Book about Words

I indicated that I do not like book covers with photographs on them (I would rather see work by illustrators - but at least this is not a photograph of the author.

The cover is a good indication as to what would happen to me if I tried to read the OED.

This book, "Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages" by Ammon Shea is a memoir about the year he spent reading that dictionary.  What a brave, crazy man.

I had trouble even making my way through the definitions of the commentary of the words he included in his book.  But I enjoyed the other parts about his thoughts and struggles as he read.

This book was recommended to me when I indicated that I liked books about books.  I have decided I am not a real fan of books about words - I have a terrible memory for words.  I give credit to those who can remember words like this author - and all those who are beating me with Words With Friends.

Only found one other cover - to the Australian edition.  
Same picture - different cover font.  For a change - I like the American edition better.

Tales of the Dead

 This was my "purse book".  The purse book is the one that sits in you purse and you read when you are "stranded" somewhere with no one to talk to.  It has to be a book that you can put down for months and not loose your train of thought.  So short stories, articles or essays work best.   This one I started mid last year so you can see how long it took.

Did not like the cover at all.  It struck me as very egotistical.  Of course that did fit the writing in the book.

I liked to cover below much better.

I also liked the third cover I found better than the cover of the edition I read.  

New Words

At the suggestion of a friend - I picked up "Reading the OED" by Ammon Shea (thank you Judy for the suggestion.  The author decides to read the entire 20 volumes of the Oxford English Dictionary (crazy soul!)

Just finished chapter A.  He listed some of the A words he particularly liked.  Here are two of them that I would like to try to remember.

All-overish (adj.) - Feeling an undefined sense of unwell that extends to the whole body
     
    - what a great word.  


Assy (adj.)  - asinine 


  - a great new four letter word to use that is not the usual!

My Secret - I Liked the Cover Better Than the Book

I loved the cover - but unfortunately did not love the book.  I so wanted to like it since I had read another fictionalized account of Emily Dickinson ("I Never Came to You in White") a number of years ago that I loved.

When I got on the internet to check out other covers I did not find any - but this one got written up on some lists as a "best" cover.

Theft

As I said before - I am a sucker for books about books.

I picked up "The Book Thief" from the library based on the title.  It wasn't until I was half way through that I saw that it was on the best seller list for "chapter books" in the children's section in the New York Times best seller list.   I was somewhat surprised to see it there.  Yes, it is about a young girl, but the narrater is death.    You can see a review of the book here.  http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/27/books/27masl.html

I would recommend the book.  I thought it an easy - intriguing read.

While the cover was interesting and did represent the book well, I would have wished that it was an illustration rather than a photograph.

When I went out to the internet I found a large assortments of other covers -
http://inkcrush.blogspot.com/2010/08/covers-of-book-thief-markus-zusac-35.html

I liked the UK adult version and the Russion versions the best.