Welcome to Litsy!

My #tbr stack for October #Scarathlon ! & "None of This is True" audiobook

Hoping to kick this #readingslump and finish a few books this month. I always love participating in the Halloween #readathon and activities.

+21 points #SpookyGhostClub #Scarathlon2023

One of my favourite professors recommended I read this in the summer between years of my masters, and it felt so luxurious having the time to read it cover to cover with no classes at the moment. It was really interesting though a little outdated obviously being 30 years old but the essay on the nature store and what it says about 90s America‘s attitude to nature was incredible.

When I‘m the only one in the office (happens a lot recently, I think because people are busy out at events as summer term ends) I‘ve been trying to use the big communal table to get ahead with masters reading for next year. This was my set up today to read the tagged book about ecology and ways of imagining space in 90s America!

Saw E.T. tonight at one of our local theaters! 👽🛸🎃#scarathlon #teamslaughter @Clwojick

Neil is not only a genius, he‘s hysterically funny! Can‘t wait to read his new book.

A fascinating look at what makes humans different (or not) from other animals. It‘s written for a smart but not scientific audience. I found it approachable and engaging even though I haven‘t taken a biology class since high school.

“And of course, when we speak, we disturb particles of air, which vibrate the drums of our ears and trigger the similarly complex process of hearing. Without ears or air, there is no speech. Genes are templates, brains are frameworks, the environment is a canvas. We separate out each of these parts only in order to understand the bigger picture, but let us not pretend that they all popped into being at once.”

“. . . DNA is a remarkably stable data storage format. In a living cell, it‘s preserved by active maintenance, by proteins that spell-check and edit and make sure that each time it is copied, mistakes are limited. In a dead cell, there is none of that proofreading, but DNA can persist for thousands of years, in the right conditions - preferably dry and cold, and in the presence of as few other organisms as possible . . .”

A surprise gift from a sweet local friend. I look forward to browsing through this gorgeous book. 💕