What's Bea Reading?

I was having trouble coming up with an idea for a blog post and asked for help on Twitter. I got a bunch of good ideas and some I'll do at another time. A couple people suggested talking about what I'll be reading next and I will address that, but thought maybe talking about the many books I've read but not reviewed might, hopefully, be of interest.

So here's what I've been reading and what's coming up next.

January Balancing the Books

Inspired by the now defunct Fantasy Is More Fun and by The Geeky Blogger's Book Blog, I decided a few years ago to track my book expenses. I'll do a wrap up post at the end of each month.

I've given myself $10 real money each month to spend on books, whether for myself or as gifts, and blog giveaways. "Real money" being cash from my bank account as opposed to gift cards and store credits. Books that I borrowed from the library or a friend, and books received for review do not count against my purchases though I'll track them here as books acquired.

The 2017 Edition of The TBR Book Tag - How Many Books Are In My TBR Pile?

Image from author Mary Balogh on facebook

So this TBR pile meme has sort of become my yearly wrap up post. It's late this year; I usually post it during the last week of the year to which it applies. That didn't happen, so here's last year's post. :D

Make Every Child a Reader this #GivingTuesday, November 28th

Last week I shared a post about First Book and Chronicle Books donating books to children this holiday season. Today I want to share how you can help children get books via another organization, Every Child a Reader.

Every Child A Reader is dedicated to inspiring a love of reading in children and teens across America. They support all those who inspire children and teens to enjoy reading— parents, educators, librarians and booksellers across America — year-round as well as through their popular and long-running national programs which include Children's Book Week (every year I review only children's books on the blog during that week), Children's & Teen Choice Book Awards, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, the Reading Without Walls Challenge, and the Anna Dewdney Read Together Award. Every Child A Reader works to connect young children and teens with books that they love and create lifelong readers. They aim to give children books that reflect their world.

Every Child A Reader reaches out to schools, libraries, and communities across the US. Every little bit of support helps in furthering their mission and reaching children in all walks of life.

Want to help? Donate directly, any time during the year and not just at the holidays, at http://everychildareader.net/donate/ Then spread the word and share this campaign with your friends, family, and colleagues. Use #GivingTuesday and #MakeEveryChildaReader in your social media posts and link to the url: http://everychildareader.net/donate/

Every little bit will help, and a donation of $20 will help:

Ship children's books to a health clinic (Every child who comes in for a check-up gets a free book from Every Child a Reader)

Print and mail  word puzzles and draw-your-own story pages to 10 rural and urban schools and libraries across America.

Produce online and downloadable voting ballots for our 4 book prizes, the only national awards voting on only by kids and teens. 

BUY A BOOK, GIVE A BOOK Campaign Update:

I got an email from Chronicle Books concerning their campaign -

This weekend, for every book you buy on our website, we'll donate three to a child in need through our non-profit partner First Book.

And don't forget our Friends + Family sale, get 35% off with free ground shipping on everything with code GIVEBOOKS

Now, go share your love of books with a child! 

Banned Books Week 2017 - Some Celebrations and Links

It's time again for the annual Banned Books Week, a celebration of our right to choose what to read, sponsored by the American Library Association and other groups. This year's theme or emphasis is on the importance of the First Amendment. This focus was chosen due to an increase in complaints and challenges in 2016. “Our Right To Read” is "a celebration of the diverse range of ideas found in books, and our right as citizens to make our own intellectual choices." Curious what the most challenged books were last year? There's a top 10 list here.

What's On My Book Shelves, A Brief Tour

It's been ages since I did a discussion post and I thought it was about time I did. I know many us like to talk about the books we have waiting for us and heaven knows I have enough of them to talk about, lol.

While I don't have all of my books logged, according to what I do have logged, I have over 1600 books unread floating around my condo and on my Kindle. However, as I said, not all of my books are logged; that's an ongoing project. I have books on shelves, in piles on the floor, on my couch, on my coffee table, and even on my bed. Mind you, I have 11 bookcases of varying sizes and every room except the bathroom has at least one book case. It would be fair to say that books are my main decorating scheme and accessory. :D Sorry, no pictures, the condo is a mess right now.

A Home Without Books, Can You Help? A Guest Post by Author Linda Poitevin

Today I'm delighted to have one of my favorite ladies and authors, Linda Poitevin, on the blog. Linda Poitevin is a writer possessed of both a light side and a dark one. On the dark side, she’s the author of the Grigori Legacy, an urban fantasy series featuring a hard-as-nails cop caught up in the war between Heaven and Hell. In her lighter moments, she writes the sweet and funny Ever After contemporary romance series. And when she’s not plotting the world’s downfall or next great love story, she’s a wife, mom, friend, coffee snob, gardener, walker of a Giant Dog, minion to the Itty Bitty Kitty, and avid food preserver (you know, just in case that whole Zombie Apocalypse thing really happens).

Today, though. she's not here to talk about a book, well, not one of her books. Let me turn things over to Linda and she'll explain.

2016 Edition of The TBR Book Tag - How Many Books Are In My TBR Pile?

I did this a couple years ago, missed it last year, and decided to do it again this year, even though I was nervous to compare facts and see how I've done since then. The short answer? Poorly. :D I am a book hoarder, there's no doubt. Books are my addiction. Luckily, it's not an expensive one as I've gotten good at acquiring books at a bargain price or for free.

First, a couple of housekeeping tasks. My definitions of a TBR, or To Be Read, pile differs from many other bloggers. For me, the TBR pile consists of books actually in my possession; I own them or have borrowed them, whether from the library or a friend. If it's a book I want to read but don't have in my possession, then it's a wish list book. My wish list is a mix of books I want to review, books I want to own, and books I want to read. I use it for "shopping" the library and for requesting books as well as for my personal shopping list.

Bookish Things I'm Wondering About

I was on Facebook earlier and several posts got me thinking, wondering really, and I decided I didn't want to be alone in my musings. Maybe you all will be able to offer enlightenment. If not, I'll happily accept coffee and chocolate in place of enlightenment. :P

The first was a comment that an author casually threw out in a FB group. She stated, as if it were obvious to anyone with half a brain, that putting the table of contents at the back of ebooks is aesthetically pleasing. I must have half a brain or less because I don't get that. At all. First of all, I utterly fail to see what is aesthetically pleasing about putting it in the back. I just don't see it.

Love Star Trek? Love Writing? Strange New Worlds Fan Fiction Contest Returns for 2016

This just sounds fun! I remember reading ST fan fic years ago and for many years I read and enjoyed the authorized Star Trek novels. Now here's a chance for you to write your own authorized Star Trek, set in any of the ST worlds: TOS, TNG, DS9, Voyager, Enterprise, etc.

Simon & Schuster, as part of its celebration of Star Trek's upcoming 50th anniversary, will bring back its popular Star Trek: Strange New Worlds fan fiction writing contest. The orignal Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was a yearly collection of Trek short stories published between 1998 and 2007, with the amateur writers' works chosen via an open submissions process. The new contest for 2016 will result in 10 grand prize winners who will have their stories published in the print and eBook formats as part of an all-new and official anthology from Simon & Schuster (yea, this is going on my wish list!). Additionally, the two first prize winners will receive a free self-publishing package from Archway Publishing.

The deadline is January 15, 2016 for submissions by U.S. residents only, and the winners will be announced on March 31, 2016, with the winning stories selected by a panel (to be named in the near future). And, to make the 2016 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds a fully fan-created package, fans will soon be asked to submit their artwork for cover consideration. Visit www.startrekbooks.com for additional details.

The Quarterly Book Report

 

Inspired by posts I spotted on Twitter, I thought it might be fun to share what our favorite reads were for the first quarter of 2015. If it goes well, I may do it every quarter. Jax and I will share our five favorite books that we read between January 1st and March 31st of this year (Steph was going to join us but ran out of time).

March's Balancing the Books with Bea

Inspired by Fantasy Is More Fun and The Geeky Blogger's Book Blog, I decided to start tracking my book expenses this year. I'll do a wrap up post at the end of each month.

I've given myself $10 real money each month to spend on books, whether for myself, as gifts, or blog giveaways. "Real money" being cash from my bank account as opposed to gift cards and store credits. I am counting money spent to ship giveaways and Paperbackswap.com books. Books from my personal shelves, borrowed from the library or a friend, and books received for review do not count against my purchases.

The TBR Book Tag - How Many Books Are On My TBR Pile? (Too Darn Many!)

Image from author Mary Balogh on facebook

I saw this meme at On Starships & Dragonwings last month and thought it sounded like fun. It also seemed like a good post for the end of the year, a way to look at what I've got to read. It's always interesting to me to hear about other people's TBR piles and how they manage them. One thing I've noticed is that definitions of a TBR, or To Be Read, pile differ. For me, the TBR pile is books actually in my possession; I own them or have borrowed them, whether from the library or a friend. If it's a book I want to read but don't have in my possession, then it's a wish list book. So, my wish list is a mix of books I want to review, books I want to own, and books I want to read. I use it for "shopping" the library and for requesting books as well as my personal shopping list.

A Month of Giving Thanks: Day Six

Berl at Fantasy Is More Fun and Michelle at Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life are hosting a month long blog event for giving thanks. The idea is to blog about people, things, or events that we are thankful for. I probably won't post every day; I'm aiming instead for a few times a week.

If you want to participate, you still can; just click on one of the links above. You can post every day, once a week, several times a week, whatever schedule works for you. There will be a linky post every day at the to host blogs so you can link up your post.

It's Children's Book Week! Win A Book in the Children's Book Week Giveaway Hop.

That gorgeous poster was designed by Brian Selznick, Caldecott winner, 2012 Children's Choice Book Awards Illustrator of the Year, and creator of The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck. He created it for Children's Book Week, the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country. Each year events are held throughout the US in libraries, bookstores, and schools, or anywhere young children and books can come together. The idea is to celebrate books for young readers and the joy of reading.

If you're reading this blog, you already know about the joy of reading. Maybe you can help share it. See if there are events in your area: Official Events  Local Events  Talk to your local school, library or bookstore and see if they would be willing to set up an event and then offer to help. See that beautiful poster above? It's available for FREE. Go here to read how to get it. There's also a free bookmark that you can download here. Are there any children in your life? Give them a book, one you loved as a child or one you think they will love; maybe give them a gift card to a bookstore, take them to the library, help them get a library card if they don't have one, read a book with them. Share the love of reading and encourage literacy.

I'll be reviewing one children's book a day every day during Children's Book Week. Some I own, some belong to the school where I teach, and some I received for review. I'll start and end the week reviewing books by Stephanie Lisa Tara; she donated several books to my school a few months ago and I'll likely pass on these review copies to my school.

Share the book love!

I'm sharing the book love by taking part in the Children’s Book Week Giveaway Hop hosted by KidLitFrenzy, Mymcbooks & I Am A Reader, Not A Writer.

It is a hop so be sure to look at the linky at the end of the post and visit the other blogs to see what books they are giving away. Enter my giveaway using the rafflecopter widget below. Please read my Giveaway Policy. This giveaway is international; if Amazon ships to your country, you are eligible to enter.

The Prize:  

Any of the books shown below; click on the image to go to the book's goodreads page. You can choose print or kindle from Amazon. Please make sure that Amazon kindle, if you want that format, is available in your country.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Finding Free Ebooks

As you know if you read my Sunday Book Share posts (ie book haul & blog news, The Sunday Post, Stacking the Shelves, etc). I download A LOT of kindle freebies. Several people have asked how I find them so I thought I'd share. While I download books for kindle, the methods and many of my sources are applicable regardless of your e-reader.

My book budget is abysmally tiny; some months it's non-existent. I currently have a gift card balance at Amazon so I've been able to purchase some print books and digital books but I'm trying to stretch it and make it last so I have been very picky about what I pay for. Freebies are my friend. :) The library is, and has been for years, a fantastic source. The downside of course is that I can't keep the books but I have to give them back. Still, it does let me read authors who are favorites but not on  my auto buy list, and it lets me try new authors. They also have ebooks, both kindle and ePub, and I have taken advantage of that as well. Free books are an excellent way to try a new-to-you author or genre; you're investing your time but not your money.

So, the library is one source for free books that I don't keep. For books that I want to keep, well, there are many sources. Have an author that you like? Join their mailing list, whether it's print or digital; follow them on twitter or facebook (or any other social media where you both are users), make a point of regularly visiting their website/blog/discussion board. All of these are ways to find out when your author has a book that is free or being given away. Are you on goodreads? Often authors will make a book free temporarily and invite their goodreads friends or post a book in the goodreads giveaway section. I'm not on shefari or librarything so I don't know if they have similar activities. Anybody know?

What else? Publishers. If you have a publisher that you're a fan of or that publishes a series or several series that you enjoy, sign up for their mailing list and visit their sites and blogs. Don't forget to follow them on twitter, facebook, etc. For instance, the publisher I work for is celebrating it's second birthday this month by giving away 2 books every day on their blog. Each day there are two different titles and coupon codes so you can download them for free. My publisher invited all staff who are on facebook, and everyone that liked their page as well as everyone who's part of their facebook book club. They've also been talking it up on twitter. They've also been encouraging people to share the news and spread the word.

Of course, the people that you interact with and follow are also sources. Talk to your blogging buddies, your tweeps, your facebook friends, etc. Know a deal or freebie? Share the news. Forward the email, write a blog post, share info and links on twitter and fb, etc. I get many of my freebies from reading other book sharing posts, the Sunday Post, Stacking the Shelves, IMMs, etc., particularly the Melissas - Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf and Melissa's Mochas, Mysteries & More. Now, sometimes by the time I read the book share posts, the freebie is no longer free but it might be on sale, reasonably priced, or a book I add to my watch list or see if my library has.  The Book Vixen regularly tweets freebies and deals. There are book blogs that post, either regularly or occasionally, freebies and deals. Paranormal & Urban Fantasy Reviews is one, there are others if you just look. I almost forgot! Both Dear Author and Smart Bitches have daily listings of romance titles that are either free or on sale and usually those are available in different formats, not just kindle.

So, the library is a source, stalking following authors and publishers on their sites and social media is another source, your social media buddies are a good resource, but your best bets, the ones that will give you the most options are sites and blogs that specialize in finding the freebies. There are dozens, heck probably hundreds, for kindle alone. I get a daily email, Latest Kindle Free Books, that collects free titles for kindle on Amazon and Smashwords. I found them by browsing Amazon, looking specifically for blogs and sites that collected free Kindle titles. Over on facebook I liked/friended several groups and pages: eReaderlove (which despite its name is primarily kindle titles), Chelsea's Free Ebook Finds and her other page, Chelsea's Cheap Paranormal Reads. There's also Free Today on Kindle and Beyond, which focuses on indie books that are free. Over on goodreads there are groups that specialize in free books; I belong to Booksy Cup Freebies and Bargains. ETA: D'oh! I forgot to mention that I found some of these groups via friends and others by searching facebook, and in goodreads groups, by entering "free kindle books" and variations on that phrase in the search bar on the respective sites. Obviously, you'll enter whatever e-reader you use in place of 'kindle'.

The freebies and deals are out there, if you're willing to put in some time and effort up front to find them.

Do you have a source for free or cheap books? Please put a link in the comments; it doesn't have to be for kindle but can be for any e-reader. Share the love!

Sunday Book Share #3

I'm participating in both The Sunday Post, hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Each meme allows book bloggers the chance to share books they've received, and different posts and events at their blog. 

So, I've been somewhat inactive the past few weeks. The new school year is kicking my butt; I'm exhausted every day, and every night I end up falling asleep on the couch. I've also still been recovering from my surgery; there were lingering side effects. Happily, those finally cleared up last week, just in time for surgery number 2 on Tuesday. I have some blog tours in the next few weeks but otherwise the blog will probably continue to be on the quiet side. My focus right now needs to be on my jobs and my health. 

Guest Posts: Romance Author Em Petrova    Romantic Suspense Author Trish McCallan

Excerpt: The Soul Within, an erotic paranormal romance

Review: Beneath A Rising Moon, posted at Romance at Random

Cover reveal: Forged In Ash by Trish McCallan

Spotlight: Rafael: The Santiago Brothers Book One by Victoria Chase 

Giveaway: Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs (now over)

News: Fantasy Pin Up Calendar     Lori Foster Caption Contest     Absent, Sorry

Review

I was particularly excited to receive The Purple Shroud and Alpha and Omega: Cry Wolf. The latter is a revised version of the graphic novel originally issued by Dynamite Entertainment; the new version is put out by InkLit, Berkley's new graphic novel division. The Purple Shroud is the continuation of Empress Theodora's story; I read and reviewed the first book last fall and have been anxiously waiting for this book. I'm not usually a historical fan but that book grabbed me.

Won

I have two of this book actually: I got an eGalley from the publisher and also won it at goodreads. Heh, I guess I really wanted it. :D

Library

There was a lot of talk about this series and author on twitter and I decided to give it a try. I'm reading it now and enjoying it.

Bought

It's Iron Druid, nuff said. :D

I also downloaded many kindle freebies; in one day alone I got 20 of them. Ooops. 

I'll try to get around to your blogs this week, it will depend on how I feel. Have a great week and don't forget to leave the link to your sharing post.

Sunday Book Share #2

 

I'm participating in both The Sunday Post, hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Each meme allows book bloggers the chance to share books they've received, and different posts and events at their blog.

This past week was a busy one for me. School opened again and I spent the week in two classrooms, prepping for the new year. This week, the kids return. I'm in new classrooms this year, with younger kids. I expect to spend most of September doing a zombie imitation on my couch every day after work. I'm not sure how much reviewing I'll get done but I've got an ambitious schedule planned. Of course, I'm still sick, so that doesn't help.

I only posted one review this week, "Harmless As Doves", a mystery by P.L. Gaus. There were two book excerpts: Blaze of Winter by Elisabeth Barrett and Until There Was You by Jessica Scott. I'm participating in Romance At Random's Labor Day Blog Hop, it runs through September 15th, and my End of Summer Giveaway is still going on, 12 books, 3 winners. There's a short interview with author Christie Craig along with a giveaway of her book, "Blame It On Texas". I also posted the weekly Dusty Reads link up and my wrap up post of the August Review Copy Clean Up.

Library

I saw this on another blog and decided to give it a try.

Won

Geeky Bloggers Book Blog is switching to mostly reviews of mysteries and had a big event to kick off the change. A giveaway was part of the kick off and I was  lucky enough to be one of the winners.

Purchased

OK, first of all, Anna Leonard is really Laura Anne Gilman and I love her writing. Second, the male lead is a were-unicorn. How could I pass that up? Expect lots of kindle shares when I read it. :D

Kindle Freebies

That's it, that was my week. How was yours? Leave a link along with your comment and, if I can stay awake, I'll visit during the week.

The UK Book Show

The US has BEA, BookExpo America, and the UK has The Book Show. They're not exactly equivalent;  Book Show is a conference for authors and publishers with less focus on new titles than BEA, though there will b exhibits. This year, the Book Show will be held on September 22nd. The ticket price includes access to all panels, talks and zones, as well as Breakfast, Lunch and Afternoon Tea. Centrally located in Luton, Bedfordshire, one minutes’ walk from the main railway station, two large car parks (parking lots in the US), and a few minutes from junction 10 of the M1 motorway.

While there, you'll be able to network with other authors, meet publishers, agents, marketing and PR gurus, get the low down on self-publishing, working with digital and paper publishers, and relax and chat to other like-minded individuals.

There will be talks and discussions including a publisher panel, author panel, self-publishing (hopefully that panel will include talks about how NOT to behave), marketing and PR, writing erotica, and working with agents, amongst others. Zones and Exhibitors will include a publisher zone, author zone, erotica zone, publishing services zone, author signings, marketing & PR zone, agent zone, and a bar and food zone. Publishers in attendance include Apex Publishing, Andrews UK, Silver Moon, MX Publishing, and many more.

Sponsorship and exhibiting Opportunities are still available, contact them for details if you're interested.

Where to find The Book Show online:   website     facebook    twitter

Anyone planning on going? Maybe you can share your experience with us if you do.

We're Lexicomanes, Are You?

Lexicomane: Noun, dictionary lover. lexico-, lexi-, lex-, -lexia, -lexias, -lexic, -lectic, -lexis + (Greek: a word; a saying, a phrase; speaking, speech) Closely related to legi-, ligi-, lig-, lect-, -lectic (Latin: read, readable [to choose words; to gather, to collect; to pick out, to choose; to read, to recite]).  ~ From English-Word Information Word Info about English Vocabulary

Yep, dictionary lovers. That's us. Well, Jax and Bea anyway; Liz likes them but doesn't love them. So, what's the big deal about dictionaries? They don't tell a story, they are huge, heavy and have a hard time keeping up with a constantly changing language.

Bea: Dictionaries, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

1. They contains words, lots and lots of lovely words. And not so lovely words. You can look up anything and find it. One advantage of online dictionaries is their ability to update quickly and add new words and terminology. Most online dictionaries though don't give you the etymology, which leads me to my next point.
2. I love etymology, the meaning and history of a word and other words that it's related to. Print dictionaries will give you that, online dictionaries are less likely. Urban Dictionary doesn't but Webster's Dictionary does. I don't how many times I've looked up a word and gotten distracted by its etymology and looked up related words; I've probably lost hundreds of hours that way. 
3. I can get lost for hours in a dictionary. Not only do I get lost in etymology, but my eye spots an unfamiliar word on the page and I just have to read it, and then I get lost in the meaning or usage or etymology.

Those are the main reasons I love dictionaries. I learn so much, and it's at my leisure. I can quickly (well, I can try to be quick :P) look up something that I need to know or I can get lost in an orgy of words and meanings and history. Without words, language is non-existent. I'm not talking about written language, but language in general. Words, whether vocal, printed or signed, have meaning; if the recipient of the words doesn't know or understand the meaning, communication breaks down. So, we have dictionaries, one of the best inventions ever in my very biased opinion.

Of course, there are many kinds of dictionaries. There's the basic dictionary that defines all of the words in a language, there are translation dictionaries where you can look up a word or phrase in one language to see what it is in another language, topic or field specific dictionaries ie a medical terms, sports terms, etc., even a reverse dictionary, where you know the meaning but can't recall the word. With that one, when you find the meaning, it will give a slew of related words and you decide which one that you intended. 

On the internet, you often will have someone pose the question, "If you could take any five books with you while stranded on a desert island, what would they be?" I always include a dictionary; my other choices may vary but I always pick a dictionary. Every story you could want, exists in the dictionary.

One of the best features of my Kindle is that it comes with dictionaries, yes, plural. It came pre-loaded with two dictionaries so when I'm reading and encounter a word whose meaning I'm unsure of, I can easily look it up. This is an excellent feature and one that the Nook has also. I don't know if the Kobo or Sony readers do but I assume so. It only makes sense. It's a definite advantage over print where you have to stop, get your dictionary (if you even have one) and page through until you find the word. So much easier to highlight the word and look it up!

I've had the same print dictionary for 20+ years, I think it's time to upgrade. I shudder to think how out of date it is. Though, I often use a web dictionary these days to look up definitions.

Jax: Ah dictionaries...outside of the usual Little Golden books, the two earliest memories I have of books are the giant Bible with the family tree in it....and the battered dictionary that was just as large. I don't remember who taught me to how to use it, I just remember being told to look things up in it. It was the start of my life long love affair with words. 

In the house, right now, I have my Webster's college dictionary, a Spanish-English dictionary, TWO American Sign language dictionaries, a crossword dictionary, a dictionary of superstitions, and a couple of desk sized dictionaries that the kids could use for school. And that's just the ones I can see from here. We're in the midst of packing. I know there's a few more of these things around somewhere in a box. Like a dictionary of the meaning of flowers. (Did you know people used to send messages using flowers? How freaking cool is that. It explains why some painting of bouquets are so damn garish. If I actually could identify flowers, I'd love to see what the painter was trying to tell us. And some people think still-lives are dull. Betcha' some of those are downright vulgar.) 

Anyway...back on topic. Dictionaries, and by extension thesauri (yes, that's the right word. It's even on the sign at the bookstore, I swear.) give me the ability to play with language in the most amazing ways. Writing, teaching, reading... Dictionaries record the nuances between the synonyms. A thesaurus will tell you how words are similar....dictionaries tell us why they are unique. And they contain SO much information. Not just the meanings of words...but their past. Their pronunciation. (That funny spelling in parenthesis...that's the word written in the International Phonetic Alphabet. Another interest of mine.)

Words are the basis for language. Language allows for stories. Flash fiction, fan fiction, short stories, novellas, novels, series....and the dictionaries are the keepers of the keys, in  a manner of speaking. What is contained within those covers let us paint vivid images, even though I mangle stick figures. Is it really that hard to understand why I think they are so marvelous?