Okay, Scrabble lovers—we get that the key to winning word games is knowing all the two-letter words that can make otherwise unplayable letters into a big score. But why just memorize a long list of little words? With this hilarious and irreverent tome from songwriter Stephin Merritt and cartoonist Roz Chast, you can actually add these essential words to your vocabulary. Ab, for instance, yields a drawing of a fellow with a 20-scoop sundae, and the verse: "The perfect ab requires you / to do something called a 'crunch.' / But I prefer to linger / over this delicious lunch." Or more musically, "Si: the same as ti, the seventh / note of do re mi ... / Ma can drink a sea of tea / but then she has to pee." Other memorable verses feature aliens, vampire dogs, and Scotsmen.

"When I have no Scrabble move, I really cannot bear it. From aa to za, help has arrived—why, thank you, Stephin Merritt!"—Lemony Snicket