Fun linguistic book for word nerds 😎
A fun fact I learned was that "boycott" was named after the first person who was the target of the practice - Captain Boycott!
Official synopsis
With warmth, a popular radio and podcast host shares her love of language, weaving together linguistic history, regional phrases, the hidden poetry in etymologies, new words, and stories from her life and time on the air
Martha Barnette has spent two decades as the co-host of A Way with Words, lauded by Mary Norris in The New Yorker as “a virtual treasure house” and “‘Car Talk’ for Lexiphiles.” Over that time, she’s developed a keen sense of what fascinates people about language. They are curious about etymology and revel in slang, are surprised by regional vocabulary and celebrate linguistic diversity. Idioms both puzzle and delight word lovers, and they are eager to share family neologisms and that weird phrase Grandma always used to say.
In Friends with Words, Barnette weaves together all these strands in a clear, informative, highly entertaining exploration of language. Chock-full of anecdotes, humorous asides, new words, trivia, and other lexicological delights, Friends with Words also tells Barnette’s story—from her Appalachian roots through her study of Ancient Greek, and on to the making of a beloved and enduring show. Friends with Words is an expert, good-humored, joyful book.
#wordnerds #linguistics #librarybook #readingtime
Not sure how I got this on my list, but I almost skipped it because I wasn't sure I was in the mood for a WWII book. I'm glad I read it - it felt like a different story than other war historical fiction I've read.
Official synopsis
This classic novel of love and war set amidst the devastation of World War II and its aftermath follows sister-and-brother twins who meet shockingly different fates, but whose bond will last forever.
Cambridge, 1942: Twins Tessa and Theo are each eager to do their part in the war. Theo is recruited by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and disappears into the skies, while Tessa jumps at the chance to join the Special Operations Executive (the SOE), devoted to spying and sabotage in German-occupied France. It will be dangerous, highly classified work, but Tessa is no stranger to secret-keeping.
Two years later, Theo comes home. Tessa does not. Theo, a clandestinely gay man at a time when homosexuality was illegal, is physically wounded and emotionally broken by the deaths of his fellows and the disappearance of his sister. He is angry and cannot stop pursuing answers about Tessa’s fate, even though he will pay a steep price for his quest.
Years later, PhD candidate Edie is deep into her research on the SOE when it leads her to Theo. The old man and young scholar form an unlikely partnership and together, they finally uncover the truth about Theo’s beloved sister—a truth that stretches all the way back to the summer Tessa spent in France before the war had even begun.
Both intimate and sweeping, elegantly written and unflinchingly honest, The Shock of the Light is a novel of bravery, the brutal cost of war, a sibling bond that outlasts even death, and the redemptive love that grows in unexpected places.
#readingtime #historicalfiction #librarybook
This book wasn't for me, as it is mostly character-driven. But when I finished it and read the author blurb, I understood it more and was glad I did read it.
"In 2022, Woody Brown became the first nonspeaking autistic graduate of UCLA, where he received the English department’s top writing honors. Brown completed his MFA in creative writing at Columbia University in 2024. He lives in Los Angeles and is working on a second novel."
If I had known about the author before I read it, the book would've hit differently. So I DO recommend it and go in knowing that it's a view from inside autism.
#upwardboundbook #librarybook #autismawareness
This was a touching book about forgiveness but also about how we think everything is about us when it's not. The story also focuses on addiction and how it affects a sibling and family.
I'm glad I read this, even if addiction is hard to read about.
Official synopsis
It'll be fine. Probably. Maybe.
Lorna Lott has been leaning into the awkward side of things most of her life. Her intensity and drive haven't earned her any friends, but at least her sales team is meeting their quotas. Why should she care that they call her King Kong when her promotion to senior vice president is within reach? Or it was--until she made a mistake that even apology donuts couldn't fix.
Now she's been mandated to attend a thirty-day wellness program, and everything is on the line. If she can't get her low-key rage thing under control, stop her eyes from leaking, and figure out how to be more likeable, she won't get a promotion or raise. Which means she won't be able to buy back her grandmother's house and reclaim the happiness she hasn't felt since childhood.
Cooperating with the program means coming to terms with her past. Mainly, how her older sister's substance abuse ruined Lorna's life--and her many regrets about the way she handled things. With the help of her oddly endearing eight-year-old neighbor and his equally charming father, she throws herself into the process of making amends. But as she begins to accept that there is nothing she could have done to change the course of her sister's life, Lorna faces her most challenging task yet: changing the course of her own.
#librarybook #everythingisprobablyfine #addiction #sisters
Random fact I loved:
The Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland was based on historical examples where hatters/hatmakers used mercury on the felt and as more mercury absorbed into their bloodstream, they'd go crazy!
This was interesting but pretty deep reading. I mean, it IS about scientists who weren't believed so the science was necessary (but the author obviously tried to make it accessible). Amazing what passed for science in the past and sad to see the recent examples of women not being taken seriously in their fields.
The last chapter about how grants are awarded was eye-opening with interesting suggestions on how to make it a fairer process that doesn't require so much wasted time filling out grant applications.
Overall an interesting read if you're into science and nerdy things in general.
#librarybook #readingtime #science
This was a light-hearted read overall. I was happy to escape into her world. A little bit of a love triangle kind of? Better than the DNFs I've had lately
Official synopsis
From body-acceptance advocate and MEGABABE founder Katie Sturino comes a heartwarming and hilarious debut novel for fans for Emily Henry and Sex and the City
Sunny Greene is thirty-five, recently divorced, facing the looming prospect of going solo to her little brother’s wedding, and currently trying to find anything plus-sized in the Bergdorf Goodman swimsuit department that doesn’t make her want to cry. It’s not going well. But isn’t rock bottom the perfect place to start a climb?
She decides it’s now or never. Sunny has her PR empire, her gorgeous Chelsea apartment, her two dogs, and her loyal best friends. Maybe it's time to just love her body and accept herself for who she is. With a new commitment to confidence, her journey begins. Who says a plus-sized divorcee can’t put herself first, feel beautiful, and date up a storm?
Of course things are never straightforward in the dating world. Is fate knocking at her door with Dennis, the charming and down-to-earth mailman, or should she be with Ted, the business tycoon who seems ready to make her size-inclusive swimsuit brand a reality? And what should she do about her ex, who shows up unexpectedly, eager to reconnect?
With the same candor and confidence her followers love, Sturino brings us Sunny Greene, a Carrie Bradshaw for the next generation, and her journey through the trials and triumphs of dating, friendship, and finding yourself.
This was a touching story about a wife who lost her husband and he arranged a book per month (with a letter from him) to help her get through the year.
A cozy bookshop. Caring friends and family. Overall, this was a sweet story of working through grief on your own time.
Official synopsis
When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her husband waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. But mainly because Joe died five months ago....
When she goes to pick up the present, Alfie, the bookshop owner with kind eyes, explains the gift—twelve carefully chosen books with handwritten letters from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him.
At first Tilly can’t imagine sinking into a fictional world, but Joe’s tender words convince her to try, and something remarkable happens—Tilly becomes immersed in the pages, and a new chapter begins to unfold in her own life. Monthly trips to the bookstore—and heartfelt conversations with Alfie—give Tilly the comfort she craves and the courage to set out on a series of reading-inspired adventures that take her around the world. But as she begins to share her journey with others, her story—like a book—becomes more than her own.
#librarybook #readingtime #thisbookmademethinkofyou
Library holds come in whenever they want, so yes, I just read this holiday book today.
I really enjoyed it - pleasant and hopeful, while yes, still sad with two people dealing with the grief of losing spouses. I smiled a lot though, so I would recommend this book.
Official synopsis
The new year had barely begun when Grace White and Henry Adler both lost their spouses. Now, nearly a year later, the first holiday season since their "Great and Terrible Sadnesses" approaches. Although their mothers scheme to matchmake the two surviving spouses, it’s clear that neither is ready to date again. Yet no one understands what they are going through better than each other, and a delicate friendship is born.
When Henry sees an ad for a Christmas movie marathon—once an annual tradition for him and his wife—Grace offers to watch some films with him, despite her aversion to a few of his picks. Her two young kids, Ian and Bella, also join in whenever possible—bedtimes permitting, of course.
With each movie, Grace and Henry’s shared grief eases as they start to see a life beyond the sadness. But as they draw closer, other romantic possibilities leave them uncertain about their future together. Is their bond merely the result of loneliness and shared circumstances, or have they found something that’s worth taking a shot at . . . again?
#graceandhenrysholidaymoviemarathon
#librarybook
#readingtime
Devoured in one day - this hooked me quickly and even made me feel claustrophobic from the descriptions of the caves!
Official synopsis
After years of excuses, Tess has finally agreed to go caving with her best friend Allie. Their lives have diverged sharply since high school—Allie is a self-made travel influencer, while Tess is a shy (and claustrophobic) legal assistant struggling to pay for law school. Maybe she’s a little jealous of Allie's globe-trotting life. Who wouldn’t be?
As Tess and Allie descend into the depths, they realize they’re not alone. A stranger who claims to be a fellow caver harasses them. Confident, take-no-shit Allie insults the guy—and he retaliates. Soon, Tess is trapped inside a narrow crawl space hundreds of feet underground, fighting to stay alive.
Twenty-four hours later, as a hospitalized Tess recounts her harrowing story of survival, the detective interviewing her shares new and shocking secrets about Allie's true past. Together, they begin to suspect the brutal attack wasn’t so random after all.
Who was Allie, really? Why did this man target them? And did Tess really leave the danger behind when she escaped the cave?
#librarybook #herlastbreath #readingtime
