Word Nerd

Book Banter: Fae Fever

2012-01-31T06:18:00.002-05:00

Title: Fae Fever Author: Karen Moning Genre: Fantasy Length: approx. 350 Where Stacie's Copy Came From: A friend's library Plot Basics: Samhain is drawing near. Mac finally has figured out the motives of three of the parties involved in the search for the Book, including a sisterhood of sidhe-seers like herself. Now, she needs to figure out how to help keep the Unseelie behind the Wall that

Book Banter -- One Shot

2012-01-30T06:43:00.000-05:00

Title: One Shot (Jack Reacher series) Author: Lee Child Genre: thriller Length: 462 pages Where Word Nerd's Copy Came From: IMCPL Friends of the Library book sale Plot Basics: In a small Indiana town, six shots ring out at the end of the work day, killing five passersby. The prime suspect -- an ex-Army sniper -- seems to have a slam-dunk case against him, all the forensic evidence the prosecutor

The end of a writing tradition

2012-01-26T06:49:00.000-05:00

On Monday, the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper announced that it would no longer be endorsing candidates for president. It will continue, it says to cover campaigns, and post candidate questions and the like. But as for endorsements, they say, "We have come to doubt the value of candidate endorsements by this newspaper or any newspaper, especially in a day when a multitude of information sources

Book Banter: Blood Fever

2012-01-24T06:18:00.002-05:00

Title: Blood FeverAuthor: Karen MoningGenre: FantasyLength: approx. 350Where Stacie's Copy Came From: A friend's libraryPlot Basics: Mac was thrust into a war between Dark and Light. The Lord Master knows she exists and has the same sidhe-seer powers as her deceased sister Alina. Now Mac wants to learn more about her bloodlines. Her life, and that of humankind, depends on it.Banter Points: I

Readers are weird

2012-01-23T08:43:00.000-05:00

I spent several days last week with my new-ish co-workers during a three-day planning retreat. We had a chance to pound out fundraising strategies for the next few months, and get to know each other better. At some point, we were discussing some past-time activity about which I was ambivalent (swimming, I think), and one co-worker turns to me and says, "What is it that you do like to do, Bethany

Book Banter -- Queen of Swords

2012-01-19T07:21:00.000-05:00

Title: Queen of Swords (Wilderness series bk. 5) Author: Sara Donati Length: 546 pages (ebook version) Genre: historical fiction Plot Basics: The adventures of the the Bonner family continue, picking up right where Fire Along the Sky ended. Hannah Bonner and her half-brother, Luke Scott, are pursuit of Jennet who has been captured by pirates. In a desperate trade, Jennet has given her and Luke's

Book Banter: Dark Fever

2012-01-17T06:18:00.001-05:00

Title: Dark Fever Author: Karen Moning Genre: Fantasy Length: approx. 350 Where Stacie's Copy Came From: A friend's library Plot Basics: Fun, pretty, MacKalya has life brutally thrust upon her when her sister, Alina, is murdered while study in Dublin. Alina's final message reveals that her death is more than what the Garda believes it to be. Mac is determined to figure out what the cyrptic

Books as Commodities, part II

2012-01-16T06:44:00.001-05:00

I'm still thinking about the "books as commodities" argument and our attitudes to volumes of the printed word. On Friday night, I went to my first ever "Friends of the Library" bonus sale event as a new Friend of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library system. The doors of the sale were scheduled to open at 5:30. I pulled into the parking lot about ten minutes early and there was a line

How do you pronounce "Karamazov" ?

2012-01-12T09:13:00.000-05:00

Since I've said I'm going to read this book this year, I figured I should look up how to pronounce it. There are long discussion boards about it (like this one) where Russian and non-Russian speakers weigh in. It also makes me remember an old Square 1/Mathnet episode where they made jokes about the last name... is the Brothers KARE-a-ma-zaf or the Kare-a-MAHH-zof? (Anybody else remember

Books are not Commodities

2012-01-11T06:58:00.001-05:00

The Digital Reader posted an interesting article about how Amazon has turned books into a commodity. Their argument is that with the prevalence of eBooks, readers now search for better and cheaper alternatives. I know that many of you will clamor to say that I am wrong, but I ask you to consider this: Once you have bought and read the latest release from your favorite author, do you stop

Book Banter -- A Visit From the Goon Squad

2012-01-09T06:30:00.000-05:00

Title: A Visit from the Goon Squad Author: Jennifer Egan Length: 275 pages Genre: literary fiction Plot Basics: Egan takes the reader on a journey through time in this collection of loosely-associated chapters, rife with music and the forward progression of time. Banter Points: Reading this knocks off one of my "important" books for 2012 since it won the Pulitzer Prize. The best part of the

Word(s) of the Year

2012-01-05T06:43:00.001-05:00

Every year, Word Nerd posts the words featured by dictionaries and linguists as the Word of the Year. This year, according to Dictionary.com, the word of 2011 was "tergiversate." According to the Huffington Post article on the pick, "tergiversate" means “to change repeatedly one's attitude or opinions with respect to a cause, subject, etc.; equivocate.” They picked it to sum up what happened in

2012 Reading Goals

2012-01-03T06:42:00.000-05:00

I really enjoyed having reading goals during 2011. I like that sense of accomplishment, of purpose and of challenge. Given that, I'm going to set reading goals for 2012 as well. Here we go: Read a total of 90 books in 2012. I got through 92 in 2011 and with my current interest in graphic novels, I think 90 is do-able, though a bit of a stretch. Mathematically, that's 7.5 books a month, or about

2011 Reading Goals -- Accomplished!

2012-01-02T08:09:00.000-05:00

Back at the end of 2010, I set some reading goals for myself for 2011 and now that the year is over, it's time to see how I did. Bethany's 2011 Reading Goals Read a total of 85 books in 2011. The grand total was 92. Read one book by a Russian master. I will gladly take recommendations. Pushed my way through Anna Karenina back in the first part of the year. Done. Read the remaining 6 of

Best of 2011 -- Top Ten Books

2011-12-28T07:39:00.001-05:00

And the moment we've all been waiting for -- the Top Ten Books of Year as picked by the Word Nerd duo. To refresh the rules, we pick based on what we read this year, not just things published this year. I'm always amazed when I go back to the list to see what I remember reading and what I don't really remember reading from my yearly book journey. But -- without more dawdling -- here are the

Book Banter -- The Drop

2011-12-26T07:00:00.002-05:00

Title: The Drop (Harry Bosch #17) Author: Michael Connelly Length: 388 pages Genre: mystery Plot Basics: LAPD Detective Harry Bosch is back working in the Open-Unsolved Unit when a case gets a hit on old DNA. The problem is, while the DNA belongs to a sexual predator, he would have been a child when the crime happens. Meanwhile, Bosch is also assigned to investigate the apparent suicide of

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T07:39:00.000-05:00

From the Word Nerds to you and your families and loved ones. Have a wonderful holiday season.

Book Banter -- Circle of Enemies

2011-12-22T08:07:00.000-05:00

Title: Circle of Enemies (Twenty Palaces bk. 3) Author: Harry Connolly Length: ~350 pages Genre: urban fantasy Plot Basics: Car thief turned Twenty Palaces Society henchman Ray Lilly gets a visit from one of his old crew, telling him he is responsible for her death. He goes back to his old world -- trying to figure out what's going on and trying, in a way, to escape what he's done with the

Best of 2011 -- First Book in a Series

2011-12-21T07:02:00.003-05:00

It's our second award week and this week, we're turning our attention to series that captured our attention. Both Stacie and I are big fans of series, getting to walk with characters throughout multiple stories. It's not that we don't like standalones -- we do -- but I think it's somewhat like getting to know new friends. Without further ado -- the virtual envelopes please: Stacie's Pick: I am

That's a Wrap!

2011-12-20T06:18:00.001-05:00

The final papers for school have been handed in. The grading remains for a single class; I'm pretty comfortable I'll get the B or above that I'm shooting for. The next few weeks are ones that I know I'll cherish. The six weeks between Fall and Spring semesters are a welcome relief. Not only is is generally slower at work for the next few weeks due to the Christmas season, there's no school too.

Rules of Magic

2011-12-19T06:37:00.000-05:00

Ever feel overwhelmed when looking at a multi-book fantasy series, thinking, Great, now I've got to learn how this whole magic world works? I have. In fact, this is probably one of the two predominant reasons I've stopped reading in this category. The other reason is that books in this genre tend to be so darn long and in addition to learning a world of magic, I also have to get out my

A follow-up

2011-12-16T06:18:00.002-05:00

So, after I posted the last Amazon post, my hubby found this story:As Kindle Fire Faces Critics, Remedies Are PromisedThe Kindle Fire, Amazon’s heavily promoted tablet, is less than a blazing success with many of its early users. The most disgruntled are packing the device up and firing it back to the retailer. A few of their many complaints: there is no external volume control. The off

The back-to-school funk

2011-12-15T06:37:00.001-05:00

I'm in the go-back-to-school funk once again. It's not traditional back-to-school for kids time, I am well aware. But at least once a year, I get in a several week funk of contemplating going back to school for another degree. I've almost paid off the first two degrees making this feel even more like I could do it because I could incur more debt. (Goofy rationale, I'm sure, but hey, it's how my

Best of 2011 -- Discovered Author

2011-12-14T07:25:00.004-05:00

It's time once again to kick off the 2011 Word Nerd Award Season! I, Bethany, always look forward to this time because I get to comb through my reading list to determine what books and authors get to take top honors from this team of bibliophiles. We'll be posting our awards over the next few Wednesdays, so stay tuned. Our first award is "Best Discovered Author." This award goes to an author

More eReader News

2011-12-13T06:18:00.001-05:00

With the release of Amazon's latest Kindle -- Fire -- I've noticed something cool for Amazon Prime members. With an annual subscription, not only do you get free shipping, you also get free movies and books for your Kindle. (gosh, that sounds like an info-mercial, doesn't it?)Basically, Amazon is taking the old-school, pre-public library format and applying it to their customers. But for $25 a

Needing a "Important" Title

2011-12-12T06:39:00.000-05:00

YIPES! I was getting ready to do my post about how I accomplished my reading goals for year when I discovered a big problem. I said I was going to read three "important" books in addition to my slog through a Russian master. It's December 12, and I've only read two other important books. One of those is probably going to be a stretch pick for some classic literature afficianados. But -- I

Paper Overload

2011-12-09T06:18:00.000-05:00

In the last two weeks, I've written and edited two papers for school. Total page count was well over 50 pages.It's crazy. It's insane.It's the reason I keep missing deadlines for the Word Nerds blog.How, exactly, does one keep track of the various ideas that float across your path? I'd had at least a dozen great blog ideas during the writing of them. Yet, I didn't jot a single one down and

Book Banter -- Zone One

2011-12-08T07:09:00.001-05:00

Title: Zone One Author: Colson Whitehead Length: ~250 pages Genre: literary/zombie apocalypse Plot Basics: Much of the world's population is dead in a zombie apocalypse and the survivors are engaged in the grisly task of taking back civilization. One survivor -- named Mark Spitz after the Olympic swimmer -- is part of one of the teams clearing Zone One, an eerily empty New York City. As Mark

Book Banter -- The Surgeon

2011-12-05T07:00:00.003-05:00

Title: The Surgeon (Rizzoli & Isles no. 1) Author: Tess Gerritsen Length: 400 pages Genre: thriller Where Word Nerd's Copy Came From: Indianapolis Marion County Public Library Plot Basics: Women in Boston are becoming victims of a terrible serial killer, one who works with medical precision to torture and then kill his victims. Detectives Jane Rizzoli and her partner Thomas Moore work the case,

Whereabouts

2011-12-01T08:11:00.000-05:00

Hey Word Nerd fans, Bethany here. Just a quick note -- there's some major stuff that's just happened in my life that's probably going to affect posting. It has to do with writing (it's not a book contract) but it's going to take some time to sort out. There may be a lot of reviews in the near future, but when I can talk about things, I will. For now, keep reading, writing and staying safe.

Reading Logs

2011-12-01T06:18:00.000-05:00

My youngest son is in third grade. His at home reading goals are to read 600 minutes every month. The amount per day, the type of book, etc. are up to him (with a few hints from Mom.)Because I'm a geeky sort of mom, I decided to set him up with an Excel based reading log, to capture the minutes and titles for his 600 minutes.With confidence, I am proud to say, the kid has read 2,330 minutes in

Book Banter: Y The Last Man (vol. 1 & 2)

2011-11-28T08:38:00.000-05:00

Title: Y The Last Man (Vols. 1 & 2) Author: Brian Vaughn et al. Length: approx. 120 pages each Genre: graphic novel Plot Basics: A mysterious virus kills every male on the planet -- human and animal -- except two: Yorick Brown and his pet monkey, Ampersand. Civilization is crumbling and all Yorick wants is to somehow make his way to Australia where his girlfriend Beth is on the verge of

Thank you

2011-11-24T06:18:00.000-05:00

There is so much to give thanks for, especially in times like these. There is always something going on and time always moves too fast. Days like today make us slow down a little and remember what is truly important in life. Here are our Thanksgiving lists: Stacie: Family and Friends Running and races like Festival's Turkey Trot (now I don't feel guilty about that second piece of pie!) Reading

Book Banter: The Royal Treatment

2011-11-22T06:18:00.000-05:00

Title: The Royal TreatmentAuthor: MaryJanice DavidsonGenre: Romance, ChickLitLength: 256 pagesWhere Stacie's Copy Came From: Oshkosh Public LibraryPlot Basics: In a world where the US decided not to purchase Alaska, it became it's own country after a civil war with Russia. Fast forward to the 2080s and the Royal Family needs a queen. Through an odd set of circumstances, Christina Krabbe (the e

Book Banter -- Before I Fall

2011-11-21T07:19:00.000-05:00

Title: Before I Fall Author: Lauren Oliver Genre: YA Length: 470 pages Where Word Nerd's Copy Came From: Planned Television Arts Plot Basics: High school senior Samantha Kingston seems to have it all -- popularity, good looks, a great group of friends, a hot boyfriend. But her life changes when she dies on Friday, February 12th coming home from a party. She awakes the next morning, living the

Book Banter: Soulless

2011-11-18T06:18:00.002-05:00

Title: SoullessAuthor: Gail CarrigerGenre: SteampunkLength: 474 pagesWhere Stacie's Copy Came From: Oshkosh Public LibraryPlot Basics: Alexia Tarabotti has been placed on the shelf, in favor of her younger sisters have a Season of their own. Alexia is quite already with this as she has a secret of her own that she would rather the Vampires and Werewolfs not know. In this version of Victorian

The TBR Pile, or the Wowbrary Curse

2011-11-17T07:30:00.000-05:00

My TBR pile is currently out of control, thanks mostly to Wowbrary. Haven't heard of Wowbrary -- check it out www.wowbrary.org. Weekly, they send you an email of all the new stuff at your library. They break down the new material down in categories -- fictions, mysteries & thrillers and the category that I've been perusing a lot, graphic novels. The great thing about Wowbrary is while there

Book Banter: Amulet Books 1-4

2011-11-15T06:18:00.001-05:00

Titles: The Stonekeeper The Stonekeeper's Curse The Cloud Searchers The Last Council Author: Kazu Kibuishi Genre: Graphic Novel Length: about 200 pages each Where Stacie's Copy Came From: Personal Collection Plot Basics: After a terrible accident that leaves Emily and Navin with one parent, they move to the country and the house where her great-grandfather Silas lived. Once there, Emily finds

The Confession

2011-11-14T06:41:00.001-05:00

I am in a complete writing funk. The novel is still, well, in progress. Like it's been. For a long time. My crit group offered some good suggestions, but my motivation for implementing those is about Nil. I'm sure lots of writers go through this slump. It's not writer's block -- I have ideas. I just am feeling like this very long process is never going to end and that I'm never going to get

Thank you

2011-11-11T09:09:00.001-05:00

Book Banter -- Game of Cages

2011-11-10T07:03:00.000-05:00

Title: Game of Cages Author: Harry Connolly Length: 338 pages Genre: urban fantasy Where Bethany's Copy Came From: Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library Plot Basics: Ray Lilly survived the events of Hammer Bay, but has since lost contact with the Twenty Palaces Society and his boss, Annalise. When a woman named Catherine comes to the store where he works with what feels like a mission,

How to Search a Corpus

2011-11-08T06:18:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I took a double take too. But it's not Halloween.It is, however, the Word Nerds. And I'm pretty sure that the by-laws demand that self-proclaimed nerds of words should know how to search a corpus.Or what a corpus is.Thank goodness for Grammar Girl's recent podcast on this very subject.It's like the universe recognized my need before I could even articulate it.A corpus is a database of

Where I am today

2011-11-07T08:25:00.001-05:00

My blogging gig has me over at the Indy YNPN (Young Nonprofit Professional Network) with a look at saying "I don't know" and being OK with not knowing everything. We'll return you to your regularly scheduled book blogging tomorrow.

Goodreads Book Poll

2011-11-04T07:08:00.000-04:00

Maybe it's not the same as the really prestigious prizes for books, but for once, there's an award set that you can have a hand in crafting. Goodreads is sponsoring its 3rd Annual Goodreads Choice Awards. They break books down into genre categories and you can vote in any and all where you feel like you can make an informed decision. Exercise your right to vote. It'll be good practice for

Book Banter -- How the Mistakes Were Made

2011-11-03T07:23:00.000-04:00

Title: How the Mistakes Were Made Author: Tyler McMahon Length: ~350 pages Genre: literary fiction Where Word Nerd's Copy Came From: ARC from St. Martin's Press Plot Basics: Musician Laura Loss was ready to put her career in rock bands behind her when she meets Nathan and Sean, two young, gifted and naive rockers. The two convince her to play drums for them at a gig, and The Mistakes are

NaNoWriMo 2011

2011-11-01T08:45:00.005-04:00

Good luck to everyone participating in National Novel Writing Month out there. I don't think either of us here at the Word Nerd team are jumping on that bandwagon this year, but we've both done it in the past and know what you're in for in the next 30 days. There are a zillion of great links out there on how to make the most of NaNoWriMo. Of course a chief practice is to not get hung-up

It's that day

2011-10-31T08:39:00.002-04:00

From the Word Nerd team

The Sci-fi/Fantasy Flow Chart

2011-10-27T07:51:00.000-04:00

Have you seen this flow chart? Click for full size image Earlier this year, NPR set out on a quest to identify the Top 100 Sci-fi/Fantasy books with reader input. I'm pretty sure I participated. The list is out now, but SFSignal took the whole thing and put many of the choices into this flowchart to help you narrow down exactly what kind of book you're looking for in that wide

The Audiobook Experiment, Part II

2011-10-26T07:07:00.000-04:00

To review, the experiment was this: does it make a difference for reading comprehension/enjoyment to just listen to the audiobook. (My full explanation of the experiment can be found in this post.) To wit, I have tried this with one book and, therefore, have a conclusive answer for you all. The answer is, a brand new book can be enjoyable and comprehensible just listening to the audio. So

Feedback

2011-10-25T06:18:00.002-04:00

I am constantly thinking about feedback. It seems a little weird, until you realize that putting on a sweatshirt, or adding ice to your drink is a form of feedback. It is so unconscious, we have lost the ability to think about it as such.Most feedback is like this until something shakes us up. Occasionally, feedback walks up and slaps us in the face. Maybe it is the critique that went less

Book Banter -- The Fifth Witness

2011-10-24T07:30:00.000-04:00

Title: The Fifth Witness Author: Michael Connelly Length: 421 pages Genre: legal drama Plot Basics: Defense attorney Mickey Haller has turned to defending foreclosure victims as the economy tanked around him and many criminal clients can no longer afford him. One foreclosure victim -- Lisa Trammel -- ends up the target of a murder investigation in the death of a banker in charge of the bank

The Next Series: the Results Remix

2011-10-21T09:09:00.000-04:00

The poll has closed and so it's time to look at results. (Ok, I looked at results while votes were coming in... sheesh...) For those of you just joining, here's why I was doing a poll for the next series. According to popular opinion, it looks like I'll be trying out the Rizzoli and Isles series. I am suspect that it won because of the TV show, or perhaps because it was first in the poll.

Book Banter: Child of Fire

2011-10-20T07:31:00.000-04:00

Title: Child of Fire Author: Harry Connolly Genre: Urban fantasy Length: 343 pages Plot Basics: Criminal Ray Lilly and Twenty Palaces Society member Annalise are sent to the small town of Hammer Bay to investigate magical disappearances of children. When Annalise is injured and not healing like she should, it's up to Ray and his small amount of magical power to find out the truth about the town

Author Answers with Tyler McMahon

2011-10-19T07:25:00.000-04:00

After far too long of a hiatus on Word Nerd, we're back with Wednesday guest posts from writers. Kicking the series off again is debut novelist Tyler McMahon with a Q&A about his novel, "How the Mistakes Were Made." Welcome, Tyler. WN: What is it that drew you to setting a novel in the grunge music world of the 90s? McMahon: Seattle—especially at this time period—has always cast a long

Think Different

2011-10-18T06:18:00.000-04:00

Apple was something that was on the edges of my life. I never had an Apple 2e nor did any of the schools I went to. They seemed to come after I had moved on to the next grade.My first real memory of Apple was the Think Different campaign. At the time, I didn't pay attention to much other than my undergraduate work. The school that I student taught at, however, opened my eyes to the

The audiobook experiment, part I

2011-10-17T07:59:00.000-04:00

With the new job, I've got a longer commute which is becoming prime audiobook listening time. Previously, audio books kept me company while doing yardwork thanks to downloadable audio books. But when the next book I wanted wasn't available for my iPod but was on CD, I remembered, "Hey, my car has one of those!" So, audiobooks, meet drivetime. But, my audiobook choices have always been books I

Web Comics (and a giveaway!)

2011-10-13T06:27:00.000-04:00

When I was a kid, I loved Sundays and the colored funny pages. I always like to read "Peanuts" and "Garfield" and later "Calvin and Hobbes" and "The Far Side." Now, when I look at the funny papers, I don't get into them that much because I think my tastes have grown up and moved from newsprint to online. There's a huge market of web comics that span a huge range of artistic ability as well as

Take Two Review: Ghost Story

2011-10-11T06:18:00.000-04:00

Title: Ghost Story Author: Jim Butcher Genre: Fantasy Length: 481 pages Where Stacie's Copy Came From: Oshkosh Public Library Plot Basics: Harry probably pushed it too far this time. After his last adventure, he may have succeeded in destroying the Red Court Vampires, but the ramifications begin with his death and subsequent appearance as a ghost. Banter Points: I liked this installation in the

The next series

2011-10-10T06:29:00.000-04:00

I've got the last current Michael Connelly book checked out from the library and I'm #168 on the hold list for the new one coming out in November. But -- after almost three years of reading, I'm done with his 20-book deep backlist. Which brings me to the question: "Now what?" Reading the Harry Bosch books especially (and Connelly's others) have made me realize I really like mysteries. I

Good for the ego

2011-10-07T06:18:00.000-04:00

I'm home later than usual, as I write this post. I met with one of my teams for school to come up with a one page marketing overview on the strategy my group is taking during a simulation.There are three of us - an operations manager for a manufacturing company, a brokerage / trader and me the Supply Chain consultant.The Trader came with a three bullet point out line that was perfect to launch

Library rootedness

2011-10-06T07:18:00.000-04:00

Some friends were talking about a potential up-coming move and one of them said, "We'll have to get new library cards." In the scheme of a multi-state move with little kids in tow, new library cards are a small item compared to the other logistic hurdles they will have to overcome. But it got me thinking about how getting a library card has been a big part of every move I've made. I've had

Reading Stress

2011-10-04T06:18:00.000-04:00

I finally got a copy of the next Dresden files book -- Ghost Story I'm dying to get started on it. I also lucked out and found the complete Keys of the Kingdom Series by Garth Nix at the library. Oh, and there's the Agatha Christie books I've been trying to read in order. Been a while since I grabbed one of those too. And, then there's that pesky school stuff too. Gosh, that's not even

Book Banter -- Freedom (TM)

2011-10-03T09:07:00.002-04:00

Title: Freedom (TM) Author: Daniel Suarez Length: 402 pages Genre: Techno-thriller Where Word Nerd's Copy Came From: Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library Plot Basics: The Daemon computer program has taken over most of the world -- from financial markets on down. Darknet operatives are banding together to form new kinds of societies that collaborate and try to restore the world with

Book Banter: Up In Smoke

2011-09-30T06:18:00.000-04:00

Title: Up In SmokeAuthor: Katie MacAlisterGenre: FantasyLength: 352 pagesWhere Stacie's Copy Came From: Wisconsin Public Library ConsortiumPlot Basics: May is still trying to figure out her place in the world, especially her feelings for Gabriel, the wyvern that has claimed her as mate. Her common-sense missing naiad is causing her typically amount of problems, including declaring herself as a

Rereading a favorite

2011-09-29T06:54:00.000-04:00

Re-reading is sometimes the curse of being a voracious reader -- what if the book isn't as good the second time through? I recently reread one of my childhood favorites and was glad to see the story still stood up. I made my way through Esther Forbes' Johnny Tremain for the umpteenth time, which is kind of funny given my initial reluctance to read it when I was 9 or 10. My dad suggested it

Book Banter: Playing with Fire

2011-09-27T06:18:00.001-04:00

Title: Playing with FireAuthor: Katie MacAlisterGenre: FantasyLength: 352Where Stacie's Copy Came From: Wisconsin Public Library ConsortiumPlot Basics: For doppelganger, May Northcott cannot catch a break. Her twin sister, a naiad, gave up common sense to create May. Her boss, evil overlord, has her breaking and entering on a regular basis. Now, she has been thrown into life as a wyvern's mate

Book Banter -- The Reversal

2011-09-26T06:57:00.000-04:00

Title: The Reversal Author: Michael Connelly Genre: legal/mystery Length: 398 pages Plot Basics: When new DNA evidence looks like it could reverse the charges against a man convicted nearly a quarter-century ago of kidnapping and murdering a young girl, defense attorney Mickey Haller agrees to cross the aisle and serve as a special prosecutor to put him away again. Haller teams up with his

Book Banter: The Ghosts of New York

2011-09-23T06:18:00.000-04:00

Title: The Ghosts of New York Author: Jennifer Pelland Genre: Fantasy Length: 24 minutes Where Stacie's Copy Came From: Podcastle Episdode 153 Plot Basics: Everyone knows about the survivors, victims and rescuers involved in the fall of the Towers on 9/11/2001, but what about the ghosts? Banter Points: This was a great perspective of life and death, in the context of 9/11. The event is recent,

First Impressions

2011-09-22T06:43:00.003-04:00

Today is a little story about why being a good writer matters. Bunches of people are looking for jobs in today's economy and in my job hunt, I had an amazing number of interviews. Not to sound haughty, I know I'm a good employee, but the thing that started to open doors was my first impression -- my cover letter. For a job I thought was kind of a long-shot, the interviewer told me I got an

Book Banter: Marathon Woman

2011-09-20T06:18:00.001-04:00

Title: Marathon Woman: Running the race to Revolutionize Women's SportsAuthor: Kathrine SwitzerGenre: Non-fictionLength: 418 pagesWhere Stacie's Copy Came From: Oshkosh Public LibraryPlot Basics: Women's liberation came from many fronts, working aside one another. This is the story of how women transformed from fragile creatures into strong, bold runners.Banter Points: I picked up this book

The (Netflix) Apology that Wasn't

2011-09-19T06:47:00.001-04:00

If I'm not reading as a way to decompress after work, I'm watching a DVD, most often from Netflix. (Sorry, library, yours are often too scratched up!) A few months back, you may recall that Netflix hiked their prices for their combination DVDs-in-the-mail and unlimited streaming plan. This was exactly what I used, liking that I could get a DVD in the mail and then stream something else on my

#fridayreads

2011-09-16T08:51:00.001-04:00

Have you been paying attention to the #fridayreads Twitter trend? Some months back, the #fridayreads hashtag became quite well-used it it's great every Friday to see what people are reading. There's lot of tweets out there about books, about authors, etc. I like the #fridayreads trend because it tends to go beyond that sphere of people who are regularly posting about the industry. #

The New Gig and Guarding Time

2011-09-15T07:10:00.000-04:00

A week ago, I started my new gig as the Development Manager for the TKE Educational Foundation and what a week it's been. The new gig's got tons of writing coming up that are a nice combination between my journalism past and my more current fundraising writing experience (one of the reasons I wanted this job...). For example, if all goes according to plan, I'll be on the phone with a 2-star

Keeping Track

2011-09-13T06:18:00.001-04:00

I love reading series, but it is tough to keep up with the new books and when they are coming out, especially if you are tracking a dozen or more series and favorites authors. This website just might be the solution for me (and you, if you are in the same situation): Any New Books? According to the blurb, the site will help you "...Discover new books every week. Receive FREE weekly

Book Banter -- Daemon

2011-09-12T07:06:00.000-04:00

Title: Daemon Author: Daniel Suarez Length: 429 pages Genre: Techno-thriller Plot Basics: Legendary computer game designer Matthew Sobol's death rocks the technology world with the loss of such a brilliant mind. But Sobol's death triggers a number of daemon events -- auto-programs scattered around the Internet and housed in the back doors of Sobol's wildly popular MMORPG. The Daemon programs grow

Book Banter -- Blood Calling (ARC)

2011-09-08T07:08:00.000-04:00

Title: Blood Calling (ARC) Author: Joshua Grover-David Patterson Length: 325 pages Genre: YA Plot Basics: Poised on the cusp of adulthood, high school senior Lucy Leary isn't taken seriously as a kid or a grown-up. Neglected by her family, and desperate for attention, she goes to a party where she makes a serious mistake. The consequences -- hours of community service at a local homeless shelter

Book Banter -- Where Demons Fear to Tread (ARC)

2011-09-05T07:06:00.001-04:00

Title: Where Demons Fear to Tread Author: Stephanie Chong Length: 348 pages Genre: Paranormal romance Where Word Nerd's Copy Came From: ARC from Planned Television Arts Plot Basics: Newly minted angel Serena St. Clair is assigned to be the guardian for Hollywood's latest drinking-drug using-girl chasing star. When she follows her "client" to Devil's Paradise, an elite club run by archdemon Julian

History of Labor Day

2011-09-02T06:18:00.000-04:00

Do you know what Labor Day was established to celebrate? Me either. Google to the rescue! According to the US DOL, "Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and

The Bandwagon

2011-09-01T18:50:00.000-04:00

It's 6:43 p.m. and I think I just woke up to the fact that it's Thursday and so I should have posted a blog hours ago. I've got scads of time where I could have blogged. I'm on a two week hiatus from working as I transition between positions. But, without the daily schedule of work, I've got nothing to keep me on track with what day it is. It's been like 11 Saturdays in a row so far. But -- I

Bittersweet

2011-08-30T06:18:00.000-04:00

Today, I'm flying on a jet plane, heading to St. Louis. It's work-related, and not for an early BCon recon mission. As Bethany posted earlier, BCon 2011 isn't in the cards for the Word Nerds. It's a bittersweet trip. I went to St. Louis in 2008 for a business trip and loved the downtown area where my hotel was. Today's visit is a quick in and out. I'll spend most of my time at the airport,

I thnk this says it best

2011-08-26T06:18:00.000-04:00