Paraphrases from The Borrower, a novel by Rebecca Makkai
(1) The
world's best question is: "Hey,
what do you think I should read?"
(2) Be wary of smiling
musicians--they waltz into your library singing, swinging that con man
briefcase--telling you the town could be saved with a little luck and a
marching band.
(3) Who is bigger--Mrs. Bigger or Mrs. Bigger's
baby? The baby is just a little bigger.
Rebecca Makkai’s first story, at the age of three, was printed on the side of a
cardboard box and told from the viewpoint of her stuffed Smurf doll. Rebecca was born in 1978 and holds an MA from
Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English and a BA from Washington and
Lee University. Her short fiction has
been anthologized in The Best American Short Stories 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2008, The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2009, New Stories from the Midwest and Best American Fantasy, and featured on Public Radio
International’s Selected Shorts and This American Life. New stories and essays appear regularly in
places like Harper’s, Tin House, the Wall Street Journal, and New England Review. She has held fellowships at Yaddo, Ragdale,
and the Sewanee and Wesleyan Writers Conferences. She was an elementary Montessori teacher for
twelve years before stopping to write full time. Her first novel, The Borrower, was a Booklist Top Ten Debut, an Indie Next pick, and
an O Magazine selection. Her second
novel, The Hundred-Year House, which appeared in July of 2014,
is the story of a haunted house and a haunted family, told in reverse. Her story collection, Music for Wartime,
will appear in July, 2015. She teaches
at Lake Forest College and in Sierra Nevada College‘s MFA program, and runs StoryStudio Chicago‘s Novel-in-a-Year workshop. Find out how to pronounce her name at http://rebeccamakkai.com/about/
A protagonist is
the main character in a drama.
Technically, there can only be one protagonist in a drama, though
writers often use the word in reference to two or more central characters. The antagonist is
the main character’s chief opponent. http://grammarist.com/usage/protagonist-antagonist/
All stories must have a protagonist.
Without one,
human readers wouldn’t be able to relate to the tale.
EXAMPLE #1:
I’m reading Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. The protagonist is Brian. There is no antagonist because the
conflict in this story is man against nature, not man against man. EXAMPLE #2:
I’m reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by
J.K. Rowling. The protagonist is Harry
Potter . The antagonist is Lord
Voldemort. The deuteragonist is Ron
Weasley, because he’s Harry’s best friend.
Hermione is the tritagonist–the third most important character to the
plot. https://englishemporium.wordpress.com/2011/02/23/15-protagonists-antagonists-and-deuteragonists-oh-my/
How many state names can you say without touching your lips together? Hints:
Remember that you touch lips to pronounce B, M and P. View state names at https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/state-abbreviations.pdf
The original Bridal Chorus was written by Wagner as part of the
opera “Lohengrin” in 1850, though it did not see widespread use until many
decades later. The line “Here comes the
bride” (followed perhaps by “all dressed in white”) has no connection with the
opera from which the song came; to my knowledge no one knows precisely when
that started to be the words associated with the song. http://www.weddingmusicproject.com/ceremony-music/wedding-processionals/bridal-chorus-variations/ The Muser heard a speaker say that the first
four bars of the "Here comes the bride" arouse more emotion than any
other four bars of music.
An American cook usually adds mayonnaise to the bowl when dressing canned tuna for a
sandwich. Tuna, mayonnaise, chopped
celery on sliced store-bought whole-wheat bread, toasted or not. Simple, satisfying and lovely if well
made. There’s nothing wrong with the
American way, but David Tanis prefers to veer Italian. Italian cooks invariably anoint their tuna
with olive oil instead of mayonnaise. In
his version, the familiar trinity of capers, olives and anchovy is
combined with olive oil, garlic and parsley to make a zesty salsa verde. A split crusty baguette or ciabatta roll is
painted liberally with this green sauce.
A lettuce leaf or two, some large flakes of tuna and a quartered
moist-centered hard-cooked egg. For the
best results, choose high-quality Italian or Spanish canned tuna. The oil-packed type is generally moister and
tastier (but pour off the oil from the can and substitute extra virgin from a
bottle). It’s expensive, but well worth
it. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/15/dining/a-tuna-sandwich-with-a-touch-of-italy.html
subsist
verb (used without object)
1. to exist; continue in existence.
2. to remain alive; live, as on food, resources, etc.
3.
to have existence in, or by reason of, something
4. to reside, lie, or consist (usually followed by in)
5.
Philosophy. to have timeless or abstract existence, as a number, relation, etc.
to have existence, especially independent existence
verb (used with object)
6.
to provide sustenance or support for; maintain
subside
verb (used without object), subsided, subsiding.
1.
to sink to a low or lower level
2.
to become quiet, less active, or less violent; abate
3.
to sink or fall to the bottom; settle; precipitate
April 30, 2015 Toledo-Lucas
County Public Library has pledged to put a library card in the hand of
every student, one of more than 30 communities to do so in a new effort
championed by President Obama. In
addition to Toledo, Cleveland Public Library, Cuyahoga County Public Library,
and Columbus Metropolitan Library have taken the pledge. The effort is a continuation of ConnectED, a
June, 2013, initiative with a goal of providing 99 percent of students with
access to high-speed broadband and wireless Internet by 2018. Rhonda Sewell, media relations coordinator
for the library, said a library card is
“a treasure,” something the Toledo branches want every young person to have. http://www.toledoblade.com/Education/2015/04/30/Library-aims-to-give-every-student-a-card.html
See also http://connectedlibraries.pbworks.com/w/page/16355033/FrontPage
See Google doodles over the years including those for May 1, 2015 at http://www.google.com/doodles/
http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com Issue 1291
May 1, 2015 On this date in 1579, Wolphert Gerretse, Dutch patentee and
co-founder of the New Netherland colony in North America, was
born. On this date in 1582, Marco da Gagliano, Italian composer, was
born.
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