Friends with Words: Adventures in Languageland

A Way with Words radio host Barnette (A Garden of Words) combines philology, etymology, and memoir in this entertaining chronicle of her lifelong love of language. The daughter of educators—including a mother who strictly championed proper grammar—Barnette broadened her linguistic horizons during college, thanks to the mentorship of a retired classics professor and polyglot who taught her all of Oedipus Tyrannus in the original Greek and opened her mind to the subtleties of translation. Personal anecdotes, including the story of how Barnette first met her future wife on air during a conversation about the nuances between “kind” and “nice,” are interspersed with accessible dives into word origins, from mythological roots to eponyms. Elsewhere, Barnette highlights her show’s frequent forays into linguistic invention, including one listener’s request for a term describing late-night wakefulness; Barnette and her cohost suggested the French dorveille, which combines the French verbs dormir (“to sleep”) and veiller (“to stay awake”). With a conversational tone and an infectious sense of curiosity, Barnette makes a strong case for the mundane magic of words. It’s a joyful account that will delight fans of Lynne Truss. Agent: Myrsini Stephanides, Arc Literary. (Aug.)