Orwell's Roses | 
#Naturalitsy
"I have often thought that much of the beauty that moves us in the natural world is not the static visual splendour that can be captured in a picture, but time itself as patterns, recurrences, the rhythmic passage of days and seasons and years, the lunar cycle and the tides, birth and death."
My first book by Rebecca Solnit for this month's #Backlistreadathon @Clwojick @TheAromaofBooks
I meant to read this before the Orwell prizes were announced but health hasn‘t been great so it‘s been lying beside my bed for many weeks. Started the first couple of chapters and so far really enjoying it! Nature and memoir together is a huge love of mine 🌹
pickA lovely book! A amalgamation of biography, horticultural history, political genealogy, and a celebration of beauty. This is a book that nourishes the soul.
I like to have an audiobook going at all times. Started this one today and it‘s great so far. After all, it is Rebecca Solnit!
Two books are buddy reads by week- Lost Among the Living and This Life. The others I plan to read/listen as I can. Full weeks at work until we end in June- parent meetings, graduation activities, exams.
#weeklyreport
Finished the 3 books in the top row this past week. In various stages with the books in the bottom row.
Spanish white made from Godello grapes, & two other local varieties.Perfect with a book & Yankees/Toronto game tonight. #dominiodobibeilapolariberiasacra #Spanishwine #Galicia
#deadphilosopherssociety #MartinHaagund #ThisLife #trees
Apologies for being a.w.o.l this month. I hope to rejoin Sunday. This passage is so #ThisLife
#bookreport
Finished The Dead Shall Not Rest, The Midnight Hour. At various stages with the others. #sundaybuddyread
pickRebecca Solnit kept me enthralled with ideas & interesting facts in this far-reaching, contemplative examination of Orwell‘s writings, integrity & passion for gardening. From Tina Modotti‘s famous photo of roses to her later revolutionary activism, to bread & roses, to Stalin‘s lemon trees, to the current appalling working conditions in the rose-growing industry… appreciation of nature is complicated by politics, class & social justice issues.
Clarity, honesty, accuracy and truth are beautiful because in them representation is true to its subject, knowledge is democratized, people are empowered, doors are opened, information moves freely, contracts are honoured. That is, such writing is beautiful in itself and beautiful in what flows from it.
Orwell‘s signal achievement was to name and describe, as no one else had, the way that totalitarianism was a threat, not just to liberty and human rights, but to language and consciousness. And he did it in such a compelling way that his last book casts a shadow, or a beacon‘s light, into the present.
Rereading a significant book is like revisiting an old friend. You find out how you‘ve changed when you encounter them again. You see differently because you‘re different. Some books grow, some wither on reacquaintance. Or, because you‘re asking different questions, you find different answers.
“February,” Orwell admitted, “Is a particularly detestable month, with no virtue except its shortness.”
pickSolnit examines Orwell, his writings, and the influence gardening (especially roses) and nature in general had on his writings. She also takes her examination a step further by generally viewing current and historical politics and situations through the lens of nature and roses. Very interesting read! #19822022 #2021
If war has an opposite, gardens might sometimes be it…
pickThe term Orwellian has became pervasive in our lives, reflecting one writer's fears and warnings about fascism and power. In this extremely well-researched, timely, & smart book, she looks for what George Orwell loved, what drove him to write so powerfully, and ultimately his optimism. In the midst of horror, Orwell always sought beauty & hope. A great examination one of the greatest writers in the English language. Highly recommended.
pickMusings on Orwell, his life, his roses, other roses, the themes he tackled in his writings, and what feels like related marginalia. Each essay is fascinating in its own right. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I love Rebecca Solnits writing - she pulls diverse threads together and challenges the brain in a very gentle way! Her new one - she‘s used George Orwell‘s love of roses to talk about nature, power, politics and Stalin‘s obsession with growing lemons! Can wait to dive into this one and go on this journey with her #newbookday
pickSolnit is an amazing essayist, and this doesn‘t disappoint. I‘ve nominated her for next year‘s #AuthorAMonth 👍🏻
Orwell was a plant lover, and Solnit draws on parts of his life and shows how they tie back to his gardening pursuits. While several essays are devoted to him, she also broadened it to commercial rose farming, Scottish peat and the climate crisis, and other bits of nature writing. A great mix of science and biography. #CoverLove
