Lise's Ramblings

Now that anyone can easily search online for a word's definition or synonym, I wonder if people appreciate the thesaurus in the same way that we did in pre-Internet times. I can say that I'm still a fan. Although I use thesaurus.com when I'm on the go, I keep print copies of Roget's Thesaurus and the Oxford Concise Thesaurus on hand in my home office.  Browsing through a thesaurus is rewarding, because you trip across unexpected gems. Not unlike how browsing in a bookstore helps you discover unexpected finds compared to the in-and-out efficiency of ordering a book online.  Today, I learned that  January 18 marks Thesaurus Day.   The date is no accident; Thesaurus Day coincides with the anniversary of Peter Mark Roget 's birth in 1779.  Mental Floss published Ten Fascinating Facts about the Thesaurus , which includes the word's origin: Greek for treasure. How fitting. In the past, I associated January 18 with A.A. Milne's birthday (1882). Now, I h

Last year, I signed up for the 50bookpledge . I wasn't just setting a goal, I wanted to track what I read during 2017. The site provides visual shelves showing the titles: I want to read I'm currently reading I've read If I had remembered to log every book, I'm sure that my total would've exceeded the 32 titles listed on my 2017 bookshelf. At a glance, it looks like I missed last year's goal, although I earned several badges along the way. Oh, how the Girl Guide in me enjoyed those carrots. I look back on 2017 without regrets. I consider myself fortunate to have squirrelled away time to read more than 32 books, including ones by new-to-me authors. This year, I not only resolve to read 50 books, but I'll also remember to enter more of the titles online, so that I may share what I'm reading as the months unfold. Plus, my year-end shelf will better reflect my books of 2018. So far, I'm on track. I've finished one book (Johansen'

My freelance business, Plum Copy , has flourished since 2013. While I'm grateful to my clients and everyone who has encouraged me along the way, I've neglected my extracurricular writing. So, I'm rebooting my blog for 2018, this time with a bookish focus. Given that I consider myself an Island girl at heart, if not by birth, it's fitting to kickstart my first entry with a quote from an author who introduced readers worldwide to Prince Edward Island. Here's to the year ahead and all 365 days with no mistakes in them yet.  And cheers to the takeaways we'll learn from the mistakes we'll inevitably make.