Diary of a Word Nerd

How to Buy Books on a Budget

Posted on May 11, 2018 by Julia Tomiak / 1 Comment

Please welcome my guest, Carol Cooney. She’s got some great advice on finding affordable books!

Hello to Followers of the Word Nerd!

Julia was kind and asked me to let you know some of the ways I save on buying books. I have a blog at www.cecooney.com where I review books.

Because I read a lot, I am always looking for ways to buy books at a reduced rate. I have gotten much better about going to the library. (My husband thanks me…) But sometimes when I come across a deal on a book, I take advantage of it.

I am not talking about the regular discounts on books that you can get from buying from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Usually the books I find are $5 or less.

There is one important thing to note about most of my discount book ideas. Most of the deals that I find are for eBooks. Also, if you are searching for a particular book, you may not be satisfied with the discount book sites. If you are a true bargain shopper and are patient, you will eventually find the book that you desire. I use these sites more to see what is available than look for a certain book.

There are several sources for discount books. There are stores and on-line locations. First, let’s look at the stores.

In-Person Shopping

Public Library Book Sales – Most public libraries will accept donations and then hold sales to make money. I know that my local library has books for sale in the lobby all the time and they also will hold larger sale days.

Second Hand Book Stores – It seems to me that there are more used book stores than there used to be. One of the big chain stores for this is Half Price Books. Most of these stores will also let you sell your old books. Don’t expect to get much money for your books.

Garage/Thrift Sales – Always lots of books to be found. Goodwill stores or other charity gift stores always have a selection of books. The Goodwill store that I have been to sells hardbacks for $1.99.

On-Line Book Stores

Amazon – Amazon has expanded its discount book sections over the years. There are two sections- one for physical books and one for eBooks.

If you go to the site and look under the “Books” department, there is section under “Popular in Books” for Bargain books.

If you are interested in eBooks, in the Kindle eBook department, under the “Popular in Kindle” heading, there is ‘Kindle Book Deals”. When you are on the Kindle Book Deals” page, there is a list of the different kinds of deals. Under that listing, you can sign up to receive daily email notices of eBooks that are on sale.

Note: You can read Kindle books using a free Kindle reading app on any device.

Note: If you own a Kindle and are an Amazon Prime member, you will get an email at the beginning of every month. The email will have a list of 4 or 5 books and you can pick one book from the list and receive that book free. I know it sounds crazy but I bought one of the lower tech Kindles because I could then get the free books. Over time, you save money.

Barnes and Noble – They also have a discount section on their site. For physical books, if you look at the list of choices across the top of the site, you will see “Sale” in red. Click on that, and it will take you to their selection of sale items. Books have a section under the sale items. (The stores also have a discount section.)

If you are interested in Barnes and Nobel eBooks (for the Nook), if you go to the Nook Books section, they have a Special Values section on the site.

Booksamillion – This is an online and a “brick and mortar” bookseller. There are locations throughout the US. They have an online discount section and a discount section in the stores.

Alibris – This site sells used books. The advantage is that you can look for a particular book on this site. So, when I am not having much luck finding my book club selection for the month, I can go there and usually find it. This site is an aggregator. You are not buying from Albris, you are buying from some location that has the book for sale. When you put in the title you are looking for, you are given a list of the sellers that have the book for sale, the price, the condition of the book, and the seller’s rating. You will pay $3.99 to ship each book you buy. If you sign up to be on their email list, you will frequently get discount coupons. (I have never bought enough books from them to be able to use a coupon.)

Email Notices

There are a number of email subscriptions that you can sign up for and receive daily emails of sale books. These specials are usually one day specials so you need to pick them up when you see them. I think sometimes they may last longer than a day but not always.

Also, depending on the book, it may be available from several eBook sellers. You may be able to find it on Kindle, Nook, or Kobo depending upon the book.

Rebecca@Riffle – If you join Riffle, you will receive a daily email with eBook specials. Riffle is a site like GoodReads that lets you keep track of books you have read. There are also articles about books. I get the emails but do not regularly go to the site. (Okay, it looks like I never go there – according to the site, I have read 2 books.)

BookBub – This site sends out a daily email with different book specials. They only list eBook specials.

eBook Soda – Sign up at this site and you will receive an email with book specials (“tailored to your taste”) daily. I think I must have fallen off this list as I have not seen an email from them in ages.

The Fussy Librarian – I just heard about this site and I signed up. This site also emails you reduced price books based on your interest and content preferences. I have yet to buy a book that they suggest but you never know. They also have a daily email with free books. You can sign up for both on the site.

NOTE: With these daily emails, you will see LOTS of books that you are not interested in buying. BUT then sometimes you will find the jewel in with the colored stones. Be prepared to wade through many emails before you see a book you might like to buy.

Book Recommendation Sites

There are a couple of sites that will send you recommendations based on your preferences.

Off The Shelf – This site was created by readers to give recommendations to each other. You can join and get weekly or daily book suggestions.

New in Books – This site sends out an email every Tuesday to alert you to new books coming out that day in genres that interest you. There are also articles with book recommendations.

Have fun bargain hunting!

Thanks to Julia for letting me invade her site and share these resources with you.

Carol

Improving vocabulary/Who I Am

What’s the Deal with the Mortar Board?

Posted on May 4, 2018 by Julia Tomiak / 1 Comment

My son pulled his wrinkled graduation gown out of its packaging and asked, “Why do I have to wear a dress?” Good question. And while we are at it, why do graduates have to wear a square shaped hat called a mortar board that does not look attractive at any angle, nor does it stay on, despite the use of several bobby pins? And what’s up with Pomp and Circumstance, the march played at nearly every graduation ceremony?

The Gown

Turns out the “dress”, or rather the graduation gown, has history dating back to the 12th and 13th centuries. Back in the Medieval Period, students and teachers wore clerical clothing (clothing worn by church officials) because the church had great influence over academics, and many teachers were priests, monks, or clerics. The “academic regalia”, like the clothing of church officials, distinguished scholars from laypeople. It is also believed that academics wore long robes with hoods to keep warm in the unheated buildings where they studied.

Scholars wore robes all the time, and Oxford and Cambridge were the first schools to require special graduation attire. In the 14th century, these British schools forbade “excessive apparel” at institutions of learning and required long gowns during ceremonies to promote unity among academics. By the 1800s, different colored robes were introduced to signify different areas of study.

The European style of academic regalia came to America with the colonists. After the Civil War, American students wore caps and gowns only at graduation ceremonies to symbolize recognition and achievement. Until the 1950s, robes were usually gray, but during the 50s, students adopted different colors to represent their schools or areas of study. In modern times, high school robes are usually school colors, while bachelor and master degree graduates wear black robes, and doctoral graduates wear a colored robe representing their field of study. Administrators, officials, and professors often wear a robe slightly different in style from the robes students wear.

The Mortar Board

The history of the mortar board, a skull cap with a large square board on top that looks like the board masons use to hold plaster, is also intimately tied to the church. The shape of the cap has changed since the Medieval Period, based on changes to hat styles worn by priests and clerics. The odd shaped cap has shown both the association of academics to the church, and, in later years, the separation of academics from religion.

Historians believe the square shaped hat was adopted for academic regalia for one of several reasons: the square shape symbolizes a book; the square shape symbolizes a quad at Oxford; the shape represents the board of a master workman. The tassels are worn on the cap as a sign of distinction, and although there are no official rules on where the tassel should be worn, most schools hold to the tradition of degree candidates starting the ceremony with the tassel on their right and flipping it over to the left during commencement.

After participating in many graduations, I can tell you that darn cap shifts around like a skate board and the tassel never stays put. To my son and graduates everywhere I say, do the best you can, at least you don’t have to wear it that often.

Pomp and Circumstance

Besides the classic cap and gown, graduation ceremonies are almost always characterized by Pomp and Circumstance, a somber march composed by the British musician Sir Edward Elgar in 1901. His march, named after a line from Shakespeare’s play Othello (“Pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war!”) wasn’t originally used for graduation ceremonies but rather for the coronation of King Edward VII.

Pomp and Circumstance became associated with graduations in 1905 when it was played as Elger received an honorary doctorate from Yale University. After that, prestigious schools like Princeton, Columbia, and the University of Chicago started using it during graduation ceremonies, and other schools follow suit. The term Pomp and Circumstance has come to mean “splendid celebration with ceremony and fuss”.

Fuss indeed. There are senior pictures and cap and gown pictures and wear the t-shirt for the college you will be attending pictures. There are announcements and parties and, as I realized when I walked into Walmart yesterday, cakes. (Yikes! Do I need to order one?) There are Baccalaureate Services, awards assemblies and the big one: graduation itself. And this sentimental mother could cry when she thinks of the momentous shift about to occur in her child’s life, but for now, I’m holding strong, proud of the accomplishments achieved and excited for opportunities ahead. The goal is to launch, and the “dress”, cap, and “Pomp”, all remind me- we have reached the goal.

The tears will come when I have to hug my son, say goodbye, and turn and walk out of a dorm room. But until then, I’ll focus on the happy.

Congratulations to graduates of every school and subject this May.

Sources:

Academic Regalia Tams and Caps
Graduation Cap and Gown History
Graduation Rites Have Ancient History
MIT: Regalia History
Time History

What are your thoughts on “the dress” and mortar board?

Thanks for getting nerdy with me!

Appreciating Poetry

A Poem for Your Pocket 2018

Posted on April 26, 2018 by Julia Tomiak / 4 Comments

We need to read more poetry. The collections of words and rhythms that we call poems force us to appreciate beauty, to stop and think. Here’s what the current U.S. poet laureate, Tracy K. Smith, says on the matter:

Poetry surprises and deepens our sense of the ordinary. Poetry tells us that the world is full of wonder, revelation, consolation, and meaning.

I agree! Today, April 26, 2018, is Poem in Your Pocket Day, and I’ve got a short poem to deepen your sense of the ordinary. Please read it, enjoy it, ponder its meaning, and pass it along to someone else.

The Balloon of the Mind by W.B. Yeats

Hands, do what you’re bid:

Bring the balloon of the mind

That bellies and drags in the wind

Into its narrow shed.

Poem in Your Pocket Day is part of the National Poetry Month activities sponsored by The American Academy of Poets. Every April, The Academy encourages parents, teachers, and librarians to engage in poetic pursuits. You can find more poems, including a downloadable PDF of short poems, at poets.org. Leave a few poems around your home or work place, put them in notes in your kids’ lunchboxes, or write them in chalk on the sidewalk. Whatever it takes to bring more poetry into the world!

I chose “Balloon of the Mind” because it is short and captures how I often feel, that my mind is a wondering thing that I must learn to contain. What do you think of the poem?

Thanks for getting nerdy with me!

Book reviews

Why I Loved “Born a Crime”

Posted on April 20, 2018 by Julia Tomiak / 2 Comments

When I saw Trevor Noah, host of “The Daily Show”, do a comedy bit about President Trump, I loved his humor, but I couldn’t figure out his accent. Turns out Noah is a native of South Africa and the author of a memoir, Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. During Apartheid in South Africa, it was illegal for whites and non-whites to intermingle. Since Noah was born to a black mother and a white father, he was literally born a crime, and this status had a profound affect on his early life.

Premise

Born a Crime, narrated by Noah himself for Audible, is a funny, poignant, and informative description of Noah’s childhood during the end and aftermath of Apartheid. I listened to it shortly after watching Invictus, the story of how Nelson Mandela tried to unite his fractured country behind the South African rugby team. Since I didn’t know much about South Africa or Apartheid, Invictus raised many questions. Born A Crime answered a lot of them.

What I liked

Noah is an excellent story teller, and hearing him talk about his childhood in his accented voice added authenticity I would have missed if I read the print version. He is fluent in many languages, and throughout the book he includes snippets of those languages. Hearing him speak them brought me closer to the culturally diverse world in South Africa. If I were reading the book, I probably would have skimmed over the foreign phrases.

Noah tackles tough subjects in his memoir: prejudice, poverty, and abuse, but he balances the dark topics with humor, keeping the book from becoming too depressing. I loved hearing about his relationship with his mother, a fascinating woman of great strength and religious conviction, and how that evolved as he grew up.

He does an excellent job of explaining the culture of South Africa. His tells the history of the different tribal groups in South Africa, and why there was so much violence after Mandela became president. He describes the conflicts between the different races of people- whites, blacks, and coloreds- and why he had a hard time fitting in with any one of those groups. He tells how South African people name their children and how he and his friend Hitler, an excellent dancer, unwittingly caused outrage during a cultural presentation at a Jewish school.

What I didn’t like

Very little. At times, Noah relies on cliché too much to describe the events in his life, and his reactions to them, but this is a picky criticism.

Recommendation

Born a Crime is a great listen if you want to learn more about the culture of South Africa, or if you just want to be entertained. I plan on suggesting this book to my older children to help them gain a broader perspective of the world. I highly recommend listening to it.

Notes on content

Born a Crime has some foul language and touches on mature themes, such as physical abuse, incarceration, and pornography. Tender ears and eyes beware!

Have you read Born a Crime? What did you think? Can you suggest another interesting memoir?

Happy reading

Improving vocabulary

The Story Behind the Baguette

Posted on April 11, 2018 by Julia Tomiak / 8 Comments

We eat a lot of bread in our house. I’ve got four kids, and it’s a cheap way to fill them up. 😉 The other night, while my youngest chewed on what he calls “the butt” (or end) of a baguette, he asked, “What does baguette mean, anyway?” Turns out, baguette means wand, baton, or stick, and the name refers to the bread’s shape. Although this name seems straightforward, the story behind how the baguette got its name is more complicated

According to the website Bonjour Paris, there are several interesting theories or legends behind the naming of the baguette.

Bread has always been a main part of the French diet. At the time of the French Revolution, many Parisians complained that they were tired of seeing the wealthy eat loaves of fluffy white bread while they had to chew on dark, less tasty loaves. The lack of palatable bread, and the inequality it symbolized, was a main contributor to the French Revolution. In 1793, when the new government was established, it passed a law stating that all bakers make one type of bread that all Parisians would enjoy… “The Bread of Equality”. Which was, most likely, the fluffy, white baguette.

Another legend says Napoleon passed a law requiring bread be made in long, slender loaves that could easily fit in the uniform pockets of his soldiers.

Another story tells of the unrest that went on among workers building the Paris metro. In those days, everyone carried a knife to cut their bread, but the knives contributed to the violence. So the supervisor of the metro workers asked a bakery to make loaves that could easily be torn, so his workers wouldn’t need to carry knives.

Nineteenth century visitors to Paris described women on the streets in the early morning carrying six-foot long loaves of bread on their backs. Or restaurants stacking six to eight foot loaves in the corner like firewood. Around 1920, the size of the baguette shrank to what we see today, probably because labor laws decreased the hours bakers could work and created the need for bread that took less time to bake.

Word Nerd Workout

Are you hungry yet? Go out and buy a baguette (or two, if you have lots of kids like me), and share this interesting bread history at the dinner table tonight! Do you know another interesting back story for a food you enjoy? Please share!

Don’t forget to visit Kathy at Bermuda Onion for the WWW meme!

Also, if you like learning about words and their meanings, visit Kathy at Bermuda Onion for Wondrous Words Wednesday, a meme in which bloggers share new words they’ve learned or words they love.

Thanks for getting nerdy with me today!

Book reviews

Why You Should Read America’s First Daughter

Posted on April 6, 2018 by Julia Tomiak / 11 Comments

Historical fiction is not my favorite, so when I find a book in this genre that I like, I share it! America’s First Daughter, by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie, is a fascinating novel that explores the life of Thomas Jefferson’s oldest daughter Patsy.

At first, I worried about reading America’s First Daughter. I am a graduate of Jefferson’s University, a frequent visitor of Monticello, and an avid admirer of Jefferson’s intellect, curiosity, and ingenuity. I know he had flaws, but I feared the novel would irrevocably tarnish my opinion of him. It didn’t. It did, however, give me a more accurate portrait of this Founding Father and the contradictions and challenges that colored his life.

The Story

America’s First Daughter opens in 1781 with the Jeffersons fleeing their family home at Monticello to avoid capture by British soldiers. A few chapters later, Jefferson’s wife Martha becomes gravely ill, and before she dies, she begs Jefferson to never remarry and tells her oldest daughter Patsy to take care of her father. At the tender age of 10, Patsy inherits the enormous responsibility of holding the Jefferson family together and protecting her father’s reputation. This unusual position brought Patsy a lifetime of burden as well as privilege.

What I Liked

Every chapter begins with a snippet of a letter. We know so much about Jefferson because he kept detailed notes and wrote many letters. One such snippet, written by Jefferson in April 1820, reveals the inner conflict of the man who wrote the Declaration of Independence and who also depended on slavery for his livelihood:

There’s not a man on earth who’d sacrifice more than I would, to relieve us from slavery, in any practicable way. But, as it is, we have the wolf by the ear, and we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go. Justice is in one scale, and self-preservation in the other.

I learned a lot about history. For example, I never realized that British troops threatened Monticello or that Jefferson suffered criticism for fleeing. I also never realized the link, both timely and philosophically, between the American and French Revolutions.
Patsy Jefferson’s story is fascinating. Jefferson gave her some access to and influence in the world of politics, unlike most women of her time. And yet, she still faced enormous challenges serving her father both in public and private life while still managing a family that had many of its own problems. Her father was the “author of independence” and yet she often felt trapped. She says,

“… I never would have a say, because in the world…, men did as they pleased and women were left to simply accept the consequences.”

Since I’ve been to Monticello many times, I enjoyed reading about events that took place in the house. I’ve stood in Jefferson’s office and other rooms at Monticello and could easily visualize scenes from the novel. For a floor plan and photos of the rooms, visit the Monticello website.
I knew that Jefferson died in debt, but I never realized that it was largely because he was generous to a fault. He took his role as public servant seriously and entertained a constant stream of visitors at Monticello. He also took on debt to help and protect his extended family.

What I Didn’t Like

At times, the narrative felt slow, and it took me a while to finish the book. That might stem from my lack of enthusiasm for historical fiction as well as my current state of fatigue. Also, at times the wording sounded melodramatic. However, the authors used notes and letters from the time to replicate authentic speech for their characters.

My new view of Jefferson

America’s First Daughter deepened my understanding of Jefferson’s life and character. The things I love about this great man remain, but he was by no means perfect.

On the issue of slavery, no one can deny the paradox of a man who wrote “all men are created equal” yet kept slaves. Jefferson was a child of Virginia and believed wealth and stability were found in owning land. He, like many Virginia landowners, considered slavery a necessary evil. However, other Virginians, including his son-in-law Tom Randolph and close associate William Short, abhorred slavery and took steps to abolish it. While Jefferson manumitted (released) several of his slaves, he always owned some, a troubling fact.

On the issue of his slave Sally Hemmings, DNA evidence suggests that Jefferson fathered several children with Hemmings. His affair with her probably began several years after his wife’s death, when he was serving in France. Hemmings was actually the half-sister of his wife Martha. (Martha’s father had relations with one of his slaves, and Sally Hemmings was his daughter and apparently looked a lot like Martha.) According to the book, it was not unheard of for men to have slaves as concubines or for wives to find slaves for their husbands so they wouldn’t have to bear too many children. Nevertheless, the relationship is troubling on many levels, especially when one considers the power Jefferson held over Hemmings since he owned her and that she was close to his daughter’s age. Patsy Jefferson spent great effort protecting her father from this scandal, however he faced criticism for it in the press. In fact, Jefferson had many critics in his day, for the Hemmings scandal and other issues, something I never realized.

Recommendation

America’s First Daughter is a great read if you are interested in historical fiction, the Founding Fathers, or the role of women in the 18th and 19th centuries. And if you are a Thomas Jefferson fan, don’t shy away from the opportunity to learn more about him.

Have you read America’s First Daughter or other books about Jefferson? What did you learn?

Thanks for getting nerdy with me.