When I first thought to pose this question, I was thinking about that ethereal, dream-like, almost unachievable love (off the top of my head, Aragorn & Arwen in the books, but even the way it’s depicted in the Peter Jackson movies). However! I want to expand it to just your plain favourite, from any genre.

Dream-like or more grounded, tragic or joyous, fleeting or eternal. I’ll even accept delusional or imagined love, because I secretly love reading about that kind even if it’s not exactly what we think of when we think of love.

Tell me tell me!

I’ve been getting the travel bug lately which is so exciting. What are some underrated places to go that feel cozy/bookish/small towney/other worldly/magical, scenic, beautiful, historic etc. Also, places with amazing bakeries, book shops, flower shops, markets. Tell me your experiences in these places and what made you want to go there ✈️

I’ve noticed that there is a large overlap in people who love tea and love books… so I bring u the question;

What’s ur fav tea to drink while reading?

Mine is Apple tea, but orange pekoe is a close second!!

Sadly and respectfully, I probably won’t be finishing this one for a couple reasons.

1. I’m not the right reader to fully appreciate Kimmerer’s message in its delivered form. Gift economy was something I studied during my undergraduate and found fascinating. It did change my outlook of the world—in the same way I think Kimmerer is attempting to do with this book. So/but…

2. I already agree. I already feel that hope and that wish to appreciate the world, the Earth, the fellow human, for what it is and not what it can provide for me.

3. Because I already agree, I find myself reading this with a system-making mind rather than a meaning-making mind; I find myself nitpicking her optimism and becoming pedantic. (For example, Kimmerer talks of the serviceberries being a gift that required no coercion or labour and, embarrassingly enough, I found myself arguing that Paulie and Ed intentionally planted those trees, specifically because they produced better and more abundant berries than the native species, in land that they have farmed and cultivated for who knows how long).

That’s not the point Kimmerer is trying to make. I don’t think she’s trying to produce airtight anecdotes and make an argument. I think she’s just trying to share knowledge and introduce the idea to others. And it feels cruel to continue reading this when I’m too rigid to receive that message.