Our Quiet Growing Time

  This awesome button brought to you by The Librarian . Fridays at my blog are dedicated to logophilia. Logophilia: the love of words. Logophile: a lover of words. I celebrate words on Fridays. That means that I'll either a) share a new vocabulary word that I learned in my reading, or b) share a passage that I've encountered in past or present literary sojourns that struck me as particularly beautiful, awesome, or funny. Are you a logophile? An American Childhood is one of my favorite memoirs. It's about growing up in Pittsburgh in the 1950s. It was especially delightful to read this while living and working in Pittsburgh, driving daily past locations mentioned in the book. I first discovered Annie Dillard in college and vowed to read more of her once I realized that if I could magically be able to write like any author, it would be Annie Dillard. Somewhere between one book and another, a child's passive acceptance had slipped away from me also. I could...

On Fridays, I celebrate words . That means that I either share a new vocabulary word that I've recently learned or a passage of particularly beautiful prose that I've encountered in past or present literary sojourns. Did you learn a new SAT word this week? Did you read a passage eight times over and dab tears from your eyes at the beauty of it? Then, please, do share! In my excitement over Maggie Stiefvater's announcement of her upcoming book, The Raven Boys (start the countdown: it's out September 18!), I've chosen two of my favorite lyrical Maggie passages. These ones are in honor of Valentine's Day.   There is no better taste than this: someone else's laughter in your mouth. ...he walks over to me, dark and silent. He's looking at me like he looked at me at the festival, and I know I'm looking back. Something wild and old spins inside me, but I don't have any words.

On Fridays, I celebrate words . That means that I either share a new vocabulary word that I've recently learned or a passage of particularly beautiful prose that I've encountered in past or present literary sojourns. Did you learn a new SAT word this week? Did you read a passage eight times over and dab tears from your eyes at the beauty of it? Then, please, do share! This week's excerpt is from The Night Circus and needs no introduction. Anyone with an ounce of romance in her heart will appreciate this moment of flirtation:    "Do you remember all of your audiences?" Marco asks.    "Not all of them," Celia says. "But I remember the people who look at me the way you do."    "What way might that be?"    "As though they cannot decide if they are afraid of me or they want to kiss me."    "I am not afraid of you," Marco says. 

  Sara (aka The Librarian ) made me this awesome button! She texted me last night with a surprise and the surprise was this button. And I lovvve it.  Every Friday I am going to be celebrating words . Whether I share a new vocab word I learned in my reading or a passage that strikes me as particularly beautiful, it's gonna be logophilia central at Oh, For the Love of Words! Friday. This passage still makes me catch my breath. From We the Living by Ayn Rand:     He took her hand before she could extend it, tore off the black mitten, raised the hand slowly to his lips and kissed her palm. Then he turned quickly and walked away. The snow creaked under his feet. The sound and the figure melted into the darkness, while she was still standing motionless, her hand outstretched, until a little white flake fluttered onto her palm, onto the unseen treasure she was afraid to spill. Prior to this unexpected and passionate moment, Kira and Leo are strang...