Here are 65 books that Cottonwoods fans have personally recommended if you like Cottonwoods. Book DNA is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Book cover of Appalachian Wilderness

Peter Essick Author Of Fernbank Forest

From my list on photography about trees and forests.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a working photographer my whole life, with 30 years of experience with National Geographic magazine. My focus has been on nature and environmental themes. I have travelled the world but became passionate about the Fernbank Forest near my home in Atlanta when I received a commission to photograph the restoration of the forest. 

Peter's book list on photography about trees and forests

Peter Essick Why Peter loves this book

I have almost all of the photobooks by Eliot Porter, the master of color nature photography, but this is my favorite. He uses his “intimate landscapes” approach to great effort to capture the beauty of this wildlands in extraordinary detail.

By Edward Abbey , Eliot Porter (photographer) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Appalachian Wilderness as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The photography of Eliot Porter captures the majestic beauty of the Appalachian wilderness. In the contrast, the harsh human history--the blighting force of today's industrial tourism, the sad fate of the Cherokee Indians, and the mountaineers--is sensitively recorded by Abbey. 45 color illustrations. 128 pages. Size D.48 color illus. 10 x 13 3/4. $37.50 value.


If you love Cottonwoods...

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

Book cover of Chased by the Light

Peter Essick Author Of Fernbank Forest

From my list on photography about trees and forests.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a working photographer my whole life, with 30 years of experience with National Geographic magazine. My focus has been on nature and environmental themes. I have travelled the world but became passionate about the Fernbank Forest near my home in Atlanta when I received a commission to photograph the restoration of the forest. 

Peter's book list on photography about trees and forests

Peter Essick Why Peter loves this book

I have long been an admirer of Jim Brandenburg's nature photography. This is his magnum opus, in which he raised the bar by only exposing one photographic frame each day for the 90 days of autumn. The results are spectacular.

By Jim Brandenburg ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Chased by the Light as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Presents the noted photographer's images of Northern Minnesota taken during his self-assigned task of taking only one photograph per day through the fall season.


Book cover of Natural-light Photography

Peter Essick Author Of Fernbank Forest

From my list on photography about trees and forests.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a working photographer my whole life, with 30 years of experience with National Geographic magazine. My focus has been on nature and environmental themes. I have travelled the world but became passionate about the Fernbank Forest near my home in Atlanta when I received a commission to photograph the restoration of the forest. 

Peter's book list on photography about trees and forests

Peter Essick Why Peter loves this book

I first learned the techniques of nature photography from the Ansel Adams 5-book series. Adams offers great insights into how to best approach photographing difficult aspects of nature (including forests) in all weather and light conditions.

By Ansel Adams ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Natural-light Photography as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been…


If you love Robert Adams...

Book cover of A Brush With Death

A Brush With Death by Jody Summers,

Former model Kira McGovern picks up the paint brushes of her youth and through an unexpected epiphany she decides to mix ashes of the deceased with her paints to produce tributes for grieving families.

Unexpectedly this leads to visions and images of the subjects of her work and terrifying changes…

Book cover of The Sibley Guide to Trees

Peter Essick Author Of Fernbank Forest

From my list on photography about trees and forests.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a working photographer my whole life, with 30 years of experience with National Geographic magazine. My focus has been on nature and environmental themes. I have travelled the world but became passionate about the Fernbank Forest near my home in Atlanta when I received a commission to photograph the restoration of the forest. 

Peter's book list on photography about trees and forests

Peter Essick Why Peter loves this book

I found this guidebook the best for identifying species and explaining their characteristics within a forest. Knowing the species improved my forest photgraphy greatly.

By David Allen Sibley ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Sibley Guide to Trees as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A beautiful, masterful and much needed work that willhenceforth be our guide to North American trees.Brought to you by David Sibley of Sibleys Birder Guides.


Book cover of The Wife Before

Shan R.K Author Of Capo Dei Capi

From my list on crime fiction that will leave you breathless.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was always a peculiar child with no friends, so I found my friends in books. As I got older I turned to writing my own. I wrote many stories, until one night I wrote my first book. It was paranormal fiction. Quite horrid actually. However, it started my obsession with crime romance. I love romance, but I find them a bit dull at times, but a crime novel never leaves me wanting. I decided to join the two worlds, and create my own. It's the reason even after 20 books published, my books are all linked to the biggest crime of all. But that is a secret you need to figure out for yourself.

Shan's book list on crime fiction that will leave you breathless

Shan R.K Why Shan loves this book

I read this book a few months ago. I was looking for a psychological thriller. And to an extent it was, but it is definitely a crime read that will leave you breathless. 

The story for me was just brilliant. It helps you understand the mind of a second wife to the point of obsession. How we tend to over analyse everything, scrutinize the very basis of what is real and not. 

There is a thin line between perception and misconception. I learned sometimes that the deeper you dwell on finding something that is wrong, the further away from the truth you go.

By Shanora Williams ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Wife Before as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Samira Wilder has never had it easy, and when her latest lousy job goes south, things only promise to get harder. Until she unexpectedly meets a man who will change her life forever. Renowned pro golfer Roland Graham is wealthy, handsome, and caring, and Samira is dazzled. Best of all, he seems to understand her better than anyone ever has. And though their relationship moves a bit fast, when Roland proposes, Samira accepts. She even agrees to relocate to his secluded Colorado mansion. After all, there's nothing to keep her in Miami, and the mansion clearly makes him happy. Soon,…


Book cover of Fatally Flaky

Dana Mentink Author Of Pint of No Return

From my list on hungry armchair sleuths who love their snackies.

Why am I passionate about this?

Maybe it’s due to my Cuban heritage, but I was raised to appreciate a delicious meal. Beans and rice, roasted pork, plantains, my mouth waters at the thought. When I launched into the writing business twenty five years and fifty books ago, I managed to sprinkle my novels with plenty of tasty treats. Diving into the culinary mystery world allowed me to combine my fancy for food and fiction into one glorious place. The best kind of mystery novels are the ones that tickle your taste buds while they tweak your little grey cells, don’t you think?

Dana's book list on hungry armchair sleuths who love their snackies

Dana Mentink Why Dana loves this book

Imagine you are a caterer who lives and breathes cooking. Now imagine yourself going undercover at a spa that doesn’t serve coffee or any of the other gourmet vittles you’re used to while you’re trying to unmask the killer of a local doctor. Protagonist Goldy Schulz is a savvy caterer, a tough cookie who escaped an abusive spouse and reinvented her life. I like that Goldy has that kind of depth which is sometimes lacking in a cozy mystery. She’s gritty and determined. As a west coast girl, I enjoy the fact that this series is set in Colorado and Goldy’s marriage to her second husband, a hunky cop, adds flavor. It’s fun to see how the acerbic Goldy handles a “Bridezilla” while trying not to offend her client. The book is fun and satisfying, like Goldy’s recipes! 

By Diane Mott Davidson ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Fatally Flaky as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Colorado caterer Goldy Schulz encounters bridezilla—and murder—in another delectable novel by the New York Times bestselling author of Sweet Revenge, Dark Tort, and Double Shot.

It's been a long, rainy summer for Goldy Schulz, who is engaged in planning wedding receptions for what seems to be all of Aspen Meadow. It's bad enough that Billie Attenborough, the bride from hell, has changed her menu six times and the event date twice. Now she wants to move the location to the Gold Gulch Spa just a scant two days before tying the knot to her doctor fiancé.

Then Doc Finn, beloved…


If you love Cottonwoods...

Book cover of Rescue Mountain

Rescue Mountain by Rebecka Vigus,

Rusty Allen is an Iraqi War veteran with PTSD. He moves to his grandfather's cabin in the mountains to find some peace and go back to wilderness training.

He gets wrapped up in a kidnapping first, as a suspect and then as a guide. He tolerates the sheriff's deputy with…

Book cover of Plainsong

Joe Wilkins Author Of The Entire Sky

From my list on books about rural America.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up on the high plains of eastern Montana. Like most rural folks, we lived close to the bone, even in the best of times. Then, when I was nine, my father died—and things got even harder. We finally had to put our acres up for lease, and I made a goal to leave that hard place. Though I worked hard for this new life I find myself leading—I studied, won scholarships, earned an MFA, and became a professor—ever since I left Montana, I’ve been trying to understand the distance between there and where I find myself now. I’ve been trying to understand rural America.

Joe's book list on books about rural America

Joe Wilkins Why Joe loves this book

This book is a straightforward, heartfelt, astonishingly moving novel set on the Colorado plains. The viewpoint switches back and forth from character to character, and as it does, I found myself falling ever more deeply in love with each of these admirable, flawed, fully realized men and women, boys and girls.

I’ve read it many times over the years, and the characters seem like old friends to me now. They’ve taught me about growing up and growing old and doing right, even when it’s hard, by one another. 

By Kent Haruf ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Plainsong as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

National Book Award Finalist

A heartstrong story of family and romance, tribulation and tenacity, set on the High Plains east of Denver.

In the small town of Holt, Colorado, a high school teacher is confronted with raising his two boys alone after their mother retreats first to the bedroom, then altogether. A teenage girl—her father long since disappeared, her mother unwilling to have her in the house—is pregnant, alone herself, with nowhere to go. And out in the country, two brothers, elderly bachelors, work the family homestead, the only world they've ever known. From these unsettled lives emerges a vision…


Book cover of Stalking Ground

DK Coutant Author Of Evil Alice and the Borzoi

From my list on mysteries with sleuths who love their dogs.

Why am I passionate about this?

I don’t remember a moment in my life when there wasn’t a dog in it.  They are members of my family, and I identify with protagonists who have the same connection in their lives. In my day job, I write mysteries and forecast geopolitical events. Mysteries with dogs help me balance the darkness in the world with the sheer delight that can be found with a dog.

DK's book list on mysteries with sleuths who love their dogs

DK Coutant Why DK loves this book

Mattie and Robo (a German Shepard) are part of a K9-Police Unit. Although they don’t bicker on stakeouts, in every other way, they live and work as a team. I  learned about the nitty gritty details (Kevlar protection for dogs!) that these teams need. And how much risk and what a critical role police dogs play when hunting a dangerous fugitive or searching for lost persons.

Also intriguing is that while not an amateur sleuth, Mattie is not a “detective” in the traditional sense of the word. Her primary responsibility is Robo.  And while Robo is a super-star in the K-9 Police world, even he had limitations. This is a great series about working dogs and their relationships with their handlers. 

By Margaret Mizushima ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Stalking Ground as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“A taut page-turner on multiple levels.” —Booklist
“Dog lovers will want to read this thriller.” —Library Journal

In this follow-up to Killing Trail, a murder investigation takes Mattie Cobb and her canine partner to the Colorado mountains—where the brutal winter landscape conceals an equally brutal killer.

When Deputy Ken Brody’s sweetheart goes missing in the mountains outside Timber Creek, Mattie Cobb and Robo are called to search. But it’s mid-October and a dark snow storm is brewing over the high country—and they’re already too late. By the time they find her body, the storm has broken and the snow is…


Book cover of Black Elk

Mada Eliza Dalian Author Of In Search of the Miraculous: Healing into Consciousness

From my list on spirituality and self-discovery.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was 5 when I saw my grandfather die. He drank morphene from a bottle, to stop his cancer pains, and soon after he stopped breathing. In the silent peace that followed, I realized that I too shall die one day, and life on earth will continue. The questions, Who am I? Where do I come from? What am I doing here? and Where will I go when I die? felt like the most important questions to find answers to before I die. The book, In Search of the Miraculous: Healing into Consciousness, was written fifty years later, and is the fruit of my search and discovery of answers to these questions.

Mada's book list on spirituality and self-discovery

Mada Eliza Dalian Why Mada loves this book

What do the Native American elders know that is not easily accessible to others?

Through the eyes of, and experiences of Black Elk, a Lakota Sioux elder, you will enter into the mysterious world of Native American wisdom.

You will begin to understand the vital importance of the wisdom that the elders have carried from generation to generation, while silently balancing the positive and negative forces on this planet.      

By Wallace Black Elk , William S. Lyon ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Black Elk as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"An unprecedented account of the shaman's world and the way it is entered."
STANLEY KRIPPNER, PH.D., coauthor of 'Personal Mythology: The Psychology of Your Evolving Self' and 'Healing States'

"Black Elk opens the Lakota sacred hoop to a comic


If you love Robert Adams...

Book cover of Portrait of an Artist as a Young Woman

Portrait of an Artist as a Young Woman by Alexis Krasilovsky,

Kate from Jules et Jim meets I Love Dick.

A young woman filmmaker’s journey of self-discovery, set against a backdrop of the sexual liberation movement of the 1970s and 1980s. In Portrait of an Artist as a Young Woman, we follow Ana Fried as she faces the ultimate…

Book cover of Making a Real Killing: Rocky Flats and the Nuclear West

Kari Lydersen Author Of Revolt on Goose Island: The Chicago Factory Takeover and What It Says About the Economic Crisis

From my list on labour and workers fighting against all odds.

Why am I passionate about this?

Fresh out of journalism school I stumbled on a strike at a machine shop in Pilsen, a neighborhood once home to Chicago’s most famous labor struggles, by then becoming a hip gentrified enclave. Drinking steaming atole with Polish, Mexican, and Puerto Rican workers in a frigid Chicago winter, I was captivated by the solidarity and determination to fight for their jobs and rights, in what appeared to be a losing battle. After covering labor struggles by Puerto Rican teachers, Mexican miners, Colombian bottlers, Chicago warehouse workers, and many others, my enthusiasm for such stories is constantly reignited -- by the workers fighting against all odds and the writers telling their stories, including those featured here.

Kari's book list on labour and workers fighting against all odds

Kari Lydersen Why Kari loves this book

In the nondescript yet fortified facility on dusty ranchland at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, workers toiled in strange conditions making a mysterious product, unknown even to them. Turns out they were manufacturing plutonium triggers for nuclear weapons, and terrifying radioactive fires eventually laid bare the dire toll of the Cold War arms race on Colorado’s people and land. Chemical companies and the government conspired to avoid scrutiny, ensure obedience and keep illegally dumping toxic waste. Yet solidarity was born among workers caught between their need for a job and their fear and outrage at being used as throw-away cogs in a doomed war machine.

By Len Ackland ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Making a Real Killing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This book examines the sobering realities associated with the participation of ordinary Americans in the development of the nation's nuclear weapons arsenal. A former Chicago Tribune reporter and one-time editor of 'The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists', Len Ackland explores the fascinating story of Rocky Flats, Colorado for the first time. He skilfully weaves together the experiences of individuals with clear explanations of nuclear weapons technology , the dangers posed by plutonium and radiation, and the bitter fight between government agencies over environmental degradation.


Book cover of Appalachian Wilderness
Book cover of Chased by the Light
Book cover of Natural-light Photography

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,298

readers submitted
so far, will you?