Much Ado About a Lot: How to Mind Your Manners in Print and in Person, by Mary Newton Bruder, a.k.a. the Grammar Lady, is filled with solutions to every common grammatical error. It also has little stories and tidbits of information, including the origin of common sayings.

Each chapter has a different focus. The first, “That Wicked Which,” is a conglomeration of many questions the Grammar Lady has been asked, including how to make “dish” plural. The book isn't boring because of the brief quizzes and short, grammar-related stories. Bruder also includes a feature called “Typo's of the Weak” at the end of every chapter. These add humor, especially one that reads “A prize will be given to anybody who finds a four-leaf lover.”

Bruder also includes “The Quizzical I” at the end of each chapter, which is a way for readers to test their knowledge of grammar and usually includes questions on the points Bruder summarized in that chapter.

At the bottom of every few pages are what Bruder calls a “Goofy Goof,” examples of bad grammar that can also be funny, like “Five years ago at the age of 12 my grandmother died.” For non-grammarians, this demonstrates a case of a misplaced modifier.

Although a book about grammar might not sound very interesting, this one isn't strictly about grammar. It incorporates short stories and facts of life.

Although some parts of Much Ado About a Lot are a bit dull, in particular the four-page exposE on the subjunctive, these parts are few and far between. Bruder keeps the reader interested by using real-life mistakes, not ones that come from textbooks.

The index makes for easy references when writing a paper, article or speech. I recommend reading the entire book, or Bruder's comic style and funny stories might otherwise be lost on the reader.

Much Ado About a Lot is a good book that educates its readers while entertaining.