You know what makes me feel like I’m contributing something worthwhile to the world? When people ask me for book suggestions. I get all giddy and start spouting titles and summaries, more than anyone probably wants. But I can’t help myself!
To add to my rapidly growing list of recommended books, I need your help. If we work together to collect book suggestions, then we will have:
Book gift ideas for the holidays and beyond
Plenty of recommended reading for the cold months ahead
The Favorite Books of 2014 Giveaway
How to help: tell me your favorite book that you read in 2014 and why you liked it. Isn’t that easy? And I’m excited to announce a special prize this year! All readers who contribute a book to the favorites list will enter into a drawing to win a Postertext Art Print, the perfect gift for word nerds and book lovers.
The details:
You may enter by commenting on my blog, my Facebook profile, or my Twitter feed between December 12 and December 21, 2014.
Your comment must include your favorite book from 2014 and a short explanation of why you recommend it.
The books don’t have to be published in 2014, just read in 2014.
I will announce the winner on Monday, December 22, 2014, as well as publish the final list of favorites.
The winner must provide a poster choice, mailing address, and phone number so that Postertext can mail the prize. To see my review of the Postertext art print I bought, visit my Holiday Gifts Post. For all the prints available, visit Postertext.com.
Sometimes (or many times) when I read, I come across a word I should know but don’t. Please tell me this happens to you, too. Thank goodness Kathy at Bermuda Onionhosts the “Wondrous Words Wednesday” meme so that I can share these words and learn in the process.
I’m currently reading The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith, aka J. K. Rowling. It’s the first of a new detective series based in London. A famous model falls to her death in an apparent suicide, but Cormoran Strike, a private detective with a crumbling personal life, sets out to prove murder.
The Cuckoo’s Calling reads easily and offers a welcome diversion from holiday stress. However, since I’m usually exhausted when I read (at 10pm), I’m afraid I’m missing critical details. We’ll see… Here’s a sentence from, I’m so ashamed, the first page of the book.
From time to time there came outbreaks of desultory clicking, as the watchers filled the waiting time by snapping the white canvas tent in the middle of the road…
desultory \’de-sәl-tor-ē\ adj from Latin desultorius, which literally means of a circus rider jumping from horse to horse
marked by a lack of definite plan, regularity, or purpose
disappointing in progress, performance, or quality
What a great Latin origin! I think the first meaning is used in the quote.
Word Nerd Workout
Can you think of a synonym for desultory? I’m going to suggest a word popular with my teens: random. Share yours in the comments.
Have you read The Cuckoo’s Calling? What did you think?
I’m all about gifting books at the holidays (or anytime, really), but I also love finding unique presents for the bibliophiles in my life. Here are some fun ideas.
Postertext
We know words can evoke a mental image, but how about words literally creating a picture? The creative people at Postertext use the text from novels to produce art prints. I ordered the Pride and Prejudice poster for my daughter, who has devoured Jane Austen’s masterpiece at least three times.
Pride and Prejudice framed poster
Close up of P & P art print
The text begins with Chapter 1 and the first line of P & P. It’s cool to see Austen’s words right on the poster, like a treasure you find when you look closely. The words are tiny, but I suppose anything larger would detract from the image. I’m sure my daughter will love this.
Postertext has prints for many classics, including Alice in Wonderland, a Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Great Gatsby. Most cost around $30. Postertext plans to add contemporary favorites to the collection, and you can also request a book for them to convert to art. The website is easy to navigate and service was friendly and fast. If you follow them on Twitter, you can get a $5 discount.
In the spirit of full disclosure, a rep from Postertext.comcontacted me about this unique art form that’s perfect for any book lover. I ordered my own poster to evaluate, and I haven’t received any compensation from the company.
The Book Lover’s Calendar from Writer’s Digest
The new calendar for 2015 features book suggestions from a variety of authors, literary quizzes, facts about authors, and quotes from books and authors. This is a great gift idea for readers and writers alike. WD sells it for $12.
Book Journals
A few months ago, I wrote a post about the benefits of keeping a list of books you’ve read. One of my readers commented that she had a special book to keep a log of the books she’d read. That inspired a Google search for a similar product, and I found tons of them. Here are some details on the three I liked best:
Books I’ve Read, A Bibliophile’s Journal by Deborah Needleman and Virginia Johnson. This journal has a forward by the author and simple lined pages to enter titles, dates, and reactions to books. Also includes colorful illustrations of libraries, etc. At Amazon for $12.
Reading Journal: For Book Lovers, by Potter Style. This journal gets rave reviews on Amazon. For each book you can list author, category, rating, and notes. Amazon $7.
Books I’ve Read, A Reader’s Journal, by Journals Unlimited. This journal uses a fill-in format with prompts for author, book, category, and reactions to character and plot. Amazon $20.
I’m gonna have a hard time choosing! How about you?
Can you add any other word nerd gift ideas to my list?
Welcome to Wondrous Words Wednesday, a meme for people who like to learn new words. Read here and visit Kathy at Bermuda Onion if you want to join in and expand your vocabulary.
My wondrous word this week comes from an e-mail sent by my son’s soccer team manager. He was addressing a touchy issue (there can be lots of touchy issues in travel sports) and said something like:
I don’t intend to foment unrest among parents…
I’d never heard of this word foment and had to look it up! Thank you Brian for giving me a word nerd challenge.
foment \’fo-ment\ verb from the Latin fomentare and fomentum to compress, add heat; akin to Lituanian degti to burn and Sanskrit dahati it burns
to cause or try to cause the growth or development of something bad or harmful
Merriam-Webster gives a great example of foment:
John Adams’s wife Abigail told him that if women were not remembered by the new American government, they would “foment a rebellion.”
You tell him, Abigail.
Word Nerd Workout
Think of a synonym for foment. I came up with “incite”, but feel free to get more creative.
Welcome to Wondrous Words Wednesday! Thank you for stopping by during this busy holiday week. We can’t let cleaning and turkey basting get in the way of our word nerdiness, right?
If you have time, or you want to procrastinate on the cooking, visit Kathy at Bermuda Onion for links to more cool words.
My friend Valerie recently shared a word that piqued her curiosity: idiosyncrasy.
I thought that as families and friends gather to celebrate Thanksgiving this week, there might be many idiosyncrasies being noticed out there, and that we could have fun with this word.
idiosyncrasy \i-dē-ə-sin-krə-sē\ noun from the Greek idio- + synkerannynai to blend
an unusual way in which a particular person behaves or thinks; an unusual part or feature of something
Word Nerd Workout
It’s easy to find idiosyncrasies in others, especially members of our families. For example, my grandmother kept EVERYTHING, and she always told us it was because she was “a child of the Depression.”
Or, my child #3 literally can’t go to sleep unless we go through a bedtime litany that includes phrases like “I love you” and “You’re the best mom in the world.” (Sweet, yes, but sometimes after 9pm I just want to kiss him and be done. Then I remember my friend Amy’s post on The Nine Minutes That Have the Greatest Impact, and I give him the love.)
We can all identify idiosyncrasies in others, but are you willing to share your own? I’ll go first. When I feel stressed, I talk to myself. Like, this week, as I prepare for 12 guests, I’m constantly chatting — with no one! “I need to get a load of laundry in first, then I can clean the veggies for the salad.” It must have something to do with auditory processing needs. (That sounds better than “insanity.”)
What are your idiosyncrasies? Share in the comments, and have a very Happy Thanksgiving!
My dad shared a funny picture on his Facebook timeline. I won’t post it here to avoid copyright infringement; click the link to see it. Basically, it shows a shows a turkey yelling at Santa:
November is my month, buddy, Wait Your Turn!
So true, right? We all agree, and yet, somehow Thanksgiving, as a holiday and a practice, often gets lost. The point is peace and gratitude, not stuff, or stuffing. I’m hoping for something different this year. If I can pause and truly celebrate gratitude for Thanksgiving, then maybe the Christmas season will be calmer, and more meaningful, too.
I’ve just finished a powerful book to help me with this. Because I- mother of four and a Type-A controller- am going to need much help. And, maybe you do too.
The Premise
In One Thousand Gifts, Ann Voskamp describes how she learned to find fulfillment in the everyday monotony of housework and parenting. It’s a difficult concept but an easy practical application: she started a list. Every day, for over a year, she wrote down the ways God blessed her. Usually it was little stuff – the bright orange of carrots, the giggle of a child. But don’t think Voskamp’s book is full of saccharin platitudes about a positive attitude. She digs deep.
She shares at the beginning:
I wake to the discontent of life in my skin… To the wrestle to get it all done, the relentless anxiety that I am failing. Always, the failing. I yell at children, fester with bitterness, forget doctor appointments, lose library books, live selfishly, skip prayer, complain… I live tired.
Can you relate to this passage? I can. Voskamp turned to her faith, to the practice of eucharisteo, giving thanks, to bring joy back into her life. But it wasn’t easy.
I discover that slapping a sloppy brush of thanksgiving over everything in my life leaves me deeply thankful for very few things in my life… Life-changing gratitude does not fasten to a life unless nailed through with one very specific nail at a time.
She made herself write gifts down. She didn’t just think about gratitude, she practiced it, listing one item at a time.
What I Liked
One Thousand Gifts demands a lot of its reader. Voskamp writes with a poetic and unique style, one that can be hard to absorb at 10pm when one finally has time to open a book. It’s kinda like reading Shakespeare: you have to get into the rhythm of it. She doesn’t shy away from difficult subjects, like why bad things happen or the need for total surrender to God. Yet it’s a book that, if you allow it to penetrate your thinking, will change your life.
Recommendation
The 1000 Gifts mobile app
If you’re ready for a challenge, if you’re tired of being exhausted and discontented, give One Thousand Gifts a try. It’s especially appropriate for the holiday season, a time when we could benefit from peace and reflection, if we choose them. Voskamp writes from a Christian perspective, so keep that in mind if you read or recommend the book.
And there’s more than just reading to do. I realized I’d be losing the point of Voskamp’s work if I didn’t start practicing gratitude like she did. I thought about buying a pretty journal for my list, but then I saw the ad for the One Thousand Gifts app.
With the mobile app, I carry my list with me wherever I go and add when the moment strikes, or when I realize that I need to practice some gratitude. The app lets me add pictures and share gratitude moments to social media. It also has inspiring quotes from the book. It uses the soothing brown and light blue color scheme from the book.
Yes, writing things down in a journal would be cool, but I think I’ll be more likely to practice gratitude, to nail in eucharisteo, if I’ve got a constant reminder with me. I’ll let you know.
How do you think gratitude can improve your life? What do you think about a gratitude list?
Happy Thanksgiving, and thanks for getting thoughtful with me.
How to help: tell me your favorite book that you read in 2014 and why you liked it. Isn’t that easy? And I’m excited to announce a special prize this year! All readers who contribute a book to the favorites list will enter into a drawing to win a Postertext Art Print, the perfect gift for word nerds and book lovers. 
