Jeff's language log

[jeff_lindqvist]

Did you like this? I almost bought a copy as a Christmas present for someone last year.

Yes, I liked it. I don't really know why I have it in the first place - but it's probably a find from a book exchange shelf somewhere. The book is a a kind of a travel guide with a good portion of history, archaeology and even some language content. Each chapter starts with a possible etymological definition of the place name.

Thanks for the link to that German podcast!

[jeff_lindqvist]

I loved that series. Just finished the third book and was quite happy to finally have finished a series in Spanish. I only recently discovered that there are a couple other books that may be prequels(?). Either way, I'm definitely planning on reading more of his work. It has been one of the more accessible series in Spanish for me given that I don't have a ton of Spanish reading experience. Are you planning on reading any other books by Juan Gómez-Jurado?

So far, only the first two Antonia Scott books have been translated to Swedish, so, still waiting for the third. Then, I might give the other works a chance.

[Iversen]

Yes, I liked it. I don't really know why I have it in the first place - but it's probably a find from a book exchange shelf somewhere.

Methinks this one in your own hometown?

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[jeff_lindqvist]

Methinks this one in your own hometown?

Indeed, that is the book exchange cupboard (introduced this summer by the Red Cross), but there is one book shelf inside the library, and one on the campus side as well.

[jeff_lindqvist]

2023 - Summary of week 40

Reading. Three books finished - the one most interesting to the readers here must be Babel No More by Michael Erard. It has been a while since I read it the first time. The Arguelles chapter(s) in particular inspired me to dive into something. Earlier today I located Colloquial Ukrainian, Colloquial Danish and also a box filled with books and CDs from the Contemporary Chinese series (a bid I won in May, 2016).

Almost a game night this week but we were one person short. Thursday, Norwegian writer Jon Fosse won the 2023 Nobel Prize in literature. He writes in Nynorsk. Maybe I'll read something. Some day.

ES: More Librivox.

[jeff_lindqvist]

2023 - Summary of week 41

Reading. Four books finished - Anglo-Norman Ireland by Michael Dolley, Gaelic and Gaelicized Ireland in the Middle Ages by Kenneth Nicholls, I mullbärsträdets skugga (original title: Sycamore Row) by John Grisham (a great read!) and Mum & Dad by Joanna Trollope (not bad at all).

I also started reading the latest from Stephen King - Holly.

Inspired by the Nobel Prize winner I had to look up accents on Youtube. Found some pretty good videos of Norwegians imitating other accents, and there's also one by a Swedish impersonator.

ES: More Librivox.

[jeff_lindqvist]

2023 - Summary of week 42

Reading. A lot of books finished - some of them "real" novels, some graphic novels. Worth mentioning:
Holly by Stephen King. Not for the faint-hearted. (I say no more.) 5/5
Glasmannen by Anders De La Motte - the second volume in his series about Leo Asker. I read it from cover to cover in one sitting. 5/5

For the first time in many years, I logged on to Duolingo to do some Irish.

ES: More Librivox. And El Hobbit.

[jeff_lindqvist]

2023 - Summary of week 43

Reading. Three books finished - Vittnet by Jenny Rogneby (the second book in the series about Angela Lans), El Hobbit (!) and then Mentala Modeller by Cristofer Andersson (about "mental models" to beat the stock market). The gaming group met and played Mysterium - a cooperative game where one is a ghost who gives the other players clues (=cards with images) so they can guess the killer, place and murder weapon.

ES: More Librivox. And El Hobbit (which I finished). At the library I borrowed La Caja de Los Miedos by Arantxa García Roces.

[jeff_lindqvist]

2023 - Summary of week 44

Reading. Five books finished - three worth mentioning are Bored Of The Rings (an LoTR parody), Miljardären (by Thomas Erikson) and Tjuv och polis (by Johan Eriksson). The last two, crime fiction.

The gaming group met and played Hako Onna - a horror game where the players try to escape from the mansion before the woman in the box kills them. Everyone died, as expected.

Earlier today I played some fiddle, for the first time in months. It worked fine.

DE: I started reading Die Liebe an miesen Tagen (by Ewald Arenz).

ES: More Librivox. And La Caja de Los Miedos.

[jeff_lindqvist]

2023 - Summary of week 45

Reading. Two books finished. Slutet var bara början by Anders Nilsson. He's a writer and director known for his work with the film series about Johan Falk. This book continues nine years into the future from where the last film ended. 5/5. Two more books are planned. Then - barring some unforeseen incident - more films. The second book I read was Medan giftet sprider sig by new duo Isabelle Steineck (diabetes scientist) and Ralph Bretzer (journalist). An OK debut.

I also watched the series Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol.

DE: More reading.

ES: More Librivox. And reading.