Lessons in chemistry - Bonnie Garmus

Although it explores many topics such as science - women in science, religion, gender discrimination, single-parenting or social norms, the novel drew my attention to quirky hobbies and how their intersection can lead to unexpected life paths.

- Rowing: Both Elizabeth and Calvin share a love for rowing, which teaches her persistence, endurance and control. These are skills that help her navigate life's challenges.
- Chemistry: When presented with the opportunity to host a cooking show, Elizabeth has a scientific approach, treating it as chemistry. She uses precise measurements and scientific principles rather than traditional recipes. This turns into an unconventional career as a cooking show host, where she sneaks in chemistry lessons: "Cooking is chemistry. And chemistry is life. Your ability to change everything—including yourself—starts here."
- Turning a TV Cooking Show into a Science Class: Elizabeth turns Supper at Six into a platform to educate women about chemistry and empowerment: "You are not average. None of us are. And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.", "Children, set the table. Your mother needs a moment to herself."
- Dog with a High IQ – Six-Thirty, Elizabeth’s highly intelligent dog, "teaches himself" words and plays an unconventional role in the story.

OTHER QUOTES:

"Madeline was that kind of child - the kind who could hum a Bach concerto but couldn't tie her own shoes; who could explain the earth's rotation but stumbled at tic-tac-toe. And that was the problem. Because while musical prodigies are always celebrated, early readers aren't. And that's because early readers are only good at something others will eventually be good at, too. So being first isn't special - it's just annoying."

"Calvin was a brilliant man, but if he had one flaw, it was his ability to hold a grudge.
On top of the grudge holding, he had a reputation for impatience. Like so many brilliant people, Calvin just couldn't understand how no one else got it. He was also an introvert, which isn't really a flaw but often manifests itself as standoffishness. Worst of all, he was a rower."

"But that was before Elizabeth - before he realized that making her happy made him happy. Which, he thought, as he grabbed his tennis shoes, had to be the very definition of love. To actually want to change for someone else. "

"Idiots make it into every company. They tend to interview well."

"Like most stupid people, Mr. Sloane wasn't smart enough to know just how stupid he was."

"Having a baby, Elizabeth realized, was a little like living with a visitor from a distant planet. there was a certain amount of give and take as the visitor learned your ways and you learned theirs, but gradually their ways faded and your ways stuck. Which she found regrettable. Because unlike adults, her visitor never tired of even the smallest discovery; always saw the magic in the ordinary."

"Walter Pine had been in television from almost the very beginning. He liked the idea of television - the way it promised people an escape from daily life. That's why he'd chosen it - because who didn't want to escape? He did.
But as the years wore on, he began to feel like he was a prisoner permanently assigned to digging the escape tunnel. At the end of the day, as the other prisoners scrambled over him to freedom, he stayed behind with a spoon."

"It was that last word that cemented their odd, tell-all friendship, the kind that only arises when a wronged person meets someone who has been similarly wronged and discovers that while it may be the only thing they share, it is more than enough."

"Families require constant maintenance."