Wondrous Words: Believe Me, You'll Want to Learn "Tsundoku"

Some new-to-me words from my recent reading.

For more wordless photos, go to Wordless Wednesday.

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where you can share new words that you’ve encountered, or spotlight words you love.  Feel free to get creative! It was first created by Kathy over at Bermuda Onion and is now hosted at Elza Reads.

Places In Books I’d Love to Live

First, I'd like to make it clear that are a lot of places I don't want to be. I do not want to travel with the folks in Grapes of Wrath from Oklahoma to California and live in a migrant Hooverville camp. I wouldn't make a good sailor aboard the Pequod in Moby Dick. I can't see myself as a soldier in Vietnam alongside Norman and Henry and Rat in The Things They Carried. And I'd be dead in hours if I went to live with Wang Lung and O-lan in the China of The Good Earth.

On the other hand, I'd love to live...

..."in an old house in Paris that was covered with vines, with twelve little girls in two straight lines." I'll take Paris in any time period, in any circumstances. Madeline.

...any house on Mango Street. Yes, Esperanza wanted to leave her barrio at first, but she gradually came to know what a wonderful community it really was. The House on Mango Street.

...Call me crazy, but I think it would be delightful to live in a rabbit warren in Hampshire in England.  Watership Down.

...Wouldn't it be fun to ride with Gus and Woodrow in 1870s Texas on a cattle drive? Lonesome Dove.

...I'd love to travel with Rincewind and Twoflower and the Luggage (made of Sapient Pearwood) throughout Discworld. The Color of Magic and other Discworld books. 

...Talk about an inclusive community. In Who-ville, the folks love each other and sing well together, but they are also willing to bring in to dinner a fellow who stole all their Christmas presents, decorations, and food. How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

...I don't know what town they live in, but I can't think of anything I'd rather do than find a magic coin and travel through time with Katherine, Mark, Jane, and Martha. Even if the coin only half-works. Half Magic.

...I feel sure I'm not the only one who might enjoy being a hobbit in The Shire. Just think about Breakfast, Second Breakfast, Elevenses, Luncheon, Afternoon Tea, Dinner, and Supper. The Hobbit.

I've wanted to be a dog that drives and heads to that fabulous dog party all my life. Go, Dog, Go. 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.

Klara and the Sun, Women Who Dared, and ❤️Wyatt Turns Two ❤️

 

My reading was all over the place last week. I finished Women Who Dared for Women's History Month. We finished watching the 2020 season of The Great British Baking Show, and I celebrated by buying and reading Love to Bake. I finished a couple of 2021 picture books, and I read a science fiction story by a friend, Father Mike, called Election Day.

Best of all I read and loved Kazuo Ishiguro's new book, Klara and the Sun. Has anyone else read this one? What did you think?

Women Who Dared: 52 Stories of Fearless Daredevils, Adventurers, and Rebels (Women's History Month)

The Great British Baking Show: Love to Bake (2020 Season)

Election Day by Michael Gemignani (Book written by a friend, an Episcopalian priest)

Oona and Ella's Night Lights (Two picture books)

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro 

Yes, and...Daily Meditations by Richard Rohr (Daily Meditation Reading)

The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (Chapter-a-Day Read-Along)

Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson (1001 Children's Books)

The Little Book of Lent (Daily Reading During Lent)

Out of Eden: An Odyssey of Ecological Invasion (Naturalist Book Club)

Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson (Classics Club)

On Reading More Than One Book at a Time by Austin Kleon. I subscribe to Austin Kleon's weekly newsletter. Kleon is the author of Steal Like an Artist and other books about writing. Every week he sends out ten things he thinks are worth sharing. You can subscribe, too, here.

I recently posted:

Made Me Look: Book Titles I'm Glad Made Me Take a Second Look

Backyard Winter Bird Photos

Good Thing #1: It was the second birthday of my grandson, Wyatt. His parents threw him a party outdoors. It was wonderful to get together with family after this long year of isolation.

Good Thing #2: The kids got to ride horses at Wyatt's party. They loved that!

Good Thing #3: I painted a cowboy and cowgirl cut-out photo stand for Wyatt's party. The kids had fun with these.

I'm happy you found your way to the Sunday Salon. Sunday Salon is a place for us to link up and to share what we have been doing during the week. It's a great way to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. 

Some of the things we often talk about at the Sunday Salon:

• What was your week like?
• Read any good books? Tell us about them.
• What other bookish things did you do? 
• What else is going on in your life?

Other places where you may like to link up over the weekend are below. Click on the picture to visit the site.

My linkup for Sunday Salon is below. 

Backyard Winter Bird Photos

I participated in Project FeederWatch this winter. 

These are my favorite backyard bird photos from this winter.

 

Red-bellied woodpecker

Yellow-rumped warbler

American robin

Pileated woodpecker

Cedar waxwings

Carolina wren

Red-breasted nuthatch

Red-shouldered hawk

Northern cardinal

Purple finch

Carolina chickadee

Chipping sparrow

Tufted titmouse

Eastern bluebird

Savannah sparrow

Made Me Look: Book Titles I'm Glad Made Me Take a Second Look

I read one last week.

The Portable Veblen? Huh? And what is with the squirrel on the cover?

Had to read it. 

The main character, I soon learn, is named Veblen. Veblen is the name of a (famous?) economist, too. 

And again I ask: What is with the squirrel on the cover?

A quirky title, a quirky cover, a quirky book. This one is going on my list of favorite reads ever.

A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders. It's kind-of like taking a class on Russian literature by reading about it.

When You Trap a Tiger. The 2021 Newbery. And she does try to trap a tiger. In a house. 

The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements. Need I say more?

The World's Poorest President Speaks Out. It's a picture book. And it's a speech from the president of a country who refuses to get rich from his office. It's quite hopeful.

How to Be Happy (Or At Least Less Sad). A workbook that works. 

Gathering Moss. Really? I can hear you say. A book about moss? I know, I know, but trust me, it's amazing.

The Salt Path. What is a salt path? And who made this beautiful cover?

Humans * of New York * Paris * St. Petersburg * Hong Kong * Amsterdam * Juba * Santiago * Karachi * Acra * Buenos Aires * Berlin * Calcutta * Bogata * Lima * Jaipur * Rio de Janeiro * Johannesburg * Dohuk * Singapore * Seoul * Tokyo * Warsaw * Mumbai * Medellin * Barcelona * Madrid * Tabriz * Jammu * Odessa * Dhaka * Cairo * Jerusalem * Bankok * Florence * Sao Paolo * Rosario * Lencois * Sydney * Toronto * Abu Dhabi * Nairobi * Jakarta * Montreal * Amma Alexandria * Bariloche * Rome * Cordoba * Lagos * London * Manila * Kampala Erbil * Melbourne * Auckland * Passu * Tehran * Anzali * Akwamufie * Saigon * Mexico City * Bay of Islands * Moscow * Montevideo * and More. People from all around the world share little tales from their lives. With lovely photos.

Good Morning, Monster. A therapist relates the stories of clients who had terrible lives. Some really awful growing-up years for these folks, but, happily, they did find a fabulous therapist who helped them. 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.