Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Summer reading material....

I must choose some more books to read for the summer as I've just finished reading one and am about to come to the end of another. The one I've finished is called Spellbound, The Surprising Origins and Astonishing Secrets of English Spelling and despite the rather long and serious title I found the book to be rivotting. Does that make me a bore then? Well probably but it really was right up my street. The sign of a good book for me is if you pick it up just to dip into it, as I did with this one, and then you end up having to read the whole book. It was well written, often amusing, fairly succinct and contained some fascinating history of languages and the effects of the movement of people. I learnt that, generally speaking, with languages most people don't think far back enough, that is assuming they think about it at all. Most of us have a smattering of French, German or Spanish, cleverer folk among us might be able to speak Latin or Greek, maybe Dutch of Danish. But what if I said that all of these languages actually derived from the same root. Yes it's true. They all came from a language group that we now call Indo European and pretty much all the modern European languages derived from it and also a few that have died out. The really curious thing is that the English language is distinct from most, if not all, others because it is basically a merger of Italic (thanks to the Norman French) and Germanic (from our Anglo Saxons ancestors) but, if you go back a few thousands years further, both of these tongues would have been the same ie. Proto Indo European. If you are now bored then forget about this posting; if you now feel you want to read more then buy the book.
The other book, which I'm getting near the end of is Victoria Hislop's The Island which I do feel slightly dutybound to read since Victoria, wife of Ian, very kindly came along to my humble little bookshop for a book signing a month or so ago. She was going to the Hay on Wye lit fest the next day and then on to a festival in Norway a few days later, but she still found the time, being a Tonbridge lass, to support a local bookshop. I'm enjoying the book and am keen to finish it now that I'm reaching the final few chapters; it's probably not the sort of story I would usually enjoy, as it's rather a tragic tale (so far anyway) but I'm glad I picked it up. I'm not sure it will ever be a classic but could well be made into a fairly dark, yet uplifting film in the future. Please nobody post what happens at the end, that would just spoil it for me! Any body care to recommend a recent favourite book?...

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ahhhhh ... summer and holidays and time to kick back and take in some words.
For a good read I would recommend Lewis author (and opera singer) Susannah Waters - 'Long Gone Anybody' (2004) a story that questions where missing people go, and Waters' second novel the amazing 'Cold Comfort' (2006) where a girl becomes obsessed with global warming. Everyone should read a good classic too.
As for Latin - well around 50% of our English words stem from this language. Sadly we often hear that Latin is redundant (actually redundant comes from Latin redundare meaning to overflow). The language automatically extends the english vocabulary giving anyone a deeper sense of meaning of words and conversation. It helps us to communicate and understand in a broader sense. It basically enhances reading. The discipline in learning the grammar can enhance logic and quest for meaning in language, music, chess,english literature, english, other languages, the sciences, georgraphy - yes ... georgraphy.
Personally I believe that schools in England should give kids an opportunity to acquire these skills and they will use them even if they think they won't - even if they think it's all nonsense (latin) and archaic (Greek). The Latin grammer is a brilliant grounding and helps in every subject a child learns at school. Yes ... unbelievable but it does.
But lets face it english schools are a lazy lot especially where languages are concerned - we really do drag our heels in comparison with our European friends. btw The Ferox in Ferox Hall (Tonbridge School boarding house) derives from the latin for wild.
If Tonbridge Blogger continues to be fascinated with our english language I would suggest Professor David Crystal's books to be added onto his summer reading list - he won't be able to put them down. He is not a bore!!

Tonbridge blogger said...

Yes, I've looked at Crystal long list of titles and I'll have to get on to some of them. Also I've never read Bill Bryson's Mother Tongue which is in the same vein I belive. It's just so interesting that I can hardly contain myself!...

The Tomahawk Kid said...

For a local author (Pembury) and a good bit of git lit, I strongly recommend David Grant's "Elephant". Ideal summer reading and very funny. It will particularly appeal to middle aged men (or those rapidly approaching such esteemed years).

I also really enjoyed Danny Wallace's "Yes Man". Forget the Americanised film, the book is absolutely brilliant. It's the sort of book that can change your life. It really makes you think about taking the opportunities life throws your way.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the tip - I like the sound of Spellbound..., do you have it in stock?

Tonbridge blogger said...

I see Ferox, wild like feral child maybe? I can see how that might work. Spellbound: I have the copy that I've just read of course, although it's at home at the moment, and may part with that for about a fiver I suppose or I could probably still get a new copy, in which case £9.99. The problem is though you'll then want to read "Mother Tongue" by Bill Bryson, then "Notes from a Small Island" also by Bryson, then all the David Crystal titles which have also been mentioned on this post (and he has written hundreds) Then you'll be so imressed with Bill Bryson that you'll want to read his excellent "Shakespeare," or is it Shakspear or Shakspeare? and his mind boggling but brilliant "A Short History of Nearly Everything" in which he talks about the sheer scale of the cosmos and the conversely tinyness of the atom and sub-atomic particals and the insignificance of Man compared with the age of the Earth, let alone the Universe. Then you'll want to know even more and realise that actually you, none of us, have hardly scratched the surface of knowledge nor do we have many, if any, of the answers and you'll just wish you'd stuck with Ian Fleming, Jilly Cooper or Terry Pratchett. But I will get Spellbound for you if you want to risk it!...