Books Archives

Book Review: A Good Laugh at Other People’s Mistakes

Just My Typo: From “Sinning With the Choir” to “The Untied States,” by Drummond Moir, provides lots of hearty laughs. As I read the book last night, I caught myself repeatedly snickering at the errors proofreaders had missed and feeling grateful that I had not… continue reading

What’s New in AP Stylebook 2014

The AP Stylebook 2014 just came out, and my copy arrived in the mail on Wednesday. I have studied it searching for changes you might want to know about (if you don’t subscribe to the AP’s tweets), and they appear below. If you are not… continue reading

Book Review: Advice on Clear Writing and on Life

I picked up a new book, The Curmudgeon’s Guide to Getting Ahead: Dos and Don’ts of Right Behavior, Tough Thinking, Clear Writing, and Living a Good Life, because of the promise of “clear writing.” The coupling of clear writing with living a good life made… continue reading

Congratulations to You and Me!

I am delighted to let you know that “Business Writing With Heart: How to Build Great Work Relationships One Message at a Time” has been named as a finalist for Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) awards in two categories. It is a finalist for the… continue reading

An Introduction That Isn’t an Introduction

The other day I joined a small professional group, and the group leader sent an email introducing me to the other members. Here is the introduction: “I am happy to introduce Lynn Gaertner-Johnston, who has joined our group.” I expected to read on and see… continue reading

A Perfect Way to Show Someone You Care

Yesterday was the one-year anniversary of my father’s death at age 90. Although I miss him, I no longer feel sad every day. My feelings are more fondness and appreciation for him and the man he was. Two days ago I received a card by U.S.… continue reading

Books

Career Development Book With Great Word Wit and Style

Clear, concise, courteous business writing gives me pleasure. But smart, well-crafted writing delights me. That is why I am tickled by Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go: Career Conversations Employees Want, by Beverly Kaye and Julie Winkle Giulioni. The catchy, engaging language continued to… continue reading

Book Review: Better Business Writing

At last! A book I can recommend to executives and to the human resource managers whose responsibility it is to develop executives: HBR Guide to Better Business Writing, by Bryan A. Garner. Garner is one of my favorite experts on usage, writing style, and legal… continue reading

Executives Are Just Another Audience

Last week at the end of a business writing class in California, one of the attendees mentioned something he had learned in class: Executives are just another audience. Earlier he had been concerned about how to impress executives. He was using sophisticated language and long,… continue reading