You may find yourself looking for a little company to weather this storm.  I thought I’d choose a book or two each week from my bookshelf and offer them to you, in case you’re looking for an antidote to cabin fever.

This week I’m going to play the home field advantage and offer a book that provides a wonderful tour of the largest river system entirely in New Jersey: the Raritan.  Full disclosure: I live and work in the headwaters of the Raritan River and I offer no apologies for being biased.  This is one amazing river, top to bottom.

The Raritan River: Our Landscape, Our Legacy was authored by my dear friend Judy Auer Shaw.  Dr. Shaw is a retired Rutgers professor who knows our region well.  She is part of the Raritan and the Raritan is part of her.

Relax and enjoy a beautiful and informative journey, in words and photos, through the incredibly varied physical and human geography of the Raritan River basin.  In part one, Judy will show you the three regions of the Raritan basin: the headwaters, the central region, and the mainstem and Raritan Bay.  In part two, Judy discusses the past and the future of our river communities, the assets they have and the challenges they face.

This book has lots of wonderful photography.  It will give you a real feel for the area.  If you’re from this area, you’ll see many recognizably beloved scenes.  If you’re not from around here, you’ll see why this area is so special to those of us fortunate enough to live here.

The Raritan River: Our Landscape, Our Legacy is a pleasure to read and a pleasure to look at.  Dr. Shaw has done a real service in showing off this area, and I highly recommend it to you.

Good health and good reading!

-Bill

Bill’s Bookshelf – “A Sand County Almanac”
Bill’s Bookshelf – “Rural Hours”
Bill’s Bookshelf – “Sick Puppy”
Bill’s Bookshelf – “A River Runs Through It”
Bill’s Bookshelf: “H2O: Highlands to Ocean”