Welcome to Litsy!

I rarely read nonfiction these days, but this was the perfect book to get me back into it - a popular history of everything, from the beginnings of the universe through Earth's formation and the appearance of life right up until the present day, told through a series of mind-boggling facts and statistics that had me following my poor family around saying, "Did you know...?" incessantly for the past two weeks. ?

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

No matter how hard you try you will never be able to grasp just how tiny, how spatially unassuming, is a proton.

Me today on the way back from my hairdresser, passing by the little free library in the small village I live in. Normally there is nothing in it for me but today I git a glimpse of something wonderful. A German edition of one of my favourite authors and even the illustrated hardcover!!!! Who gives something like this away??? It definitely made my day. 🤩🤩🤩

In my pop science era 🤓🕺🏻 I remember very vividly from my childhood my dad always telling me how much he loved Bill Bryson‘s writing and enjoyed this book. I was stoked to find it at the thrift store for $2. It was written in 2003 so some info is a tad outdated (Pluto is not a planet, the existence of the Higgs Boson particle is confirmed, etc) but overall it‘s an easy, entertaining and wildly informative read.

Here are my #bookspin and #doublespin for October. Just catching up (and staying caught up) with #DraculaDaily and the 500+ page existential tailspin that is the Bryson book. 🧛‍♂️🪐

This is a jocular and interesting history of science, from the beginnings of the universe to our impending extinction. It was my first Bill Bryson & I found it engaging as he explored not just the answers to the questions themselves, but the personalities involved & how they arrived at our current understanding.

This is an excellent place to begin if you have an interest in the bigger questions.

I found it dizzying and challenging too.

Iced lattes and existential dread 😄💕

Continuing my contemplation of the boundaries of the universe, the spacetime continuum, the beginnings of life itself, the mysteries of the Earth, the insignificance and transience of our mortal lives...

Thanks, Bill.

Jesting aside, this is shaping up to be quite a fascinating read.

My dad urged me to read this. It's not my genre, but I enjoyed it and now I'm done. Reading had been a little hard lately. For several months I thought my job might get cut, in half or completely. I found out this week that I'm fine, but my teammate will get cut. So I'm grateful to continue in my work, but I have a bad case of survivor's remorse. #fundlibraries
#supportpublicschools

Happy 😊 🌎 earth day!
Even before I read about what a jerk this guy was, I thought it would make a great cat name. No kitten for this litten, though. The thought of a box of 💩 keeps be strong. 😆

My dad has leukemia. I haven't seen my parents since before C19. Both my mom and I have favorite radio shows on Sunday mornings. To get him out of her hair, she tells him to call me. So I've had to give up my Sunday ritual and take a call instead. That's more to do with the dynamic between me and my mom, but I will stop whatever I'm doing to have some time with my dad. He really wants me to read this. I am at: the size of the universe. Mind blown

#BeginsWith #Short

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

My BN #bookhaul from Saturday - plus two for the kiddo (one of which will be exchanged for the paperback of the same title) and a surprise she‘ll get tomorrow.

Thanks for the tag @Trashcanman

1) Grateful for having a few days off with this week. Long overdue especially working in the health field and dealing with covid craziness everyday. I'm also grateful for my family (wife & kids).

2) Science rocks.

I'm a bit late but I thought I'd do it anyway...😐

It took me some time, but I finally finished A Short History of Nearly Everything 🥳 This book is an investment but a good one! I learned A LOT, all while chuckling aloud from time to time.

#bookhaul Went to a secondhand store today. The comic in my daughter's hand and the one on the left were the only two books that got my daughter excited. The one on the right was on my wishlist. Behaved myself, especially because I feel I have too many books. A bit overwhelmed every now and then.

Oh 2003 Bill Bryson, if only you knew a few years later the swine flu of 2009!

Not one of your pertinent ancestors was squashed, devoured, drowned, starved, stranded, stuck fast, untimely wounded, or otherwise deflected from its life's quest of delivering a tiny charge of genetic material to the right partner at the right moment in order to perpetuate the only possible sequence of hereditary combinations that could result -- eventually, astoundingly, and all too briefly -- in you.

I don‘t know why this made me laugh, but it did. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Something interesting on every page! Would have held my attention so much more in school if I had learned some of this.

#science #history #funfacts

So much fascinating information. I‘ll be happy if I retain 5% of it. 🌎

One of the best general pop sci texts I've read. Bryson is always a good choice.

Running around looking for pieces to create a costume for my 10 yr old for book week & I just can't walk past the bookshelves..
Today's book haul & I'm mighty happy @$1ea, especially with Tandia as I'm currently reading The Power of One!
My daughter squealed when she saw Eragon
I'm also very excited about Kim by R.Kipling, an author I've wondered about for 40yrs, ever since I recieved a book from my Grandpa with 2 of his stories in it when I was 7

A Short History Of Nearly Everything does exactly what it says on the label. It serves as a crash-course in most areas of scientific inquiry, covering off everything from the Big Bang to evolution to quantum mechanics. It sounds like it'll be a snooze-fest, but it‘s written in a folksy, conversational style that most readers will find accessible. Full review: http://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/a-short-history-of-nearly-everything-bill-br...

I found THIS at Goodwill, too! Stunning and in great condition. I have a well-worn paperback this is replacing.

I rarely re-read books, but I could probably re read Bryson's condensed history of the scientifically understood world sixteen times and still crave another go. As in all of his books, he splices together information, fascinating (and horrifying) anecdotes, eye opening statistics and his witty commentary on it all. I can't say enough about how much I adore this book.

Thoroughly interesting read. I didnt think this book could ever be this interesting, and way surpassed my expectations. Bryston's witty take on personalities and past discoveries is a real joy.

“Your pillow alone may be home to 40 million bed mites. (To them your head is just one large oily bon-bon). Indeed, if your pillow is six years old - which is apparently about the average age for a pillow - it has been estimated that one-tenth of its weight will be made up of sloughed skin, living mites, dead mites and mite dung.”

#AnglophileApril | 21: #AnotherOneBitesTheDust

📷: Made with Typorama

“You may not feel outstandingly robust, but if you are an average-sized adult you will contain within your modest frame no less than 7 X 10^18 joules of potential energy - enough to explode with the force of thirty very large hydrogen bombs, assuming you knew how to liberate it and really wished to make a point.”

#QuotsyMar19 | 11: #Caffeine

📷: Made with Typorama

Bill Bryson has made the perfect introduction to non-fiction. This book is informative and entertaining. Would recommend to readers of all genres.

I love a good popular science book and this is one of my favourites. Looking forward to Bill Bryson's new release this year 😍

First time reading Bryson, but definitely won‘t be the last. A detailed review of lots of scientific discoveries and advances.

4.5/5

Interesting and quite surprising. #2016

I just love this book, specially #Audiobook. This evening, at the trail, walk and listen!

Takes time

#NonFictionNovember

I'm a bit disappointed that it isn't read by the author, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. Maybe.

Wow that took a long time to get through. This book is just packed with tons of information and I'm sure I wasn't able to soak it all up but I did learn a few new things. However, I would not tell anyone to take this on lightly. Good luck! #educational

"There are three stages in scientific discovery. First, people deny that it is true, then they deny that it is important; finally they credit the wrong person."
- Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything

#nonfiction #science #history #popularscience #billbryson #quote

I am taking this on ... this is happening. I have my highlighter and Google search ready. #science #sundayreading

Bill Bryson wrote my favorite passage ever.

Finally put you down, but not for long.

#RandomRants

So, I picked up the audio book version for A Short History of Nearly Everything narrated by William Roberts. I'd heard a lot of praise about this one, but I don't feel it. It's been over a month since I started it and I'm still barely 15% done. I guess audio books are not my thing. But I'm the kind of person who finishes a book no matter what, so I guess I'm stuck.

😻😻😻

I read this several months ago, but just noticed it was still showing as 'currently reading'. Anyway, I enjoyed it very much, as I do most anything by Bryson

#rocktober #yououghtaknow

This is one of those books that gets you saying to everyone “Did you know ...?” It‘s chock full of interesting facts #yououghtaknow Great for anyone who is interested in science, particularly earth sciences and astronomy but only wants to hear the juicy bits. (Well juicy IMO - I love this stuff!) I also love Bill Bryson as you can see 🙌

#TheFly
When it comes to scientists experimenting on themselves, there is one part of the tagged book that I just can't get out of my head (no matter how hard I try). It involves Isaac Newton and his eyeball. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go throw up...

#MonsterMadness2017 @LibrarianRyan

I also finished this one today! I liked it more than I thought I would, since I'm not a science person. I possibly enjoyed the stories about the historical scientist's lives more than the actual science, but hey. ;) It was engaging and I learned a lot!

Listening to this while I clean out all the pockets of all my purses and totes. So far: approximately 14 pens, 900 receipts, and 1 billion bobby pins.

And so, from nothing, our universe begins.

After finishing my dissertation, I needed something completely different and Bill Bryson never disappoints!
#backontrack #tbr #stack

#mrknowitall #augustgrrrl
@Cinfhen

#bookfolding #books #read