Word of the Day Scrupulous

Word of the Day Scrupulous

SCRUPULOUS

Someone who is very careful about doing something correctly or doing what is honest and morally right

📘 Definitions

adjective To be extremely careful, thorough, and attentive to detail; having strong moral integrity and a deep concern for doing what is right.

having moral integrity : acting in strict regard for what is considered right or proper

Precise; exact or strict. doing everything correctly and exactly as it should be done

🕰️ Etymology

The word scrupulous originates from the Latin scrupulus, meaning a small sharp stone. Metaphorically, this “sharp stone” represented a nagging feeling of unease—something that pricks the conscience when something is not quite right.

Over time, the word evolved to describe someone who is guided by that inner moral awareness: a person who notices the small details and refuses to ignore them.

✍️ Example Sentence

  • The Lawyer was srupulous in her preparation for the case, leaving no stone unturned

🔁 Synonyms

  • Meticulous

  • Conscientious

  • Ethical

  • Principled

  • Thorough

  • Careful

Each of these highlights an aspect of scrupulousness—attention, responsibility, and moral clarity.

📚 Scrupulous & Emerald Book Club’s Mission

Emerald Book Club exists to inspire and develop readers, writers, and authors, while fostering meaningful connection through literature and conversation. Being scrupulous aligns deeply with this mission.

  • As readers, we engage thoughtfully with texts, respecting diverse voices and perspectives.

  • As writers, we choose our words carefully, understanding their power to shape thought and emotion.

  • As a community, we operate with integrity, inclusivity, and respect—ensuring everyone feels valued and heard.

Scrupulousness reminds us that growth does not come from carelessness, but from intention. From paying attention to stories, to people, and to the responsibility that comes with sharing ideas.

🌱 Why We Love This Word

In a fast-moving world, being scrupulous is a quiet but powerful act. It encourages us to slow down, think deeply, and act ethically—values that sit at the heart of Emerald Book Club’s vision of building a thoughtful, engaged, and connected literary community.

Reflection Prompt:
How can you be more scrupulous in your reading, writing or daily conversations this week?

February by Margaret Atwood

February Poem by Margaret Atwood

Winter. Time to eat fat

and watch hockey. In the pewter mornings, the cat,

a black fur sausage with yellow

Houdini eyes, jumps up on the bed and tries

to get onto my head. It’s his

way of telling whether or not I’m dead.

If I’m not, he wants to be scratched; if I am

He’ll think of something. He settles

on my chest, breathing his breath

of burped-up meat and musty sofas,

purring like a washboard. Some other tomcat,

not yet a capon, has been spraying our front door,

declaring war. It’s all about sex and territory,

which are what will finish us off

in the long run. Some cat owners around here

should snip a few testicles. If we wise

hominids were sensible, we’d do that too,

or eat our young, like sharks.

But it’s love that does us in. Over and over

again, He shoots, he scores! and famine

crouches in the bedsheets, ambushing the pulsing

eiderdown, and the windchill factor hits

thirty below, and pollution pours

out of our chimneys to keep us warm.

February, month of despair,

with a skewered heart in the centre.

I think dire thoughts, and lust for French fries

with a splash of vinegar.

Cat, enough of your greedy whining

and your small pink bumhole.

Off my face! You’re the life principle,

more or less, so get going

on a little optimism around here.

Get rid of death. Celebrate increase. Make it be spring.

What is Sarcophagus?

What is Sarcophagus?

Really? Sarcophagus is actually a word which means…….

Lets dive in and find out cool

There I was relaxing and unwinding on a beautiful wednesday evening after a long day of book club sessions and work, i then try looking up a word similar to sacrofag and als from nowhere google the famous does it magic and …you guessed it sugests its own opinion…SARCOPHAGUS

I will be honest upfront…i am prettty sure i have never heard of the word before or heard of it. Have you?

What is Sarcophagus

A sarcophagus is a stone coffin, typically elaborate and decorated, used for burying the wealthy or important figures in ancient civilizations like Egypt, Greece, and Rome, serving as a protective vessel for the body and a significant piece of funerary art often containing religious imagery and textsThe word comes from Greek for “flesh-eating,” referring to a type of limestone thought to help decompose bodies, though sarcophagi were made from various materials like marble, alabaster, or wood and often housed inner coffins.

marble sarcophagus

It sounds really interesting. I did hear of the mummies in Egypt which I am pretty sure most of us have..but stone coffins? come to think about it there a few cultures that have similar practices. Could they have learnt or copied this tradition? or probably descended from one of these ancient empires and carried on the tradition.

According to wikipedia

sarcophagus (pl.sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word sarcophagus comes from the Greek σάρξ sarx meaning “flesh”, and φαγεῖν phagein meaning “to eat”; hence sarcophagus means “flesh-eating”, from the phrase lithos sarkophagos (λίθος σαρκοφάγος), “flesh-eating stone”. The word also came to refer to a particular kind of limestone that was thought to rapidly facilitate the decomposition of the flesh of corpses contained within it due to the chemical properties of the limestone itself.

Key Characteristics

  • Material
    Most commonly stone (limestone, granite, marble) but also terracotta, wood, or metal.
  • Decoration
    Often carved with hieroglyphs, myths, biblical scenes, or portraits of the deceased, signifying beliefs about the afterlife.
  • Purpose
    To protect the body, guide the deceased to the afterlife, and reflect the status of the person buried within.
  • Placement
    Usually displayed above ground, unlike buried coffins, though they could also be interred.

Historical Examples

  • Ancient Egypt
    Used for pharaohs and nobles, often nested with multiple coffins inside, like Tutankhamun’s.
  • Roman Empire
    Elaborately carved with mythological scenes, reflecting Roman culture and beliefs.
  • Early Christianity
    Featured Christian symbols and biblical stories, demonstrating the shift in religious iconography, according to The Episcopal Church.
Etymology
Roman sarcophagus

Key Facts

  • Ancient Egypt: Sarcophagi were considered “eternal homes” and were highly symbolic. Famous examples include the nested gold coffins of Tutankhamun and the alabaster Sarcophagus of Seti I.
  • Design Evolution: They evolved from simple rectangular wooden boxes in the Old Kingdom to anthropoid (human-shaped) vessels by the Middle Kingdom, often featuring the face of the deceased and protective deities like Nut or Osiris.
  • Cultural Use: While most closely associated with Egypt, sarcophagi were also widely used in Ancient Greece and Rome, where they often featured reliefs of mythological scenes, battles, or portraits of the deceased.
  • Modern Context: The term is also used for the massive steel and concrete Chernobyl Sarcophagus built to entomb the radioactive ruins of Reactor 4 after the 1986 disaster. 

Word of the Day Sacrosanct

Word of the Day Sacrosanct

SACROSANCT

Sacrosanct describes something that is regarded as so important, sacred, or fundamental that it must not be questioned, challenged, or violated.

📘 Definitions

(especially of a principle, place, or routine) regarded as too important or valuable to be interfered with

most sacred or holy : inviolable

thought to be too important or too special to be changed

Best Selling Spanish Books

Best Selling Spanish Books

Spanish literature offers a rich, diverse, and globally influential canon ranging from classical masterpieces like Cervantes’ Don Quixote (often considered the first modern novel) to contemporary works. Key genres include magical realism, historical drama, and, significantly, literature from the Spanish Golden Age. Essential reads for learners and enthusiasts include The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, and Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez. 

The Best Selling Spanish Books

Tips for Reading in Spanish

  • Start with Graded Readers: Use books specifically designed for language learners to build fluency.
  • Don’t Look Up Every Word: Focus on understanding the context to improve reading speed and enjoyment.
  • Read What You Enjoy: Select genres that interest you to maintain motivation. 

Common Themes in Spanish Literature

  • History and Culture: Books exploring the Spanish Civil War and the reign of Franco.
  • Love and Adventure: Stories with passionate, complex characters.
  • Magical Realism: A prominent style in Latin American literature

The best selling Spanish books of all time include foundational classics of Western literature and modern global phenomena from esteemed authors like Gabriel García Márquez and Carlos Ruiz Zafón. 

Classic Bestsellers

Don Quixote ( Don Quijote de la Mancha) by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

  • Widely regarded as the first modern novel and one of the greatest literary works ever written, it is the best-selling book in Spanish literature history, with hundreds of millions of copies sold worldwide (second only to the Bible in total sales).
  • The story is a parody of chivalric romances, following the adventures of an hidalgo who loses his mind from reading too many knightly tales and sets out as a knight-errant.

One Hundred Years of Solitude ( Cien años de soledad) by Gabriel García Márquez

  • This seminal work of magical realism has sold over 50 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 40 languages.
  • It tells the multi-generational story of the Buendía family in the fictional town of Macondo, a narrative considered a pinnacle of Spanish-American literature.

Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair ( Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada) by Pablo Neruda

  • Published when the author was only 19, this poetry collection remains the best-selling poetry book in the history of Spanish literature, with over 20 million copies sold.

The House of the Spirits ( La casa de los espíritus) by Isabel Allende

  • The debut novel by the acclaimed Chilean writer, this book tells the story of the Trueba family across four generations, blending personal and political themes in a Latin American context. It is one of the most translated works from Spanish. 

Modern & Contemporary Bestsellers

The Shadow of the Wind ( La sombra del viento) by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

  • This romantic thriller, set in post-Spanish Civil War Barcelona, became a global bestseller, selling over 15 million copies and being translated into 36 languages.
  • Reviewers on Goodreads consistently list this as a top choice among Spanish fiction.

Like Water for Chocolate ( Como agua para chocolate) by Laura Esquivel

  • A classic of the magical realism genre, this novel incorporates traditional Mexican recipes into each chapter to tell a story of family, love, and self-expression constrained by societal expectations.

Homeland ( Patria) by Fernando Aramburu

  • Published in 2016, this novel has been a major contemporary hit in Spanish literature, selling over a million copies and focusing on the impact of the Basque nationalist movement (ETA) on two families.

Key Spanish Literary Works and Authors

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