Welcome to Litsy!

My March reads, roughly in order of enjoyment (from least to greatest). The bottom row features all of my favorites.

I keep shocking myself with how many books I‘m managing to read each month. Either this is my new norm, thanks to deleting my social media accounts (and what a confirmation of my choices that would be!) or it‘s going to taper off at some point. With the gradually warming weather, I‘m starting to let myself dream of beach reading…

It‘s hard not to compare this to Erica Berry‘s Wolfish (tagged below, which I also enjoyed). Eight Bears is less of a memoir and more just straight-up science journalism and travelogue. It‘s also *far* more organized. Previously, if you‘d asked me how important organization was to me, I would have scoffed. I tend to think of myself (and my taste) as being sort of dreamy, floaty, and tangential. But Gloria Dickie proved me wrong! 👇🏻

Reading about Paddington‘s home — the cloud forests of “darkest Peru” and the creatures who live there, including the pictured hummingbird. It‘s called a Sparkling Sunbeam and being reincarnated as one is now my plan for the afterlife. They‘re so pretty, are a part of something called “the brilliants tribe” (how aspirational!), they‘re a species of Least Concern, & they build those tiny little moss cups as their home and live in the clouds.

Sold.

Depressing and informative. And grizzly bears are scary AF!

Bears are amazing. I love them all. This was very interesting.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

I recommend this for animal lovers and anyone who enjoys learning more about creatures we share a planet with. There are 8 bears left on planet earth. Can we do enough to ensure they survive alongside us? As it stands now pandas are pretty safe since humans think they‘re adorable. But humans exploit the sun bear for their bile, and cause habitat destruction for all 8, mainly the polar bear who may become extinct within my lifetime. A great listen!

Soft pick because she doesn't mention European bears... Other than that it's a great book, especially for bear lovers.
#Naturalitsy

#Naturalitsy

🐾 Hi 🐾

Here's our reading discussion for April's #buddyread

🐻 Did you like the writing style?

🐻‍❄ Did you have any strong likes or dislikes?

🐻 Did you find anything memorable or impressive that altered your opinion of bears?

🐻‍❄ Do you agree with the rewilding of keystone species or conservation efforts?

🐻 Do you have a favourite bear?

All are welcome to join in the discussion.

5 ⭐️s
An absolutely amazingly well researched book that goes into the eight remaining bear species, their past, present and mostly bleak future. I cried several times. Had to stop taking it to work as my break time read. The bit about the sun and moon bears was especially hard to read. I knew the future of bears (like most things that share this planet with us) was dire, but this was certainly eye-opening.

April‘s #Naturalitsy read.

3✨ I liked how this was put together. There are 8 bear types discussed that happen to be in different regions and continents around the world. The book separated them in sections so they can be discussed one at a time. The author goes to these areas to talk to community members on the experience. There is bear attacks, rehabilitation, animal behavior discoveries, and general knowledge of the bears. It is very informative and enjoyable to read. ⬇️

This was a fantastic #naturalitsy read that combined travel journalism with the natural history of the eight extant bear species. My local zoo has a sloth bear, and he‘s always been a bit of a mystery to me, and learning about all the other mysterious species was equally charming. Tho I could have done without knowing that bear farming is a thing. Hope reading it is a joy for you too, @AllDebooks

“Rangila was now tethered not to man, but to earth, as all bears should be.“

I loved this sentence. And to learn that Rangila's story did have a happy ending. In the middle of so much pain it felt good to have some details about the good bits too. 🐻

#Naturalitsy

There are only 8 species of bears alive in the world today. This interesting and thoughtful nonfiction book explores their history, the culture and mythology around them, and the way they interact with humans. The effects of government policies, public perception, and climate change are also explored, through scientific research and anecdotal evidence. Thought-provoking and very readable.
Looking forward to our #Naturalitsy discussion.

Loved this book and can‘t wait to discuss it with #NaturalLitsy

I know this is a bad idea, but I really want to go hug a bear right now.

I loved this! Thanks @AllDebooks #naturalitsy for putting this on my radar!

Went through the drive-thru this morning g so I could get my 90 Bo us stars. Then I stopped at the nearby Brug bakery to finally try one of their spring special Lilikoi Hawaiian Monk Seals (a roll with lilikoi cream inside) to go with my latte & found they are leaving them on the menu, which makes me happy as they are cute & tasty. 😋

Starting this book for #Naturalitsy #buddyread Looking forward to learning more about bears.🐻🤎

“We have entered the bears' home without permission and selfishly laid claim to what we found there. In the words of Wee Bear, 'someone' s been lying in my bed, ' and, well, here we are.“

So true, and such a good comparison to make!

#Naturalitsy #buddyread

From @Alldebooks
#Naturalitsy
Hi, our next #buddyread starts today. As this is a relatively short read, I'm going to host this as a read at your own pace. We'll discuss it at the end of April.
I hope you're all well and enjoying the longer days.
FYI - keep your notes on Gleick's The Three Ages of Water and I'll post a discussion thread sometime this month.
My apologies for any inconvenience.

Wait, no Europe? Unless the Eurasian Brown bear is mentioned and included in the North American chapter (although technically it shouldn't), this does not bode well... 😅
#buddyread #naturalitsy

#Naturalitsy

Hi, our next #buddyread starts today. As this is a relatively short read, I'm going to host this as a read at your own pace. We'll discuss it at the end of April.

I hope you're all well and enjoying the longer days. I will be back to normal in a few more weeks.

All are welcome to join us. Please let me know if you wish to be added/removed from the taglist.

https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324005087!

@LitsyEvents

⬇️

I wanted to get a head-start for this month‘s #Naturalitsy, but it was so interesting, I finished even before the month started.

A journalist travels to the eight bear-species that are left on our planet and tells their story, their past and future in a very engaging yet informative style.

Bears have always been my favourite animals but I didn‘t know that much about them. That has changed now. I will remember the facts I read for a long time.

Repost for @AllDebooks

#Naturalitsy

A reminder of our upcoming April read, Eight bears - Mythic past and imperiled future by Gloria Dickie. I am ridiculously excited for this one. Have you got your copy yet? 🐾🐻🐻‍❄🐻🐾

All are welcome to join us. Please let me know if you wish to be added/removed from the taglist.

#Naturalitsy

A reminder of our upcoming April read, Eight bears - Mythic past and imperiled future by Gloria Dickie. I am ridiculously excited for this one. Have you got your copy yet? 🐾🐻🐻‍❄🐻🐾

All are welcome to join us. Please let me know if you wish to be added/removed from the taglist.

https://www.gloriadickie.com/eight-bears

@LitsyEvents

A fascinating look at the world's eight living bear species. Dickie looked at one aspect of the life of each species and used that as a springboard to examine the relationships between bears and human society around the globe. Very effective, engaging, and interesting way to think about our relationship with the natural world.

Cont'd in comments...

I've been living the audio books for non fiction lately, but are there not producers or someone checking pronunciations? This narrator was just talking about Polar Bears in Churchill, "Man-toh-bee-ah" and took me right out of it ?‍♀️?‍♀️?‍♀️

There are only 8 bear species in the world, 6 of which are at risk of extinction. Gloria Dickie takes us to each species to teach about what makes them unique and either glorified or vilified. Really interesting, though I‘ll warn you the part about bears farmed for their bile is really hard to read.

#ReadingAmericas2023 #Peru

Truly fascinating science writing! Unfortunately many of these eight bear species are in danger due to climate change and human encroachment making this book all the more urgent. I didn‘t know much about the speckled bear in South America or sloth bears in India before reading this. The chapter about bile farming and sun and moon bears was a difficult read. But the future may be Pizzly in North America as polars and grizzlies interbreed.