Welcome to Litsy!

When it‘s cold, we snuggle. Who am I kidding, this is pretty much every day.

I loved this slow moving story of Alma, a botanist who after exhausting the study of plants in her father‘s greenhouse turned to mosses. Her life is an unusual one, mostly solitary though she lived with her father and adopted sister, and melancholy. The writing here is beautiful, the pace perfect for Alma‘s life.

#WomenInScience "At no moment in history has a bright young girl with plenty of food and a good constitution perished from too much learning." Inspired by 19th c. journals from women studying evolution & botany, Gilbert creates Alma Wittaker, whose journey both spiritual & physical, leads to unique discoveries about mosses in Tahiti. Yes, EG makes this informative, exciting, & fascinating! Really! #NewYearNewBooks @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

I made my goal, reading a little over 20 hours between the 4 pictured books. All of them quite good! I hope you met your goals too. Thanks for hosting @Andrew65

Still chipping away at this re-read. I love the mix of character development and focus on the natural world of mosses and other plants. Just the calming, yet interesting, vibe I need right now.

Needing a comfort re-read with all things botanical, so this one should do the trick. #sundayread #botanicaladventures

So I killed all of my houseplants!! 😫 This book did come to mind though 🪴

#JanuaryJazz
#Houseplantday

#booked2023 #fall @Cinfhen @alisiakae @BarbaraTheBibliophage

As I've already highlighted Making the Monster as a definite for 'about a monster', I've tagged my other definite which covers 'gifted by a Litten'... I wonder who? 🤣🤣🤣😘

I have been looking at this book sitting in my library for months and months. I started and stopped it a few times but I'm into the first few chapters and I'm intrigued. We'll see if I get distracted lol.

A rollicking great adventure!! Thoroughly enjoyable! This book tells the whole life of a rather bizarre protagonist..

About 175 pages in and have really enjoyed this so far. I feel like there needs to be something big coming though in order to carry the story another 300 pages. I'm spending a few minutes pondering what that might be, then back to reading to see how correct (or off base) I was. 🤔

"Alma Whittaker, born with the century, slid into our world on the fifth of January, 1800."

@ShyBookOwl #FirstLineFridays

This book has sat on my shelf for at least 5 years, maybe more, yet it has never quite felt like the right time to read it. I was browsing my shelves last night and so many of them I can't bring myself to start because I'm so hypersensitive to trauma and current events right now. I needed something to completely immerse me in a different time/place, and this has turned out to be the ticket. 50 pages in and loving it!

Hated this book so much, but felt compelled to finish it. Too long, too much, too blah. What was the point of it? I‘ve never given two thumbs down to a book, but this one now holds that title.

#litsymail
Thanks Jenny for the book ♥️ looking forward to it.
Thanks Misty for the card, book marks and kind thoughts ♥️ will be writing back asap.

This was a long book that felt much shorter due to the highly engaging nature of the writing & the quality of the characters. A little slow perhaps but I was always eager to know what happened next. Alma is a fascinating & inspiring figure - not always likeable but her flaws make her real. It is also meticulously researched. I was totally invested in Alma's life - her drive & intelligence, her strength, her, er, weirdo husband! Good stuff!

@Cinfhen l👀k what's finally arrived! 🤣

I hope you haven't ordered another one but that it's possible to cancel if you have!

THANK YOU! XX

Starting this one today, my first Elizabeth Gilbert.

A gorgeous historical fiction novel beginning at the start of the 19th century and spanning almost 100 years. A story of science, discovery, nature, love, devotion and wonderment. Elizabeth Gilbert has created a truly remarkable character and a sweeping saga that will leave you dazzled.

Look who just showed up on page 478 @jenniferw88 @TrishB our friend...Sir Alfred Russel Wallace 😁This book is absolutely exquisite- one of the best HF novels I‘ve read. I have about 40 pages left to go & I fear a #BookHangover approaching.

It‘s just a really well told story about a woman who loves moss in the 19th century. It‘s a science story, a history story, a travel story, a feminist story, and a love story.

Soup and a book about a female botanist 🌱

I'm posting one book per day from the ever growing unread stacks in my personal library. No description or explanation, just books I own and plan to read. #tbr

Day 16

“I would like to spend the rest of my days in a place so silent—and working at a pace so slow—that I would be able to hear myself living.”

I‘m ready to start #planting my zinnias 🌼🌸🌺

#WindsofMarch

Heather 🌸❤️🌼

I‘m in such a funk. I miss lush forest trails and windy mountainsides and drinking (filtered) water from a creek. I miss the sunshine and wildflowers and mud.

Any books that will transport me to a place where I can find these things? #pleasesendsunshine

This character driven 22 hour audiobook covers the life span of a woman who becomes an expert in moss at the beginning of the nineteenth century. I know-sounds boring right? But it is not!! You are swept up in the historical time period, her family and friends and nature. Amazing book. Loved it. Book 67 4⭐️

What a sweet surprise sitting in my mailbox on this rainy day. Thank you Misty! I loved City of Girls, so I‘m excited to try another Elizabeth Gilbert book. I didn‘t have this yet.

I had to chase Igor down to get the bookmark back from him 🤣 he loves tassels! The Monet painting on it is lovely.

Thank you so much!

That moment your book club picks a book by one of your least favorite authors. **DEEP BREATH** Heres to keeping an open mind!

1. Botany and the plant kingdom are what spring is all about for me.
2. Peanut butter eggs
3. Iris
4. Microfiber cleaning towel 🤪

@4thhouseontheleft @howjessreads #friyayintro

📗 (The) Signature of All Things
🕜 Ability to travel through time
🦀 Cancer
🍷 Might go to a winery? Definitely eating Thanksgiving leftovers and reading. 😄

🌞 #friyayintro @howjessreads

This book just wasn't for me. I at least finished this one, which I can't say the same for the author's effort Eat, Pray, Love. Gilbert is perhaps just not an author whose works I enjoy. I didn't enjoy this, but since I was able to finish it, I give 2 stars. Into the donation pile it goes.

Set in the 1800s, The Signature of All Things follows the life of Alma Whitaker, the naturalist, moss-obsessed daughter of a self-made plant magnate, from before her birth to her old age. The beauty and enjoyment in this book are in the twists and turns of a life fully lived, not plot. Within these pages, you‘ll find curiosity and love, desire and sexuality, god and science, family and sacrifice, all the grandeur and humble detail of life itself.

Giving this a go. I checked it out from the library some time ago & never got around to reading it before it was due back. I wasn't a huge fan of Eat, Pray, Love, so here's hoping I like it better. I've been struggling to pick my next read, so I hope I like it

Fact: I have yet to regret listening to any book read by the most excellent Juliet Stevenson. Enjoying this botanical adventure so far. 🌸 🌳 🌱 📖

An amazing, epic novel! I don‘t understand why I‘ve waited all these years to read it. 5⭐️

“Nothing is so essential as dignity…Time will reveal who has it and who has it not.”

#Dignity
#QuotsyOct19

What a delightful book with intriguing turns throughout the book. I enjoyed this book much more then I thought I would.

She feared she might die of gladness.

Hummingbirds good book and water what more could a girl ask for.

Well I'm exceeding pleased that I gave this another try.
I found the details so intriguing, and in such depth. I appreciated the actual story and found myself wanting to find d out more about botany!

Second attempt at this book and I'm enjoying it much more :)

Came across this at my local Friends of the Library store. Only $2 for a hardcover! Loved this book and excited about City of Girls!

This long 600 page novel is about heroines, botany, the historical discovery of science, philosophy, love triangles, lust, exploration, adventurous journeys and interesting characters. I love historical fiction and I love botany so I enjoyed all the detailed descriptions. In some parts I felt I was reading a science textbook. Overall I enjoyed it and found the research the author did to put this book together simply incredible. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A meandering novel that charts the life of an extraordinary (fictional) woman spanning the majority of the 19th century and the major developments in science and biology. I liked that it was twisting and slow, with no more plottiness apparent that starting with Alma‘s birth and ending with her death. There was a lot of rumination about faith, conviction, morality, belief, communication, knowledge, self-sacrifice that gave me a lot to think about.

A meandering novel that charts the life of an extraordinary (fictional) woman spanning the majority of the 19th century and the major developments in science and biology. I liked that it was twisting and slow, with no more plottiness apparent that starting with Alma‘s birth and ending with her death. There was a lot of rumination about faith, conviction, morality, belief, communication, knowledge, self-sacrifice that gave me a lot to think about.

Well I didn‘t love this book and I didn‘t hate it either. I do appreciate the research that must have gone into it.

I hated ‘Eat pray love‘ so I‘m giving the author another go. This book came highly recommended by some bookclub members. Fingers crossed I love it!

Amy! Thank you sooo much for the Valentine surprise!! The card is too cute! 🐶 These books have been on my list for a while!! Which one should I read first?! I‘m trying to decide what books I want to take to the mountains with me!! I‘m definitely taking the hot cocoa!! You are the best my sweet friend! Thank you ❤️🥰📚😘

Got out walking on this cold and snowy day so I could send my #justabookswap book out.

At its best, this book was a thoughtful and deeply engaging look at one woman's life. It's a long life, and a long book. Alma Whittaker is born into a wealthy family and devotes her life to botany and the study of mosses. She focuses on her own quiet gardens, often to the point of overlooking or misunderstanding the needs and sacrifices of those around her. Ultimately Alma proves to be a hardy and adaptable specimen, able to survive and thrive.