Have you ever pondered the lives of strangers and realized each person is the protagonist of their own story? That sensation is known as “sonder.” Or perhaps you’ve felt a peculiar longing during a thunderstorm, hoping for a life-altering event, termed “lachesism.” Maybe flipping through old photographs has made you nostalgic for times you never lived, which Koenig defines as “anemoia.”

These are just a few examples of the evocative new words Koenig has crafted, drawing from various languages and his own creative insights. The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows offers readers a novel way to articulate and understand their emotions, fostering a sense of shared human experience.

This book is ideal for anyone with a love for language, creativity, and introspection. It's a perfect gift for word enthusiasts, creatives, and anyone who appreciates the beauty of human emotions.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

"The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows" by John Koenig is a truly fascinating and unique literary gem that defies conventional categorization. This extraordinary book is a thought-provoking exploration of the human experience, capturing the ineffable emotions and sensations that often elude traditional language.

Koenig's creativity knows no bounds as he curates a collection of new words that delve into the depths of our innermost feelings. Each entry in this dictionary is a profound revelation, giving voice to emotions we might have struggled to articulate before. It is a testament to Koenig's insight and poetic mastery that he can craft such evocative expressions that resonate so deeply with readers.

The power of "The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows" lies in its ability to connect us all on a fundamental level. Koenig's words become a mirror, reflecting our own complex emotions back to us, creating a sense of shared understanding and camaraderie. In the vast array of human experiences, this book finds the common threads that bind us together.

Koenig's writing style is eloquent, lyrical, and imbued with a sense of wonder. His poetic prose sweeps you away on an introspective journey, inviting you to contemplate the nuances of existence and the beauty in life's complexities.

What sets this book apart is its sheer originality and innovative approach to language. Koenig has crafted a literary treasure that stands out in a sea of ordinary books. "The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows" is an intellectual delight and an emotional revelation, leaving readers with a profound sense of awe and contemplation.

In conclusion, "The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows" is a remarkable work of art that transcends traditional boundaries. John Koenig's keen observations and exceptional gift for language make this book a must-read for anyone seeking to explore the depths of human emotion and the wonders of linguistic creativity. Prepare to be captivated, enlightened, and moved by this extraordinary journey into the heart of our shared human experience.

Beautiful book full of creative and evocative words to give readers a new way to explain how they are feeling. Haunting yet comforting. I enjoyed reading and will be adding some to my regular volcabulary!

I love words. And in this beautiful book, author John Koenig has created words for those emotions and situations that never had definition.

One of my favorites?

vellichor:

"vellichor n. the strange wistfulness of used bookstores, which are somehow infused with the passage of time—filled with thousands of old books you’ll never have time to read, each of which is itself locked in its own era, bound and dated and papered over like an old room the author abandoned years ago, a hidden annex littered with thoughts left just as they were on the day they were captured."

That is beautiful. So lyrical.

The entire book is this way. It's a gorgeous book of discovery. One you can read through in a sitting or pick up at will and learn something new.

It's a perfect book for any lover of words.

Creative and original, I loved the entries in the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. I loved the plays on words, the unique ideas, and the witty way Koenig's brain works. The entire book kept me in rapt attention.

The words created in The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows are beautiful and so necessary. I thoroughly enjoyed flipping through the book and learning new words that are placed to such real and human emotions. I felt a connection to so many of the words in this dictionary, each word seems to be more beautiful than the last. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy the little things, short stories, and beautiful writing.

A haunting book about unexplainable emotions. This book made me feel all sorts of emotions. I liked how the book had very entry’s. Will definitely be purchasing this for my friends!

I never knew a dictionary could move me emotionally, or inspire my creativity.

John Koenig has been creating and sharing new words that express unnamed emotions and internal experiences for over a decade on his Youtube channel, and has now compiled these wonders into a book. I love how poetic his descriptions are, the logic behind his etymological choices, and of course, the awe of recognizing shared experience.

Since these words describe complex emotions, I was struck by the possibility of using them as prompts for creative expression. This could also help to bring some of them into the mainstream lexicon. After all, a word becomes "real" because we use it. So find a few favorites in this volume and get started.

Highly recommended for word lovers

Interesting and odd little book for word lovers everywhere. Some are touching, some are devastating, and some will even make you laugh.

I love to travel. Car, plane, train, walking – It doesn’t matter. I love being surrounded by people who are all on their way somewhere else.

Since I was a child, every once in a while, I would feel overwhelming sadness as I looked around and realized that all the hundreds of thousands of people surrounding me had a life like mine. They had friends, a family, hopes, and dreams. And I would have a deep and weird sadness that I could live a thousand lifetimes, and I would still never know the depths of these people.

Then one day while traveling the interwebs, I saw it!

Sonder
n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness—an epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground, with elaborate passageways to thousands of other lives that you’ll never know existed, in which you might appear only once, as an extra sipping coffee in the background, as a blur of traffic passing on the highway, as a lighted window at dusk.

Sonder – The word that fully captured my life long obscure sadness.

When I saw it so beautifully put into words, I realized. Not only was I not alone in my sorrow, but many people around the world have been there and felt that.

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows originated online, but now it is in print as a beautiful book. It is a dictionary. But more than that, all the words and their definitions are poems where we can feel unified knowing we are not alone in our weird and obscure sorrows.

No home library is complete without it!

What an incredibly fun book! “The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows” leaves me at a loss for words………..that was such a corny pun, lol 😆

With all seriousness, I love books like this and I love ‘this’ book. I knew immediately upon reading it, that I’d want a print copy of this, so I did order it. It’s apparently doing as well as it deserves because it’s out of stock on Amazon so I’m waiting for a copy. This is a definite keeper. The words will take some getting used to remembering because they are truly “Obscure” and completely worth taking the time to learn. Being able to remember all these new words would probably be impossible unless you’re a dictionary, but I look forward to finding places to implement them. I’ve wished for many years to expand my vocabulary because I’m awfully redundant when it comes to my emotional descriptions…….I look forward to this book helping me to broaden and have fun using the words I’ve learned.

Thank you very much to NetGalley, the publisher Simon & Schuster, and the author for granting me access to a copy of this fantastic book for my honest opinion! I cannot wait for the hard copy to get to me!

Review will be on Goodreads, Twitter and Amazon. When the physical copy gets to me, I look forward to it being a book to share on Instagram. My old Instagram account is still up, but unfortunately, I’ve been away from social media for years and I cannot get back in to my accounts. I look forward to this being one of the first on my new account. It’s gorgeous!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
It's wonderful and so fulfilling to be able to put a feeling or thought into words and John Koenig helps us do just that in "The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows."

This book would make a great addition to every library and bookcase; a book that you can pull off the self whenever you're feeling like it, when you're so lost in your thoughts and feelings and want to find the answers for all those emotions within the pages of a book.

Koenig helps us see through these word entries that we're not alone; that our intrusive thoughts do not belong exclusively to us (like klexos: when we're dwelling on the past) and that unexpected things occur for all of us (like how we've all experienced a moment of tangency: a fleeting glimpse of what might have been).
I'll admit that some of the organization of these choice words and feelings were a bit lost on me. There were times I didn't see the trend or pattern. But I also read this a few words at a time over the course of two weeks or so.

As humans, we experience so many feelings and emotions that we can't put into words. This book gives us words for those feelings and emotions. A lot of the definitions and just a couple of sentences. My favorites were the longer ones, a couple of paragraphs or even a couple of pages, that so eloquently and beautifully describe something that was previously indescribable with stories and definitions that are specific yet universal. Everyone will find something here that seems to speak directly to them. I read this as an ebook, but I liked it so much I want to get a physical copy for my shelf. Thanks to @netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book called to me when I saw the cover. It is as beautifully written as the cover and was an instant must have for my shelf.

I read Koenig back when he had a blog. I found it to be fascinating and rich, and it tickled my word lover funny bone. What makes what Koenig does so amazing is that he doesn't just make a work up willy-nilly. He uses the same methods as any other word has ever used in its creation. A blend of geographical influence, root words, latin, prefixes and/or suffixes, and a splash of some social influence. I also love the name of the book, it just feeds my soul in a way that I can't describe. It's like watching tea steep or listening to rain on the window. Everything about the words Koenig creates feels natural, like you are reading dictionary entries, not some random person's hobby that turned into a bestseller.

It's very very beautiful and whimsical...
It's worth the try for everyone who likes whimsical and magical types of books.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy!

What a poetic and beautiful book. I found myself several times reading in awe and surprise, the author having described an emotion I never realized I had, or one I thought that only I experienced. John Koenig demonstrates his vast knowledge of human experience, and of languages. Enjoy this book if you like words, especially made up ones to describe those weird yet universal feelings we all have.

I’ll be frank. I’ve been using The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows and their tumblr posts to name playlists for years. When I saw the official book was getting published, I may have squealed.

There are so many times in my life where I have found something, in a book, or conversation, or anything really, and stopped and thought “Oh, there’s a word for that.” And every time, every time, that moment of realization has made me feel less alone.

This dictionary takes feelings, obscure, difficult, messy emotions that have previously been undefinable and created new words; poetic, meaningful words. I love how the author has taken bits and pieces of hundreds of languages to create something new and unique. Sometimes it feels like people forget that language is, and should be, a constantly changing and evolving thing.

This dictionary is not in alphabetical order, and I don’t think it should be. It meanders and moves as our lives do. Some entries are actually more of personal essays than dictionary entries. And just as wonderful as any of the bite sized definitions.

Some of the phonetic pronunciations are very odd, and I ended up kind of skipping over them after the first third.

I have already preordered a copy for myself, and I plan to use this as a Christmas present for several other people.

I fell in love with The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows back when I stumbled across their youtube channel when they were posting regularly. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the way it captures the complexity of emotions but perhaps because of how incredible the videos were with their integration of narration and visuals, this printed form fell a little short. I prefer the deep dive into emotions over the short definitions, though I did appreciate the history and etymology behind each of the words that were created.

An absolute delight for word nerds everywhere; I highly recommend this title for anyone who just happens to love to delve into different languages, meanings and explore the words that help us explain every part of our condition.