A Few Words About Words: A Common-Sense Look at Writing and Grammar by Joseph J. Diorio - BOOK BEGINNINGS

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

Halleluiah! My law partner and I unexpectedly settled the big case we were getting ready for trial! We've been working on this case for five years against the Assemblies of God on behalf of our 12 clients who were sexually abused when they were kids in the church's Royal Rangers program for boys. We filed the first case in 2016 and another two cases in 2018. We were supposed to start trial on September 7. 

Most civil cases settle before trial. Almost all sex abuse civil cases settle before trial. We figured we would be able to reach good settlements for most of our clients. But there were a few, one in particular, we thought would have to go to trial to get him the compensation we thought was fair. And then we had another round of mediation on Monday and, wowza! We met our goal and settled his claim too. It's a crazy feeling to work so hard (we had been working seven days a week for the last six weeks), and then just stop. We had a big adrenaline adjustment the last few days!

So I took the rest of the week off work. I've been reading a lot. I'll share the opening sentence of one of the books I'm enjoying this week. Please share the first sentence of your book here on Book Beginnings on Fridays.

MY BOOK BEGINNING

From A Few Words About Words: A Common-Sense Look at Writing and Grammar by Joseph J. Diorio:

I have written on my life. As a kid I would write and illustrate my own graphic novels, reaching into the depths of my attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) riddled imagination to make up original stories about a team of superheroes I called the “I.S. Men" or “Intercrime Stoppers."

I love grammar books! This new one from Beaufort Books comes out next week. Joe Diorio is the author of a popular newsletter of the same name that has been around for 30 years.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNINGS

Please leave a link to your Book Beginnings blog or social media post below. If you share on social media, please use the hashtag #bookbeginnings. 

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THE FRIDAY 56

Freda at Freda's Voice hosts another teaser event on Fridays. Participants share a two-sentence teaser from page 56 of the book they are reading -- or from 56% of the way through the audiobook or ebook. Please visit Freda's Voice for details and to leave a link to your post.

MY FRIDAY 56

From A Few Words About Words:

Many of us may not have the right to vote if it weren't for clear and concise writing. 

During Ben Franklin's day, as he was knee-deep in the development of the United States and its Constitution, a battle raged in the Continental Congress over who gets the right to vote.

5 New Books for End of Summer Enjoyment -- MAILBOX MONDAY

 

MAILBOX MONDAY

It's time again for Mailbox Monday, where we share the books that have come our way in the past week (or so). What new books do you have to share?

I have a stack of enticing new books, all sure to provide end of summer summer enjoyment and autumn anticipation:

Rizzio by Denise Mina. This new novella is a historical thriller about the bloody assassination of David Rizzio, private secretary to Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1566. 

I adore Mina's contemporary crime fiction so am excited to get my hands on a preview copy of this new dark tale. Rizzio launches September 7 from Pegasus Books and is available for pre-order. 

You Are Enough! Reclaiming Your Career and Your Life with Purpose, Passion, and Unapologetic Authenticity by Charlene Wheeless (2021, Mascot Books). Charlene Wheeless shares the wisdom she's learned from her years as a Black woman executive and cancer survivor in her new book that is part memoir, part inspiring essays.

Welcome to Kamini by Don Engebretson. This is the debut novel from a seasoned magazine and short story writer.  It looks like a new(age) twist on a mid-life crisis story, with the hero heading to the Canadian woods to get over his failed marriage and professional tailspin. He meets an Ojibwe fishing guide and three powerful women who change his plans, and his life. 

This one comes out October 1 from Guernica Editions. I was lucky to get a review copy early and just hope I can get to it soon. It is available for pre-order now. 

Deep Hanging Out: Wanderings and Wonderment in Native California by Malcolm Margolin (2021, Heyday Books). Malcolm Margolin is a fixture in California's Native American community. Although not Native American himself, Margolin has been “deep hanging out” – immersing himself in a social, informal way – in California’s Indian country since the 1970s. 

This new book from Heyday Books is a collection of 30 articles and other pieces, mostly collected from News from Native California, a quarterly magazine Margolin founded in 1987.

A Few Words about Words: A Common-Sense Look at Writing and Grammar by Joseph J. Diorio. I love any and all grammar books! This new one from Beaufort Books comes out next week. Diorio is the author of a popular newsletter of the same name that has been around for 30 years.

Share your own new books on Mailbox Monday with other book lovers. Visit the Mailbox Monday website to share your post link, find links to the other participants' posts, and read more about Books that Caught Our Eye the week before.

Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit, Martha of Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf, and Velvet of vvb32reads are the gracious hosts of Mailbox Monday.

Grammar for a Full Life: How the Ways We Shape a Sentence Can Limit or Enlarge Us by Lawrence Weinstein - BOOK REVIEW

BOOK REVIEW

Grammar for a Full Life: How the Ways We Shape a Sentence Can Limit or Enlarge Us by Lawrence Weinstein (2020)

Grammar books range in style and I’m a fan of all of them. They can be straightforward handbooks on the rules of grammar like the classic The Elements of Style, or classified as grammar books but focus on punctuation like the funny Eats, Shoots & Leaves. Books about language usage often get lumped in with grammar books. My favorite of these is The King’s English by Kingsley Amis.

But Grammar for a Full Life is not like any grammar book I’ve ever read. It’s a self-help book that seeks to make you a better person as much as a better writer. Lawrence Weinstein explores big issues like agency, belonging, freedom, and mindfulness, all viewed through the lens of grammar.

Weinstein breaks the major topics into several subchapters, each reading like the musings of the college professor he is. His chapter on empathy in the context of correcting other people’s grammar is particularly good. Throughout, he offers many examples to illustrate his points but few hard and fast rules.

He looks at how grammar choices may reflect personality traits and distinct ways of understanding and dealing with life. More important, Weinstein considers how, by intentionally making certain choices about grammar, we can foster our well-being. For example, he writes convincingly that a combination of active and passive voice unleashes creativity in a way that using only active voice does not.

Grammar for a Full Life caught my eye because I like any grammar book. It captured my heart because of its unique charm.

NOTES

Listen to an interview with Larry Weinstein on the Clark and Miller podcast, here.

Read a review of Grammar for a Full Life on Do Yoga for Beginners, here.

Visit grammarforafulllife.com to learn more about this wonderful book and its author.