Title: An Apple a Day: Old-Fashioned Proverbs –Timeless Words to Live By
Author: Caroline Taggart
Publisher: Readers Digest
Publication Date: March 3, 2011
Hardcover: 176 pages
ISBN: 978-1606521915
Genre: Reference/Trivia

About the Book:

Discover why proverbs have stood the test of time

Proverbs — those colorful time-honored truths — have become part of our everyday language. But how often do we think about their origins or meanings?

This unique collection of words to live by reveals the source of these time worn expressions, which are as relevant today as they were when first coined generations ago.

An Apple a Day provides the fun facts behind 200 proverbs, including . . .

* The darkest hour is before the dawn.
* You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
* In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
* The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
* When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

But enough said. Sit back and enjoy the read — there’s no time like the present!

My Review:

Caroline Taggart’s book An Apple A Day: Old Fashioned Proverbs-Timeless Words to Live By is an absolute delight and a treasure, filled with both common and not so common proverbs. While Taggart does give some examples of when the proverb was first used, she looks deeper to see if the proverb has practical purposes for today and often her responses are quite hysterical. I was surprised to discover just how many came from Shakespeare; in retrospect it is not so surprising as I just never really thought about it. To make things even more interesting, Taggart will often give the equivalent of an English proverb in other languages, which I found quite interesting and enlightening. While the book is short, it is fun and educational and as a family we truly enjoyed reading through the book. Taggart lists the proverbs in alphabetical order and provides a handy index at the back of the book. As I mentioned, Taggart’s wit is employed throughout the book and one of my favourite descriptions of a proverb is found on page 156, “You must suffer to be beautiful“. I have read and reviewed several of the Blackboard reference books and have been quite pleased with each and every one. I highly recommend An Apple A Day for those who are inquisitive, enjoy history and trivia, mythology and folklore or just like learning new things.

About the Author:

Caroline Taggart has been an editor of non-fiction books for nearly 30 years and has covered nearly every subject from natural history and business to gardening and astronomy. She has written several books and was the editor of Writer’s Market UK 2009.

For further information, please visit the author’s website.

I received a complimentary copy of An Apple A Day by Caroline Taggart from FSB Associates. Receiving a review copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.