Do you delight in word play? Are you a crossword puzzle or Wordle enthusiast? Do you enjoy considering the meaning behind language? You’re in very good company.
Inspired by our team’s great collective affection for all sorts of wordplay, we’ve gathered a collection of fiction and nonfiction tailor made for Word Nerds. Whether you’re in the mood for reading about lost words in a historical novel, a murder mystery involving a secret code written in a book, or an epistolary novel with a unique format, I hope you’ll enjoy the offerings here. I also hope you’ll share your favorite books that celebrate word nerdery in the comments.
8 wonderful books for Word Nerds
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The Word Exchange
This dystopian tale examines our dependence on technology and social media and the staying power of the written word. Readers are transported to a world where bookstores, libraries, newspapers, and magazines are obsolete and everyone is ruled by handheld devices called Memes. The last edition of the North American Dictionary of the English Language is about to be printed when Anana's father, the printer, goes missing and she's swept into a dangerous search to find him and stop the spread of a mysterious word flu. A fun ride from start to finish. More info →
Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters
Hugely popular among readers who love books about language, this inventive epistolary novel takes on a big challenge. On the quaint, imaginary island of Nollop a special council of government bans the use of specific letters from the alphabet, leaving its citizens to hilariously and courageously find new ways to communicate. As each letter falls from grace amongst the council, so do they fall out of the novel completely. You read that right: the author tasked himself with a seriously tough obstacle in writing entire chapters without certain letters. Within these creative constraints lies a lovely tale of freedom, linguistics, and epistolary fun. More info →
The Dictionary of Lost Words
In this historical novel, Esme spends her childhood in Oxford where her father is a lexicographer helping create the first Oxford English Dictionary. As the team of men debate which words should be included or omitted, Esme gathers the discarded words and discovers that words associated with women are often left out. While she publicly works on the Oxford English Dictionary, she secretly starts another dictionary: The Dictionary of Lost Words. With a backdrop of the suffrage movement and looming war, this inventive story explores the power of words and what we all lose when history is only recorded by men. More info →
A Five Letter Word for Love
Wordle draws two people together in this workplace romance. Receptionist Emily wants more than her small town life on Prince Edward Island. Instead, she’s stuck with irritating coworkers at the auto shop where she works. Until one day, at a loss for what that day’s World answer is and only one shot to keep her 300+ day streak going, she learns John does Wordle too and that there might be more to him than she realized. (Open door.) More info →
Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution
This historical fantasy is a cool 545 pages in hardcover, and WOW does Kuang put every one to good use. Set primarily in 1830s Oxford, the workers at the translation institute Babel literally fuel the British Empire by combining their language skills with precious silver bars. While I loved the academic setting and band of four fast friends, Kuang’s engagement with the complexities of race, power, and privilege are what really ground the novel. There's also a lot of philosophizing about the art of translation and discussion of what the practice actually involves, which I found insightful and fascinating. The publisher calls it “a thematic response to The Secret History and a tonal response to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell”—if that sounds a little cerebral for you, don’t worry; it’s easy to get swept up in the story. More info →
The Marlow Murder Club
Not all heroes wear capes. Some of them create crossword puzzles for The Times newspaper. Between the crosswords and the freedom living alone brings, 77-year-old Judith Potts loves her life. When she witnesses a murder while swimming in the Thames, the local police don’t believe her so she decides to do her own investigation instead, along with some help from her friends Suzie and Becks. They form the Marlow Murder Club, just in the nick of time as another body shows up. They’ll need to solve this puzzle before it’s too late. A fun start to the series. More info →
The Twyford Code
After a stint in prison, Steven Smith can’t stop thinking about the day his English teacher Miss Isles disappeared during a class field trip to author Edith Twyford’s home. She’s never been found and he’s missing memories of what happened while they were away. Shortly before his teacher’s disappearance, he gave her a copy of Twyford’s book that he’d found. Miss Isles believed the manuscript, filled with annotations and markings, was a secret code. Now Steven wonders whether she was right. With the help of old classmates and voice memos on his old iPhone, he sets out to learn the truth of the Twyford Code. More info →
The Puzzler: One Man’s Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life
It’s no surprise the author behind The Know-It-All, which detailed his quest to read all 32 volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, decided he wanted to figure out why we’re drawn to all manner of puzzles and what their benefits may be. Already a nightly crossworder, he enters competitions, tries to solve the hardest puzzles whether a corn maze or jigsaw, and talks with fellow enthusiasts. As entertaining to read as it is insightful about problem-solving and how our brains work. More info →
Are you a Word Nerd? What books have you read that celebrate word nerdery? Please share in the comments.
P.S. 20 wonderful books about books and bookstores and 20 Dark Academia novels for moody fall reading. If you’re a puzzler like me, you’ll also enjoy this collection of favorite jigsaw puzzles and this ode to crossword puzzles.
35 comments
I would absolutely add Word Freak to the list.
The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
Really! I’ve been meaning to read this for ages—it’s even on my shelf—and never realized it might belong on a list like this!
I absolutely love love love this book, but for me, it does not bring word nerdery to mind. Though the main character is a journalist, there are other themes which to me are much more salient. Only writing this in case others read it and have the same reaction.
I am in agreement with you, Donna. I 3X love the book, but do not think of it in terms of word nerdery.
(And, Anne, I am amazed you have not read it. You need to put it at the top of your TBR list.)
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Jester. A wonderful kids book that is not just for kids. If there is a kid in your life it is a fun read aloud! But adults who love the sort of books in this post, will love the word play.
Yes!!!!!
Yes! Thanks for bringing this to mind. I’ve got a second grader who is totally ready for this one!
Agreed! I read this to my son when he was younger and loved it!
A Clockwork Orange(Anthony Burgess)– Rough novel with more violence than I typically can stand. Not for everyone, but oh my, it was fun figuring out the language!
I loved the way the middle grade novel, The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels by Beth Lincoln, played with language! (It’s middle grade, but with a lot of adult appeal.)
The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers was absolutely delightful!
One of my favorites this year!
Greek Lessons by Han Kung. This isn’t a light read and the words are not English – but language and words play a huge role in this short novel
Not a book, but I love the radio show, “A Way with Words.” It’s also available as a podcast. (The New Yorker called it “‘Car Talk’ for Lexiphiles.”) Both hosts have books—Martha Barnette’s newest “Friends with Words” is on my holds list.
So glad you included Ella Minnow Pea on this list. It is one of the most clever books I’ve ever read and a wonderful story too!
I LOVED Ella Minnow Pea! I read it in an afternoon and recommend it often. So clever!
Hear! Hear! It’s the first book that came to mind when I saw this category. Easily one of the most creative reads in a while…
I just checked this out!
I loved it! One of those you enjoy and admire for the creativity and craft.
I would also recommend the middle grade novel, oldie, Frindle by Andrew Clements. Again, so creative and an engaging story for intermediate readers about the power of words.
yes, Frindle is a great novel.
I thought of Ella Minnow Pea as soon as I saw the title of this post and am glad it made the list. Great book!
The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester
This was one of my favorite books! I had my whole family read it & have recommended it to many others!
I also thought of Word Freak. The author Stefan Fatsis has a new book coming out in October called Unabridged. As you can easily guess it’s about the dictionary.
Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages by Ammon Shea. The Dictionary People by Sarah Ogilvie. The stories of the people, especially the women, who contributed to the first OED, are amazing, funny, and well…really?.
The Professor and the Mad Man by Simon Winchester and books by Richard Lederer. I am currently reading and laughing through The Bride of Anguished English.
What a great post! I would add The Story She Left Behind, by Patti Callahan Henry. One of my favourite reads of the year…
Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore.
This is wonderful on audio!
I would add the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde! (The first one was The Eyre Affair). The narrator solves mysteries by wandering through old novels, and the thought exercise of what would happen if people had the ability to change the language in them was so fun. (Admittedly I haven’t read these in a long time, so apologies if they didn’t age well!)
Love Jasper Fforde!! I think books 2 and 3 are my favorite, so I’d encourage readers to keep doing if the Eyre Affair didn’t quite grab you!
Susie Dent’s Guilty By Definition!
Loved The Dictionary of Lost Words … as did my book club members.
I would also recommend Lexicon by Max Barry and Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries by Kory Stamper.
Lexicon has been described as “a razor-sharp thriller that dives deep into the dark power of language—literally. Imagine a secret school where students don’t learn math or history, but instead master the art of persuasion so potent it can control minds. These elite graduates become ‘Poets,’ members of a covert organization that manipulates people using psychographic profiling and carefully chosen words.”
Word by Word provides a real-world behind-the-scenes look at the life of a lexicographer at Merriam-Webster.
I just read and loved Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi on audiobook, narrated by Bronson Pinchot. I think reading it on page would also be fun to visually catch more of the delightful and creative ways Mafi plays with words and language. My 16 year old recommended this to me.
I would absolutely add “Wordslut” by Amanda Montell. It is terrific on audio too.
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