修身养性：浮躁假期看这10本书就对了

 　　Short story collections, personal essays, memoirs² and historical fiction often move at a pace that allows for quiet contemplation.

　　短篇故事集、个人散文、回忆录和历史小说的行文总是允许读者安静沉思。

　　Honeydew by Edith Pearlman

　　伊迪丝·皮尔曼的《蜜露》

　　Pearlman writes quiet stories about the blips of tumult³ . She’s been writing short stories -- and only short stories -- for decades, chronicling the lives of earnest blue collar workers and whimsical academics. Most of the stories are set in her native Massachusetts; all of them reveal something tender and universal about everyday life.

　　皮尔曼安安静静的笔调下有些许动荡和喧嚣。她一直就在写短篇小说，而数十年来只写短篇小说，记录着热忱勤勉的蓝领工人还有异想天开的学者们的生活。大部分的故事背景都设置在她的故土马萨诸塞州，每一则故事都展现了日常生活细小而普遍的一面。

　　Fools by Joan Silber

　　琼·西尔珀的《傻瓜》

　　Each story in Fools confronts the question: What makes an action foolish, as opposed to brave? And when is it better to be foolish, as opposed to steadfast⁴ in our established beliefs?

　　《傻瓜》中每一则故事都面临这样一个问题：比之勇敢，怎样的行为才算愚昧？与我们深信不疑的信念相对，何时做个傻瓜才是更好的选择？

　　Single, Carefree, Mellow⁵ by Katherine Heiny

　　凯瑟琳·海尼的《单身、随性、成熟》

　　Katherine Heiny writes stories that quietly highlight the dramas of dating life, from teenagehood through adulthood⁶. Heiny writes about both lovers growing estranged⁷ through social media, and young girls learning about the power of their own sexualities, with wry⁸ humor.

　　凯瑟琳·海尼的故事不动声色地突出了约会的戏剧色彩，从豆蔻年华到成年时期，不一而足。海尼不单单写因社交媒体而逐渐疏离的情侣，也写年轻女孩认识到其声色的威力，笔调不乏揶揄嘲讽。

　　When I Was a Child I Read Books by Marilynne Robinson

　　玛丽莲·罗宾逊《小时候，我读书》

　　Marilynne In When I Was a Child I Read Books, Robinson fluidly contemplates⁹ significance of community and the power of the individual. You don’t have to be a religious thinker to find beauty in Robinson’s poetic¹⁰ musings.

　　《小时候，我读书》一书中，罗宾逊行文流畅，深思社区的重要性和个体的力量。读者即便不信奉宗教，也能发现罗宾逊富有诗意的哲思之美。

　　The Double Life of Liliane by Lily Tuck

　　莉莉·塔克《莉莲的双重生活》

　　Lily Tuck’s latest novel isn’t exactly a memoir¹, but it sits somewhere between novel and autobiography¹¹, blurring¹² the lines between related memory and imagined possible scenarios¹³. Like Tuck, heroine Liliane’s parents divorced when she was young, wreaking¹⁴ personal havoc¹⁵ that mirrored the tragedies unfolding in Europe at the same time.

　　莉莉·塔克的最新小说确切说来不是回忆录，介于小说和自传间，模糊了记忆和想象场景的界限。和莉莉·塔克小时候一样，女主人翁莉莲年少父母离异，深受重创， 也映照出同期欧洲的悲剧。

　　Neverhome by Laird Hunt

　　拉瑞德·亨特《不归》

　　Hunt tells his story about a woman disguised as a male solider through letters. The story is loosely based on a bundle of letters Hunt stumbled upon written by a real undercover female soldier and is a smart work of historical fiction that encourages contemplation.

　　亨特通过书信形式讲述了一个女子伪装成男军人的故事。亨特偶然间撞见一捆信件，是一个真实的卧底女军人所写的，亨特的历史小说稍稍以此为参照，引人深思，是部智慧的作品。

　　Infinite Home by Kathleen Alcott

　　凯思琳·奥尔科特《无限的家园》

　　Protagonist¹⁶ Edith has built a happy family of her own among her tenants¹⁷ -- until she gets slammed with potential eviction¹⁸ as her mind begins to worsen. The unsteady state of their home and their landlady¹⁹ forges an even closer bond between the housemates in this lyrical meditation²⁰ on what really makes up a family.

　　主人公伊蒂丝与其房客们建立了一个幸福的家庭，然而，随着记性变差，她或将被驱逐。家庭不稳定，女房东与房客们的关系更紧密了。这部抒情的沉思录引人思考究竟何为组成家庭的要素。

　　Here by Richard McGuire

　　里查德·麦奎尔《这儿》

　　This book is a heartwarming time capsule, and fluid look at the way our interior lives have evolved, and how they’ve remained the same.

　　这本书是温暖人心的时空胶囊，以温婉的视角看我们的内心演变以及又如何初心不变。

　　The Folded Clock by Heidi Julavits

　　海蒂·朱拉薇姿《折叠的时钟》

　　The Folded Clock is a Diary, a collection of musings written offhandedly²¹ each day by its author. It’s been scrubbed of identifying details, but otherwise remains²² a deeply personal collection of thoughts about motherhood, language, and what success really means.

　　《折叠的时钟》是部日记，是作者每日随手写就的遐思集。书中隐去了透露身份的信息，但仍是身为人母的感想、对语言的思考和阐述成功之道的个人思想集。

　　Can’t and Won’t by Lydia Davis

　　莉迪娅·戴维斯《"不行"与"不能"》

　　Davis’ stories are quick, dreamy snapshots of a mood or a sentiment, and they take the shape of the idle thoughts that make up most of our days. Davis’s spare language is comforting and digestible, but leaves ample room for contemplation and imagination, too.

　　戴维斯的故事轻松宜人、直击人心。故事取材于我们日常生活七零八碎的心思想法。戴维斯平实简练的语言安抚人心、易于理解，但有给读者足够想象和沉思的空间。

1 memoir   

n.[pl.]回忆录，自传；记事录

参考例句：

• He has just published a memoir in honour of his captain.他刚刚出了一本传记来纪念他的队长。
• In her memoir,the actress wrote about the bittersweet memories of her first love.在那个女演员的自传中，她写到了自己苦乐掺半的初恋。

2 memoirs   

n.回忆录；回忆录传( mem,自oir的名词复数)

参考例句：

• Her memoirs were ghostwritten. 她的回忆录是由别人代写的。
• I watched a trailer for the screenplay of his memoirs. 我看过以他的回忆录改编成电影的预告片。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 tumult   

n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹

参考例句：

• The tumult in the streets awakened everyone in the house.街上的喧哗吵醒了屋子里的每一个人。
• His voice disappeared under growing tumult.他的声音消失在越来越响的喧哗声中。

4 steadfast   

adj.固定的，不变的，不动摇的；忠实的；坚贞不移的

参考例句：

• Her steadfast belief never left her for one moment.她坚定的信仰从未动摇过。
• He succeeded in his studies by dint of steadfast application.由于坚持不懈的努力他获得了学业上的成功。

5 mellow   

adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟

参考例句：

• These apples are mellow at this time of year.每年这时节，苹果就熟透了。
• The colours become mellow as the sun went down.当太阳落山时，色彩变得柔和了。

6 adulthood   

n.成年，成人期

参考例句：

• Some infantile actions survive into adulthood.某些婴儿期的行为一直保持到成年期。
• Few people nowadays are able to maintain friendships into adulthood.如今很少有人能将友谊维持到成年。

7 estranged   

adj.疏远的，分离的

参考例句：

• He became estranged from his family after the argument.那场争吵后他便与家人疏远了。
• The argument estranged him from his brother.争吵使他同他的兄弟之间的关系疏远了。

8 wry   

adj.讽刺的；扭曲的

参考例句：

• He made a wry face and attempted to wash the taste away with coffee.他做了个鬼脸，打算用咖啡把那怪味地冲下去。
• Bethune released Tung's horse and made a wry mouth.白求恩放开了董的马，噘了噘嘴。

9 contemplates   

深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的第三人称单数 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想

参考例句：

• She contemplates leaving for the sake of the kids. 她考虑为了孩子而离开。
• Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them. 事物的美存在于细心观察它的人的头脑中。

10 poetic   

adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的

参考例句：

• His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。
• His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。

11 autobiography   

n.自传

参考例句：

• He published his autobiography last autumn.他去年秋天出版了自己的自传。
• His life story is recounted in two fascinating volumes of autobiography.这两卷引人入胜的自传小说详述了他的生平。

12 blurring   

n.模糊，斑点甚多，（图像的）混乱v.（使）变模糊( blur的现在分词 )；（使）难以区分

参考例句：

• Retinal hemorrhage, and blurring of the optic dise cause visual disturbances. 视网膜出血及神经盘模糊等可导致视力障碍。 来自辞典例句
• In other ways the Bible limited Puritan writing, blurring and deadening the pages. 另一方面，圣经又限制了清教时期的作品，使它们显得晦涩沉闷。 来自辞典例句

13 scenarios   

n.[意]情节；剧本；事态；脚本

参考例句：

• Further, graphite cores may be safer than non-graphite cores under some accident scenarios. 再者，根据一些事故解说，石墨堆芯可比非石墨堆芯更安全一些。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Again, scenarios should make it clear which modes are acceptable to users in various contexts. 同样，我们可以运用场景剧本来搞清楚在不同情境下哪些模式可被用户接受。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

14 wreaking   

诉诸（武力），施行（暴力），发（脾气）( wreak的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Coal mining is a messy business, often wreaking terrible environmental damage nearby. 采矿是肮脏的行业，往往会严重破坏周边环境。
• The floods are wreaking havoc in low-lying areas. 洪水正在地势低洼地区肆虐。

15 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

16 protagonist   

n.(思想观念的)倡导者；主角，主人公

参考例句：

• The protagonist reforms in the end and avoids his proper punishment.戏剧主角最后改过自新并避免了他应受的惩罚。
• He is the model for the protagonist in the play.剧本中的主人公就是以他为模特儿创作的！

17 tenants   

n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者

参考例句：

• A number of tenants have been evicted for not paying the rent. 许多房客因不付房租被赶了出来。
• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。

18 eviction   

n.租地等的收回

参考例句：

• The family have won a temporary reprieve from eviction.这个家庭暂时免于被逐出。
• He claimed damages for unlawful eviction.他要求对非法驱逐作出赔偿。

19 landlady   

n.女房东，女地主

参考例句：

• I heard my landlady creeping stealthily up to my door.我听到我的女房东偷偷地来到我的门前。
• The landlady came over to serve me.女店主过来接待我。

20 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

21 offhandedly   

adv.立即地；即席地；未经准备地；不客气地

参考例句：

• She had made these remarks offhandedly. 她即席做了这些评价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She threw him over offhandedly without even a dear-john letter. 她随即就把他甩了，甚至连封分手信都没有写。 来自互联网

22 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。