In this post I will present the latest addition to my Latin library, which is a single-volume edition of the 1962 Diurnale Romanum breviary. The post can be read as an addendum to ‘Learn Latin using contemporary resources’ or as a sample review related to ‘Let’s talk about books and literature’ article found elsewhere on …
Book review: “The Complete Monica Noble Murder Mysteries”
If you’re a fan of TV shows like Midsomer Murders, you’ll love this book series by Faith Martin. It’s mostly because of the cold, grey and uninviting January weather that I’ve only wanted to stay in lately—a book in one hand, a nice cup of tea in the other. And this winter I’ve been very …
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The Weekend Listener #13
The Weekend Listener is an eclectic weekly list of noteworthy podcasts and radio recordings, old and new, curated for your listening pleasure. Posts in this series are published on Fridays – please search the website for the previous instalments. LANGUAGE Science Diction | Language Evolves: It’s Literally Fine Photo by Snapwire on Pexels.com Language constantly …
The Weekend Listener #8
The Weekend Listener is an eclectic weekly list of noteworthy podcasts and radio recordings, old and new, curated for your listening pleasure. Posts in this series are published on Fridays – please search the website for the previous instalments. LANGUAGE Word of Mouth | Why is English so weird? Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com …
Eighty years of ‘The Famous Five’
Enid Blyton’s book series The Famous Five turns eighty this year! Still much loved by children all over the world and translated into numerous languages, the series describes the holiday adventures of brothers Julian and Dick, their sister Anne, cousin George (Georgina, that is), and George’s pet dog Timmy. Those of a certain age have …
Let’s talk about books and literature
[This post has been written with ESL/EFL students in mind, CEFR level B2 and above.] Do you like reading books? What kind of books do you like best? Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction? In this post we’ll go over the vocabulary that you can use to discuss books, from the words for different genres …
Book review: “Ford County” by John Grisham
John Grisham’s first novel, A Time to Kill, was set in the small town of Clanton in Ford County, Mississippi: population of 10,000 but “enough conflict to support fifty-one lawyers.” That 1989 book has since been followed by dozens of titles that have earned him the reputation of a master of legal thriller. In Ford …
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Where to find free e-books
Lord knows how much I love a good, old paper book, but I can’t deny the convenience of having immediate access to almost any title I want, available within seconds on my computer, smartphone or e-book reader. E-books tend to be substantially cheaper than traditional books, too, but if you’re an avid reader like me, …
New Year’s resolutions for language learners
Beginning of a new year is the perfect time to reassess one’s priorities and set personal goals for the coming twelve months. I’ve been doing my New Year’s resolutions for many years, always writing them down on the first page of my annual planner. Looking back, most of my past resolutions were quite unrealistic (lose …
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