The Devil's Teeth - Susan Casey - A non-fiction book which is as much about the Farallon Islands as it is about the great white sharks who live there. The author is a journalist who spent time with the resident biologists out on the Farallones on three separate occasions. She describes the allure the islands have for her, as well as the handful of people who willingly spend months at a time out there, and you begin to feel it yourself. It just so happened that the day after I finished this book I took a trip to the Farallones - it was my first time at the islands, yet I recognized the landmarks and knew so much about what had happened out there; it was like visiting an old friend. The author has been criticized for the impact of her actions however, and that really cannot be argued. But what has happened, happened, and I still highly recommend this book.

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals - Michael Pollan - This book is very similiar in scope to The Way We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter, which I read a couple of months ago, and complements it perfectly. The author traces different meals and farming techniques and, as thoroughly as possible, describes the different methods and outcomes. One large section of the book is devoted to describing a fully-sustainable farm, and how so many of those old-fashioned, yet perfectly environmentally-friendly, farming practices have been lost due to the adoption of "modern" factory-farming techniques. Reading this book you learn things like just how much corn is grown versus how little we actually eat, and rather than growing less corn, food scientists are continually trying to invent unnatural uses for corn (corn sweeteners, animal feeds, food additives, etc). This book is a wake-up call to how messed up food production is in the U.S. Highly recommended.