An award-winning former reporter who is now trashing everything she learned about writing, yet relishing the people she met and the stuff they taught her to write romantic thrillers, rom-coms, and more.
What a fun read in The Dead Romantics! Ashley Poston truly pulled me with this romantic comedy about a struggling writer, down on her luck when it comes to love, and then forced to deal with the death of her father. I could relate to this character. She grew up in her family’s funeral home, and I grew up in my family’s cemetery.
In this blog I offer a different type of book review—one that’s combined with vocabulary building. In The Dead Romantics I found a few interesting words.
From The Dead Romantics:
“Are you saying yes?” He arched a very pointed eyebrow. It was the kind of arch a feature writer would call belleristicwhen they sat down to pen his profile in GQ.
belletristic: adjective, written and regarded for aesthetic value rather than content / of, pertaining to, or having the characteristics of belles-lettres (a category of writing, originally meaning beautiful or fine writing.)
belletrist: noun, a person who writes essays, particularly on literary and artistic criticism, that are composed and read primarily for their aesthetic effect / Derivative: belletristic, an adjective
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From The Dead Romantics:
She didn’t share her stories—whether they were real or not—she didn’t wear tiny black dresses, and she didn’t drink artisanal drinks named after dead poets.
artisanal: adjective, relating to or characteristic of an artisan / (of a product, especially food or drink) made in a traditional or non-mechanized way
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From The Dead Romantics:
“Colloquialism? Yeah. I was there at the bar getting drinks with him because apparently he wanted to vent about the font they’re using in his book.”
colloquialism: noun, a word or phrase that is not formal or literary, typically one used in ordinary or familiar conversation / the use of ordinary or familiar words or phrases
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From The Dead Romantics:
“Connoisseur or lifeblood?”
connoisseur: noun, an expert judge in matters of taste / Derivative—noun, connoisseurship
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From The Dead Romantics:
“I liked the notes in some very limited roasts that I procured from—”
procure: verb, 1. obtain (something), especially with care or effort / obtain (someone) as a prostitute for another person 2. persuade or cause (someone) to do something
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From The Dead Romantics:
Mom was stalwart, sipping on a glass of champagne, so gracious to everyone who came to say their goodbyes.
stalwart: adjective, loyal reliable, and hardworking / strongly built and sturdy
ALSO – stalwart: noun, a loyal, reliable, and hardworking supporter or participant in an organization or team
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From The Dead Romantics:
I rolled my eyes. “No one will sell the next Harry Potter. It hit a zeitgeist that’ll never be re-created, and because there is so much to choose from now, it’s near impossible to predict the next publishing trend—”
zeitgeist: noun, the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time
Origin: mid-19th century from German Zeitgeist, from Zeit ‘time’ and Geist ‘spirit’
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What interesting words or terms have you found in your recent reading?
Definitions are typically from the dictionary that comes with my Mac or The New Oxford American Dictionary.
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“The word is only a representation of the meaning; even at its best, writing almost always falls short of full meaning. Given that, why in God’s name would you want to make things worse by choosing a word which is only cousin to the one you really wanted to use?” ― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
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Don’t worry, I’ll continue this fun blog about the vocabulary finds in the books I’m reading, but the newsletter is more about me and my work.
I loved this story. Not just because I enjoy the beautiful writing and detailed historical telling in everything Kristin Hannah, but for the tale itself. The Four Winds is the story of struggle and determination in a world that seems destined for destruction. It shows us a woman whose drive to survive and protect her children gives her just enough bravery to sacrifice everything, leave her home for an unknown future, and push on no matter what stands in her way.
In this blog I offer a different type of book review—one that’s combined with vocabulary building. I loved The Four Winds and, although caught up in this story of hardship, I found a few interesting words I’ll share here.
From The Four Winds:
Lorada felt horror rise up and turn into a tremulous terrifying anger directed at her mother.
tremulous: adjective—shaking or quivering slightly / timid; nervous
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From The Four Winds:
Mama sat down on the edge of the bed. Her hair, dyed black, was drawn back into a chignon that heightened the severity of her features.
chignon: noun—a knot or coil of hair arranged on the back of a woman’s head.
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From The Four Winds:
At church, she wore a cloche over her scandalously short hair and made the excuse she didn’t feel well and was left alone.
cloche: noun—(cloche hat) a woman’s close-fitting, bell-shaped hat / a small translucent cover for protecting or forcing outdoor plants.
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Definitions are typically from the dictionary that comes with my Mac or The New Oxford American Dictionary.
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What interesting words or terms have you found in your recent reading?
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To connect or learn more about Kristin Hannah, find her at KristinHannah.com.
“The word is only a representation of the meaning; even at its best, writing almost always falls short of full meaning. Given that, why in God’s name would you want to make things worse by choosing a word which is only cousin to the one you really wanted to use?” ― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
Amy Myerson’s The Water Lies is a psychological thriller that twists, turns and shoves back again. An absolutely intriguing story and enjoyable read.
In this blog I offer a different type of book review—one that’s combined with vocabulary building. In The Water Lies I found a few interesting words.
From The Water Lies:
He’s trained himself to remain collected no matter how vitriolic they get.
vitriolic: adjective, filled with bitter criticism or malice
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From The Water Lies:
We stand at the edge of the grass as Jasper explores the dragon head, tiptoeing into its maw before jumping back, delighted that it didn’t animate and devour him.
maw: noun, the jaws or throat of a voracious animal / (informal) the mouth or gullet of a greedy person
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From The Water Lies:
I’m still assuming my husband will tell me the truth after he’s broken our most fundamental tenet.
tenet: noun, a principle or belief, especially one of the main principles of a religion or philosophy
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From The Water Lies:
It was brilliant, really. We could advertise for phenotypic and genetic matches for clients.
phenotypic: adjective, Biology, relating to the observable characteristics of an individual resulting from the interaction of its genotype with the environment
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From The Water Lies:
I lie supine, thinking back to that dinner when I told Gabe about Maya, the aroma of burnt coconut, what I thought I’d uncovered about Dan.
supine: adjective, 1. lying on one’s back with face upward / (technical) having the front or vetral part upward / (of the hand) with the palm upward 2. Failing to act or protest as a result of moral weakness or indolence
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From The Water Lies:
My house has been too empty for too long. It could use the sounds and detritus of children.
detritus: noun, waste or debris of any kind / gravel, sand, silt, or other material produced by erosion / organic matter produced by the decomposition of organisms
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What interesting words or terms have you found in your recent reading?
Definitions are typically from the dictionary that comes with my Mac or The New Oxford American Dictionary.
—
“The word is only a representation of the meaning; even at its best, writing almost always falls short of full meaning. Given that, why in God’s name would you want to make things worse by choosing a word which is only cousin to the one you really wanted to use?” ― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
I’ve read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice a couple of times since high school but picked it up again recently to refresh myself with the story before I watch the mini-series. The writing remains fascinating and the love story stands the test of time. It was a lot of fun digging for interesting words this time around.
I love the movie You’ve Got Mail. Pride and Prejudice comes up a couple of times in dialogue of the rom-com, and the plot has some similarities with the book. Joe Fox teases Kathleen Kelly in the movie, stating, “Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. She was too proud. … Or was she too prejudiced and Mr. Darcy is too proud?” And in another scene, Kelly says she’s “always in agony” about whether the two love interests will get together as she reads the novel.
Image from the 1996 mini-series airing on Britbox.
In this blog I offer a different type of book review—one that’s combined with vocabulary building. Finding unfamiliar words was no problem in Pride and Prejudice since it was first published in 1813. I included a few excerpts here that capture more than one curious word.
From Pride and Prejudice:
“You may as well call it impertinence at once. It was very little less. The fact is, that you were sick of civility, of deference, of officious attention. You were disgusted with the women who were always speaking, and looking, and thinking for your approbation alone.”
impertinence: noun, lack of respect, rude
deference: noun, humble submission and respect
officious: adjective, assertive of authority in an annoyingly domineering way, especially in regard to petty or trivial matters / intrusively enthusiastic in giving advice or help; interfering
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From Pride and Prejudice:
“Had you not been really amiable you would have hated me for it: but in spite of the pains you took to disguise yourself, your feelings were always noble and just; and in your heart you thoroughly despised the persons who so assiduously courted you.”
assiduously: adverb, with great care and perseverance
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From Pride and Prejudice:
By Jane this attention was received with the greatest pleasure; but Elizabeth still saw superciliousness in their treatment of every body, hardly excepting even her sister, and could not like them ; though their kindness to Jane, such as it was, had a value, as arising, in all probability, from the influence of their brother’s admiration.
supercilious: adjective, behaving or looking as though one thinks one is superior to others / Derivative—superciliousness: noun
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From Pride and Prejudice:
Her answer, therefore, was not propitious, as least not to Elizabeth’s wishes, for she was impatient to get home.
propitious: adjective, giving or indicating a good chance of success; favorable / archaic, favorably disposed toward someone
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From Pride and Prejudice:
He expressed no regret for what he had done which satisfied her; his style was not penitent, but haughty. It was all pride and insolence.
penitent: adjective, feeling or showing sorrow and regret for having done wrong; repentant
haughty: adjective, arrogantly superior and disdainful
insolence: noun, rude and disrespectful behavior
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From Pride and Prejudice:
Had Elizabeth’s opinion been all drawn from her own family, she could not have formed a very pleasing picture of conjugal felicity or domestic comfort.
conjugal: adjective, relating to marriage or the relationship of a married couple
felicity: noun, 1. intense happiness 2. the ability to find appropriate expression for one’s thoughts
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From Pride and Prejudice:
“She is a very fine-looking woman! and her calling here was prodigiously civil! for she only came, I suppose, to tell us the Collinses were well. …”
prodigious: adjective, 1. Remarkably or impressively great in extent, size or degree 2. archaic, unnatural or abnormal / Derivatives—adverb, prodigiously
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What interesting words or terms have you found in your recent reading?
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Definitions are typically from the dictionary that comes with my Mac or The New Oxford American Dictionary.
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“The word is only a representation of the meaning; even at its best, writing almost always falls short of full meaning. Given that, why in God’s name would you want to make things worse by choosing a word which is only cousin to the one you really wanted to use?” ― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
I read The Great Alone first and fell in love with Kristin Hannah’s writing. I’m envious of Hannah’s emotional telling of her stories. I loved The Women just as much as The Great Alone. It’s the story of the forgotten soldiers of the Vietnam War—the women who served. In particular, the novel centers on a nurse shoved into horrible circumstances, how she survives, learns and thrives, then comes home to a world that makes her feel ashamed of her service. It’s a story of self-challenge, bravery, sacrifice and, most of all, love.
In this blog I offer a different type of book review—one that’s combined with vocabulary building. I found quite a few words in The Women that were unfamiliar. I love to look up words I don’t know or find words used in a wonky way I wouldn’t expect. I stayed away from the medical terms but included here are a few interesting words from The Women.
From The Women:
She could see that he wanted more from her, absolution maybe, but there was time ahead for that.
absolution: noun, formal release from guilt, obligation, or punishment. / an ecclesiastical declaration of forgiveness of sins.
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From The Women:
At the last minute, she went in search of her ANC pin—a brass caduceus with its wings behind a bond N—and pinned it on her sweater.
caduceus: noun, an ancient Greet or Roman herald’s wand, typically one with two serpents twined around it, carried by the messenger god Hermes or Mercury. / a representation of this, traditionally associated with healing.
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From The Women:
From the ferry’s car deck, she saw the almost-completed bridge; huge concrete stanchions rose out of the wavy blue water, curving from one shore toward the other.
stanchion: noun, an upright bar, post, or frame forming a support or barrier. / (in full cattle stanchion) a frame that holds the head of a cow in place, especially to facilitate milking.
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From The Women:
She couldn’t wait to be welcomed home at last, to be admired for her service instead of reviled.
revile: verb, criticize in an abusive or angrily insulting manner
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From The Women:
Thankfully, she had her boonie hat. It wasn’t fashionable, in fact was the opposite, but the olive-drab hat had become a favorite possession in ‘Nam, almost a companion, and it kept the sun out of her eyes. A dozen pins and patches decorated the crown, gifts she’d gotten from her patients. Each bore the insignia of some unit. The Screaming Eagles, the Seawolves, the Big Red One.
boonie hat: noun, a wide-brimmed, durable, and lightweight hat designed for maximum sun and rain protection, often featuring ventilation ports, a secure chin strap, and “branch loops” for camouflage. Popular with military, tactical operators, and outdoor enthusiasts, they are made from ripstop fabric for durability in harsh environments.
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From The Women:
They each ordered an ao dai to be made in soft, diaphanous silk, and Frankie bought a bolt of silver silk shantung for her mother and an ornate brass cigar cutter for her father.
ao dai: noun, a Vietnamese woman’s long-sleeved tunic with ankle-length panels at front and bak, worn over trousers.
diaphanous: adjective, (especially of fabric) light, delicate, and translucent.
shantung: noun, a dress fabric spun from tussore silk with random irregularities in the surface texture.
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What interesting words or terms have you found in your recent reading?
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Definitions are typically from the dictionary that comes with my Mac or The New Oxford American Dictionary.
—
To connect or learn more about Kristin Hannah, find her at KristinHannah.com.
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“The word is only a representation of the meaning; even at its best, writing almost always falls short of full meaning. Given that, why in God’s name would you want to make things worse by choosing a word which is only cousin to the one you really wanted to use?” ― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
This novel made me fall in love with Kristin Hannah’s writing. Hannah knows how to weave detail and emotion into a reading experience that immerses the reader in not only the world she creates but also in the gut or heart of the characters.
The Great Alone starts with the tale of a girl growing up and learning her way in the lonely wilderness of Alaska. Her father suffers from PTSD and alcoholism while her mother’s love for him blinds her to his abuse and the unhinged way he views the world until it’s too late. I’m reading The Women now and finding it just as immersive for the reader.
In this blog I offer a different type of book review—one that’s combined with vocabulary building. I listened to The Great Alone on audio and heard a number of words I found unfamiliar. I’ll define just a couple of them here.
From The Great Alone:
Whenever Leni woke in the middle of the night, she invariably found her mother drifting through the house, her diaphanous robe trailing open.
diaphanous: adjective, (especially of fabric) light, delicate, and translucent.
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From The Great Alone:
They hurried up the stairs and tiptoed down the unlit hallway and into the master bedroom, a huge room with mullion windows and olive-green carpet.
mullion: noun, a vertical bar between the panes of glass in a window.
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What interesting words or terms have you found in your recent reading?
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Definitions are typically from the dictionary that comes with my Mac or The New Oxford American Dictionary.
—
To connect or learn more about Kristin Hannah, find her at KristinHannah.com.
“The word is only a representation of the meaning; even at its best, writing almost always falls short of full meaning. Given that, why in God’s name would you want to make things worse by choosing a word which is only cousin to the one you really wanted to use?” ― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
T. J. Klune offers up a story of magic and strife against prejudice in The House in the Cerulean Sea. Yet there’s something even deeper in a theme about living a worthwhile life. This quote from early in the book summed up that thought:
“It does me no good. Facts., Mr. Parnassus. I deal in facts. Curiosities lead to flights of fancy, and I can’t afford to be distracted.”
“I can’t imagine a life lived in such a way,” Mr. Parnassus said quietly. “It sounds like no life lived at all.”
In this blog I offer a different type of book review—one that’s combined with vocabulary building. In The House in the Cerulean Sea I found a number of words that had me curious about their use or meaning.
From The House in the Cerulean Sea:
He pointed toward a copse of trees just off the beach. It looked dark and foreboding.
They eventually made their way to familiar ground, and in the distance Linus could see a copse of trees that hid the house of an island sprite.
copse: noun, a small group of trees
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From The House in the Cerulean Sea:
That and the fact he’d recently turned forty, and all he had to show for it was a tiny house, a crusty cat that would probably outlive everyone, and an every-expanding waistline his doctor had poked and prodded with a strange amount of glee while bloviating about the wonders of dieting.
bloviate: verb (no object) U.S. English informal – talk at length, especially in an inflated or empty way
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From The House in the Cerulean Sea:
The woman’s hair was cut into a petite bob, and she wore a large brooch in the shape of a beetle, the carapace iridescent.
carapace: noun, the hard upper shell of a turtle, crustacean, or arachnid / something regarded as a protective or defensive covering
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From The House in the Cerulean Sea:
The air was thick and redolent, and it made him slightly dizzy.
redolent: adjective 1. (redolent of/with) strongly reminiscent or suggestive of / literary – strongly smelling of 2. archaic, or literary – fragrant or sweet-smelling
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From The House in the Cerulean Sea:
His aquiline nose had a bump in the center, as if it’d been broken once long ago and never set right.
There was always a note of artifice to their bright words of happiness and joy and No, Mr. baker, absolutely nothing is wrong, and I am filled with joy.
artifice: adjective, making a strong, affected, or pretentious display of being artistic or interested in the arts
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From The House in the Cerulean Sea:
At dinner, Lucy had been grinning at Linus the whole time, and though it had the same devilish tinge to it, Linus didn’t think it was nefarious.
nefarious: adjective, (typically of an action or activity) wicked or criminal
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From The House in the Cerulean Sea:
His luggage was beside him. Calliope too, in her crate, though she wasn’t amused at the early hour. Linus could commiserate, especially since he hadn’t slept a wink.
commiserate: verb, express or feel sympathy or pity; sympathize
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From The House in the Cerulean Sea:
Arthur sighed. “Not—not physically. But he’s an expert in self-flagellation after. If something is broken, no matter who it belongs to , he always carries the guilt upon his shoulders.”
self-flagellation: noun, the action of flogging oneself, especially as a form of religious discipline / excessive criticism of oneself
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What interesting words or terms have you found in your recent reading?
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To connect or learn more about T. J. Klune and his books, check out his website at tjklunebooks.com.
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Definitions are typically from the dictionary that comes with my Mac or The New Oxford American Dictionary.
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“The word is only a representation of the meaning; even at its best, writing almost always falls short of full meaning. Given that, why in God’s name would you want to make things worse by choosing a word which is only cousin to the one you really wanted to use?” ― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
Silent Sisters is a true and horror-filled story. The reader is pulled in, hoping from the start the young daughter is somehow able to survive despite the lack of any maternal care. She survives but along the way uncovers ghastly crimes committed by her mother. It’s a story of resilience and survival, but also a tale of strength of character and mental sturdiness in the face a unbelievable evil. Silent Sisters was published in 2020.
In this blog I offer a different type of book review—one that’s combined with vocabulary building. In Silent Sisters I found a few interesting words to explore.
From Silent Sisters:
The very idea that mum would put herself out in any way for her children was as ludicrous as it was abhorrent.
abhorrent: adjective, inspiring disgust and loathing; repugnant
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From Silent Sisters:
She hadn’t looked after me. Or Cath. And I was totally flummoxed as to why she was having another.
flummoxed: adjective, bewildered or perplexed
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From Silent Sisters:
She’d just carry straight on to the local pub and stagger home, paralytically drunk, in the early hours of the following day.
paralytic: noun, a person affected by paralysis / Derivatives—adverb, paralytically
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What interesting words or terms have you found in your recent reading?
—
Definitions are typically from the dictionary that comes with my Mac or The New Oxford American Dictionary.
—
“The word is only a representation of the meaning; even at its best, writing almost always falls short of full meaning. Given that, why in God’s name would you want to make things worse by choosing a word which is only cousin to the one you really wanted to use?” ― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
I found Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid a captivating read. The book is filled with tension that carries until the very last page, fantastic detail about the space program, and a super sweet love story.
In this blog I offer a different type of book review—one that’s combined with vocabulary building. In Atmosphere I tried to stay away from the scientific terms and found other interesting choices.
From Atmosphere:
“My dad taught me when I was little. Bravery is being unafraid of something other people are afraid of. Courage is being afraid, but strong enough to do it anyway.”
bravery: noun, courageous behavior or character
courage: noun, the ability to do something that frightens one, strength in the face of pain or grief
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From Atmosphere:
You could develop your personality your entire life—pursue the things you wanted to learn, discover the most interesting parts of yourself, hold yourself to a certain standard—and then you marry a man and suddenly his personality, his wants, his standards subsume your own?
subsume: verb, include or absorb (something) in something else
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From Atmosphere:
The parabolas, when executed properly, simulated microgravity.
parabolas: noun, a symmetrical open plane curve formed by the intersection of a cone with a plane parallel to its side. The path of a projectile under the influence of gravity ideally follows a curve of this shape.
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From Atmosphere:
“No, nothing’s funny. It’s just … you’re so … dauntless.”
dauntless: adjective, showing fearlessness and determination
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What interesting words or terms have you found in your recent reading?
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To connect or learn more about Taylor Jenkins Reid and her books, find her at taylorjenkinsreid.com
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Definitions are typically from the dictionary that comes with my Mac or The New Oxford American Dictionary.
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“The word is only a representation of the meaning; even at its best, writing almost always falls short of full meaning. Given that, why in God’s name would you want to make things worse by choosing a word which is only cousin to the one you really wanted to use?” ― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
