Here are 76 books that Heart and Blood fans have personally recommended if you like Heart and Blood. Book DNA is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Wild Souls: Freedom and Flourishing in the Non-Human World

Brant MacDuff Author Of The Shotgun Conservationist: Why Environmentalists Should Love Hunting

From my list on if you are interested in wildlife conservation.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a conservation and taxidermy historian who writes about wildlife economics specifically for people new to the subject. I live in Brooklyn, travel constantly, love museums, and collect too many things (my grandmother owned an antique shop which kicked off my love of history.) My love for animals, history, and the outdoors created a bizarre career path that I have followed like an excited scent hound from the outdoor industry, butchery, museum sphere to conservation education and wildlife economics. I’m either in the woods, a Japanese restaurant, or on the road giving lectures about anything from the history of taxidermy to effective conservation structures in southern Africa. 

Brant's book list on if you are interested in wildlife conservation

Brant MacDuff Why Brant loves this book

Emma Marris is a phenomenal writer; her nature writing has been compared to that of Aldo Leopold and Rachael Carson.

Wild Souls focuses on how people relate to other animals. That might sound like a philosophical topic but it has real world consequences. Her stories will force you to question your own motives and morals when asked to compare one animal to another or define what “nature” even is anymore.

Full of entertaining stories and nutritious food for thought.  

By Emma Marris ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Winner of the 2022 Rachel Carson Environment Book Award * Winner of the 2022 Science in Society Journalism Award (Books) * Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize

“Thoughtful, insightful, and wise, Wild Souls is a landmark work.”--Ed Yong, author of An Immense World

"Fascinating . . . hands-on philosophy, put to test in the real world . . . Marris believes that our idea of wildness--our obsession with purity--is misguided. No animal remains untouched by human hands . . . the science isn’t the hard part. The real challenge is the ethics, the act of imagining our appropriate…


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Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Book cover of Meat Eater: Adventures from the Life of an American Hunter

Brant MacDuff Author Of The Shotgun Conservationist: Why Environmentalists Should Love Hunting

From my list on if you are interested in wildlife conservation.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a conservation and taxidermy historian who writes about wildlife economics specifically for people new to the subject. I live in Brooklyn, travel constantly, love museums, and collect too many things (my grandmother owned an antique shop which kicked off my love of history.) My love for animals, history, and the outdoors created a bizarre career path that I have followed like an excited scent hound from the outdoor industry, butchery, museum sphere to conservation education and wildlife economics. I’m either in the woods, a Japanese restaurant, or on the road giving lectures about anything from the history of taxidermy to effective conservation structures in southern Africa. 

Brant's book list on if you are interested in wildlife conservation

Brant MacDuff Why Brant loves this book

If my book brings the perspective of a new hunter and old conservationist, then Meat Eater is the perspective of the old hunter and new conservationist.

The entertaining memoir begins with Rinella’s earliest hunting memories so the reader can follow how hunting informed his connection to land and animals over time and how that made him the activist conservationist he is today.

A great book for the non-hunter to glean some perspective from someone who was born into hunting culture.   

By Steven Rinella ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

“Revelatory . . . With every chapter, you get a history lesson, a hunting lesson, a nature lesson and a cooking lesson. . . . Meat Eater offers an overabundance to savor.”—The New York Times Book Review
 
Steven Rinella grew up in Twin Lake, Michigan, the son of a hunter who taught his three sons to love the natural world the way he did. As a child, Rinella devoured stories of the American wilderness, especially the exploits of his hero, Daniel Boone. He began fishing at the age of three and shot his first squirrel at eight and his first…


Book cover of Bringing Back the Lions: International Hunters, Local Tribespeople, and the Miraculous Rescue of a Doomed Ecosystem in Mozambique

Brant MacDuff Author Of The Shotgun Conservationist: Why Environmentalists Should Love Hunting

From my list on if you are interested in wildlife conservation.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a conservation and taxidermy historian who writes about wildlife economics specifically for people new to the subject. I live in Brooklyn, travel constantly, love museums, and collect too many things (my grandmother owned an antique shop which kicked off my love of history.) My love for animals, history, and the outdoors created a bizarre career path that I have followed like an excited scent hound from the outdoor industry, butchery, museum sphere to conservation education and wildlife economics. I’m either in the woods, a Japanese restaurant, or on the road giving lectures about anything from the history of taxidermy to effective conservation structures in southern Africa. 

Brant's book list on if you are interested in wildlife conservation

Brant MacDuff Why Brant loves this book

If you read my book and still don’t believe that big game hunting is an integral part of wildlife conservation in Africa (and everywhere else) then pick this book up next (and after you finish Lions read Cries of the Savanna by Sue Tidwell.)

The book’s subtitle tells you the story and unlike my book or the ones I mentioned by Emma Marris and Steven Rinella, this book stays in one place.

You get to see what it takes to go from empty, ravaged, soil-dead landscapes back to a thriving habitat and how to build an effective, sustainable conservation structure. 

By Mike Arnold ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Bringing Back the Lions as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


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Book cover of Trusting Her Duke

Trusting Her Duke by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke with rigid opinions, a Lady whose beliefs conflict with his, a long disputed parcel of land, a conniving neighbour, a desperate collaboration, a failure of trust, a love found despite it all.

Alexander Cavendish, Duke of Ravensworth, returned from war to find that his father and brother had…

Book cover of Cat Wars: The Devastating Consequences of a Cuddly Killer

Brant MacDuff Author Of The Shotgun Conservationist: Why Environmentalists Should Love Hunting

From my list on if you are interested in wildlife conservation.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a conservation and taxidermy historian who writes about wildlife economics specifically for people new to the subject. I live in Brooklyn, travel constantly, love museums, and collect too many things (my grandmother owned an antique shop which kicked off my love of history.) My love for animals, history, and the outdoors created a bizarre career path that I have followed like an excited scent hound from the outdoor industry, butchery, museum sphere to conservation education and wildlife economics. I’m either in the woods, a Japanese restaurant, or on the road giving lectures about anything from the history of taxidermy to effective conservation structures in southern Africa. 

Brant's book list on if you are interested in wildlife conservation

Brant MacDuff Why Brant loves this book

If you can’t wrap your head around outdoor cats, you’ll never be a successful conservationist.

Outdoor cats are the ultimate litmus test of conservation theory and practice, the end-all-be-all of “trolly car problem” thought experiments.

Outdoor cats are directly responsible for the extinction of at least 63 entire species of animal, but people have trouble taking action against them because we perceive them as pets even if they’re not. So who’s more important, the population of feral cats in New Zealand, or the survival of their last remaining endangered ground birds?   

By Peter P. Marra , Chris Santella ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

In 1894, a lighthouse keeper named David Lyall arrived on Stephens Island off New Zealand with a cat named Tibbles. In just over a year, the Stephens Island Wren, a rare bird endemic to the island, was rendered extinct. Mounting scientific evidence confirms what many conservationists have suspected for some time--that in the United States alone, free-ranging cats are killing birds and other animals by the billions. Equally alarming are the little-known but potentially devastating public health consequences of rabies and parasitic Toxoplasma passing from cats to humans at rising rates. Cat Wars tells the story of the threats free-ranging…


Book cover of Bambi: A Life in the Woods

James DeVita Author Of The Silenced

From my list on classic YA titles we think we know but don’t.

Why am I passionate about this?

I've been the resident playwright at First Stage Children’s Theater in Milwaukee for over twenty years. I began my career by adapting classic titles for the stage: Little House Christmas, Treasure Island, Huck Finn, Through the Looking Glass, Tom Sawyer. As I researched previous adaptions of these novels, I discovered how so many of them were quite different from the author’s original intentions. I don’t feel these adaptations are 'bad,' by any means—in fact, I believe you have to break free of a novel to truly adapt it for a different medium—but often the 'adaptation' is the only part of the story that gets passed down to us. 

James' book list on classic YA titles we think we know but don’t

James DeVita Why James loves this book

I remember the first time someone told me to read this book, and I replied, “Bambi? Really? No thank you.” I, of course, had only known the Disney-ized version of the story. I assumed it was a book for toddlers, with cute little bunny rabbits and birds singing in the trees. I was very wrong. It is a profound coming-of-age story dealing with family, love, parents, adulthood, loss, intolerance, death, betrayal, and the horrors which humans can inflict on both the environment and each other. It was banned and burned in Germany in 1936 as it was seen as a political allegory of the Nazi Party. A powerful book, and, unfortunately, still a very timely one. 

By Felix Salten , Richard Cowdrey (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Bambi as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, 12, and 13.

What is this book about?

Immerse yourself in a young deer's world in this resplendent, collectible edition of the richly imagined and vividly illustrated masterpiece that inspired the beloved Disney film.

Bambi lives in a thicket in the forest. From his kind and caring mother, to all the friends he makes among the forest's inhabitants, to his twin cousins Faline and Gobo, he is surrounded by animals who wish him well. But there are dangers within and surrounding the forest, and all too soon they will make themselves known.

A beautifully written and critically acclaimed classic that has been translated into more than twenty languages…


Book cover of The Make Up: A Sweet Romantic Comedy

Annah Conwell Author Of The Golden Goal

From my list on romcoms without spice.

Why am I passionate about this?

I don’t read books with explicit scenes, and I don’t write them either. I’ve read hundreds of novels in this genre and written several of my own. I believe closed-door romances can be just as tension-filled and fun as those with spice. I love the closed-door romance community and have a passion for sharing books that make me laugh, cry, and swoon.

Annah's book list on romcoms without spice

Annah Conwell Why Annah loves this book

I adored how cozy this book was. All of Hailey’s books feel like a warm hug, but this one being set in fall made it all the more homey and wonderful. I’m not usually a fan of the friends-to-lovers trope, but I loved how Hailey portrayed their relationship. I recommend reading with a warm drink in the cold months.

By Hailey Gardiner ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Thou shalt not lie, steal, cheat, or…fall in love with your best friend.

When my best friend, Hunter Ward, offers me the opportunity to star alongside him as the lead love interest in a music video he’s directing, I’m torn between taking the gig and risking my heart. My job? To look and act like I’m in love with Hunter…without revealing my true feelings for him.

I’ve seen the man in action and watched him work the room. I’ve witnessed countless women fawn over him and practically swoon in his presence. And now that the full force of his charm…


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Book cover of The Duke's Christmas Redemption

The Duke's Christmas Redemption by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke who has rejected love, a Lady who dreams of a love match, an arranged marriage, a house full of secrets, a most unneighborly neighbor, a plot to destroy reputations, an unexpected love that redeems it all.

Lady Charlotte Wyndham, given in an arranged marriage to a man she…

Book cover of Bears Are Sleeping

Margaret Read MacDonald Author Of Pickin' Peas

From my list on singing picture books.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a Children’s Librarian for over 30 years, my passion has been for the sound of language. I want children to hear rhythmic, joyful language that will make them fall in love with words. My own career as a storyteller and author continues this same love of language. I try to write my own picture books in such a way that any adult who picks them up will read them out with the same kind of verve and joy that I put into them.  


Margaret's book list on singing picture books

Margaret Read MacDonald Why Margaret loves this book

This is a perfect, soothing lullaby. “Bears are sleeping, deer are sleeping, snow is piling high. Even hungry wolves are sleeping…hush and bye you bye..” Soft, blurry illustrations of sleeping animals in a snowy Russian countryside. Notes for the lullaby run along the bottom of the pages. My daughters loved this gentle bedtime book, a last…quiet book before kissing them goodnight.  

By Yulya , Nonny Hogrogian (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Bears Are Sleeping as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of The Gift of the Deer

Curt Brown Author Of Minnesota, 1918: When Flu, Fire, and War Ravaged the State

From my list on Minnesota stories to get through a long winter.

Why am I passionate about this?

After more than 30 years in daily journalism in Minnesota, I moved to a trout stream near Durango, Colo., to stage a second act. Editors at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, where I worked for 26 years, gave me a freelance contract to write a Minnesota History column every Sunday. It’s morphed into a popular crowd-sourcing of history with readers feeding me delicious family stories. I’m the lucky one who gets to weave these stories—enriching my knowledge of what being Minnesotans is all about.

Curt's book list on Minnesota stories to get through a long winter

Curt Brown Why Curt loves this book

This quirky 1966 memoir comes from a Chicago couple who traded in their big-city careers for a cabin at the end of the Gunflint Trail in Minnesota’s remote northeastern Arrowhead country. She had been a top-notch metallurgist—fiddling with a new way to temper steel for farm implements at International Harvester’s research lab near Chicago. He had been an art director for a textbook publisher. No one thought they’d make it through one Minnesota winter but they endured for 17 years on the edge of the wilderness and write soothingly about their new lives amid nature.

By Helen Hoover ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The classic story of a family of deer and the humans who loved them

One Christmas Eve an emaciated deer stumbled across the yard of Helen Hoover's remote cabin in northern Minnesota. Barely surviving the brutal winter, gaunt from starvation, blind in one eye from a hunting wound, he became the central character in Hoover's best-selling book, The Gift of the Deer.

Hoover and her husband Adrian named this deer Peter and nursed him back to health, setting out cedar branches, corn, and carrots. From that Christmas on, the Hoovers observed Peter and his growing clan for four years. Hoover…


Book cover of Foxen Bloom

Samara Breger Author Of A Long Time Dead

From my list on queer monsters who need a little kiss.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a writer and performer born and raised in New York City. In my previous life, I was an Emmy-nominated journalist and digital media producer, covering sexual and reproductive health. In addition to writing, I love musical improv, opera, Olympic weightlifting, and spending time with my wife and dog.

Samara's book list on queer monsters who need a little kiss

Samara Breger Why Samara loves this book

Many books have kissing in the forest, but how many are about kissing the forest itself?

Fenton has watched countless hunters enter his forest to claim a wish by killing the white-tailed stag. Each hunter has taken: a sip from the stream, a flower from the vine, wood to light a fire. Each hunter has subsequently died.

Prior is different; he takes nothing, instead asking for a god’s assistance in waking his sister from her sleeping sickness. Fenton—who is the forest and the white-tailed stag and a son of Old Nan and also, definitely, a god—decides to pack up the forest and help Prior out.

Where I come from, that sort of thing will get you a little kiss or two at the very least.

By Parker Foye ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Foxen Bloom as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Season after season, hunters have attempted to capture the white-tailed stag. Local legend holds that its capture promises prosperity, and in a land that is dying—to hunger, to war; to a magical curse, some say—even a whisper of hope is a powerful lure. Yet every hunter who tries fails, never to leave the forest. Fenton, god of the forest, yet imprisoned within its borders, watches from his place in the trees as the hunters first despoil and then fall to his land, dispassionate as his deadwood heart.

Prior doesn't hope to capture the stag or secure prosperity. He has a…


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Book cover of Old Man Country

Old Man Country by Thomas R. Cole,

This book follows the journey of a writer in search of wisdom as he narrates encounters with 12 distinguished American men over 80, including Paul Volcker, the former head of the Federal Reserve, and Denton Cooley, the world’s most famous heart surgeon.

In these and other intimate conversations, the book…

Book cover of Just Down the Street: Justo a la vuelta

Carolyn Watson-Dubisch Author Of As The Sun Rises, Morning in Mazatlan

From my list on children's picture books about Mexico.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have lived in Mazatlán, Mexico, for the last 6 years and have explored much of this beautiful country, from the Pacific coast to Mexico City to Puerto Peñasca and the region around the Sea of Cortez. It’s fascinating and varied, and the people here are welcoming and kind. I teach art to primary school children at a local school and love sharing Spanish and English books with them about Mexico. These are some of my favorite books that my students love.

Carolyn's book list on children's picture books about Mexico

Carolyn Watson-Dubisch Why Carolyn loves this book

Two cheerful deer take us on a tour of their city of Mazatlán, Mexico. I love the tone of this book—wide-eyed enthusiasm for this fascinating city.

The book is bilingual in English and Spanish and is full of humor and the incredible sights and sounds of Mexico. It makes you want to hop on a plane and explore. The story is in verse and is great for reading in my class, particularly kindergarten. The art adds a lot, and the Spanish translation is very well done.

By R.H. Bynum , Carolyn Watson-Dubisch (illustrator) , Zanny Medel (translator)

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Just Down the Street as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Grandma and Pop-Pop have moved to Mazatlan. They LOVE it!! Anything they ever need is so close, it's Just Down the Street. You will see Mazatlan through their eyes. You may also learn a few Spanish words along the way. Their days are filled with friends, fun and sun. The only thing missing is their family, who they wish lived Just Down the Street.


Book cover of Wild Souls: Freedom and Flourishing in the Non-Human World
Book cover of Meat Eater: Adventures from the Life of an American Hunter
Book cover of Bringing Back the Lions: International Hunters, Local Tribespeople, and the Miraculous Rescue of a Doomed Ecosystem in Mozambique

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Interested in wildlife conservation, wildlife, and animals?

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