Word Nerd

There are times when nothing but quiet will do. And while this particular post was written by a mom, I think that anyone in search of quiet ...

The news broke last week that Borders is closing for good. Shuttering 400-odd stores this spring (including several here in the Circle Cit...

Are you a rule follower or a rule breaker? Me, I'm a rule breaker. I know, I know, I really do seem like a rule follower to those who k...

Title: The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes Author: Marcus Sakey Genre: mystery/thriller Length: ~400 pages Where Word Nerd's Copy Came F...

Here's an interesting concept that I think would be interesting to build into a story. Computers have two ways of accessing memory. One...

Harry Potter, the final movie, came out on Friday. Were you one of the masses that stood in line for it? I was not. For me, Harry Potter e...

For one of the grant applications I regularly write, the grantors ask a great question about what the marks of success will be halfway throu...

Last weekend, I got into a conversation about how to define success. It was a tricky area to navigate through because the person on the othe...

Title: Centuries of June Author: Keith Donohue Genre: literary fiction Length: 342 pages Where Word Nerd's Copy Came From: Indian...

No, I'm not talking about stripped books where the covers have been removed. I'm talking about these books.   Maybe it's ...

There's probably one out there for every imaginable genre, but this one makes me laugh. Hugely. Especially as I am re-reading Diana Ga...

Title: Tiassa (Vlad Taltos #13) Author : Steven Brust Length: 319 pages Genre: fantasy Where Word Nerd's Copy Came From: Indiana...

One of the writing lists I subscribe to has had a plethora of postings asking for assistance with research help. Topics have ranged from cr...

I realize it's almost the end of June, but I never posted reading stats for May. May Bibliometer 2011 8 books 1716 pages avg 55 pag...

Fellow Word Nerd Bethany and I are big fantasy readers. Hopefully you are too and will find the following a fun diversion to end the week o...

What is your favorite mystery convention? Is it red herrings? Stereotype detectives? Damsels in distress? For me, it's the unreliable n...

Title: The Scarecrow Author: Michael Connelly Length: 419 pages Genre: mystery Where Word Nerd's Copy Came From: Indianapolis-Mar...

Here's the five things I'm recommending you do this weekend: Read a book (I'm re-reading the Dragonfly in Amber) Enjoy the outdo...

I have two boys who enjoy reading. I can't say that they love it like I do. They have a few things that beat reading when it comes to p...

Ever since attending the Midwest Writers Workshop a few weeks ago, I've been hard at work, revising the work-in-progress, paying attenti...