What's In A Word?

From words as (seemingly) simple as “bookmark,” to phrases as obscure as “wander from pillar to post,” What’s in a Word offers fascinating insight into colloquialisms we use on a daily basis – often without fully understanding them. Sometimes the meaning and background seem obvious, but in most instances, I was surprised at how off I really was. I personally learned quite a bit from this book that I received from Book Sneeze, Thomas Nelson Publishers.
While perhaps too basic for an etymologist, your everyday reader will find this book interesting, entertaining and quite clever. It provides interesting insight into cultures throughout history and clarifies the meaning behind the words we use. I found the meaning to quite a few words and phrases that I use on a regular basis, but that I never fully understood.
The book is separated into handy categories (Legal Speech, Sports and Recreation, Transportation and Travel, etc.), so it’s a handy book when you have a few minutes to kill. Even the topics I wouldn’t generally be interested in had such fascinating little stories and background that I read the book from cover to cover without skipping anything.
I fully enjoyed this book and would absolutely recommend it to others.

Green--Book 0

Green, Book 0 Ted Dekker
I wasn’t expecting much with this one. The Circle trilogy, Black, Red, and White, was perfect for me—I liked how and where it ended. Unfortunately, with many good books and movies people have to go and add something else, which ruins the first part and the series altogether.
Green was a good book—well written, unpredictable, and interesting. The Circle is being pulled apart by conflicting beliefs; nobody knows what’s right or wrong, and new evil is coming into the world. It’s filled with very good parallels and aspects that are obviously taken right out of the Bible, and the intense struggle between the good and the evil really does captivate you.
As a book, I’d give it at least a four-star rating. But for me, it took away from the series as a whole. Maybe it’s because I read the other ones first, but I really liked the ending of the trilogy, and Green brings it back to the beginning again—like a never ending loop. That bothered me. It had some very good parts in it, and it didn’t disappoint me completely, but it was sort of a letdown at the end of a good series.