What book am I thinking of now?

January 7, 2020 10:41 AM

Not yet published (expected I think in early February); blurb reads like The Overstory, by Richard Powers, but this is nonfiction. Like The Overstory, it's not just "environment", it's pretty specifically trees if I recall correctly. Pretty sure the writer is a man. What book is this?

I know I read about this book in an email. Immediately upon reading about it, I checked with a local bookstore that has an online search function to see whether they had it in stock and that's how I found out that it hasn't yet been published. I did not mark it as "to read" in Goodreads, and I am kicking myself repeatedly over this. Also, the online search function for the local bookstore doesn't save my searches and I didn't speak to a live person there so that source is lost.

I get emails from various sources, but I was pretty sure this was a New York Times email. I spent a couple of hours yesterday searching through all the book email from NYT and then the online NYT book section, but no luck.

halp me I only have about 400 books at home that I haven't read yet and I don't want to lose track of this one, halp halp

posted by janey47 to Media & Arts (4 answers total)

Could it be Underland by Robert Macfarlane? Not really (completely) about trees but 1) the cover looks similar, 2) "Underland" is similar to "Overstory", and 3) the blurb I read DOES mention "vast networks of fungi that extend beneath the forest floor, perhaps the largest of living things and a conduit through which trees communicate with each other". It's on my list too and reminded me of Overstory.
posted by sillysally at 10:51 AM on January 7, 2020

(I mean, the blurb and cover reminded me of Overstory, I haven't read it yet, but it looks like it came out in June 2019. So maybe not what you're looking for?)
posted by sillysally at 10:53 AM on January 7, 2020

Response by poster: Oh you guys, I am such an idiot. I didn't think I had searched for it on Amazon but I just went to check and I did. It's NOT nonfiction. UGH Sorry.

It's Greenwood, by Michael Christie.

Thank you all for indulging my random goofballness.
posted by janey47 at 11:11 AM on January 7, 2020 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I just read a review of that and it reminded me of The Overstory. I was all set to tell you but you beat me to it! :p
posted by ferret branca at 12:32 PM on January 7, 2020 [1 favorite]