Heavy with the links, this one.

This week's there at A Word A Day is 'words that appear to be misspellings.'  It's a good one, and I've learned some things.  For example, today's word is:

jargoon, meaning  A colorless, pale yellow, or smoky variety of zircon.
 
Did any of you know this word?   I'd never heard it before, and I'm a big fan of the 'minerals and jewels' part of any natural history museum.

It's also part of the title of a fantasy novel that I've also never heard of.  SO MUCH TO DISCOVER!!!

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You do really have to admire a novelist who churns out so much work that their books come in series that are embedded in cycles.  I mean, I know NOTHING about this author or this 'world,' but wow, he must have had some wacky dreams to be able to output this much material on this topic.  I guess that once you start populating your world as a writer you can pretty much do with it what you want and invent whomever you want, and go as far or back into its history as you want, so maybe it's NOT as amazing as I first thought, but wow.  Series embedded in cycles, layers of organization and forethought and planning.

It's is for this reason that I am not, currently, a well-known author.  All the forethought and planning, who has the time?

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I've been doing a LOT of reading lately.  Mostly memoirs, with a random novel or 2 thrown in.  Some were better than others, naturally, but all were read cover to cover with no skipping around (a common ploy for me) and no reading the end to see if I want to read the rest (also common for me).  I'm out of practice with the reading, but am trying to bring it back as a 'thing' I do, an escape, a means of learning, a hobby.

Also, as a result of some of those memoirs, I feel MUCH better about myself (and especially how I was raised).  Holy wah, the life some people have led!  I feel really really bad for the author of "Lies My Mother Never Told Me," because if her mom was even half as bad as she says, that woman was a true monster and deserved none of the love and attention her daughter so desperately gave her.  A decent book, with the story being stronger than the writing (and the author is an acclaimed novelist, so what is up with that?).

Also good, though slow-ish to get started and too quick to end, was "There's a (Slight) Chance I Might be Going to Hell" by Laurie Notaro, who is better known as...a memoirist.  She uses as very odd mechanism to wrap up her novel, but that shouldn't put off anyone who wants a breezy read with some VERY funny bits thrown in.


Next up this "High on Arrival" by Mackenzie Phillips.  I cannot WAIT to find out what her story is all about and where she is in her journey now.  I do hope there's some delicious name-dropping done!

So, you read any good books lately?  Do tell.

Tiff out.