Book review: The Etymologicon by Mark Forsyth

The twenty-third book I read in 2015 is The Etymologicon by Mark Forsyth.  It predates The Elements of Eloquence, which I read back in January, and is actually his first book, constructed Frankenstein's-monster-like from his pre-existing blog.  Given its cut-and-paste origins, the structure is still impressive, as he manages to lead from one section to another and then cycle back to the beginning organically, as in TEoE.

I prefer Eloquence, as it's a bit less scattershot-trivia and a touch more educational about the language, but if you're interested in meandering etymologies and false cognates, you'll certainly enjoy this book.

I will say that book-writing success seems to have been the death of the blog that started it all.  Seven posts thus far in 2015?  Black pot living in a glass house though I am, at least I can blame my reticence on sheer inertia rather than on monetizing my previously-freely-bestowed thoughts.