Word Perfect by Susie Dent
My review
4/5 stars
I've been watching 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown for years now and Jimmy Carr is always mocking Susie Dent about her books. When her newest offering was recommended to me on Audible, I decided to dive in and give it a go.
On the surface it sounded like a win-win situation for me - a lover of words listens to a lexicographer passionately talking about the history of words. What could go wrong. Honest answer from me: very little.
The book provides a different word and its origins for each day of the year. The bitesize snippets were just the right length - they gave interesting information and fun anecdotes without becoming tiresome or boring in content.
The audiobook narration was both a blessing and a curse for me. The blessing was that it allowed Susie Dent's intelligence and passion to shine through. I really enjoyed listening her talk through each entry with authority and an energy that can only come from a true love for your subject matter. The curse was that the format doesn't really lend itself to an audiobook. Having one day feed straight into another made it challenging to keep things straight in my head as I was listening. Some of the information started to blur together and, at times, I lost track of which day/word I was even listening to.
Definitely worth a read for anyone who loves lexicography, but I would recommend a physical copy rather than the audiobook for total enjoyment - I may have even given it 5 stars if I'd read it in a different format.
Book blurb
Welcome to a year of wonder with Susie Dent, lexicographer, logophile, and longtime queen of Countdown's Dictionary Corner.
From the real Jack the Lad to the theatrically literal story behind stealing someone's thunder, from tartle (forgetting someone's name at the very moment you need it) to snaccident (the unintentional eating of an entire packet of biscuits), WORD PERFECT is a brilliant linguistic almanac full of unforgettable stories, fascinating facts, and surprising etymologies tied to every day of the year. You'll never be lost for words again.
More...
You can buy the book here now. It was published by John Murray.
For more on the author, you can head to her website, follow her on Instagram, or check out her Goodreads page.
