Morrow Series by Helen Mary Hoover

Just finished reading the Children of Morrow and its sequel Treasures of Morrow by H. M. Hoover.

I liked the story, especially the first book.
I was really surprised to know that these were author’s very first published books (first and third respectively). The description of these post-apocalyptic communities was so vivid, and the characters were so real. Also, a very good writing style, and this great ability to explain complicated things clearly, in a simple way!
Looking forward to read another book by Helen Mary Hoover. ❤️

The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times (books in English)

After my terrible mistake that I made in one of my previous language videos (where by mistake I gave the wrong etymology of the Armenian word and thus confuse my dear viewers), I decided to read as much as possible about the Armenian language and Armenian customs and traditions. Read and learn, and try not to make such huge mistakes again. Of course, all mistakes cannot be avoided, but I want to stop making stupid mistakes.

I found several books about Armenia (written in English) and today I’d like to tell you about these two:

The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times (Volume I and Volume II) by Richard G. Hovannisian (Editor)

These are excellent books, detailed and very interesting. I highly recommend these books to anyone who is interested in Armenia.

My favorite chapter was “Armenian literary culture through the eleventh century” written by Robert Thompson. It was about the invention of the Armenian Script, the first translations and many more.

“The history of the Armenian people is long, complex, and in many ways epic and heroic.”
– Richard G. Hovannisian

The Fireman by Joe Hill (book in English)

Just finished reading The Fireman by Joe Hill. I liked the beginning of the story, it was super interesting and gripping. Unfortunately, the rest of the book wasn’t so good and slightly disappointed me.

Nevertheless, there were plenty of words in this book that I found really interesting. Here are some of them:
🇺🇲 (En) 👉👉👉 🇷🇺 (Ru)

🔹 hopscotch = детская игра «классики» (… occasional hopscotch grid);
🔹 premonition = предчувствие (She had a premonition she would never return to her office…);
🔹 limey = a British person;
🔹 C-section = c/sec = cesarean section = кесарево сечение (“I can deliver by C-section next March”).

I also liked that the main character (Harper) “…associated English accents with singing teapots, schools for witchcraft, and science of deduction”. I totally agree. I absolutely love British accent!

Started Reading – 10 February 2022
Finished Reading – 25 February 2022

Fahrenheit 451

I just finished reading Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. I read the book in just three and a half days and I really liked the story. Great read, very emotional! It’s definitely a must read for anyone who loves good social science fiction novels!

Two interesting words from this book:
🇺🇲 (En) 👉👉👉 🇷🇺 (Ru)

🔹 heresy = ересь;
🔹 pratfall = падение на зад (например, клоуна) нарочито неуклюжее и вызывающее смех; оплошность, провал (“Life becomes one big pratfall, Montag; everything bang; boff, and wow!”).

Some of my favorite quotes from Fahrenheit 451 are:

“Mr. Montag, you are looking at a coward. I saw the way things were going, a long time back. I said nothing. I’m one of the innocents who could have spoken up and out when no one would listen to the ‘guilty,’ but I did not speak and thus became guilty myself. And when finally they set the structure to burn the books, using the firemen, I grunted a few times and subsided, for there were no others grunting or yelling with me, by then. Now, it’s too late.”
― Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

“We are living in a time when flowers are trying to live on flowers, instead of growing on good rain and black loam.”
― Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

Feedback (Variant, #2) – Robison Wells

Прочитала на английском Feedback (Variant, #2) by Robison Wells. Если не ошибаюсь, в русском варианте, эта вторая часть дилогии Робисона Уэллса называется «Обратная связь».

Хм, смешанные чувства. Книга понравилась меньше предыдущей, (по моему мнению, она несколько слабее), но сама идея – интересная.

И для изучающих английский язык, книга тоже может быть интересна. Мой «улов» интересных слов/выражений на сегодня:
🇺🇲 (En) 👉👉👉 🇷🇺 (Ru)

🔹 bargaining chip = козырь в кармане, преимущество (It was my bargaining chip.)

🔹 take something with a grain of salt = take something with a pinch of salt = отнестись критически, с недоверием (“This is where you start taking things with a grain of salt.”)

Variant (Variant, #1) – Robison Wells

Прочитала на английском «Вариант» Робисона Уэллса (Variant by Robison Wells).

Начала читать книгу еще в декабре 2021, но тогда она мне показалась несколько скучноватой и дело тянулось медленно и печально. Открывала книгу, начинала читать и откладывала на несколько дней. В итоге, к Новому Году не было прочитано и половины.

Однако первого января 2022с все изменилось. И не только потому, что утром после ночного новогоднего застолья все друзья и знакомые спят и делать особо нечего, (только читать 😉), но книга сама с середины стала интереснее.

В общем, прочитала за несколько часов. Не могу сказать, что было супер-супер, но на Новогодних каникулах что-то легкое прочитать – самое то. Сейчас ищу вторую книгу в дилогии (Feedback, или «Обратная связь» в русском варианте), интересно же, что там случиться дальше!

Интересная фраза только одна:
🇺🇲 (En) 👉👉👉 🇷🇺 (Ru)

🔹 hillbilly = деревенщина (“… in Pittsburgh we think people on ranches are hillbillies.”)

С Новым Годом, друзья!!! Пусть этот год будет лучше предыдущего! ❤️

When the Ashes Fall

Прочитала When the Ashes Fall by Jacqueline Druga. Сначала было очень интересно, но потом интерес начал угасать и дочитывала до конца уже без особого энтузиазма. Хорошая книга, но я ожидала бОльшего.

Выписала только две фразы:
T-bone = broadside (collision) = врезаться в бок автомобиля;
jack = самая малость, чуточка (You know jack…).

A really good light romance novel by D. E. Stevenson

Just finished The Tall Stanger by D. E. Stevenson (in English). 🇬🇧 ❤️ I really enjoyed this novel. It was well written, fast paced and very romantic! 🤗
I liked the plot. But the most important thing is the language of the book. The richest English language, which is rarely seen today!

Some interesting phrases from this book:
🇬🇧 (En) 👉👉👉 🇷🇺 (Ru)

🔹 come weal come woe = в горе и в радости;
🔹 making a mountain out of a molehill = делать из мухи слона (“You think I’m making a mountain out of a molehill?”)
🔹 be someone’s pigeon = be someone’s concern (“… declaring that it was her pigeon…” = “… это было ее дело”)
🔹 straight as a die = прямой, честный, такой не подведет (… Ned was the soul of honour – straight as a die!)

Started Reading – 28 May 2021
Finished Reading – 23 July 2021
My Rating: 4 Stars ★★★★

An interesting book about dragons!

Just finished reading Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn and I really enjoyed this book. ❤️
The story was so gripping that kept me up into the night! I just couldn’t put the book down!
Can’t wait for the sequel! 😘

Two interesting phrases from this book:
🇺🇲 (En) 👉👉👉 🇷🇺 (Ru)

🔹 hand-me-down = подержанный (hand-me-down truck)
🔹 walk/be on eggshells = ходить на цыпочках, подбирать слова (… he was walking on eggshells around her).

Started Reading – 9 June 2021
Finished Reading – 11 June 2021
My Rating: 5 Stars ★★★★★

Read aloud in English #2 – Grimms’ Fairy Tales – The straw, the coal, and the bean (eng subs)

Hi friends! Today I’m going to read you in English the Brothers Grimm fairy tale ‘The Straw, the Coal and the Bean’. This work is in the public domain.
I made this video to show you my daily read-aloud practice and also to help me track my reading and pronunciation progress in English.

Title: Grimms’ Fairy Tales
Author: The Brothers Grimm
Translator: Edgar Taylor and Marian Edwardes
Language: English
Read by: Ekaterina Kassesinova

I’m a native Russian speaker and I tried my best to read in English with proper rhythm and intonation but I know my pronunciation is still far from perfect.

Please leave a comment below, and let me know what do you think about my pronunciation.
Thank you, guys! I really appreciate your help, any thoughts, feedback and suggestions!

Please check out my other videos where I’m reading out loud in different languages:

▶ Pushkin poem in 3 languages – Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian /У лукоморья дуб зеленый на трех языках https://youtu.be/dtu-H_kVxLY

▶ Anna Karenina – famous opening line in 5 different languages (En, Sp, Pl, Ru, Am) / Read aloud https://youtu.be/Mo32Yj1_AUY

▶ Reading Out Loud in English / My Language Learning Routine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYGYY…

▶ Leyendo en Español / Read aloud in Spanish // Rusa Tratando de Hablar Español https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT1ek…

▶ Rosjanka czyta po polsku / Reading in Polish // My Language Learning Routine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-qu5…

▶ The Invincible Rooster – Read Aloud in Armenian /Անհաղթ աքլորը (Anhaght Aklore) (eng, rus, arm subs) https://youtu.be/aj2VPjkZ0V0

▶ Read aloud in Russian – Лошадиная фамилия А. Чехов (A. Chekhov) with EN transliteration + RU subs https://youtu.be/6IhsvMnsPiA

I hope you enjoy watching these videos as much as I enjoy making them!

🔴 About
Hi! I’m Kate, a bookworm and a language enthusiast. For many years I enjoy reading books, listening to audiobooks, watching movies in different languages but I still can’t speak. I cannot express myself and my thoughts as clearly as fluently as I want (without a prepared script).
The same problem with my native language – Russian. Public speaking always was a nightmare to me… 🙈
So that is why I decided to start making videos in different languages. I really want to get out of my comfort zone, to overcome my fear of speaking in foreign languages and have an opportunity to talk to all of you guys about everything!!!
My friends call me a silent polyglot …. but I don’t want to be silent anymore! :)

Let’s learn languages together!

▶ Subscribe to my channel for more videos! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3LK…
▶ Mail: info@silentpolyglot.com

Thank you so much for watching 💕