Maybe Mrs. Reddick was a Girl Scout before Dewey hid her away in the stacks and his decimals took over her life. -- pg. 44
Amanda Murphy had no illusions about the quality of her cooking...Her apple pie, for instance. The bottom crust was half an inch think, charred on the bottom and slimy on top, covered with a loose layer of oversweet apples....
"Great pie, Mandy."...
Anyway, it was nutritious. A pie that weighted that much had to have some good in it. Amanda cut herself a small slice, helped it along with a glass of bourbon-spiked Pepsi. (pg. 191)
I learned that railroad rails have the rail size marked on them. Why did I not know this?
Good, but long, smoke quote on 561.
Now I have to read up on Fanny Kemble and her observations on the life of slaves!
Whoops, that "And" in the title should be an "An".
There would have been MANY more words to look up if I had had the stickies to mark them with!
apothegms (pg. 309) -- A short cryptic remark containing some general or generally accepted truth; maxim.
Manichaean (pg. 311) -- Of or relating to Manichaeism; dualistic.
American Nimiety (pg. 312) -- Superfluity; excess.
eremite (pg. 317) -- A recluse or hermit especially a religious recluse.
loco-foco (pg. 334) -- A kind of friction-match, among other things.
sneezer (pg. 334) -- Possibly, a martinet, in the usage cited.
faubourgs (pg. 345) -- Essentially, suburbs.
pentimento (pg. 351) -- !n alteration in a painting, evidenced by traces of previous work, showing that the artist has changed his mind as to the composition during the process of painting.
whilom (pg. 386) -- Having once been; former.
revenant (pg. 424) -- Something, esp a ghost, that returns.
retrorse (pg. 451) -- Directed or turned backward or downward.
tortfeasor (pg. 462) -- A party who has committed a tort
tilbury (pg. 488) -- A light, two-wheeled, open carriage with two seats, used in the 19th century.
redolent (pg. 547) -- Having or emitting fragrance; aromatic.
concomitant (pg. 537) -- One that occurs or exists concurrently with another.