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Other-Wordly: Words Both Strange and Lovely from Around the World

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4.33 1,002 ratings 244 reviews
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Discover words to surprise, delight, and enamor. Learn terms for the sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees, for dancing awkwardly but with relish, and for the look shared by two people who each wish the other would speak first. Other-Word... MoreDiscover words to surprise, delight, and enamor. Learn terms for the sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees, for dancing awkwardly but with relish, and for the look shared by two people who each wish the other would speak first. Other-Wordly is an irresistible gift for lovers of words and those lost for words alike. Less

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Average rating 4.33  ·  1,002 ratings  ·  244 reviews

rated it it was amazing
almost 2 years ago

Shelves: favorites
Redamancy my personal fav.
Also mbuki-mvuki, l'appel du vide, Erlebnisse, Fernweh, hiraeth and nemophilist.

This world needs to remember that languages are things of beauty, paths to mind-building and quintessentially ways of life and not just instruments for business and gene
...more

rated it really liked it
almost 4 years ago

Shelves: language
TSUNDOKU (noun, Japanese)
buying books and not reading them; letting them pile up unread on shelves or floors or nightstands.

Somehow knowing that there's a name for it makes me feel less guilty. Look! People around the world have been doing it so much and for so long that we
...more

rated it did not like it
over 1 year ago

Yes indeed, I do well realise that most of the reviews for Other-Wordly: Words Both Strange and Lovely from Around the Word have obviously been very much and often even glowingly positive. And certainly, both Yee-Lum Mak's list of featured words (not only foreign but also of ...more

rated it really liked it
about 1 month ago

This gorgeous little volume combines little-known words or phrases, from a variety of languages, that perfectly express an emotion or reaction, along with a vivid illustration for each. The art style was the perfect accompaniment to the emotional response these words conjure ...more

rated it liked it
about 2 years ago

One missing piece...

Only thing I wish the book had, was how to pronounce the words. I know what they mean now, but I have to figure out how to say them.

rated it really liked it
about 4 years ago

* This book was sent to me for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review *

I really expected to like this because I had already seen some of the illustrations on the cover art and I love this style of watercolour wash. The book is a simple coffee table type of
...more

rated it really liked it
3 months ago

Shelves: linguistics
Hypnotizing and poetic, this little book contains unconventionally beautiful words that represent profound emotions and meanings collected from different languages. I always considered such words as wonders of a combination of language and culture and always been fascinated ...more

rated it it was amazing
almost 3 years ago

This is a vast improvement on the hyped Lost In Translation. There are more words explored per page that relate to one another. The illustrations are soothing, quiet and absolutely beautiful. I enjoyed reading this so much I had to purchase a copy.

rated it it was amazing
over 2 years ago

Komorebi-Japanese noun for the sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees. Almost a decade ago I wrote a fantasy novel that starred a Knight and a skeleton walking on the sun talking to a god who asked them what is the color of light coming through trees. It was a que ...more

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Book details

Hardcover, 53 pages
Published October 11th 2016 by Chronicle Books
ISBN
1452125341 (ISBN13: 9781452125343)
Edition language
English

About this author

9 followers
Yee-Lum Mak was born and raised in Los Angeles and graduated from USC in 2016 with a major in creative writing and a minor in marketing.

In 2011, she started my blog Other-Wordly. Other-Wordly, my book based on the blog, launched in October 2016 from Chronicle Books and was a New York Times bestseller in the Education category in January 2017.

Her future goals include a career teaching college compo
...more

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