I had a mixed reaction to the joy of leaving your sh*t all over the place: the art of being messy, by jennifer mccartney. (yes, all lower case!) On the one hand, it is a witty and hysterical parody of the decluttering books that are so popular, especially one (see the January 9, 2016 post). I laughed and nodded frequently. On the other hand, it is full of foul language, something I feel is totally unnecessary 99% of the time. (Note: this is a Very Personal opinion here and I've been told that this is the 'new' way of writing and that I am being stodgy. That's fine with me! The English language draws on so many languages and is so varied and complex I see no need to resort to such language). So, if you are able to just sort of 'skip' over the bad language, or, it just doesn't bother you, then I think you will enjoy this book. As to the 'decluttering' issue, I have friends on both ends of the spectrum. One house is bare and spare with no knick knacks or piles of books anywhere. The other is stuffed full of books and treasures collected on travels, both around the world and to the nearest thrift shop. Some are home made, or by a local artist. Both home owners are content and enjoy their surroundings ... and that, to me, is the key. There's no need to do what 'everyone' is doing (and is it ever really everyone??), do what makes you happy.

Twenty-Odd Ducks: Why, Every Punctuation Mark Counts!, by Lynne Truss and illustrated by Bonnie Timmons is a clever book that explains punctuation to young readers. It makes learning grammar fun!

It's back to the WWII trail for this book: Helluva Town: the Story of New York City During World War II, by Richard Goldstein. So much happened there it's hard to know what to say! Ships were built, U-boats lurked off the coast, troops trained, celebrated their last night in the U.S. and then were shipped out, refugees escaped invading armies from across Europe, shows with patriotic themes filled the stages of Broadway (those in uniform got in free), Canteens were popular .... famous actors could be seen setting up tables, etc.,then performing (for free), then cleaning up afterwards. When all the bright lights made NYC an easy target, 'dimouts' were imposed everywhere. A most interesting read. (Side note here, originally, in the opening number for On the Town, the words really were "It's a helluva town" but the powers that be thought that was too rough for the movie audience and had it changed to "wonderful town.")

And lastly, a new trail for me ... Bees! From Constant Reader came recommendations for two books on this subject and Keeping the Bees: Why All Bees Are at Risk and What We Can Do to Save Them, by Laurence Packer is the one I read first. Factual (there are dozens, maybe hundreds of types of bees) and fun (despite the myths, some bees are lazy, or solitary). From how they do what they do, to Colony Collapse (and what it might mean), to what we can do to help bees this proved to be a most interesting read.

Reading Hermit With Dog