.” —Ford Prefect, So Long and Thanks for All the Fish, by Douglas Adams
What is the book that changed or influenced you the most?
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. My seventh-grade science teacher used this as our textbook for a full semester in 1970, and it set me on a course to become a lifelong environmentalist. It was a very tough read for a thirteen-year-old, but it made an indelible impression.
10) Sarah Lamagna
Sarah Lamagna is the author of Hiking with Kids New England (2023) and Swimming Holes New England (May 2024). Sarah is an ecologist-turned-writer and an avid outdoor advocate.
What’s the best book you’ve read over the past year?
The Leaves May Fall duology by Carissa Hardcastle has been life-changing for me. I will forever exclaim that this is the best series ever.
What’s your ideal reading environment?
An oversize chair on a rainy day with a hot cup of juniper mint tea.
What was your favorite childhood book?
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster—it truly fueled my creativity.
Celebrate with Us!
Join our FalconGuides authors in celebrating National Book Lovers Day by taking the time to pick up a book today! Plus, make sure to use code BookLover24 at checkout for 15% off the entire FalconGuides website for the day of August 9, 2024.
