My attempts at organising my bookshelves has seen the following categories emerge: books by country, books by author and... reference books. Yes, there is a geek in me who loves a dictionary, a reference book, and an encyclopaedic or atlas to be visible on the shelf.
So to bring the inner geek in me out on this last Monday in May, here's a list of what's on my "academic" bookshelf:
1. Oxford English Dictionary
And the matching thesaurus!
2. A Cheat's Guide to the Classics
35 of the world's greatest literary masterpieces from Pride & Prejudice to War & Peace in outline, providing the perfect way to get to grips with the greatest novels of all time - for those who have little time to read - or who already have an exhaustive TBR pile!3. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
Yes - this is one enormous book!
4. Eats, Shoots & Leaves, by Lynne Truss
The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation - it's brilliant!5. Mother Tongue, by Bill Bryson
An insight into how a language 'treated for centuries as the inadequate and second-rate tongue of peasants' has now become the undisputed global language (more people learn English in China than live in the USA)!6. i before e (except after c), by Judy Parkinson
Old-school ways to remember stuff
7. Spilling the Beans on the Cat's Pyjamas, by Judy Parkinson
Popular expressions - what they mean and where we got them
8. Lost for Words, by John Humphrys
The mangling and manipulating of the English language
9. The Uncommon Reader, by Alan Bennet
Got to love this one!
10. A Butler's Guide to Table Manners, by Nicholas Clayton
This is a National Trust publication which I picked up in Buck Palace! Once I get around to reading this I will know the following: - how to address waiters
- the correct way to eat oysters
- which cutlery to use first
- what is acceptable to eat with my fingers
- what t do if someone chokes on a fishbone!
Ten Good Things on a Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Nina and Argh.
Hi!
ReplyDeleteI like your list. Some of those are essential to anyone who reads. Have a great day!
Sherrie
Just Books
Love this list! I am totally loving that Butler's Guide.
ReplyDeleteI also want to be a book buyer, but the bookstore company I'm working for might get bankrupt as I probably would get every book offered to me :D
Thank you for sharing your Good Things this week, Ann!
Brush Up On Your Reading
That's an awesome list! My geek books are usually sci-fi or business...
ReplyDeleteYou have some fabulous books on your shelf! Have you read The Professor and the Mad Man, about the making of the original OED? You may find it fascinating. Mother Tongue was an enlightening read. And I simply adored The Uncommon Reader! I love to think of the real Queen doing some subversive reading when she is supposed to be tending to official business. Thanks for sharing!
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