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Writing is a lot like cooking. Anyone can grab a keyboard or a sauce pan and stir up a unique concoction. Whether it is a tasty treat or something for the garbage pail depends on the quality of the ingredients and the skill of the writer/cook in blending those ingredients into a delicious finished product.

100 Words Every Word Lover Should Know, or 100 WEWLSK, is a peek into your writing pantry. That place you keep all your staples, ingredients, and spices that make your writing uniquely you.


More than a few of these '100 words' were already in my pantry, up front and ready to use:

    ebullient, ephemeral, facetious, precarious, repugnant...


Others were stuck on the back of the top shelf, just a bit of dust on them:

    chortle, gossamer, milieu, nostrum, redolent...


A few were exotic new 'tastes' for me, pungent and spicy:

    fusty, glossolalia, koan, nudnik, and my favorite in the entire book . . .susurration...


To really enjoy these ingredients though, both new and old, you need to become familiar with them. 100 WEWLSK helps you learn all about these words.


The Preface to the books notes a variety of reasons why any word was selected by the staff of the American Heritage dictionaries for inclusion. For having "an interesting history: chortle, internecine"; others for being "associated with interesting facts: facetious"; and still others "because of how they sound: humuhumunukunukuapuaa or what they mean: koan."

Each entry features the word, divided into syllables followed by a guide to its pronunciation. The part or parts of speech, possible inflected forms, order of senses (what the word might mean in different usages), etymology (history of the word), notes of interest, and examples of usage follow for each word.


It is in these examples of usage that 100 WEWLSK really delivers the taste of a word. With many citations from famed writers down through the years, the words really come to life:

" 'O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!' He chortled in his joy."

Coining the word chortle in Through the Looking-Glass, Lewis Carroll ". . .had constructed his word well, combining the words chuckle and snort. This type of word is called a blend or portmanteau word." Even the explanations contain words to love..!!


The Bottom Line
Books about words can be real 'hit or miss'. This one is a definite hit. 100 Words Every Word Lover Should Know will renew your acquaintance with some old flavors and spice your mind up with some new favorites. It may not make you a gourmand . . .but it will make you a more competent reader and writer and perhaps a bit more appreciative of the beauty contained in many of these '100 words'.



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Certified 'Lean-n-mean' review.


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Other 'reading, 'riting, and arithmetic reviews' by sleeper54


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"Just the facts, ma'am"

Title: 100 Words Every Word Lover Should Know
Author: American Heritage Publishing Company
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Copyright: 2005
Pages: 99
ISBN #: 0618551468
Ages recommended: Teen / Adult
 
 

Recommended: Yes