I can not call this an enjoyable read, but it is an interesting one. I think readers who like language will enjoy, but I wanted more linguistics chat.

I do love that I have a new lexicon of words to describe the world. I will not shelve in my middle school library, but I will get a copy for home and recommend to the high school librarians.

Title: The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows
Author: John Koenig
To be published: 11/15/2021
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book was gifted to me by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Think back for a moment. Has there ever been a time you felt something or you had a thought there were no words for? Like when you leave someone's presence and you wonder what the chance is that you'll never see them again. Or trying to figure out how or why someone could possibly love you. Maybe it's as simple as how looking up at the stars makes you feel small, almost invisible.
What if there were words for these thoughts and feelings and emotions? What if there were a whole book of these thoughts with actual words to call them by? Enter The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. What started out as a simple blog has blossomed into a lovely and wonderful book.
The idea of this book so intrigued and fascinated me and I knew I had to read it. I am so glad I did. It was quite a journey! Realizing I'm not the only who thinks those thoughts or feels those things was a strange comfort to me.
If you are a word nerd or just a deep thinker and feeler, this unique treasure of a book is for you.

[Review of uncorrected page proofs]
A unique collection of words you didn't know you needed, "The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows" is a lexicon of feelings, moods, and sensations. Perfect for bibliophiles, logophiles, and linguaphiles, it belongs on the shelf next to James Liptons' "Exaltation of Larks".

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).

What I mainly liked in this book:

- The fitting way the words are split into sections
- The use of imagery throughout the book
- The use of quotes in the beginning of each chapter/section
- The pronunciation guide for each word and the mention of the language of origin

Can't wait to purchase a print copy of this beautiful book to add to my collection!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book had a very interesting concept, something I haven’t ever seen before. It described so many emotions that I’ve felt, but didn’t know what to call it. It was nice to finally have a word for those feelings.

I have been in love with The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows for many years, always overjoyed to see the words floating around, and always wishing they'd be arranged in a physical copy someday and I am beyond thrilled to see that finally happen!

This book is beautiful in so many ways. Even though these are made up words to express feelings it makes my heat jump to come across one that perfectly describes the feeling or mood I'm experiencing in a far more eloquent way than I could come up with on my own.

I can not wait until this hits shelves I will absolutely be purchasing my very own copy. Fellow word nerds, writers, anyone with deep emotions should be lining up for this one as well.

Thank you NetGalley and John Koenig and publisher for allowing me to view an e-copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

I have waited TEN YEARS for this to become a real book and just about screamed when I heard it was happening. Because this is a nonfiction book I will be rating it on different metrics.
Will I use it more than once? Yes
Will I refer to it 5 or more years from now: probably
Was it interesting: YES
Would I buy it for myself: I would buy three
Would I buy it for others: I would buy it for STRANGERS

LADIES, GENTS,AND NOT OTHERWISE SPECIFIED WE HAVE OURSELVES A GIVEAWAY TIER BOOK

I didn't think another book would have me this hyped since Malice by Heather Walter came out but this absolute nebula of a book is the best thing about my whole year.

3 stars - I liked it

This was an interesting book. This dictionary is filled with words that didn’t exist before now about feelings and perspectives of life. I found it quite interesting and have experienced quite a few of the definitions. I probably will never use any of these in a sentence but it's still good for them to have a name now I guess.

My biggest issue with this book was that since it's a dictionary, it would get boring pretty quickly so I spaced the reading out over a few days.

*Thank you to Simon & Schuster, John Koenig and Netgalley for giving me a E-ARC of " The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows" in exchange for an honest review*.


I thought that this was a very fascinating book. I liked how most of the emotions defibed have been felt by mostly everyone at one point or another.
The photographs included were pretty too. I think that this book would be a good gift to give to that friend whose read everything. It's really unique.

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows is a beautiful book about the different words for sorrow. I feel as if this book is being released at the perfect time, as I think we’ve all been through it lately. Sorrows is the perfect blend of beautiful and educational. This will definitely be purchased for my home library. I honestly couldn’t imagine not having it to refer to often.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and John Koenig for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A strange book, but one I absolutely loved.
All those feelings you've had but can't put into words? Here are the words. Maybe even for some feelings you didn't realize you had.
On one hand, creative and artsy. But *also* scholarly, on the other. These words aren't just random or meant to sound good. The author explains how he arrived at each word, drawing from languages (modern and ancient), sports, popular culture, and more.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS BOOK! This has become one of my new favorite books! I loved reading it so much and discovering new words and what they mean especially in the sense of sorrow. As someone who deals with depression, finding words to name certain feelings really was an enjoyable read. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to discover new words, meanings, and feelings.

*Thanks Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I have always been a fan of The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows since its Tumblr days. I am glad to see the words that I love will be printed into an actual dictionary. This is a great gift for any logophiles out there. I certainly will be getting one for myself.