Most of my network knows I’m a prolific reader. Every year, I publish my annual list of sustainability, ESG, and CR-related books on LinkedIn in January and I’m grateful it’s become a “must read” for most of you. But I have been hiding a deep, dark secret about my reading for years – I’m a binge reader. I love to read more than anything, but I’ve had trouble doing it daily since I was a child. Instead, I go on reading binges during vacations, long weekends, Audibles on car rides, etc. But this year, I vowed to make a change. Instead of saving up 10+ books to read on vacation, I set a New Year’s resolution to read “25 minutes per day in 2025” and I’ve done it. Legit, I’m at 198 days in a streak. And I’ve read 67 books so far this year. I’m not even humble bragging, friends, I’m excited about it.
In that time, I’ve found a few new genres I like – female centric historical fiction, perimenopause lit (yes, that’s a thing). But this one snuck up on me! Lately, I’ve been swimming in a genre that’s as haunting as it is hopeful: Climate Fiction, or Cli-Fi, for those of us who like to sound cool and slightly terrifying at dinner parties.
What is Cli-Fi? Imagine dystopia meets environmental science meets your worst-case climate scenario, but also somehow riveting and “can’t put down.” The authors in this genre push us to see our world differently, to imagine what could happen if… and to ask, “What am I doing about it?”
This week, I’m serving up 5 Cli-Fi bangers that’ll make you want to compost more, drive less, and definitely stock up on emotional resilience. Let’s go:
1. Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton
Oh, Eleanor Catton. You absolute, cerebral genius. Birnam Wood is like if Succession took a hike into the New Zealand wilderness, found a rogue gardening collective, and threw in a tech billionaire with questionable morals for good measure. It’s twisty, smart, and reads like an eco-thriller with Shakespearean undertones. The real brilliance? Climate change isn’t just the backdrop—it’s the ticking clock behind every choice the characters make.
📚 Read if you like: Moral ambiguity, billionaire takedowns, survivalist vibes
☕️ Pairs with: Something strong and earthy, like a French press that makes you question capitalism
OK, fair warning, 3/5 of this list are from Charlotte McConaghy, who in my dreams is my BFF. I’m not stalking her, I promise.
2. Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
This book broke me in all the best ways. Migrations imagines a world where most animals are extinct, and one woman is chasing what might be the last Arctic tern migration. It’s moody, maritime, and gives Cormac McCarthy goes to sea energy. McConaghy writes grief like it’s a second language—and in a world where loss is climate-shaped, that feels devastatingly real.
📚 Read if you like: Sad boats, animal lovers, complicated women
☕️ Pairs with: Black tea and a waterproof box of tissues
3. Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy (Again!)
Yep. She’s back. Because McConaghy isn’t a one-hit cli-fi wonder—she’s a freaking prophet. This novel takes us to the Scottish Highlands where a biologist is reintroducing wolves to restore the ecosystem. (Science nerds, rejoice!) But of course, the humans are the real wolves. It’s part murder mystery, part eco-fable, and 100% gripping.
📚 Read if you like: Wolves, trauma healing, women who plant seeds and solve crimes
☕️ Pairs with: Smoky lapsang souchong and a heated blanket
4. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
The latest in the McConaghy Cli-Fi Trifecta, and basically every podcast I listen to on books is wild about this book this year. Full disclosure, I read this first and then read her other two, but it’s ok, once you love Charlotte you’ll always love her. Wild Dark Shore returns to the ocean, this time a tiny island near Antarctiva. It’s lush, intimate, and full of that trademark McConaghy ache: What does it mean to love the natural world when it’s disappearing before our eyes?
📚 Read if you like: Ocean lore, fragile ecosystems, fierce women and wild creatures
☕️ Pairs with: Sea salt, candlelight, and an existential spiral
5. Gold Fame Citrus by Claire Vaye Watkins
A dystopian California so dry it makes Death Valley look like a water park. Gold Fame Citrus is the most experimental of this bunch—dreamy, disorienting, and totally original. It follows two drifters trying to survive in a post-drought America, where water is the new gold. Watkins’ prose is hypnotic, like being slowly dehydrated and loving it. I’m actually not going to lie to you, this one was a tough read and I had to slog through it, but it’s worth the squeeze!
📚 Read if you like: Literary fever dreams, Mad Max meets Joan Didion
☕️ Pairs with: Iced coffee you’ll feel guilty about drinking
For me, Cli-Fi isn’t just a genre, it’s a mirror to the work we’re doing as sustainability professionals every day. It reflects what we’re afraid to say out loud: that our world is changing fast, and we’re not ready. But within every dystopia is a seed of hope, of action, of resilience. And if there’s one thing we do well at Veerless, it’s believe in resilience.
Now, go read something that makes you squirm a little. It’s good for the soul. And the planet.