I finished my 19th century of books two-and-a-half weeks ago, but haven't taken time to tell you about it until now because of reasons. Book #1900 in my silly book tracking project was The Wind In The...

Spite. Works sixty percent of the time every time!

The Enormous Room, by E. E. Cummings You will probably hate it. Or at least feel towards it that disdain nurtured by the forced reading of so-called 'classics' while you were enjoying or endur...

ARLINGTON, VA—In what may be the largest-ever disclosure of government data concerning the mysterious aerial phenomena, Pentagon officials announced Wednesday they had begun releasing a trove of forme...

After far too long a wait (I first told you I'd read my 1800th book back in April), here is the promised list of the last hundred books read in my silly little book tracking project. I've already spok...

1. rannygazoo — nonsense; silliness We had left early for our ride to the abbey, and so missed all the rannygazoo with the disappearing and reappearing silver ewer which terribly upset Mother. 2. k...

FORT WAYNE, IN—In a potent reminder of the inescapably transitory nature of all that is or ever will be, reports confirmed Tuesday that the sweaty ass print left on a rowing machine at a local Crunch ...

1. rep — ribbed fabric of silk or wool Each of the small alcoves—really nothing more than cubbyholes—had a curtain of silk rep across it, save the one at eye level holding Winthrop's blue and pink sli...

Just as the end of my 17th century of books found me reading a Philip K. Dick novel, as I make my meandering way through his books in quasi-chronological order of publication, so Book #1800 turns out ...

1. steppe-witch — any of the easily dislodged round plants of the Russian steppes which roll with the wind after dying off, tumbleweed The children will tell you that a steppe-witch brings you luck, b...

Balen Shah's Rastriya Swatantra Party has won a commanding share of parliamentary seats, defeating Nepal’s traditional political heavyweights.

1. septimanal — weekly; of or related to periods of seven days Truly you'll find it no more difficult to write for the daily papers than for those septimanal sheets you work for now. 2. blinkard — ...

1. ptyalism — [biology] hypersalivation, drooling If no ulcers or other deformations of the mouth are noted, a complete neurologic workup is the next step in determining the cause of the patient's pty...

1. syncytium — [biology] multinucleate cell or cell mass The syncytia are distributed irregularly throughout the trophospongia except at the point of contact with the trophoblast. 2. jamb — either ...

As promised, here is the complete listing of the last 100 books I've read. As is my standard practice, I do not count comics and graphic novels (or books of strips like Zippy or The Far Side, for that...

In a fuzzy sort of way (as in 'logic' and 'Bear', though not as in 'creatures from Alpha Centauri (those were furry, which opens a whole 'nother can of worms)), I've been rereading all the Philip K. D...

1. davit — [nautical] small crane used on a boat, esp. in pairs for lowering and raising a lifeboat or launch Sudden panic overcame me as I came out of the gangway and saw the lines blowing free in th...

1. apanthropy — disdain for human companionship, predilection for solitude Among the many powerful feelings which the holidays always inspires in me, an overwhelming sense of apanthropy is perhaps the...

1. isarithm — contour lines The experienced map reader will imagine the elevation denoted by the isarithms, and will visualize the steep escarpments or gradually descending plains depicted by the char...

After years of steady sales declines, the format will largely disappear next year.

1. flytime (also fly-time and fly time) — season when flies are prevalent and pestering During flytime, some ranchers even go so far as to put their cows out to pasture only after sunset, finding that...

1. devilfish — octopus; piranha; devil ray; giant squid; other marine animals with (supposedly) malevolent mien And though that devilfish had his suckers wound around the old man's arm, the aged diver...

1. revers — lapel or other garment part turned back to reveal the lining The colonel wore a half-length silk robe in black with revers in a startling crimson. 2. cornice — [architecture] horizonta...

The decision to move Iran’s capital is partly driven by climate change, but experts say decades of human error and action are also to blame

1. terret — ring on harness saddle through which the reins are passed When driving a unicorn team you need to ensure that the reins of the lead horse are fed loosely through the pair's terrets, which ...

Exquisitely preserved fossils come from a single site in Wyoming.

1. grom — [slang] young surfer; youth on a board of the various types (wake-, snow-, skate-; i.e., not corporate) That pesky grom really got worked when he took off on the wrong wave at the reef break...