If you find yourself fascinated by “road cuts”, those paths that have been cut through rock so you can drive more quickly from point A to point B (and sometimes bordered by “Danger: Falling Rocks” signs), you may want to see if any of your travel areas are covered in the Roadside Geology series. With the help of these books and a few geologists, a New York Times writer attempted to identify the rocks he saw as he drove around the New York area. The books, while not written for geologists, do use terms that you may have to pick up from the glossary, but acquiring new vocabulary is one of the joys of learning more about your environment. And it’s also a history lesson in the forces that formed the terrain you probably take for granted.