averymarie

avery, 20, ENTP || studyblr + bookblr || botany, philosophy, entrepreneurship

[scienceandgrace]

“Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn her seven pillars. She has slaughtered her animals, she has mixed her wine, she has also set her table. She has sent out her servant-girls, she calls from the highest places in the town, ‘You that are simple, turn in here!’ To those without sense she says, ‘Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Lay aside immaturity, and live, and walk in the way of insight.’” - Proverbs 9:1-6 NRSV-CI

[scienceandgrace]

Thinking, reading, and walking through the city with my love this weekend <3

[scienceandgrace]

I’m back!

Hello everyone, I know it’s been a long time. I stopped using this studyblr after my senior year of high school and I am now going into my junior year of university! That being said, I’m looking forward to getting back into reviewing books and sharing interesting pieces from my studies as well as, of course, hearing what all of you are up to. 

I know things are crazy everywhere with COVID-19, but I am trying to make the most of the situation by reviewing my notes from the past two years from major-relevant classes, reading a lot, and blogging here as well as Medium! Nice to see you all again :)

[breadnymph]

some designs of two of my favorite flowers

[saintjoan]

Hey, I just saw that you listed Hemingway's The Garden of Eden as one of your essential summer reads. Could you please recommend me something that is also worth reading and still in this 'sicilian summer' mood?

domnica radulescuI, “train to trieste”: I like to think of myself as a naiad walking dreamily on the burning sands

normandi ellis (trans), "adoration of ra”: they are drunk with sun and singing / this is the terror inherent in love

virginia woolf, “the waves”: oh, this is pain, this is anguish! I faint, I fail. now my body thaws; I am unsealed, I am incandescent.

elin hilderbrand, “summer people”: summer does something to the brain; it’s intoxicating. everything shimmers.

antonia quirke, “the pick of palermo”: you can feel this grief in the churches […] in Palermo they love nothing more than a stricken Jesus.

ariel and chana bloch (trans), “song of songs”: we will laugh, you and I, and count / each kiss, / better than wine.

odysseas elytis, “marina on the rocks”: you have a taste of tempest on your lips / and a dress red as blood / in the gold of summer

hélène cixous, “love of the wolf”: love abjures in order to be adored. it burns in your breast and the world is burned.

any euripides translated by anne carson; “bakkhai”: swoony type, / long hair, bedroom eyes, cheeks like wine + “iphigenia among the taurians”: I shall wash / blood with blood

henry miller, “the colossus of maroussi”: we were in the dead center of that soft silence which absorbs even the breathing of gods

sylvia plath, “the unabridged journals”: read, write, sun, and swim; oh, to live like this.

[scienceandgrace]

i. did. it.

[scienceandgrace]

the.marathon.is.in.less.than.ten.days. 

[scienceandgrace]

Good vs Bad Stress from 80,000 Hours

“Instead of seeking to avoid stress, seek out a supportive context and meaningful work, and then challenge yourself.”

[studylustre]

a collection: 2 tablespoons of nutmeg, a slow but steady recovery, an open jar of honey, an old spider web, a long day’s nap, and a satisfying yawn ig: studylustre

[scienceandgrace]

Half-marathon today!!! It actually went much better than I thought it would and I came in third in my age group!!!

[scienceandgrace]

1 year, 50 books 15/50

We are Never Meeting in Real Life: Essays by Samantha Irby

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I typically don’t read many books like We are Never Meeting in Real Life, but this collection of essays made me laugh, laugh-cry, and also just cry. The book is a whirlwind of humor and storytelling and an intimate look into Samantha Irby’s life. While she and I are extremely different people, I loved reading about her life in capslock and still found many of her insights strikingly relatable. This book is pretty new, published in the summer of 2017. Also--go support a queer author and buy this thing.

272 Pages Rate: 8.5/10

[scienceandgrace]

1 year, 50 books 14/50

Letters to a Young Scientist by Edward O. Wilson

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E. O. Wilson is one of the world’s most accomplished biologists of today. This book is an inspiring, realistic, and valuable read for anybody pursuing (or considering pursuing) science. He has been in the field for decades and has seen how things change in terms of technology and qualifications. This book is at times poetic, at times scientific, and holistically interesting. 

256 Pages

Rate: 8.5/10

[scienceandgrace]

MBTI Book Tag

Tagged by: @tintysun

Thanks for the tag <3

1. First things first, what is your MBTI type? ENTP

2. When did you learn to read? 3 or 4??

3. What languages can you read in? Really just English. French kinda, but it’s a struggle. My Chinese is sadly limited to mainly speaking these days. 

4. What books are you currently reading or most recently read? I am reading a book a week and post a quick review and rate of each one here. Just today I finished Letters to a Young Scientist and have not yet posted about it, though. It was really nice. Besides that, I am reading V is for Vendetta in Philosophy, We Are Never Meeting in Real Life for English, and a bunch of stuff on the back burner. From the library right now I have checked out Dionysus: Myth and Cult;The Birth of Tragedy & The Genealogy of Morals;The Secret Life of Plants; and Memories, Dreams, Reflections.

5. Name 3 books you never finished: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I’ll get around to it one day maybe. Beauty and Being Just by Elaine Scarry. Not a huge fan, though I thought I’d like it. Why the West Rules--For Now. A huge, fantastic, and technical piece of anthropology. I want to finish it one day but damn it’s an investment. Same goes for Infinite Jest, I intend to pick it back up this summer. 

6. What are your favorite books from childhood? Dragon Rider!! Inkheart!!! Harry Potter!!!

7. What are your current favorite books? Probably City of Thieves by David Benioff and The Secret History by Donna Tartt. Love love love both of them so much. Also a fan of Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk and The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. 

Multiple Choice (bold as many as apply to you & add your own choice if you must)

8. Your favorite genres: Mystery/Sci-fi/Chick Lit/Young Adult/Horror/Nonfiction/Memoirs/Dystopias/Poetry/Self-Help/Historical Fiction/Fanfiction/Realistic Fiction/Biographies/Satire-Black Comedy/Philosophy

9. Your opinion on rereading books: I would like to do it more often but I rarely get around to it. Part of me is afraid I’ll ruin the absolute magic I experienced the first time through (if it’s a favorite of mine). 

10. How long does it take you to read one book on average? I read most of my book selections in a week or less, but it depends on the genre. Science fiction and lighter reads only take a day or two, but philosophical texts take me forever. 

11. How do you typically read? Whenever I can--usually in between classes or subjects when studying. If I’m really into a book, I’ll read before bed but I do the bulk of my reading during the day. Sometimes I’ll take a good book to a coffee shop on a day off, too. 

12. How many books do you typically read in a year? None or 1/About 1 to 3/Maybe 4 to 10/At least more than 10/ At least 50/ Too much. I can’t keep track/

13. For school assigned books, what type of student are/were you? I read all the books in detail/I read all but sometimes skimmed/I nearly read all, I may have skipped a few because they were too boring/I only read the interesting ones/There’s a reason why Sparknotes was made!

Tagging: @obviouscaptain @smilestudy @bujo-ie @emmastudies and whoever’s in the mood 

[scienceandgrace]

I was just reflecting about how my major/ career interests have changed so much throughout my high school years and came to a bit of a personal breakthrough. Freshman year, when I was struggling with depression and anxiety, I was obsessed with psychology. I sought knowledge of the control over the mind that I lacked. Sophomore year, I felt rather claustrophobic in my small school in a small town. I became increasingly passionate about astronomy--a world beyond mine. During my junior year I dealt with a lot of emotional turmoil and my interests turned to computer science. The details and precision perfectly contrasted the sea of indiscernible thoughts I seemed to face. 

Now that I have settled into botany, I wonder what it is that led me to it. I believe my interest, in part, stems from practical reasons such as a shorter period between the lab and application, a range from narrow plant biosciences to broad agricultural practices, and wanting to gain a foothold in a relatively undersaturated field. But now, I am sure there are more private, subconscious reasons for it as well. I think I struggle with societal problems, such as institutions and the seemingly indestructible systems in place. 

Science has always meant freedom for me. It has always been personal.

[lullabyforsophie]

I have been studying English for the past weeks and it is much easier than anatomy, but I miss studying medicine so much🌹

[scienceandgrace]

1 year, 50 books 13/50

The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan

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I recommend this book to everyone who knows that science has a soul. The Botany of Desire is a natural history of sorts that looks at the entangled past of plants and humans and how we have shaped each other. The book is divided into four sections, each discussing one plant and one desire. I found the writing style to be beautiful, personal, informative, and entertaining. I must say I hesitate to agree with his final section in full, as he seems to stigmatize the role of science in food. That being said, I enjoyed his analysis of the potato and discussion of how agriculture will change in the years to come. 

240 Pages Rate: 9/10

[scienceandgrace]

Rain or shine :)