When I first released Clytie's Caller, I found myself surprised by a review that said I repeatedly misspelled the same word. I looked and looked, running spell checker, reading the manuscript back to front ... all of the usual things. It took me a while, but I finally figured out that the reviewer was referring to this word: nuncheon.

Believe it or not, we didn't always call the noon meal lunch or luncheon. During the Regency period, during which I set the book, the meal was referred to as nuncheon. It comes from the word none, meaning mid-day, or (you guessed it) noon. The word "lunch" was considered vulgar at the time; it was something only workmen would have said. It was only over time that nuncheon was replaced with luncheon, or what we now call lunch -- at least on the West Coast of the United States. My East Coast family members still refer to breakfast, dinner (the noon meal), and supper.

One of the things I enjoy most in my research is learning how people would have spoken and what words they would have used. This example is a favorite.

This book was a lot of fun. Here are some of my favorite parts:

On Free Will

When asked whether he believed in free will, twentieth-century novelist Isaac Bashevis Singer replied, tongue-in-cheek, "I have no choice."

On Ethics

Sorting out what's good and bad is the province of ethics. It is also what keeps priests, pundits, and parents busy. Unfortunately, what keeps children and philosophers busy is asking the priests, pundits, and parents, "Why?"

On the Golden Rule that is a part of most religions

Similar considerations led English playwright George Bernard Shaw to wryly rewrite the golden rule: "Do not do unto others as you would have others do unto  you; they may have different taste."

On Ethical Dilemmas

Although I'm happy in my current job, having recently received a promotion (I'm the new Thane of Cawdor), that's not enough for my wife who is eager for me to get ahead. I'm not saying I lack ambition, but I am reluctant to do what it takes to climb higher -- the long hours, the bloody murders. And yet, don't I have a special obligation to consider my wife's desires? We are, after all, a family.

MacBeth, Scotland

On Philosophy of Law

A lawyer sends a note to a client: "Dear Frank: I thought I saw you downtown yesterday. I crossed the street to say hello, but it wasn't you. One-tenth of an hour: $50."

On Relativity of World Views

The twentieth-century American philosopher W.V.O. Quine wrote that our worldview is relative to our native language, a framework we are unable to climb out for a different perspective.

I'm calling my 3-month experiment with a pre-selected TBR stack a fail.  I started off strong in March, but have slipped progressively further behind each month.  Out of the 11 May books, I only read 7, out of a total of 17 books read this month.  That means 10 times I looked at that TBR stack (sitting on my coffee table so I can't miss it), and then promptly walked into my library and chose another book instead.  I'm just too much of a mood reader to be that self-disciplined.

Less reading overall this month, as MT and I labor away at stripping a set of french doors in our library that are original to the house - there should be a limit to how many coats of paint you're allowed to slap on something.  We're down to just the trim around the doors now, but it takes forever getting all that paint out of all the grooves and detailing.  I suspect June will be likely swallowed up by this project too, but come July, I hope to have lots of reading time (god knows it'll be too cold to do anything else).

Additionally, I've re-catalogued my home library, laying hands on every single book in the house (final count after culling: 1701), taking a quick second to assess my feelings for each one; anything that elicited a "meh" was removed. The result is several boxes of books waiting to be donated or distributed.  I feel a book contest coming on...

So total books read for May was 17.  6 of those were 4.5 stars or better:

The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder & the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York

The Folio Book of Comic Short Stories

Phantoms on the Bookshelves

The Canterville Ghost

Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader

Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen

My only 2 star (the lowest rating this month):

Books: A Memoir

A light, funny way to introduce yourself to the fundamentals of philosophy, or refresh what you were taught in school.  I had a really hard time not reading a lot of this out loud to MT, and while he claimed prior knowledge of a few of the jokes, they were all new to me (I think, I don't remember jokes very well).

If you're looking for anything resembling an in-depth look at the different schools of philosophy, this isn't the book for you, but otherwise, I'd recommend it as both entertaining and informative.

Chosen randomly from my TBR stacks (which are organised by subject), this is the list of books to be focussed on for May, plus two that didn't fit above, and whatever else appeals to me from the greater mountain range that is my TBR:

The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde and 

Everyday Things for Lively Youngsters by T.J.S. Rowland

A few of these are going to be very quick reads, thank goodness because there's at least one or two weighty titles there too.  Right this minute, what appeals to me the most is Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar... Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes.  I seem to be in a non-fiction mood at the moment.

Hope everyone has some good books to look forward to this month.