Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Wondrous Words Wednesday-July 7

Bermudaonion asks you to share new words that you have learned during your reading adventures in the last week. Feel free to join in the fun!

Last week I finished reading The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais and here are a few new words I learned from that book:

Ptarmigan: any of several grouses of the genus Lagopus,  of mountainous and cold northern regions, having feathered feet.

Here is how ptarmigan was used on page 202:
The boy forced open the wooden box with a crowbar, and together we carefully unpacked the braces of ptarmigan wrapped in tissue paper.

Chiaroscuro:  a sketch in light and shade.

Here is how chiaroscuro was used on page 204:
And then, when I couldn't stand it anymore, when I gave in to all these unsettling images, when I was empty and couldn't find energy to fight and thought I might faint, they disappeared as quickly as they had come, and what poured into that empty space was a chiaroscuro vision of old Margaridou that Auvergne cook, sitting at a farmhouse window, quietly writing her simple recipes in her journal.

Please stop by tomorrow as I will be posting my review for this tasty book as part of a blog tour, and maybe even a giveaway!  Did you learn any new words this last week?

6 comments:

bermudaonion said...

I think I've looked chiaroscuro up before, but of course, I've forgotten it already. Great words!

Lisa notes... said...

Never head of either of those words. Great finds. Thanks for sharing.

Margot said...

I've actually seen ptarmigans in a meadow in Alaska. My husband is a bird-watcher and knows the difference between all these varieties of birds. They were rather ordinary looking birds for their fancy name.

Blodeuedd said...

...? Wow, I am glad I didn't come across that word!

Sheila (Bookjourney) said...

I am going to have to look up how to pronounce that - I was wondering if I could use it in a sentence today.... :)

Darlyn said...

wow!that's awesome.i never hear the word.cool!