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Friday

Heinlein, Robert
The heroine is a combat courier. A very resourceful woman, as it were, but with some serious relationship problems. Read this a long time ago, read it again in 2009. Still pretty good.

Read:

No date

Words I Had To Look Up:

A birdie with a yellow bill (pg. 71) -- Uncredited Robert Lewis Stevenson poem.
Teratololgy (pg. 75) -- The study of malformations or serious deviations from the normal type in organisms.
Honi soit qui mal y pense (pg. 95) -- The motto of the Order of the Garter. It is a French phrase which means "Let anyone who thinks bad things about it be ashamed.".
...a cowan can bribe his way into an esbat... (pg. 96) -- Unwelcome non-Pagan (Non-craft person, an outsider) intruder to a Witches gathering that is not on a Sabbat, usually occurring on a full or dark moon. Also a term for the monthly meeting of a Wiccan Coven, usually held during the full of the moon.
donna e mobile (pg. 119) -- Woman is fickle (Verdi's La Donna È Mobile from Rigoletto)
toasted rusks (pg. 131) -- Known in France as biscotte and in Germany as zwieback, a rusk is a slice of yeast bread (thick or thin) that is baked until dry, crisp and golden brown.
en tutoyant (pg. 163) -- To address in a familiar manner.
quondam (pg. 182) -- Belonging to some prior time; like "erstwhile friend".
triste (pg. 196) -- sad, wistful.
soi-disant (pg. 189) -- Self-styled; so-called.
Benjamin Franklin's parable of the whistle (pg. 223) -- Google it.
veriest (pg. 223) -- An adjective form of very.
slitch (pg. 249) -- Pretty much what I thought it meant.
doxyology (pg. 253) -- Doxology is a hymn or verse in Christian liturgy glorifying God. Friday's doxyology instructor trains her in the sexual arts.

Quote:

"...It is a bad sign when the people of a country stop identifying themselves with the country and start identifying with a group. A racial group. Or a religion. Or a language. Anything, as long as it isn't the whole population."
"A very bad sign. Particularism..." -- (pg. 233)

Read:

4/2009

Read:

10/2019

Read:

4/2021

Glory Road

Heinlein, Robert
Of course I've read this many times, but is new to the data base. I bought this copy the other day at the used paperback store, and enjoyed it very much!

Read:

9/2019

Read:

4/2021

Have Space Suit-Will Travel

Heinlein, Robert
Boy wins space suit, gets captured by bad guys! Fabulous book. Highly recommended!!!

QUOTE--"To what extent civilization is retarded by the laughing jackasses, the empty-minded belittlers?" --page 35

Read:

9/1999

Read:

6/2012

Job: A Comedy Of Justice

Heinlein, Robert
Oh come on! This isn't in the database? Yet another book I actually OWN and have read quite a few times. In fact, I might characterize it as my favorite book!

Read:

9/2012

Podkayne Of Mars

Heinlein, Robert
A student gave me this after asking me what book I would want. I've read it several times in the last zillion years, but I've been wanting to read it again, the library doesn't have a copy, and I want my own copy, too. Now I've got one. Finished it this morning. Tears at the end.

Read:

6/2016

Read Again:

7/2016

Read Again:

8/2017

Read Again:

6/2019

Revolt In 2100 & Methuselah's Children

Heinlein, Robert
Two books in one! I've read it before, of course, but the nice thing about Heinlein is you can read it again and it's still new! I love the clunky computers used to navigate space ships.

Read:

6/2012

Starman Jones

Heinlein, Robert
Max runs away from home and sneaks onto a starship as assistant pig-keeper, I mean, horse-poop shoveler. I've read this before, in the distant past.

Read:

6/2012

Starship troopers

Heinlein, Robert
A great book, classic Science Fiction! Book makes you think about personal responsibility. Highly recommended for Junior High. Also take a look at Citizen Of The Galaxy. Read again 2008! Read again in 2010, finally figured out Johnnie is from the Philippines. Read yet again in 2025.

"__to the everlasting glory of the infantry, shines the name, shines the name of Rodger Young!"

Read:

No date

Read:

2/2008

Words I Had To Look Up:

Ochee Chyornya (pg. 27) -- "Dark Eyes", a famous Russian Gypsy ballad
moulinet (pg. 47) -- A circular cut, often composed of a parry, usually prime or seconde, moving thence into a circular cut.
scrofulous toads (pg. 44) -- 1. Relating to, affected with, or resembling scrofula. 2. Morally degenerate; corrupt
Danny Deever (pg. 75) -- A poem by Rudyard Kipling describing the execution of a British soldier in India for murder.
Ramon Magsaysay ( pg. 260) -- Guerrilla leader in the Philippines during World War II, he was later President of the Philippines.

Read:

11/2010

Read:

1/2025

Stranger In A Strange Land

Heinlein, Robert
I've been complaining for years how much I disliked this book. I decided to take a break from Sean O'Faolain and read it again. I got the unabridged edition from the public library. I'm surprised how much better the book has gotten since I read it in the 60s... I'm also surprised it's in a middle school library! In several or them!

Words I Had To Look Up:

rump crews (pg. 5) -- A minimum crew for a vessel.
Wise Girl Malthusian Lozenges (pg. 75) -- Some sort birth control related pills.
apportation (pg. 70) -- The carrying or projecting of an object through space.
Karthago delenda est (pg. 72) -- Carthage must be destroyed.
Cry Harold (pg. 147) -- Can't find anything definitive.
bindlestiff (pg. 147) -- A tramp (hobo) who carries a bedroll (bindle) or a bundle of possessions.
gandy dancer (pg. 147) -- A railroad worker, an itinerant laborer.
philosophunculist (pg. 154) -- A person who pretends to know more than they do to impress others.
amphigory (pg. 154) -- Nonsensical writing.
imputation (pg. 189) -- A statement attributing something dishonest.
catenative (pg. 196) -- Having the ability to catenate, or form chains..
invidious (pg. 215) -- Discriminatory.
accretion (pg. 242) -- An increase by natural growth or addition .
odalisque (pg. 297) -- A concubine or woman slave in a harem .
capric cult (pg. 332) -- Must refer to the sexual activities of the Foster religion.
concupiscence (pg. 334) -- Sexual desire: a desire for sexual intimacy .
omniscio (pg. 341) -- As an adjective: Omniscient, all-knowing. Used here as a noun: An omniscient viewing device.
benison (pg. 343) -- A spoken blessing.
nautch dance (pg. 373) -- An intricate traditional dance performed by dancing girls in India.
peccavimus (pg. 390) -- Latin, we have sinned.
exempli gratia (pg. 391) -- Latin, for the sake of example, abbreviated as eg.
William Harvey (pg. 391) -- Described blood circulation correctly.
theogamy (pg. 414) -- Marriage of/between gods.
apotheosis (pg. 414) -- Exaltation to divine rank or stature.
syncretic (pg. 417) -- Reconciliation or fusion of differing systems of belief.
scansion (pg. 429) -- Analysis of verse into metrical patterns. Whatever THAT means!

Read:

4/2009

The Cat Who Walks Through Walls

Heinlein, Robert
I love the book jacket! A guy is murdered at Dr. Ames' restaurant table. How rude! Great first half, great "ending", kind of sags in the rest.

Words I Had To Look Up:

buy a round toowitt (pg. 364) -- Joke? Just where and how do you get a round toowitt?

Read:

4/2009

Read:

9/2019

Read:

4/2021

The Fantasies Of Robert A. Heinlein

Heinlein, Robert
Eight stories, including Waldo and Magic, Inc.

Read:

7/2002

The Moon I A Harsh Mistress

Heinlein, Robert
Luna is revolting! I've read this a number of times over the years, now I have my own personal copy!

Read::

10/2019

The Number Of The Beast

Heinlein, Robert
Mr. Heinlein's mad ride through space and time.

Vanderdecken (pg. 130) The Lost Dutchman.
"'"Owner,"'" Zebadiah said firmly. (pg. 234) I still haven't figured out the punctuation there.
"Zebadiah, is my number fifty-nine?" (pg. 269) I have not figured out the name/number puzzle yet.
Praxitele (pg. 276) A renown Greek sculptor of the fourth century B.C., first to sculpt a female nude ACT Wikipedia.
Koschei (pg. 461) A character in Slavic folklore, he is very hard to kill.

Read:

10/2002

Read:

4/2014

Read:

8/2017

The Puppet Masters

Heinlein, Robert
I've read this several times before, but apparently not since 1998. Scary book, scary movie.

On page 272 a "Jo block" is mentioned. I looked 'em up, they are standard gauge blocks of varying size that are combined for measurement in a machine tool. More or less!

On page 313 a quote "Would that my subjects had but one neck...", which pretty much is what is in the standard quote sites, and is attributed to Caligula.

Read:

9/2012

Read:

4/2014

Read Again:

5/2016

Read Again:

8/2019

Read Again:

8/2024

The Star Beast

Heinlein, Robert
A boy and his pet, or vice versa, head out to the woods for a little alone-time from the stresses of societal demands... I think I only read this one five times since junior high. I love the teen girl divorcing her parents in a 1954 book!

Read:

6/2015

Read:

12/2017

Read Again:

9/2019

Read:

8/2021

Time for the stars

Heinlein, Robert
Twins with telepathic talents maintain communications between a spaceship surveying planets to settle and Earth. Read again. And again. This time I learned that "sasparilla" is a variation of the original "sarsaparilla". Or vice versa. Or neither!

Read:

10/2005

Read:

12/2010

Read:

9/2019

Tunnel In The Sky

Heinlein, Robert
Final exam in Solo Survival goes awry.

Read:

6/2012

Murder By Bicycle

Heley, Veronica
Ellie Quieke tries to find out who is bicycling around her "pleasant London suburb" delivering poisoned buns. And, she make a decision about her suitor, Bill.

Words I Had To Look Up:

paracetamol (pg. 40) -- We in the U.S. know it as acetaminophen.
senna (pg. 28) -- A plant, used as a laxative.
cascara (pg. 28) -- Another plant, used as a laxative.
carers (pg. 129) -- Brit for caregivers.

Quote:

...there was always a crumble in the rose leaf, wasn't there? (pg. 40)

Murder In House

Heley, Veronica
I like how the author's name is TWICE AS LARGE as the title. Ellie meets up with the truly evil family of developer Prior.

Words I Had To Look Up:

slag (pg. 52) -- Brit. slang for tart, whore, a loose woman.
Save the mark! (pg. 139) -- An exclamation of humorous astonishment, irony, contempt, etc. Often prefaced with "God".

Read:

7/2010

Murder In The Park

Heley, Veronica
Ellie is involved in finding the lad whose pit bull killed a woman in the park. Ellie's house is burned, and aunt Drusilla is in very poor health.

Words I Had To Look Up:

maisonette (pg. 31) -- An apartment / flat on two levels with internal stairs, or which has its own entrance at street level. from Wikipedia.
treacle sponge (pg. 122) -- A treacle sponge pudding is a British dessert dish consisting of a steamed sponge cake with golden syrup or molasses cooked on top of it, sometimes also poured over it and often served with hot custard. from Wikipedia.
[Diana] having a high opinion of her deserts (pg. 88) -- I thought this was a typo of "desserts", but found this on Wikipedia: Desert, in philosophy, is the condition of being deserving of something, whether good or bad.

Quote:

He seems to think laughter comes from god. (pg. 74) I like that phrase!

"Tough titties," said Ellie... (pg. 167) Language, Ellie!!

Read:

7/2010
20 books displayed
[Abadzis - Aiken] [Aiken - Alexie] [Allinghamc - Andreae] [Angelou - Asimov] [Atkins - Backman] [Backman - Ballard] [Balliett - Barnard] [Barnard - Barnes] [Barnes - Barr] [Barr - Beanton] [Beanton - Beaton] [Beaton - Beaton] [Beaton - Benrey] [Berendt - Block] [Block - Block] [Block - Bonham] [Bonham - Box] [Box - Brooks] [Brown - Buckley] [Buckley - Bujold] [Bujold - Cameron] [Cameron - Card] [Card - Carson] [Carter - Chambers] [Chandler - Clancy] [Clancy - Coakley] [Coben - Cohen] [Cole - Collins] [Collins - Combat] [Conklin - Connelly] [Connelly - Constantine] [Cook - Corey] [Corey - Cottrell] [Craig - Crais] [Crais - Croke] [Crombie - Cussler] [Cussler - Dashner] [Dashner - Dexter] [DiCamillo - Doctorow] [Doctorow - Dorsey] [Dorsey - Drake] [Drake - Durham] [Ecke - Emerson] [Emerson - Evans] [Evarts - Farley] [Farmer - Fitzgerald] [Fitzhugh - Fletcher] [Flinn - Forster] [Foster - Francis] [Francis - Francis] [Francis - Francis] [Francis - Funke] [Funke - Gantos] [Garcia - Gibson] [Gidwitz - Gores] [Gores - Granger] [Granger - Green] [Greenbaum - Grimes] [Grimes - Grisham] [Grisham - Haddix] [Haddix - Hall] [Hall - Hallinan] [Hallinan - Harte] [Hartwell - Heinlein] [Heinlein - Heley] [Heley - Henry] [Henry - Hess] [Hess - Hiaasen] [Hiaasen - Hines] [Hines - Holm] [Holm - Hosseini.] [Hough - Ibbotson] [Ibbotson - Jerome] [Jerome - Kaaberbøl] [Kabak - Kaminsky] [Kaminsky - Kidder] [Kienzle - Kingsolver] [Kingsolver - Konrath] [Konrath - Kurland] [Kurson - Larsson] [Larsson - Leckie] [Leckie - Leon] [Leonard - Levine] [Lewis - Lippman] [Lisle - Lowry] [Lowry - Lynch] [Lynch - Magary] [Magnuson - Marcinko] [Marcinko - Mass] [Mass - McBain] [McBain - McCrumb] [McCrumb - McGuire] [McInerny - Meyer] [Michaelides - Moody] [Moody - Moore] [Moore - Muir] [Mull - Nicholson] [Nicholson - Norton] [Norton - O'Brian] [O'Brian - O'Connell] [O'Conner - Otto] [Owens - Paretsky] [Paretsky - Parker] [Parker - Parker] [Parker - Patterson] [Patterson - Paulsen] [Paulsen - Pennac] [Penney - Pickard] [Picoult - Powell] [Poyer - Poyer] [Poyer - Pratchett] [Pratchett - Pronzini] [Pronzini - Pullman] [Pullman - Quinn] [Quinn - Reeve] [Reeves - Ringo] [Ringo - Robinson] [Robinson - Rowling] [Rowling - Russo] [Rust - Scalzi] [Scalzi - Scattergood] [Schatzing - Scott] [Scott - Selznick] [Selznick - Shulman] [Shusterman - Sloan] [Sloan - Sontag] [Soto - Stark] [Stark - Stephenson] [Stephenson - Streeter] [Strieber - Stroud] [Stroud - Tapply] [Tapply - Toltz] [Tomlinson - Turtledove] [Turtledove - Van Draanen] [Van Draanen - Von Doviak] [Waldman - Weber] [Weber - Weir] [Weir - West] [Westerfeld - Westlake] [Westlake - Wiles] [Wiles - Wodehouse] [Wodehouse - Woods] [Wouk - Zevin] [Zevin - Zusak] 

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