This book is a wonder if your style of writing is a bit on the intellectual side or if you want an Anthony Hopkins type of character, ala Silence of the Lambs--educated, professorial, cerebral. Their dialogue and interior monologue must include words that are well-selected, pithy, yet meaningful in their spot. They become the signature of that person and the reader recognizes the character's appearance on a scene by their speaking style. If that's not your normal speaking style (as it isn't for most of us), it can be tricky, but not impossible thanks to this book.

In my case, I love words. I keep a list of my five hundred favorite nerdy words (like abecederian and apocryphal). I enjoy finding that one word to replace ten others--

* dew point
* heuristic
* curmudgeon

...or the exact word to fit a circumstance

* diaphoretic
* heterodox
* palindrome

When I bought this book, I curled up in bed and read it before going to sleep. The beauty of well-selected words is calming. So many of them flow off the tongue as though they should always have been there, in my mind.

* xenophobic
* obfuscate
* bibliophile
* perspicacity

Oxford Essential Dictionary of Difficult Words also has common words that we-all have likely forgotten--

* objective
* pantomime
* raffish
* spurious

When I read these, I scratched my head. They aren't difficult, but--then it struck me--when was the last time I used them?