Yes, I Could Care Less: How to Be a Language Snob without Being a Jerk

Walsh (The Elephants of Style) uses his years as a copy editor for The Washington Post to deliver an irreverent, meandering tour through the vagaries of the English language. The self-proclaimed "word nerd" waxes philosophical on a wide variety of subjects%E2%80%94from the proper uses of punctuation, to misused phrases like "could care less" and "literally", to inaccurate plurals and possessives. Unfortunately, he has so much fun sharing his opinions that he often moves on to the next quibble before finishing his point. His Curmudgeon's Stylebook introduces readers to brief opinions on the proper way to use "anniversary", "coffee shop", compound nouns, ramen noodles, and much more. As Walsh explains, this is about "what I care about,...what I don't care about, and why." Of course, he also admits to being "a big fat elitist" so readers can take his words with a grain of salt. While it's entertaining to see a master at work, Walsh undermines his own efforts to share his expertise with forced casualness, offhanded humor, and lack of focus. Those looking for a useful reference manual or a pure work of comedy will likely be disappointed. Agent: Janet Rosen, Sheree Bykofsky Associates. (June)