Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading.  If you want to play along, grab the new button (or the old graphic), and join the fun!  (Don’t forget to leave a link in your comment if you’re participating.)

All of today’s words came from The Magicians by Lev Grossman.

1. syllogism – “Once he found his way up to the clock tower and spent an afternoon watching the huge rusty iron pendulum sway back and forth, following the massive gears and levers and catchments as they turned and meshed, carrying out their mechanical syllogism, until the glow of the setting sun shone through the tremendous backward clock face.”

Syllogism is a subtle, spacious, or crafty argument.

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2.obstreperous – “They were a highly visible clique, always earnestly conferring with each other and having fits of obstreperous public laughter, conspicuously fond of themselves and uninterested in the greater Brakebills populace.”

This word seemed really familiar to me – it seems like it’s been used by someone for a WWW post, but I couldn’t find it.  Obstreperous means marked by unruly or aggressive noisiness.

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3. sigil – “Quentin watched his lab partner Surendra dust his hands with white powder (equal parts flour and beech-wood ash), draw certain invisible sigils in the air with a freshly trimmed willow wand, and then bring the wand softly down on his marble (nickname: Rakshasa!), slicing it neatly in half with one stroke, first try.”

A sigil is a sign, word or device held to have occult power in astrology or magic.

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What new words have you encountered lately?

Today I’m participating in Eco-Libris Green Books Campaign.  100 bloggers are reviewing “green books” – books that are printed on recycled or FSC-certified paper.  These books have been provided by over 35 publishers.  My book was published by Ronsdale Press and it is printed on “Ancient Forest Friendly ‘Silva’ (FSC) – 100% post-consumer waste, totally chlorine-free and acid-free” paper.

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Zosia Hoffenberg was born and raised in Warsaw, Poland.  Her father and his brothers owned a successful men’s clothing store so Zosia led a comfortable life, even though her mother was somewhat distant.  As a young child, Zosia and her siblings, along with their nanny, vacationed at a resort area and met the Bluman family.

Years later, Zosia and one of the Bluman boys, Natek, were re-acquainted and fell in love.  Natek’s family imported dried fruits and nuts and they sent him to the United States to study for a year.  In the US, Natek learned that the situation in Europe was much more grave than the Jews in Warsaw believed.  He urged Zosia to join him in the US where they would get married.

Arranged marriages were common in that time and place, so Zosia refused Natek at first, even though she was desperately in love.  Natek returned to Warsaw for Zosia just as the Nazis began bombing the city.  Natek left for Romania to try to make arrangements to get the Hoffenberg family into the US.  Things deteriorated in Warsaw and Zosia begged her father to allow her to join Natek in Romania.  Her father agreed that she could be gone for two weeks.

I Have My Mother’s Eyes by Barbara Ruth Bluman is the story of Zosia and Natek’s perilous escape from Europe at the beginning of World War II.  (Barbara is their daughter.)  There’s a little bit of Barbara’s own story sprinkled throughout.  Zosia and Natek have a fascinating journey – they managed to escape through grit, determination, luck and the help of people like Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese Consul in Lithuania, who provided travel visas for over 6000 Jews, against direct orders he received.  I wasn’t as emotionally connected to Zosia and Natek as I would have liked – I think that’s because the book is told in the third person one generation removed.  I wanted to know how Zosia and Natek felt as well as how they managed to escape.  I still liked this book and think others interested in World War II will as well.

This is my 8th book for the World War II Challenge, which means I have finally completed a challenge.

Review copy provided by Ronsdale Press.   I am an Amazon Associate.

Thanks to Marcia of The Printed Page for hosting one of my favorite memes, Mailbox Monday. Check out her blog to see what everyone else got last week or to play along.  These are the books I found in my mailbox last week:

Monday

• Lone Star Legend by Gwendolyn Zepeda from Hachette Books for a blog tour in January – watch for my review on January 25

Thursday

• Hex in High Heels by Linda Wisdom was a win from Peeking Between the Pages
• The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver came from Harper Collins
• Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton came from Harper Collins (my whole family is fighting over this one)
• The Information Officer by Mark Mills came from Random House
• The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl was a win from Bookish Ruth

Friday

• Casting Off by Nicole R. Dickson was a win from 2 Kids and Tired Book Reviews

Saturday

• Double Take by Kevin Michael Connolly came from Harper Collins

What books came into your house last week?

A young couple lived on New York’s East Side at the turn of the twentieth century.  They had five girls aged twelve to four.  Papa owned a junk shop, so the family didn’t have much money.  They spent their days much like a typical family – the children went to school and the library, resisted doing chores and refused to eat certain foods.  The girls were sweet and enjoyed holidays, surprises and each other’s company, and boy, do they get a fun surprise!

All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor was written in 1951 and reminded me of the books of my youth.  The stories and characters are sweet and a little simple.  There are a few things that are offensive by today’s standards, but probably weren’t at the time the book was written.

For me, the best part of this book is that the family (their last name is never revealed) is Jewish. Because of this, readers learn some things about the Jewish faith such as the meanings of several Jewish holidays.  I even learned something since I wasn’t familiar with the holiday of Succos and how it is celebrated.  I think it’s fantastic when readers can gain knowledge from a work of fiction.

This was my second book for the Shelf Discovery Challenge and I enjoyed it, but I wonder if it’s sophisticated enough for the young girls of today.  All-of-a-Kind Family is the first in a series of books based on the author’s childhood.  The Sydney Taylor Book Award was established by her husband after her death.

I am an Amazon Associate.

I wanted to highlight a few things and thought I’d combine them all in one post.  The picture of Milou hogging the clicker is just for fun.  She really doesn’t watch that much TV – she’s only interested in it if there are animals involved.

Have you heard about the Book Blogger Holiday Swap?  I participated last year, and it was so much fun, I signed up right away for this year’s.  Not only did I send and receive great gifts, but I met a wonderful blogger in the process.  You can sign up through November 12 and should have the name you’re buying for by November 17.  Lenore’s husband designed the button – isn’t it adorable?

Do you need a great gift idea for a reader in your life?  You might consider a Book Buddy or other product from Reading Comfort.  (I love my Book Buddy!)  Through the end of 2009, you can get a 15% discount simply by using the code “blogger” when you check out.

If you weren’t able to listen to Nicole interview me on Blog Talk Radio Tuesday night, you can listen to the archived version here.

Julie, Nicole and Amy are hosting a Progressive Dinner from December 7th to the 11th.  You don’t even have to cook for this one!  Go to any of their sites for details and to sign up.

I’m including this video because I think it’s funny and it’s book related:

Rachel Courteau was a prostitute in Arles, France in the late 19th century and in a chance encounter, she met Vincent van Gogh, thus beginning a two year relationship with him.  Theirs was an odd relationship since she was a prostitute and he was fighting mental illness.

Sunflowers by Sheramy Bundrick is told from Rachel’s perspective and follows her relationship with Vincent from his time in Arles to Saint Rémy to Auvers with the latter parts of their relationship shown through their correspondence.  I was drawn into this book very quickly because I was fascinated with Vincent van Gogh and his relationships with his brother and with Paul Gauguin.  The end of the book was a little slower for me because Vincent had left Arles and he wasn’t as involved in the story – I wanted more of Vincent and less of Rachel.  I really liked Vincent – he comes across as a kind, artistic, sympathetic man who loved his art, his family and children.  He was frustrated because of his dependence on his brother and his lack of success.  Rachel is also kind, but I didn’t always understand her motivations.  Ultimately, this is a love story and I liked it but didn’t love it.

Sheramy Bundrick has included an author’s note in the back of the book.  In her research, she discovered that in his famous “ear incident”, Vincent van Gogh took the fragment of his ear to a brothel and asked for Rachel.  There is really nothing known about Rachel, so her parts of this story are purely fiction.  The parts involving Vincent are based on fact and are presented as historically accurate as possible, but this is a work of historical fiction.  You can listen to an interview of Sheramy on Blog Talk Radio.

Review copy provided by Book Club Girl.   I am an Amazon Associate.

I’m sure most people know that the movie Amelia, starring Hillary Swank and Richard Gere, is the story of the famous aviatrix Amelia Earhart.  About all I knew about Earhart was that she disappeared in attempt to circumnavigate the globe, so I was fascinated with this movie.  I’m not sure how historically accurate the film is, but have looked up a few facts since seeing it, so I know that at least part of it is factual.

I realized that Amelia Earhart was a woman before her time but never knew how much she believed in women’s rights.  She was a pioneer for women in many ways.  I was surprised to learn that Earhart was married to a publisher (George Putnam), and of course, found this fascinating.   I won’t give away any more of the little details that were revealed in the movie because I think you should see it yourself.

There is some old black and white footage of Amelia Earhart inserted in Amelia in several places and it’s uncanny how much Hillary Swank resembles her.  Both Swank and Richard Gere do a great job in their roles.  I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, even though a few of the scenes were a little long.   I recommend this movie to anyone interested in history, aviation and women’s stories.

Can anyone recommend a great book about Amelia Earhart?

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading.  If you want to play along, grab the new button (or the old graphic), and join the fun!  (Don’t forget to leave a link in your comment if you’re participating.)

My first word this week comes from Family Sentence by Jeanine Cornillot.

1. sensimilla – “The third time, with my brother Danny, I smoked sensimilla.”

This wasn’t in my dictionary, but I did find it on Urban Dictionary and it is a special breed of marijuana plant that produces no seeds. HIGH quality.  It’s no wonder I didn’t know this word.

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My second word came from One Hundred Butterflies by Harold Feinsten.

2. cerements – “Then it bursts its cerements, and emerges in a new and beautiful garb, into a brighter existence.”

I had an idea of what this meant from the context, but I wanted to be sure, so I grabbed my dictionary and it wasn’t in there.  According to wiktionary, it means a burial shroud or garment.

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What new words have you encountered lately?

Taken in Hilton Head in 1994

It’s hard for me to believe, but my wonderful father is 90 years old today!  Can you think of a better reason to celebrate?  My dad was one of those people who never met a stranger and he was always there for everyone he knew.  He is passionate about his family and golf (even though he can’t play anymore).  He wears his heart on his sleeve, so we never doubt his feelings for us.

My dad struggles with mobility these days so he doesn’t get out of the house that much.  We are all thankful that my mom is still able to care for him.

Just think of all that my dad has seen since he was born on November 4, 1919.  Women didn’t even have the right to vote when he was born – that didn’t come until 1920.  Then of course there are things like television, telephones, jet airplanes and the internet.  Just thinking about it makes my head spin.

We’ll be heading down to Alabama this weekend to celebrate this milestone event with my family.

Just a reminder that Nicole will be interviewing me on her new Blog Talk Radio show, That’s How I Blog! tonight (Tuesday, November 3, 2009) at 7:00 pm Eastern Time.  If you want to know hear often I can put my foot in my mouth, you can listen in live or listen to the archived version later.  If you listen live, there’s a chat room available that usually has a pretty lively discussion going.  If you have any questions or comments for me, you can send them to nicole AT linussblanket DOT com before the show, ask in the chat room or call 646-381-4606 during the show and ask me yourself.  At the end of the show, Nicole and I will be discussing Labor Day by Joyce Maynard.