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The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows | John Koenig
A truly original book in every sense of the word, The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows poetically defines emotions that we all feel but dont have the words to express, until nowfrom the creator of the popular online project of the same name. Have you ever wondered about the lives of each person you pass on the street, realizing that everyone is the main character in their own story, each living a life as vivid and complex as your own? That feeling has a name: sonder. Or maybe youve watched a thunderstorm roll in and felt a primal hunger for disaster, hoping it would shake up your life. Thats called lachesism. Or you were looking through old photos and felt a pang of nostalgia for a time youve never actually experienced. Thats anemoia. If youve never heard of these terms before, thats because they didnt exist until John Koenig began his epic quest to fill the gaps in the language of emotion. Born as a website in 2009, The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows has garnered widespread critical acclaim, inspired TED talks, album titles, cocktails, and even tattoos. The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows creates beautiful new words that we need but do not yet have, says John Green, bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars. By turns poignant, funny, and mind-bending, the definitions include whimsical etymologies drawn from languages around the world, interspersed with otherworldly collages and lyrical essays that explore forgotten corners of the human conditionfrom astrophe, the longing to explore beyond the planet Earth, to zenosyne, the sense that time keeps getting faster. The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows is for anyone who enjoys a shift in perspective, pondering the ineffable feelings that make up our lives, which have far more in common than we think. With a gorgeous package and beautifully illustrated throughout, this is the perfect gift for creatives, word nerds, and people everywhere.
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AkashaVampie
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Just finished The Book of Cold Cases. Now on to my 3rd book of the yr already. Crushing it!!! 😜🤓📚

Prompt - kid # 1 picks

I love doing my #BookishMonopoly
It keeps it fun and non-stop.

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BekaReid
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idlewild - adj. feeling grateful to be stranded in a place where you can't do much of anything-sitting for hours at an airport gate...which temporarily alleviates the burden of being able to do anything at any time and frees up your brain to do whatever it wants to do, even if it's just to flicker your eyes across the passing landscape. From Idlewild, the original name of John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.

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BekaReid
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Pickpick

This book is a journey through completely bizarre yet weirdly common experiences of the human condition. It attempts to put some of our common thoughts and emotions into words. Some definitions are brief and to the point. Others are short essays that explore the feeling more deeply. Parts are quite poetic and just makes me want to create.

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BekaReid
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I can relate!

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Citra182
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I had this expectation, picking up this book, that I would feel real validated (because misery loves company), but instead…its like every time I read a new word, it would bring up a memory. Painful ones, fun ones, ones I had forgotten. Such a pleasant surprise!

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Liz_M
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Belated Weekly Report.

I've finished Salt Crystals and have started reading a few other books. The Hidden Palace for bookclub, Doctor Thorne, and of course there is the every present Clarissa. Tagged book is not pictured, but is a pleasant interlude from the others.

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Vivlio_Gnosi
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Highly recommend this book about words. The author provides an enlightening perspective on how to view the world and never be afraid to expand your horizons.
#bestseller #nytimes

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Vivlio_Gnosi
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"It's up to you. A word is only real if you want it to be."

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Vivlio_Gnosi
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Enjoying an afternoon at my local coffee shop ☕️

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Vivlio_Gnosi
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Etterath

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CarolynM
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Two lovely gifts arrived today. The tagged book, on the right, from my birthday fairy sister @KarenUK and what a beautiful book it is! I can see myself dipping in to it a lot in the next few days. Thank you so much, Karen 😘

The book on the left looks terrific, some wonderful mid C20th women writers. I am guessing it comes from you @LeahBergen Am I right?

TrishB Lovely ♥️ 1y
Lizpixie Oh they both look amazing! The one on the left would be perfect on my shelves, I‘m gonna need to track it down now. So much for my #nomorebookslizdammit! “request” from the hubby🤷🏻‍♀️ 1y
batsy 😍 1y
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KarenUK 🥰 1y
LeahBergen Yep, it‘s from me. Merry Christmas, my friend! 😘😘 1y
BarbaraBB The right one is a lovely book indeed! 1y
Cathythoughts Lovely gifts for you 👍🏻♥️ 1y
CarolynM @LeahBergen Oh dear! I forgot to thank you 🫣🥴 How rude! I really do appreciate it, I‘m very grateful and very sorry for the delayed thanks 🙏 (edited) 1y
LeahBergen 😆😆 Oh, no worries! And I received your GORGEOUS Christmas card yesterday and it is just about the most perfect card EVER. Vintage girl‘s Christmas annuals! 😍😍 Thank YOU. 😘😘 1y
CarolynM @LeahBergen I thought of you the moment I saw that pack of cards😀 1y
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MelAnn
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This quote is in the front of this book I just began! Seems perfect for a chilly fall evening in the Texas Panhandle! I‘m not working tonight! Choosing to read something not work related! Yay for me!

Suet624 I miss Wright‘s humor. 1y
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Vivlio_Gnosi
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Anyone else feel this way?

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks No!! ❤️📚 1y
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BarbaraBB
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Pickpick

Looseleft, ozurie, indosentia, foilsick, etherness, dorgone, sitheless, kenaway, silience, innity, wenbane, aulasy, enterhood, morii, yu yi, ellipsism, craxis, evertheless: these are just some of the words Koenig invented to name feelings that until now never had one.
Except for a dictionary of new words, the book is a collection of truths, fears and nostalgia. It leaves me a bit sad but I am grateful I read it thanks to the lovely @KarenUK 🤍

KarenUK I‘m glad you liked it…. It was a unique find xxx💕 1y
KarenUK And lovely pic 😍💕 1y
BarbaraBB @KarenUK Thank you for finding and gifting me this little gem 🤍 1y
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sarahbarnes Wow! ♥️ 1y
Suet624 My son and his wife have said the same thing about this book. 💕 1y
BarbaraBB @Suet624 You‘d love it too I think 1y
Suet624 Got your note. Thank you. I‘ll write back tonight. 💕 1y
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BarbaraBB
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This book is filled with beautiful sentences and definitions. Just an example is this quote by Louise Erdrich 🤍

Suet624 So lovely. 1y
KarenUK Lovely 💕💕💕 1y
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keithmalek
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Mehso-so

I liked a lot of these words, but a lot of them were also terribly corny, and would never past muster with a lexicographer. Koenig often takes two words from completely different languages and blends them together, which is a big no-no. For me, it's much more rewarding to find an obscure word that already exists than to read Koenig's made-up words, especially when he blatantly throws all the rules of language out the window.

BarbaraBB I am looking forward to it, thanks to your pose too 🤍 1y
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keithmalek
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The word is "craxis."

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keithmalek

Anticious: adj. Wondering what our ancestors would think of all this.

From antecedent + anxious. Pronounced "an-tish-ous."

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keithmalek

Etterath: The feeling of emptiness after a long and arduous process is finally complete--which leaves you relieved that it's over but missing the stress that organized your life into a mission.

Norwegian etter, after + ratne, decay. Pronounced "et-er-ath."

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keithmalek
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OrangeMooseReads Stop giving my weirdness titles LOL 😆 2y
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keithmalek
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The word is indosentia.

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keithmalek
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keithmalek
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(Continued)...movable goalposts, which makes you want someone to come along and score your progress in discrete and measurable units--which may not clear up where you're going but would at least reassure you that you're one step closer to getting there.

From addled, muddled or unclear, + worth.

Bklover I‘m not sure how I‘d use it in a sentence but I love this word!! 2y
keithmalek @Bklover I'm not sure either. 2y
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keithmalek
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(Continued)...might have buried in your mental backyard.

German, alt, old + Schmerz, pain. Pronounced alt- schmerts.

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keithmalek
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(Continued)...chick is growing.

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keithmalek
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Ancient Greek, koinos, common, ordinary, stripped of specialness, + phobia, fear. Pronounced "kee-noh-foh-bee-uh."

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keithmalek
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