Uncle John’s Unstoppable Bathroom Reader

Now in its 16th year, The Bathroom Reader — which seems to have replaced the tie as the most popular Father’s Day gift idea — has become a movement, with satisfying, easily digested new selections sure to wipe away bathroom boredom. Handily arranged by length — “short (a quick read), “medium (1 to 3 pages), and “long (for those extended visits) — the book covers everything from Americana to The Name Game to Pop Science and Wordplay. Readers can learn the origins of superglue, sample news stories about underwear, read about animals famous for 15 minutes, and learn of unknown heroes of the Wild West. This broad assortment eliminates ennui while wittily educating readers trapped in airports, cars, buses, or lavatories.