The Most Useful Book in the Library

There are great books, moving books, exquisite books, life-changing books—and they each have their place. However, today I would like to recognize the “MOST USEFUL BOOK IN THE LIBRARY!” Obviously, this is a matter of opinion, and probably depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. My nomination, for repeated consistent overall handiness is —drumroll, please-- The Reader’s Digest New Fix-It-Yourself Manual.

In the past ten years, my washer, dryer, refrigerator, dishwasher, and stove have all broken down at one time or another, or, in the case of the washer and dryer, repeatedly. The New Fix-It-Yourself Manual helped diagnose and, when possible, repair each one. (The refrigerator, sadly, was a lost cause.) For the first couple of breakdowns, we checked out a dizzying array of repair books, but the Reader’s Digest New Fix-It-Yourself Manual outshone them all.

Finally, this last time, we decided to buy the dang thing. We’re not ones to buy an unproven reference book lightly in my family—only the very best time-tested texts for us! So, thank you, Reader’s Digest, for diagnostic trouble-shooting trees, cogent instructions, and clear diagrams. And thank you, Library, for being the place where I can test out the utility of books before buying them willy-nilly.