249. A Bit on Vocabulary

Ken Phillips has an interesting post on "Proper English" with some links to phrase finder sites. Beware. You can easily lose track of time playing around on those.

I've been reading a lot of murder mysteries lately as part of my summer pseudo-vacation. (I'm still working every day. But it's summer and feels like I should be on vacation.) Some of the modern ones are pure claptrap, not really worth the time. But when you're vacationing, time isn't a concern, so I read on.

But one thin volume that I borrowed from Ruth Tighe was a decidedly British mystery, written in the early 1970's. An Awkward Lie, by the Scottish writer Michael Innes (a/k/a J.I.M. Stewart ), had me digging deep into my memory for words I haven't heard for a while, and in some cases had me reaching for my dictionary.

Here are some of the words and phrases I found interesting, refreshing, humorous, or just puzzling.

spinney
matutinal
saloon (used for a car)
callipygian

distinguo (I still don't have a good definition for this. I'm guessing it's latin or latinate, and just means "as distinguished from" or something like that.)

racemes
laved
pinnace
miching malicho
enfilading
apothegm
philologist
scrum-half
farouche
corvee
refection
tiro (more familiar to me as tyro)
tumuli
barrows (not the wheel kind)
vallums
sarsen
scragged
tump
Bunn (I still haven't found a satisfactory definition for this word, as used in the novel.)

and
collation

I'm sorry to say that, before dictionary, I only knew seven of these words. Ah, the joys of vacation reading.

130. Workers of the World, Unite. Read with your children.

Labor Day is Monday September 3, 2007. And of course it's another great day to read. If you're looking for books to read with your kids, head to the library or your own shelves and find something that fits the occasion. Need ideas? See this list: Horn Book's Recommended Reading for Labor Day.

I'd add CLICK, CLACK, MOO--COWS THAT TYPE, by Cronin and Lewin (Simon & Schuster, 2003) to the list of picture books.

And IQBAL, by Francesco D'Adamo (Simon & Schuster, 2003) for mid-grade and YA.

118. And a break from Politics--back to Harry

J.K. Rowling reads aloud from THE DEATHLY HALLOWS in a London museum while we were buying and reading in Saipan and elsewhere.








Look for my review of the book (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) in Friday's Marianas Variety.

43. Great News--A Trend We Love: Teen Reading

Teens are reading more. Buying more books, too. TeensReading Thanks to Seattle for spotting this trend and reporting about it.

I'm glad to see the quality of YA literature recognized. I'm tired of hearing people say that there are no good books for kids, because the opposite is true.

I'm not surprised that Cecilia Goodnow (the Seattle Intelligencer reporter) mentions Harry Potter. JKRowling deserves credit for inciting a reading revolution (and opening children's books to an adult audience as well).

The trend includes a growing fascination with manga (the graphic novel). We have the benefit of Japanese influence here in Saipan, and Japanese manga is available at our local bookstore. It is popular with kids here, and provides an easy transition from television to books. I'm in the middle of a unique blend of (American) graphic novel and traditional story right now--reading THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET by Brian Selznick. Look for my review soon in the Marianas Variety.

ON A RELATED NOTE: You can scroll down GalleyCat's site to find a poll on how you find books to add to your TBR (to be read) list.

33. More Thoughts on Censorship

In a perverse way, the backlash against the librarians who posted on the LM net objecting to "scrotum" will itself have a chiling effect on free speech.

The LM network is designed for librarians and educators to ask questions, air concerns, and get helpful suggestions in their jobs as school, public and private librarians. The controvery started when a librarian wrote a simple question about reading THE HIGHER POWER OF LUCKY aloud to grade school kids who might focus on the word scrotum for its titilating value. She expressed the opinion that the whole 'rattlesnake bites dog scrotum' scenario added little to the book and just made it harder for her to read aloud.

This prompted others to express opinions on THPOL and brought the debate into sharper relief.

I do think Americans tend to get side-tracked by all things that can be construed in any way as sexual. But I also think that sites where people can ask questions or express opinions are important. They can help librarians and educators share insights about books, about coping with rowdy kids who will disrupt a read-aloud, about dealing with parents' concerns, and most importantly about having the spine to stand up for words.

We need to make sure that, in our rush to defend free expression and guard against censorship, we don't inadvertantly make the same mistake.

27. Librarians Censoring Children's Books?

It seems impossible, but there is a small backlash against this year's winner of the Newbery (The Higher Power of Lucky). Some librarians are saying they won't purchase the book for their libraries, despite its prestigious award, because it contains the word -- scrotum.

I almost laughed out loud when I read this, but then found out this is a true storm of protest.

LibrarianCensorship

I can't imagine this happening here in Saipan. I hope it never does.

Words do have power. We need to let our children learn as many words as they can and how and when to use them.

And they need to know that the word scrotum is just a word for a body part. Men keep their scrotums under cover, but that's no reason to hide the word.

18. My Other Body-a Review of Sorts

POD-dy Mouth recommended MY OTHER BODY by Ann Pai. I generally steer clear of print-on-demand and other self-published books because there are so many bad ones, but with a recommendation and a story blurb that interested me, I decided to try this book.

On September 11, 2001, when the world focused on the terror attacks on the twin towers and elsewhere in America, Ann Pai focused on her older sister's sudden hospitalization for morbid obesity.

The story weaves in bits of childhood memories with her sister, struggles with weight throughout their lives, and some family dynamics. It also takes us into the hospital, where Ann lives the details of her sister's life, into Ann's workplace, where she finds support from co-workers, and into Ann's internet research, where we get technical information about the medical problems caused by obesity in a user-friendly format.

And we get poetry in the language and imagery of a sister's love.

I felt connected to Ann Pai--I'm the younger sister of a morbidly obese woman whom I love. And I, too, am overweight.

But I wanted more from this memoir than I got.

I was irritaed by Ann Pai's repeated commenting on her parents unpreparedness for her sister Joyce's anticipated death. Her insistent voice that they weren't able to cope, hadn't grasped the fullness of the reality, were in denial, made her an unreliable narrator. There was no other indication that her parents lacked the maturity and capacity to handle the situation. When they proved their mettle by having a ready response for the question about life support, Ann Pai still was unwilling to see her parents as adults. I found this odd, distancing. I wanted Ann Pai to be more respectful by acknowledging the talents and capacities of her parents, and not offering that pseudo-respect that "protects" adults from information and real life.

In this memoir, there is no answer why Joyce became obese, why Ann had weight issues herself. The overall story seems to suggest that it was genetics or just something in the air from her mother's side of the family. The hospital staff are perplexed because Joyce had a job she enjoyed and a family who loved her. The mystery of why Joyce became obese is not answered. My sister is obese and I know why. I gained a lot of weight in a short period of time, and I know why. These reasons may not be common knowledge, but they exist. They aren't a mystery to us. It seemed unbelievable that Ann Pai, with her bravery in writing this memoir, would not at least acknowledge that reasons existed. I wanted that acknowledgement.

And then she could have exploded another myth: the reasons that caused the obesity are totally irrelevant to the solution. I wanted that, too.

Ann Pai did show her own struggle with the solution and her own resolution. Her husband proved to be a remarkable man. And I loved when Ann Pai portrayed her own answer to her weight struggle as a different wanting, as needing, as acknowledging what she really wanted and taking the risk to choose in the moment what she really wanted. But she muddles the message with the information about her own weight loss, her success riding the bike over the crest of the hill, her blending in with "ordinary" people. I think the resolution is the lifestyle you like, one that's healthy and fulfilling, not the outcome. Ann Pai says that, but it gets blurred in transmission.

I also found the repeated internal monologues focusing on food, size, and weight to be disproportionate to reality as I know it. This obsessive repetition disgusted me. When Ann Pai talked about being a size 18 and described herself as practically immobilized by obesity, never forgetting for a moment that she was huge, I couldn't believe it. Life doesn't stop. There are so many wondrous and happy moments, fulfilling and exciting times, and women size 18 can share those--we're not locked in a depressed state of mind constantly consumed by our eating habits. I don't want readers to think that anyone who isn't the perfect size is therefore incapable of thought beyond their own imperfections, incapable of living and enjoying life. One could come away with that impression from reading this book. I wanted a more balanced picture.

And what I wanted most was a better understanding of my own relationship with my sister. I was hoping for some spark, some insight, some nuance I'd overlooked. I can't fault Ann Pai for not providing me with my personal need. But I wanted it, and didn't get it, so for me the book is a good read, but a bit of a let down. I'd recommend it. But like life, it's not perfect.

9. Awards Time-YAY!

I love January for all of the awards. Here's a link to the 2007 winners from the American Library Association (juvenile literature).

2007ALAMediaAwardWinners

These include the latest Newbery winner and honor books, the Caldecott medalists and more. I'm looking forward to reading the ones I missed (and this year, I missed a lot).

7. As in 2007--Nominees for Best Mystery, that is the Edgar Award

I love to read mysteries.

Here's what garnered kudos from the premier mystery writers (and fans) of America (and possibly the world).

The2007EdgarAwardNominees

Check out the titles. Enjoy.