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Mushrooms! The Fun Guys of the Book World

by Michelle Carroll, October 7, 2021 9:47 AM
Mushrooms! The Fun Guys of the Book World


We've started to get the big fall rains in Portland recently, which means we’ve started seeing mushrooms pop up everywhere. I’m a bit of a fungi novice — I love eating chanterelles, but haven’t yet embarked on the Pacific Northwest rite of passage of foraging for my own mushrooms. Luckily, there are some fantastic books to guide the next stage of my mushroom appreciation. Whether you’re just beginning to seek out sumptuous spores, looking to identify the new friends sprouting from a tree stump, or just searching for more fungus puns in your life, this list is for you.

All That the Rain Promises and More: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western MushroomsAll That the Rain Promises and More: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms
by David Arora

One of the best, most charming mushroom hunting guides out there. This is worth a read even if you have absolutely zero interest in mycology, because it’s so dang delightful (and sprinkled with goofy photographs of fellow mushroom hunters in action). Fun bookselling fact: This 1991 guide makes the Powell’s bestseller list pretty much every year, right as the Pacific Northwest gets rainy and folks start looking for the perfect gift for their outdoorsy relatives.

Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World
by Paul Stamets

Mushrooms and fungus get touted as a miracle solution for a lot of pollution-related woes, and for good reason. They’re resilient, good at growing in places of decay, and actively improve the environment where they reside by breaking down and redistributing nutrients for healthier soil. Mycelium Running is the place to start if you want to know more about the restorative properties of the humble fungus.

Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Futures
by Merlin Sheldrake

When I embarked on this booklist, I was inspired by mushrooms. Entangled Life goes much deeper into fungi, of which mushrooms are just one part — and it’s an enthralling exploration! Sheldrake dives into fungal networks, the symbiotic relationships between fungi and plants, and reveals their shocking strengths and abilities (fungal networks helping plants attract wasps to stave off aphid attacks, for example!).

Fungipedia: A Brief Compendium of Mushroom Lore Fungipedia: A Brief Compendium of Mushroom Lore
by Lawrence Millman and Amy Jean Porter

I was charmed by the illustrations in this pocket-size history book, but this glowing review from David O. Born in the Minnesota Mycological Society newsletter (Toadstool) is what really sold me: "There are writers who have the ability to astonish readers with each new page, such is their erudition, their wit, and their ability to turn a phrase. Millman is one such writer, providing in Fungipedia, a book that draws novices like me into mycology, but which also has tidbits, tiny morsels of trivia if you will, that will satisfy the more discerning palate of the experts among us."

Mycophilia: Revelations from the Weird World of Mushrooms Mycophilia: Revelations From the Weird World of Mushrooms
by Eugenia Bone

This guide is a celebration of the science, culture, and — most prominently — culinary aspects of mushrooms. Like many of these books, Mycophilia has a strong thread of environmental justice in its view of these tasty treats. (I’m actively anticipating her forthcoming Fantastic Fungi Community Cookbook, for obvious recipe reasons.)

The Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins The Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins
by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing

The Mushroom at the End of the World takes a close look at a single variety, the matsutake. It’s notable for growing only in forest areas disturbed by humans, being pretty much impossible to cultivate, and being super valuable and much sought-after. Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing builds out the captivating story of who seeks out this fungus, and how it holds hope for a better future. I have a bad habit of answering many questions with “because capitalism is a scourge,” but this book has some surprisingly hopeful answers for what can be built and grow from the mess we’ve made of the planet.

The Secret Life of Fungi: Discoveries from a Hidden World The Secret Life of Fungi: Discoveries From a Hidden World
by Aliya Whiteley

A fascinating book for anyone dipping their toes into the world of spores, stems, caps, and gills. Packed with trivia, and connected to her past and inspiration for writing, this book benefits from Aliya Whiteley’s descriptive skills as a fiction writer. (I’m absolutely hooked on the premise of one of her horror novels, The Beauty, set in a world where all women have died and mysterious mushrooms have started to grow over their graves.)

How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence
by Michael Pollan

Pollan is one of the biggest food and botany writers of our time. His recent titles have moved a bit away from food toward mind-altering substances, and How to Change Your Mind focuses on psychedelics — mostly psilocybin (effectively, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) and LSD (derived from a fungus that grows on rye). It’s a fascinating examination of substances that had a heyday of research and use before being heavily controlled and criminalized.

The Way Through the Woods On Mushrooms & Mourning The Way Through the Woods: On Mushrooms and Mourning
by Long Litt Woon (Translated by Barbara J. Haveland)

A stunning memoir about grief and finding renewed hope. When anthropologist Long Litt Woon’s husband dies suddenly, she takes refuge in a Mushrooms for Beginners class that leads to an obsession with mushrooms. As Sarah Lyall put it for the New York Times: “Seeing Long’s capacity for wonder and even contentment in the midst of her sadness feels like seeing tiny shoots of grass peeking from the ash in a landscape stripped bare by fire.”

Humongous Fungus Humongous Fungus
by DK

Fungus is fun for all ages! If your little reader is excited about science, delights in slightly disgusting facts, and is ready to learn about zombie ants, this is the beautifully illustrated book to kick off their mycology education.

Mushrooms Demystified: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fleshy Fungi Mushrooms Demystified: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fleshy Fungi
by David Arora

Are you an experienced forager, looking to take your skills to the next level? This guide is robust, featuring both a beginner’s checklist of common mushrooms, and advanced information on thousands of fungi. This hefty guide is over 1000 pages of deep knowledge from terminology to identifying mushrooms to the deeper meanings behind these fungal friends.




Books mentioned in this post

Mushrooms Demystified

David Arora

Mycelium Running How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World

Paul Stamets

Mycophilia: Revelations from the Weird World of Mushrooms

Eugenia Bone

All That the Rain Promises and More: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms

David Arora

Beauty

Aliya Whiteley

How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence

Michael Pollan

The Way Through the Woods: On Mushrooms and Mourning

Litt Woon Long, Barbara J. Haveland

Fungipedia A Brief Compendium of Mushroom Lore

Lawrence Millman

Mushroom at the End of the World On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins

Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing

Humongous Fungus

DK

Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures

Merlin Sheldrake

The Secret Life of Fungi: Discoveries from a Hidden World

Aliya Whiteley

Fantastic Fungi: The Community Cookbook

Eugenia Bone, Evan Sung
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One Response to "Mushrooms! The Fun Guys of the Book World"

TRENDHINDI October 8, 2021 at 10:07 PM
THANKU SO MUCH VERY USEFULL INFORMATION

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