Welcome to Litsy!

Fascinating facts about all kinds of insects, written in a entertaining style that had me reading passages aloud to my sister as we drove to and from her farm. If you‘ve ever wondered what use there can be for mosquitoes, wasps and ants, read this persuasive book. Translation from Norwegian by Lucy Moffatt. #WomenInTranslationMonth

Friday Reads September 1: Yukon farm; katazome + indigo; Canadian & queer books; Acadians
https://youtu.be/wwMujAP5WW0

… Indian stick insects have apparently been known to stay stuck together for an insane 79 days in an extreme-sport version of tantric sex!

-from the chapter Six-Legged Sex

“The truth is that we need invertebrates but they don‘t need us. If humans were to disappear tomorrow, the world would go on with little change… But if invertebrates were to disappear, I doubt that the human species could live more than a few months.”
—EO Wilson

I found this really Interesting, but I‘m afraid I won‘t remember much. There were so many little tidbits of information, it will be hard to remember. I have heard it before, but even if they are pests, insects really are beneficial, and humans would be hard-pressed to live on a planet without them.

Truly a fascinating read! I kinda have always hated bugs but this is super insightful to someone who had no knowledge about insects prior!

This is a short, interesting popular science book about insects. We‘ve all been told how decimated our groceries would be without the honeybee, but this book delves deeper.

Did you know that the particular insect larvae used for ink is what helped parchments survive from Shakespeare and Galileo? What about the wax on your jelly beans helping provide sustainable farming jobs? Cool stuff!

#readingeurope2020 #norway #bookspinbingo

Yesterday was depressing & difficult. We all decided dad should go to skilled nursing rehab for a few weeks.

Today that we were going to “take off” was so exhausting that I burst through the door full-blown sobbing after walking the dog after dinner.

I am just documenting my life here because this is my main social media. I know others have exhausting, difficult lives too. I just really appreciate all the unconditional support I‘ve received. 💕

This is a fun, gross book on insects. And it brought up things I‘d never heard of before, like the Maggot King! The Maggot King was a man who claimed that inhaling fumes maggots release while eating could cure tuberculosis. That‘s a difficult conversation to have with patients.

Setting aside the glaring error that made me question everything else in the entire book (see previous post), I found this book unsatisfying. It needs more depth to the science. As a quick read to induce people to give some thought to insect worth I guess it‘s ok, but by the end I just felt like I‘d had a very superficial experience that I wanted to be so much more.

Another error - I would guess this ship ran aground, rather than around.

Uh, no - actually, Ariadne is a completely different character from Greek mythology. You‘re looking for Arachne, from whom we derive “arachnid.”

Now I‘m questioning everything else I‘m reading, because if neither the author nor anyone involved in the editing process caught this blatant error, what else is wrong?

The environment is always on my mind- ask my kids! I became a vegetarian in 1989 for environmental reasons. Greta Thunberg is a hero. When @Booksnchill just recommended the tagged book I thought I‘d put together my environmental TBR and share it - has anyone read these? Other recommendations? #loveyourmotherearth #thereisnoplanetB

AAAS science blog shared reviews of three books books on our insect neighbors, including the tagged book. The blog is from July, but I‘ve not seen these before. They look wonderful! Sharing the link for those interested:

https://blogs.sciencemag.org/books/2019/07/23/small-wonders/

https://www.outsideonline.com/2401127/buzz-sting-bite-the-mosquito-book-reviews

Bees can recognise human faces ! Who knew?!