Wrangling Cheeky Monkeys and Other Noble Pursuits: words words words

Monday, November 15, 2010

A Noble Pursuit

Collecting words is a very, very noble pursuit. I love words (evidenced here) and fervently wish my vocabulary was as big as a house. My most prized possession? The most romantic gift I have ever received from Head Monkey?

That's right. The Oxford English Dictionary.

It sits proudly in my family room on. . . you guessed it. . . the dictionary table. I have a piece of furniture for the dictionary. I don't have a guest bed, but my dictionary has a place all its own.

Our own Tutcibachi has shared a website that showcases words that GASP! might be omitted from the venerable OED due to lack of use. Logophiles, please do your part! Go to the website and adopt a word today!

www.savethewords.org

The Wrangler's Reading List

Your One Year Old (two year old, three year old, etc.) series. (There is a book for each age. Has helped me understand my children better as they grow).
When a Crocodile Eats the Sun: A Memoir of Africa by Peter Godwin (The best memoir I have read in a VERY long time. And I read a lot of memoir).
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. (I've read this at five distinct points in my life and have learned something new EVERY SINGLE TIME.)
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (This little gem was a timely recommendation from a very good friend. I have put a lot of its tenets into practice, and will confess that it has improved my overall happiness).
The Discipline Book by Dr. William Sears
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austin
Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. Thanks, Julia, for teaching me how to bake french bread. My family thanks you as well.
Make It Fast, Cook It Slow by Stephanie O'Dea
Anne Lamott. ANYTHING she writes. I love how she is reverently irreverant.
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
1,2,3 Magic by the man, whose name I have forgotten, who wrote about how to put this very intuitive and yet magical parenting technique into practice. Wish I had thought of that. I also wish I had invented those Silly Bandz that turn children into rabid Silly Bandz-collecting dogs. Ah, well.