Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Best of the Bunch (May 2023)

Best of the Bunch header

Today I'm sharing the best book I read in May.

This was a better reading month than I'd had in a while! I only read 6 books this month, but I had three 5-star reads.

Snapdragon by Kat Leyh

Positive by Paige Rawl

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Two of these are rereads of favorites, so the third is my Best of the Bunch for this month!

This is a beautiful essay collection that has earned its stellar reputation. Kimmerer, who is both a scientist and an indigenous woman, shows how traditional ways of knowing are not at odds with science; the two actually complement and reinforce one another. I appreciate how, in one essay, she distinguishes between the scientific method and the scientific worldview; one uses the tools of science to collect evidence on what indigenous peoples have known for generations, while the other rejects the idea that there could be anything valuable there to study in the first place. Although she ably narrates the audiobook, I think I would have preferred this in print; each essay prompts the reader to pause and reflect, which is difficult when one essay leads immediately into another in your ears. This is a lengthy collection and thus an investment of time, but it's well worth it.

What is the best book you read this month? Let me know in comments, or write your own post and link up below!

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Let Your Life Speak, Sleep Smarter, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, and Thirteen Clues for Miss Marple
Five years ago I was reading: Castle of Wizardry and Disunity in Christ
Ten years ago I was reading: How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk, Marcelo in the Real World, and At Home

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