I was dusting my library the other day (does that sound pretentious?) and came across a slew of “little” books that either had been given to me as a gift or I actually bought with the purpose of actually learning something. I hope you’ll find some of these amusing, fun, instructional or whatever…I really don’t know how many of these are still in print.
Where Cats Meditate by David Baird…Beautiful pictures for us cat lovers of cats meditating with thoughtful quotes like, “Those in a hurry do not arrive,” Zen saying. This must have been a gift.
The Wish List by Barbara Ann Kipfer…6000 ideas for things to do, see, taste, learn and experience. It’s a call to get out there and start living. It’s a check list so that you can see your life progress as you try new and different things.
The Little Book of Insults published by Parragon Publishing, England…This is a book that does not try to teach you how to creatively insult but a compilation of quoted insults. For example: Bessie Braddock to Sir Winston Churchill, “Winston, you are drunk, horribly drunk.” Churchill to Braddock, “And Madam, you are ugly, terribly ugly, but in the morning I shall be sober.”
I Never Metaphor I Didn’t Like by Dr. Mardy Grothe…This book has 2000 “feats of association that will entertain, educate, and 
occasionally inspire quotation lovers everywhere.” For those who love figurative language with chapters on wit, love, sex, insults, sports etc.
The Miracle of Apple Cider Vinegar by Dr. Penny Stanway…It’s full of practical tips for health, home and beauty by using apple cider vinegar. For example, did you know that the antibacterial properties of ACV make it particularly effective for deodorizing the feet and armpits?
The Superior Person’s Second Book of Weird and Wondrous Words by Peter Bowler…There are 600 words in here for which you may use to inflate your self- esteem, to humiliate your friends and relatives or to just add to your collection of obscure words. I actually used this book to teach kids how to read by taking the long words and dividing them into syllables. Unasinous…Being equally stupid…Could be a metaphor for politicians.
100 Things You’re Not Supposed to Know by Russ Kick…This could be construed as a primer on how governments, corporations, religious institutions, the media, the medical establishment, the educational system, racial and gender groups, self- appointed guardians of morality, leftists, and rightists try to pull the wool over our eyes to keep themselves in power. Very interesting and well researched.
1000 Unforgettable Senior Moments by Tom Friedman…The book is a compilation of famous senior moments. For example, which President left the nuclear launch codes in a suit at the dry cleaners? No, it wasn’t Ronald Reagan. It was Jimmy Carter. Or, how about the rock star who couldn’t remember a thing that happened in 1975…the late David Bowie. He blamed it on drugs, of course.
Homework for Grownups:Quiz Book by E. Foley and B. Coates…My daughter gave this to me for Christmas. She bought it at a book store in London. If you want to challenge your brain try to get a copy of this book. It kind of reminds me of an SAT test of which today I’d probably fail. It covers the English language and literature, math, geography, history, the classics, science, home economics (what’s that?), religious education, the arts and physical education.
I hope you don’t find this to be galimatias…
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