Near the Forest, By the Lake: Discovering Nature Close to Home by Angela E. Douglas ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

As the days grow warmer and longer, we tend to spend more time outside. But how much do we notice about the natural world around us?

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

May 2025; Comstock Publishing; 978-1501780370
ebook, print (208 pages); nature essays

One of Angela Douglas's goals with her new collection of essays is to get readers curious about the natural world around them. As this is a goal (to be more curious) in my life, I knew I had to read this book. And I'm so glad I did.

If you follow this site, you know that I take a week in the summer and spend it at Naturalist Camp in the Great Smoky Mountains. Reading this book has me yearning for that week of being submerged in all things nature.

Douglas's essays reflect the natural world around her home in Ithaca, New York. As I'm in the south, some of what she sees and experiences is different from mine, but there were also similarities. I found myself "comparing notes," so to speak, with several of the essays. All the different places she visits that are close by her made me start thinking of the different pubic areas around me - there are quite a few places. But even if you live in a concrete jungle, perhaps you find some wild wonders in a city park.

This book reminded me of Earth Almanac by Ted Williams. And just like after reading that book, I now want to try my hand at writing a nature essay. But more so, I just want to sit on a bench, or a rock, in the middle of a hiking path, or park, and just notice what is around me. 

Sometimes in a collection of essays, a few are my favorites and some rather bore me. But I have to say that I enjoyed each essay in this collection. Each one made me more curious and wonder if I could find a place near me to experience something similar. The desire to get outside was the only reason I wanted to put down the book.

I also learned things while reading this essay. There were a couple of squirrels that hung around my building at work that I saw every day. Unfortunately, I think they have met their demise on the service road that runs past my building. One squirrel I watch diligently attempt to rebuild a nest that a previous squirrel had built and then go on to build another one in the next tree over when the renovated one kept falling apart. In her essay about squirrels, I learned that these "nests" are called dreys, and some of the behaviors I witnessed were explained.

If you are curious about the natural world around you or you want to experience a different place from you, then this is the book to pick up. 

Buy Near the Forest, By the Lake at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.

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