#242

We’re forest girls! Raeleen has just returned from camping and Ariel is buying forest books in the big city.
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Timestamps:
00:00 - The Forest Episode?
05:11 - Breakfast In London
07:38 - Rae’s Camping Adventure
21:43 - Book Haul!
37:24 - What We Finished!
51:03 - The Mail Room

[@noraalbuhsain9766]

Raeleen! As a fellow lichen lover I wanted to tell you that lichen isn’t just one plant! It’s actually a symbiotic relationship between algae and fungus cells. The algae provides photosynthetic properties for food and the fungi provide minerals and protection from drying out. It’s almost like moss that doesn’t need water!

[@BooksUnbound]

it's a beautiful thing!! I have so much to learn! -Raeleen

[@abigailmitchell5175]

Raeleen, it sounds like you need to read Gathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer!

[@hannahstephings4355]

Yesss, it's so beautiful and awe-inspiring!

[@aksez2u]

"Was there an American on a boat?!?" 🤣

[@lilyarnaout7369]

Actually the British system for numbering floors makes perfect sense to me. Floor zero is really ground floor, cannot be considered first floor because you don’t take any stairs to reach it. First floor should be the first floor up from ground floor.

[@SReads-dh4rr]

We do also refer to it as "floors" but to understand the term think of it in "storey" (altho idk how to spell it haha). You've got ground floor, and then the first storey, 2nd story, 3rd story etc. Abroad the first floor being called the 2nd floor weirds me out 😂

[@ochoheido]

OMG! The Back to the Future music during the Claire Keegan book talk was HILARIOUS. Thank you, CJ, you imp.

[@KitKatSam27]

I just got past this part and I LOLed 😂

[@CJBissett]

Hahaha. 🫡

[@ordowai]

it scared THE SHIT out of me😆

[@irhonda31]

I love that quote, “I’m an indoor cat who likes to go outside sometimes.” Me, too!!😸 😊

[@marthacampbell6188]

Literally just went eeeeeeee out loud when I realised you were reading my comment and rushed through to get my partner to come and watch with me lol 🤸‍♀ hope you like it x

[@maybe8029]

i’ve participated in a forest bathing event before! i worked for a city’s parks and we had a weekly forest bathing group that would walk through a local wooded park and focus on the environment. it was specifically meant to be for a local religious community that had been targeted by a shooting a few years ago, as a way to work through grief and just connect with each other, but was also open to anyone who wanted to come along. it was really calming and nice

[@MJ-in-Canada]

Ariel, you’ll be likin’ this lichen news. Common witch’s-hair lichen (Alectoria sarmentosa) grows in Nova Scotia!😃

[@giuliab21]

I love Raeleen and the forest enthusiasm, I understand it deeply 😎

[@jess1753]

I have literally paused and changed platforms just so I could comment and say congrats to CJ for the "Back to the Future" reference. That was brilliant!! 😂👏🤣👏

[@madisonheise]

Excited to hear Ariel’s thoughts on migrations whenever you get to it! It’s one of my favorite books

[@ochoheido]

You talking about floor numbering reminded me of how we track our age. In the US, after I have already been alive for a year, I am one year old. Like, right now, I'm 36, but technically in my 37th year of life, right? So my first year was "year 0", when I was not yet 1, I was 0 years old, or however months I had passed at the time. I know in Greece, they track age differently. In English I say "I am 36 years old." It's something I've logged, lived. But in Greek the literal translation when talking about age is "I am in my 37th year." So they track it as they go. And so the numbers don't quite match up. I had been thinking about it because I wanted to start labeling my diary by year and I had kind of an existential crisis on deciding whether my current diary should be "Year 36" or "Year 37". I decided on Year 36 because of how I've been taught to track my age. Which means, if I had written a diary between my birth and first birthday, it would be the Year 0 diary. 😂 Like the Floor 0 of the UK. Fascinating.

[@susannechinn647]

In Australia, the first floor when enter a building is called ‘Ground’ floor, then First floor, etc.

[@harryathornton4463]

Just came from the Spotify episode to say - Ariel, I really recommend reading Keegan’s book “Foster”. It is by far my favourite book of hers!

[@Anna-ew4bp]

As someone who grew up in the middle of a forest, I loved hearing about Raeleen's adventures! We used to take the lichen you mentioned on our upper lip and pretend we were old men, cause in norwegian it's called "beard lichen"!

[@theautumnreader327]

Shava + Asana. 'Shava' means dead body in Sanskrit. 'Asana' of course means pose. You basically lie there, your eyes closed, legs straight, feet touching (joined), arms by your side and try to even out your breathing. It's a rest pose, hence it's done after a complete session.

[@mikayla5949]

Migrations is one of my all time favorite books!! Hope you love it too 😊

[@ricardaseven6083]

awww this makes me want to revisit the moomins! i used to listen to the audio stories when i was sick as a kid and they always made me feel so warm and safe!

[@leamariek.5172]

Forests have such a strong calming effect: Data has shown that people have a lower heart rate in the woods compared to urban areas 🌲

[@BettyAndersson]

This episode was so cozy! I love Ariel's Mooning adventures and also, Raeleen, you look absolutely radiant this episode! 🌞

[@meganellis5220]

Ariel, I loved the Moomin books growing up so I'm so glad you loved it!! Just thought I'd mention that the author's name is actually pronounced toh-vuh yan-son ❤

[@juananjones]

43:50 in case you're still curious about Claire Keegan writing, 'Foster' it's an incredible short story.

[@covergirlbooks]

Totally! I think this is a better starting point for her writing.

[@michaelabrant4564]

I second this!!! And the film 'The Quiet Girl' is adapted from this story-such a beautiful film.

[@Maxwellhyde14]

Watching this while my audio engineer/musician boyfriend plays Pokémon next to me, and when Raeleen said she wanted to make EDM he immediately went “hell yeah!” Also, had to giggle a little bit at Ariel saying the Claire Keegan book would have to be the one she cuts from the suitcase, cause it would make such little difference, literally hehe!!! But she is a book packing queen! (Small Things Like These was amazing! Would def recommend:) Really loved this episode!!

[@CarinaZacharias]

Ariel, I am so excited for you to discover the Moomins! Tove Jansson is one of my favorite writers of all time. You'll notice that the Moomin books are not only cute - they become more and more deep, wise, mysterious and ominous as the series goes on. My favorite Moomin book is "Moominpappa at sea", but my favorite book by Tove Jansson in general is "The Summerbook". I think you would love that one, too. Actually, I have a gut feeling that it could become a real favorite of yours. :) PS: I am in London in June and the Moomin shop is one of the main "sites" I want to visit! :D

[@Hillary429]

I read small things like these because I heard it is being adapted into a film starring Cillian Murphy. Really perfect short book, the wintery Christmas atmosphere is painted so beautifully and the blurb on the cover describes it perfectly “Every word is the right word in the right place, and the effect is resonant and deeply moving."-Hilary Mantel

[@sarahfolger5232]

I loved the back to the future nod. 😂

[@covergirlbooks]

43:57 The lil sting 😂

[@breanne22]

Ariel, if you ever make it to Chicago, the architectural tour is fantastic. It’s done by boat and that was one of the most fun tours I’ve ever been on! (also the only architectural tour I’ve done, so I understand the passion!)

[@strixalucobooks1536]

Ariel! You have to read The Summer Book by Tove Jansson!! I really think you will love it! It’s about a kid and her grandmother vibing at the Finnish archipelago during a summer. It’s a perfect summer book

[@AllieDurr]

Ohmygosh I feel the need to recommend some further reading on the forest vibes front: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, The Nature Fix by Florence Williams, and Rooted by Lyanda Lynn Haupt are all excellent nonfiction books about connecting with nature. ALSO I LOVE Charlotte McConaghy's book Migrations! And think her other book Once There Were Wolves also fits this forest vibes! Happy Reading!!

[@MsTinaBinaBallerina]

One of my favorite moss books is The Signature of All Things. It’s about quite a few things but the main character essentially spends her whole life studying moss. Also might be one of my favorite books ever, I really loved it

[@peculiaritea]

Super second this ❤

[@hannahstephings4355]

On more nature books, my favourites are 'Losing Eden: Why Our Minds Need The Wild' by Lucy Jones, which is non-fiction exploring the psychological impact of nature and way more hopeful than the title sugests, and also Amy Liptrot's 'The Outrun' which is a memoir about nature, wild swimming and recovery from addiction, which has 'Wild' vibes!!

[@melissalincourt7261]

Ariel, if I’m not mistaking, I’m pretty sure the Moomins are either piblished or distributed by Drawn & Quarterly in north American Canada’s (Montreal)

[@rayk01]

33:17 It is ground floor! Like Raeleen said, it is -1 floor for one level down from ground floor so it wouldn't make sense to jump from -1 to 1 then 1 to 2!

[@kavyaprahlad]

Starting with floor 1 is so stupid 😂.. you start with ground floor.. which is 0.. you climb up to the 1st floor.. makes perfect sense

[@my_cha]

When i heard you guys talk about the book Headshot, it reminded me of a documentary I saw, which I would like to recommend you guys! It's called "The Witches of the Orient" and it's about a female volleyball team from Japan who won the 1964 olympics and had a 258 winning streak. I absolutely loved this documentary, and i believe you will love it as well. I think it's on CBC Gem, so it should be free when you login (for canadians ofc), and i know it's also on Kanopy which is available through libraries

[@cruelaz]

"small things like these" is a book that def made me feel things especially anger 😂 I dont think I need or want a physical copy in my flat. I still recommend it as I keep having discussions about this book it def left an impression. Also its not only a break up but an engagement.

[@athenarozis8569]

Ariel! I did the architecture tour of the Barbican when I was there in 2019. And I loved it! My favourite part was at the very end where they take you into like this behind the scenes plumbing or electricity room and show you slabs on the wall of the different materials they used to build it. I think there was even some that they rejected for various reasons. It was super cool!

[@chooseyourthoughts7692]

😊❤happy Monday! 😊

[@nstalgiaultra]

yay my favorite podcast ❤

[@ilustrhada]

yesss ideed :^D

[@erintrolley3074]

Listening to the pod while I garden today, which is the best. No lichen tho

[@oceanrains4775]

To kinda explain how lichen and moss can grow from nothing, they’re known as pioneer species which means when an ecosystem is barren and there’s basically no life in an area, lichen and moss are able to settle there first and break down the rock and turn it into soil which then creates areas for actual plants to grow which then attracts smaller mammals and insects which THEN attracts bigger organisms creating an ecosystem from scratch! I’m not an expert tho lol it’s just a cool thing I learned from school and a lichen and moss lover.

[@salomebirhanu6341]

read this book this week called whispers of the deep and it's a mermaid romance! I remember that Ariel's trying to read mermaid books and I recommend this one

[@sassiqueen1200]

re floors in uk: we refer to it as the ground floor not 0 floor (even though some signs will say 0) so it makes perfect sense hehe

[@TheYellowcrush]

Raeleen, what is the pattern for your knit bandana/head scarf in your forest photos? It's so cute!

[@goofygoober1532]

Ariel I need your help! I'm almost sure there was an episode of the podcast where you do a reading of The Orange by Wendy Cope. After hearing the poem for the first time I knew that I wanted a little orange tattoo and I would love to relisten to you read it. I'll relisten to all the episodes if that's what it takes! I kind of tried to find a shortcut by looking on the booksunbound Instagram but so far I've not found it. I'm starting to question whether I imagined it or that perhaps, it wasn't on the podcast where I heard you reading it. Any help would be greatly appreciated but if you can't remember or find it I understand! I love you and your podcast with Raeleen. I'm glad I exist. 🍊 ❤

[@debs_SoggyBottom]

In the UK, the level one walks into any building is the ground floor because you are standing on the ground. If there are lower floors, ie underground level, then these are called the basement if there is just one lower floor, rarely more than one, basements are not usual in most places. Most of our shops, have ground floor only, bigger shops that we call stores have ground and first, and the really big stores, found in major towns/cities like London, can have a second floor, rarely third floors. We just don't have the space for such large buildings. Hope that helps explain our system. xx

[@knitnkitten]

Gotta read John Wyndham's The Trouble with Lichen

[@nannybells]

where i live we call it the ground floor and then go up to 1st floor lol

[@Talesinmaking]

Ariel you can also get hardbacks of the Moomin Comic Strip! Since you're a graphic novel fan that might be something you'd also enjoy! I loved the Moomin TV series as a child but never read the books and when I was in my teens I got a Moomin and Snorkmaiden tattoo on my calf because I knew it was something I'd always love. Then I started reading the Moomin books in my twenties and fell in love even more. I also have a little handmade crochet moomin on my desk that I made myself!! Literally the cutest thing to be obsessed over!!!

[@alisonann358]

I'm new to the pod so maybe you guys have already heard of this title, but if you love moss the absolute best book is "Gathering Moss" by Robin Wall Kimerer (also the author of Braiding Sweetgrass). It's one of my all time favorite books, it's all things moss with tidbits of indigenous culture written in the most gorgeous prose.

[@zelialatisane1957]

Love Ariel's nails 🥰 Made me want to have spring nails too 🌼

[@littlegiraffe8]

Ariel, how do you cope with traveling and leaving your pets behind? I am in pain because I am about to travel for 3 weeks and I had to drop my babies off at my parents 😭

[@shaniadanieluk3010]

I appreciate that the couple of times I've gotten a mention on the pod you always pronounce my name correctly lol people always get it wrong until I tell them "yes like Shania Twain"

[@shaniadanieluk3010]

also just to add onto my book loyalty card thing, I do have exceptions. So cheap books I buy from a sale or a op-shop I don't count (basically if its under $7) and expensive specialty books I won't count because I'm usually buying them as a little treat to myself for a job well done on life haha

[@Moomrin]

Raeleen! Have you heard of Laid-Back Camp? It’s an anime and manga series about a group of high school girls who form a camping club and go camping on the off seasons. It’s really cute and the anime gives actual camping advice! Also, I’m wearing a Moomin shirt as I type this! And, no. My username has nothing to do with the Moomins, I just love cows! 😂💖🐮

[@vb.the.b]

ariel: people dunk on british food for no reason *proceeds to describe the grossest food ever*

[@lilac_cardcaptor]

Ariel: Hauls a Moomin book. Me: Starts fist-pumping in the middle of the street. I just recently got into the Moomins myself, thanks in part to you two discussing Tove Jansson and The True Deceiver. I've yet to find a copy of that book, but I did get two Moomin books and Fair Play, which was excellent! If neither of you has looked into that one, I highly recommend: it's written as vignettes and focuses on the beautiful and often-mundane moments that make up a creative life.

[@skylerjumper]

RAELEEN--i have two nature-y book recs for you!!! one, because you said you wanted to learn more about moss, is called Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses by Robin Wall Kimmerer. i read this last spring and it's nice and short, just a little natural history essay collection. and the second one is called Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake, and it's all about MUSHROOMS! and also lichen though so RAE PLEASE CHECK THEM OUT ILY

[@beccae6035]

I went to uni in London and my graduation was at the barbican 😊

[@sallys.2707]

I don't know if it,'s the same in England, but in France ground floor being floor zero make perfect sense. It's "rez-de-chaussée", you're at the same level as the street, not going up nor down. So floor zero.

[@heyheykimbee]

Ariel, I'm not sure if you're aware since you haven't mentioned it - did you know there's a new book out called Julia by Sandra Newman, and that it's a 1984 retelling from Julia's perspective? Not sure if that would interest you but I picked up a copy recently and can't wait to read it (after mashed potato May is over).

[@huda9445]

Raileen you might enjoy Laid back camp anime, about girls who love to camp especially in winter and friendship and delicious food

[@ochoheido]

Those Enchanted Wood photos are so amazing!!!

[@georgiaholland3912]

I live in England but visited Vancouver Island last year and it genuinely is so breathtaking in B.C! Hope to visit again some day :) I also agree that it seems silly that you go up to the first floor, but rather than 'floor zero' we call it the ground floor, which I think has a bit more logic to it. Thanks for another great episode guys!

[@ana-morgana]

Raeleen, have you read Trouble with Lichen by John Wyndham? I think you mentioned liking some of his other books

[@catreadsabunch]

I'm sorry I'm freaking out Migrations by Charlotte McConaughy is my favorite book. & This is so amazing I could cry. I can't wait for you to read it!!

[@arobinreads]

❤❤❤

[@sassiqueen1200]

i could've sworn ariel and raeleen spoke about migrations by charlotte mccaughey a few year ago because i bought it as they'd mentioned it several times over a few episodes?? lol am i misremembering. also LOVE THE BOOK SO MUCH!

[@eltsimpidi]

I'm greek and we count floors the "english" way, I'm not sure what the reasoning for england is but for me it makes sense because the word we use in greece for building floors/stories refers to the space between two roofs (όροφος) so it only makes sense to use it from the point where the floor is also a roof! (basements are not that common here) also when there's a single floor building (so only a ground floor) we don't say we're on the first floor or anything so why call it that at all? calling ground floors simply ground floors sounds less confusing to me hahah

[@makemyday8197]

First of all, GENIOUS titling of this episode! :D:D second of all, Ariel, may I make your floors discussion even more controversial?! In some parts of Spain and some of its older buildings -also in other Spanish speaking countries- there is ANOTHER unnumbered floor between ground floor and first floor which is called "entresuelo" or sometimes "mezzanina" where the communal boilers used to be or sometimes a janitor used to live... and there's even one more floor called "principal" before arriving finally to floor one. I know, madness! :) I thought you should know! Btw, I think ground floor is easier to understand using the analogy of the Moomin series... is it safe to say that the book you read seems to be a ground floor type of book? hahaha :D

[@firstborn-unicorn]

My Sim moonbathes....I'm going to try it 😂

[@lizapixie626]

Ariel, my partner recently watched one of your house videos with me because I wanted him to see your coffee set up! I wanted to let you know that he called you an “NPR lady” and I still don’t quite know what he means but I thought you might get a kick out of it.

[@mrscuteas]

😂 It’s not called floor zero, it’s called the ground floor and then the next floor up is called the first floor, Canada just lost its colonial roots. If you travel to Australia or New Zealand you would see it’s the same here, ground floor and then first floor.

[@pixiehollow36]

Totally off-topic but does anyone have any recommendations for books set in Paris? Literally could be about anything as long as its fiction

[@haley.canter]

DJ Raeleen 🎧💻

[@juananjones]

33:21 it's called ground floor. Planta baja in Spain. I've never encounter your system, so it's just a Canadian thing??

[@cookiejar.mp3]

We also have that system in Latin America! Ground floor is just the first floor 😭

[@juananjones]

@@cookiejar.mp3 🤯

[@amandaelizabeth21]

I think it's an Americas thing. Both the US and Canada operate this way and seems like other Latin and South Americans are saying the same.

[@sherrirabinowitz4618]

I had a camping experience that was fun, but I am not a camping girl.

[@lynncornelissen]

Based on Ariel’s haul behaviour, we could say: one book a day, keeps the doctor away!

[@rosie4971]

I’m here for the alphabet game and Moomin representation

[@not_from_asia]

Hairs are hairing!

[@collectingscars]

Migrations is a great audiobook as well! The voice actor is fantastic. I'm sorry to say, though, I'm not sure it is a "relaxing" book 😬