**QUICK POST** Bilingual/Dual Language Reading & Learning

 What if you could start self-learning a language while doing something enjoyable - like reading?

That's what I was thinking the other day when I was grounded and sick in bed. I love reading and I really would like to learn at least a little bit of another language. However, my brain is slow (from age) and thick (from illness). So...

I landed first on this resource. I haven't checked it out at all yet, but I did bookmark a few novels and stories to start with. You can do your own search but in the meantime, here is my start list of books and resources:

• Holmes' "The Hound of the Baskervilles" (Spanish/English)
• Woolf's "The Mark on the Wall"  (Spanish/English)
• Alba Learning has bilingual books listed in various language combinations.
• Bilinuguis is where I found the Holmes book. The site shows as "not secure" in my browser so...
• Fluentu had more resources but these are my favorites to check out later:
• The Beelingua app for Android and iPhone
• This Weebly page - not secure in my browser
• This book of short stories.

I took a quick screenshot of one of the pages to show here:

This is exciting to me. The only time I have every learned even just single words in another language is when I could find a way to relate. I learned that Ouai is in French what Yeah is in English because of a hair product I sampled. Years ago, when I lived in England my best neighbor-friend was Welsh and she taught me a couple of mild swear words. I recently couldn't remember when I last had a mammogram but I haven't forgotten how to tell someone to kiss my behind in Welsh!

I really hope this helps someone who has been looking for such resources. Enjoy and spread the word.

Peace

-Free

Life in the Sidebar (Part 2)

The sidebar items I personally like the most are the ones showing what I've been reading and watching. When I checked the other day, I realized that my Read & Loved List makes me appear more intelligent that my Watchlist.

My Reading list is varied and thoughtful My Watch list is that of a teenager...

Why it is that I tend to read like a more mature adult and yet, more often than not, watch some of the shallowest things on television?

I only remember right off the last thing I read (well, listened to) because the book had the most unusual narrator ever. It was Nutshell by Ian McEwan, By the way, I want to hate McEwan because he made me feel like such a hack as a writer. "Nutshell" really is a brilliant work. Damnit. Seriously, if you want to read something that kind of breaks the mold, read (or listen to) Nutshell.

Now the last thing I watched was the whole first season of "Riverdale". I binged every night for a week until I was done, Now I can't wait for the next season. I'm caught up somewhere between criticizing portrayals of most characters and delighting in the others. I'm undecided about Archie, but I love the way Jughead is played - all moody and dark. The actors playing the teens (except for Jughead) look way too old! Veronica and Cheryl wear so much makeup that I want to wipe the screen when they are on. But how cute is it that teen stars of ago (Luke Perry and Molly Ringwald) are playing the parents of the kids? 

I'm curious to know what kinds of things my readers are checking out in books and film. Are any of you watching Riverdale? If you are, you're probably either older (like me) and remember the Archie comics, or you're younger (like my 20- and 30-something nieces) who always liked teen operas.

So, what is everybody else watching and reading? Did anything on my list make your list? I hope you'll let me know. And, no, you don't have to identify yourself in the emails.

Peace

--Free

***READING** The Lazy Intellectual

I'm doing a trial of Kindle Unlimited and one of the first items I chose was this:

by Richard J. Wallace & James V. Wallace

The book is "The Lazy Intellectual" which I hesitated to try. I'm not that intellectual, but I got the "lazy" part down! At least I was smart enough to choose this book to check out.

In spite of the title, the book really is for anyone who has a love of knowledge. Lazy folks will use it as a cheat sheet for schmoozing. Smart people will use it to touch on things they never had the time or patience or good sense to pay attention to in school. I think I fall into that second group (mostly), but I sure wouldn't be above whipping out  some schmooze if the right chance came along. (I'm kidding. My memory sucks so I'd need a cheat sheet to remind me of where I put a cheat sheet!)

Anyway.

The subtitle of the book is "Maximum Knowledge, Minimum Effort." It's broken down into sections that cover a variety of topics. My favorites were Philosophy, Music, Modern Language, and Language Arts. I even found Mathematics interesting. Also covered: The Classics, History, Religion, Social Sciences, and Physical Sciences. Each section, which is a quickie refresher of basics, adds in some quotes and "Fun Facts." (Schmoozers will love the quotes.)

Like many people who have been out of school since the Noah's Ark landed, I have a conversational knowledge of most of the covered topics, but reading this book is like having a conversation with a person with more knowledge. I learned quite a bit without feeling that I was being lectured to. After reading the first sections, I began to create a sort of syllabus for further study on my own.

This book would make a great gift for someone. I know some young people who love learning, but don't necessarily get a deep education from their schools... This would be perfect for them. I also know some folks in my age range that would appreciate this book for the same reasons I do.

Learning should not end the minute we get a diploma. Sometimes that's what happens, isn't it? We graduate, then we get busy just trying to get on with work and family and all other responsibilities that happen along. A lot of us can't fine the time or money for additional structured education. Shoot - a lot of us can't find time for a pottery class at the Y.  Still, we can all find the time to open a book every now and then. Just take some of the thirty minutes spent watching junk on TV.

Another reason I think lots of people get put off of learning any more than they absolutely have to because "smart" is not as hip as "fashionable." When we hear certain words, we conjure up certain images. "Nerd", "Geek", "Bookworm" don't get enough credit for being positive ideals. On the other hand, being "Gangsta" or "Hot Bodied" - well, that's why everybody wants to be a reality star or video vixen.

Maybe part of the problem is that we have so many "smart" people who look down their noses brains at the rest of us. Who knows? Maybe they just read this book. Such posers.

Don't make me Google your ass!

If being motivated to teach and learn became more profitable (and sexy) tomorrow, TMZ and Gawker would be stalking teachers for more than finding out which kid they corrupted. Until that starts trending, we're on our own. If you want sex, just turn on the TV. If you want knowledge, you'll have to pursue it.

At any rate, this is an awesome book for anyone in pursuit of knowing more.

Peace
--Free

A Mind Scrubbing

After binging on mindless television shows, I decided to do a mind scrub last night and try reading. Thankfully, I haven't seen any readily available books centered on reality TV.

Because I have dreams of being a published (and paid) author some day, I really hate myself for having to find freebie reads. But there are plenty out there. I use Amazon's Cloud Reader and the Kindle app (you can get a free one here) for my phone. When I can't buy or borrow books, I will go over and do a search for freebie reads on whatever subject I'm fixated on at the moment.

Kindle. Because this looks so uncomfortable.

The thing is, I download (and actually buy) lots of books. I love books. The problem here is that I don't always make time for reading. Because I felt bad about this, I did a quick search and found that I'm not the only one who isn't reading. The only thing I can say in my favor is that at least I don't lie about what I do or do not read.

Scrolling through this "List of 13 Books Nobody's Read", I was nodding like an uneducated maniac, thinking, "Haven't read that one, or that one, or... Nope haven't read that one either..." (Maybe I should sorta kinda be ashamed that I had never heard before of "Infinite Jest" by David Foster Wallace. Sadder still, I barely got through the first paragraph of the Wiki article about the book.)

I want to redeem myself so I'm looking at this list of 10 underrated books. Unfortunately, I stopped scrolling after the fifth book. I don't really even like the summary descriptions. Apparently, lots of people are starting certain books without bothering to finish them. Much the way I did with that list.

Best feeling ever

When the girls were young, they almost hated that I had a rule about learning. I required them to do a certain amount of reading every week. I made them watch the news and write me a little one-page report. In her adult life, one of them still refuses to read anything other than People or Us. She does read her Bible though (#shesays). The other one has never been without a book in her hand since the day she picked up her first one.

Take away the electronics. That's how.

Or an HOUR won't hurt

The problem with my slack reading habits of late just might not be all about me. Maybe publishers should stop being so picky and start getting some readable work out there on the market. I'm sorry but I will probably never pick up a copy of Stephen Hawking's  "A Brief History of Time" for any other reason than displaying it on my bookshelf. Or maybe not even then because I doubt I could find a good copy for free. Mr. Hawking is a physicist. If I ever met him, in order to have sparkling conversation, we'd probably have to trade gossip about the "Real Housewives". I imagine that people way more intelligent that I are intimidated by his book. Next time someone tries to act superior with me, I'm going to ask if they've read past the table of contents. I'll have to carry around some cheat notes just so I can make them prove it.

Another reason: books don't talk back.

What kinds of books would I like to see more (or less) of? You know I have a list, right?

• Anything by Stephen King. I don't even care about the stories, I just like so much the way he tells them. I think I have only ever hated a few of his books, but I was ready to lose a friend over the theft of my hardback "Under the Dome". (She's still on friendship probation, by the way.)
• More regional American fiction. I've lived in various places here in the U.S. and want to see more about the times, lives and pasts of other people as seen through their eyes. I want to know what they eat, how they talk with each other, and what they think of people from other parts of the world.
• More historical and AA fiction like "The Color Purple" and less about whorish men and women and their fall from church to the streets. (Not that there is anything wrong with the latter, but that 'genre' has turned boilerplate-ish and tiresome. And I never learn anything from it except how disgusted I am with negative stereotypes. The rest of the world should know more about racial groups other than what they see on BET and MTV.)
• More stories from fellow citizens of this great melting pot of a nation of ours. I want to know about their families: the mamas and daddies, the grands, aunties and uncles, and all the cousins - play and real. Because I feel like there is such a gulf between the Japanese American and African American peoples, I'd really like to see more fiction that might explain that divide.
• Mysteries, thrillers and chillers. Not sexy-dirty-nasty mysteries. Not celebration-of-the-amoral type thrillers. And I'm so very tired of even hearing about vampires, zombies and all that weird crap. Ann Rice did an amazing job with "Interview" and everyone else has taken the genre down in the gutter. Where are all the modern Sherlocks, Marples and Poirots?
• Though I like some spice, I don't get into mainstream porn. I prefer porn of the type couples order online in secret or slink into the local corner XXX store for. Why dress it up so that people can feel okay about walking around with it in their purse to read on the commute? It's porn. If you are into it, own it - in all it's nasty-but-occasionally-fun-way-to-spice-up-your-dried-out-relationship glory. Whatever.
• For Dummies books that don't come with that blazing yellow cover. Take a note from the porn marketers and dress up (or down) the covers better. I always feel like I'm advertising what a, well, dummy, I am when I reach for a tutorial. Not everyone in the library needs to know that I need help with my most basic math skills. Talk about wanting to hide something under a plain brown wrapper!
• I want more books that I can't wait to tell someone else about. I remember that after I first read "Catcher in the Rye" as a fourteen year old, I spent hours trying to explain it to my best friend. That had to be one of the first books I owned outside my Bible. I actually loaned it to that girl. (Unlike my thieving friend, this one returned my book.) 

Please sir...

Most of all, I'd like to see more books that aren't written as though the author was only thinking about the kind of movie it could be turned into.

Write the book
or write the screenplay
#YouChoose

To be honest, there are lots of these books already out there. I just wish I heard about them the way I hear about A Brief History or however many shades of grey there are.

There. #Rantoftheday is done.

Peace

--Free