I'll start the new year with books on subjects that, when I mentioned them, surprised several people. I'm calling it the "you read WHAT?" post. :-)

I am most often in sweats and tees, so I got more than one startled reaction when I mentioned The Lost Art of Dress: the Women Who Once Made America Stylish, by Linda Przybyszewski (let's pause a moment to let the Spell Check recover ...). I was amused to learn I was right ... this 'sausage casing' look is not attractive! And heels are much too high and narrow (see the x-rays at what happens to feet is such shoes). In times past there were Dress Doctors, to use a term from the book, that could teach women how to dress for their body type, for the occasion, what fabric to use, what style, etc. It does not mean skirts cannot be short, or one must always wear flats, it's just that there is a good way to do this! After all, a dress or skirt that moves, that has a gentle 'swish', that gives a suggestion of what's underneath is much more alluring than one than bunches, binds and wrinkles. More pictures would have been nice, but overall, a surprisingly good read.

Another round of great reactions came with Total Wheelspin: Car Culture, Quizzes, Myths and Motoring Madness, by Tony Davis. Even with the connection to Australia and the cars there (with which I am totally unfamiliar), this was a fun read. A favorite vehicle of mine was my old 1978 GMC pickup, and that's about as fancy as I get!

Since I was on a bit of a roll, I went on to read other books I normally avoid. Sports seemed to be the way to go and Constant Reader offered up this recommendation: The 34-Ton Bat: the Story of Baseball as Told Through Bobble Heads, Cracker Jacks, Jock Straps, Eye Black & 375 Other Strange and Unforgettable Objects, by Steve Rushin. It sounds like a book of lists, but it's much better than that! I would have appreciated pictures of the mitt, which went through a variety of styles, and I was bemused by how long it took for some of the things that made the game safer to be accepted by the players. (especially the cup) (!) I learned about uniforms (originally heavy, and much too warm for the heat of summer) and the bat, seat size in the stands, and beer. My favorite chapter was the one on the music played at games. A good organist would customize the music for what was happening in the game, and perhaps have a specific song or melody for each player. A most enjoyable read. ;-)

Another subject about which I read very little is math. I tried Benjamin Franklin's Numbers: an Unsung Mathematical Odyssey, by Paul C. Pasles, but could just not get into it. This book did show another side of Benjamin Franklin, though, and others might like the 'math' included so I thought I'd go ahead and list it. :-)

With the exception of books, of course, I am not much of a shopper. My philosophy, like Austin Phelps, is "Wear the old coat, buy the new book." Still, I found Shopping, Seduction & Mr. Selfridge, by Lindy Woodhead to be an interesting read. (There is also a PBS series). Actually, Mr. Selfridge reminded me a bit of P.T. Barnum in that he was a showman, knew how to stage things, how to use advertising, and understood the value of customer satisfaction

It was fun reading outside my 'comfort zone' and I expect to do more in the future.

Reading Hermit With Dog