A fascinating collection of words from around the world.
People in different countries speak different languages-and sometimes these languages have words that are untranslatable into English. Did you know that Japanese has a word for pretending not to be at home when someone rings the doorbell? Or that there’s a German word for the weight that you put on because of emotional eating? Or even that there’s a Yiddish word for thinking of a witty comeback only when it’s too late? Wonder Words is a gorgeous, illuminating and often hilarious lexicon of unique words from all over the globe. It will open up your world, making you aware of emotions, cultures and practices from far and beyond.
Archives: Books
Monkey No 4
In Asian lore there are three famous monkeys. They’re the ‘see no evil’ monkey who covers his eyes, the ‘hear no evil’ monkey who covers his ears and the ‘speak no evil’ monkey who covers his mouth. These three monkeys are the ones we’ve all heard of, but they’re not the best monkey of all. The best monkey of all is the fourth monkey, because he’s the monkey who does no evil. ‘Monkey No. 4’ is his story of triumph in the jungle. And for all who read it, it’s a small lesson about good and evil in the jungle of life, and the wisdom to tell the difference between the two.
Best Foot Forward
Take control over how your day turns out, regardless of wobbles!
Chirpy Mrs. Wong is determined to make every day as perfect as can be. But when her morning is off to a
wobbly start, Mrs. Wong struggles to stay positive and eventually loses her cool. It’s only when she catches a
glimpse of herself that she realizes it’s not too late to turn a bad day into a good one.
Pride and Prejudice
‘He is a gentleman; I am a gentleman’s daughter; so far we are equal. ‘
Set among the English countryside gentry at the turn of the nineteenth century, Pride and Prejudice is a story of love, marriage, manners, relations, the pride that is derived from possessing wealth and the prejudice of social classes. In a sparkling comedy of manners that begins with the arrival of two highly-eligible bachelors, Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy in the neighbourhood, Jane Austen shows the folly of judging people based on first impressions and superbly evokes the friendships, gossip and snobberies of provincial middle-class life. Pride and Prejudice is Jane Austen’s masterpiece-an entertaining portrait of the way people behave in society, and of matrimonial theatrics and rivalries-and is timeless in its hilarity and honesty.
Sense and Sensibility
Sense and Sensibility‘s two heroines-so utterly unlike each other-experience the most violent passions when they are turned down by the men they love. What differentiates them, and gives this extraordinary novel its complexity and brilliance, is the way each expresses her suffering: Marianne-young, impetuous, ardent-
falls into paroxysms of grief when she is rejected by the dashing John Willoughby; while her sister, Elinor-wiser, more sensible, more self-controlled-masks her despair
when she discovers that Edward Ferrars is to marry the mean-spirited and cunning Lucy Steele. All, of course, ends happily-but not until Elinor’s ‘sense’ and Marianne’s ‘sensibility’ come together to reveal the profundity of the emotional undercurrent beneath the surface of Austen’s immaculate art.
Little Women
Grown-up Meg, tomboyish Jo, timid Beth and precocious Amy-the four March sisters couldn’t be more different. With their father away at war and their mother working
to support the family, they have to rely on one another. Through sisterly squabbles, midnight plays, Christmas celebrations, happy times and sad, they discover that growing up is sometimes very hard to do.
Les Miserables
With breath-taking realism, Victor Hugo takes readers deep into the Parisian underworld and carries them to the barricades during the uprising of 1832. This dramatic tale follows the stories of the peasant Jean Valjean, Fontine the prostitute, Thenardier the rogue and the universal desire to escape the prisons of one’s own mind. Les Misérables is an extravagant spectacle that dazzles the senses even as it touches the heart.
Frankenstein
‘If I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear!’
In trying to create life, Victor Frankenstein unleashes forces beyond his control, setting into motion a long and tragic chain of events that brings him to the very brink of madness. The botched creation, rejected by Frankenstein and denied human companionship, sets out to destroy his maker and all that he holds dear. The young scientist is pushed to embark on a treacherous journey to end the monster’s existence. This timeless gothic novel presents the epic battle between man and monster, and is a remarkable exploration of the dangers of human creativity.
Tales from Shakespeare
Charles and Mary Lamb have delighted generations of readers with their famed prose renderings of Shakespeare’s plays. Bringing the greatest works to life in a form that encourages readers to enjoy and explore, Tales from Shakespeare provides an entertaining and informative introduction to Shakespeare’s writing while retaining much of the lyricism, phrasing and rhythm of the original work. It is a captivating work of romantic storytelling as well as the first-of-its-kind literary homage to the Bard of Avon.
Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights is the story of the relationship between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, the orphan boy her father adopts. While Catherine feels deeply attached to Heathcliff, her brother Hindley despises him as a rival. Heathcliff is torn between his love for Catherine and the rage and humiliation he suffers at the hands of everybody else. When he can no longer stand it, he leaves the Heights during a violent summer storm. In his absence Catherine marries, but her tormented heart belongs eternally to Heathcliff, who is determined to extract his tyrannical revenge. With its defiance of social convention and its unparalleled emotional intensity, Wuthering Heights is a deeply moving tale of tragedy.