Welcome to Litsy!

Quintessential nature writing and my favourite nonfiction of 2024 so far. I‘m so glad I finally got around to reading Nan Shepherd‘s classic about the Cairngorm mountains of Scotland. Her exquisite prose is so evocative that I was frequently transported off into reveries of my own encounters with the natural world.

To one who loves the hills at every season, the blossoming is not the best of the heather. The best of it is simply its being there—is the feel of it under the feet. To feel heather under the feet after long abstinence is one of the dearest joys I know.

Touch is the most intimate sense of all. The whole sensitive skin is played upon, the whole body, braced, resistant, poised, relaxed, answers to the thrust of forces incomparably stronger than itself. Cold water stings the palate, the throat tingles unbearably; cold air smacks the back of the mouth, lungs crackle.

“How could we imagine flavour or perfume without the senses of taste and smell? They are completely unimaginable. There must be many exciting properties of matter that we cannot know because we have no way to know them.”
[This passage reminded me of Ed Yong‘s wonderful book on animals‘ perceptions.]

Friday Reads May 17: Asian Heritage Month; mythology; nature writing; art; picture book biography; Indigenous authors and more in this week‘s YouTube episode:

https://youtu.be/Zo93j5HoVKo

#StorySettings @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Loved this book. It is story about survival, love and how together we are stronger. A lot of depth. It might be time for a reread.

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/MX60FG7FfY8

Enjoy!

“for some reason…” Huh, wonder why they had that idea?

So, today I learned that
a. Mt. Everest was named for, but not by, George Everest.
b. George Everest was actually a proponent of learning the local name of mountains he surveyed, rather than coming up with new English names.
and c. He hated it when people pronounced his name Ever-est, rather than Eve-rest.