Arlene Miller's Blog, page 6

Hands Off Our Books! Part 1

Image by Amy from Pixabay

September 22-28 was Banned Books Week. 

Preliminary data released by the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom  found 1128 unique titles challenged from January 1 through August 31, 2024. 

Every year they compile a list of the ten most challenged books.  I looked at the top 10 for 2023 and was not very familiar with most of them, since they are new books, mostly dealing with gender issues. The only two I knew well and had read were The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.

Incidentally, the most banned book of all time  is George Orwell’s 1984. 

Only about 90 percent of book challenges are even reported. That said, the most frequently challenged books from 2010 through 2019 include these favorites: 

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman AlexieCaptain Underpants (series) by Dav PilkeyThirteen Reasons Why by Jay AsherLooking for Alaska by John GreenGeorge by Alex GinoAnd Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter ParnellDrama by Raina TelgemeierFifty Shades of Grey by E. L. JamesInternet Girls (series) by Lauren MyracleThe Bluest Eye by Toni MorrisonThe Kite Runner by Khaled HosseiniHunger Games by Suzanne CollinsI Am Jazz by Jazz Jennings and Jessica HerthelThe Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen ChboskyTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper LeeBone (series) by Jeff SmithThe Glass Castle by Jeannette WallsTwo Boys Kissing by David LevithanA Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill TwissSex is a Funny Word by Cory SilverbergAlice McKinley (series) by Phyllis Reynolds NaylorIt’s Perfectly Normal by Robie H. HarrisNineteen Minutes by Jodi PicoultScary Stories (series) by Alvin SchwartzSpeak by Laurie Halse AndersonBrave New World by Aldous HuxleyBeyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan KuklinOf Mice and Men by John SteinbeckThe Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret AtwoodThe Hate U Give by Angie ThomasFun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison BechdelIt’s a Book by Lane SmithThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark TwainThe Things They Carried by Tim O’BrienWhat My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya SonesA Child Called “It” by Dave PelzerBad Kitty (series) by Nick BruelCrank by Ellen HopkinsNickel and Dimed by Barbara EhrenreichPersepolis by Marjane SatrapiThe Adventures of Super Diaper Baby by Dav PilkeyThis Day in June by Gayle E. PitmanThis One Summer by Mariko TamakiA Bad Boy Can Be Good For A Girl by Tanya Lee StoneBeloved by Toni MorrisonGoosebumps (series) by R.L. StineIn Our Mothers’ House by Patricia PolaccoLush by Natasha FriendThe Catcher in the Rye by J. D. SalingerThe Color Purple by Alice WalkerThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark HaddonThe Holy BibleThis Book is Gay by Juno DawsonEleanor & Park by Rainbow RowellExtremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran FoerGossip Girl (series) by Cecily von ZiegesarHouse of Night (series) by P.C. CastMy Mom’s Having A Baby by Dori Hillestad ButlerNeonomicon by Alan MooreThe Dirty Cowboy by Amy TimberlakeThe Giver by Lois LowryAnne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl by Anne FrankBless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo AnayaDraw Me a Star by Eric CarleDreaming In Cuban by Cristina GarciaFade by Lisa McMannThe Family Book by Todd ParrFeed by M.T. AndersonGo the Fuck to Sleep by Adam MansbachHabibi by Craig ThompsonHouse of the Spirits by Isabel AllendeJacob’s New Dress by Sarah HoffmanLolita by Vladimir NabokovMonster by Walter Dean MyersNasreen’s Secret School by Jeanette WinterSaga by Brian K. VaughanStuck in the Middle by Ariel SchragThe Kingdom of Little Wounds by Susann Cokal1984 by George OrwellA Clockwork Orange by Anthony BurgessAlmost Perfect by Brian KatcherAwakening by Kate ChopinBurned by Ellen HopkinsEnder’s Game by Orson Scott CardFallen Angels by Walter Dean MyersGlass by Ellen HopkinsHeather Has Two Mommies by Lesle´a NewmanI Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya AngelouMadeline and the Gypsies by Ludwig BemelmansMy Princess Boy by Cheryl KilodavisPrince and Knight by Daniel HaackRevolutionary Voices: A Multicultural Queer Youth Anthology by Amy SonnieSkippyjon Jones (series) by Judith SchachnerSo Far from the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima WatkinsThe Color of Earth (series) by Tong-hwa KimThe Librarian of Basra by Jeanette WinterThe Walking Dead (series) by Robert KirkmanTricks by Ellen HopkinsUncle Bobby’s Wedding by Sarah S BrannenYear of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

How many of these have you read? I have read only about 30, so I am behind on my reading!

For the 2022-2023 school year, here are the states with the largest number of banned books:

Florida 1406

Texas 625

Missouri 333

Utah 281

Pennsylvania 186

South Carolina 127

Virginia 75

North Carolina 58

Here are the states that had only one book banned in the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years combined:

California

Massachusetts

Maryland

Rhode Island

New Hampshire

Vermont

Alaska

 

 

 

Have You Found My Motivation?

Image by Alexa from Pixabay

I published my first book in May 2010.  At that time I had no other plans to write and publish another book. However, things changed and from 2010 to 2021 I wrote and published 13 books.

The Best Little Grammar Book Ever

The Best Little Grammar Book Ever Second Edition

Beyond Worksheets – ebook with lesson ideas

The Great Grammar Cheat Sheet – another ebook only

I Wrote a Book – Now What? – a self-publishing guide I removed from the market because so much has changed.

The Best Grammar Workbook Ever

50 Shades of Grammar

The Best Little Grammar Workbook Ever

Does Your Flamingo Flamenco?

The Best Grammar Collection Ever

To Comma or Not to Comma

Birds of a Feather (novel)

When Life Hands You Frogs (memoir)

Thirteen books from 2010 to 2021. How prolific I am, I thought. And for the first couple of years, I additionally had a full time teaching job. And for a few years after that, until 2015, I taught 60 percent time. 

And now……well, in November 2021, during National Novel Writing Month, I wrote a romance novel. It didn’t “write itself” like my first novel (although that one didn’t exactly “sell itself”), and it needs a lot of work. So it has been sitting there for going on three years now with occasional feeble attempts to work on it.  I am planning to try to finish it during November and December (of this year!). And this year, I did write a memoir that was written for specific people, and given to them, so that will not be published. 

Which leads me to now. I keep up my weekly blog posts — although I have been running some older ones, since how many new ideas can you get after 14 years! (I am trying.) I do my social media every morning, part personal/part business. 

And then?

I want to fix my romance novel.

I have an idea for another romance novel.

I want to get back to my songwriting of decades and decades ago.

I want to become more proficient on my keyboard so I can play my songs and even record them with multiple tracks.

I want to produce more materials for the Teachers Pay Teachers website my books are on, so that I can sell more.

I have seriously considered getting certified to be a Life Coach.

But…

I go to Starbucks. I get a fancy cold brew. I come home and sit on my lanai with a book or two and my phone so I can listen to You Tube videos. Then I finally go inside (it has been between 90 and 100 degrees here every day for about five or so months). I sit at the computer or do something useful for a while and then it is exercise time and then TV time (only two hours), and then to bed.

That doesn’t leave much time for writing or music! It all sounds good when I think about doing it. But then my motivation goes to hide somewhere. Have you seen it?

Sometimes I think, well, my books are selling well (today, but who knows about tomorrow?), and I obviously just need to do what I am doing, so why not? Maybe I just need a long time out! I am studying a new topic — a spiritual one — which is requiring a lot of time, and I am very motivated in that pursuit, so I guess all is well for now. 

I just feel as if I should be more motivated to do the things that I really feel I want to do — especially the music. But I think the other thing I am working on is taking priority…

Life.

 

Fun with Misplaced Modifiers!

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from PixabayBest of the Grammar Diva

In the English language, words are generally understood to go with the words that are near them. Putting words in other places in a sentence often makes the sentence unclear — or even silly. The problem is generally with misplaced or dangling modifiers. These modifiers are generally prepositional phrases or participial phrases. Misplaced phrases are simply near the wrong word in the sentence. In dangling phrases the word they modify isn’t in the sentence at all. Misplaced modifiers are often hard to catch and are a common writing problem.

Here is my favorite dangler:

While still in diapers my mother remarried. 

Since while still in diapers is next to my mother, the sentence actually means my mother was still in diapers. While still in diapers refers to me, which isn’t even in the sentence and needs to be added: While I was still in diapers, my mother remarried.

Here is another dangler, missing “I”:

Reading a book by the window, my cat jumped onto my lap.

This would be silly unless cats have recently learned to read. While I was reading a book by the window, the car jumped onto my lap.

The two examples above contain dangling participles. Here is a misplaced one:

She read from her new book wearing glasses.

Although we pretty much assume it is the author who is wearing the glasses, the sentence says that the book is wearing glasses because the words are placed next to one another.

Here is a misplaced prepositional phrase:

You might like this mixing bowl set designed to please an expert cook with a round bottom for efficient beating. 

Who or what has the round bottom? The cook? You might like this mixing bowl set with a round bottom for efficient beating, designed to please an expert cook.

Here are more fun ones:

You are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian composers, artists, and writers are buried daily except Thursday.

(Daily except Thursday, you are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian composers, artists, and writers are buried.)

I must ask you to banish all information about the case from your mind, if you have any.

(I must ask you to banish from your mind all information about the case, if you have any.)

Many of the members congratulated him for his speech at the end of the meeting and promised him their vote.

Here, we cannot tell if the members congratulated him at the end of the meeting, or if his speech was at the end of the meeting. (Many of the members congratulated him for his speech  and promised him their vote after the meeting was over.)

You might be interested in this antique desk suitable for a lady with thick legs and large drawers.

(You might be interested in this antique desk with thick legs and large drawers, suitable for a lady.)

I am selling several old dresses from grandmother in beautiful condition. 

Who is in beautiful condition? (I am selling several old dresses in beautiful condition that belonged to my grandmother.)

The farmer wanted to hire someone to take care of his horse who doesn’t’ smoke or drink.

(The farmer wanted to hire someone who doesn’t smoke or drink to take care of his horse.)

Teaser:

We almost made a profit of $10. 

How much did you make? Answer at the end of this post.

 

While we are having fun with words, here are some questions for you:

Is there another word for synonym?

If a parsley farmer is sued, can they garnish his wages?

Does the little mermaid wear an algebra? 

How is it possible to have a civil war? (good oxymoron)

If you try to fail, but you succeed, what have you done?

Remember that there are many ways to rewrite a sentence. So in the rewritten sentences above, there are other options, including making a sentence into two sentences.

Answer to teaser:

You may not have made anything at all.

We almost made a profit of $10. You almost made a profit. You didn’t make anything.

We made a profit of almost $10.  You may have made $9 or $9.99….whatever profit you made, it was almost $10.

 

 

Choose Me!

Image by from Pixabay

I assume that most of you are readers. How do you choose your books? Recommendation? Author? Genre? Price? Cover? Back Cover/Reviews? Amazon rating?

Where do you get your books? Library? Amazon? Used bookstore? Brick and mortar new bookstore? Other online seller? Big box store? Friends? Yard sales or thrift shops?

I get most of my books these days at the library on recommendation from sites that send me emails (mostly Bookbub I think) or, occasionally, friends or even something I hear about on television or YouTube.  I usually will look up the book’s rating on Amazon before putting the book on hold at the library. And I will check if perhaps the book is “free” with Kindle Unlimited, which is generally not the case, especially with fiction. When I go into the library to pick up my books that are on hold, I will sometimes look at the new releases, which are always in a conspicuous location. I can pretty much pick out the books in genres I like by the title and cover art. I will then look at the back cover to see what people have said about the book.

Amazon sells a lot of books, so I would assume many of you get them there. It is easy to find all the books by one author if you are a reader who likes to read everything by an author you like. Amazon is also good if you want to read an entire series of books. Frequently, authors will make the first ebook in a series free, so that people will read it and just have to continue the series — which of course you have to pay for. Do you research the new books in your favorite genre on Amazon? Do you look at the bestsellers in a specific genre? Do you search for certain words? (And that is why Amazon is one of the most popular search engines!)

Do you have Kindle Unlimited? I get some books  — mostly nonfiction  — on Kindle Unlimited by doing a search for the topic and limiting it to the Kindle Unlimited books. I don’t like to pay for books, although Kindle Unlimited is about $12.99 a month, and there is a limit to how many books you can have out at once, but it is plenty!!!! I have Amazon Prime, and I think they have some free books to select from each month. At least, they used to. I have not really taken advantage of that,  but I probably have some books that have been on my Kindle for years that I got that way.

Some of us love to just browse through used bookstores or the bookstore at the library – or a library book sale. You can get some great buys there, especially on paperbacks in certain fiction genres like romance, fantasy, and sci fi. Just look until you find something that grabs you by the cover or the title or the author. These books are so inexpensive, it usually doesn’t matter if you don’t end up loving them. 

Do you prefer indie or chain bookstores? They are organized by genre, but usually have the new books in a separate section and on tables. I think we all are drawn to the  new books. Will you buy a new book you haven’t heard of because of the title? cover? author? genre? back cover?

I buy almost everything I buy on Amazon, but there are many other online booksellers, both for print books and ebooks — and audiobooks, although I don’t indulge in those at this point. I have even seen the books I have written on such sites as Walmart and Target. 

Walmart, Costco, Target, and other big box stores have books, mostly bestsellers and often  discounted from retail, but you probably will get a better price on Amazon. I would think the books that sell in these stores are impulse buys for the most part, or books bought by people who don’t buy a whole lot of books. But I could be wrong there.

Lots of people borrow books from their friends and lend books they love to their friends.  And of course lots of people belong to book clubs, where they might get the book from the library or buy it if the library has run out of copies. Belonging to a book club allows you to read books you probably wouldn’t ordinarily read. And to read books you might not enjoy!

Yard sales and thrift stores have well-worn books for cheap. They cost so little you can try a genre you usually don’t read. 

I will buy certain books, usually hardcovers, that I know I want to keep. Usually, these are nonfiction. And I used to go to quite a few book readings, where I would buy a signed copy. And since I am an author myself, I have bought or traded some books with fellow authors as well.

When I was a copyeditor, I got to read all kinds of books. And because it is proper etiquette for a self-published author who hires someone to copy edit their book to gift a signed copy to the editor, I have quite a few signed books.

So where do you get your books, and how do you choose them? Obviously, genre is probably important. Do you like to read all the books by a certain author? Do you love series? Do you judge a book by its cover? Do you rely on reviews on the back cover or Amazon or Goodreads.? How daring are you? Will you take a chance on a book that looks good?

Finally, what book format do  you prefer? Hard cover? Large print? Paperback? Kindle? Other ereader? Computer or iPad? Audiobook? I like print books, but lately prefer to read large print (old eyes!!).  I don’t like reading on the computer or iPad. Hard on the eyes. I do enjoy reading on my Kindle though. And I just cannot get into audiobooks. To me audiobooks are not reading (don’t yell at me!); they are more like listening to a podcast — and there is nothing wrong with that.

Whatever you read and why you choose it and where you get it — Reading is awesome! 

Cuss Words That Are Not Rated X

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

Thank you to my friend Don Grohman, who sent me this list. It is apparently from a book called The Tim Hawkins Handbook by the author of  the same name.

If you are miffed, try these:

Shucks!

Rats!

Gosh!

Shizzle!

Toot!

Turd!

Sheesh!

Flippin!

Phooey!

Ticked!

Heck!

Shoot!

Jeepers!

Jeez! or Geez!

Crud!

Dag!

Dang!

Darn!

Darnit!

Bodger!

Snot!

Wing Nut!

Merts!

Crimeny!

Cripes!

Crepes! (yum)

Doo-Doo!

Caca!

If you are exasperated, try these:

Good Gravy!

Good Grief!

Gadzooks!

Bull Snot!

Fiddle Faddle!

Fiddlesticks!

Cotton Pickin’!

Malarkey!

What the Hey!

Bucket Head!

Shucky Darn!

Dad Burnit!

Dag Nabbit!

Con Sarnit!

Confound it!

Doggonnit!

Dad Blame It!

Dad Gummit!

Dad Blast It!

If you’re just not having it, try these:

Great Googley Moogley!

Great Caesar’s Ghost!

Geeze Louise!

Mother Francis!

Judas Priest!

Shut Your Piehole!

Kiss My Grits!

Heavens to Betsy!

Bolshevik!

What the What?

What the Devil?

Rasa-Frasa-Rasa-Frasa!

Booger Snot!

Fartknocker!

Moother-of-Pearl!

Bull Twinkies!

Gee Willikers!

H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks!

Fahrvergnügen!

Shut the Front Door!

Suck Eggs!

And some more for you:

Son of a Biscuit!

Son of a Biscuit Eater!

Son of a Bacon Bit!

Son of a Nutcracker!

Son of a Motherless Goat!

Horse Hockey!

Horse Puckey!

Horse Feathers!

Horse Pitooty!

For Heaven’s Sake!

For the Love of Pete!

For Pete’s Sake!

For Crying Out Loud

 

You  won’t get into trouble with these — and your kids won’t learn the bad words you really want to say!

 

 

 

 

 

 

All About Adjectives

Image by narciso1 from PixabayBest of the Grammar Diva

Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns, pronouns, and sometimes other adjectives.

That is a beautiful dress! (beautiful describes dress, a noun)I am intelligent (intelligent describes the pronoun I)Oh, lonesome me (lonesome describes the pronoun me)What a bright blue sky! (bright describes the type of blue, also an adjective)

Colors and numbers are often adjectives:

I have a green pencil.I have six pencils.

The articles — a, an, and the — are sometimes their own part of speech, but they are often considered adjectives, since they do come before nouns and modify them. 

Some pronouns are also used as adjectives. We talked about the demonstrative  and indefinite pronouns in this recent post.

The demonstrative pronouns — of which there are four — can also be used as adjectives.  They are then called demonstrative adjectives (this, that, these, those).

I want this. (pronoun)I want this book. (adjective)These are pretty. (pronoun)These vases are pretty. (adjective)

Some of the indefinite pronouns can also be used as adjectives:

You can have some. (pronoun)You can have some candy. (adjective)I have many of those. (pronoun)I have many of those toys. (adjective)

Adjectives are pretty simple and have just a few grammar and punctuation issues:

Comma between adjectives — or not?The order of adjectivesComparatives and superlatives

Commas between adjectives — or not?

Sometimes you have two (or more) adjectives in front of a noun. Sometimes they both describe the noun. Sometimes the first adjective describes the second adjective. 

It was a cold, snowy night.It was a bright blue dress.

In the first example above, both adjectives describe night. And, as you see, there is a comma between the two adjectives. But there is not always a comma between  two adjectives that describe the same noun:

Old plaid shirtBig black cat.

How do you know if you should put a comma between two adjectives that describe the same noun? Try putting an and between the adjectives. If it makes sense with the and, you need a comma. Otherwise, there is no comma.

cold and snowy night makes sense: cold, snowy nightold and plaid shirt doesn’t really sound right: old plaid shirtbig and black cat doesn’t really sound right: big black cat.

And if the first adjective describes the second adjective — and not the noun — there is never a comma:

bright blue skyred-and-white striped dress

Order of adjectives

Instead of reinventing the wheel, check out the blog post on this topic!

Five (number) beautiful (quality) tall (size) hundred-year-old (age)  bell-shaped green Chinese vases.

Comparative and superlative

Comparatives and superlatives are either adjectives or adverbs. For adjectives we use the -er ending when comparing two things: bigger bicycle. We use -est when comparing three or more things: biggest bicycle in the store. Some adjectives, however, don’t have those -er and -est forms, for example, fun. There is no funner and funnest, although people say those words all the time! For words without -er and -est forms, we use more for comparative and most for superlative: more fun and most fun. 

If we are going in the other direction, we use less for comparative and least for superlative: less fun, the least fun of all/ less pretty, the least pretty of all.

Here are the rules: If an adjective has the -er and -est forms, use them. Do not use more and most: prettier (yes), more pretty (no)

Do not use both the -er and more, or the -est and most: more nicer, most nicest (NO)

How do you know if a word has -er and -est forms. Well,  you just do. And if you don’t, check with a dictionary. 

 

Have a safe and restful (or fun) Labor Day Weekend!

Where Is Your Happy Place?

I don’t seem to be getting much done these days. Every afternoon, you will find me out on my lanai (screened-in porch if you don’t live in Florida) for two or three hours with a Starbucks coffee (chocolate cold brew with extra cold foam,  since it has been in the 90s for months now), my phone, my dog (as long as she can stand the heat), a couple of books, and a snack. The snack these days is usually some slices of turkey. 

After I finish the iced coffee and when the sun comes onto the lanai, it is unbearably hot, but I continue to sit there and sweat. I often feel as if I sit there until it is too late to do anything except exercise and begin my evening. 

I can read in bed, but I cannot seem to read any place in my house. It is just too dark. I am one of those people who needs sunshine and light or I get depressed. In fact, today is the first day I remember that has been completely overcast (and intermittently rainy) in I-don’t-know-how- long. Florida usually starts out sunny, or at least turns sunny in the morning. 

My lanai is nothing special and not huge.  I have a loveseat that my son-in-law made, complete with cup holders, a chaise lounge, and a small table and chairs. Right now it is dirty from all the rain we get in the summer. Yes, sometimes it starts to rain during my happy place sitting, and for some reason it always rains in the direction of my lanai, forcing me to unhappily retreat inside for a while. 

I do have a pretty nice view since  am on a “lake” (small pond they carve into a development). Sometimes there are interesting birds.

It is truly my happy place. I read, I watch YouTube videos (some political and some about manifestation, which I am interested in right now). And I generally fall asleep.

I have been in my house for about four years now. But I had a happy place in California too. I remember when I taught school, I would race home (since school didn’t end until nearly 3 p.m.), taking my work with me (always papers to correct) — especially when it would get dark at 4 or 4:30 — so I could sit outside and read. 

In California I would sit out front at my bistro table. I had a fence in the front, so it was very private. I had a fenced-in yard, but I never sat back there. In California it was often cold, so I would bundle up and try to stand the cold. At that time, my snack was popcorn. Every day.

I never thought of my front yard in California as being my happy space, but I definitely feel happy in my happy place in Florida. Although I certainly don’t prefer Florida to California, I am a lot happier these days. I had sort of a physical and emotion transformation during the past year or so. But that is another post that I likely won’t write. 

Do you have a happy place? I think I have had a couple of other happy places, including Starbucks (or Peets), where I used to write my books,  and bookstores (Borders or Barnes and Noble). 

If you have a happy place, email me about it at bigwords101@yahoo.com. Put “Happy Place” in the subject, Or you can put it in the comments. Then, maybe I will write a post about your happy places.

Watch Out For “Myself”!

Image by Gerd Altmann from PixabayA Best of The Grammar Diva Post

Okay, by now I am used to sentences like this:

Me and my wife went to the hockey game last night.

My friend gave the tickets to Sharon and I. 

They are wrong uses of I and me, and I have just about given up letting it bother me.

But…..

The misuse (and overuse) of myself is driving me crazy. I hear it everywhere, said by educated, brilliant people. A well-known newsperson says this about her podcast: This podcast was created by “whoever” and myself.

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

Myself, as well as all the other pronouns that end in –self (yourself, himself, themselves, etc.) are called intensive or reflexive pronouns, depending on how they are used. They either bounce back (reflect) to the I in the sentence, or they emphasize (intensify) the I that comes before them:

I baked their wedding cake myself. (reflexive)

You might not believe it, but I myself baked that beautiful wedding cake! (intensive)

And those are the only two uses for those pronouns. They are not used as subjects or objects. So these are all wrong:

Jose and myself are taking a vacation to the Keys. (should be I)

Those books were written by myself a long time ago. (should be me)

It is all up to you and myself. (should be me)

Generally speaking, you use myself when the subject of the sentence is I. Likewise, you use the other pronouns that end in –self if the pronoun matches the subject. These sentences are correct:

He went to the beach by himself.

The queen herself is coming for dinner.

The baby is learning to walk by herself.

Simple. If you can use I or me and it makes sense, that is the correct pronoun to use, not myself (or any other –self pronoun):

This pie was made by me. (Me makes sense, so don’t use myself).

She and I work at the same place.  (I makes sense, so don’t use myself).

 

 

 

 

Off the Boards!

I have been on four boards in my lifetime, all fairly recently: one writing group, two publishing groups, and a political group. Except for the writing group, I have always been the secretary. I guess I like a well-defined job. I am a decent (good?) writer and a fast note taker. I always say that I have a business and can do the secretary job but that is all I am going to do, and that has been fine. In the writing group, I was one of three vice presidents. It was the plan at the time that it was a training ground to be president. I wanted nothing to do with being president, so I quit the board in short order. 

In my San Francisco publishing group (Bay Area Independent Publishers Group) I was actually on the board twice with some time in between. In my Florida Publishing Group (Florida Authors and Publishers, a sister group to the San Francisco group) and my political group I was appointed early and then went on to serve one more term. 

Several months ago, I decided I had had enough of the meetings (thank you Florida Authors and Publishers for having nice, short meetings), the note taking and deciphering that followed, typing up the notes, sending them out, getting minor corrections, etc. I always felt as if I had notes to type. So when my terms were up, a few months ago for the political group, and last weekend for Florida Authors and Publishers, I resigned from the boards. I am free!

I am actually not a real board “type.” I don’t consider myself a leader. And I don’t consider myself a follower either. I don’t consider myself as someone who enjoys working in a group, but I did enjoy the camaraderie. I am definitely an individual contributor in life. 

The change of board for Florida Authors and Publishers takes place at their annual conference in Orlando. Perk of being on the board is you get the conference and the two-night Hilton stay free with working the conference. (Oh, and the food). I was very grateful and surprised to get a beautiful plaque from them just for serving a term on the board. 

I am still a member of both Florida Authors and Publishers (since I live here ) and Bay Area Independent Publishers Group (since I used to live there and love the group). The monthly meetings of Bay Area Publishers (BAIPA) are on Zoom and have been since Covid. I really enjoy the meetings, which last for three hours once a month and remain well attended and interesting. Florida Authors and Publishers has board meetings on Zoom and an annual conference, but no member meetings to speak of. I really missed that. Although they are sister organizations under the umbrella of  IBPA ( Independent Book Publishers Association), which has at least a dozen such clubs across the United States, they are very different. It might be because Florida Authors and Publishers needs to serve an entire state. BAIPA serves the San Francisco Bay Area, so they were able to have in-person meetings, not so viable with the whole state of Florida.

Also, the audiences might be different. BAIPA members seem to mostly be authors who publish their own books with a smattering of other experts in print brokering, editing, cover design, formatting, and more. Florida Authors and Publishers seems to have more members who use small publishers to publish their books and people who are small publishers. 

While BAIPA has monthly meetings which include a Q&A session, member introductions, and a speaker (and occasionally puts on a conference or book awards contest)  and draw 30-60 members, FAPA has an annual conference (quite pricey)  with an extravagant book awards ceremony. Monthly Zoom meetings have not been successful there. Maybe it is because it covers an entire state, so the only time people connect is at the two-day conference.

In any case, now that I am free, what am I going to do? Right now my ambition is nowhere to be found. I could just sit and read all day (and drink coffee). What I say I want to do: Get busy on learning/improving my keyboard playing, write songs and work on the songs I wrote decades ago, fix up my romance novel draft, write another romance novel. 

We shall see!

 

 

Remembering March 2020

Image by Daniel Roberts from PixabayThe Best of the Grammar DivaA Post From March 2020This is a repost from March 2020 when Covid was keeping us all in the house. I chose this post because I just recovered from my first bout with Covid — after all these years.

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I recently ran a couple of posts on your pandemic stories. Last week I asked what you are doing now that you are home most of the time.  I got some great replies, so here they are. The first one is more of a pandemic story and definitely worth a read. I did leave in a couple of compliments I got because they make me happy and very grateful. I hope these stories will do the same for you… And I did add what I am doing too!

Grateful from Across the World

Dear Arlene,

I love your grammar lessons and I have been reading the wonderful

stories from people all over the world, managing in these times. Feel

free to delete anything that is not suitable as per the situation.

Here is my story:

I have always wanted to attend a masquerade ball. I have seen them in

the movies, and always found it fascinating how people are not

recognized by the other characters in the movies, but we know who they

are. Of course, in my lifetime, I never got the opportunity to attend

any of those kinds of parties.

Little did I know that our lives would turn around and every day would

become a masquerade ball, where we have to hide behind masks, thanks

to Covid-19. It is not easy to recognize people with their masks on,

trust me.

It is interesting to see, though, how we are avoiding people in the

elevator, on the streets, on stairs, in hallways, in the aisles of the

supermarkets, or anywhere else. The virus has us fearing contact with

people, and we panic when we see someone coming our way. Social

distancing has become a terminology we use so freely. I also know,

that when all this is over (which it will be), we will use this sacred

terminology in a sarcastic, mocking, or humorous way.  I hope we will

not forget what all we have been through together as a world.

Until last year, I was teaching in China, and it was the hardest thing –

trying to protect myself from not getting banged into, pushed,

shoved, or coughed or sneezed at.  I always wondered how

they did not know basic courtesy. Don’t get me wrong. Those were the

best days of my life,  there in China. I am not judging their

culture. And since the onset of Covid-19, they have had to learn their lessons

the hard way.

However, I  do not want to dive into comparing people and cultures. I

want to share what I have learnt from the days in quarantine. After

all, we must concentrate on the positive and take every day as a

lesson. I am enjoying the experience of teaching from home, I have a

hot lunch every day, do Zumba in my living room every afternoon, and

every evening sit for meditation. I am concentrating on my well-being.

Teaching online was quite challenging in the beginning. But the most

amazing part has been how online teaching websites and resources have

opened up their hearts and websites to share free resources online. It

has been a blessing in disguise. My students did take their books home,

yet teaching online is not the same as teaching in the classroom.

This generation, which I call an IT generation, needs more stimulus to

stay engaged. And these online resources are just perfect to keep

them engaged – not to mention the ease of correction. I just need to

link my classrooms to that website; and my students receive the lessons

in their Google classroom, complete the tasks, and submit. The work gets

either corrected or I get to see where the students need extra help.

What more could I ask for?

I would like to shout out a huge “Thank You,  to all those “owners”

of those websites for opening up their hearts and sites and giving

teachers like me a world of resources to work with. My students are

learning, benefiting, and enjoying the teaching and learning process.

This is pure and selfless service to all students, parents, and teachers.

Bless you all. Stay safe, happy, and calm,

Kawita Thani, Secondary English Teacher in Jakarta, Indonesia

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Quiet Times

Hi Arlene,

I think you asked how people have been spending their time at home. Here

are a few of the things I’ve been up to:

1) Making sourdough bread (like 95 percent of the world, it seems).

2) Going through boxes of memorabilia accumulated from my (now-adult)

kids’ years in school. No, we don’t need the second-grade spelling

worksheet. I am snapping pics of things I really want to remember.

3) Attending Zoom meetings and webinars on meditation, writing, writing

and meditation, meditation and writing. And more meditation.

4) Checking graphs for signs of a downward-bending curve and studying

world maps. Appreciating Johns Hopkins for their relentless data

reporting, but feeling the immense suffering indicated by the

ever-expanding red circles.

5) Walking. And walking, and walking, and walking more. Alone, now

masked, and often on the phone with a friend who is also walking, to

simulate walking together.

6) Writing and editing. Well, mostly editing, since I have found it hard

to write anything that is not related to Covid-19.

7) Reading blogs/newsletters during the day and novels (as usual) in the

evening.

8) Watching Netflix and Amazon Prime (like 95 percent of the world).

Looking forward to getting back to grammar!

Stay well,

Audrey Kalman, author, California

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So Much Ambition!

Hi Arlene, 

I am very busy. I have done a complete spring cleaning of my house from ceiling to floors and everything in between. Last week, I began a project to repaint my kitchen cabinets. This should take me three weeks to complete. Yesterday, I made 18 cloth masks for family. Today I am resting. Back to the cabinets tomorrow. Walk a mile every day, weather permitting

If this goes longer than May 4th, I may start my fall cleaning!  LOL!

Elaine Pantano, Massachusetts

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One, Two, Three Priorities

Early on in the sheltering at home, I decided that I would do three things every day. 1) Walk or do tai chi 2) Practice trombone if only for ten minutes, and 3) Do the dishes. Everything else was negotiable. I don’t know why I did this. I used to only walk or do tai chi once or twice a week. I do know that it has been important. I sure haven’t FELT like doing the dishes. Without a decree, the plates and bowls probably would have stacked up like a Dr. Seuss illustration. The two days that I didn’t feel well and didn’t get my practicing and walks in, I felt myself slipping into a nebulous place with no schedule and no emotions. That’s okay for a short time, but I got back to my three things as soon as I could. I plan to keep them for the duration. When this is all over I’m going to have quads of steel.

Rae Rae Millard, Musician, Writer, California

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Making Good Use of Time

Here is a list of things I’m doing while sheltering in place:

Yoga

Meditation

Final editing of my 3rd book

Exercising on my stepper

Uploading 10 minute meditations for my students

Reading

FaceTiming with my kids, siblings, and grandkids

Playing Scrabble with my husband

Aliza Herbst

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Intellectual Undertakings

Not much of a change since my retirement in 2008. Instead of going shopping with my wife, I stay in the car (should have started that earlier…), and when she comes back I return the cart and disinfect it for the next customer – though some shopkeepers have a staff-member do that chore.

What we miss most, now that the weather is looking up, is going for a cappuccino on the “pavement terrace” of our favourite café, restaurants, and, of course, dining out with family and friends.

Personally, I had to go without attending the annual performance of Bach’s Saint Matthew’s Passion for the first time in 29 consecutive years (you may know that this is quite a popular thing in the Netherlands), but since I had already ordered tickets for the 2021 performance, these 2020 tickets will come in handy in 2022, I  hope . . .

So I have to make do with my laptop, tablet, and smartphone: watching Netflix on my tablet; reading Baldacci, Coben, Crais, Child, Lehane, Pelecanos, and many, many more on my tablet; doing some NLP-programming (No! Not Neurolinguistic nonsense, but genuine Natural Language Processing!) and logic programming, especially solving constraint logic problems (think of the Zebra-puzzle); and cheating on the weekly Sudoku challenges in Saturday’s newspaper, naturally.

So not much excitement during our “intelligent lock-down” as proudly presented by our Prime Minister, which may probably continue until the beginning of June, at least.

Stay well, all of you!

Will Snellen, Netherlands

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Keeping Busy

First: re “Forget Him”: [comment on last week’s blog post]

” He can’t give you love that isn’t there”  is how I originally learned the song, transcribing the words from a TV performance of it, so I guess some older but equally wise grammar diva must have come down on him like a ton of bricks?

Second, we’re zooming two to three meetings a day, then nicking away at the humongous  list of things we always said we’d rearrange, fix, or prune, if we ever had the time. Sadly, that’s no longer an empty threat.

Third,  I’m working on my book, finishing about a chapter a week.

Last, I’ve discovered that the pro-nutrition people lied.  A high-fiber, low-sugar, healthy diet has not made me thin.

Hope all is well with you.  You were one of our most popular speakers.

Knuti VanHoven, Fremont  (CA) Area Writers

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Not Much!

Every day at about 5 p.m. I ask the same question: Where did the day go? 

I moved from California to Florida last September to my daughter and son-in-law’s house. They were on tour, so I was here alone. I was planning to buy my own place here this spring or summer. Then Covid-19. They were due back in May, but their jobs got canceled in mid March, so here we are. I am very routine oriented so I do similar things every day. I get up early-ish to read and watch news. I watch entirely too much news, but I am cutting down a little. I  take care of e-mail and social media things in the morning. I haven’t been able to write much — except for this blog post, which gets done every Friday! Other than that, I walk the dog to the mailbox every day; exercise 30 or so minutes seven days a week; do a little writing, marketing, and research; watch a little Netflix with my kids; look at real estate online; eat carbs; do laundry and a little cleaning; read; and listen to political podcasts. Oh, and Zoom with friends, attend webinars, text, and phone my son and friends in California. I don’t bake bread or cook (but my son-in-law does), I don’t garden, I don’t meditate (although I try), and I don’t walk outdoors much. Too hot and humid by the time I get around to it. I find I am exhausted and have very little ambition. I don’t sleep well and fall asleep listening to podcasts. I think of all the things I could be doing….and keep rewriting my To Do lists.

Arlene, The Grammar Diva