The audiobook experiment, part I

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 already read. The audiobook was a way to "reread" and not worry about having to pay more attention to my driving (or gardening) than the book at hand because I knew what happened.

Except -- there's so much stuff I want to read for the first time.

And enter a Twitter question by @tyrusbooks: Does your appreciation/comprehension of a book change between reading and/or listening?

This question had been knocking around in my head as well. So, I replied: @tyrusbooks I'm going to find out! All my audiobook exp. has been "rereading" but going to try a new book just with audio to see.


That afternoon, I went to the library and checked out an audiobook I haven't already read in paper.

For the purposes of my experiment, I decided to go easy on myself. The book in question is the first in Scott Westerfeld's YA steampunk trilogy, Leviathan. Knowing I've got a stack of mysteries and urban fantasies checked out to read in print, I didn't want a book in those genres so I wouldn't confuse the clues or wonder why the magic isn't working right because that world works differently.

I popped disc one of Leviathan in the car last Wednesday and started to get into an alternate 1914, full of airships and steam-powered Stormwalkers.

The experiment is underway. And as @TyrusBooks asked: @BKWordNerd report back with your findings, B.


I'll keep you posted.

Web Comics (and a giveaway!)

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 storytelling that raises from them to comic strips to online graphic novels.

Today -- I want to highlight a few of the webcomics that I check on, from sporadically to being a faithful reader.

Xkcd: The art here is primitative, stick figures mainly, but the jokes are smart. In fact, you have to know alot about math, history, pyschology and more to appreciate many of the jokes. It's great that I can put my liberal arts education to good use somewhere. Where else do all those hours of studying for general psych, statistics, and number systems (ok, that was high school math, truth to tell) actually help out?

This is another good recent one about advertising, icons, logo and Guy Fawkes. (don't know about Guy Fawkes, go watch V for Vendetta for a action plot that at least has a little bit of historical accuracy.)

Roger Cosmonkey: You've got to be on Twitter to read Roger Cosmonkey written by @RealCoryEdwards. When I was in college, interning at the Washington Times, I got to interview Cory for a culture page story about the rise of "clean comedy." (Google is failing me because I can't find a link to the story... never mind it was a decade ago...) This past spring, he launched the Twitter-only Roger Cosmonkey series about the space-faring simian's adventures. According to the rogercosmonkey website, more series are planned.

(A moment of full disclosure before I go on -- my top two webcomics that I read are written by my friends. Is that why they are my favorites? Maybe. On the other hand, I think I'm wildly lucky to just have super-talented friends.)

Wingmen: This comic has nothing to do with space or flying. Nope, it's the other kind of "wingman." For years now, Adam T. Williams (@wingmen_comic) has chronicled the dating (mis)adventures of his cast of characters. The wingmen have been in black and white, guested as puppets, and now have evolved to color.

Anybody frustrated with dating in the 21st century and the hidden rules, mores and expections will relate to the humorous travails of the wingmen.

This particular panel is a guest plot line from yours truly here at Word Nerd. A caveat -- there are far better ones that she had no hand in, proving that she is not a comedienne.

The Brothers Grant: This is my Tuesday guilty pleasure. Apparently, author Ginger (@LawofGar) and I went to school together, but we didn't really know each other on campus. Thanks to a mutual friend organizing a group of gamers, Ginger and I were suddenly role-playing together, our characters fighting off guys with burning hands and Bigfoot and a crazy man with a rocket launcher in a tree house. Her character, Sam, was in the game as a development ground for The Brothers Grant. TGB is still young and the story is very much just developing, but tee-hee!

And now the giveaway part!

Adam from Wingmen and Ginger at TGB are offering up some comic-related swag!

So, to win, let us know what webcomic you enjoy! Or if you aren't a web comic reader, what comic strip in the newspaper has been your favorite. Contest open to all, even if you've won something from Word Nerd before. Entry deadline: Midnight (EST), Oct 19, 2011.

Good luck!

Take Two Review: Ghost Story

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 series. I was prepared to find it slow moving and uneventful. Potentially a dud in comparison to some of the brillance I had come to expect from Harry.

Instead, I found the slower pace something that Harry and I both needed. Harry is a classic, act first think later kind of person. And while it makes him daring and dramatic, full of adventure and escape. But not too good at thinking through the consequences of his action. And when you are as powerful as Harry, not thinking is a really bad thing.

The other side of this is that it gives Harry a chance to see what life would be like for his friends without him. Since Harry has had this as a fleeting thought before, but never focused on it, it is a great time for him to experience it.

Side note: I always love Molly, but she really ROCKED in this book. I may want to be her when I grow up.

Bummer Points: Umm...waiting for the next book? 'Cos, like always, I want more Dresden?

Stacie's Recommendation: Go now. Hurry. Rush. But don't get a speeding ticket.

The next series

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 liked them alot as a little kid (Anyone else remember Piet Potter or Miss Mallard? Anyone?)

Of course, with so many good mystery series out there, I'm having trouble deciding what to jump into next. Having read the Bosch series (and being part way through the Jack Reacher series), I think I want to tackle a series with a female detective/cop/etc.

I can think of at least four series that sound interesting and I don't know which one to pick. Just to be clear, I've already read most of Stephanie Plum (up to at least book 12 or 13 or so) and I read a bunch of Patricia Cornwell back in high school and the A for Alibi series just feels so long that I'm not really game for diving into those.

So you, dear reader, get to help me. Poll. Over at the right.Pick your fave female sleuth (or sleuth team) from that list.

Maybe she'll be my new favorite sleuth-ess too.

Good for the ego

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 the conversation. The Ops Manager provided the meeting space.

Me? I took over the keyboard and launched into consultant speak.

At one point I had us laughing so hard with the sentence that went something like "The correlation of goals and alignment of processes truly expedites the process."

After a while, I cleaned up and turned down the extravagant phrasing and churned out some decent sentences. Not that those sentences would pass the muster of a crit partner like fellow Word Nerd Bethany, but they are good enough for this project.

It was good for my ego to be able to churn out a paper like this in 45 minutes or less. It's bad that writing like this passes muster for an MBA course.

It sort of felt like a "Dark and Stormy night" contest.

What's the best writing story you have for the week?

Library rootedness

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 library cards for seven different library systems in my life, not counting university libraries and including my favorite one, the Library of Congress.

When I moved to Indianapolis, getting a library card was a top priority after a day of unpacking. I needed out of the apartment and I needed to do something to make this place feel like home. The library was that connection.

The buildings are all different. The systems clearly have different purposes or different things they focused on in collections. But, getting my library card connected me to something bigger, the community as a whole.

It's a marker of identity that "yes, I belong here" no matter how temporary some of those cards were. I had my DC card for a grand total of 14 weeks but I fondly remember the Northeast Neighborhood Branch. I checked out "Interview with a Vampire" and "Cider House Rules" from their room of paperbacks. I think that was a definitive semester as I shifted what I was reading and feeling like a "grown-up" in my choices.

Every library has provided me with a feeling of home.

It is a big deal to get a new library card. I hope my friends will figure this out as they move.

Reading Stress

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 touching the To Be Read pile upstairs.

Deep breath. Focus on the next one - Ghost Story by Jim Butcher.

Who knew reading could be so stressful?

Book Banter -- Freedom (TM)

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 renewable energy, heirloom seeds and cooperation. But others are determined that the influence of the Daemon and the Darknet is malevolent and are set on hacking the ultimate computer hack to put power back in other hands.

Banter Points: The sequel to Daemon picks up almost where the first book left off, making me wonder if it was really originally one book that was way too long. Some editor -- a la George R.R. Martin-style -- whacked the thing in half and presto! Two books!

If not, Suarez really grew as a writer between one and two, managing in Freedom to actually get a little bit more into characters as well as techno-thriller plot. Instead of bouncing around between as many POVs, the story is focused more tightly on a handful and moves the plot forward through their perspectives.

Bummer Points: There's still not a very satisfying conclusion to this story. There's still a lot more of some characterization that I would have liked to see. The whole story line of Jon Ross feels wildly unfinished and the major reveals for his character were just kind of thrown in like an after thought.

Word Nerd Recommendation: If you're looking for a series that's high on action and high on the creepiness factor of what computer technology and the Internet could really do to our lives, Daemon and Freedom (TM) are a good read. If you're looking for a book about people responding to such upheavals, these aren't it. Or, you could just wait for the movie version that's supposed to hit theatres in 2012.

Book Banter: Up In Smoke

Title: Up In Smoke
Author: Katie MacAlister
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 352 pages
Where Stacie's Copy Came From: Wisconsin Public Library Consortium
Plot 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 mate.

Oh, and the evil overlord who May is bound to has been released into the world. Minus his powers, but out here nonetheless.

Banter Points: The trouble was turned up a few notches in this book. Not enough for me to believe that May was ever in true peril, but enough to make it interesting.

I like the world that is being built. The fantasy elements are woven into our world in a way that makes it believable.

Bummer Points: Cyrene annoys me to pieces and it's because of the whole lack of common sense thing. I get that she gave it up, but really? Lack of common sense doesn't automatically translate to stupid, but it seems to here.

Stacie's Recommendation: Given that I usually enjoy series, and love being able to check out books on my iPad, I'll continue with this series. It isn't a strong winner, but it sort of like your second favorite candy. Sweet, tasty and sort of satisfy that craving you have.

Rereading a favorite

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 and I looked at it and thought, "It's a boy book" which at 9 or 10 was really important. In 5th grade English with Mrs. March, Johnny Tremain was required reading and it turns out, I loved it.

I read it multiple times during late elementary and middle school and probably snuck some re-reads in during high school at home. But, since then, it's been years since I've picked this one up.

I was browsing a friend's bookshelf and she had a copy which I promptly asked if I could borrow and read it in a few days.

The story was familiar and new all at once. I remembered the major plot points, but not all the little details that really make this historical novel sing. It was a joy to rediscover this book and remember again why I loved it in the first place.

Book Banter: Playing with Fire

Title: Playing with Fire
Author: Katie MacAlister
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 352
Where Stacie's Copy Came From: Wisconsin Public Library Consortium
Plot 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, a world she knows nothing about.

Banter Points: Pretty fun read. Light-hearted, and nothing dark scary or goth. The variety of characters keeps the reader on her toes, and the story is consistently told from a single point of view (something of a danger with this many competing characters.)

Bummer Points: I like my fantasy with a little more danger, and a little less gratuitous sex. Even though May's life and well-being is threatened in the story, I never worried for her. The light and even playful tone belied the seriousness of any situation.

Still, I like dragons and stories about them. Since it's spin-off series, I'll probably continue to see how it develops.

Stacie's Recommendation: Tentative, depending on how you like your dragons.

Book Banter -- The Reversal

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 ex-wife and prosecutor Maggie McPherson and taps LAPD Detective Harry Bosch to help as the team's investigator to dig up new evidence and refind witnesses in this old case. But as the evidence points away from the alleged killer, his behavior makes the team suspicious that he might be preparing for even worse crimes.

Banter Points: I'm always a little leary of authors doing mash-ups when they bring characters from two series together, but Connelly has done it in the past and does it well again in The Reversal. It was always clear who was the main character of each chapter, going back and forth from first person with Mickey to third person with Bosch.

The book was a legal drama, so the timeline was fairly predictabe with courtroom proceedings, but the book moved along as the investigation took unexpected turns.

Bummer Points: I didn't know Connelly wrote cliffhangers. I'm not a happy reader with where they book left off and how I have to wait another two months for his new one, The Drop, to come out that sounds like maybe will finish off this plot.

Word Nerd Recommendation: If you haven't ever been introduced to Bosch or Haller before, this is not the book to start with. Go back and read at least The Lincoln Lawyer and Nine Dragons to get a little bit of who these guys are. If you're already into the series, what are you waiting for?

Book Banter: The Ghosts of New York

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, only 10 years ago, and there are many emotions around the event: fear, anger, pride, sorrow and joy. Processing the event will take more than ten years. Stories like this will help.

But the title isn't "Ghost of the Towers" or something of that sort. Instead, New York is the subject. And in this story there are ghosts everywhere. And our ghost, the one who leads us through the story, finds her place and realizes what her role may be.

Bummer Points: Not any really. It was a tough subject, and well handled.

Stacie's Recommendation: Read as part of the Dark Faith anthology or listen to it at Podcastle.

First Impressions

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 interview because of my cover letter. It was creative and it was free of typos. In fact, he brought me in before the application period was closed, solely because of my letter. I ended up moving forward with a different organization, but I'm sure that I have a great new professional contact because of it.

My new boss mentioned that he received lots of letters for the positions that had typos and mistakes in them. I've heard the same thing from grant makers, that they get multiple proposals with mistakes in them. When they find one free of mistakes, it gets extra notice. Maybe you aren't the most qualified candidate or applicant, but a letter free of mistakes shows something that all the credentials in the world can't demonstrate -- you care about quality and spend the time to get it right.

For some people, like my mom, good grammar is as natural as breathing. I recognize I'm lucky that I inherited some of that from her, but I also know I have my problem words and constructions. When I was writing cover letters, I asked her to proof several of my letters just to make sure I was sending in a perfectly polished letter.

The statistics exist, but I've heard that in print, you get something like six seconds to make a good first impression. Don't harpoon your chances with a bad letter. Find that grammarian grandma or English major former roommate and ask for help. Offer a trade for their time -- while granny proof reads, clean something for her.

Don't let a typo stand in your way.

Book Banter: Marathon Woman

Title: Marathon Woman: Running the race to Revolutionize Women's Sports
Author: Kathrine Switzer
Genre: Non-fiction
Length: 418 pages
Where Stacie's Copy Came From: Oshkosh Public Library
Plot 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 because my interest in running is becoming an obsession. I want to know the names of those who got us here today. Who are the record holders and why. I crave becoming part of the running community.

I found a story about women's liberation and how something that I take for granted today really was a battle. Kathine Switzer's story is inspiring. As a child she was never told by family that she shouldn't run. In fact, her father told her to run in order to be better at a sport acceptable for girls to play.

As I read, the running became the method or the mode of translating the story of how a woman can become strong. How that strength translates to freedom. And what both of those things mean to women.

Bummer Points: The last portion of the book, where Switzer relays the journey of bringing the marathon to the Olympics felt rushed. While the Olympics was the ultimate destination, it was part of the denouement. The climax occurred at the Boston Marathon.

Stacie's Recommendation: Kathrine Switzer has become one of my heroes. I cannot praise her enough. What are you still doing here? Go and see if your library as a copy or if you can find a used version.

The (Netflix) Apology that Wasn't

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 iPad while I was waiting for the next disc in the mail. So, grumbling, I accepted the price hike.

Then, this morning, while listening to NPR over breakfast, I heard them reference a story about how the Netflix CEO sent an apology email to subscribers. I checked my email and yep, there it was. If you missed the story or the email, here's a good recap.

Except, I don't really feel any regret. I'm more frustrated now as a customer than I was. Why?

Because now, not only is what I use costing more money, it's going to be less convenient as Netflix is moving its by-mail DVDs to a new company called Qwikster. So, now, instead of being able to manage my streaming queue and my DVD queue in the same place, I'll have to go to two sites. My time is limited. Maybe it'll only take an extra minute to handle the other site, but it's the principal -- they've just made it take an extra step for me as a customer.

Did Netflix need to do something to handle the bad PR and loss of customers the price hike generated? Yes, absolutely.

But this apology wasn't it. I'm not feeling forgiving, just more frustrated

#fridayreads

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. #fridayreads is about regular people sharing about the books they love. Or maybe don't love. The point it, we're sharing about reading.

Some brilliant book bloggers (The Book Lady's Blog) captured @fridayreads and use it to award some free book prizes every week as well. Word Nerd was an early winner, scoring a copy of Kristina Riggle's "The Things We Didn't Say." It's on the TBR pile and Word Nerd finally getting through her stack of library books, so it should be in the reading now category soon.

Come join the trend on fridays. Who knows, you might be a winner too.

The New Gig and Guarding Time

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 General and former Teke for a testimonial piece. Getting to interview and interact with that kind of people of prestige is a huge draw to this job. Telling their stories is thing that will keep me getting out of bed in the comings months, and hopefully, years, for this job.

The new job's also got a longer commute to work. Not as a long as Stacie's daily drive, but long enough for someone used to about 8 minutes to get to work (and that because of two school zones.) Since I've started the job, I've finished reading one book and gotten about 60 pages into a second because I don't have as much reading time. Of course, one audiobook is almost done and I'm already thinking about what I'll listen to next. That reading time is because very precious.

The real place where I'm trying to guard time is the novel writing. With longer work days, it's tempting to sleep in and not keep the alarm set for the early morning writing time. Or, it's tempting to use that morning time to catch up on chores (like how I'm remembering there's a load of clothes in the dryer....)

But, I'm here, in the den, at the computer to write. The novel and the blog posts are the morning fair that have to get done in this time. Especially with all the writing at work, the morning time just sets the tenor for the day. A good 700 words or more in the morning propels all the writing for the day. A lousy morning of 50 words is OK too, because it means work can be the place where I write the thing I'm most proud of that day.

I've been asked about NaNo for this year and again, it's a no for me. My writing time is too precious right now to squander on 50K words that may not go anywhere.

And I've got to save some brain space for work writing.

Keeping Track

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 notifications about new books covering the subjects you love"

It seems to be more genre based than series or specific author based.

Anyone out there trying it? What do you think?

Book Banter -- Daemon

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 in ferocity, killing federal agents at Sobol's former house and begins recruiting others to work for it. Police, technology experts and national security experts find themselves battling an unseen, digital enemy that has the power to bring down economies, government and individual lives and seems unstoppable.

Banter Points: There is no shortage of creepiness about the idea that somebody could be (and probably is) building daemon programs like this that could take over the Internet and life as we know it. Suarez keeps the plot moving along, and does a phenomenal job of raising the stakes with every action and counter-action for the Daemon. The conflict of man vs. machine is great, almost a modern Frankenstein of a our creations run amok.

Bummer Points: Two big ones: first, the book ends is a strange place. I've heard from reliable sources (hi, Dad!) that in book two, everything gets wrapped up. This is good, because most of everything is unresolved in book one. Second, the plot of the book is great, but the characters are 2D and wooden. Suarez throws new characters in 3/4ths of the way through the book, and the characters who I sort of cared about disappear for pages on end. If there had been a little more about a character to make them more realistic, more thoughts instead of just action, it would have made a great book even better.

Word Nerd Recommendation: I'm definitely going on to the sequel. If you want a good scare about the Internet and how our level of connectivity could really put us all in danger, Daemon is a great read.

Book Banter -- Blood Calling (ARC)

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 -- brings her in contact with an underworld full of vampires that she couldn't imagine. And as she navigates her own family's connection to vampire hunting, Lucy finds out that adulthood -- and childhood -- aren't quite so easily distinguishable and that family always matters.

Banter Points: Patterson has done it again, taking a popular genre -- this time vampires -- and turned it on its head to tell a new kind of story. Like with his debut novel, "Mercy," the vampires are the backdrop to the story, but not what its really about. Patterson is pitch-perfect emotionally, giving Lucy the voice of maturity and insecurity that anyone who's ever been a teenager can relate to. The fears about growing up and living and dying and finding one's place in the world cleans off the showiness and sparkles that have been the trademark of YA vampire fiction and gives it characters of grit and substance.

Bummer Points: I think Patterson's setting this up for a sequel, or at least that's how the end felt to me. I would gladly read more about Lucy and was bummed there wasn't any more.

The other bummer is that there was a character named Wash. While not at all like the Wash from Firefly, my geekiness got in the way and I kept thinking of Alan Tudyk while reading and having to remind myself it's not that Wash.

Word Nerd Recommendation: When this hits the e-book stores, you want to read it.

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

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 Ascher, she's never expecting the demon to tempt her so thoroughly. Fearful that following her desire will cause her to fall, Serena tries to stay away from Julian. But to protect her guardianee, Serena makes a deal to accompany Julian to Las Vegas to oversee the opening of his newest club, putting them both in the sights of two other demons who want to send Julian back to hell. Permanently.

Banter Points: OK, so I don't normally admit to reading this kind of book, but this is an free ARC requiring a review situation. *cough*

I finished the book in two days during my vacation reading marathon. And it was a good brain candy book for this period of time. The conflict between Julian and Serena was fairly classic (think Buffy and Angel or Anita and Jean-Claude here) and well-played.

Bummer Points: So I know angels are one of the latest things in paranormal fiction (right with mermaids, right?) but I can pretty safely say that this may be the first and last angel romance I read. Don't ask me why I've got no problem with vampire fiction, or fiction involving demons and heck, Lucifer like the Dante Valentine series, but with this, I had serious theological problems with this book. The writing was fine, the plot was fine, the characters for this kind of book were pretty well developed. But... I have serious issues with Serena (an angel) saying that all world religions are the same.

Word Nerd Recommendations: If you're an indiscriminate reader of paranormal romance fiction, then I think you'll like this one. If you understand why I had issues with it, then skip it because you'll have the same issues.

History of Labor Day

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 well-being of our country."

Like many Monday holidays, Labor Day has become a three day weekend for office workers, and an extra weekend day for those making tips. Maybe I'm a little cynical as I write this, but it doesn't really seem like the best way to celebrate workers.

So let's throw the system out. If you were constructing a day to celebrate the labor movement and the success of the American worker, what would you propose? Leave it in the comments. If we get five or more comments, I have two mystery books to send to a pair of lucky winners.

Pretty good odds, folks.

The Bandwagon

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 am reading a ton. My goal (save for a few days when I went home to see the family) is to finish a book every other day. I've been on track so far, and think I can keep it up for a few more days.

At least, if I don't totally lose track of time.

Bittersweet

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'm guessing.

I'm hoping to get some time in with my notecards though. I use notecards to start organizing my thoughts for writing. I've had four or five book sections flutter through my head during runs lately. I'm hoping that an empty stack and loads of wait time will bring a few of them forward.

How are you spending your Tuesday?

I thnk this says it best

At the Word Nerds, there's a lot brewing - most of it non-blog related. This recent xkcd.com comic pretty much sums up how I feel about everything.

The Importance of Back-ups

Over the last two or three weeks, my Dell computer took a long and painful downhill slide. The inevitable was fast approaching and I needed a way to back-up the important things in my files.

A great way of doing this is through Dropbox. Once installed, Dropbox acts like any other folder on your harddrive, except an exact copy is kept online as well. Bonus -- you can edit any file on your PC, and changes are viewed instantly on another PC or mobile device, say on your iPad. Sort of like a network server, but up there in the cloud.

It's an easy way to share files too, but only the ones you select and with whom you choose to share.

Dropbox seriously saved my writing and other docs over the weekend until I found a new laptop. A quick visit to the website and a couple of hours later and I have access to everything in there again.

Dropbox is free, up to 2 gigabits of space. You can pay for more. Or you can click my Dropbox referral link and share some love my way. For each subscriber, I get a small bump in memory. Once you decide to go the Dropbox route, you can do the same.

Other than the extra memory, Dropbox isn't paying for this post. Take a second and check them out. You never know when that important stuff on your PC is at risk.

100-day repetitive projects

I really like the idea of this project -- 100 Days.

The idea is really simple. For 100 days, pick a design operation and do it every day for 100 days.

The results are astonishing. For example, one woman took pictures, in different poses, with a wooden chair. Others are drawings, or sayings or even dances.

Does this sound like fun? I'm not sure. But some years, up to two dozen students start the assignment. And some years, more than half drop out before the end. Everyone starts with high hopes. But things get repetitive by day ten. By day twenty, no matter what you've decided to do, it feels like you've been doing it forever. And bridging the end-of-year break is always a big challenge. But the students who get past day thirty or forty tend to get in a groove that will take them through to the end.

Writing assignments like NaNoWriMo are like this. So are todo lists, word count goals and other tricks writers use to get their butts in the chair and writing, rather than talking about writing.

Could you write every day for 100 days?

via kottke.

Bouchercon 2011

Let's just get this out quickly, kind of like ripping off a Band-aid.

The Word Nerds aren't going to Bouchercon in St. Louis.



OK, typing that was harder than I expected. I think it's safe to speak for Stacie here and say we're both bummed. We've been waiting for B-con since 2009 and we'd made preliminary plans for St. Louis, but something was keeping us from finalizing everything which has turned out to be a good thing.

Stacie's got family stuff. Family is important and when there are only a finite number of vacation days from a job, they have to be spent in the most important places. One could argue that hanging out with fellow writers and readers is one of those important things, but really, family should and must take precedence.

As for me? It's all about work. I will have been in a new position for a whole week before I would have had to ask off for vacation time for Bcon. That just didn't feel like a real great way to start in a new position. Thanks for the new office and the raise and oh, by the way, I'm taking days off right out of the chute. That's just not a good plan in any way.

So, we're not going. No free bags of books. No late nights chatting with writer friends. No brilliant moments of insights from panelists. No chance to get signed books for family for Christmas presents (Sorry Dad!)

Not this year.

But hey! 2012 is in Cleveland...

The Kindle: Is it as sexy as the ad seems?

Have you seen the new ad for a Kindle? The one where two friends are talking about getting a new book from a favorite author, just released?

One of the is going to the book store; the other downloads it onto their Kindle.

I'm a fan of my iPad. I love the portability and the ability to carry as many books as I want with me anywhere.

Yet, I'm also very interested in the industry and what appears to be the inevitable demise of the paper book. I love curling up with a book and fear that my kids won't ever have that pleasure.

The Chicago Tribute ran an opinion piece about the sexiness of the Kindle and the marketing. Take a peek: Time for book publishers to fight dirty.

Another issue the commercial raises is one so obvious that I am shocked I haven't heard it before: Why hasn't America's publishing industry launched an ad campaign as seductive and aggressive as the Kindle's? Not to market front-list titles or authors, but to market the paper book form itself? In other words, sell consumers on the exclusive pleasures and qualities traditional books offer that e-books cannot. That's exactly what Kindle's TV commercials have been doing, saying here's what we can do that regular books can't.

Before you run off to read the full article, take a second to leave a comment. What do you think about the new Kindle ads?

Book Banter -- Nine Dragons

Title: Nine Dragons (Harry Bosch #15)
Author: Michael Connelly
Genre: mystery
Length: 374 pages
Where Word Nerd's Copy Came From: Indianapolis Marion County Public Library
Plot Basics: Det. Harry Bosch is called out a liquor store robbery that leaves the Chinese-American proprietor dead. Feeling somehow connected to the dead proprietor because of a brief encounter during the LA riots in the 1990s, Bosch vows he will find the man's killer. As his investigation points to the shadowy world of Chinese triads, Bosch also receives disturbing information that his daughter in Hong Kong is in danger because of his investigation. He goes to Hong Kong to find her and puts the lives of those he loves -- and his case -- in jeopardy.

Banter Points: I finally feel like I've "arrived" in this series. Two years ago at Bouchercon 2009, "Nine Dragons" was brand new I was back around book 5 or 6 in the series and this was the title I needed to get to. Nevermind that Connelly has a couple more beyond this one now, I feel like I've made it through the backlist.

And, more to the point, it's been a worthwhile trip. I've been reading the Bosch series (and all of Connelly's backlist) since winter 2009 and I've decided I really like this series. Nine Dragons continues in this grand series of Bosch's life and work unfolding with  problems with his kid and problems with his new partner. This story wouldn't hold very well as a stand-alone, but it's a great addition to the series.

Bosch is/will be one of the iconic detectives of the late 20th/early 21st century. The way we've got continuing TV movies, etc of Holmes, Poirot and Miss Marple, look for Bosch to take his place among the great detective ranks in the future.

Bummer Points: As the series progressed, Harry was a slow adopter of technology, but this book has him mostly proficient with cell phones and doing all sort of videos and things with it. While an old dog can learn new tricks, it felt out of character for Bosch and could have been a more crucial plot point to still have him fumbling.

Word Nerd Recommendation: Do I really have to say that you need to read this series at this point?

Robot Wars

I'm swiping this from Pbackwriter who got it from somebody else, etc., so the string continues.

Robohash creates a picture of a robot unique from your IP address, or you can paste in some text and it will generate a different one.

Here's the robot created from my IP address (at the office, actually). Friendly, non-threatening sort of robot, I think. Has that Jetsons' housekeeper feel to her.

Then, I tried inputting my name and I got this one:

My instant reaction was something like "YES!" which then had me wondering what in the world this says about me that I prefer that robot with the spiked helmet and the more sinister appearance. I also feel like this robot clearly belongs in a Steve Jackson "Munchkins" game -- maybe it's like the "Duck on your head" card... (Don't know about Munchkins?... oh my friends, go Google it. Right now.)

Then, I put in the name I'm kicking around for a possible nom de plume. And I got this.

This one to me is also awesome. The library hold system recently told me I was "Seven of Nine" for a book and clearly this robot just confirms this identity.

Lastly, I made a robot based on my protagonist.

What I think is interesting is how all these robots have some variation of each other, as if to say they really all are a part of me. My work, me personally, a perhaps alter-ego, and a character. I'm sure it's really just because of the way the generation program works, but I'm going to draw meaning from it anyhow.

Reading Stats -- May through July

Readings stats must be on a quarterly rotation here.

• May
• Books -- 13
  
• Pages -- 4,095
  
• June
• Books -- 7
• Pages -- 5,406
  
• July
• Books -- 5
  
• Pages -- 3,605
  
• Year to Date
• Books -- 51
  
• Pages -- 22,643

I'm on track to break 100 books this year, a feat not accomplished since 2009. Sometime, I believe I'll set a goal of 200 books a year. I've come close, twice, in 2001 clocking in at 164, and 2007 with 168.

Do you keep a reading list? If so, leave a comment about your greatest accomplishment.

Book Banter -- Basilisk

Title: Basilisk (Chimera Series #2)
Author: Rob Thurman
Genre: crime/sci-fi
Length: ~250 pages
Where Word Nerd's Copy Came From: Barnes and Noble Nook copy
Plot Basics: Several years have passed since Russian mobster Stefan Korsak rescued his brother Misha from the controlling clutches of the Institute and they've managed to settle into a comfortable life in a small Oregon town. Yet they know the Institute won't give up on getting Misha back and will use whatever they can to accomplish that. When an altercation with a tourist turns sour, Misha and Stefan (and Godzilla the ferret) hit the road to try to dissolve the Institute forever. But to make a stand against the rest of the Institute's Chimera kids, Misha will have to face down the scariest of them all.

Banter Points: This was one series where a POV switch between books really worked. Where "Chimera" was told from Stefan's perspective, "Basilisk" was told from Misha's and his was really the best voice for the story. On the whole, the book was a great action sequence with touching, brotherly moments and a superb ending and/or launching point for another book (if there ever gets to be one).

Bummer Points: Though I saw the book on shelves before its official release day, I waited to buy it after release day and ended up getting hte e-book version. Thanks to Rob's Twitter feed, I knew that there were some problems with the e-book version (no cover image!) and the epilogue out of order... which was a big bummer. As for the book itself, got no complaints.

Word Nerd Recommendation: It's hard to decide which pair of brothers from Thurman I like more -- Cal and Niko or Stefan and Misha. The best solution is just to read both series and see for yourself why it's hard to pick.

Time Out

I'd like to take a break from the regularly scheduled program of books, words and other nerd-ish writerly things and boast about my 11 year old for a bit.

I try to keep my running accomplishments to my Twitter feed or on Facebook. My own running has lead to my 11 year old wanting to run in a 5k with me. He's my stepson, and as such, he is over at my house on a part-time basis.

He was pretty insistent so I found one that was during the same time we would have him -- last Wednesday.

At this point, he has had minimal training, other than 1 or 1 1/2 mile runs with me. He's done well on those, so his dad and I are not too worried about the 5k (that's 3.1 miles for you.)

He was stoked to be going. Thrilled almost out of his skin. Standing at the front of the line with all of the fast runners.

Me? I'm in the middle of the pack. I'm good with that.

Pretty soon the runners weed out and I spot him. And watch him fall to a walk. About a quarter of a mile in.

At the half mile mark he is ready to give up, but I won't let him. He can see the water station and that keeps him going.

The next mark that keeps him going is the half way point where we loop back by the crowd that's there to cheer us on - including Dad, Grandma and little brother. Can't quit here either.

For the last half of the race, sheer determination and fortitude kept him going; until he caught sight of the finish line about a quarter of a mile away.

He wanted to quit. He sat down and declared himself to be done.

This is the toughest thing that the guy has ever done. And he sees no reason to keep going. After all, the finish line is an impossible distance away and he almost got there. How big of a deal is it to quit now?

However, he had some determined fans who cheered him through. He sprinted to the end and claimed his reward -- a Dilly Bar.

As we drove home, I had to ask, was it worth it?

Totally, was the one word answer.

I hope you can also see the parallel to writing, and have goals, people supporting the journey. Writing has a clear cut finish line too. For most, it is publication. But how many of us collapse, just a quarter of a mile away from the finish line?

#bookswithalettermissing

I've got a book and I'm on a jet plane today, so I'm leaving you with some great tweets from Wednesday.

Twitter had a hashtag going on Wednesday for #bookswithalettermissing. The basic premise, take a letter out of the title of a book and re-explain the plot (sometimes, not necessary).

My faves:
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ma - Stephanie Dedalus studies with the Jesuits, has a baby.
Marley and E Teaching a puppy to recognize vowels 
"Berenstain Ears" The story of a family of auditory organs that live down a sunny dirt road, deep in ear country
The Ale of Genji: Pub crawls in Heian Japan 
Ale of two cities. The history of Guinness and Boddingtons
Mein Kamp - Hitler's (somewhat selfish) account of camping holidays in his youth with his parents 
The Lion, The Itch, and the Wardrobe: An allegorical Jesus lion rubs his nose against a cabinet, all cute like.

The Da Vinci Cod - a novel which claims to uncover a centuries old conspiracy about fish 
The Holy Bile
Ride and Prejudice -- True life stories of minorities pulled over by police
'The Velveteen Rabbi': a religious leader you'll want to snuggle
No Country for Old Me 

There are more... Harry Otter, Caching Fire, Lord of the Rings: Return of the Kin

And my two contributions:
Lice in Wonderland The real reason TweedleDee and TweedleDum are so twitchy
All Quiet on the Western Font A german typesetter deals with emotional toll of his job

If you search the hastag on Twitter, you can read a lot more

Back to School Shopping

The search for the perfect school supplies has started at my house. I have one in middle school for the first time and one continuing at the elementary level.

Searching for their school supplies makes me a bit nostalgic for getting new pens, paper and markers of my own.

What is it about new pens and loose leaf paper that inspires new words? Or a new stack of index cards that gets me itching to plot again?

My boys are excited about school, but I know it wears off quickly once they are at school, facing tests, teachers and kids who aren't quite as nice as they would like. The crayon smell starts to permeate everything in their desk or locker. The right color marker disappears.

And ubiquitous unsharpened pencils languish at the bottom of lockers.

What's your favorite part about back to school? I'm debating between red pens and a fun folder.

Book Banter -- Ghost Story

Title: Ghost Story (Dresden Files bk. 13)
Author: Jim Butcher
Genre: urban fantasy
Length: 477 pages
Where Word Nerd's Copy Came From: Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library
Plot Basics: Chicago's only professional wizard, Harry Dresden, can't even die right. After a bullet sends him, dying, into the frigid waters of Lake Michigan, Chicago and the rest of the worlds start to experience a huge power vacuum after the destruction of the Red Court Vampires. Instead of finally getting to rest, Harry is sent back to solve his own murder. But being a ghost, Harry doesn't have access to his magic that he's used for so many years to protect those he cares about and defend his city. And Harry quickly learns that he's not the only ghost on the prowl in the Chicago, meaning that he's got to stay alive (so to speak) one last time to avert disaster for his friends.


Banter Points: I didn't love this book until page 444. Seriously. That's when I sat up, gasping aloud, scaring my cats who'd been snoozing as I read the second half of the book. And suddenly the whole book got oodles better. I didn't not like Ghost Story until then, but I think I'd set the bar impossibly high for Butcher to meet my expectations. And on page 444, he delivered, and then the next 30 pages kept me reading on the edge of my seat.

The whole novel felt a lot more like the early Dresden files, the constant barrage of fight scenes (or maybe that's because I've been working through the early stories again). But, of course, being book 13, it also tied into a lot of the early stories. (Which, to my chagrin, I couldn't remember all the details of....)


It was also nice to see the other characters react to Harry's death. They were drastically affected by the lack of his presence in good and bad ways.

Bummer Points: I think Butcher is close to the line of being self-indulgent with all the sci-fi and comic book references. Harry's a smart mouth -- somethings don't change when he's dead -- but this Ghost Story had too many, especially since the plot sort of hangs on one of them.

The lack of Thomas was also a big bummer. The little chapter with him felt like Butcher was forced to put that in there to satisfy an editor (or his fans), but it's didn't really do it for me. I think I would have rather left Thomas and seen another short Thomas novella like "Backup" about what he's been up to lately.


Word Nerd Recommendation: If you haven't read Dresden Files, what are you waiting for? Everyone I've recommended this series has liked it. You will too.