New on the Stack || January Edition



The Deliberate Reader
The Deliberate Reader is hosting a link-up to share what you've added to your book pile in the past month. Such a fun idea, and I'm planning to continue it. I've added a few books, but I've mostly mourned the fact that I won't be reading as fast as I usually do because I'm reading in a second language - Portuguese!


Bíblia Vida Melhor Jovem
How I got it: I bought it at Cultura Livraria (a giant bookstore here in São Paulo)
Why I got it: Even though it's easy to get a Portuguese Bible for my phone or ipad, you retain more if you read on paper. I'm reading the book of John in Portuguese, one chapter per day, writing down all the new words in a notebook, and I'm already seeing a huge improvement in my vocabulary.

O Bicho-da-Seda (The Silkworm) by Robert Galbraith
How I got it: I bought it at Cultura Livraria.
Why I got it: I wanted to buy a book that was a little bit above my current reading level in Portuguese, something that wasn't too "literature-y", and I have been wanting to keep up with JK Rowling's career.


Jane Austen Cover to Cover by Margaret C. Sullivan
How I got it: My boyfriend, Silas gave it to me as a Christmas present.
Why I got it: He knows I love book design and Jane Austen.

Piteco: Ingá by Shiko
How I got it: borrowed it from Silas
Why I got it: Graphic novels are easier to read than normal novels, for me, because I understand most words used in dialogues, but not in descriptions. The descriptions are drawn! Also, this book is part of a series of homages paid to one of Brazil's most famous illustrators, Mauricio de Sousa, and I want to understand more about why his characters are so beloved.

Bidu: Caminhos by Eduardo Damasceno and Luís Felipe Garrocho
How I got it: borrowed it from Silas
Why I got it: Another in the series paying homage to Mauricio de Sousa.

Astronauta: Singularidade by Danilo Beyrouth
How I got it: borrowed it from Silas
Why I got it: Another in the series paying homage to Mauricio de Sousa.

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
How I got it: My bestie Qadria gave me the audio broadcast as a travel gift (audio books are awesome going-away gifts, btw)
Why I got it: I like sci-fi, and I was moving across the world, so Qadria knew that I would like something entertaining and small.

The Shadow Over Innsmouth by H.P. Lovecraft
How I got it: My bestie Qadria gave me the audio version.
Why I got it: Sci-fi, mystery, entertainment, and the only space it takes is a few megabytes on my phone.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
How I got it: Again, Qadria is to blame!
Why I got it: Because Agatha Christie.

3 comments :

  1. Thanks for linking up!


    I love your idea of reading graphic novels as a way to improve fluency - I think that would have helped me quite a bit back in the day! You're right, it's not the dialogue that's generally an issue, it's the descriptions, and that skips those. I'm debating starting to put forth some effort to really learn a second language and I may use that trick if I decide to go for it.

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  2. Ooh do it! I recommend Duolingo.com. It's totally free and a much more effective computer-based way to learn than Rosetta Stone. It's not perfect - conversation of course is very different than reading and writing - but it's a good way to start!

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  3. I was using Duolingo quite a bit before I had the baby, and then I haven't touched it since. Hopefully she'll start sleeping through the night reliably soon and I can have enough brain power to get back to working on it! Thanks for the confirmation that Duolingo isn't a bad choice.

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