No, I’m not feeling Scroogey. It turns out that humbug is the word of the week.
My current audiobook is A Christmas Carol, which means my morning commute is filled with bah humbugs. And it turns out Melville was fond of the word, too. I just finished my weekly Moby Dick reading, and Ishmael has labeled Elijah a humbug. So what exactly is a humbug? Well, according to Merriem-Webster:
Main Entry: 1hum·bug
Pronunciation: \ˈhəm-ˌbəg\
Function: noun
Etymology: origin unknown
Date: 1751
1 a : something designed to deceive and mislead b : a willfully false, deceptive, or insincere person
2 : an attitude or spirit of pretense and deception
Anyways, I’m now 120 odd pages into Moby Dick, and they are finally (finally!) at sea. I suspect we still have a ways to go before we see any action, though. Melville seems to be winding up for some in-depth descriptions of whaling. Oh joy.
And yes, that was Moby Dick Monday on Sunday night.
Today I read an amazing book (no, I’m not still talking about the whale). You may recall Rebecca raving about this book awhile back, and rightly so. Waiting for Columbus went in directions I never expected, and the mystery of why the main character thought he was Columbus sucked me right in. The book is also unexpectedly deep (but not in a bad way). I loved it. I promise to write more about it at a later date.
I suspect you’re being sarcastic about Melville. On the other hand, I’m glad you got Monday over with so quickly because Mondays generally run very long.
I have Waiting for Columbus on my list, but still don’t know much about it except that those who have read it are rhapsodic, which seems like a good recommendation for someone with the moniker rhapsody in books. I look forward to your review!
rhapsodyinbooks´s last blog ..Sunday Salon – Review of The Help by Kathryn Stockett
They are finally at sea but we have yet to “see” Ahab…aka Big Thunder or whatever Elijah called him. I love the series Deadliest Catch so I am hoping for a lot of action. You think I’ll get it?
You aren’t doing a good job of selling me on Moby Dick. LOL Waiting for Columbus on the other hand, I may just have to get myself a copy of that one.
Literary Feline´s last blog ..Sunday Salon: This & That
Huh, I always thought humbug was a made-up word. Like Quidditch.
heidenkind´s last blog ..TSS-Challenge Update
and I always thought of a humbug as just a grump, not actually someone deceitful. sinister, even! I love your Moby updates… and I need to go make sure I have Waiting for Columbus on my tbr. Maybe this is what I will get my mother as a gift. I keep waffling and might end up buying her a stack of books instead.
Care´s last blog ..The Virgin Blue
And here I thought humbug was the equivalent of drat or something like that.
Kathy´s last blog ..Mailbox Monday
Waiting for Columbus sounds like an unusual book. Like the other commenters, I thought that humbug just meant a general spirit of being grumpy.
Alyce´s last blog ..The Terror by Dan Simmons – Review
I think we may be about the same place in Moby Dick. I’m glad you enjoyed your other book. I’ll be watching for your thoughts on it. I had thought about buying that one at some point.
Darlene´s last blog ..Book Review: Wild Blue Under by Judi Fennell
The more I hear about Moby Dick, the more I’m convince I will never read it.
And I’ve got “Waiting for Columbus” on my reading list for 2010 .. I’m so excited!
Jenners´s last blog ..451 Challenge