100 Books Like The Tourist Trail

I was moved and delighted by this highly original novel, which blends murder-mystery with heartfelt philosophical explorations into animal rights, mysticism, existential anxiety, and our own humanity.

Narrator-protagonist Janina, a woman who translates Blake, studies horoscopes and feels a deep connection to the animals around her; she tells the story of what happens one winter when a series of men in her Polish village are murdered by a culprit yet to be found.

I adored this book’s intelligence and blending of tragedy and humor. Its narrative combines a compelling plot with a distinctive first-person voice and deeply thoughtful reflections about the beauty, cruelty, and wonder of life.

I read this novel some years ago and really loved it. It is incredibly beautifully written. The story has a spell-binding effect, and at other times, I was cracking open to understanding wolves and the wild elements of their nature—and the brutality of hunters.

High suspense drives this plot as does the conflict of trust and fear that keeps propelling the characters. Wolves are amazing creatures; the narrative has you breathing with the wolves as they run. I loved being inside the forests and trees of Scotland. The action brought on an aching as I read it—adventure and intrigue, romance too, and domestic violence and sexual abuse as the underbelly. Powerful images here that don’t fade easily. 

Katy Yocom’s Three Ways to Disappear won the Siskiyou Prize for New Environmental Literature and was named a Barnes & Noble Top Indie Favorite—well-deserved recognition for this gorgeous debut novel. Three Ways to Disappear reveals the plight of the endangered Bengal tigers through the stories of two sisters who come together years after a family tragedy changes their lives—journalist Sarah, in India to help preserve the tigers, and Quinn, in Kentucky, dealing with family issues. The novel shows the complicated balance of tiger conservation among humans who themselves are struggling, and portrays the complexities of family bonds as well as the immense challenges facing the natural world. Both the human and tiger characters are beautifully rendered, empathetic, and unforgettable.

In most stories, animals don’t exist for their own reasons—their purpose is simply to serve the needs of the main characters or the machinations of the plot. In Barn 8, however, chickens not only have agency and their own raison d’etre, but they catalyze every single major turn of events.

I love the premise—a group of unlikely activists decides to free the million-plus chickens suffering on an egg farm—and its quirky, clever style. But the best part is the chickens at the heart of the tale. Unferth gets inside their heads, showing their loyalty and love, their distinctive personalities, and their undeniable, fierce intelligence.

It's a captivating glimpse into the inner world of extraordinary animals who deserve to be the heroes of their own stories.

Might as well start them young: this work by Chelsea Clinton cites reading ages of 4 to 8 years old. Chelsea Clinton? Rings a few bells? Yes, she is the only daughter of former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary. Targeting such a young reading age, the book relies heavily on superb illustration by Gianna Marino, who brings a dozen animals to life with engaging artwork. Extinction means gone forever. Can you imagine a world without tigers or rhinos?

Humankind is driving these two species to the brink of extinction. In the book, the reasons for this are covered by the phrase: ‘poaching and habitat loss’—without going into detail that ‘poaching’ mainly means hawking tiger-bone and rhino-horn concoctions as bogus cures in Traditional Chinese Medicine. But there is only so much bad news that a five-year-old can take.

Author/illustrator Millie Marrota presents a veritable Noah’s Ark of 43 endangered species from around the globe—taking a trip through freshwaters, oceans, forests, mountains, tundras, deserts, grasslands and wetlands. Complete with a map detailing where each species can still be found, why they are endangered, and what to do about it.

Vivid illustrations of caribous, axolotls, agami herons, and many more—all brought to life by Millie, who works from her studio by the sea in a little corner of West Wales, UK. Millie's intention is simply to create beautiful artwork that captivates, charms, and inspires curiosity in others for the natural world.

Michelle Nijhuis tells the history of conservation over the last three hundred years with compelling narrative and fascinating detail. She shines a new light on the context and stories of familiar as well as lesser-known, pioneering conservationists. I loved it and learnt so much.

Beloved Beasts explores different perspectives of an increasingly desperate human story. Cutting to the underlying narrative… "people are still killing too many animals and destroying too much habitat" Nijui urges that as our societies become ever more connected, perhaps there is hope that we humans can sort ourselves (and our planet…) out. Let’s hope so.

Stories with unusual, original animal perspectives fascinate me, so I was hooked when Emma Geen’s character, Katherine, projects into endangered species as a way of researching various creatures.

She becomes a fox, bat, octopus, snake, and perhaps most weirdly, a spider. Each leap had unique joys and challenges. As a reader, I learnt to master tentacles, sonar, and web-spinning. The rich sensory details of each animal jump were extraordinary, and the research involved in making these imaginative leaps believable was impressive. I loved it.

I am inspired by Dr. Wong Siew Te’s dedication and commitment to the lives of this little-known bear species. Author Dr. Sarah Pye tells Dr. Wong's personal story, interwoven with her own seven year journey to learn about the sun bears in Borneo threatened by a cruel wildlife trade. 

Adult sun bears are hunted for illegal trade in their parts from gallbladders to their paws. Their abandoned young are snatched for the illegal pet trade and wherever he can, Dr. Wong rescues these tiny cubs from life confined to a cage. His unique sun bear conservation centre in Borneo sets out wherever possible, to reintroduce these bears back into protected wild spaces.

The Rachel Porter Mysteries by Jessica Speart are not well known, but they deserve to be. These books are available now only as Kindle ebooks and used mass-market paperbacks. Based on years of experience as an investigative journalist focusing on wildlife law enforcement and endangered species issues, the author created protagonist Rachel Porter, a new wildlife agent who is determined to protect animals wherever she is assigned, no matter what dangers and challenges may erupt from the environment, the local citizens, or her own bosses, who typically believe that she doesn’t belong in the field. Speart writes amazing scenes that are both suspenseful and funny, a trick that as an author I envy. I learned a lot about the illegal wildlife trade in each book, and I never tired of the quirky characters and Rachel’s fearless dedication to protecting wildlife at all costs.