Harare Review of Books

240 pp. April 7, 2026, Andrews McMeel Publishing. Non-fiction.

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This beautiful and very visual book collects words from all over the world (as best as one can attempt that enormous task) that give us ways to think and feel about our planet. Some of these are quite literal—about the weather, and landscapes—and others more metaphysical (time, home). If I’d been reading a copy of my own (and I was that kind of person) I would have highlighted nearly the entire the whole book; there’s something magical about language and the ideas words convey, carrying as they do so much meaning, history, and worldviews.

Just a few words I found evocative:

lieko
noun
Finnish
LEER-koh
Lieko refers to a fallen, rotting tree, particularly if the tree in question is at the bottom of a lake. Finnish does not stop there with precise tree descriptions: kelo (dead tree still standing, usually only the trunk but no bark); konkelo (dead tree, fallen but still leaning on something); pökkelö (dead tree standing but with only the outer bark layers remaining); aihki (a large coniferous tree); petäjä (old lone pine tree; honka (old pine tree with a straight trunk).

hanyauku
verb
Rukwangali
HA-ahn-YOH-koo
The action of walking across very warm or hot sand on one’s toes.

uitwaaien
verb
Dutch
OUT-vai-en
A compound word formed from uit (out) and waaien (to blow, of the wind).
Uitwaaien (literally “out-blowing”) is the Dutch practice of going outside-the windier the weather, the better-to freshen one’s mind, clear out stagnant stress, and generally feel invigorated, such as becomes very necessary after a long day of sitting down inside.

Sanders introduces each section of the book—Seasons, Land, Time, Water, Weather, Home, and Being—with a short essay: what she sees as the state of the world in regard to the subject, potential futures, and her feelings about it all. Each word is accompanied by a beautiful illustration—undoubtedly better appreciated with a physical copy of the book, as words and pictures are combined there, but separate in the digital version.

I’m both a certified tree-hugger and a lover of language, so this book was written for me; but anyone who engages with the world/planet, the varied nature of life on Earth, multispecies relations, and ontology, will love this gorgeous, slow, thoughtful read.

Thank you to Andrews McMeel and NetGalley for DRC access.

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