Welcome to Litsy!

“…no matter what, you are not alone, not with ten quintillion insects on this planet and 390,900 plants known to science—no, you are most certainly not alone in this rich and dark dirt.” What beautiful essays. Aimee connects her life to nature as she‘s learned profound lessons from fireflies, bonnet macaques, ribbon eels, etc. Lessons like, learn to laugh at yourself, and just dance! Nature reminds us that the simple things make life worth living.

5:20 AM before CrossFit… I love CrossFit but I really didn‘t want to get up this morning. Having a moment to myself helps…

Next up…

Happy Summer Solstice ☀️
The very last bit of daylight was eaking away with Copper watching the fireflies…
I found this book in my 📬 mailbox today! Can‘t wait to read it. Looks delightful.

Okay, twist my arm…

I‘ll post again (and one more time after this, too)!

1. World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
2. Bicycling with Butterflies by Sara Dykman
3. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

#ThreeListThursday #TLT

I finished this earlier this week, but the week has been such a whirl of busy that I have not had a chance to post here.

I really enjoyed Aimee‘s book. I love all the facts and I have learned so much (go look up videos of Indian dancing frogs….they are so cute) and I love how she weaved those facts with stories from her life.

Vegan lemon cupcake and an afternoon of reading 😋

Also to start tomorrow

I absolutely adored every word Nezhukumatathil wrote and want to read more of her work!

#SummerSpecial

On my TBR, the subtitle is: “In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks and Other Astonishments”

#Firefly

#SummerSpecial

On my TBR, the subtitle is: “In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks and Other Astonishments”

#Firefly

There is beautiful poetry concealed in this prose. Such a delightful blend of personal memoir and praise in honor of the animals and plants which hold a special place in the author's heart for their role in her life. The illustrations are equally evocative for each essay.

"Laughing eyes-my mom once observed after she first met him-to describe how his eyes shine at everything, how this man has a knack for making everyone around him feel pretty darn magnificent.
[...] this finally was a man who'd never flinch, never leave my side when things were messy, or if he was introduced to something new. This was a man who'd be happy when I bloomed."

World of Wonders, which I read for a book club, is a book of nature-themed, memoir-esque, stand-alone essays that are beautifully-written by a poet. They inspire you to be observant in nature. I read it with my phone in hand to search pictures and videos of everything mentioned. If you are looking for plot or a chronological telling, you'll be frustrated. It's not my kind of book, but I enjoyed it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

While I tend to agree with reviews that claimed some of her parallels were a bit of a stretch, the writing was beautiful and i really liked this. Her time in Western NY was local to my area so much of the description was very familiar.

This memoir meets science book ended up being a low pick for me. I finished it in just a few hours and although I enjoyed my time with it, and the illustrations are gorgeous, I felt the author was trying too hard to connect her life experiences with some of the animals/plants she discussed.

Overall though I would recommend this one if you're looking for a nonfiction read that's not too heavy.

Spending my Friday night with this lovely book. 💚 The illustrations are gorgeous and I love the mix of science and memoir.

What's everyone else reading this weekend?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - This collection of essays sort of creeps up on you and pulls you into a beautiful world of plants, animals, and memory. Some are joyful, some are bittersweet, but all celebrate life.
~~~~~~~~~~
"It is this way with wonder: it takes a bit of patience, and it takes putting yourself in the right place at the right time. It requires that we be curious enough to forgo our small distractions in order to find the world." (p.156)

I finished this a couple of days ago but wasn't sure of how to review it. I picked it up based on a recommendation and was surprised to learn it was a memoir. I don't usually care for memoirs but I loved the information about different species and I thought the book was beautifully written. Like the author's son I no longer eat octopus. I think I gave it 3 stars on Goodreads but after thinking about for a few days I believe it deserves 4⭐️

Sometimes you read a book that you didn‘t know you needed to read but was so perfect to read. I wasn‘t sure what to think of this short book full of short stories about animals & plants. But I really enjoyed the author‘s insight about each passing subject. The stories were tied to her personal experiences. I really enjoyed her use of language & writing style. Need to read more of her work. #bookspin #nonfiction2022: I‘m marvelous

A booktuber mentioned this book and described it as a book of essays that could be a bedtime story for adults. He was right....these were enjoyable short essays talking about different creatures that roam, or swim this earth and how endangered they are. I learned about axolotls for the first time in my life! Had never heard of these adorable amphibians. She meshes stories about trees, lightning bugs etc, in with her own familial anecdotes.

This is an axolotl, one of the creatures illustrated and discussed in this charming amalgamation of memoir and natural history. Nezhukumatathil is also an accomplished poet. Someone suggested this very short collection of essays for my book club, and it‘s a perfect wintering read. Now waiting for firefly season (or as we say in the South, lightning bugs☺️)

It is true, our world is full of wonders and this book highlights a few miracles from the animal and plant world, the author connects them all to her own memories and sensations, but unfortunately, these links sometimes felt very forced and inorganic … otherwise - this is a nice collection of stories that can carry you in your own memory lane.
#NonFiction2022 #marvelous
#DoubleSpin
#19822022 #2020

I borrowed this one from OverDrive, but I'm going to be seeking out my own copy now. This was wonderful, and the type of book that demands rereading to absorb all its layers. These essays are part nature writing, part memoir, part social commentary. Exploring both the light and the dark in the world, they give you new eyes to see what's around you.

Thank you @monalyisha for this recommendation. I wouldn't have found this without #NYWD22

What is lost when you grow up not knowing the names for different varieties of fireflies? When you don't have these words ready to pop on your tongue: Shadow Ghost, Florida Sprite, Mr. Mac, Murky Flash-train, Texas Tinies, the Single Snappy, the Treetop Flashers, a July Comet, Tropic Traveler, a Slow Blue, a Tiny Lucy, the mischievous Marsh Imp, the Sneaky Elves and - in a tie for my personal favorite - the Heebie Jessie's and the Wiggle Dancer?

"Maybe that is the loneliest kind of memory: to be forever altered by an invisible kiss, a reminder of something long gone and crumbled, like that mountain in Lake Superior."

#NewYearWhoDis #NYWD22 @monalyisha

This cocktail sounds delicious...

#NYWD22 #Newyearwhodis @monalyisha

@monalyisha my Kobo only shows Black and White, but that doesn't stop me from falling in love with these guys. I just might have a new favourite animal.

#Newyearwhodis #NYWD22

Here's my first two reads for #NYWD22 @monalyisha 😁 I actually started World of Wonder last night when everyone in my house went to sleep early and I'm already in love with it.

What a sweet little book?! I‘m not surprised because my sweetest little friend picked it for our book club. This is a great mix of (readable) info about plants and animals and life and being human. And the drawings, y‘all! Such sweet drawings in this one. And it‘s super short. Swoon ❤️

Part memoir, part nature essay, adorable drawings, lots of lesser known animals and plants. I really liked this little book.

Pictured with my little wonder, Igor. Venkman‘s ears just visible poking out of the blanket above him.

In love with this book right now !!!

A simple but beautiful look at how nature writes its way into our stories.

A beautiful collection of vignettes that are part memoir, part examination of unique creatures and plants that argues that there is space for everyone out in nature.

This book was incredible. Pretty illustrations, gorgeous prose, and lots of cool info! I'm not typically an avid nonfiction reader but I couldn't get enough of this book and was really sad to see it end. If you read just one nonfiction book this year, make it this one! 💕📚💕

The houseguests have left the building!!

I absolutely loved this book of nature essays and accompanying illustrations. Loved it. I need my own copy so I can flag and highlight.

I confess, at first I wanted to be back in the air-conditioned hotel room- anywhere but on an isolated gravel path with the odd bullfrog clamor interrupting the dark. But now I think of my sister and I scattered in different homes as adults and am so grateful for all of those family vacations where we could be outdoors together, walking this earth.

This was such a powerfully evocative read. Aimee is definitely a poet, it shows in even these essays. I love how she weaves beautiful descriptions of nature phenomenons with personal stories. It is filled with imagery and metaphors that make you reminisce about the environment and how it affects us just as much as we do it.
This was my book club's pick for the month and I am looking forward to some great discussions.

Happy Earth Day! 🌎
I figured today was a good day to start our book club pick for the month. So far it is gorgeous and fitting.

As an avid reader of nature writing, I found World of Wonders a pure delight, and the beautiful cover and illustrations throughout don‘t hurt. Each bite-sized essay has a specific plant or animal theme, many drawn from the poet‘s experiences as a child. The writing is personal, tender, at times funny, always thoughtful, and tinged with a kind of prescient, soulful mourning for the looming collapse of species diversity on our tiny precious planet.

Walt Whitman wrote, “Now I see the secret of the making of the best persons, It is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth.”

In World of Wonders, Nezhukumatathil admits to once licking a piece of quartz as a child. She reports that “it tasted like campfire smoke.” If that‘s not eating (with) the earth, I don‘t know what is. She‘s clearly one of these “best” people & her book reflects her superlative nature. Just gorgeous.

“It is this way with wonder: it takes a bit of patience, and it takes putting yourself in the right place at the right time. It requires that we be curious enough to forego our small distractions in order to find the *world.*”

📸: Vincent Brady

Is it just me or would this drawing look adorable tattooed just above a plump, juicy butt cheek? 🍑

I‘m not going to do it. BUTT I‘m tempted.

Aimee weaves her knowledge of the natural world with her own experiences- making this book perfect for readers who love to read about nature, people, or both. As someone who has long found solace and identity in nature, Aimee‘s way of relating to the natural world made my own personal relation with nature feel seen and valid.

“It might take two to tango, but it only takes one to strut their stuff and shake their tail feathers, even a little bit.”

“What a wonder to have sons who unabashedly love to dance! Who aren‘t afraid to sway and shake to music whenever they encounter it- and to dance to music no one else hears but them. And so, I ask: when is the last time you danced like a superb bird of paradise?”

Absolutely loving this so far!

I was attracted to the cover of this book but there are many other interesting things inside. Like this, for example, from the chapter on Red-Spotted Newts: “These newts are one of the only amphibians to contain a ferromagnetic mineral in their bodies, and that, combined with their incredible capacity to memorize sun- and starlight patterns, make them an animal on par with salmon for their excellent homing capabilities.”

I loved every minute of this. Such a beautiful book.
Some have found this book to be clumsy and contrived but I found it to be puerile (in the sweetest sense of the word) and raw. For me it felt like a grown woman was expressing her feelings about the world around us with the eloquence of a poet, but through the eyes of her child self. It seemed intentional and I loved it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️