Welcome to Litsy!

"This suggests why France played such an important role in the medieval period, in the agricultural and industrial revolutions. Her population was nearly one-third that of the whole of Europe."

If any of you don‘t know, @catiewithac is the most generous Litten. Thanks so much for this birthday package. It felt comforting/distracting after a terrible inaugural week. It was fun to open up every little thing - and I loved that the puzzle was from NPR/Invisibilia 😊. Lastly - great wrapping! (For those who can‘t see the little glass vial is matchsticks and says Burn Candles, Not Books)

I am 37 (and have been for several years now) and Saturday was my 37th birthday (again). Imagine my confusion when all my cards, balloons, banners etc had the number 50 on!!! I didn't point out people's mistake as I didn't want to cause a fuss, but really!!! 50! Me! How rude! 😉

Birthday books! I have to wait a while for my new Kindle as I desperately wanted the pink one & it's out of stock. But I can wait because apparently I'm a grown-up now 😂

★★★★☆

This translation was, at times, both easier and more difficult than others I have read.

p. 14
'Then they showed forth the shield, that shone all red,
With the pentangle portrayed in purest gold.
About his broad neck by the baldric he casts it,
That was meet for the man, and matched him well.
...
For it is a figure formed of five points,
And each line is linked and locked with the next
For ever and ever, and hence it is called
In England, as I hear, the endless knot.'

p. 7
'And so I call in this court for a Christmas game,
For 'tis Yule and New Year, and many young bloods about;
If any in this house such hardihood claims,
Be so bold in his blood, his brain so wild,
As stoutly to strike one stroke for another,
I shall give him as my gift this gisarme noble,
This ax, that is heavy enough, to handle as he likes,
And I shall bide the first blow, as bare as I sit.
⬇️

#12Booksof2024
As I read an equal amount, I will be sharing a fiction and non-fiction selection for each month.

January's picks

Fiction - Tagged

Non-fiction - Ultra-processed People by Chris Van Tulleken #NaturaLitsy #buddyread

@Andrew65

Started Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: A New Verse Translation by Marie Borroff

Join me on LibraryThing, BookWyrm, & Goodreads @bibliothecarivs.

It's that time of the year to re-read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 💚❤️💚
This time around, it's Simon Armitage's revised translation, with lots of luscious illustrations. When I first flicked through this version, it didn't sit well with me, but as I'm actually sitting down with it to read through, it's actually flowing nicely.
🙇🏻🩸🪓🧌