A surprise gift to fulfill one item on a generous Calgarian's wishlist. I wouldn't have thought of "humor" as a category for this, but since the back of the book says "language/humor" and there is no "language" option, "humor" it is.

I'll be giving this to - or possibly hiding this for - ifyouknew during the evening of Tuesday, August 17, 2010. I just hope she doesn't check my recent releases while we're en route.

Well, I have to say that jblueafterglow is both very thoughtful, and full of surprises! First, he came all the way to Calgary to surprise another BCer (starbytes) on her arrival into Canada from Malaysia. Then they all came to my house for dinner, and he surprised me by surreptitiously leaving behind not one, but THREE books from my wishlist. (Two of which appear suspiciously brand-new.) Thanks very much, Rob! It was fun meeting you and your lovely family. I'm excited about reading these books, and I'll try to release them somewhere interesting when I'm finished.

A book by Bill Bryson is always a wonderful treat, so I was eagerly anticipating this one. I've got to say, the first couple of chapters were really disappointing- Bryson clearly worked hard to get his facts right, detailing the history of English very thoroughly, but his trademark sense of humour was nowhere in sight. But once he started talking about usage, you could tell he was having more fun writing it, and the book became more enjoyable to read.

Released on a bench on the southbound platform, around 9 am.