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Post by Phalon on Jul 28, 2011 4:26:06 GMT -6
Ooo, Moonglum - that sounds like something I'd enjoy reading.
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Post by Siren on Aug 3, 2011 22:23:47 GMT -6
I actually thought about bringing this up the other day. I love this thread. "We Keep a path open along the brookside, and each year about his time sculpt it into attractive vistas." from The Shape of a Year by Jean Hersey This was one of the books on Mom's shelves. Written in 1967 it's a lovely month-by-month chronicle of events in a woman's life living in the Connecticut countryside. I bet my mom would love that book, Gams. I'll put it on her Christmas gift list this year. Is it really time to start thinking about Christmas?! Good grief! ~~~~~~~~ I just have to give you a couple of extra lines from this book, because they paint a vivid picture: "Naked trees clawed the overcast sky. Gray branches stuck up from the snow, dead leaves clinging to the tips. I was those leaves, shivery and desperate, waiting helplessly to be swept away by the slightest breeze." from "Home Another Way" by Christa Parrish
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Post by Siren on Aug 8, 2011 21:26:11 GMT -6
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Post by Phalon on Aug 10, 2011 6:58:22 GMT -6
Me too! And I have cried every time I've read the book and seen the movie!
Another cool site, Siren...though it confirmed how poorly-read I am; I've read less than 15 of those books.
I love the description - perfectly haunting imagery in just a couple of lines.
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Post by Siren on Aug 12, 2011 20:05:12 GMT -6
My first experience with "Charlotte's Web" was when our second grade teacher read it to us. I think most every kid in the classroom was crying at the end. Mrs. Duffer probably was, too! I don't remember. I have cried on every subsequent reading. And I always cry when watching the movie - the old one; haven't seen the update. It is just a really, really affecting story - a little masterpiece, really.
Don't feel bad, Gams. I haven't read most of them, either. And as an English minor, it seems I was reading some "great" novel at almost all times in school (and often being bored stiff by it).
I know. "Naked trees clawed the overcast sky." Isn't that awesome??
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Post by Phalon on Aug 13, 2011 7:17:04 GMT -6
I haven't seen the newer version of Charlotte's Web either, Siren...or maybe I have. With two kids it's pretty certain I have seen it, but probably don't remember because the older one in my mind was absolute perfection, and why mess with perfection.
I spent a lot of time on that site; there's a similar list of the greatest opening lines of novels I read through, and another list of the greatest children's books. Sad to say I haven't read most of those either. Though I'm familiar with nearly all the book titles on the best first/last line novels, I haven't even heard of many of the children's books!
Yes, awesome! You know, it's a coincidence you posted that when you did. For my writing group meeting next month, I'm writing a short piece on the untimely death of a tree....from the tree's perspective. Of course I won't use that line....but "clawing the sky" presents too good an imagery to pass up entirely.
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Post by Siren on Aug 19, 2011 21:02:40 GMT -6
At times he would simmer with some inner rage which after a marital squabble early on would lead him to storm from the house in silence, rifle in hand, not saying where he was going - leaving Tricia to wait and wonder whether she had misjudged the man she'd hoped was hidden in the boy, to wonder whether he would return at all, whether he might, to quiet some demon beyond her ken, even turn the rifle on himself.
~from "The Dreams Of Ada" by Robert Mayer, about a horrible murder (is there any other kind?) in my hometown. Jeez, Gams, how's that for a long-*ss sentence? Did this guy actually HAVE an editor??
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Post by Phalon on Aug 20, 2011 4:31:27 GMT -6
BOLL, Siren. That's exactly what I said to myself as I was reading it - 'dang, that's one long-@ss sentence!'
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Post by Siren on Aug 22, 2011 21:32:45 GMT -6
LOL! Great minds (and incurable self-editors) think alike!
My head was spinning; all I could think about was how radiant Isabella had looked in bed with Ted, under a pile of handmade Amish quilts, and how in real life Isabella has been divorced twice and seems fine.
~from a review of the movie "Cousins" (which I love) in "If You Ask Me", a book of very funny movie reviews by Libby Gelman-Waxner
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Post by Siren on Sept 5, 2011 14:11:59 GMT -6
"And for a moment, he was afraid that his wet engine would stall, and he would be caught in the Boatwright world forever, the way a lot of the guys he knew had been, since Boatwright girls would sleep with anyone, and sleeping with a Boatwright girl just about guaranteed a pregnancy."
~from "Blessings" by Anna Quindlen, one from a sack of books my mom has asked me to take to the used book store for trade-in
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Post by Phalon on Sept 6, 2011 6:24:10 GMT -6
I have to ask...did you read the entire book, or just turn to page 56? And I'm only asking because I was at the library the other day with BP, while she looked for books to check out, I passed the time looking at a bunch of page 56s. (eye-roll at myself) "At each decision point, he debates the pros and cons, seesawing painfully back and forth between the two." from "Atomic Gardens" by Becky Rupp, in reference to the character Tevye in "Fiddler On the Roof" "Atomic Gardens" is a short story in a gardening magazine called "Green Prints; The Weeder's Digest". I thought of you, Siren, when I was reading the current issue. It's not your typical gardening magazine; the entire thing is comprised of short stories involving gardening or nature. Some of them are sad, some funny, and others just make a person smile. The reason I thought about you is here or there, you'll mention something would make a great gift to give your Mom or sister. This might be another to add to the list. Here's the link if you're interested: www.greenprints.com/en/
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Post by Mini Mia on Sept 6, 2011 17:06:38 GMT -6
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Post by Siren on Sept 6, 2011 19:51:15 GMT -6
Thanks, Jox. And thank you, Gams. I will definitely check that out! I'm getting that Christmas list together, doncha know.
No, I wasn't reading the books. Like you, I just turned to page 56. My mom and I have very different tastes in books. She reads a lot of fiction; I read mostly non-fiction.
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Post by Mini Mia on Sept 6, 2011 21:17:36 GMT -6
You're very welcome, Siren.
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Post by Phalon on Sept 7, 2011 21:20:11 GMT -6
Thanks for fixing it, Joxie. I noticed it was an inactive link in the post, didn't have time when I posted to fix it, and never would have figured it out even if I did have time!
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Post by Mini Mia on Sept 7, 2011 21:41:23 GMT -6
You're welcome, Phalon. There are only two ways to fix that kind of link:
1) Take out the 's' or just get rid of all the 'https://' 2) Link it like you would an image or a word/s url=https://www.greenprints.com/en/]https://www.greenprints.com/en/[/url][/ul] [/font]
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Post by Siren on Sept 8, 2011 20:51:44 GMT -6
"Silence!" ejaculated a voice - not that of Miss Miller, but of one of the upper teachers, a little and dark personage, smartly dressed but of somewhat morose aspect, who installed herself at the top of one table, while a more buxom lady presided at the other.
~from "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte
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Post by quettalee on Sept 13, 2011 22:04:17 GMT -6
"Si señor. Hágame el favor de firmar aqui. A su derecha hay un buzón."
"Yes sir. Please sign your name here. To your right is a mail chute."
from "Easy Spanish Phrase Book" ~ Dover Books on Languages
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Post by Phalon on Sept 13, 2011 22:45:32 GMT -6
How many times, I wonder, would you need to know how to say that simple phrase?
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Post by quettalee on Sept 13, 2011 22:57:54 GMT -6
Exactly. I could've cheated, I guess, and picked another page, another sentence. Actually, of the 770 "Basic Phrases for Everyday Use" in this particular learning tool of a book, I felt the same of about 75% of them.
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Post by Siren on Sept 14, 2011 7:30:05 GMT -6
That's sorta like learning algebra. How the heck you gonna use it?
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Post by quettalee on Sept 14, 2011 20:50:10 GMT -6
"In the answer to these questions lies the key to understanding, and therefore to curing and preventing high blood pressure."
from "The High Blood Pressure Solution - Natural Prevention and Cure with the K Factor" by Richard D. Moore M.D., Ph. D.
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Post by Phalon on Sept 14, 2011 21:39:36 GMT -6
Yes, but how do you say that in Spanish? Or in algebra?
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Post by quettalee on Sept 14, 2011 22:50:53 GMT -6
Lol. We didn't have foreign language in my tiny high school back in the stone age but I always said that algebra was like one to me, especially Alg II.
God, I hated that class. The only D I ever got in all my years of education on any level. And I only got that because I had strep throat the week of finals so I got to come in & take my Alg II final all alone the next week. I struggled so in that class & I was still so sick when I tried to take it that I ended up in tears trying to just turn in the paper with my name & the first problem completed after a hour & a half. "Mr. Self", bless his heart, gave the paper back to me and helped me pull every single formula out of the paragraph. Once I got that far, I was able to do the rest on my own. At least enough to somehow end up with a D as my final grade.
Spanish has been so much easier.
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Post by Phalon on Sept 16, 2011 6:25:56 GMT -6
Me too, Q. Algebra was not only a foreign language to me, it was complete gibberish. I would have understood more walking blindly into a Spanish class...and I took German. I'm not even sure I made it to Algebra II; I think I stopped after Geometry (which I loved..at least as much as one can love anything to do with math. Go figure). I know I took the least amount of math required to graduate, and if Algebra II was required, I've completely blotted it out of my mind.
LX aced Algebra II last year, and is on to Pre-Calc this year. She is obviously not my child, and must have been switched from birth.
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Post by Siren on Sept 16, 2011 7:12:24 GMT -6
I could have written the above posts - both of them. Just change a few details, and it's my story. I got a D--, yes a D MINUS MINUS, in math in the 6th grade. Sad to know you've hit the wall in 6th grade, but there you have it. From there on, I took every variation of remedial math there was, barely satisfying the requirements to get through school. And that includes college as well. I was in the math classes all the jocks took. But where they rarely attended, and apparently had someone else doing their work, I sweated my way through a passing grade. I detest math, and to this day can barely add two and two, and cannot balance my checkbook. I excelled in writing classes, took to French and Spanish easily, and have been called articulate. But math? I truly think that, like singing, you either have math skills or you don't. I think that, as in singing, less talented students can be coached into doing a servicable job. But to be really good at it, I think you have to have a gift. And if you don't have the "math brain", it is indeed, Gams, like another language.
"She is obviously not my child, and must have been switched from birth." LOL!!
~~~~~~~
"These people, drawn from many different places and with many different backgrounds, gave the whole life of the County an informality that was new to Ellen, an informality to which she never quite accustomed herself."
~from "Gone With The Wind" by Margaret Mitchell
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Post by quettalee on Sept 17, 2011 23:28:53 GMT -6
Too funny, you two. If the three of us were to ever end up in a life or death situation that depended on us pulling that formula out of the paragraph, we'd be in some deep trouble!
Actually, I'm pretty confident we could MacGyver our way out of any situation. And if not, we could definitely kick some warrior butt!
"Slice the pepper and mix it with the salad leaves in a large bowel." from "The Home Apothecary" by Jessica Houdret
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Post by Phalon on Sept 18, 2011 7:56:52 GMT -6
You too, Siren? It's kinda comforting to know I stand in the ranks of the mathematically challenged with the likes of you and Q; together we have enough fingers and toes to at least count on each other...or our chickens, you know, before they've hatched.
What are the odds of that happening? Nevermind. It involves math. But really, who needs math when there's warrior butt to be kicked.
That all sounded pretty good until it got to the large bowel.
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Post by quettalee on Sept 19, 2011 9:51:03 GMT -6
That all sounded pretty good until it got to the large bowelLMAO! That's what happens when you post when you should be sleeping!
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Post by Siren on Sept 19, 2011 22:10:16 GMT -6
Well, if we couldn't arrest them with arithmetic, maybe we could vanquish them with verbosity, Gams. One must go with one's strengths. ~~~~~~ I went to work on the Raleigh Times as assistant to the liberal young editor Mark Ethridge, Jr., a southern journalist in the best tradition of the Atlanta Constitution's Ralph McGill; both men were a scourge to southern conservatives. ~ from "Laughing All The Way", Washington insider Barbara Howar's funny and highly readable autobiography
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