Category: Reading

100 Funniest Words

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A few years ago, Dr. Robert Beard compiled a list of the 100 funniest words he had come across in nearly a decade of daily vocabulary emails he would send to hundreds of thousands of people.

Here’s the list of his 100 funniest English words. I’ve always been a fan of brouhaha, canoodle, doozy, flibbertigibbet, hootenanny, kerfuffle, ornery, rambunctious, shenanigan, skedaddle, and troglodyte.

Which one is your favorite? Any funny words you think should be added to the list?

I’m usually in the camp that it’s better to use a majority of simple, short, old words that are accessible to readers when writing fiction. I am not amused or impressed by authors who have a love affair with their thesaurus and shove every possible multisyllabic word into their text. Once again, I am looking at you, Christopher Paolini.

But if there’s a fun word that fits naturally in the tone of the novel, throw one in every once in a while! One per scene, one per page, one per paragraph, more—you decide. Make it a word readers will circle in their books because they love it and want to use it in conversation during their lunch break. Just remember, you want to be readable, not detestable. Understandable, not put-down-able.

Less is more.

Write now.

English Word Origins

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I’m a visual person, so I appreciate graphs, especially color coded ones! But I’m also a design person, so color schemes get to me. While their color scheme makes me shudder a bit, I am digging this visual representation of English word origins!

Read the original study here. If you hover over the highlighted words, you can see the origin of the word. Click a word, and you’ll be taken to its entry in the etymology dictionary. Pretty nifty stuff!

Interested in English word origins? Did you know that Old English (that big pink chunk of the pie) has Germanic roots? Be sure to read my post on Anglo-Saxon versus Latinate Diction.

Kindle Touch versus Nook Simple Touch

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UPDATE: This is a review comparing the Nook Simple Touch to the Kindle Touch. These models have both been replaced by newer models. And while I still prefer brick & mortar stores to Amazon, after struggling with my Nook’s clunky highlighting and note-taking issues, I’d recommend just going with the free Kindle app on mobile devices, or sticking with physical books if you don’t want to read back-lit text.

Next week is my birthday, and though I have thought about getting an E-reader for a few years now, I am finally getting one.

Why the delay?

1. I like physical books. No e-reader will ever compare to snuggling up with a book, turning its pages, holding the weight in your hand, seeing the typography printed on paper and laid out with intention. And no e-reader will ever have that deliciously musty smell of a book.

2. I wanted a touch screen, no backlight e-reader if I was going to get one at all. I have an iPhone with both Nook and Kindle apps if I need a backlight, but the truth is, I stare at a screen all day. I’d prefer reading to be better for my eyes, not more strain for them.

3. I wasn’t reading enough to justify the purchase.

4. I thought going to the library would suffice when I finally finished the books I was reading.

5. Buying used books is cheaper than buying an e-book.

Why the change of heart?

1. I’ll still buy physical books.

2. No backlight E-readers with full touch screens are available.

3. I’ll read more if I have access to more books.

4. The local library here has very little selection. When we move to the city, I’ll use the library more, but I can get e-books from the library, too.

5. Buying new books supports the publisher, which means more books in the future.

Kindle Vs. Nook

Big surprise! The Kindle Touch and Nook Simple Touch have more similarities than differences. To read about the similarities and a few differences, read this article at the MSNBC Technolog, or click the image below.

The Nook and Kindle homepage layouts
John Brecher / msnbc.com

Kindle Touch Review

I went to two stores with Kindle Touch samples, Walmart and Best Buy. Unfortunately, the demo version used at both stores SUCKS, so if you want to try out a Kindle Touch, find a friend who has one and try theirs, or find a nice Best Buy person willing to register the sample in his name so you can bypass the demo. The latter happened for me. Still, it felt a bit clunky, so finding a friend seems the better option.

Here’s the overview of a Kindle Touch:

  • One free book to borrow per month if a Prime member ($80 annually) NOW $99 annually
  • $30 more to get one without ads
  • 3G available for $50 more
  • Can view web browser
  • text-to-speech option
  • 4 GB storage plus cloud capabilities
  • can read PDF, TXT, and Word documents, no e-pub
  • turn page by tapping sides of screen
  • Reading Options:
    • Options accessed by tapping top of screen (I accidentally accessed it a few times while turning pages)
    • 8 text sizes
    • 1 typeface with 3 font options (serif, sans, condensed)
    • 3 choices for line spacing
    • Words per line: fewer, fewest, default
  • not easiest to navigate (demo version impossible)
Because I used a demo version, my experience was limited.

Nook Simple Touch Review

  • 1 hour free reading in-store, every day, of e-books you haven’t purchased. A select e-book is free every Friday
  • no ads
  • 3G not available
  • no text-to-speech
  • no web browser access
  • 2 GB storage plus cloud capabilities plus SD card slot for unlimited storage.
  • can read PDF, e-Pub, and image files, not Word or TXT docs
  • turn page by tapping sides of screen OR use buttons on edges
  • Customizable sleep screens—create your own with personal photos
  • Reading Options:
    • Options accessed by tapping bottom of screen
    • 7 text sizes
    • 6 different typefaces (I think Amasis is the name of my favorite)
    • 3 choices for line spacing
    • 3 choices for margins
    • publisher default option
  • better navigation and interface
Kindle has some features that the Nook doesn’t have, but the Nook has a better design. Kindle has better Amazon phone support with a return policy, but Nooks can be serviced in any B&N store.
I still couldn’t decide between Kindle and Nook, so I looked at the stores:

Amazon versus Barnes and Noble

Though Barnes & Noble claims to have 2 million books available, that counts the free books, which Amazon also has. Amazon actually offers more books, but the difference is small, and those books offered on Amazon and not on B&N are more likely to be self-published books.

The decision-maker was which store had a better relationship with publishers. The answer? Barnes and Noble. (Read the New York Times article here.) Amazon might have cheaper books from time to time, but Barnes & Noble respects the publisher’s wishes. It might lead to some grumbling from cheapskate consumers like myself, but think about the price for a second here: by paying the publisher’s price, you are keeping the publisher alive. By keeping the publisher alive, you are keeping traditional publishing alive. By keeping traditional publishing alive, you are keeping book printing and quality control alive.

Now, I’m biased. As a designer, I’ll always prefer printed books to e-books because they are intentionally designed with intentional typefaces. As a tactile person, I’ll always prefer printed books. As a writer, I prefer traditional printing because traditional publishers 1) don’t publish as much crap and 2) get writers seen and their books read.

Do I have respect for people that can do self-publishing? Yeah, because it’s a lot of work. Do publishers sometimes reject awesome books? Yes—try a different publisher or find a better agent. Can publishers get greedy? Yes–go to the library if the book is too expensive.

But really, publishing is an industry, full of workers. Workers who deserve to be paid. It makes me SO MAD when I see people saying that “reading should be free for everyone.” One: It is, you idiots. Get a library card. Two: how would you feel if YOU didn’t get paid for your job?

Bottom Line

While the Kindle is easily the number one sold e-reader, popularity doesn’t necessarily mean superiority. Then again, I’m a Mac person, so of course I feel that way. Except in this case, the Nook is actually the cheaper option.

Nook isn’t called the “Simple” Touch for nothing. It has fewer gimmicks extras, and it’s much easier to use. The design is far superior, and I am supporting traditional book publishing by supporting Barnes & Noble.

Nook wins.

Update April 2012: Nook just released the NOOK Simple Touch™ with GlowLight™—SUPER long name, super cool gadget if you want to read at night. $139, same price as the Kindle without ads. Check out a review here. Preorder it here.

Introduction to Poetry

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Well, now I feel sheepish. I completely forgot that April was National Poetry Month until I was in Seattle and saw posters about it. To make it up to you, I’m going to introduce you to my favorite poets.

I’ll divide them into the categories I read most and give you a link to one of their most well-known poems. I won’t type their poems here because that would be plagiarism.

Taste a sample, and if you like it, check out their books of poetry. Every bookshelf could house more poetry.

Contemporary

These poets are still living.

Ada Limón I just ADORE. Start with “How to Triumph Like a Girl” and “Dead Stars.”

Billy Collins was my favorite poet in college. He’s hilarious and masters visuals in an incredibly fun way. His popular poem “Introduction to Poetry” is appropriate for this post, and  you can read it here.

Li-Young Lee is more serious, lyrical. He’s known for “Persimmons,” which is read in most poetry classes, and for good reason. Read (or reread) it here. I also recommend “The Gift” and “Dreaming of Hair.”

For 180 contemporary (1980s-current) poems chosen by somebody at The Library of Congress for American High Schoolers, go here. Don’t expect much diversity there.

Harlem Renaissance

I love Harlem Renaissance poetry. What Jazz did to loosen and free music, Harlem poets did to poetry. Their rhythm is unmistakable. Please, don’t only read what dead white guys have written.

Langston Hughes is probably a familiar name. Read “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” here.

Gwendolyn Brooks might be less familiar, but she is my favorite woman-poet. I think “The Bean Eaters” is her most well-known poem, but be sure to read a bigger sampling of her poems. Some are listed in a little blue box on the right column of her biography here. Also, if I could have a writer’s portrait half as cool as hers, I’d be very pleased.

Classics

There are SO MANY (it’s all we read in K-12). I’ll just let you read two of my favorite pre-20th century poems:

“Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe. If Poe’s fiction is overrated, his poetry is seriously underrated. This is a master of form.

“She Walks in Beauty” by George Byron. This is just such a lovely poem.

Like I said, there are so many more! But that’s why I have a poetry section on this blog. I’ll keep adding to it 🙂 In the meantime, here’s a bunch of recommendations from poets themselves.