On a Farther Shore

On a Farther Shore: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson | William Souder

#Naturalitsy

Discussion thread for our Rachel Carson biography.
Part II - Silent Spring

What did you think of this section?

Any particular likes/dislikes?

Did you enjoy the book?

We have a short break before heading off to the Knepp estate in Suffolk, UK to explore their rewilding efforts. I can't wait.

I'd also like to apologise for not being as fully present this month, it has been a stressful few weeks irl but 🤞that's behind me now x

AllDebooks @wordslinger42 @rockpools @Chrissyreadit @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @Blackink_WhitePaper @BookwormAHN @Deblovestoread @MilesnMelodies @Graywacke @Dilara @Mitch 2y

AllDebooks @Ann_Reads @Chelsea.Poole @TheBookHippie @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @jlhammar @MelisK @LeeRHarry @Soubhiville @wanderinglynn @SamAnne @claudiuo @PageShifter @Addison_Reads 2y

AllDebooks @BarkingMadRead @BeckyWithTheGoodBooks @Aimeesue @Soscha @Larkken @Caterina @bnp @daena @BookBelle84 @Jess861 @TheKidUpstairs @Julsmarshall @Readergrrl @AmandaBlaze @Cazxxx @Cuilin 2y

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AllDebooks I'll catch up with all of your comments next week, including all #naturalitsy tags toox 2y

Soubhiville Hearing about the struggles she had with writing made me sad for her. I loved hearing about her relationship with Dorothy, and I have to wonder to what extent her husband knew about it and if it was ok with him. It sounds like it was very difficult being long distance. I haven‘t read Silent Spring, but I did know about much of its content. 2y

AnnR I thought the latter half of the book was overly detailed and meandering. (Meaning some editing would have been welcomed.) How Carson's writing career expanded, was really interesting though, along with the changes in perceptions about DDT and other pesticides being used during that time period. It was really sad Carson had health struggles during this period. The treatment she received by some doctors and lack of information was reprehensible. 2y

jlhammar I'm glad I read this. I just find it kind of amazing that she kept on, committed to writing “the poison book“ (loved that she called it that before they had a title she was pleased with - and Silent Spring is SO much better than Man Against the Earth, she was smart to resist it) while she was essentially fighting for her life. And I'm glad she had love and companionship in Dorothy despite the unconventional circumstances. 2y

jlhammar @AllDeBooks Sorry to hear things have been so stressful lately. Hope life calms down for you soon. Thanks so much for organizing. Really looking forward to Wilding next month! 2y

TheBookHippie I have read Silent Spring three times. It is in the hippie code. LOL. Rachel has always fascinated me I think I have read most everything she has written. I like the details although I agree an edit would have been ideal. I like others am happy she had Dorothy. I discussed this in depth in a bookclub once upon a time-I was the only one!
I am so sorry to hear you've had a stressful go of it! I hope things are looking up, or easier to manage. 2y

28 likes9 comments

jlhammar

On a Farther Shore: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson | William Souder

pick

I enjoyed this comprehensive biography. Rachel Carson lived an interesting and inspiring life. Good choice for Women‘s History Month.

Looking forward to our #NaturaLitsy discussion!

AllDebooks

65 likes

KathyWheeler

On a Farther Shore: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson | William Souder

pick

This is a low pick, mostly because Souder spends far too long on some topics. I do not need to know the entire history of the US nuclear weapons program to understand how it influenced Carson — a short chapter would‘ve been enough. Those parts get boring because they are unnecessarily long. I mostly enjoyed learning more about her and about the resistance to Silent Spring. #audiowalk

jlhammar Yes, he certainly is thorough! I‘m slowly making my way through the second half. 2y

KathyWheeler @jlhammar Yes, he is! 2y

24 likes2 comments

KathyWheeler

On a Farther Shore: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson | William Souder

I‘m up to the section on Silent Spring now. Still enjoying it. My evening walk today was actually in the rain, but I don‘t think you can tell that from the pics. #audiowalk

MemoirsForMe Beautiful…even in the rain! 2y

KathyWheeler @UwannaPublishme Thank you. 😊 2y

28 likes2 comments

KathyWheeler

On a Farther Shore: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson | William Souder

I loved that this mobile simulation lab has a picture of the Mobile Bay light house on it. I don‘t know what is being simulated in the lab, but since it‘s parked by the School of Marine & Environmental Sciences, I figure that it has something to do with those topics. It was kind of fitting to walk by that school today because I was listening to the part about Rachel Carson‘s book on the ocean. #audiowalk

20 likes

KathyWheeler

On a Farther Shore: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson | William Souder

I saw this posted about when a group was reading it and thought it looked interesting, so it‘s my new #audiowalk book. I like it and have learned a lot, so far. It makes me want to go back and read Silent Spring and her book about the ocean.

jlhammar I‘m enjoying this one so far as well. Looking forward to the second half. 2y

AnnR Nice pic collage! 🙂 I'm enjoying the biography as well and would also like to read one of Carson's other books. 2y

KathyWheeler @Ann_Reads Thank you. 2y

19 likes3 comments

Soubhiville

On a Farther Shore: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson | William Souder

pick

#naturalitsy brought this book to my attention, and I‘m so glad. I love reading nature focused nonfiction, and I‘m embarrassed to say I didn‘t know who Rachel Carson was! I don‘t think I knew of her books, surprisingly.

This is a fantastic biography, and it dives deep into the topics Carson wrote about in each book, as well as her life.

The topic of toxins in our environments is just as pressing an issue now as it was in RC‘s time. 5⭐️!

AllDebooks

Soubhiville @Eyelit I definitely recommend this! 2y

TheBookHippie So so good I‘m enjoying it. 2y

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AllDebooks

On a Farther Shore: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson | William Souder

#Naturalitsy

Off to an amazing start 😍

33 likes

AllDebooks

On a Farther Shore: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson | William Souder

#Naturalitsy

Our first discussion thread for William Souder's biography of Rachel Carson.
How did you find Part I?

All welcome to join us. Please do let me know if you wish to be added/removed from the taglist.

@wordslinger42 @Chrissyreadit @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @rockpools @Blackink_WhitePaper @BookwormAHN @Deblovestoread @MilesnMelodies @Graywacke @Dilara @Mitch @Ann_Reads @Chelsea.Poole
@TheBookHippie @Riveted_Reader_Melissa

AllDebooks @jlhammar @MelisK @LeeRHarry @Soubhiville 2y

MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm Just recently got my copy from the library, so I‘ll have to come back later when I‘m caught up. ❤️ 2y

AllDebooks @wanderinglynn @claudiuo @PageShifter @Addison_Reads @BarkingMadRead @BeckyWithTheGoodBooks @Aimeesue @Soscha @Larkken @Caterina 2y

See All 18 Comments

AllDebooks @bnp @daena @BookBelle84 @Jess861 @TheKidUpstairs @Julsmarshall @Readergrrl @AmandaBlaze @Cazxxx @Cuilin 2y

Cuilin I usually hate biographies, but this was engaging and inspiring in a way. 2y

Soubhiville At first I thought I might have a similar reaction to this as to Poseidon‘s Steed: too much content off topic. But no, I‘ve actually been enjoying this a lot! I‘m listening to the audio, and it seems a strange choice to have it narrated by a man, but actually it‘s well done. I love the close connection with her mom, and how she longed to be near the sea before she had ever seen it for the first time. 2y

Soubhiville Because I‘m doing audio I‘m pretty sure I‘ve gone past this weeks discussion point, so I won‘t say too much. But I‘m loving her exploration of tide pools and sharing what she finds there with her new friends. 2y

Soubhiville I never would have chosen this book on my own, I‘m so glad the group brought it to my attention. I‘m looking forward to finishing it in the next two weeks. 🦀🐡🙂 2y

jlhammar I'm enjoying this so far. Good choice for Women's History Month! Aside from reading Silent Spring many years ago, I didn't know much about her. I feel the same @Soubhiville - I especially loved that her mother supported her academic pursuits, didn't expect her to live a conventional life, and even typed her pieces for her. Also kind of an interesting look at nature writing/publishing at the time. 2y

Soubhiville @jlhammar When I occasionally read about the struggles writers go through to get published I always wonder how many wonderful articles, books, etc are out there unpublished for one reason or another. 2y

TheBookHippie @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm same just got my copy!! 2y

Graywacke Enjoying the comments. I‘ve been undecided on whether to join, but these comments are encouraging. I might try to follow on audio and follow up with something by Carson (free for audible members). 2y

Aimeesue This was a fun listen for me, as we‘ve lived near a lot of locations in the book - the Dept.of the Interior building in DC, her home in Si,ver Spring, MD, Woods Hole, MA. It was neat to picture her in all those places, struggling to support her family and get published. And like @Soubhiville and @jlhammar I loved her relationship with her mom. 2y

Chelsea.Poole I‘m just starting the audio but already enjoying it. It seems as though Carson is reluctant to become the “face” of the environmentalist movement. Also DDT is so so scary 😱 @jlhammar I‘m enjoying this as well, though I haven‘t even read Silent Spring! I need to address that asap. @Soubhiville I wouldn‘t have chosen this either, but glad it landed on my radar 😊 2y

AllDebooks Rachel Carson has been a hero of mine for decades. Although I'm familiar with her work, I know very little about her as a person. Really excited to be reading this with you all. It certainly has disappointed so far. I love all your positive comments ❤️ 2y

AnnR Carson made interesting educational choices, given the time period and the fact biological science was in its infancy. There was usually some type of influential mentor involved too, helping her to make choices, along with hard work and some luck thrown into the mix. (It bothered me some that Carson put her family in a financial bind to fund her education.) ⬇ 2y

AnnR As she found a niche with her writing, it's curious she initially wrote about things she had never witnessed/experienced before. I also wondered about her admiration of Williamson & questioned if she was naive about his political beliefs or just admired his writing in Tarka & Salar, & so chose to put blinders on. Luckily for her, the book review she wrote didn't backfire as it could have. Otherwise, I'm enjoying the historical info so far. (edited) 2y

AnnR @Graywacke - I think you might like this one. Even the historical details that seem off topic become important to the narrative later on. (I just started Part 1, Chapter 5.) 2y

31 likes18 comments

AllDebooks

On a Farther Shore: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson | William Souder

#Naturalitsy reading schedule

Discussion threads will be posted at the weekend.
Saturday - On a farther shore
Sunday - Mind of the raven

Wishing you all a great week. 😊

As always, please do let me know if you wish to be added/removed from the taglist. All welcome to join us. 😊

23 likes

LitsyEvents

On a Farther Shore: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson | William Souder

Here is the March reading schedule for #naturalitsy hosted by @alldebooks

AllDebooks Thank you for the share 😊 2y

26 likes1 comment

AllDebooks

On a Farther Shore: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson | William Souder

#Naturalitsy

A new week, a new book. 😊 I'm so excited for this biography of Rachel Carson. This is a 2 week schedule.
Week 4 - 5 - Part I - Water world (p.3 - 164)
Week 6 - 8 - Part II - Silent Spring (p. 169 - 395)

I will post our first discussion thread on Saturday 4th March.

As always, please do let me know if you wish to be added/removed from the tag list. All welcome to join us.

@LitsyEvents

AllDebooks @wordslinger42 @rockpools @Chrissyreadit @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @Blackink_WhitePaper @BookwormAHN @Deblovestoread @MilesnMelodies @Graywacke @Dilara 2y

AllDebooks @Mitch @Ann_Reads @Chelsea.Poole @TheBookHippie @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @jlhammar @MelisK @LeeRHarry @Soubhiville @wanderinglynn @SamAnne @claudiuo @PageShifter 2y

AllDebooks @Addison_Reads @BarkingMadRead @CaitZ @BeckyWithTheGoodBooks @Aimeesue @tdrosebud @Yuki_Onna @Soscha @ElizaMarie @Larkken @Caterina @bnp @daena @BookBelle84 2y

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AllDebooks @TheKidUpstairs @Julsmarshall @Readergrrl @AmandaBlaze @Cazxxx @Cuilin 2y

ElizaMarie I‘m gonna just stick with Raven for now 2y

AllDebooks @ElizaMarie noted 👍 2y

CaitZ I'm so far behind I think I'll just stick with the Raven book, too 2y

tdrosebud I'm also behind and will just be sticking with Raven for now. Thanks 2y

SamAnne I have books piled up and will need to pass. But I‘ve read Silent Spring, am very familiar with her life and have been an environmental activist for decades. Will definitely follow along with the posts and might chime in! Also I‘m very interested in what Littens think about this bio based on the Goodreads reviews. 2y

AllDebooks @CaitZ @tdrosebud @SamAnne noted 👍 thanks for letting me know, does make life easier with the tagging x 2y

MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm I‘ll be behind, my library hasn‘t got my hold in from their sister library yet, but I‘ll be participating as soon as I get it. 👍❤️ 2y

TheBookHippie One more chapter I‘m caught up with Raven and I do love it. Still waiting on my Rachel book ugh slow library! I‘m loving these reads ! So keep me on. 2y

Yuki_Onna @AllDebooks Hey dear, please take me off the tag list. Sorry, I can't fit as much time for reading into my life atm as planned. If that changes, I'll inform you and ask to be readded to the list.
For now, I must make do with browsing through all the #Naturalitsy posts which give me great joy😊 2y

AllDebooks @Yuki_Onna ok, hope life eases up a bit and you get more time for you. Love that you enjoy #naturalitsy keep checking in x 2y

Yuki_Onna @AllDebooks Thank you so much for these sweet words!😊 2y

rockpools @SamAnne That sounds ominous! (I haven‘t started yet) 2y

SamAnne @rockpools If I wasn't so behind on other group reads I would definitely listen to this one! Some of the issues brought up in Goodreads should make for really good discussions. One of those issues being how the author “handles“ the long term romantic relationship she had with another woman. 2y

AllDebooks @SamAnne oh my, this is gonna be a good one 2y

AllDebooks @Yuki_Onna ❤️ 2y

SamAnne @AllDebooks the reviews are all over the place! Personally, I love book club discussions where there are many viewpoints and lots of discussion items! 2y

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AllDebooks

On a Farther Shore: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson | William Souder

#Naturalitsy Post 2

We'll start with Poseiden's steed over weeks 1 - 3 before moving onto the biography of Rachel Carson (tagged) over weeks 4 - 8. I'm going to keep separate tag lists for both reads so please comment which ones you'd like to be tagged in. I don't want to be annoying 🙈

Please see my previous post for details of our other #buddyread

All welcome to join us

@LitsyEvents

jenniferw88 Just Poisedon's Steed please. Trying my best not to buy any more books! 2y

jlhammar You can tag me for both. Thanks! 2y

TEArificbooks Put me down for Poseidon‘s steed 2y

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SamAnne Tag me for both! 2y

MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm My library has both so please tag me for both. ❤️ 2y

tdrosebud I have Poseidon's Steed so will definitely join for that. The biography will depend on if I can get it from the library. Like Jennifer, I'm trying not to buy books right now. 2y

BookwormAHN Please tag me for Poseidon's Steed 😺 2y

rockpools Hi Deb. Can I opt out tags for both of these, for now? Hope to join in the sky read and look forward to following the conversations - will probably pick up these at a later date. Thank you 😊 2y

Addison_Reads @AllDebooks I own both so please tag me in both. I've already read the Carson, but I'd still love to join the discussion. 2y

AllDebooks @rockpools 👍 2y

AllDebooks @Addison_Reads all comments above noted, re taglist 2y

Graywacke I missed this post until just now. OK, the world makes more sense to me now... 2y

AllDebooks @Graywacke 😅 I didn't want to tag again as I didn't want to be annoying. 2y

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Addison_Reads

On a Farther Shore: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson | William Souder

Happy New Year Littens!

I spent the evening finishing up the tagged book about my favorite female scientist, Rachel Carson. The husband, kiddo, and I all kept it low-key and made a bonfire by our little lake and made smores. No fireworks for us because we have fur-babies who get freaked out.

This book brought my total for the year to 185 books, which is the most I've ever read in a year. 😁 I'm very happy that 70 came from my local library too!

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