Ukiah author and naturalist Kate Marianchild will conduct a free reading and discussion group centered on her popular book, Secrets of the Oak Woodlands: Plants and Animals among California’s Oaks, at the Ukiah Library on Thursday, December 8, 6 pm.

She will read from the book’s first chapter, “Acorn Woodpecker,” pausing every few paragraphs for discussion with the audience. She will have copies of her book to sign, and will also have close-focusing binoculars and oak identification cards for sale. If successful, this event may be the first of a series that would focus on a different chapter each month.

Secrets of the Oak Woodlands was published by Heyday in 2014 and has remained on Heyday’s best-seller list ever since. Marianchild attributes her book’s success to three factors: it conveys fascinating information in a fun, story-telling style; it reveals previously unknown marvels about the ecosystem type inhabited by the majority of Californians; and it is full of beautiful illustrations by Ann Meyer Maglinte. Currently off to its fourth printing, Secrets recently won an award as a finalist in the Science, Nature, and Environment category of the Indie First Generation Book Awards program.

Since the book’s publication, Marianchild has been inundated with requests for talks and interpretive walks from around the state––from museum and park docent groups, birding festivals, California Native Plant Society chapters, garden clubs, land trusts, REI, and other organizations. She is looking forward to engaging with her local friends and community for a change of pace.