Welcome to Litsy!

Usually, I'm not a fan of feel good books as they tend to be very cheesy. But this one I very much liked. I enjoyed how Libby Page writes about time passing. It's a book filled with nostalgia which also talks about what a community is made of. Well written, she's definitely written about what she knew, and it helped her staying away from clichés.

My current read ;)

Still have a lot of pages to read for my book club tomorrow morning... But with a warm chai, I should be able to make it.

And you, what is your current read?

What a fucking book! On the one hand, 95% of it is valuable historical research on the effects of colonialism removing swimming skills from colonized people in the name of civilisation, and, once swimming became a valuable skill, keeping marginalized people from developing swimming skills.
On the other hand, the remaining 5% is an absolute batshit insane hatred of the breast stroke and some truly unhinged word choices.

Real fucking tired of this fucking attitude in this otherwise excellent fucking book. Breast stroke is not a less good way of swimming? It's certainly slower, but makes up for it in using less energy = allows the swimmer to stay afloat for longer. Each swim stroke has its pros and cons?
Cunty fucking attitude.

Which is the best Canadian picture book? I rank a selection of recent award finalists. #kidlit
https://youtu.be/XzCKPZUgnCQ

#CanadianAuthors

Debut author Jack Wong used pastels & watercolour to create a series of joyful outdoor swimming scenes—in lakes, rivers, the ocean—and celebrate interacting with nature through swimming in this beautiful, award-winning picture book. People of diverse heritage & abilities are portrayed, encouraging readers not to be afraid of the water, and also conveys the message that enjoying the natural world belongs to everyone. #Canadian #kidlit

I decided to make a book representing the freedom to discover swimming because representation is power: We can use it to depict the world we are striving for, before that world is a reality for everyone.
[from the author‘s note]

When you can swim,
you‘ll reach landscapes as foreign as the moon
no spaceship required

I loved the first part about the pool. But then it kind of hit a bit too close to home for me to enjoy it properly. Which probably also shows that it‘s quite good.