{"id":171338,"date":"2025-08-24T09:06:20","date_gmt":"2025-08-24T09:06:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/171338\/"},"modified":"2025-08-24T09:06:20","modified_gmt":"2025-08-24T09:06:20","slug":"poor-richards-books-has-titles-on-personality-fire-and-environment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/171338\/","title":{"rendered":"Poor Richard’s Books has titles on personality, fire and environment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Each week as part of SunLit \u2014 The Sun\u2019s literature section \u2014 we feature staff recommendations from book stores across Colorado. This week, the staff from Poor Richard\u2019s Books in Colorado Springs recommends a book for otroverts, an examination of wildfire and a guide to the proximity of nature.<\/p>\n

The Gift of Not Belonging<\/p>\n

By Rami Kaminski<\/strong>
Little, Brown Spark
$28
June 2025
Purchase<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

From the publisher<\/strong><\/strong>: Were you the kid who never wanted to join after school clubs or go to sleepaway camp? Do you loathe parties but love spending time with close friends one-on-one? Are you allergic to teamwork but thrive creatively and professionally when working alone? Do you struggle to fit in? If so, you are likely an otrovert.<\/p>\n

In a culture that puts a premium on joining, many otroverts have gone through life feeling misunderstood. But, contrary to what we have been taught, argues psychiatrist Rami Kaminski, belonging is not a requirement for living a rich, rewarding life. Quite the opposite. \u201cThe Gift of Not Belonging\u201d\u00a0urges otroverts to embrace their unique gifts, and equips them with the knowledge and tools to thrive in a communal world.<\/p>\n

From Jeffery Payne, assistant retail manager:<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong> So that is what I am\u2026<\/p>\n

I am unable to jump into a spontaneous, rousing round of a song at any gathering \u2013 that is if I make myself go to a gathering. I don\u2019t need or want to be a part of any collective group; in fact, I avoid being around all kinds of groups \u2014 herd mentality gives me the willies.\u00a0 However, I can work at a book event with hundreds of people with ease and aplomb if I\u2019m behind a table selling books. Would I be in the crowd listening to the author? I shall have to pass.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Psychiatrist and researcher, Rami Kaminski, introduces us to a new concept that lies somewhere between introvert and extrovert, and I for one, am fascinated and thankful. In \u201cThe Gift of Not Belonging,\u201d we otroverts are given permission to freely accept not-fitting-in. It is truly OK not to buy into the communal mindset and find\/live our happiness. I no longer must feel \u201cI was wrong just because no one else thought I was right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fire Weather<\/p>\n

By John Vaillant<\/strong>
Vintage
$20
June 2024
Purchase<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

From the publisher<\/strong><\/strong>: In May 2016, Fort McMurray, the hub of Canada\u2019s oil industry and America\u2019s biggest foreign supplier, was overrun by wildfire. The multi-billion-dollar disaster melted vehicles, turned entire neighborhoods into firebombs, and drove 88,000 people from their homes in a single afternoon. Through the lens of this apocalyptic conflagration \u2014 the wildfire equivalent of Hurricane Katrina \u2014 John Vaillant warns that this was not a unique event, but a shocking preview of what we must prepare for in a hotter, more flammable world.<\/p>\n

With masterly prose and a cinematic eye, Vaillant\u00a0takes us on a\u00a0riveting journey\u00a0through the intertwined histories of North America\u2019s oil industry and the birth of climate science, to the\u00a0unprecedented devastation wrought by\u00a0modern forest fires, and into lives forever changed by these disasters.\u00a0John Vaillant\u2019s urgent work is a book for \u2014 and from \u2014 our new century of fire, which has only just begun.<\/p>\n

From Jeffery Payne, assistant retail manager:<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong> There are currently 12 active wildfires within the state of Colorado. There has been a smoky haze in the sky some days. The smell of acrid smoldering hangs heavily in the air at times. This has become a normal thing for us in mountainous areas, and it will (probably) get worse.\u00a0<\/p>\n

John Vaillant tells us about how circumstances created one of North America\u2019s most destructive wildfires in recent memory, which happened in Alberta, Canada in 2016 (incidentally and frightfully, as I write this, parts of that area are under another evacuation order.)<\/p>\n

Valliant goes on to share that fire is a living thing, not easily tamed. There are waxing and waning times, seemingly coy reluctance that can immediately turn on one like a neighbor\u2019s cat when trying to pet it. In striking observations and intensive writing, the reader is scooped up and plopped down in the middle of the ash-covered town. \u201cFire Weather\u201d takes on cultural ignorance, head-in-the-sand obliviousness, authoritative reluctance and scientific context to shed light on how such a massive catastrophe did, and will, happen (again).<\/p>\n

Close to Home<\/p>\n

By Thor Hanson<\/strong>
Basic Books
$30
March 2025
Purchase<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

From the publisher<\/strong><\/strong>: We all live on nature\u2019s doorstep, but we often overlook it. From backyards to local parks, the natural places we see the most may well be the ones we know the least.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0\u201cClose to Home,\u201d biologist Thor Hanson shows how retraining our eyes reveals hidden wonders just waiting to be discovered. In Kansas City, migrating monarch butterflies flock to the local zoo. In the Pacific Northwest, fierce yellowjackets placidly sip honeydew, unseen in the treetops. In New England, a lawn gone slightly wild hosts a naturalist\u2019s life\u2019s work. And in the soil beneath our feet, remedies for everything from breast cancer to the stench of skunks lies waiting for someone\u2019s searching shovel. <\/p>\n

\u201cClose to Home\u201d\u00a0is a hands-on natural history for any local patch of Earth. It shows that we each can contribute to science and improve the health of our planet. And even more, it proves that the wonders of nature don\u2019t lie in some far-off land: They await us, close to home.<\/p>\n

From Jeffery Payne, assistant retail manager:<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong> I have lived in beautiful places where just a few steps from the door there are dark skies to get lost in; or a grey ocean that seethes with aggravated moodiness; or a beige stucco wall with skittish geckos sunning themselves on an autumn morning; or my lively chock-full-to-the-edges garden. I am at my best when outside. I open the door and find solace, comfort in the open air and the weeds in the garden.<\/p>\n

Thor Hanson, in his enlightening book, \u201cClose to Home,\u201d shows us just how accessible nature is if we just stop and, well, smell the pine trees. Hanson encourages us to turn birdwatching into bird-observing instead. By simply paying attention, and being in the moment, our outdoor spaces are teeming with life and unexpected surprises if we just look closely. The symbiotic relationship we have with the natural world, though at times scoffed at and ignored, can bring a healing sense to us and nature.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We are called to remember the fragileness of our environment and the utmost importance in preserving it. We are invited to keep in mind how impactful our actions (or lack thereof) are on the natural world and it begins with a little walk.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As part of The Colorado Sun\u2019s literature section \u2014 SunLit \u2014 we\u2019re featuring staff picks from book stores across the state. Read more.<\/a><\/p>\n

Type of Story: Review<\/p>\n

An assessment or critique of a service, product, or creative endeavor such as art, literature or a performance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Each week as part of SunLit \u2014 The Sun\u2019s literature section \u2014 we feature staff recommendations from book…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":171339,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[15869,6216,1022,171,5025,1759,6217,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-171338","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-books","8":"tag-behavioral-health","9":"tag-book-recommendations","10":"tag-books","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-fire","13":"tag-nature","14":"tag-nonfiction","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115082951727981952","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=171338"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171338\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/171339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=171338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=171338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=171338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}