Arlene Miller's Blog, page 6

Some New Reading Recommendations

Image by Alexander Lesnitsky from Pixabay

Here are some of the novels I have read in the past couple of months. Many of them might appeal more to women, but anyone might enjoy them. I didn’t like any one of them enough to rate it  5 stars on Goodreads, but I did have some 4 stars.

I’m Fine Neither Are You  by Camille Pagan (****)  – Friends, jobs, marriage, loss, and wanting to be able to do it all in this novel about a married couple and a good friend.

The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu (****) – A death at a school and a good look into the lives of teachers and administrators and what they face.  Great if you have been a teacher like me. 

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors (****) –  Three estranged sisters return to their family home after the death of the fourth sister. We see each sister’s own addictions and griefs. 

The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster by Shauna Robinson (***) A black woman married to a white man has dreams of connecting with her family, whom she thinks don’t accept her. She travels to her Southern home longing to find family that looks like her. Her efforts to be accepted by the family bring out some family secrets including a special recipe of her grandmother’s.  I thought the behavior of the main character was a little unrealistic and off the charts.

The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani (****) – A friend of mine has read it twice and said it was her favorite book, so she lent it to me. It sat on my bookshelf for a while while I finished up some books I had out of the library. I did enjoy the book. It takes place in two Italian villages and then in New York City.  Two teens who grow up in nearby Italian villages fall in love and later run into each other in  New York, where they are driven for different reasons. It is a historical novel.

Everything’s Fine by Cecelia Rabess (***) – A couple meets in college: She is often the only black girl in class, and he is an entitled rich kid. They end up working together years later as their bickering blooms into romance. 

The Briar Club by Kate Quinn (****)  – Who doesn’t love Kate Quinn? This is a really fascinating story of the women who live in a Washington, DC, boarding house in the 1950s.  Friendships, secrets, and an act of violence.

Listen for the Lie  by Amy Tintera (****) – When her friend is murdered, a woman is not sure if she might have done it, and she vows to find out who did — even if it was her. 

What’s New in Grammar? 2024 Edition

Image by Alison from Pixabay

So, what is new in grammar in 2024? Ah, same as was new in 2023 and likely in 2022. People say that grammar evolves, but it doesn’t evolve much, and it doesn’t evolve very quickly. All the grammar topics that are discussed in this blog post have been covered in previous posts, since this blog has been going for about 13 or so years, every week.

If you want to read about any of the grammar topics mentioned in this post, you can go to the home page; in the upper righthand corner is a little search icon. Click it and you can search the site. You will find blog posts that are relevant to that grammar topic. And there are often more than one. 

The same “changes” that are supposedly current have been around for a while:

You can end a sentence with a preposition.  “Whom are you going with?” Much simpler than “With whom are you going?”You can start a sentence with a conjunction if it makes sense. Not so much recommended for formal, academic writing. “And to sum up, these are the three reasons I believe this will work.”Apparently the distinction between who and whom is still around. I read several years ago that by 2025 that distinction would be history. Well, we do have another two months!The singular they is fine to use and more inclusive and less awkward than he or she. “Each student should pick up their ticket for the dance today.”The split infinitive is acceptable. But then some say it isn’t. I thought that debate was over, and it is acceptable. “… to boldly go where no man has gone.” versus “…to go boldly where no man has gone.” 

Even when I was teacher (I left in 2015), there were two schools of thought on how to teach grammar. Many believe in teaching grammar in the context of the writing and literature the students were doing and reading. I never liked that method. I always thought those who taught that way didn’t like grammar and didn’t know the rules — or care about them. That is called deductive teaching. Teaching grammar as its own subject is inductive teaching. 

Did you know that there are apparently 12 rules of grammar? I didn’t. I have many more rules than that in my books! If you do a search for grammar rules, you will also see that there are 5 or 10 grammar rules. I looked at a couple of lists of the 12 (magic?) grammar rules, and although they are similar, they are not identical. 

Here is one list of the 12 grammar rules:

Subjects and verbs in a sentence must agree.Tenses should be used in a consistent manner.Correct articles should be used (a, an, the).Complete sentences should be used.Correct capitalization should be used.Correct pronouns should be used.Correct prepositions should be used (at, in, by, etc.)Conjunctions should be used for linking words, phrases, etc.Commas should be used for clarity.Apostrophes should be used only for possessives and contractions.Word order should be switched for questions (DUH).Use clear commands (imperatives). Another DUH.

Here is the other list I found:

Sentences must have a noun and a verb. (Not even true. What about a pronoun? )Sentences must have a subject and a predicate.Sentences must have punctuation at the end.Use articles, and use them correctly.Use capital letters correctly.Use adverbs and adjectives correctly.Use tenses correctly.Ue quantitatives correctly: fewer/less and number/amountUse active voice.Use correct prepositions.Use apostrophes for possessives.Use correct conjunctions.

What did you notice about these lists? To me, they seems like lists for grammatically correct writing. Most of them really aren’t rules. How to use capitals correctly: those are rules. Anyway, I assume that is what the “powers that be” think is most important in the basics of writing decently, and I guess for the most part, they are correct. 

If you want the nitty gritty of the actual rules of any of the topics, as I said, just search my blog posts on the home page. (Oh, or buy one of my grammar books – shameless plug).

Til next week….

BOO! Halloween Trivia and More

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from PixabayBest of the Grammar Diva

 

DID YOU KNOW?

The pumpkin is a fruit because it has seeds, and it is in the same family as the cucumber.

Illinois produces 40% of the nation’s pumpkins.

The average household gives two pieces of candy to each trick or treater. 

Dracula means Son of the Devil.

Jack O’Lanterns were originally made of turnips.

Transylvania is in Romania

Nineteen people were hanged during the Salem witch trials.

$300 million is spent on pet costumes for Halloween annually.

Halloween is the second largest consumer holiday. Of course, Christmas is the first.

Halloween originated in Ireland.

It is said that people born on Halloween can see and talk to spirits.

Pumpkins originated in Central America.

People in New England call the night before Halloween Cabbage Night. 

Lewisburg, Ohio, is home to the world’s longest haunted house.

And….Psycho was the first movie to show a toilet onscreen  – in 1960. So now you know!

 

Samhainophobia is the fear of Halloween.

Ailurophobia is the fear of cats.

Chiroptophobia is the fear of bats.

Hadephobia is the fear of hell.

Hemophobia is the fear of blood.

Herpetophobia is the fear of creepy crawly things.

Myctophobia is the fear of darkness.

Necrophobia is the fear of dead things.

Nyctohylophobia is the fear of dark wooded areas or forests at night.

Paraskavedekatriaphobia is the fear of Friday the 13th.

Phasmophobia is the fear of ghosts.

Placophobia is the fear of tombstones.

Pneumatiphobia is the fear of spirits.

Wiccaphobia is the fear of witches. 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

 

Getting Through Milton

Image by Taras Yasinski from Pixabay

On Tuesday, October 8, I wrote my previous post; I was waiting for Hurricane Milton.

Today is Thursday, October 17, and I made it through Milton.

I apologize if I am repeating information from my most recent post. 

I live in Wimauma, Florida, about 25 miles south of Tampa. I am not on the coast, although I live pretty close to areas that are in flood zones and must evacuate. I am also above sea level. We are in evacuation zone Z, which isn’t an evacuation zone. When I say “we,” I am referring to my daughter, son-on-law, and granddaughter. They live three miles north in the next town off the same road. 

The forecasts were dire. Tampa was to be a direct hit and Tampa Bay to suffer a huge storm surge. (Wow, the power just went out for half a minute!!!) I don’t know what type or windows I have, and I don’t have hurricane windows. I looked on the website for my community, and it said that if you had hurricane shutters in your  garage when you moved in, you probably need them. I had none. Not that that necessarily means anything. I read that my house (concrete block) was built to withstand Category 3 hurricanes. Milton was a Category 5 and predicted to hit landfall as maybe as high as a 4. It wobbled around a bit as hurricanes do, and it was difficult to predict exactly where it would hit.

My location has lucked out a few times since I have lived in Florida. This time we were not so sure. Then, last minute the storm took a very unexpected 90-degree turn. It hit beautiful Siesta Key at landfall but missed us. That is not to say we didn’t have a very powerful, scary storm. It was a Category 3.

I was afraid to stay at home alone for this one, so around noon on Wednesday, my car safely in my garage along with my daughter’s van, she picked me up and I went to her house. The storm was predicted for late Wednesday night, early Thursday morning. 

It arrived a little earlier than expected and seemed to be over around 10 p.m. Wednesday. But I woke up around 1 p.m. to howling winds and no power. By 4 a.m. it was pretty much over. 

I knew there was no power at my house either — or most places in the area. My son-in-law was very prepared: hurricane shutters, bright rechargeable flashlights, power banks, fast chargers, several water jugs, bathtubs filled with water. We charged everything to 100 percent. I did have a battery-powered radio I brought, which turned out to be very helpful. That is something my generation is familiar with, but not theirs!

My son-in-law’s aunt and uncle live an hour north of us. They got the storm, but they never lost power. On Friday we drove up there and charged all our electronics again. 

I wondered how my house fared.  My daughter and son-in-law had helped me prepare it. Instead of sandbags, they said I could use bags of mulch. I worried about flooding mostly because of something going on between my roof and gutter. The water pours through when it rains, and it starts to gather in my front lanai, so I was afraid I might get water in my house. So they put plastic and ten bags of mulch total outside of my back slider and my front door, which is also glass. 

I put tape in an X on my slider and front door (which I heard does nothing, but it made me feel better). So I was ready. I hoped.

On Friday night at about 11:12 the power came on at my daughter’s house. I was sleeping and suddenly all the lights in the room went on (since they had all been on when the power went out). I wondered if the power at my house was on. I couldn’t find out until their power went on because messages were not coming through my cell phone. And the power company was too busy to update their website anyway. When the power came on I walked into the living room. My daughter was in there; she wanted to make sure all the lights hadn’t gone on suddenly in the baby’s room. We could hear shouts of joy outside from the neighborhood.  I later found out that my power had gone on a few hours before theirs did.

My daughter and son-in-law had no damage except for a few minor issues with their fence. 

I went home on Saturday morning. My house was fine. No leaks, no trees down and no windows harmed. No floods. Nothing except part of a decorative roof tile down.  The neighborhood was in good shape. Of course there were branches down and some trees leaning. I am very glad I had my huge oak tree that was planted much too close to my house taken down a year or two ago.

I don’t suspect there were may generators going in my 55+ neighborhood, but there were quite a few in my daughter’s neighborhood.  I am not a fan. They are noisy, especially when you are trying to sleep, and they take gas, which was already in very short supply with people trying to evacuate to somewhere. I can see you would need one for medical devices or if you have an infant, but if you just have to go without power for a day or two???? How weak and dependent have we become?

The last issue was gas. I was concerned because I had only 55 miles left in my tank and tickets to an event in Tampa a few days later. I couldn’t go unless I got gas. Someone in my daughter’s neighborhood waited three hours for gas on Friday or Saturday. I thought I would give it a try on Sunday. I was lucky and waited in line only 20 or 30 minutes at Walmart.   The Tampa event was postponed because of the storm anyway. Some people are still without power or just got it back a day or two ago. I did feel safer with a full tank, however.

I have bought two good flashlights, a five-gallon water jug, a power bank, and a super fast phone charger.  I am ready for whatever comes my way.

 

Waiting for Milton

Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay

It is Tuesday afternoon, October 8, and I have “evacuated” from my house in southern Hillsborough County, Florida, three miles down the road to my daughter’s house. Neither of us is in a flood zone or an evacuation zone. However, this Hurricane Milton is supposed to be so bad that even people in other areas are evacuating, since we expect a direct hit from the huge storm. For those unfamiliar with Florida, we are in the Tampa Bay area. 

I live in a villa, concrete block, so it is safe and built to withstand a Category 3 hurricane. But when I moved in there were no hurricane shutters, and never having lived in Florida before, who knew? And although we have had a few hurricanes, I never sustained any damage at all. This time things are a little scarier. 

The storm is supposed to hit tomorrow night and last to sometime Thursday morning. For this one, I didn’t want to ride it out alone (without hurricane shutters — and who knows the condition of my tile roof). My villa was built in 2009; my daughter and son-in-law’s house is newer — 2018 — and came with the shutters.

Funny (?) story: The first time a hurricane hit this new neighborhood that my daughter lives in, everyone was trying to figure out how to install the hurricane shutters. They discovered that the shutters didn’t fit their windows. Somehow they discovered that they each had shutters that belonged to someone else’s house. They eventually got it all sorted out, and they helped each other get the shutters up. Many of the people, like my daughter and son-in-law, were new to Florida. Of course, the storm fizzled, and no shutters were needed that time. 

I looked around my community a bit yesterday and today. Hardly anyone has shutters up. It is a 55+ community, so people might be seeking someone to put the shutters up. But everything looked pretty normal. People were walking their dogs — and I was running around trying to pack and prep my house before I left.

By the time you read this post, the damage will probably already have been done. (I am hoping for the best….)

I thought you might be interested in some hurricane terminology, since this is a “word-ish” blog!

Hurricane: The term comes from the Taíno word hurucane, which means “evil spirit of the wind.”Spanish explorers brought the word to Europe, where it became common in English.

Tropical cyclone: A generic term used in the Indian Ocean and Coral Sea to describe storms that are called hurricanes or typhoons in other areas.

Typhoon: The term used in the Western Pacific for tropical cyclones.

Medicanes: An informal term for storms that form over the Mediterranean Sea and have characteristics similar to hurricanes.

Storm eye: The center of a hurricane, where conditions are calmer and winds are light.

Eye wall: The band of storms that surrounds the eye, where the most severe weather occurs.

Rain bands: Bands that extend from the cyclone and can produce heavy rain, wind, and tornadoes.

Tropical depression: A tropical cyclone with sustained winds of less than 39 mph.

Tropical storm: A tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 39–78 mph.

Category: A rating for the damage potential of a hurricane, with Category 1 having the lowest potential and Category 5 having the highest.

Atmospheric Pressure: The pressure exerted by the atmosphere at a given point. Its measurement can be expressed in several ways, including millibars and inches of mercury (Hg). Average sea level pressure is 1013.25 millibars or 29.92 inches of mercury. A drop in atmospheric pressure usually indicates the approach of a storm, such as a hurricane.

Beaufort Wind Scale: A system for estimating and reporting wind speeds. It is based on the visible effects of wind upon land objects (such as vegetation) and/or sea surface conditions such as white caps and foam. The scale was devised by Sir Francis Beaufort (1777-1857), hydrographer to the British Royal Navy.

Convection: Hurricanes develop over warm tropical oceans where the sea surface temperature is ~26.5 C (80 F) or warmer. In weather processes, there is circulation of fluid (air) that serves to equalize temperatures. An example is air flow between ocean and land during day and during night. Hurricanes use warm ocean waters for convection, often allowing for an increase in strength. Warmer water allows for an increase in storm strength.

Data Buoys: Instrumented buoys placed throughout United States coastal and ocean waters that collect and relay data or information on air and water temperature, wind speed, air pressure, and wave conditions through several media. For hurricanes, these buoys are used to gather information to help predict hurricane strengthening or weakening and direction of movement.

Dropsonde: A weather reconnaissance device designed to be dropped from an airplane. The dropsonde includes meteorological instruments attached to a parachute. A vertical profile of the atmosphere is returned to meteorologist’s computers as the dropsonde collects the data as it descends from the airplane to the ocean surface. Dropsondes are used by the Hurricane Hunter aircrafts to obtain the minimum central pressure in the eye of the hurricane, and conditions throughout the storm.

Fetch: The area over which the wind blows steadily. The greater the fetch, the greater the wave height. In a hurricane, fetch, wind speed, and wind direction associated with the storm will determine the storm surge as the storm moves landward.

Forward velocity: The speed at which a hurricane moves along its path. Slow-moving hurricanes (those with a low forward velocity) provide more opportunity for people to prepare.

Gale: On the Beaufort Wind Scale, defined as winds with speeds from 28 to 55 knots (32 to 63 miles per hour). “Gale force winds” are often associated with the outer portion hurricanes.

Gulf Stream: The warm, swift, relatively narrow ocean current that flows from south to north off the southeast Atlantic coast of the United States. The warm waters of the Gulf Stream often feed hurricanes by providing warm water that might be patchy elsewhere.

Gust: A sudden significant increase in or rapid fluctuations of wind speed. Peak wind speed must reach at least 16 knots (18 miles per hour); the duration is usually less than twenty seconds. Hurricane gusts have speeds 10mph or greater faster than a hurricane’s sustained wind speed.

Hurricane Warning : A formal advisory issued by forecasters at the National Hurricane Center when they have determined that hurricane conditions are expected in a coastal area or group of islands within a 24 hour period. A warning is used to inform the public and marine interests of the storm’s location, intensity, and movement.

Hurricane Watch: A formal advisory issued by forecasters at the National Hurricane Center when they have determined that hurricane conditions are a potential threat to a coastal area or group of islands within a 24 to 36 hour period. A watch is used to inform the public and marine interests of the storm’s location, intensity, and movement.

Low Latitudes: Latitudes between 30 and 0 degrees North and South of the equator. Also referred to as the tropical or torrid region. Most hurricanes develop at low latitudes (where waters are warmest).

Low Pressure System: An area of a relative pressure minimum that has converging winds and rotates in the same direction as the earth. This is counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. Also known as a cyclone, it is the opposite of an area of high pressure (anticyclone).

Maximum sustained winds: This describes the hurricanes’ steady winds. Unlike hurricane gusts, maximum sustained winds must last over twenty seconds continuously. This determines the category of the hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale.

Saffir-Simpson Scale: This scale classifies hurricanes based on their intensity, and is used to predict how damaging the hurricane will be to property. Saffir-Simpson classifies hurricanes from a scale of 1 (minimal) to 5 (catastrophic.)

Category Central Pressure Winds Surge
1 — Minimal Greater than 980 mb or 28.94 in 74 to 95 mph or 64 to 83 kts 4 to 5 feet
2 — Moderate 965 to 979 mb or 28.50 to 28.91 in 96 to 110 mph or 65 to 96 kts 6 to 8 feet
3 — Extensive 945 to 964 mb or 27.91 to 28.47 in 111 to 130 mph or 97 to 113 kts 9 to 12 feet
4 — Extreme 920 to 944 mb or 27.17 to 27.88 in 131 to 155 mph or 114 to 135 kts 13 to 18 feet
5 — Catastrophic less than 920 mb or 27.17 in greater than 155 mph or 135 kts greater than 18 feet

Storm surge: The increase in sea water height from the level that would occur under calm conditions. It is estimated by subtracting the normal tide from the recorded water level of the storm. Although the largest storm surges are associated with hurricanes, smaller low pressure systems and winds associated with fronts can cause an increase in the sea level if wind and fetch are cooperating. It is estimated by subtracting the normal astronomic tide from the observed storm tide. Learn more about storm surge in this NOAA National Hurricane Center “Introduction to Storm Surge” education resource.

Subtropical: The region between the tropical and temperate regions, an area between 35° and 40° North and South latitudes. This is generally an area of semi-permanent high pressure.

Subtropical waters: Also known as the semi-tropics, subtropical waters are in the region between the tropics (23.5 degrees north and south of the equator) and approximately 35 degrees latitude.

Swell: Ocean waves that have traveled out of the area where they were generated. Swell characteristically exhibits a more regular and longer period and has flatter wave crests than waves within their fetch. The swell generated by hurricanes that are offshore can cause big waves at the coast and set up dangerous rip currents.

Wind Direction: The direction from which the wind is blowing. For example, an easterly wind blows from the east, not toward the east. It is reported with reference to true north, or 360 degrees on the compass, and expressed to the nearest 10 degrees, or to one of the 16 points of the compass (N, NE, WNW, etc.).

Wind Shear: The rate of change of wind speed or direction with distance. Vertical wind shear is rate of change of the wind with respect to altitude. Horizontal wind shear is the rate of change on a horizontal plane. In a hurricane, vertical wind shear can cause significant weakening of the system.

Wind Speed: The rate of the motion of the air per unit of time. It can be measured with several types of instruments such as an anemometer, and may be reported using different units including knots (nautical miles per hour), miles per hour, or meters per second.

So now you know…..

Thank you Secoora website for some of the terminology.

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!