In this blog, I offer a different type of book review — one that’s combined with vocabulary building. Included here are a few interesting words I found in Bride Swap.
Bride Swap is a fun romantic read. Author Beth Carter provides a heartfelt tale of two female characters each struggling to make it on their own, one with a child to support. You’ll have to pick up a copy of Bride Swap to see who’s getting married or not.
The definitions below are for just a few words important for the telling of this absolutely adorable love story:
engaged: adj. 1. Busy; occupied. BRIT. (of a telephone line) unavailable because already in use. 2. Having formally agreed to marry. 3. (architecture) (of a column) attached to or partly let into a wall.
From Bride Swap:
“She glanced at her bare ring finger. She was newly engaged but hadn’t yet told anyone at the station. She knew how some of her more cut-throat colleagues would be once they heard she was set to marry the top anchor at the rival television station across town.”
swag: noun. 1. An ornamental festoon of flowers, fruit, and greenery. 2. INFORMAL money or goods taken by a thief or burglar. 3. AUSTRAL/NZ a traveler’s or miner’s bundle of personal belongings.
Slang definitions include: 1. Term for advertising merchandise, branded merchandise, or promotional products. 2. Formerly used for anything cool.
From Bride Swap:
“Emma, you’re more creative than me, plus you make all of that beautiful swag for authors. You’re amazing with that stuff. I’d love for you to plan a gorgeous wedding for Trent and me.”
transfixed/transfix: verb. 1. Cause someone to become motionless with horror, wonder, or astonishment. 2. Pierce with a sharp implement or weapon.
From Bride Swap:
“He stood transfixed as if he were a marble statue. The smirk Paige had seen one too many times appeared as Trent asked, ‘Did someone have a bad day? Is it that time of month, Paige, or is Zach-y boy going after your job like I knew he would?’”
Definitions are typically from the dictionary that comes with my Mac or The New Oxford American Dictionary.
“The word is only a representation of the meaning; even at its best, writing almost always falls short of full meaning. Given that, why in God’s name would you want to make things worse by choosing a word which is only cousin to the one you really wanted to use?” ― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.
Lori Ericson, Author 