Tag Archives: language

Book Review – Song of Summer

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Song of Summer book coverSong of Summer by Laura Lee Anderson

Robin’s perfect guy must be tall, dark, handsome, a good tipper, nice to kids, and have good taste in music. After all, Robin’s first love is her guitar and folk music. Then Carter walks into the diner where Robin works and he fits every single item with one exception, he’s deaf. Despite the fact that they don’t quite speak the same language, the closer Robin and Carter get to each other, the more the differences between them seem to fade away. I can’t decide what I think about this book. On the one hand, I really liked the main characters. Robin and Carter were genuine and their feelings felt real to me. On the other hand, some of the drama felt forced. I didn’t fully believe that after mostly overcoming the large communication obstacle that a small misunderstanding would have such a huge impact on them. Maybe, I just didn’t want that to be the case because I care about them. I suppose that is a hallmark of a good story so, on the whole, I’d recommend Song of Summer.

Book Review – The Word Exchange

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The Word ExchangeThe Word Exchange by Alena Graedon

In a world where reading on paper has gone all but extinct, a few passionate people are still working on the last print edition of the North American Dictionary of the English Language. But a few days before the tome’s release, the chief editor goes missing. His daughter, Anana Johnson, searches for him and discovers a digital conspiracy that threatens all language, whether spoken, handwritten or digital. The Word Exchange is a thriller for book and language nerds. Alena Graedon has created an eerily believable futuristic world where our handheld devices can read our subconscious and know what we want or need before we do; a world where we are physically and intellectually dependent on the internet for information as seemingly innocuous as the definition of “fork.” While the action sometimes slowed to an unnecessary slog,  it did not stop me from finishing the book within a day. Overall, the novel is a supremely engrossing whirl through the fluidity of language.