Alphabet Juice

Alphabet Juice: the energies, gists, and spirits of letters, words and combinations thereof: their roots, bones, innards, piths, pips, and secret parts, tinctures, tonics, and essences; with examples of their usage foul and savory by Roy Blount, Jr., 364 pages, 4 discs on audiobook

Would you look at that title? It's obvious right there that Blount loves his words, and the rest of the book offers plenty of evidence to back up that assumption. Blount delves into the history of each letter in the English alphabet, and expounds upon the etymology of select words that start with or feature each letter. Sounds like it could be bland, but it's not; instead, it's full of snarkiness and amusing anecdotes (for example, the chapter on W has a story about Wilt Chamberlain and his discussion of "neologism" includes a detour through the writings of Pauline Kael) with more than a touch of crotchety grammarian sniping. 

This is a fascinating book, made all the better in audio format. Blount's southern twang is on full display as he reads the book, and his use of onomatopoeia makes me wonder how this would even fare as a silent read. If nothing else, the reader would find him or herself mouthing along with the buzzes, pssts, and gargles (I know that's what I was doing in the car).