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Turning
Turning: A Year in the Water | Jessica J. Lee
10 posts | 2 read | 2 reading | 3 to read
Through the heat of summer to the frozen depths of winter, Lee traces her journey swimming through 52 lakes in a single year, swimming through fear and heartbreak to find her place in the world Jessica J. Lee swims through all four seasons and especially loves the winter. "I long for the ice. The sharp cut of freezing water on my feet. The immeasurable black of the lake at its coldest. Swimming then means cold, and pain, and elation." At the age of twenty-eight, Jessica, who grew up in Canada and lived in England, finds herself in Berlin. Alone. Lonely, with lowered spirits thanks to some family history and a broken heart, she is there, ostensibly, to write a thesis. And though that is what she does daily, what increasingly occupies her is swimming. So she makes a decision that she believes will win her back her confidence and independence: she will swim fifty-two of the lakes around Berlin, no matter what the weather or season. She is aware that this particular landscape is not without its own ghosts and history. This is the story of a beautiful obsession: of the thrill of a still, turquoise lake, of cracking the ice before submerging, of floating under blue skies, of tangled weeds and murkiness, of cool, fresh, spring swimmingof facing past fears of near-drowning and of breaking free. When she completes her year of swimming, Jessica finds she has new strength, and she has also found friends and has gained some understanding of how the landscape both haunts and holds us. This book is for everyone who loves swimming, who wishes they could push themselves beyond caution, who understands the deep pleasure of using the body's strength, who knows what it is to abandon all thought and float home to the surface.
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review
Robotswithpersonality
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Pickpick

As the bevy of highlighted images suggests, I greatly enjoyed reading this medley of memoir, nature and ecology factoids, etymological factoids, and Berlin travelogue. I feel like Eastern Canada's lakes don't come out sounding as nice as Berlin's, but since she didn't malign Western Canada I'm willing to forgive. Also, why so many privatized lakes Berlin?! If you like Mary Oliver, read this, it's got those same reverential descriptions of nature.

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Robotswithpersonality
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Pardon me while I geek out:
"Limnology, the study of lakes, takes its name from the Greek word limne, meaning 'marsh, pool or lake'...
Limne having nothing to do with limen, the Latin for threshold or border..."
Liminal and Limnology do not have a common word root!! Etymology, never ceases to surprise.

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Robotswithpersonality
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New word alert!

"Algid": 'cold, chilly'

Usually seems to be used in a medical context, describing symptoms, especially in regards to certain diseases?! ?

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Robotswithpersonality
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"Walking helps."
Can confirm.
Just off a beautiful Sunday hike that ended just after the rain started. Prefer walker/hiker's euphoria to runner's high. ☺️

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Robotswithpersonality
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♥️ = 🍄

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Robotswithpersonality
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"Home is as much in a language as it is in a landscape."

Big time etymological love, especially for the 'lil boxes! Modern English is really missing out not having much in the way of logogrammatic forms.

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Robotswithpersonality
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Okay, am I the last to know? Berlin Wall site now = hiking trail? Officially on hiking bucket list.

julesG Let me know when your about to approach it, I haven't been to Berlin in some time. 😁 2y
Robotswithpersonality @julesG Officially jealous of anyone who's managed to get Europe at all, all sounds wonderful. 2y
julesG I live in Germany, so I'm jealous of anything going on across the Atlantic. 😉 2y
Robotswithpersonality @julesG aaahhhh, the grass is always greener! 🤭 2y
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review
charl08
Mehso-so

I wanted to love this one more than I did. Too much navel gazing not enough history for me.

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charl08
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Bookish quote!

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blurb
charl08
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I do like a map!

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