This week’s expression is:
ruthless= having no pity; merciless; cruel.
Ex: <Felines are wild in nature, even the most sociable and gentle house cat remains, at heart, a ruthless predator.>
| Title: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | |
| Author: Stieg Larsson | Publisher: Norstedts Förlag (Swedish) |
| Level: Advanced | Genre: Crime / Mystery Novel |
| Story:
Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomqvist is hired by Henrik Vanger to investigate the disappearance of Vanger’s great-niece Harriet. Henrik suspects that someone in his family, the powerful Vanger clan, murdered Harriet over forty years ago. Starting his investigation, Mikael realizes that Harriet’s disappearance is not a single event, but rather linked to series of gruesome murders in the past. He now crosses paths with Lisbeth Salander, a young computer hacker, an asocial punk and most importantly, a young woman driven by her vindictiveness. Together they form an unlikely couple as they dive deeper into the violent past of the secretive Vanger family.
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| Comment:
This was the first novel in a trilogy by the brilliant writer, Stieg Larsson, who unfortunately died in 2004. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an international best seller and is set in Sweden. It takes a little effort to get accustomed to all the Swedish names and places but then the story moves with lightening speed. This is a superb novel and impossible to put down. It’s mysterious, logical and shocking. I absolutely love Salander, she is an amazing character and I love the way the author only lets out a little information about her at a time. She’s a mystery. I highly recommend this book to all suspense and thriller fans. |
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This week’s word is:
dillydally (verb) = to waste time, especially by being slow or by not being able to make a decision.
Ex: <Don’t dillydally, just get your things and let’s go!>
This week’s word is:
zaftig = having a full rounded figure; pleasingly plump.
Ex: <Beauty changes from time to time. Zaftig women were once considered beautiful.>
Every week a new word or expression will be posted here with its definition and a usage example. Don’t pass on this opportunity to improve your vocabulary a bit! Check it out!
This week’s expression is:
out of the blue = without previous notice; unexpectedly.
Ex: <Suddenly, out of the blue, I had the most brilliant idea!>
| Title: The Lost Symbol | |
| Author: Dan Brown | Publisher: Doubleday |
| Level: Advanced | Genre: thriller |
| Story: Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. From there on, a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets and unseen chambers, tunnels and temples of Washington D.C. Murders and riddles, codes and discoveries are all parts of this puzzle the author creates.
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| Comment: If you are a thriller fan and you enjoyed any of the other Dan Brown books, you should definitely check The Lost Symbol out. The story takes place in real Washington D.C. locations and is full of surprises, not to mention all the suspense Dan Brown creates as no-one else.
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Usando dicionários inglês-inglês você pratica e melhora seu vocabulário.
Segue abaixo links de dicionários on-line que você pode utilizar:
The whole world is Irish in St. Patrick’s Day! March 17th
Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated worldwide by those of Irish descent and increasingly by people of other ethnicities as well, notably in Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and North America. Celebrations are generally themed around all Irish things and, by association, the colour green. Both Christians and non-Christians celebrate the secular version of the holiday by wearing green, eating Irish food and/or green foods, imbibing Irish drink (such as Irish stout, especially Guinness, Irish Whiskey or Irish Cream) and attending street parades.
Green ribbons and shamrock, a three-leaved plant, were worn in celebration of St Patrick’s Day as early as the 17th century. He is said to have used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish, and the wearing and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have become a common feature of the day.
In Uruguay and in Argentina, and especially in Buenos Aires, all-night long parties are celebrated in designated streets, since the weather is comfortably warm in March. People dance and drink only beer throughout the night, until seven or eight in the morning.
Birmingham holds the largest Saint Patrick’s Day parade in Britain with a massive city centre parade over a 3 km route through the city centre. The organisers describe it as the third biggest parade in the world after Dublin and New York. There are St. Patrick’s Day parades in many other British cities: London, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow, etc
In New Zealand as in Australia, Saint Patrick’s Day is widely celebrated. It is tradition for people to wear green items of clothing, and the streets are often filled with revellers drinking and making merry from early afternoon until late at night. As many people in New Zealand are of Irish descent, it is widely seen as a day to celebrate individual links to Ireland and all Irish things.
Today, Saint Patrick’s Day is widely celebrated in America by Irish and non-Irish alike. Many people, regardless of ethnic background, wear green-coloured clothing and items. Traditionally, those who are caught not wearing green are pinched, usually affectionately.
The 150-strong Irish community in Sao Paulo, Brazil celebrates with a St Patrick’s Day shindig at the Bridge Restaurant, Rua Ferreira De Araújo, 741, Pinheiros. Traditional Irish stew is on the menu, to be washed down with generous volumes of Guinness and Irish whiskey.
If you’d like to celebrate this day in a traditional Irish Pub, drinking Irish beer, check out www.brejas.com.br in Campinas or www.orilley.com.br in Brasília.
