Best of 2011 -- Top Ten Books

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 Word Nerds' Top Ten Books of 2011:

Bethany's list:
10. The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes, Marcus Sakey
9. Basilisk, Rob Thurman
8. Exley, Brock Clarke
7. The Invention of Hugo Cabrey, Brian Selznik
6. Mercy, Joshua Grover-David Patterson
5. Looking for Alaska, John Green
4. How the Mistakes were Made, Tyler McMahon
3. Perelandra, C.S. Lewis
2. The Orchard, Theresa Weir
1. The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien

Best of 2011 -- First Book in a Series

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 always looking for book recommendations and boy, did this one hit home! Average Jane, a blogger from the Kansas City area, purchased and read this whole series in one weekend. That made this a must read on my list: Soulless by Gail Carriger.

I grew up reading romance novels. In college I graduated to Victorian Literature. As an adult, I've grown to love science fiction and fantasy. Steampunk is this wonderful creation that combines all of them. I loved this book, not only because it covers several of my favorite reading ingredients, but also because of the wit and fabulous writing.

Bethany's Pick:
This was a crazy close contest for me this year, and both of my top choices came in unusual formats. As I looked over my whole reading list for the year, I realized the top contenders were a series I started in audiobook format and a graphic novel series. Not quite what I expected, but hey!, why not?

The truth is, the two first books are so different, I really had a hard time picking. But -- my winner is...
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld.

After listening to it, I didn't hesitate to go get the sequel at the library and plowed right through it too. It's a great combination of steampunk and alternate history and just a darn good YA series.

Best of 2011 -- Discovered Author

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 who we started reading this year and can't wait to stick with into the future.

Bethany's Pick:
Harry Connolly!
Connolly was a strong contender in next week's category of "Best First Book in Series" but, I picked him for this category because it was such a fun discovery. I literally saw his third Twenty Palaces novel, Circle of Enemies on the library shelf, thought something along the lines of Ray Lilly seems like my kind of character, solely from the cover art (dark, brooding man). I immediately went to the stacks and found books one and two in the series and read them all in fairly quick succession (with a few renewals from the library).

As far as I've seen on Twitter, he's at work on something new and I will definitely be looking for it when it hits the shelves. You can learn more about him and his work on his website.

Stacie's Pick:
Agatha Christie!
She's a classic mystery author, I know. But until this year I had not ever bothered to read anything by her. And now that I have started down this list, I'm excited about it. The prose is great, the twists and bends even better. I started down this path due to the various references in a modern book by Connie Willis. Christie played a supporting role in the plot, but a crucial one. It was a great choice and I'm glad I started.

Best of 2010 -- Top Ten Books of the Year

The moment you've all been waiting for -- The Word Nerd team picks their top 10 books they read in the past year.

We didn't even try for consensus on this one because while we're both readers and read much of the same stuff, it's different enough that one list would be impossible. And of course, what one person really loves, the other might despise.

So, drumroll please --

Bethany's Top Ten Books of 2010
10. One Hit Wonder, Charlie Carillo
9. Chimera, Rob Thurman
8. Shades of Gray, Jasper Fforde
7. Her Fearful Symmetry, Audrey Niffeneger
6. Changes, Jim Butcher
5. Weeping Underwater Looks a lot Like Laughter, Michael J. White
4. The Serialist, David Gordon
3. Thieves of Manhattan, Adam Langer
2. Dracula in Love, Karen Essex
1. Son of Laughter, Frederick Buechner

It took me several tries to come up with a top 10 list I was satisfied with and it wasn't until I put "Son of Laughter" in the #1 slot that I had it. I love this book and the powerful retelling of the Biblical narrative of Jacob. Several of my top-pick titles were all read in the last quarter of the year -- I hit a literary fiction streak.

This year's dark horse picks for me -- Changes and Chimera. Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden series hasn't made my top 10 in the past, but this latest one was even more amazing than the rest. Also, I'm a big fan of Rob Thurman and I thoroughly enjoyed Chimera and her foray into a sci-fi thriller from her usual urban fantasy bent. The characters in both are as complex (if not more so!) that their counterparts in traditional fiction, so these genre picks had to get the nod.



Stacie's Top Ten Books of 2010
10. The Trouble with Magic by Madelyn Alt
9. Thieves of Manhattan by Adam Langer
8. Outliers by Malcom Gladwell
7. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
6. Alice I have Been by Melanie Benjamin
5. The Harrowing by Alexandra Sokoloff
4. The Program Management Office by Craig J. Letavec, PMP
3. The Big Short by Michael Lewis
2. Side Jobs by Jim Butcher
1. The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

I've never created a top ten list for the year's reading before. Doing so made me realize two things:

1. I'm willing to read anything.
2. Not every book is memorable.

The characters in The Postmistress by Sarah Blake still move me. Choosing between the three women and the antics of Harry Dresden was tough. The fate of Sarah Blake's character is set, but there is more to come for Dresden. Ergo, this couldn't be the best for Jim Butcher.

The Project Management Office by Craig Letavec, PMP, was from one of my classes. It's probably the first coursework book I have enjoyed enough to recommend it to others at work. It also gave me an idea of where my career could be headed as well. (Considering the extreme lack of planning occurring in that arena, guide posts are a good thing.)

Best of 2010 -- First Book in a Series

It's the second of the Award Wednesdays here at Word Nerd.

Our second category is Best First Book in a Series. Again, the book doesn't have to be published this year, just read by the Word Nerd bloggers during this past calendar year. This category was almost a tie (as was last week's) but in the end, we went with different books. All the more to enjoy!

Stacie's Pick:

Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati

This was a lovely read that set off a nice six book series that came to an end this year. The characters were rich and varied, without having too much of a modern voice. I love reading series where the characters that grow and develop along with the subsequent books. Even better, there was a bit of a lag between novels so that not only did they have a chance to grow and change, there were parts of their lives that the reader wasn't privy too. It helped keep the characters fresh since they had new secrets to uncover.

Bethany's Pick:
Secret Societ Girl by Diana Peterfreund

I haven't had as much fun reading a book in a long time as I did reading this one. The characters are enjoyable, the dialogue witty and fun, and the tone full of the right blend of pop culture and snark.

I barreled through the first book and then kept on going. Normally, I space series out over a long period, but I finished all four of these books in the span of a few months. Secret Society Girl was just brimming with such potential for the series, it had to get the nod from me.

Best of 2010 -- Best Discovered Author

Welcome to Award Wednesdays for the rest of the month of December. We'll be posting Word Nerd's usual award categories -- Discovered Author, First Book in a Series and the Top 10 list over the next three weeks. We're combining our picks for the first two and then we'll each post a Top 10 list just before Christmas. Not that you have to take our word for it, but there might be some last-minute gift ideas on that last list for the book-lover in your world.

As with these awards in past years, the criteria is its a book that we've read in the past year. Publication date is irrelevant, so a really old book that we just stumbled on to could be the winner.

So, now that the 'splainin' is out of the way, the first category up is Best Discovered Author. This is the first year for two judges and we weren't expecting this, but this year's pick is UNANIMOUS for Brad Parks, author of "Faces of the Gone."

Stacie offers her explanation for why he won:
I actually had the privilege of meeting Brad while at Bouchercon 2009. At the time, we resembled sardines in a can, but had drinks in hand so it was tolerable. The witty conversation with Brad definitely increased the enjoyment level, enough so that I forgot about the sardine situation. I was delighted to find that his book was just as fabulous. "Eyes of the Innocent" is out February 2011 and I can't wait to see what's up for this spunky reporter.

And Bethany...
Brad not exactly a stranger here on Word Nerd. Here's my review of his book and here's the interview I did with him after that sardine-like meeting. I totally agree with Stacie's assessment of that situation.

So why did Brad get the nod from me in this category too? Simple. Of all the times in the past year where I've thought Gosh, I should read that book and actually managed to pick it up, Brad's debut is the one where I'm most looking forward to reading something else by the same author. There are others that I read for the first time this year, but I'm not actively checking the library catalog for when I can put the next, as-yet-unreleased-book on hold for anybody else. (No, sadly, "Eyes of the Innocent" is not yet available through the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library... if it's anything like "Faces", it will be a long, impatient-on-my-part wait.)

I'm sure both Stacie and I are hoping there will be opportunity to chat with Brad again at Bouchercon 2011. Maybe just with less sardine-ness this time.

2010 Shamus Award Nominees

It might be old news by now, but the list of 2010 Shamus Award nominees was released last week.

I've only read a couple of these (and by a couple, she really means two) but when I unbury myself from the current TBR pile, these might be some good books to track down.

The full list of nominees, borrowed (ok, copied) from Mystery Book News. The name of the PI is in parenthesis.

Best PI Hardcover
◊ The Silent Hour by Michael Koryta (Lincoln Perry)
◊ Where the Dead Lay by David Levien (Frank Behr)
◊ Locked In by Marcia Muller (Sharon McCone)
◊ Schemers by Bill Pronzini (Nameless Detective)
◊ My Soul to Take by Yrsa Sigurdardottir (Thora Gudmundsdottir)

Best First PI Novel:
◊ Loser's Town by Daniel Depp (David Spandau)
◊ The Last Gig by Norman Green (Alessandra Al Martillo)
◊ The Good Son by Russel D. McLean (J. McNee)
◊ Faces of the Gone by Brad Parks (Carter Ross)
◊ Chinatown Angel by A. E. Roman (Chico Santana)

Best PI Paperback Original:
◊ Dark Side of the Morgue by Raymond Benson (Spike Berenger)
◊ Sinner's Ball by Ira Berkowitz (Jackson Steeg)
◊ Red Blooded Murder by Laura Caldwell (Izzy McNeil)
◊ Vengeance Road by Rick Mofina (Jack Gannon)
◊ Body Blows by Marc Strange (Joe Grundy)

Best PI Short Story:
◊ "The Dark Island" (Boston Noir) by Brendan DuBois
◊ "Deadline Edition" (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine) by S. L. Franklin
◊ "Blazin' on Broadway" (Phoenix Noir) by Gary Phillips
◊ "Suicide Bonds" (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine) by Tim L. Williams
◊ "Julius Katz" (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine) by Dave Zeltserman

Any of you read any of the rest of these that the Nerds should be sure to check out?

In the meantime, I'm pulling for Brad Parks and Laura Caldwell.

Best of 2009 -- Top Ten Books of the Year

Finally, the moment you've all been waiting for, Word Nerd's top ten list for 2009.

A few reminders on the selection process: Word Nerd decides the top ten of what she's read in the past 365 days, publication year matters not. Several of the titles or authors have popped up in the other awards posts, but hey, they do that for the Oscars and things, so Word Nerd thinks there's precedent.

So, the envelope please....

Word Nerd's Top Ten Books of 2009:

10. Cold Tangerines, Shauna Niequist (non-fiction)

9. Sandman Slim, Richard Kadrey (urban fantasy)

8. The Historian, Elizabeth Kostova (historical fiction)

7. The Poet, Michael Connelly (mystery)

6. The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collines (YA)

5. The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman (YA)

4. Love in the Time of Fridges, Tim Scott (science fiction)

3. The Domino Men, Jonathan Barnes (science fiction)

2. The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger (literary fiction)

1. The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet, Reif Larson (literary fiction)

Top honors went to T.S. Spivet because it has pictures. Seriously. The book is so endearing because of all the doodles and maps and things in the margins. Word Nerd is a sucker for mixed media like that.

Other than the first two, most of the list is a surprise to Word Nerd. As she was compiling it, she kept thinking of titles only to discover she read those books in 2008 and already gave them an award. So, with a general criteria of "if I had unlimited time to read, which of the booksread this year would stand up to a second reading" Word Nerd combed her list and searched her reviews for ones that she prognosicated would end up in a top ten list.

Sandman Slim, Love in the Time of Fridges and Domino Men are definitely the dark horse picks for this year, particularly Domino Men ringing in at number 3. All three are bizarre, bizarre books which is why they stuck with Word Nerd. A second read would likely make them all make more sense. Hopefully.

So these are Word Nerd's picks, along with the rest of the awards for Best First Book in a Series, Best Discovered Author and Best of the Genres.

What books topped your list(s) this year?

Best of 2009 -- The Best of the Genres

This year, Word Nerd is introducing a new awards category -- Best of the Genres.

Word Nerd reads gobs of genre fiction, across myriad genres (and subgenres, come to that.) While these books don't always rise to the level of a top ten, many of them are downright entertaining reads. So, starting this year, Word Nerd's opening a new category, to recognize the best in the genres that she's read in the past year. Like many awards, there will be some double winners from this category and others.

But without further delay, here are this year's Best of the Genres winners:

Fantasy -- Taltos, Steven Brust
Word Nerd's been rereading this highly entertaining series over the past year. They are all good, but Taltos is probably the best, telling Vlad's backstory is such a captivating way. It's an amazing skill that Brust has to tell the story out of chronological order and get all the pieces to line up.

Historical Fiction -- The Cavalier in the Yellow Doublet, Arturo Perez-Reverte
Perez-Reverte is somewhere is Word Nerd's awards almost every year and 2009 is no exception. The fifth Captain Alatriste book exemplifies the political intrigue, romance and swashbuckling that makes the whole series so good.

Mystery -- The Poet, Michael Connelly
From her Michael Connelly jag this year, The Poet is Word Nerd's favorite so far. Finally, a realistic portrayal of what reporters are really like. Plus, a darn good mystery story in the process that kept the pages turning right up to the end.

Paranormal -- Shadowlight, Lynn Viehl
Word Nerd is a regular reader of Lynn Viehl's great blog, Paperback Writer, and through there, got introduced to her paranormal Darkyn series. Shadowlight was the first of a few spin-off series, the Kyndred, and Word Nerd's loving the new take. It's great to see the cross-over characters and the wrinkles to the already deep world Viehl has created are amazing.

Urban Fantasy -- Deathwish, Rob Thurman
Cal Leandros. Sigh. Niko Leandros. Sigh. Ok, Word Nerd will admit a bit of a literary crush on this pair of monster-slaying brothers. Thurman's use of mythology and legends is great, weaving old stories into modern-day New York. Moreover, her monsters stay scary (and her heroes are scary too sometimes, which makes for great reading).

Science Fiction -- Conspirator, C.J. Cherryh
Since Word Nerd's on this trend... Bren Cameron. Double sigh. When Cherryh's Foreigner universe series caught Word Nerd's attention back when she was in high school, Bren Cameron has been such a clear character in her mind. Once again, in the 10th volume in this universe, what it means to be human and alien is challenged, flipped over and done so with deft prose.

Young Adult -- The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
A student in the program Word Nerd works for in her day job recommended this book and wowzers, is it a doozy. Word Nerd laid awake one night worrying about the protagonist. That alone gives the book high marks for tension, pacing, plotting, character development and that sine qua non that makes a book like this special. The sequel, Catching Fire, also gets big thumbs-up.

Best of 2009 -- First Book in a Series

Awards week rolls on here at Word Nerd with the next annual category -- Best First Book in a Series.

Word Nerd is a big series reader, loving the big story arcs and characters who develop over time. She is also fairly careful to not be in the middle of more than, say, seven series at the same time. 2009 has been a year of series reading, but some rereads and some that she'd already started in 2008. Nevertheless, a clear winner emerged.

For its breezy tone, fun premise and engaging characters, 2009's Best First Book in a Series for Word Nerd is... The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig.

This year's runner up for best first book was Michael Connelly's The Black Echo.

Pink Carnation won because its premise is so original. Take the Scarlet Pimpernel, make him real, and see how England and France react with their litany of flower-named spies. Intrigue and romance round out a fun read.

Best of 2009 -- Best Discovered Author

Welcome to awards season at Word Nerd for 2009.

Things are starting with this first category -- Best Discovered Author. Word Nerd isn't after a new author (as in debut) here, just the best author who she started reading in 2009.

So, the first envelope please ....

The winner is Michael Connelly.

Word Nerd started reading his Harry Bosch series in February because Connelly was coming to Bouchercon as the keynote speaker and she thought she should read at least one of his books in preparation. Seven books later, she is a definite fan and will continue reading through his backlist.

Best of 2008 -- Top Ten Books

Here's the moment you've all been waiting for -- Word Nerd's Top Ten Books of 2008.

Without further adieu... the envelope please:

10. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Haddon

9. The Painter of Battles, Arturo Perez-Reverte

8. Threshold, Caitlin R. Kiernan

7. Good People, Marcus Sakey

6. The Learners, Chip Kidd

5. Pinkerton's Secret, Eric Lerner

4. Windy City, Scott Simon

3. The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz

2. The Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England, Brock Clarke

1. Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen

Of these titles, four of the top ten are titles that Word Nerd read for book club (thanks to the Biblio Babes for making her read "real" books.) Arturo Perez-Reverte and Marcus Sakey are both making second appearances in the top ten list. Perez-Reverte was at #8 in 2006 for his second Capt. Alatriste book, "The Purity of Blood." Sakey was on the 2007 list at #2 for his debut novel, "The Blade Itself."

Much like last year, if Word Nerd compiled this list on a different day, the top three books may have fallen in a different order, as all three were wonderful. Word Nerd picked Water for Elephants as number one, just because it's been the one she's recommending to other readers the most since the story is more universal.

If there was a #11 on a top ten list, the spot would go to Stephenie Meyer's Twilight, solely because this pop culture phenom is a good read that's compelling and hard to put down.

Congratulations to this year's top ten books. Who's on your yearly top ten?

Best of 2008 -- Discovered Author

Welcome back to Word Nerd's end of the year book awards.

Moving on to the next category -- Best Discovered Author. This category honors an author that Word Nerd stumbled on to in 2008. There are plenty of people she read for the first time in tomorrow's top ten list, but this is a different category. These are authors (and books) who while not quite making that top ten cut, were refreshing, enjoyable and people she'll look for in the future.

This year's winner is a bit of a dark horse pick and a big surprise to Word Nerd after looking at her whole reading list for the year.

The Best Discovered Author of 2008 is:

Marcus Sedgwick

Sedgwick writes YA horror. Word Nerd stumbled on to him when she saw the title of one of his books, "My Swordhand is Singing" and thought just that's just too great of a title. She read the book and discovered he was a darn good writer too. Since then, she's also read his "The Book of Dead Days" and "The Dark Flight Down" which are both excellent books.

The runner up for this category is Jennifer Donnelly and her historical fiction series ("The Tea Rose" and "The Winter Rose"). Word Nerd doesn't read much historical fiction, but she couldn't put either of these books down, swept up in the family drama in the stories and decided that was worth a partial nod this year.

Best of 2008 -- First Book in a Series

Word Nerd has reached the point in the year again where she bequeaths her "Best ofs" on books she's read this year.

Just to clarify on the awards, they aren't for books released this year (although some are), but rather what Word Nerd deems the best of what she's read this year, regardless of publication date.

Today's award is "Best First Book in a Series." Monday, she'll reveal "Best Discovered Author" and Tuesday will be the coveted "Word Nerd Top Ten Books in 2008."

This year, Word Nerd had some trouble with this category, because it was tending to overlap with "Best Discovered Author" but after some reflection she's declared a winner.

And the winner is...

Big City, Bad Blood by Sean Chercover.

This first book in Chercover's series about Ray Dudgeon takes home the prize because the book was so darn readable and unputdownable. There was a fairly graphic torture scene, but there's also a great scene where Ray drives a car into a swimming pool and that helps balance things out.

This year's runner up for Best First Book in a Series is City of Pearl, by Karen Traviss. The reason it didn't win is that the series starts slow. Things pick up by the end of the book, but it takes a while to get going.

What book would you bestow this award on this year?

May 2008 Bibliometer and 500th book

Word Nerd apologizes for this post being so late... she just kept forgetting to crunch the stats.

Here's the reading for May:
8 books
3,493 pages
avg. 113 pages/day

YTD:
41 books
14,538 pages
avg. book length: 354.6 pages

Also, Word Nerd has crossed the 500 book milestone since starting her list! It took a little better than five years, but she has now read 500 (actually, 501) books since March 2003.

The book to cross the 500 mark? The Book of Dead Days by Marcus Sedgwick.

Best of 2007 -- Top Ten Books

And the moment you've all been waiting for. Word Nerd's Top Ten Book of 2007. (Just a reminder, while some of these actually were 2007 releases, Word Nerd makes her list based on books she's read in the past year, regardless of publication date.)


The envelope, please.


The winners are:

10. Destroyer, C.J. Cherryh (sci-fi)

9. Kushiel's Dart, Jacqueline Carey (fantasy)

8. The Hand of Oberon, Roger Zelazny (sci-fi/fantasy)

7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling (fantasy)

6. Nobody True, James Herbert (horror)

5. The Dark is Rising, Susan Cooper (juv. fantasy)

4. Whistling in the Dark, Lesley Kagen (literary fiction)

3. Something Rotten, Jasper Fforde (mystery/comedy)

2. The Blade Itself, Marcus Sakey (thriller)

1. The Liar's Diary, Patry Francis (thriller)


For comparison, the 2006 list is here.


There are no repeat winners on this list from last year. Also, 60 percent of the authors on this list were people that Word Nerd started reading in 2007.


A word of explanation about the winners in the #3, #5, #8 and #10 spots. Word Nerd wanted to nominate the whole series that these titles came from, but forced herself to pick the ones she most enjoyed out of multi-book cycles.


The dark horse pick for this year's top 10 pick is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Word Nerd wouldn't have expected Rowling's final book to make the top ten list, but when looking at the whole book list for 2007, it really stood out since it tied the whole series together so well. (Yes, there will be disagreements by some on that... post comments if you want to discuss. As an FYI though, Word Nerd's not the only one to put it in a Top Ten list list; Newsweek did too).


If Word Nerd had written the list on another day, it's quite possible that the 1-4 spots would have come out in a different order. As it is, Sakey's debut novel and Francis' debut novel were both stellar and Francis' only beat out Sakey's for the top spot because the twist at the end was so good.


If you search the blog, past reviews for the winning titles are available.

Best of 2007 -- Discovered Author

The second of this year's "Best Of" awards is the one for author who Word Nerd discovered and started reading during 2007.


She discovered this author very early in 2007 and in the ensuing year has read his entire back list and his newest book which hit shelves on this side of the pond in July.


The winner of 2007's Best Discovered Author award is, Jasper Fforde!


Fforde is the author of the brilliantly zany Thursday Next series and equally odd-but-wonderful Nursery Crime series, featuring detectives Jack Spratt and Mary Mary.


This series was recommended to Word Nerd by two other bibliophile friends and she didn't hesitate to dive right in to reading them.


Fforde gets the nod this year because his books are so original. Word Nerd's not sure there's anybody else out there writing books quite like this, that blend mystery, science fiction, satire and literary history so well and are such a joy to read. Fforde has a delightful imagination that takes unexpected turns in the stories. He's also got a gift for puns and literary and cultural humor and all three are peppered through his books. (Word Nerd's fav? Probably the special agents Lamb and Slorter or the citing of Triffids in one of the books.)

Just for fun, Word Nerd names Jim Butcher as the runner-up. Butcher writes the Dresden Files series. They are entertaining, but don't quite rise to the level of Fforde's body of work.

Word Nerd earlier this year had a chance to interview Fforde and you can find the Q&A here.

In series order, here are links to all of Word Nerd's reviews of his books.

Thursday Next

The Eyre Affair

Lost in a Good Book

Well of Lost Plots

Something Rotten

First Among Sequels


Nursery Crime

The Big Over Easy

The Fourth Bear

Best of 2007 -- First Book in a Series

It's that time of year again for Word Nerd to dole out her completely subjective awards for Best Books of the year.

These are not titles that will likely show up on anybody else's top books of the year, largely because Word Nerd read mostly back-list books in 2007, trying to catch up in serieses (can she make that a word? Serieses? Seriesi? Anybody?) and be ready for new releases by those authors.

In addition to catching up, Word Nerd started reading several and it was a tough pick for which book would take top honors in the First Book in a Series category.

This year's winner is, Glass Houses, by Rachel Caine.

This marks the second year running where Caine topped Word Nerd's best first book in a series list. In 2006, she tied in the category with Garth Nix.

Caine won again, this time with the first book in her Morganville Vampires series because her writing is just that darn good. Morganville Vampires is YA fiction, but that's no barrier to winning in Word Nerd's mind.

Glass Houses was so good because it smoothly introduced the world of Morganville, the main characters and got the reader emotionally invested in what's going to happen to them. There are great levels of tension all around between the good guys and bad guys and within the ranks of the good guys themselves. You can read Word Nerd's original review here.

Word Nerd picks Kelly McCullough's WebMage as the runner-up in this category. This book was a great combination of sci-fi and fantasy and technology and mythology.

Up next: Best Discovered Author

2007 Word of the Year

Merriam Webster has unveiled the top word of the year again.

All Word Nerd could think upon seeing it was, "Huh. Really?"

Maybe your reaction will be similar because the 2007 word of the year is..... (drum roll please)....

w00t.

Yes, that's right. The word of the year only has two letters in it, the o's in this case being double zeros. How can the word of the year not even be a word!!?!? It's an acronym! (We Owned the Other Team... a reference from the world of gaming).

Anyway, the full release is here along with the rest of the top 10 words for 2007.

A Book List

USAToday just released a list of their picks of the 25 most influential books of the last 25 years.

Their top five are as follows.
1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
2. Deep End of the Ocean
3. The DaVinci Code
4. The 9/11 Commission Report
5. Chicken Soup for the Soul

The full list is here.

Word Nerd isn't too terribly surprised by the list, save perhaps for "Deep End of the Ocean."(The USAToday blurb about that one explains that it was the start of the Oprah book club phenomenon since Oprah picked Mitchard's book as the very first one for the club.)

Obviously, since their releases, Harry, DaVinci and Chicken Soup have become near book-empires with movie deals and in the case of "soup" oodles more titles. The 9-11 report makes sense on the list because of the historical and national impact of that event.

Honestly, from the full list, Word Nerd hasn't read many of the titles, but she gets the impact these books have had.

Any of the titles you agree with/disagree with on the list? Any you would have picked instead?