In this interview, I chat with Martha Barnette about Friends with Words, her interest in words and word origins, hosting A Way With Words, what a call-out show is and how it works, her favorite questions she is asked on her show, writing this memoir, her title, and much more.
Martha's recommended reads are:
- Orbital by Samantha Harvey
- Clear by Carys Davies
- Enough is Enuf by Gabe Henry
Looking for some great summer reads? Check out my printable 18-page Summer Reading Guide here for a tip of your choice or for a set price here via credit card with over 60 new titles vetted by me that will provide great entertainment this summer - books you will not see on other guides. I also include mystery series recommendations, new releases in a next-in-the-series section and fiction and nonfiction pairings.
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Want to know which new titles are publishing in June - October of 2025? Check out our fourth Literary Lookbook which contains a comprehensive but not exhaustive list all in one place so you can plan ahead.
Friends with Words can be purchased at my Bookshop storefront.
Looking for something new to read? Here is my monthly Buzz Reads column with five new recommendations each month.
Link to my article about older protagonists in fiction.
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Martha Barnette
Martha Barnette is a longtime journalist and co-host of the popular radio show and podcast A Way with Words. She holds an undergraduate degree in English from Vassar College, did graduate work in classical languages at the University of Kentucky, and studied Spanish in Costa Rica. She’s the author of A Garden of Words, Ladyfingers & Nun’s Tummies: A Lighthearted Look at How Foods Got Their Names, Dog Days & Dandelions, and most recently Friends with Words: Adventures in Languageland. A Kentucky native, she now lives in San Diego, California.
