Someone's left a copy of Leon Uris's Trinity in the living room. I've always wanted to read that. I pick it up and flip to chapter one. Wait a minute... this is so familiar. I have read it. And ordinarily no big deal, I forgot a book. But I retained Nothing! Of centuries of Irish history. And I know if I reread it, I will remember it, only about a chapter in advance. I'm so mad at my brain right now.

In DFW news, I just finished the part with Tony Krause withdrawing on the subway. I remember way back when we met Orrin and the cockroaches thinking at least it's not ants. Silly girl. So, are we about done with the ant imagery or can I get a heads up for future bits to skim?

Great, now I have "This land is mine, God gave this land to me..." stuck in my head.

Pat Boone lyrics!

Isn't that Exodus? Here's a happy Irish love song to chase your earworm. Grace

It is Exodus, but still Leon Uris.

But Exodus was made into a fine Paul Newman movie.

So I'm just about to hit the big climax of Order of the Phoenix, and I have realized that I read it originally so long ago, I only recalled a few images from it. Cleaning the house, Umbridge and the lines, Snape's occlumency lessons (which seem spectacularly useless: the man has little talent as a teacher), and Sirius' death. I didn't remember Fred & George's big exit, Hagrid's brother, or anything about the endless exams.

And I've stumbled across one of the few British-isms that really trip me up: "revising" and "revision" instead of what would in the US be "reviewing" and "review". Or just "studying", frankly. I keep getting mental images of the kids madly editing their textbooks in red pen, rather than memorizing data.

As I'm listening to the Stephen Fry audiobooks, I wonder if the US editions changed the word-choice to make it clearer.

As I'm listening to the Stephen Fry audibooks, I wonder if the US editions changed the word-choice to make it clearer.

I believe OotP is when it became clear to me that they had stopped translating them, so I don't think so.

I wonder if the US editions changed the word-choice to make it clearer.

I think they did.

Contradicting xpost!

And I've stumbled across one of the few British-isms that really trip me up: "revising" and "revision" instead of what would in the US be "reviewing" and "review". Or just "studying", frankly. I keep getting mental images of the kids madly editing their textbooks in red pen, rather than memorizing data.

For years I thought that British exams consisted of revising the papers they did for class!