What I’m Reading: 2008 July

This is the first in a regular series of posts meant more for myself than anyone else. I just want to keep a record of what I’m reading.

So far in July:

• Public Enemies: The True Story of America’s Greatest Crime Wave by Bryan Burrough (552 p)
• Semantic Antics: How and Why Words Change Meaning by Sol Steinmetz (258 p)
• The Prodigal Tongue: Dispatches from the Future of English by Mark Abley (233 p)
• Steampunk edited by Ann & Jeff Vandermeer (347 p)

Of these, the two etymology books were oddly disappointing, most especially because they in fact gave no model for how or why language evolves. Each was just a litany of words and trends in English. *Sigh*