Arthur Plotnik has long been one of my favorite wits in the writing world. His depth-plumbing columns and articles in
The Writer magazine were always among those I clipped for rereading, and I was sorry to see him retire from the post a year or two ago. So, naturally, I was tap dancing with excitement when his latest book
Better Than Great: A Plenitudinous Compendium of Wallopingly Fresh Superlatives
was announced. The book offers 230 pages of alternate words, designed to replace the “thin” standards such as “great,” “fabulous,” and “excellent.”
This book easily provided the most fun I’ve ever had in a thesaurus. To make look-up easy and accessible, Plotnik divides the words into fifteen categories: Great, Sublime, Physically Affecting, Mentally or Emotionally Affecting, Beautiful, Joy-Giving, Large, Exceptional, Intense, Delicious, Trendy, Cool, Wicked Cool, Forceful, and Challenging Belief or Expression. He fronts each chapter with a fun intro that explains the chapter to follow and offers insight into his choices and how to utilize the book to full impact.
Admittedly, the book offers a limited scope of word alternatives. To begin with, the words are confined to the above categories of “positive superlatives.” And, within those categories, many of the suggestions would be appropriate only in moments of hyperbole or humor. But, even with its limitations,
Better Than Great is a delightful book to put a writer’s shelf. It’s fun to flip through, great for on-the-spot inspiration, and sure to encourage us to reach deeper into our word choices, even if all we do is glance at the spine on our bookshelf every now and then.
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Sounds like fun!
ReplyDeleteIt is that!
ReplyDeleteAnother terrific book to add to my wish list!
ReplyDeleteThat wishlist just keeps growing and growing, doesn't it? I'm never sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing!
ReplyDeleteMinutes before my absolute final student teacher evaluation took place, my uber amazing faculty supervisor pulled out this book from his briefcase and slammed it on the table. He then told me that he was in love with this book and therefor any comments he had about my student teaching session would have pearls of wisdom from this book. His commentary was so much fun to read. There were comments like "she was in the mojo zone," "at the threshold of divine", and "Hypnotic, hot sauce for the brain." Completely fun to read and it is on my list of books to add to my own library.
ReplyDeleteIt's a fun read, even if you're not an author!
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