Okay...you're probably visiting my blog right now because you saw my post on Facebook earlier today. I posted that I had received, in the morning mail, not a handful of glittery, cheery, Christmas cards; not an early gift; not a box of yummy cookies--no, no.

I received--a giant head louse.

Yes.

'Louse,' if you're wondering, is the singular form of 'head lice', and of course the singular form is the only way any of us want to see these nasty, itchy pests.

And I'm not kidding. I really did get a head louse in the mail today. Take a look:



Yes, it's just a kid's toy, but how would you like to put your hand, unsuspecting, into a large manila envelope and pull out a giant bug? Its tag even describes it as "cuddly"--oh, please. Gentle readers, do any of you cuddle your head lice? Me neither.

I'm making jokes, but seriously, the stuffed louse came in a package along with a complimentary book for me to read and review. It's author Amy Stewart's newest, Wicked Bugs: The Louse that Conquered Napoleon's Army and Other Diabolical Insects (published by Algonquin Books, and available for purchase starting May 3, 2011).



Amy's new bug book is a follow-up to her New York Times bestseller, Wicked Plants, and both books are entertaining, informative, and just plain fun for gardeners (and if you're not a gardener, don't let that stop you. The chapter titles include "Zombies," "Bugs of War," and "She's Just Not That Into You." Aren't you itching, if you'll excuse the bed-bug pun, to know more?)

Amy's book is fascinating (even if it is making my skin crawl just a teeny bit). There are fine drawings to help you identify the bugs in your house or garden (you do know that insects outnumber us here on planet Earth, right?), along with fascinating facts and historical notes.

Did you know, for example, that "Over half a million English drivers have had a car accident caused by the distraction of a bug in the car"? Or that Germans believed American forces were dropping crop-destructive potato beetles into their fields during WWII?

You know, I'm beginning to warm up to my louse--the stuffed toy, I mean. He is kinda cute. And I'm learning a lot from Wicked Bugs. I'm just going to have to read it with the lights on, and with a big can of very strong bug spray by my bedside.