Marcia

“Children were an act of optimism—sheer belief that the future will outshine the present.”
― Samantha Silva, Mr. Dickens and His Carol

“Nobody can be too careful about their habits of speech.”
― T.H. White, The Once and Future King

“Interestingly, it’s possible that practices related to the observance of Passover helped to protect Jewish neighborhoods from the plague. Passover is a week-long holiday commemorating Jews’ escape from slavery in Egypt. As part of its observance, Jews do not eat leavened bread and remove all traces of it from their homes. In many parts of the world, especially Europe, wheat, grain, and even legumes are also forbidden during Passover. Dr. Martin J. Blaser, a professor of internal medicine at New York University Medical Center, thinks this “spring cleaning” of grain stores may have helped to protect Jews from the plague, by decreasing their exposure to rats hunting for food—rats that carried the plague.”
― Sharon Moalem, Survival of the Sickest: A Medical Maverick Discovers Why We Need Disease

“Ginger was an understatement, Morrigan thought, trying to hide her astonishment as the hat came off. Ginger of the Year or King Ginger or Big Gingery President of the Ginger Foundation for the Incurably Ginger would have been more accurate. His mane of bright copper waves could probably have won awards.”
― Jessica Townsend, Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow