My Favorite Book As of 2025

My favorite book is not the Bible.

Nor is it Gone with the Wind, which I’ve heard is popular as well.

My favorite book has a bunch of words, all of which I should know but a surprising number of which I don’t. A select handful have made my acquaintance over the years, but I would still hesitate to utter them for fear of misuse.

The keeper of the terms, Oxford University Press, even dumbed things down for me.

This is not, after all, a full-on English dictionary.

This is the pocket, American version!

And yet, despite purchasing a remedial edition, I’ve learned far more than I bargained for.

First, thanks to an included list of countries, I’ve learned that there are other countries. And thanks to a convenient conversion table, I’ve learned there’s something called a kilogram. But it’s perusing the actual words that has taught me by far the most.

To prove it, and to perhaps motivate you to follow in my better-late-than-never footsteps, check out the following work.

 

On Parenting

Having never parented before, I was unaccustomed to such propinquity to little people. The one with primogeniture was essentially an experiment, a test as to whether I could achieve equipoise between his interests and my own. I opted for a hands-off approach, even if that translated into a rather slovenly appearance (for both of us).

By the time the second one entered the picture, I had grown accustomed to petulant behavior, interrupted only by an unsuspected rejoinder to my attempts at coaching. For instance, both my children thoroughly enjoyed pointing out a certain excrescence, which I repeatedly reminded them was merely my belly fat.

Initially, wanting my progeny to achieve fame, I flirted with being a disciplinarian, only to be overcome by compunction. Eventually, I realized my work would be a success if I avoided raising ruffians and simply added to the hoi polloi.

 

Key

propinquity: nearness in time or space; proximity

primogeniture: the state of being the firstborn child

equipoise: a state of balance between different forces or interests

slovenly: untidy and dirty

petulant: childishly sulky or bad-tempered

rejoinder: a sharp or witty reply

excrescence: an abnormal growth protruding from a body or plant

compunction: a feeling of guilt that prevents or follows wrongdoing

ruffian: a violent or lawless person

hoi polloi: the ordinary people (derogatory)

 

On Writing

As a writer, I’ve tried it all. The odyssey began with relating my experiences as a burgher in the middle of nowhere. From there, I moved on to dry disquisitions, none of which were particularly popular. Along the way, I dabbled in poetry, though the results were perceived as cloying.

Knowing that I was naturally attracted to convivial settings, I began to follow my heart. Unfortunately, I learned that no one likes the jocose unless it is followed by the morose. Stated another way, lexical brio is better received when chased with calamity.

It seemed like the disputatious—and perhaps analysands—were having more success. Heck, I even saw wildly successful work on the seemingly deliquescent nature of a writer’s bowel movements. Regardless, I’ve learned that I can still refer to my wheel spinning as an avocation.

 

Key

burgher: a citizen of a town or city (old use)

disquisition: a long or complex discussion of a topic in speech or writing

cloying: so sweet or sentimental as to be unpleasant

convivial: friendly and lively (of an atmosphere or event)

jocose: playful or humorous (formal)

brio: energy or liveliness

disputatious: fond of having arguments

analysand: a person who is undergoing psychoanalysis

deliquescent: becoming or having a tendency to become liquid (technical or literary)

avocation: a hobby or minor occupation (formal)

 

In other words, my favorite book is helping me achieve proficiency in my mother tongue. And ain’t no gone with no wind gonna help me do that.