The Mushroom Hunters
In honor of his birthday this week, someone shared Neil Gaiman's poem "The Mushroom Hunters" on Twitter. I happened to stumble across it and I'm really glad I did!
It's a short and sweet poem depicting early women as the first scientists as the exercise their critical thinking skills to keep themselves and their children alive. I think it's also a reminder that most of us have our mothers to thank for the majority of our fundamental knowledge of how the world works. If you got a free minute or two, check it out.
And while we're on the topic of Neil Gaiman, I'm going to fangirl for just a second.
Thanks to my local public library, I have access to tons of e-books and audiobooks on the Overdrive app. I'm slowly working my way through Neil Gaiman's anthology. I've read American Gods, Good Omens, Stardust, and Nevermore. I'm part of the way through The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction and I've got Norse Mythology on hold.
For the most part, I've been listening to the audiobooks. I really like that Neil reads some of his books and even does the voices. It feels like I get to hear the characters as he intended them to be heard. And I feel a bit like a kid listening to a bedtime story, which is kind of nice.
I also really enjoy the perspective (or perhaps more accurately, perspectives) on London included in his books. As someone who is currently in a bit of a love-hate relationship with the city, it's refreshing to read about characters who are similarly frustrated and enthralled with their surroundings. I often feel really disappointed that I'm not more excited about living in London and then I read a Neil Gaiman novel and I start to think that being ambivalent to (or even annoyed by) the city just means I'm truly becoming a Londoner. Then again, maybe I'm interpreting that the wrong way...
It's a short and sweet poem depicting early women as the first scientists as the exercise their critical thinking skills to keep themselves and their children alive. I think it's also a reminder that most of us have our mothers to thank for the majority of our fundamental knowledge of how the world works. If you got a free minute or two, check it out.
And while we're on the topic of Neil Gaiman, I'm going to fangirl for just a second.
Thanks to my local public library, I have access to tons of e-books and audiobooks on the Overdrive app. I'm slowly working my way through Neil Gaiman's anthology. I've read American Gods, Good Omens, Stardust, and Nevermore. I'm part of the way through The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction and I've got Norse Mythology on hold.
For the most part, I've been listening to the audiobooks. I really like that Neil reads some of his books and even does the voices. It feels like I get to hear the characters as he intended them to be heard. And I feel a bit like a kid listening to a bedtime story, which is kind of nice.
I also really enjoy the perspective (or perhaps more accurately, perspectives) on London included in his books. As someone who is currently in a bit of a love-hate relationship with the city, it's refreshing to read about characters who are similarly frustrated and enthralled with their surroundings. I often feel really disappointed that I'm not more excited about living in London and then I read a Neil Gaiman novel and I start to think that being ambivalent to (or even annoyed by) the city just means I'm truly becoming a Londoner. Then again, maybe I'm interpreting that the wrong way...
