Hello! This is my usual Saturday post coming to you early this week as I will finally be upgrading to Windows 10. Since my dsl line is so very slow my cpu is going to a home with a faster connection. (Sort of a computer sleep over, isn't it)! ;-)

Like to read about words? Interested in how they change over time? Or what words are popular (and why and when)? Allan Metcalf not only explains that, but also how various generations are named. From Skedaddle to Selfie: Words of the Generations was a fascinating, hard to put down read.

I had a fun coincidence with Dead Presidents: an American Adventure Into the Strange Deaths and Surprising Afterlives of Our Nation's Leaders, by Brady Carlson. I had paused in my reading and was channel surfing when I happened upon one of those shows on a news channel about books ... and there was Brady Carlson talking about his book! He was charming and engaging and it made this book even better! The author has always been interested in the presidents, but at some point what sparked his focus (and eventually this book) was how they died and what happened after. Where were they buried (and why), what sort of headstone, is there a monument? What else? Just about anything, it seems, from cities, schools, and streets, to people with their names (think Woodrow Wilson Guthrie, for one). Then there are the mugs, calendars, bobble head dolls, and a set of Pez dispensers! A most interesting read.

If you enjoy a good (old fashioned) musical and wanted to learn how they are crafted (there is a method to the madness, so to speak) then read The Secret Life of the American Musical: How Broadway Shows Are Built, by Jack Viertel. The good ones share certain characteristics and the author breaks them down into distinct parts and explains how and why they make a good show (or don't, sometimes). I thought it read a bit like a text book, but overall, it was good.

There's more than one 'Let's Bring Back' title, so be sure you get the one with the subtitle of An Encyclopedia of Forgotten-Yet-Delightful Chic, Useful, Curious, and Otherwise Commendable Things from Time Gone By, by Lesley M.M. Blume. The author is clear on this, she's not thinking of exchanging the old for the new, that's not going to happen, but, she does make the reader think a bit ... isn't a handwritten thank you note nice? Why not use some of the old words? (I actually do still use kerfuffle!) Isn't a corset (used reasonably, not tightened to the point of gasping for breath) more romantic than Spanx? This was a most enjoyable read!

Reading Hermit With Dog