Welcome to Litsy!

Bag #10: the girls‘ apartment begins. It‘s pouring rain now 😢 so Lego and the to do list to finish this book. I really enjoyed this. So much about trees and science and funding I did not know, so much confirmation on how important trees are and how little governments care about them. An early quote stuck with me “the science of war will always pay more than the science of trees” I wonder if we will ever get it right ?!

Filling her up and she‘s got a new sticker for tracking while we swim #fancy

March Break = all the chores I haven‘t managed either cuz I was sick or the weather was crap or I was teaching. Today we plugged in the pump to empty the tub and I have vacuumed and wiped down 2 of the 3 decrepit vehicles we own. It‘s 5 pm now 😴 and I‘m waiting for the tub to empty STILL. I will wipe it down tomorrow and then fill it and clean all the rubber mats for the cars. Thank you to whoever thought up audio books 🙏🏻

Bag #9 the girls‘ living room ? Ross and his baby powder for his leather pants 🤦🏻‍♀️

Bag #8 ; the coffee shop? Started Lab Girl, I have this on my TBR bookshelf and I‘m never going to get to it 🤣🤣 so I‘m going to listen to it and give it away 👏🏻👏🏻 #mutlitasking

Library book sale! Oh how I love them!

I read this one a few years ago and loved it. I was thrilled to revisit it with my book club and learn what stood out to everyone else. This book was what encouraged me to buy a tree for my daughter‘s first birthday so I could watch her grow alongside it. Such a great discussion book! I love the way the author shared her passion for plants and her struggle with mental illness. She was so vulnerable.

This book is going to join my list of recommendations. I came for the science (history of science is one of my favorite sub genres) but the found family theme that the author wove through the book kept me going. Hope and her best friend Bill‘s relationship is what everyone needs in their lives: crazy ideas, crazier implementation, and laughter and profanity when stupid shit invariably happens. #pop23 #bookwithgirlinthetitle

Is this a biblical quote? Whatever it is, I love it.

A little backstory on what‘s happening here, Hope is a geochemist and Bill is her best friend and lab partner. Bill just shaved his head and Hope isn‘t taking it well. They‘re nuts. I like them a lot.

I‘m not far in, but this book is hitting me right in the feels.

#firstlinefridays Okay, not technically the first first line, but in the first paragraph.

#wondrouswednesday @Eggs
🌷When i was around 5 years old,my parents took a lot of effort and got me 5 potted Rose plants to take care of-I soon lost interest and the weather didn't co-operate so they all died!Have only lived in cities after in flats,so no space for one!
🌹The tagged book isn't exactly about a specific garden but a spectacular book on plants and trees in general,and the research that goes on. Wonderful.

Meh. It was okay. I liked hearing about her friendship with her lab partner Bill but the rest of the memoir really didn't catch my interest.

Inching my way through these chapters, paw in paw.

#savvysettings #laboratory #day7

I know most people loved this. I‘m waffling between good and ok. I liked the biography/memoir parts of the book. I found some (but not all) of the science interesting (my favourite science chapter was the one on desert plants.) Where I definitely lost interest was in the philosophical parts. She did tend to mix her science with philosophy. Too much philosophy my liking, anyway

I absolutely loved the poetic way Jahren writes about plant life. The beginning part in which she describes growing up in her Dad‘s laboratory made me laugh out loud. The many instances of “but don‘t try it.”

I found the parts about struggling to keep funding for her research disheartening. And of course reading about her struggles with depression too.

But really this was an incredible read, I‘m glad to have picked it up. #NonFictionNovember

1. I love tent camping but I want to get a Scamp.
2. Camp Lost Girl
3. The tagged book. I‘ll never look at a tree the same way again. Also Wild and A Walk in the Woods both made me want to try 🎒 camping/hiking.
4. Read what I want instead of just my bookclub 📚.
🏕 #litsysummercamp

#ThoughtfulThursday @MoonWitch94
📚 I've reread most of my Agatha Christie books,Enid Blyton books,Tolkien and Harry Potter books so many times! I read Julie James and Kresley Cole over and over again too,they're perfect to take your mind off things!
📚 It is, sometimes! To pick ARCs anyway!

🌲 The Handmaid's Tale. One of my favorites.

🌲 I'm terrible about picking up books to read based on their covers.

🌲 love this book 💚

“Our world is falling apart quietly. Human civilization has reduced the plant, a four-million-year-old life form, into three things: food, medicine, and wood...” #plant #QuotsyJun21

A delightfully unique memoir of a woman of science. Check out the full review! https://www.bluestockingreviews.com/post/lab-girl #readitloveit #findinggreatreads #bluestockingreviews

A beautiful book. Her passion for plants, heart wrenching portrayal of bipolar disorder and honest portrayal of pregnancy made for an incredible book. I fell in love with treesand the author.

#booked2021 #winter #setinAustralia #nonfictionscience #bakedgoodsontjecover #Covidheroes #mustacheonthecover #authosfirstnamestartswithA

Here are my choices. Thanks for Bully Pulpit recommendation @BarbaraTheBibliophage !

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#booked2021 #LitsyAtoZ

@Andrew65 suggested we all name one of our favorite books from the last year each day for each of the 12 days of Christmas 🎄

Day 1: Jahren's memoir was the first book to ever make me feel that a life like mine might be worth writing about. It's been a long time since I worked with a mass comp, and even longer since I studied plants, and this book brought it all back, and included fascinating new tidbits too. #12booksof2020

📚 #bookmail! 📚 My delightful sister-in-law sent me this book she had finished and that I wanted to read. Just a nice surprise in the mail today. It's the little things. 😃

-
Currently reading this beautiful #nonfiction book.
🌿
It's so engaging and just can't put it down. 🔖📚

Hope you have a happy reading everyone 🌻🤍
#labgirl
#hopejahren
#currentlyreading
#books

Loving this book. Harvey approves as well 😂

It's been a while since I posted something here I'll be sharing all the books I've been reading so far with a little review.

Actually I made an bookstagram (@nao.reads) but you know how things work there where you have to pay to let your posts stand up.
So I'll be sharing may reviews, thoughts and books that I'm reading here with you guys 🤍🍃

CURRENTLY READING: Lab Girl by Hope Jahren and other books I'll be sharing with you soon
Happy reading

What a beautiful book. Jahren expertly weaves in personal stories with her description of plants. This is the best book I‘ve read in quite a long time! Thank you @DimeryRene for this pick!!

A CACTUS DOESN‘T LIVE in the desert because it likes the desert; it lives there because the desert hasn‘t killed it yet. Any plant that you find growing in the desert will grow a lot better if you take it out of the desert.

My lab is a place where my guilt over what I haven‘t done is supplanted by all of the things that I am getting done. My uncalled parents, unpaid credit cards, unwashed dishes, and unshaved legs pale in comparison to the noble breakthrough under pursuit. My lab is a place where I can be the child that I still am.

I was expecting peaceful forests and sedate labs from this book and I loved being surprised by Hope Jahren‘s weird, messy, filthy-mouthed obsession with plant science and her absurd and tender relationship with her oddball lab partner Bill. This book‘s enthusiasm for understanding the world around us is contagious, and Jahren‘s honesty, authenticity, and grit are so real. Highly recommended for fans of Educated and Ecology of a Cracker Childhood.

🌱✨ #7booksin7days

Jahren is a fantastic writer. And this is a beautiful story of friendship that I didn't expect.

Listening to this beautifully written autobiography and getting my walks in.
The cherry blossoms are falling.

#weeklyforecast
Lab Girl on audio
Woman in the Dunes is my #triplespin #bookspin
The Gilded Ones is this week's ARC v. excited for it
Uncanny Valley is my nonfiction of the week.

Unpopular opinion, but although I respect the author‘s contribution to science, I found her to be unbelievably irresponsible, self-centered, and annoying. I felt like all the stories she told were like when a teenager tells you about something they did that was unbelievably stupid and/or uninteresting, but they think it‘s the funniest, most important thing in the world. Too bad. I could‘ve used much more plant science.

Also from a friend, in Germany. Apparently he snapped this while tolerating a tedious teleconference 😆😆
We teased him for getting some good out of the boredom 😉😉

#bloomingLitsy #KeepLitsyPositive

Can no longer go out as freely or for as long, with the restrictions in place (tho not calling it a lockdown ;o)

From my friend's garden... Will post my own pic when I get out proper!
#KeepLitsyPositive #bloomingLitsy

All scientists and environmentalists should read this! As a male I am appalled at how we have treated women in Science. This book is a true testament to the difficulties that still persist in taking women and minorities seriously. The work done by Dr Jahren is priceless. The book also sheds light on the ridiculously low wages garnered by lab techs. It‘s a call for change! You will never look at a tree the same way again after you read this.

This sentence stopped me in my tracks. I have never been able to understand why people like to listen to music or work in coffee shops when they are trying to work and concentrate. I have always preferred silence. Is this the reason? Is it because people need noise so they don‘t feel lonely?

On my way to work earlier this week. Stopped in my tracks, gasped with glee and giggled to myself as I admired these pretty little things.

Earlier in the day, this article reminded me to be more grateful, less anxious over the surreal normalcy here

https://www.citylab.com/life/2020/03/coronavirus-response-singapore-covid-19-cas...

#SpringIsInevitable #KeepLitsyPositive
(cont'd ⬇️)

#SpringIsInevitable I have been trying to capture this pocket of colour, which can be found on my way to work. Snapped the photos from the bus earlier... Always a cheerful sight!
#KeepLitsyPositive #AllinThisTogether

Those are blocks of flats, our main public housing, in the background.

I LOVED this book! 💚💚💚

The science, the friendships, the honest look into a woman in a field traditionally dominated by men, and Hope Jahren's compassionate writing of her life are all excellent reasons to read this book.

My #DoubleSpin choice for March is now finished. @TheAromaofBooks

Infinitely #SpringIsInevitable in my sunny island ☺️😉😊
Pretty blooms all around the Garden City. These were spotted on my commute and the tiny ixoras formed the backdrop to the bus stop (but overflowing from a private property ;))

#KeepLitsyPositive I pass this stretch of greenery on the way to work... Tiny blooms waving in the breeze always bring a smile to my face 💕🌱🌸🍃💞