Cheers!

Reviews

A new book explores drinking traditions across cultures and languages, and how rituals of celebration have evolved around the world, through a spirited study of 80 ways to raise your glass.

Even if you have not set foot outside of your own home for over a year, this brick of a book can take you on a whirlwind worldwide tour in the comfort of that home with the potential for an additionally comforting beverage in your non-page-turning hand! . . . We all have so much to celebrate. Let's share our joys with the world.

A fascinating little book that sheds light on how different cultures raise a glass, and who, what and how they toast while doing so.

The collection of wry historical insights about raising a glass in 100 countries and almost that many languages is served up with keen observations on humanity and linguistics.

Witty and entertaining, these mini-essays are also well-researched and clever. They are sure to enliven your next glass of porto, Horchata tiger nut milk, or sorghum beer! And they also go well with Merlot.

Cheers! is a delightful trip around the globe through shared libations. Brandon Cook brings linguistic history to each toast, telling readers not just how to make friends in any bar, pub, kharobot or izakaya on the planet, but a little more about the local history and culture—and what to drink—when you're there. 

From Swedish Skol to Welsh Yeh'heed da, from Turkish No'roak to Mongolian Er'ool men'deen too'loo, from Afrikaans He'zond'heit to Elvish Almiën—this book is an unabashedly tipsy romp through the nooks and crannies of world communities and civilizations and creative imaginations. Cheers: Around the World in 80 Toasts not only celebrates our diversity but also exposes the spirit of joie de vivre at the heart of every culture.

Cheers! is the perfect blend of language and culture offered through a tasty window to the world. Raise a glass with local friends from Spain to Mongolia in this one-of-a kind journey.

A fascinating, frivolous, and yet deeply serious engagement with language, alcohol, tradition, and ritual. Marvelously informative and highly entertaining, Cook blends his subject matter with the delicate hand of a master whisky maker. Eons of history and culture have been perfectly distilled into this remarkable and enchanting book.

Say you're invited to a wedding where the groom is from Indonesia or the bride is Romanian, and you'd like to toast them in their native languages. A new book, "Cheers! Around the World in 80 Toasts," will tell you that "Bersulang!" or "Noroc!" are what you need to say as you raise your glass. This global lexicon, written with a light touch, is a scholarly treatise on toasts in scores of languages and takes a deep dive into linguistics, history and traditions. The author, a writer and teacher, is proficient in five languages. He has organized the book by region, with the countries in each listed in alphabetical order for easy reference. You'll discover what to say, what libation should fill the glass and how it all came about. Read it with a clear head; there's much to learn.

Cook debuts with an entertaining guide on how to give a toast in nearly 80 languages. . . . It's worth raising a glass to the enthusiasm and good nature of this fun project.

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