I unearthed my old copy of Eat Shoots and Leaves, by Lynn Truss. I remembered it to be a witty account of one writer’s disenchantment with the grammar of the contemporary world (text messages, emoticons, and advertising). I read it several years ago and found Truss’s commentary valid enough. Though, upon a re-skimming of the text, I found some of her rantings a little over indulgent and verging on being overly nostalgic. Texting, twittering, and emoticon-ing, while not the best arena for literally genius, shouldn’t be discounted quite so quickly. In my humble opinion, there is a time and a place for everything. And when rushing between appointments, texting “c u 530, k?” works when “I’ll see you at 5:30, okay?” doesn’t. All in all, despite Truss’s stodginess, the book isn’t all over the top, and she does in fact make many valid points. If you can take criticism with a grain of salt, it’s definitely worth the read.

I just cracked open Constance Hale’s Sin and Syntax, which is already showing great promise. Not only does she go over the rules, but she offers some advice on how to artfully break them. I have a good feeling about this one. Her websitealso offers free online writing courses! Needless to say, Hale isn’t an elitist when it comes to good grammar and prose.

On Dialogue

I recently read the book, “On Dialogue”, by physicist and theorist David Bohm. It blew me away, like so few contemporary books do these days. He successfully and innovatively integrates abstract spiritual concepts, like consciousness, together with practical ideas, like collaboration. It’s a must read for anyone involved in business, education, politics, religion, or any field that requires dialogue, communication and group facilitation.