May Book Review

Yeah, yeah, I'm a bit late, but I was distracted by the lumberjacks.

Things That Make Us [Sic], by Martha Brockenbrough. Here's a confession: I occasionally read grammar books for fun. It's true. Now, that doesn't mean I'm going to curl up in bed with my edition of The Chicago Manual of Style (much too bulky), but I once took Eats Shoots and Leaves on vacation with me and found that it was a rather enjoyable beach read. Martha Brockenbrough started the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar and her blog is quite entertaining, so I couldn't resist getting her book. It's also quite entertaining, but only if you're the kind of person who takes grammar books on vacation. Grammar nerds of the world unite!

The Know-It-All, by A. J. Jacobs. This was my vacation book this time, and I really enjoyed it. Connie and Becky can probably attest to that, since they often heard me let out a random snort or giggle while we were sitting on the deck soaking up the Alaskan sunshine. Anyway, A. J. Jacobs decided to read the entire encyclopedia—which I must admit I've contemplated doing—and then wrote about it. It's a rather fascinating and really funny look at both random tidbits of information and connections that seem to help life make a bit of sense. And then there was the time I was reading about the Young Men's Christian Association and Becky started humming "YMCA." Weird, very weird.