While I'm wishing to increase my brain's lexicon, I don't particularly want to reduce my slang usage or the vernacular to which I've been accustomed to. I also don't want to do this just to sound smart, but rather to increase my knowledge so I don't stop learning. With my job, I need to make training interesting and I've found that trainers with larger vocabulary seem to have a better handle on the material as well.
Enough about work, though. The whole purpose of this post was to inquire of good books from any reader of this post. I've found that while I envelope myself in a book I seem to acquire some of the language contained therein. I have a list of 23 books that I've never read that I probably should have by now, but I could use some direction, if anyone out there has any!
Here is my list (and I apologize for a lack of links to a site where they can be purchased):
1984 - Orwell
Brave New World - Orwell
Darkness at Noon - Koestler
Candide - Voltaire
The Firm - Grisham
Inside the Whale - Orwell
A Voyage to Lilliput - Lang
Uncle Tom's Cabin - Stowe
Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive - Mackay
The Civil War v.1-3 - Foote
General James Longstreet: Confederacy's Most Controversial Soldier - West
Memoirs of General W.T. Sherman - Sherman
Pale Horse at Plum Run - Leehan
God, Man, and Hollywood - Winchell
All of C.S. Lewis' Works
So, there you have it. My list to go through in the next year. I'm pretty sure I can make it. And I'm fairly certain the words used should help my increase my limited, OK/CA, slang-filled speech.
5 comments:
Here are a couple for you, in no particular order:
- The Lord of the Rings trilogy (Tolkien)
- Guns, Germs, and Steel (why civilizations arose where they did)
- Dawn to Decadence (a history of Western civilization)
- The Audacity of Hope (by Barak Obama, obviously slightly partisan, but states both sides' views very well)
- How the Mind Works (Steven Pinker)
- The Name of the Rose
- A Brief History of Time (quantum physics for the uninitiated)
Here are a couple for you, in no particular order:
- The Lord of the Rings trilogy (Tolkien)
- Guns, Germs, and Steel (why civilizations arose where they did)
- Dawn to Decadence (a history of Western civilization)
- The Audacity of Hope (by Barak Obama, obviously slightly partisan, but states both sides' views very well)
- How the Mind Works (Steven Pinker)
- The Name of the Rose
- A Brief History of Time (quantum physics for the uninitiated)
You seem like you've already got your work cut out for you, so I'll just comment on the books you've listed that I've read. They are "Nineteen Eighty Four," "Brave New World," "Darkness at Noon," "Candide," "The Firm," and some C.S. Lewis.
"The Firm" is an all right read for entertainment, but I don't know how much it will help your CA/OK slangness. "Candide" and "The Lion, the Witch and Et Cetera" series are not that satisfying, I felt. You finish and you think, "Well, now I can say I've read that." I enjoyed "The Screwtape Letters" and "Mere Christianity" more. The other three I'd read again. But that's because I like to fantasize about standing up to tyranny.
Thought of another couple: for beautifully-written English, you might try Winston Churchill's History of the English-Speaking Peoples. Also, any competent translation of the major Victor Hugo novels should be good; his expression in French is absolutely superb, and good translations reflect it well. I suggest Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Kenneth Roberts' historical novels (Northwest Passage, Arundel, etc.) are also extremely well written and would be of interest to you, too.
You are ambitious! Reading is my new found hobby...my favorite this year was "These is my Words" by Nancy Turner. And yes, her vernacular is probably a notch or two below what we're accustomed to, but only for the first part of the book. It's more of a fun read.
I also just finished "Three cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson, which I also recommend. It is based off his endeavors to build schools in remote Pakistan and Afghanistan. It has several strong take home messages.
And I don't know your wife, but I wish her luck at her new job!
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