Deborah L. Wolter

The Liar’s Dictionary by Eley Williams

Mountweazel.

Oh my, what a word!

And it’s a real word too. Seriously. Look it up. Mountweazels are creative and deliberate made-up words inserted in dictionaries as a trap to reveal plagiarism or copyright infringement. The Liar’s Dictionary was a delightful foray into the world of lexicographers and the humanity in all of us. Part history, part humor, part love, part thriller, and a whole lot of parallelism and wordplay. Perfect for snow day reading.

While you’re at it, pick up these two non-fiction books too. These books will enrich your understanding of language, literacies, and linguistics. 

The Story of Ain’t: America, It’s Language, and the Most Controversial Dictionary Ever Published by David Skinner

The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester