On gravitational pull and buoyancy : "Janthina janthina, the descendant of the first snails that got lost in space, ... build themselves a large bubble raft, often bigger than themselves, to ensure that their total density is always less than the seawater they're in. So they always float, upside down (bubble raft up, shell beneath), preying on passing jellyfish. "

More science learning for #booked2021 and photo from Google.

It's been estimated that the average candle flame produces 1.5 million nanodiamonds each second.

What?! 💎💎💎

(Googled it to be sure, and this was one of the images)

Learning lots for my #booked2021, non-fiction science written by a woman pick!

I loved reading the profiles of Black chefs, sommaliers, food writers and activists throughout this cookbook. There is also a great index of resources for learning more about Black culinary history, cookbooks, social media accounts for the Black chefs and experts profiled, podcasts, and related organizations, both culinary and for social change.

A ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ read for me and a book I will be recommending to those looking for a heartwarming and soul nourishing novel. Themes of storytelling, romantic and non romantic love, music, and landscape shape this beautiful tale of electricity coming to Faha, County Clare in Ireland. It is, truly, happiness!

#LitsyAtoZ, Letter T

"I sometimes think the worst thing a young person can feel is when you can find no answer to the question of what you are supposed to do with this life you've been given"... "I can now say that another version of that happens in old age, when it occurs to you that since you've lived this long you must have learned something, so you open you eyes before dawn and think: What is it that I've learned, what is it I want to say?"

"The known world was not so circumscribed then nor knowledge equated with facts. Story was a kind of human binding. I can't explain it any better than that. There was telling everywhere. Because there were fewer sources of where to find out anything, there was more listening."

"The route out of the city was running thaw water, and in copses shielded from the sun the standing pools were still iced. A weak sun blinked at them as they crossed into Hertfordshire, and here and there a ragged blackthorn blossomed, waving at him a petition against the length of winter."

For passages like this it is worth reading Wolf Hall all over again, although I am told the next one is better. Loved. ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5.

More than halfway through! I am having to read this with a dictionary at hand because there are many words I am unfamiliar with, and some that apparently don't even exist. 'Waffeting', I am looking at you.

What incredible writing. I heard Mantel interviewed on CBC The Next Chapter and she is brilliant.

It did take me a while to get started and figure out what the heck was going on. Now I am all in! May the #conqueringcromwell continue...

Immediately captivating. Heartbreaking with the promise, hope and devastation of the war between Nigeria and the independent republic of Biafra in the late 1960s. For me, it was a book that I couldn't stop thinking about after putting it down for the day. I want to learn more about this time period in Nigeria, and to read everything Adichie has written. I loved Americanah as well. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

#booked2021 Author's first name starts with A,B, or C

Late to the table, and new to the challenge...here is my #bookspin2021 list. My goal is to read more Canadian authors and some Canadian classics this year and this is one way I am doing so! First up is the tagged book.

 @TheAromaofBooks

Have been meaning to read Elizabeth Strout for a long time. I now understand the hype! Really enjoyed how each chapter was almost a short story, with common characters throughout. Some chapters I enjoyed more than others, but will definitely be adding Strout's other novels to my TBR! This also kicked off my #LitsyAtoZ for letter A.

⭐⭐⭐/5 for me. I am between pick and so-so, but it was engaging enough that I ripped through it in a couple of hours. I liked reading about Dawson City, having never been to the Yukon, and thought the author did a good job in giving the reader a true sense of the place during the winter months. I'll give it a pick!

Reviewers who are mothers called this 'laugh out loud' funny. As someone peering around the corner at motherhood myself, I am leaning more towards it being slightly horrifying and at times as riveting as a thriller. Cusk is a fantastic writer and her speaking to the issue of children and who looks after them as being profoundly political, captured a lot of my thoughts in a way I couldn't put together before. ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Can't remember what led me to put this on hold at the library, but it's new (2019) written by an Iranian-Canadian (Hizar's debut novel) and is called the 'Doctor Zhivago of Iran' by Margaret Atwood. About a third into it and am really enjoying the read. Set in Iran around the revolution and interested to learn more about it through the lens of these characters.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 loved it, couldnt put it down. Striking characters, engrossing story. I had so many feelings reading this book. A favourite.

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5. I ripped through this memoir by Canadian Author Yasuko Thanh. Born in Victoria B.C. she lives a loveless childhood which pushes her into a youth of prostitution, drug use, jail time, relationships with pimps and battles with mental health. Her tenacity at such a young age is unbelievable and even more unbelievable is that she survived it all, including raising two children and winning notable awards for her writing. Pick for me.

Guys. Kevin Barry is brilliant.

"...when we are away from home, in new and strange places, we get to know ourselves better."

I dont know how to review this book. I did finish it (although skimmed the last part). The writing is clever, the story is bizarre. I'm not sure I get all the symbolism or literary creativity. It was like the popular girls in school getting skewered in a nightmare. There is blood, exploding bunnies, leather gloves and mini cupcakes. If you're looking for something creatively weird maybe try it. Not exactly my jam. ⭐⭐.5/5

Read this in 2 hours Sunday morning past. I thought it was a fascinating way to tell a story. I loved the way Toews built the characters, and the subtle details that revealed so much about each woman. The narration by Augusr Epp throughout and his side notes were humorous at times and much needed when discussing such somber horrors. Great read. ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

I haven't read a book by an Indigenous Canadian author in some time. Highway writes in such an original way. The way he brings in legend and the Cree word to a heartbreaking story true to many of our native peoples past is challenging but worthwhile. ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

For me there was too much present/past back and forth and the prose while smart and dense didn't click with me. Maybe if I read it under a different headspace. I didn't want to work that hard this time around.

Partridge quote for the win today. 😂

Brilliant. You will want to slow down for this one.

Italian rich kids in America, chasing their dreams of cool using their inheritances and allowances from dear old ma and pa. Between tracksuits, tweets, and love triangles I'm still not sure what to think. I bet Italians reading this would get a good kick out of it. Raucous, raunchy, and hilarious in parts it's an interesting look into a world of privilege and contemporary Italian writing. 🌟🌟🌟.5/5.

Finally getting a bit warmer in Montreal! Reading in the sun under heavy blankets 👻. This is a wildly different read than I've had in a while. Cool Italians in America...Only one review on Litsy so far and it was a pan. See how this one goes!

First book finished in 2018! Can't believe I didn't get to read this one until now. Thought provoking, and an important perspective and voice to experience. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Should not have read this over Christmas. ...but glad I read it! A raw, awful yet beautiful story of the author's love for and experience living in Rwanda during the genocide on assignment. Although a work of fiction it has real characters and references true events. Haunting writing for its boldness in love and death. Rated R for violence and sex/rape scenes. It was made into a movie, but not sure I can relive this story again! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I'm on a translated works kick...started this last night and it is surprising and different and exactly why I like reading translations. This has to be the only adult fiction told from the point of view of a polar bear. 🐨🐾 (I think that's a koala but close enough)

Quite a book! Loved the writing/translation of this talented author and translator. I got a little confused about 2/3 of the way through but the end tied it together in a beautiful way. Some of the passages were exquisite enough to re read three times.

A wonderfully told story set in the heart of Mexico City over five years by four different voices. Written by Mexican-born Jufresa, and translated into English this was a great book to read for women in translation month. While the primary theme is loss, it is written with humour and great talent for words and storytelling. I promise you will know what the heck umami is after reading this, and you will be inspired to grow a milpa!🌱🌱

Part love story part coming of age. A young woman from China is sent to study English in England for one year. The narration is in the voice of someone learning English ie the 'Loyal family' in the UK. My favourite part was thinking about English from the perspective of someone learning my language and how confusing it must be. For instance 'I'm going to go to the beach' why do we have to say 'go' twice?. It's a fun look at ourselves. 🌟🌟🌟/5

Really enjoying this one so far... I'm late on women in translation month, but what odds! The characters in the compound all have their houses named after tastes on your tongue. Sweet, bitter, sour, salty and the indescribable umami. Which I still am struggling to comprehend. Imagine living in a house called sour. Ha.

🌟🌟🌟. 5/5 this was a quick read which was perfect to get me out of my reading slump. Sophie spends her childhood with her Tante Atie in Haiti until her mother in New York sends for her. Vividly written the novel gives a window to Haitian national identity, experiences with diaspora, and explores mother-daughter relationships and how they affect self identity and expression. I will be reading more by Danticat, really enjoyed this one.

The secret life of raindrops. 🌧️💧☔ I am almost positive I had the same reflection as a kid... Moreso how it would suck to start out as a raindrop looking down on beautiful earth as part of a cloud, flying around, fluffy, cute.. To end up in a dirty mud puddle full of worms. 👎. Lame way to end your life as a rain drop.

This is my first Kadare. What a writer. This one is written from the perspective of an imaginative, short sighted boy about the invasions, occupation, and bombardments by multiple foreign armies from '39-'43 in WWII (Italian, Greek, British, German) in his home city of Gjirokaster, Albania. Incredible imagery and prose. I want to say so much but can't fit it in. It's no wonder Kadare won the inaugural Man Booker in 2005.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5.

#cupidgoespostal is THE BEST!!! What a thoughtful gift and card from @JacqMac Thank You!! The timing couldn't be more perfect. It's a snow day, I've got not one but two toblerone's (❤❤❤) a beautiful bookmark, and a gorgeous hardcover copy of Another Brooklyn which although I did get to it recently, I really need to re read and take more time with. It's a wonderfully written book. Happiness is happening in St. John's today! Happy V-Day!
💕💕💕💕

Loved this book. The first time I have read a genealogy of 6 generations on two sides one tracing the path from Ghana to America, the other that stayed longer in Ghana until the very end. I would have liked a map, but that may just be my love for maps. Wonderful debut, so glad all you #littens got me to pick it up.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5!

My first win from Good Reads I'm so excited!! Do not judge the Christmas tree still peaking out from around the corner. 😩😩😩... He swears it will be gone this weekend.

I have been assured this will get to its destination on time!!! Getting closer to the big day ❤❤❤.

#cupidgoespostal
@BookishMarginalia

I'm a 'meh' on this one. It's my first Allende but have read reviews that her others are better so will have to give them a try. This was my second audiobook, and still not sure if it's the medium that I don't enjoy or I haven't picked a good one yet! I didn't feel entranced by any of the characters, and the whole story didn't ring particularly true. A bit fluffy more my liking.

⭐⭐. 5 /5

Greenland whaling ship in the mid-1800's, a crew of hard men and young cabin boys, and Sumner the ship surgeon. The north water and questionable humanity of the crew makes for a dark and gripping adventure. But not a nice adventure. Cruel, terrible, and smelly (seriously... You'll get it when you read this!). Highly recommend.

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5.

Devoured this in about an hour and a half. Loved the style of writing and vivid imagery of memory and place. Her telling of those important years from girl to teenager brings back some pretty raw feeling and truths.

⭐⭐⭐. 5 /5

This has been compared to "Behind the Beautiful Forevers" by Katherine Boo, but instead of the slums of India, the refugee camps in Kenya. While the stories of the nine refugees give a human sense of the dire situation in Daabab, I did not find myself as invested in the characters as I did in Boo's writing and skimmed the second half. Very eye-opening to the complexities of refugee life in Kenya particularly of those from Somalia.

⭐⭐⭐.5/5

Got my #cupidgoespostal parcel yesterday! Someone is on the ball... Happy happy excited to open this in a few weeks!🙌

@BookishMarginalia

I blame this on you Litsy! But pretty excited by my latest library haul and #januaryreads #tbr lots of 🎉NEW🎉 (or new to the library rather) books. Gaslight is looking a little top-heavy.

Read the first few chapters of this last night and will be my office lunch read today. I had no idea that one of the biggest camps in Kenya is more of a city now with half a million people calling it home. Hard to still call it a camp when it's that large and was established (and has been funded) for over 25 years. City of Thorns follows the lives of nine refugees, how they got there, what it's like. Very compelling so far.

Fredrik Backman's books make me laugh and cry. This is my second after A Man Called Ove and I was equally as impressed. Loved the cast of characters including Somebody, Pirate, and Bank. Britt-Marie was a riot in her own peculiar way.

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Another attempt at reading a thriller and I'm still on the fence about this genre. This is likely why this wasn't a pick for me. A quick read, darkish twisty plot and chilling ending.

⭐⭐⭐/5.

Oh hello my three favourite things.... Starting a short quick read tonight after the last two being 400+ pages, Blanche de Chambly (💓), and cuddled up since it's - 10 outside. #happyfriday #bookblanketbooze #heatingpadnotpicturedbutitsamazingtoo