pickThe writing was just as beautiful as the cover, it does not surprise me to find out this author also writes poetry.
I should say this book contains a lot more than I thought it would, or rather that it veers in and out of a heavier tone than those first moments of wonder suggest.
There's a mix of first-hand exploration of physical spaces (not without risk), delving into the history and science of the past, 1/?
I love how some verbs describing the effects of light feel onomatopoeic, like you could HEAR the aurora borealis 'blinging and spangling.' ✨🌌🤩
Solastalgia: we've gotten to the point where we need more fine-grained words to describe mindsets arising from negative environmental impacts than the more generalized 'climate anxiety'. 😖
No innocent landscape: leave room for reparation, hope, life.
Love the imagery, trees lit up by their fruit, but the colour, especially in sunlight, I can see it. 😌🍎💡
This must have been pre-Miku....yeah, I ship it. 😉
The rock does what?! I dunno man, two centimetres sounds like a lot for a mass I previously considered sedentary outside continental plate movement, earthquakes and rockfall/avalanches. 😵💫
Reminded of Pratchett's refrain throughout the Discworld series, about Ankh-Morpork being built on Ankh-Morpork, layers upon layers of city as time passed...
A unique experience, but one likely to give ME nightmares! 🙈 All for cave system art though, that sounds marvelous.
Unhinged update #1: Of all the sibling name pairings...
This feels like a psychological attack as well as a physical one. Lying there, probably pained and voluntarily immobile, dealing with the fact that someone else's fingers are suddenly FULLY UP your nose. 😖👃🏻☝🏻😆
Lastest addition to favourite dedications. 🧺
pickMy sense is that the author lives in the a-little-over-the-top gear in her own head, and this works well for finding joy and weirdness in new experiences and bursting to share a myriad number of thoughts on the page in written and drawn form.
I think the majority of the articles included were about food, but there are a number of tangents and random moments, some of which were amusing, some of which felt like stumbling on someone's stream of 1/?
I love when creatives mess with the copyright pages.
There is much that is silly, naughty and kinda gross in this collection, but there are also some beautiful paintings, I love the focus on food, animals and the choice of colours.
so-soWell, I read Devil House, didn't love it and still decide to pick up another John Darnielle, so this one's on me.
From what I remember of Devil House, this book basically has the same issue, the premise, the synopsis, the cover hint at something darker and more intriguing, the book is mostly just sad.1/?
Darnielle, you sneaky bastard, who's telling this story?! 🤔🤨
I feel like the most genuine comments around food are often uncouth. If you love it enough to skip the doggy bag and risk your purse contents, you REALLY loved it. Also: Bachelorettini, pfft. 🤭
Already in love with the writing.
pickAlways up for a twist on not just the Batman's origins, but the foundations of the character itself.
In some ways the pattern is the same, the tragic loss of a parent though gun violence, the intensive period of training, skulking through the night in costume.
And in many other ways it is not : Bruce comes from a working class background, an engineer in the light of day, Matha Wayne lives, 1/?
It just doesn't have the same ring to it. 🥴😵💫
I want to hear more about the scientific breakthroughs aided by duct tape and bin bags.
Also bonus points for quoting a physicist saying “Massively massy.“ 😏
“...annihilation's afterglow.“
Starting to see where the poetry comes in. There's such a remove from what's being searched for, can be seen, versus what is happening, what is conjectured, you might get a little flowery to fill the gaps, to inspire continued hope, the aforementioned scientific faith.
Poet and dark-matter physicist?! A professional pairing that begs to be read.This woman is going on my TBR immediately.
so-soContinues to be adorable for the most part.
I will say the introduction of the new cat took over this volume to the extent that the gamer metaphors dropped off, and instead of the first cat making life interesting for gamer girl, it was more about the second cat making life interesting for the first cat. Perhaps the author was tired, but there did seem to be larger swathes of physical comedy or just tracking cat action, with no words involved. 1
Darnielle: consistently getting me in the feels.
pickI want more! Really my only gripe is that this novella simply whetted my appetite for further stories in the same place.
Newitz did a great job of setting up the characters, their personalities, their woes and hopes, as well as an engaging but not overwhelming amount of world-building exploring how things function in this post-war slightly futuristic California 1/?
I'd be lying if I said the idea of finding a hole in a green space to hide from the world for a bit never occurred or appealed to me. Suppose this comes under the heading of 'forest bathing'? 🤔😅
pickAn incredible work. Thanhauser writes with passion and clarity, and particularly grabbed me in her method of organizing the subject matter. Moving from Linen to Cotton to Synthetics to Wool, the author moves through the historical record of fibre, fabric, and clothing production with a focus on the humans affected by various developments in this field. 1/?
Today's 'scratched my brain just right' sentence.
Craft tradition as telling of history hits so much harder crossing from ancient tales to modern times.
Big middle finger to the age of obsolescence. Can we have more stuff like this?
Warp vs. Weft. What are the chances I finally remember the difference after this explanation.
It's not that complicated, it is that fucked.
I would NOT recommend this book for claustrophobics, as the exploration involves a number of tight squeezes, and recounting a selection of the history of cave exploration also means numbering memorable deaths.
Similarly, the history of what is hidden underground means not just art or natural wonders, but also records of conflicts, 1d
The science mentioned is both approachable and fascinating in the language provided, but beyond a focus on what scientists might be studying underground or using underground spaces to study, the exploration and science reporting on a number of landscapes is used to outline the ongoing damage the anthropocene's effects 1d
I appreciate that Macfarlane, while often taking moments to appreciate the natural world in gorgeous prose, is clear in his respect of the human costs associated with the various landscapes - the sensitivity to review urban exploration while acknowledging the dichotomy of people with the privilege to consider recreational what the unhoused may have as their only shelter 1d
⚠️Mentions of suicides and accidental deaths, genocide, war violence, mass graves, animal death 1d