The Subversive Copy Editor (by Carol Fisher Saller)

 Because I'm a total N-E-R-D, I sometimes like to read about grammar and the best practices for writing and editing.  When I was younger I used to actually debate my step-dad about issues of grammar because much of it simply didn't make sense.  By the time I made it to high school and college, I decided to tackle the issue head-on by learning a foreign language (German) and learning the second language helped me understand that I'd been right all of those years:  English grammar is simply crazy, especially compared to other languages. I still find myself stumped by grammar at times, but rather than viewing it as a nemesis, I've taken the perspective that it's simply like a tricky and sometimes fickle friend and it just takes more studying to understand this friend's perspective. This shift had to happen in order to become comfortable with not simply always knowing the answer, and I think that because of this potential for mystery, I'm still reading and researching about grammar on my own time. This affinity may explain why I teach English despite hating grammar throughout elementary and high school.

Partially because of my interest in grammar and my role teaching English, I've gained the reputation for really knowing and enjoying grammar.  And, when I don't know it, my students know I'll look it up or make them look it up, but they also know that I'm willing to let them experiment with style. I try to remind them that grammar is an ever-changing creature, especially with factors like technology and pop-culture influencing word usage and structure. 

I think I enjoyed The Subversive Copy Editor for this reason; it didn't take itself too seriously.  Carol Fisher Saller poked fun at both herself and at the editor stereotype, by feeding in to it and also by subverting it by assuring aspiring editors that it's sometimes ok not to fixate on an issue.  Sometimes that argument just isn't worth it and it's all about knowing when to drop it.  This book isn't a handbook for grammar, but it is a book of recommendations for dealing with the text and most importantly, for dealing with the people connected with the text (other editors, the writers and any supervisors).  It's not a grammar book as much as a "people-book" for those with grammar-based jobs.

A few things I learned?  "Stet" means "as it stands." (I believe in Latin... if I'm remembering correctly?)  This is basically the term that editors use to tell others that the correction needs to revert back to the original text.  More than anything, I just enjoyed the new word and seeing it repeatedly in context in order to solidify it into my vocabulary "schema."  What else did I learn?  I was reminded of the importance of logging tasks accomplished in order to bill clients accordingly.  It seems so basic, but at the end of the day it's an easy thing to forget to do.  Particularly when there's a new to-do list waiting to be accomplished, it's easy to put the basic paperwork on "the back burner" because you'll remember how many hours you've logged... right?... RIGHT?

Overall, the book was a solid little read that worked well in 20 page chunks and at about 120 pages, it was a palette cleansing read.  It was exactly what I needed to clear my mind of other recent reading failures in order to look at my stack of books with a fresh and open perspective. 
 

Cringing and Shrieking: Bonk by Mary Roach (mature topics)

 While home over Winter Break my mother and I got into a scientific discussion about sex because she'd been reading the book Bonk by Mary Roach.    My husband stuck around for a few minutes of the conversation before he deemed the content to mature for him, as he ducked out to catch up on some sports highlights.  In the meantime my mother was stunning me about her ridiculous knowledge about pig sex and she suggested that I might get a kick out of Mary Roach's latest research which brings together sex and science. 

Mary Roach is most notable for her book Stiff which is about the lives of cadavers.  It's a bit gruesome and definitely not for the faint of heart, which I'd also say about Bonk.  At times I found myself shrieking with laughter because the odd things that had been revealed during the various research stages and with the descriptions of sex toys, surgeries and talk of animal reproduction. At other times, I found myself crossing my legs out of sympathy for those poor souls who inadvertently helped out with the research the hard way (no pun intended). 

I found myself reading the book in short doses at home because there were times when I could only handle so much reading about orgasms and erectile dysfunction before someone in public would ask me what I was reading or before it began to feel like work, and sometimes you just don't feel like having that conversation with strangers and you don't want to make thinking about sex into work.  In some ways, I felt it necessary to put the book down because I was afraid it would spoil some of the mystery and almost some of the allure-- but it didn't. Instead, it walked the fine line of being informative without being straight up smut.  Believe me, it was a long way from 50 Shades of Grey, because I didn't want to punch anyone in the face once I was finished (I can't say the same about the characters in 50 Shades) and it was actually quite pleasant to read about couples who would actually give a damn about the other person's feelings and sexual experiences-- rather than being self absorbed and self serving.  

The parts I enjoyed the most about the book were the discussions describing what measures the various researchers would go to to find subjects and get approval for their studies.  It was also centering to have the actual facts on some of the norms regarding sex organ and behaviors and not just some skewed perspective based coming from the porn industry, although the porn industry did seem to be helpful for some of the researchers as they gathered volunteers for the various studies.  

Overall, I'd say the target audience is definitely the mature audience-- particularly those at at least the college level because there were numerous references to research and studies that those who have gone through the research process could definitely appreciate.  Along these lines, I wouldn't want to try to get permissions for teens to be reading it, but at the same time, I definitely think there are worse things for teens to read about since it was so grounded in science and it wasn't glorifying it but was instead approaching it objectively, just like a farmer would about pig insemination.