I usually have several books going at a time, aside from audiobooks, and this week it's Tidelands, which is slow but inexorable, and very good, and
This is the "classic affluent unqualified lady gets to be a publisher almost by accident", the story of the haphazard boy's clubby upper class world of English publishing.
Except that she found she was a great editor, as her stable of writers attest. And this, I've just started it, is nonfiction about her life ss sn editor who turns out also to be an engaging writer.
Then I just downloaded
On being alerted of its existence by Steve.
So between knitting and studying my Arabic, I'll be reading. Also enjoying soup.
This turned out to be celery, broccoli, spinach and yellow potato. Green powerhouse.
Today's art is Islamic illustration and miniature painting
Speaking of things Arabic, I was looking yesterday at pictures of young East End of London school children yesterday.
I found that when one, in the little bio each eight year old child gave, mentioned her sister, I could have written her name. This is exactly why I'm learning this stuff, just to enlarge my ability.
Got to go, Arabic lesson calls.
Happy day everyone, learn something, it's always fun. Or don't, on the grounds, as Bertie Wooster would say, that you're full up!
Once again I'm finding comments in spam including my own. As I find them I'll publish.
ReplyDeleteWe are also finding our own replies in our own spam - sometimes weeks after we thought we had posted them (yet wek check spam daily now). All very weird. You said you had studied modern languages - does that help to learn even more quickly? Did it provide a sort of template for learning language?
DeleteThe main brain shift is helped by having studied classical greek and some Russian, both using different alphabets and different sounds, also different perceptions.
DeleteThe French and Spanish I used, which fit, as Romance languages, into the current assumptions, are less useful to me. And a bit of German, not helpful.
I get very excited when i can translate a bit of Welsh! I shall have to look out for that book on the editor.
ReplyDeleteI hear you on the Welsh! I also have a hold on her book about old age.
DeleteI come here, I get books recommendations and the ok to not learn something because I'm full up!
ReplyDeleteSo this is good. Keep coming in, you never know what's going to happen.
DeleteHa, I put French Braid on my book list for the same reason.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised I hadn't even heard of it. It's on my Kindle now.
DeleteI always have at least two books going- one I'm reading with my eyes, the other with my ears. Works for me. And then there are the magazines...
ReplyDeleteMostly just the New Yorker these days.
I read "French Braid" and I swear- I can hardly remember it. I agree with Steve in that her latest novels have not been her best ones.
I love the little Persian painting.
I wonder if she's running out of juice. It can happen.
ReplyDeleteLately I’ve been off the books all together. I like to watch Christmas movies.
ReplyDeleteMy guilty secret. But once the silly season is over I’ll be right back to reading and listening to my books
Do you have favorite Christmas movies? My only choice is The Bishop's Wife.
DeleteAnother book for the reading list!
ReplyDeleteWhich one?
DeleteIt sounds like the Arabic is going well. Great progress in a short time!
ReplyDeleteThe course is very well designer, so I you can start quickly learning words. I have to write a phonetic version when she pronounces them
DeleteHow unique. Not everybody does Arabic.
ReplyDeleteI'm surrounded by Indian friends who are fluent in several Indian languages, different alphabets, so Arabic doesn't feel like a far cry for me. It's certainly a challenge.
DeleteLearning Arabic is far from my wheelhouse. I never even took French in school which I suppose wasn't 'right' when you consider we're supposed to be a bilingual country. I did take Pitman shorthand which was a language all unto its own. Never did end up using it though.
ReplyDeleteOh gawd, Pitman I had to learn it, no way I could get a job back in the 60s no matter how good my degree, without those skills. I still remember some of the outlines! But it was so little and picky compared to my natural writing, that I didn't like it at all. I did have to use it though.
Delete