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Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
37 posts | 30 read | 27 to read
How do you conjure a life? Give the truest account of what you saw, felt, learned, loved, strived for? For Amy Krouse Rosenthal, the surprising answer came in the form of an encyclopedia. In Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life she has ingeniously adapted this centuries-old format for conveying knowledge into a poignant, wise, often funny, fully realized memoir. Using mostly short entries organized from A to Z, many of which are cross-referenced, Rosenthal captures in wonderful and episodic detail the moments, observations, and emotions that comprise a contemporary life. Start anywherepreferably at the beginningand see how one young womans alphabetized existence can open up and define the world in new and unexpected ways. An ordinary life, perhaps, but an extraordinary book. From the Hardcover edition.
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SheilaChew
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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This entry has stayed with me.
November 21, 2024

16 likes1 stack add
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AvidReader25
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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Pickpick

The author chronicles tiny tidbits of her thoughts and feelings by category, alphabetically. It is charming and best devoured in small bites, a few entries at a time. From needlepoint to piñatas each topic gives us a snippet into the author‘s world.

“Our lives just feel so impossibly big to us.”

“It‘s really something to return home after a month away. It would seem that the world should have changed in someway.”

megnews I loved this. Have you read 3y
AvidReader25 @megnews Yes! I read that one first. I have never had such an interactive experience reading a book in my life. So wonderful! 3y
26 likes2 comments
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bibliobard
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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And here is my #TBR #BookSpinBingo for March (and a pic of the book I am currently reading). I have a lot going on in March writing wise (continued work on novel and entering the #SOL21 writing challenge) but I am hoping to make room for reading as well.

Also thinking of changing my username on here. Does anyone know if that will cause problems?

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Also, I've seen other people change their usernames - the only thing I know of that it would cause problems with is if you're part of a group/tag list (i.e. BookSpinBingo!!) - you'd want to let the host know so you'll keep getting tagged!! I always appreciate it when people make a post letting everyone know their old name/new name otherwise I never make the connection! 4y
16 likes1 comment
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Sharpeipup
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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What an original book! So many unique features for this #newyearwhodis read. Thank you @megnews for such an interesting suggestion.
@monalyisha

megnews Check out Textbook by her too if you get a chance. She also has some great picture books. 4y
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megnews
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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#AdventRecommends door 11: These 2 by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

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sherri
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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Reorganized my book shelves last night. It took longer than I expected. Definitely not because of the "two million books" my son said were here.

#shelfie

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megnews
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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Pickpick

The author weaves together her thoughts about life in a unique encyclopedia format. It could be my ordinary life or yours. Reading this was like sitting with a close friend or across the table from yourself, listening to ordinary thoughts about an ordinary life.

4⭐️. Recommend. Looking forward to reading Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal next.

Book 107/165 3/30/19

Tamra Intriguing format! 6y
megnews @Tamra definitely and easy to dip in and out of because of that. 6y
Nute I like the sound of this. Stacking! 6y
23 likes1 stack add3 comments
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megnews
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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I read this piece of advice in a travel guide years ago and appreciate the fact I have a picture of my girls with Mona Lisa, not just Mona Lisa.

SW-T Lovely pictures 😊 6y
KathrynElise Such great advice! Definitely taking this on board 😊 6y
Crazeedi Yep great idea! 6y
28 likes3 comments
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megnews
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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I never thought about it before, but I feel like this might be a thing I do.

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megnews
Encyclopaedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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🤚 🤚 🤚

Glad to read I‘m not the only one who learned this the hard way.

#lunchtimereading

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megnews
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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😂
I‘m enjoying this one.

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lauralovesbooks1
Encyclopaedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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Pickpick

Rosenthal wrote this memoir in 2004 as a series of short posts in alphabetical order, much like an encyclopedia . She celebrates and reflects on the ordinary, day to day moments we all experience. The reading experience was bittersweet, knowing she passed away last year from cancer.

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GlassAsDiamonds
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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Pickpick

Oh what an exquisite book. It‘s heartbreaking that the author should have died so young (at just 51 in 2017) but what a wonderful thing to have left in the world. Textbook is her second memoir, Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life her first and it‘s lovely. Funny, articulate, self effacing and poignant, I‘d recommend it to anyone. @Cinfhen & @CarolynM : she revised her opinion on Fiction but the quote was too long to post. ? Précis: People Change ❤️

CarolynM Good to know🙂 7y
Cinfhen Stacking 😍 7y
GlassAsDiamonds @Cinfhen you will not regret it! 😊😊😊 7y
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GlassAsDiamonds
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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❤️❤️❤️

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GlassAsDiamonds
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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Wow... sounds like our day...😂🤦🏻‍♀️😂🤦🏻‍♀️😂🤦🏻‍♀️

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GlassAsDiamonds
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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😂😂😂 YEP!! (I do this, especially with kettle chips!!).

debthmpsn I‘m not so weird after all 😂😂😂 7y
TheKidUpstairs So true! And I like the darker brown, almost overcooked ones. 7y
Swe_Eva 😂 I search out the flattest ones first. 👍 7y
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GlassAsDiamonds @debthmpsn & @TheKidUpstairs - 😊😊😊😊 Yep, the very best chips! @Swe_Eva : you‘d be the perfect person to share a bag with!!! 😊😊😊 7y
AlaMich @TheKidUpstairs See, that‘s just wrong! The lightest ones are the best. The darker ones just taste burnt! 😖😉 (edited) 7y
Cinfhen Yup!!! 7y
umbrellagirl So true! Love the extra crunchiness! 7y
CarolynM @AlaMich I'm with you - light, thin and crispy is the way to go 7y
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GlassAsDiamonds
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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@Cinfhen - okay, I‘m at not *quite* this bad ... but she does have a point...😜😜😜😜

Cinfhen That‘s such great writing and she makes a lot of good points!!! Ha!! Thanks for sharing 💖 7y
Cinfhen How‘s your friend doing?? 7y
GlassAsDiamonds @Cinfhen 😊😊 Friend - hanging in there. She‘s still in Mumbai, tomorrow we wait to see if they‘ll let her out. Whether or not she and the kids can get back in again remains completely unknown, especially as the older boy - who is 3 - left with Dad at the idiot HR guys advice so that they didn‘t forfeit the two adult plane tickets - doesn‘t have any exit paperwork. Very rough time. 7y
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Cinfhen Sounds like a complete nightmare...I‘m so sorry 😔 7y
Swe_Eva Jeez, what a mess. Hope things work out! 7y
CarolynM But in non fiction you can never really know what people are thinking or feeling. That's why I love fiction, you can be sure about the match up between, thoughts/feelings and words/actions. That's helped me to navigate the world. @Cinfhen 🙂 Sending positive thoughts to your friend and keeping fingers crossed it all works out for the best. 7y
Cinfhen Ahhh, now YOU make a strong point @CarolynM 7y
29 likes7 comments
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GlassAsDiamonds
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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The things I learn...!

Zelma 😂👏👍 7y
Swe_Eva 😂😂😂 7y
MayJasper Is that true?!?! 7y
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MayJasper Oh my goodness. It is true! 7y
MayJasper Or 'La disparition' in the original French 7y
GlassAsDiamonds @MayJasper I am so glad you tracked that down!!! (I wonder if the translation also managed no “e”‘s???). I think I‘m going to need to read this book!!! 😂😂😂😂 7y
37 likes1 stack add6 comments
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GlassAsDiamonds
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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😊😊😊 From the quite lovely tagged book (we‘re all in a time out. Dash because he decided bitey was an appropriate response to being foiled trying to escape his room, Puff because she decided whacking me was an appropriate response to Dash scaring her and Me lest I decide to flee the scene. 😡😡😡😡) AKR is helping.

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Lola
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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I really adored this book. I read the ebook and then borrowed the print because while both versions contain the same WORDS, there's so much that's in the print-quirky little drawings and charts, author content on the back flap, etc, that just isn't the same when consumed in the digital format. Even looking at this bright cover makes me happy.

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Lola
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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AKR loved #seredipity and so do I, especially when it happens in my reading life. I really enjoyed her essay about it Textbook AKR and even had a serendipitous moment while reading that book, a little story about #honey that I shared here. Today, I noticed that the two memoir-like books I'm currently reading, including Amy's, each have 240 pages. I had to smile at this latest bit of #BookSerendipity. I think AKR would have smiled about it, too.

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Lola
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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I love books with fun little nuggets on the copyright page. "Not responsible for the short, edible window between the banana is not ripe enough and the banana is rotten." from "Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life: 1" by Amy Krouse Rosenthal?

BarbaraTheBibliophage 🤣🤣🍌🍌 8y
drokka Funny how things work. I was telling coworkers about this book today, particularly a bit from letter M. 8y
Lola @drokka #Seredipity :) I can't wait to get to M! 8y
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Lola @BarbaraTheBibliophage Thanks for posting the banana emojis! I couldn't find them 🙄 8y
Readingrobin She was an inspiration. 😕 8y
Lola @Readingrobin Such a loss. And sad that I never met her. She lived just a few miles from me. 8y
Readingrobin @Lola I met her with Tom Lichtenheld at a book event years ago. 7y
40 likes1 stack add7 comments
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chowmeyow
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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We lost Amy Krouse Rosenthal yesterday. I'm so heartbroken, but today I am celebrating her life - she was filled with the sincere joy and wonder of being alive, and she shared it with all her readers, and made our lives more interesting and magical.

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Mindyrecycles
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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Pickpick
shawnmooney 💔💔 8y
BookInMyHands We love her stories so much 😔 8y
Cinfhen Wow, what a beautiful soul 💔 8y
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Donna_sBookMinute Rest In Peace. Oh the ambivalence of learning about an author upon his/her demise. 😔 8y
Laalaleighh Omg that was heartbreaking to read. 8y
Buddys_Momma This story breaks my heart, truly. What an amazing woman. 8y
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elkeOriginal
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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kyraleseberg 😭😭😭 8y
DebinHawaii 😥💔 8y
48 likes2 comments
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elkeOriginal
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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After reading AKR's NYTimes essay yesterday (and crying on finding out about her cancer) I see how stupid I have been to postpone reading this - life written in alphabetical entries! Funnily, she has not lived an ordinary life - she is creator of many magical picture books, and is a pleasure to read or watch her videos. She's created a lot of light:
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/style/modern-love-you-may-want-to-marry-my...

kathyellendavis It's so sad! She's one of my favorites! 8y
drokka I really enjoyed this book. I'm sad to hear about the illness. 8y
Librariana I was so very sad to learn of her diagnosis and read the NYT piece last night along with a few others. Need to get to this book a lot sooner as well as 8y
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Vanessa
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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Pickpick

Loved this and am now 1. constantly thinking of my own "entries," and 2. eyeing Rosenthal's latest, which I knew I would want to read and which just arrived in today's mail. Rosenthal accurately and entertainingly captures what it is like to be a regular, wonderful, flawed person with a normal existence. This is the kind of book I want to order for my best friend and have sent to her house as a nice surprise.

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Vanessa
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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DOGS
Dogs can be very persuasive when they want your attention.

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Vanessa
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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Thanks to the "Encyclopedia Spine" entry, I'm going to have to check the spine of every "M" Encyclopedia Brittanica volume for the rest of my life.

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Vanessa
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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Best copyright page EVER

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Vanessa
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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I don't know if I can sign this agreement. Especially because of the not bitching about Monday and not acknowledging almost-Friday part.
😂

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Nicole
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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Universal truth.

3 likes1 stack add
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Flaneurette
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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Lighthearted musings that make me smile. #bookphotochallenge #augustphotochallenge

16 likes1 stack add
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Flaneurette
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Lighthearted musings that make me smile. #bookphotochallenge

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Waynegjr
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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Check out our sweet new summer reads table. @RoscoeBooks