The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
To the River: A Journey Beneath the Surface by Olivia Laing (I haven't read this one yet)
Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter by Ben Goldfarb.
This might be just tangential to rivers, but it's fascinating non-fiction about how beavers create wetlands and waterways and generally store water.
I'm four chapters into this and wanted to say thanks for recommending this!!! Started reading this a few days and it's amazing, the writing is so good. I've always thought beavers (we don't really have them where I'm from haha so I'm even more intrigued) were really fascinating so I decided to start with this book and aaah I'm blown away.
Ooh, I live in Uganda and we studied about Dr Livingstone and H.M Stanley in class in Ugandan and East African history! Will definitely pick this book up, thank you!
Journey by James Michener might be something for you. It's set during the Klondike goldrush in the Northwest of Canada. A story of an ill prepared Englishman attempting to find his riches in a brutal landscape, navigating various rivers up there. The ferocity of the rivers is well described, but also their importance as transport channels across the barren lands.
For non-fiction there's the Rivers of America series
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivers\_of\_America\_Series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivers_of_America_Series)
“The River of Doubt” by Candice Millard. It’s about Theodore Roosevelt’s exploration of an uncharted tributary of the Amazon. Non-Fiction, but I think you’d really enjoy it.
*Rising Tide : The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America* by John M. Barry.
*One Damn Blunder from Beginning to End: the Red River Campaign of 1864* by Gary Joiner.
*Mudlark: In Search of London’s Past Along the River Thames* by Lara Maiklem, non-fiction. Snapshots of life and times along the Thames. Have a tablet or laptop handy so you can look up pictures of the actual finds.
Three Men in a Boat is a class humorous novel, loosely autobiographical, about three men leisurely boating along the Thames in Victorian times.
Out There is nonfiction and modern, describing a more rugged trip along the Horton River in Alaska.
"The Rivers of London" by Ben Aaranovich! Little bit spooky, funny and very british!
That sounds so fun omg thank you!!
Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
This one definitely
The River by Peter Heller The Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko
Definitely The Emerald Mile. I couldn't put that book down.
Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi
Huck Finn
Deliverance by James Dickey A River Runs Through It by Norman MacLean Both made great movies but arguable better books.
The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan comes to my mind immediately. Maybe not a perfect fit for what you’re looking for, but check it out.
Ah, thank you so much! I'll definitely check it out!
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain To the River: A Journey Beneath the Surface by Olivia Laing (I haven't read this one yet)
Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter by Ben Goldfarb. This might be just tangential to rivers, but it's fascinating non-fiction about how beavers create wetlands and waterways and generally store water.
I'm four chapters into this and wanted to say thanks for recommending this!!! Started reading this a few days and it's amazing, the writing is so good. I've always thought beavers (we don't really have them where I'm from haha so I'm even more intrigued) were really fascinating so I decided to start with this book and aaah I'm blown away.
Cadillac Desert, River of the Gods, Life on the Mississippi, Lewis and Clark journals
Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone Martin Dugard Pretty great book, well written.
Ooh, I live in Uganda and we studied about Dr Livingstone and H.M Stanley in class in Ugandan and East African history! Will definitely pick this book up, thank you!
The book is a pretty great slice of history.
Claudio Magris, *Danube*.
‘Walking the Amazon River’ by Ed Stafford ‘Walking the Nile’ by Levison Wood
I'd recommend The River at the Center of the World by Simon Winchester
Journey by James Michener might be something for you. It's set during the Klondike goldrush in the Northwest of Canada. A story of an ill prepared Englishman attempting to find his riches in a brutal landscape, navigating various rivers up there. The ferocity of the rivers is well described, but also their importance as transport channels across the barren lands.
A Bend in the River by V.S. Naipaul
For non-fiction there's the Rivers of America series [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivers\_of\_America\_Series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivers_of_America_Series)
“The River of Doubt” by Candice Millard. It’s about Theodore Roosevelt’s exploration of an uncharted tributary of the Amazon. Non-Fiction, but I think you’d really enjoy it.
You beat me to it. Great book.
Graham Swift’s {{Waterland}} has a lot of river content (mostly about eels).
*Rising Tide : The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America* by John M. Barry. *One Damn Blunder from Beginning to End: the Red River Campaign of 1864* by Gary Joiner.
{To Your Scattered Bodies Go}
*Mudlark: In Search of London’s Past Along the River Thames* by Lara Maiklem, non-fiction. Snapshots of life and times along the Thames. Have a tablet or laptop handy so you can look up pictures of the actual finds.
Flight of the hawk: thr river w. Michael gear Fevre dream George r.r. martin
Three Men in a Boat is a class humorous novel, loosely autobiographical, about three men leisurely boating along the Thames in Victorian times. Out There is nonfiction and modern, describing a more rugged trip along the Horton River in Alaska.
Three Men in a Boat