How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe: Chapters 29–41

by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
After her twin sister becomes a social media star, eighteen-year-old Moon goes on a journey of self discovery during a summer road trip across the U.S.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–16, Chapters 17–28, Chapters 29–41, Chapters 42–56
35 words 7 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. colander
    bowl-shaped strainer used to wash or drain foods
    “They’re ridiculously rare,” he says as he pours them into a stainless-steel colander in the sink.
  2. prerogative
    a right reserved exclusively by a person or group
    “These berries are only here in my hand”—he lifts a few—“all because of their own prerogative. Humans had nothing to do with it.”
  3. treatise
    a formal text that treats a particular topic systematically
    And the treatise is finished.
  4. blanch
    cook (vegetables) briefly
    He moves on to what I think is blanching them.
  5. wax
    write or speak in a specified manner
    All I can do is watch in wonder....listening to Santiago wax on about huckleberries, how they seem to have the desire to stay as wild as possible.
  6. ambiguous
    having more than one possible meaning
    I like ‘ambiguous’ and ‘moss’ and ‘murmuration.’
  7. cathartic
    emotionally purging
    I’m not all that into video games, but this one is really up my alley. Basically, you kill the bad guys with whatever you can find in your kitchen—spoons, woks, teakettles. Which has proved to be ridiculously cathartic as of late.
  8. rustic
    characteristic of the fields or country
    “Flowers and twigs, basically. Whatever I can find in the woods.”
    “Rustic, earthy…”
  9. platitude
    a trite or obvious remark
    It’s so obvious when Star gives advice on her account. She only uses vague platitudes and Bible verses, which I understand does pull at some people’s heartstrings, but it never gets specific, you know?
  10. braised
    cooked by browning in fat and then simmering
    I don’t know how that’s even possible, but since the day he decided to get pissed at me, we’ve eaten carnitas rice bowls and lobster rolls and braised beef with all the trimmings.
  11. imperceptibly
    in a manner that is difficult to discern
    When his eyes meet mine, though, they soften. Almost imperceptibly.
  12. vacillate
    be undecided about something
    And now, like the loser I am, I’ve been lying in bed for thirty minutes, my thoughts vacillating between Star and Santiago talking in the hotel lobby and then to the gold of Santiago’s skin...
  13. trepidation
    a feeling of alarm or dread
    For some reason, both these facts fill me with equal amounts of trepidation.
  14. backlash
    an adverse reaction to some political or social occurrence
    I just don’t know how I’m going to deal with the backlash.
  15. incensed
    angered at something unjust or wrong
    “He what?” At first I’m incensed on her behalf. Who the hell tells Star Fuentez that?
  16. segue
    changing smoothly from one state or situation to another
    I was wondering why she was bringing Andro into this. It was a segue.
  17. pious
    having or showing or expressing reverence for a deity
    “Of course not. No one here is as pious as I require.”
  18. intimate
    having or fostering a friendly and informal atmosphere
    He’s trying not to laugh. And he’s failing. It feels too intimate or something, to lose it while facing him, so I face the kitchen counter and laugh until I’m weak, until I fold over and I’m practically lying down on the smooth quartz.
  19. reverberation
    an echo
    Santiago knocks at the top of his bunk. I feel the reverberations under my calves.
  20. convulse
    shake uncontrollably
    I snatch my hand from the Plexiglas, but then the shivers ricochet from the ring into the rest of me. It’s convulsing now, my body, these wild, rocky shakes, and I feel like I’m watching from outside myself, wondering how on earth this came to be.
  21. mortification
    strong feelings of embarrassment
    Well, add mortification to terror, because apparently my ample body is rocking the bunk as though it were a whale leaping into the shining seas.
  22. currant
    a small red or black berry used in jellies and jams
    A water current, an air current, or drops of actual currants, cold and small on my skin.
  23. dappled
    having spots or patches of color
    All rubies and garnets and red jasper, dappled pink in the light.
  24. undulate
    move in a wavy pattern or with a rising and falling motion
    Or maybe I’m a petal stuck to a spiderweb, one tiny fabric-like spot making a whole universe undulate like wisps in the wind.
  25. tentatively
    in a hesitant manner
    “Can you touch the stone?” I ask, placing it facedown in a wild grass patch between us. He scoots a little closer and tentatively brings a couple fingertips to it.
  26. venue
    the scene of any event or action
    “I told the venue about your aesthetic, and they ran with it.”
  27. sullen
    showing a brooding ill humor
    Andro said I could join the merch table, but Santiago’s sitting there looking like a sullen little boy.
  28. indifferent
    showing no care or concern in attitude or action
    I don’t know why I let Mom pummel me. The kindest she’s ever been, to me, is indifferent.
  29. diminutive
    a word that is formed with a suffix to indicate smallness
    “Yes, Mami?” Unfortunately, my diminutive use of “madre” doesn’t help.
  30. emanate
    proceed or issue forth, as from a source
    As soon as I hang up the phone, a growl emanates from behind me.
  31. stoic
    seeming unaffected by pleasure or pain; impassive
    Sometimes I wish I had the foresight to film our interactions. Just so the next time someone calls Santiago silent and stoic, I can pull it up and say, See? He's actually a raving banana peel if you get to know him.
  32. pertinent
    having precise or logical relevance to the matter at hand
    “But why’d you say that specifically?”
    “Because it was pertinent to the conversation, you giant troll! Jeez! Go back to your hole in the ground. And do everyone a favor and don’t come back out.”
  33. iridescent
    having a play of lustrous rainbow colors
    I am enclosed in warm metal, and there is nothing around me but iridescent starlight.
  34. carafe
    a bottle with a stopper
    We end up on an open balcony where a single table stands, covered in a peach cloth and white cloth napkins and wineglasses and an ornate carafe of ice water, wet with condensation.
  35. condescend
    behave in a patronizing manner
    That they condescend to you like that, calling you an inspiration and stuff.
Created on Mon Mar 14 10:05:36 EDT 2022 (updated Fri Mar 25 11:49:40 EDT 2022)

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