Since I write, a lot, I make sure to keep a few grammar guardians on call at all times. As these are unpaid positions, I can only image the sigh of disgust I receive –  directed at my IM window – when I ask a question like, "...affect or effect?" In result, my most trusted and artistic guardian pointed me in the direction of a book called, "Eats, Shoots & Leaves," written by Lynne Truss. For those of you unfamiliar with the book, your first question might be, "how can a bear load a gun?" or more importantly, "who was the the bear shooting at?"

Confused? Take a look at the comma in the title. Remove it, and the statement depicts a cute little panda with an appetizing plate of bamboo shoots and leaves. Put the comma back, and you've got a gun-toting pyscho-panda. Examples like these are littered throughout the book.

Believe it or not, grammar, the most drab of subjects (IMO), is made quite fascinating by Ms. Truss. And it's largely due to Ms. Truss' absolute disgust with anything less than posture-perfect grammar. She has left me in a constant state of paranoia, scouring to find grammar mistakes on street signs, billboards, and yea, even websites. Hell, I should probably just look at this blog post; I'm sure it's loaded.

The best part about this book is that it puts the art back in writing. After reading it, I feel far more confident – sans the em dash – with my use of punctuation. In result, I have been able to choose, for example, how best to place a comma for maximum reader impact. Yes, artful comma placement. At times, I used to place commas out of shear panic. In addition, my new-found confidence has increased my satisfaction reading content. Every time I pick up a book, magazine or website, I am constantly thinking, "wow, way to slow down the sentence with that comma." I think I'm having fun again.

The book also paints a succinct and seemingly well-rounded view of the history of the English language.

I proudly welcome Lynne Truss to my team of grammar guardians. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who thinks they may or may not need a refresher. Trust me, you do.