Comments for Living Rhetorically in the Real World

Comment on Books I read in February 2012 by Regina Leeds

Regina Leeds — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 09:29:37 +0000

Thank you for your kind words. You have no idea how much they mean to me!

Blessings,
Regina

Comment on Three Things Missing from University by Sagan

Sagan — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:42:31 +0000

We’ve started going through your book once a month at our staff meetings at work! Love it.

Comment on Three Things Missing from University by Regina Leeds

Regina Leeds — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:41:17 +0000

What an intoxicating mention of my book: many thanks to you!

Regina Leeds

Comment on Books I read in January 2012 by Lyka Ricks

Lyka Ricks — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 05:08:51 +0000

Recently, I have trade my books over magazines as I have harvested more practical thoughts and have applied in my work stuffs. I’m a J.R.R. Tolkien follower too.

Comment on Books I read in January 2012 by Sagan

Sagan — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:07:57 +0000

Aww that’s so sweet that your mum read them to you! My mum read the Narnia series to my sister and I, so they have a special place in my heart (Reepicheep has always been my favourite. Probably because I like the idea of a little creature being so fearsome, ha).

Thanks for the recommendations! The Help is fantastic; I expect you’ll love it. And you’re coming home from the hospital?! Hope you’re okay. Feel better, Liz!

Comment on Books I read in January 2012 by Liz wicksteed

Liz wicksteed — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:03:29 +0000

Hi there Sagan!

It’s ages since I commented on your blog – my apologies!

I also love the hobbit, and the Lord of the Rings. When my sister and I were little our mother read them all out loud to us. What stamina! I still hear Gandalf talk in the voice she gave him, and automatically start singing “far over the misty mountains cold…” to her tune. We used to ‘play’ being characters from the books the whole time and I can still rile my sister by just giving her a look that she knows means I’m thinking that she looks like Gollum

I loved the Narnia books too, and while the character I liked best was Jill, the one I most admired was Puddleglum, for his bravery and determination.

Right now I’m reading “all hell let loose” by Max Hastings, which is a one-volume history od the seond World War. My father recommended it and that is usually a good guide for me! The tile is if anything an understatement. We are so, so lucky to be living in a time of peace, in the UK and Canada at least.

I also have a much lighter book here for when WWII gets a bit much, “My Favourite Goodbye” by Sheila O’Flanaghan. It’s fun and well-written. One thing I like about her novels is that her main characters have much more rounded lives than is usual in chick-lit: they are usually developing their own business or tackling a promotion or what have you.

I have a whole stack of books lined up for when I get home from the hospital, hopefully tomorrow, and have 2 week’s compulsory sofa time. One of them is “the Help” – will let you know what I think of that!

Enjoy your February reading!

Liz

Comment on Analyzing Everyday Rhetoric: Misuse of the word “literally” by Larz Blackman

Larz Blackman — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 22:16:10 +0000

I usually hear it used as an intensifier to speech (“everyone was literally going crazy!” or as a synonym of “virtually” (“I was literally crying!”).

Comment on The Practical Guide: Toward vs. Towards by Katrina

Katrina — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:23:08 +0000

Thanks for the helpful blog! I’ve always wondered the very same thing about toward/towards. One of my colleagues thought it should always be “ward”, no matter what, but this didn’t always make sense to me as there are cases in which “wards” seemed most appropriate. Anyway, I like the solution you arrived at and am going to do the same.

Comment on Books I read in October 2011 by Liz wicksteed

Liz wicksteed — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:37:56 +0000

Or post-apocalyptic, even.

Comment on Books I read in October 2011 by Liz wicksteed

Liz wicksteed — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:36:26 +0000

Have you ever read “the Road” by Cormad McCarthy? I’d never even heard of it until last week. There is a great programme on Radio 4 here called “A Good Read”, where two guests each week get the other guest and a host to read a book they recommend, the host does the same, and they discuss all three books. I catch it sometimes on the radio driving home. This week some guy nominated “The Road”, and he asked the other guest what she’d made of it. She said “I thought it one of the greatest books ever written.”. It is an absolutely bleak, play-apocalyptic story, but the writing is is limpid, each word resonant and exact. They were saying it was biblical language, it was as forceful as Shakespeare – these are not comparisons you ever hear! I googled it and the reviews all said it was a great masterpiece, a classic, etc. I got it out the library on Friday and they are right. I’m not far in because it’s too harrowing to read much at once but it is also mesmerising, the images are just Homeric in their vividness, the language is so spare and stark and melodic. I can’t imagine how I missed it when it was published in 06. I thought of you while listening to the programme because one of them pointed out that in the story, as the possibilities of living reduce, so does the vocabulary and the punctuation, though it remains as powerful, so there must be a real rhetorical interest there. Anyway don’t read it if you are feeling depressed and fearful ever and you need to keep a sense of conscious detachment while reading it because the language is so compelling, but some time, one year, it is a book that demNds to be read.