I am reviewing this book that was given to me by Book Sneeze (see link on the right bottom of page), and the cover sold me. Rubber duckies and word bubbles? Loves it. Also, I was promised KNOWLEDGE.
This book was definitely a departure for me, since I have been on a novel binge lately, but it was an interesting read, to be sure. If you are also a novel-reader, this is definitely a different type of pace, but Garrison does his best to make it less like a dictionary or encyclopedia and more like a novel with his chapters. Garrison separates the stories behind the words and phrases into chapters like "The World of Entertainment," "The Great Outdoors," and "Making Fun of Others" (tee hee!).
While at times I found myself skimming through some of the words or phrases I had never even heard of, and I definitely began skipping the first paragraph of every explanation (which was simply saying "Hey. Has anyone ever said this to you?"), some of the stories really were fascinating!
For example, did you know that the word "limelight" (which I LOVE) came from the fact that the first spotlights were made by heating up LIMES? If facts like that make your day, or you are the kind of person who likes to share those little ditties with others at parties or staff meetings, then this book is for you!
While it is not my favorite book, it was a good read, so I give it a solid C rating.
rubber ducks on book covers sell me too. It was hard to resist while working at a bookstore for about a year.
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