Three books: grammar, Africa, vampires

Stylized: A Slightly Obsessive History of Strunk & White's The Elements of Style by Mark Garvey

I never thought I would read a history about a grammar book, but Garvey's Stylized is truly "a gem of a book about a gem of a book". Garvey does a lovely job of relating the story of how E.B. White, of Charlotte's Web and New Yorker fame, rediscovered "the little book" and helped make it into an icon. Truth to tell, the story isn't much, and I would've like to learn more about William Strunk's writing the book. Perhaps there isn't as much documentation (White was a fantastic letter writer). So, Garvey's beefs up the tale with excerpts from White's letters and interviews of writers on how Strunk & White affected their lives. The supplementation works because it transforms Stylized into its own style manual.

But the sign of a good book is that it makes me reflect. E.B. White's correspondence with his editor Jack Case reminded me of my own correspondence (by fax!) with Sir Andrew Huxley when I was editing his essay at a previous job. I also wonder what Strunk & White would think of LOLspeak. Would the famous maxim "Omit needless words" become "Omit needless letters"? Finally, I'm inspired to read more of E.B. White's writing, the sources of quotes included in Strunk & White (like Howard's End), and of course, reread the little book itself, which currently sits above my desk at work.

Dates: 23-29 February 2012
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

*****

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: an African childhood by Alexandra Fuller

One would think that an interesting tale can be spun about a (white) African childhood during the Rhodesian civil war, and Fuller does use beautiful (if idiosyncratic) language to tell some interesting vignettes. But that's all the book is: a collection of vignettes. There is no overarching "plot". Yes, life seems plotless, but when you write about life, you should do so with reflection and infuse the story with meaning. Without such a driving force, Fuller's book should've been reduced to an essay.

Dates: 1-7 March 2012
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

*****

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

Talk about plot: The death of Abraham Lincoln's mother from a vampire transforms him into a vampire hunter, at a time when slavery provided vampires with easy blood. The Civil War is seen in a new light - not to mention guest stars Jefferson Davis and Edgar Allen Poe. Yes, the plot is campy, but Seth Grahame-Smith actually writes well: the story is well-paced, well-structured, and wittily told. I even got to reflect upon the folly of immortality. What more could one want? A movie, of course!



Dates: 5-9 March 2012
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars