Chris Nicholson's Writing Weblog
February 26, 2009 • Thursday
The U.K.'s University of Reading reports that their research has uncovered the oldest words in the English language: among them are "I," "we," "two" and "three."
The research also claims to predict which modern-English words will disappear from our ever-evolving language first. ("squeeze," "guts" and "stick" are three.)
For more information, see the BBC article " 'Oldest English words' identified."
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February 20, 2009 • Friday
Finishing three books in three days may seem impressive — until you consider that the second is an illustrated children's novel and the third is one that I'd previously left on my bed stand with just one unread chapter.
I began reading The Immortal Class: Bike Messengers and the Cult of Human Power by Travis Culley some two years ago. I was loving it, but got sidetracked half way through. I picked up the book later to subsequently get re-sidetracked with one chapter left to read. So today I finally finished.
Culley writes about his experiences as a bicycle messenger in Chicago. The descriptions of the challenges of his job are vivid; the details, impeccable; and the nuances he notices, introspective and interesting. It's a fascinating look into a largely ignored culture and profession.
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February 19, 2009 • Thursday
After finishing the Tony Horwitz book (see yesterday's blog entry), I decided my next read would be quick: The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein.
I'd never read this modern classic, but had wanted to for some time because it's my sister Ann's favorite book. It's also the favorite of my girlfriend. Due to my affection for both of them, the book finally made its way to the top of my reading list.
It's good, of course. I'm marveling a Silverstein's ability to have created so many layers of meaning into such short and simple prose.
The copy I bought is the 30th Anniversary edition of the book, which comes hard-bound in cloth in a matching case. It's a great keepsake for fans of this work.
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February 18, 2009 • Wednesday
I just finished reading Tony Horwitz' 2008 book, A Voyage Long and Strange.
The concept of the book is that when getting our grade-school education, we learn that Columbus came to America in 1492, and the Pilgrims landed about one century later — but few of us know what happened on these shores in between. And it as it turns out, a lot happened. The author researched the European exploration of America and visited the sites to see what's happening there today.
This isn't Horwitz's best book (one of my favorite non-fictions by any author is Horwitz' Confederates in the Attic), but it's educational and mostly a decent read.
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