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kairosdreaming's review against another edition
4.0
I can't say that moss is the most invigorating topic that you might choose to read about. After all, outside of a few enthusiasts, how many people even think, let alone talk, about moss on a regular basis? So a whole book about it? Well, you'd be missing out if you didn't read it. I have a whole new appreciation for moss and learned way more than I ever thought possible on the subject.
Kimmerer knows mosses. It's part of her job after all. And she weaves their story along with her own in a delightful way. I appreciated knowing how her culture and experiences formed her relationship with nature and the appreciation she was able to show for moss. Not to mention the patience she must have just in the way it's studied! When she got to counting how many were in a centimeter I was blown away; there is no way you would ever catch me doing that as I'm pretty sure I lack the focus.
While this could have been a boring book, Kimmerer is a good writer, and as such she's able to weave those personal stories in with the scientific information in a way that was consistent and engrossing. I was often somewhat upset I had to put the book down because it was getting too late, rather than struggling to get through chapters as sometimes happens with other scientific-based books.
I'm headed to her more well-known book 'Braiding Sweetgrass' next, I can only imagine it's just as good as this one.
Review by M. Reynard 2024
Kimmerer knows mosses. It's part of her job after all. And she weaves their story along with her own in a delightful way. I appreciated knowing how her culture and experiences formed her relationship with nature and the appreciation she was able to show for moss. Not to mention the patience she must have just in the way it's studied! When she got to counting how many were in a centimeter I was blown away; there is no way you would ever catch me doing that as I'm pretty sure I lack the focus.
While this could have been a boring book, Kimmerer is a good writer, and as such she's able to weave those personal stories in with the scientific information in a way that was consistent and engrossing. I was often somewhat upset I had to put the book down because it was getting too late, rather than struggling to get through chapters as sometimes happens with other scientific-based books.
I'm headed to her more well-known book 'Braiding Sweetgrass' next, I can only imagine it's just as good as this one.
Review by M. Reynard 2024
frandelaney's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
4.5
this book is so beautiful to read and so meaningful for everyone who reads it. despite not being particularly interested in moss, getting a glimpse into kimmerer’s life and observations was so comforting yet new for me.
it showed me the stillness of moss and aspects of life.
“we are still here.”
it showed me the stillness of moss and aspects of life.
“we are still here.”
nap_queen's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
so the thing about this one I got it from the library, which you should support however as I was reading it I was like I need to absorb everything I can from this book, and the big technical words even as someone who is slightly more than the average person knowledged about moss it was a lot to take in at times. So it maybe should have been a purchase and not a loan so I could take notes in it. But that's just a me thing
jayobees's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
I love Robin Wall Kimmerer so much! What a joy to hear her narrate her own book. There is a wellspring of gentle wisdom and powerful love here. And hope.
sabrinaw's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
enjoyable but did not have the same impact on me as braiding sweetgrass.. . Maybe because it was more informative and actually want I want is to just read more about Robins amazing life. kind of was more like a collection of essays about moss rather than a book with any through line.
I really liked the chapter "an affinity for water" which was all about how moss adapts to change, I could go back and read that again and again and again.... I'm giving thanks for the wisdom of moss.
I really liked the chapter "an affinity for water" which was all about how moss adapts to change, I could go back and read that again and again and again.... I'm giving thanks for the wisdom of moss.
eyeowna's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.0
This one is hard for me to rate! I loved learning about Kimmerer’s research experiences alongside her indigenous cultural history with nature. For my taste, I might have liked to have learned more deeply about mosses than spent time with Kimmerer’s personal narrative. Or, have more moss info added on to the narratives. That said, I could see that the way she combined science with narrative through metaphor/indigenous teaching was really nice even though I’m not a creative nonfiction-y person. There’s so much here to consider about naming things and/or turning things into an object. What do we remember and care about? What do we flatten or disrupt in nature with our personal desires? One story that will stick in my head was (and I’m summarizing this badly) a rich person who hired Kimmerer to give him advice on saving his moss garden. He had taken (exploded? Torn? Don’t remember) rocks off a cliff face where old mosses had grown very well, but the transplanted mosses started to die on his property. The desire to own and have the aesthetic of moss harmed the very thing the rich man wanted.
Also apparently some people harvest what are essentially old growth, slow-growing mosses for commercial use. Hate it!
There is way more to say and reflect on about this book, but I didn’t retain as much of it as I wanted.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author. Kimmerer is a soothing narrator—I’d listen to this to wind down at night while playing a puzzle game on my phone. But because of that, I feel like I missed out. User error on my part. Might reread and give this 5 stars (although my rating doesn’t really matter). Anyway: lovely, great time, we gotta protect mosses, mosses are the best.
Also apparently some people harvest what are essentially old growth, slow-growing mosses for commercial use. Hate it!
There is way more to say and reflect on about this book, but I didn’t retain as much of it as I wanted.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author. Kimmerer is a soothing narrator—I’d listen to this to wind down at night while playing a puzzle game on my phone. But because of that, I feel like I missed out. User error on my part. Might reread and give this 5 stars (although my rating doesn’t really matter). Anyway: lovely, great time, we gotta protect mosses, mosses are the best.