Grace Tierney

year in books

Grace Tierney’s Followers (23)

member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
Christi...
1,663 books | 172 friends

Kimberl...
1,116 books | 74 friends

Kristen...
3,351 books | 262 friends

Hannah
1,226 books | 86 friends

Audrey
1,707 books | 228 friends

Eleanor
72 books | 1 friend

Heidi L...
1,640 books | 2,146 friends

Sophie
1,597 books | 36 friends

More friends…

Grace Tierney

Goodreads Author


Born
in Ireland
Website

Twitter

Genre

Member Since
January 2014

URL


Grace Tierney writes in rural Ireland. Her award winning Wordfoolery blog about unusual English words has been running for 16 years exploring everything from “pooka” to “friggatriskaidekaphobia”.

Grace has serialised three novels on the online reading platform Channillo and published four word history books (print & ebook) - "Words Christmas Gave Us", "Words the Vikings Gave Us", "Words the Sea Gave Us" and “How To Get Your Name In The Dictionary”. She’s an etymology blogger, columnist in her local paper, regular radio contributor, and publishes articles and short fiction. When not writing you’ll find her reading, crafting, or hiking up a hill.

Grace’s favourite eponymous hero is Casanova because his swashbuckling life was so extraordinary,
...more

To ask Grace Tierney questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

Grace Tierney Positive feedback from a reader. My favourite version of that is reading my work aloud and hearing people laugh, at the right places.
Grace Tierney Writing is the best way to learn about writing. Workshops and writing groups help, but writing (and submitting!) is the only way to improve. If you're…moreWriting is the best way to learn about writing. Workshops and writing groups help, but writing (and submitting!) is the only way to improve. If you're keen to write a novel - try www.nanowrimo.org - commit a month to your writing. I do it every year and the community is great.(less)
Average rating: 4.46 · 13 ratings · 5 reviews · 5 distinct works
Words Christmas Gave Us (Wo...

it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 4 ratings3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Words The Vikings Gave Us (...

really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 4 ratings2 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
How To Get Your Name In The...

4.33 avg rating — 3 ratings2 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Modern Words with Old Roots

it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating
Rate this book
Clear rating
Words The Sea Gave Us (Word...

really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2020 — 2 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
More books by Grace Tierney…

53 Curious Words for Wordfoolery’s Birthday

Hello,

Today is my 53rd birthday and while I pondered the wisdom of sharing 53 pieces of wisdom from my life experience I ultimately decided nobody would be interested in those thoughts, but you might enjoy a selection of my favourite words from the Wordfoolery Blog (est. 2009). They run from accismus to zombie and even include my favourite unusual word, the one that set me off on this wordy road i

Read more of this blog post »
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on May 27, 2026 08:24
The Ballad of Son...
Rate this book
Clear rating

 
Always Remember: ...
Rate this book
Clear rating

 
Make 100 Bags: 10...
Rate this book
Clear rating

 

Grace’s Recent Updates

Grace Tierney rated a book really liked it
Dead Man's Ransom by Ellis Peters
Rate this book
Clear rating
I love this series but this one, for me, was weaker than usual. This time the plot hinges on the different treatment of murder in England vs Wales at the time, which is interesting but not as compelling as the sanctuary law background to previous boo ...more
Grace Tierney rated a book really liked it
A Beginner’s Guide to Breaking and Entering by Andrew Hunter Murray
Rate this book
Clear rating
Was so looking forward to this one that I accidentally bought it twice, groan. A witty, smart mystery by former Qi Elf Andrew Hunter Murray of ‘No such thing as a fish’ (my fav podcast). Cool premise - guy lives in the second homes of the rich when t ...more
Grace Tierney rated a book really liked it
A Beginner’s Guide to Breaking and Entering by Andrew Hunter Murray
Rate this book
Clear rating
Was so looking forward to this one that I accidentally bought it twice, groan. A witty, smart mystery by former Qi Elf Andrew Hunter Murray of ‘No such thing as a fish’ (my fav podcast). Cool premise - guy lives in the second homes of the rich when t ...more
Grace Tierney is currently reading
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Rate this book
Clear rating
Grace Tierney rated a book it was amazing
The Sanctuary Sparrow by Ellis Peters
Rate this book
Clear rating
Another great book in this series, this time with an accused murderer claiming the right of sanctuary on Brother Cadfael’s doorstep (or altar in this case). Great plot and engaging characters.
Grace Tierney rated a book it was amazing
The Virgin in the Ice by Ellis Peters
Rate this book
Clear rating
With a king and his cousin fighting to control England, the rule of law is weak and when a woman’s body turns up frozen in the ice Brother Cadfael is on the case and helping find two noble teens lost in the chaos. Great yarn, perfect historic details ...more
Grace Tierney rated a book it was amazing
The Virgin in the Ice by Ellis Peters
Rate this book
Clear rating
With a king and his cousin fighting to control England, the rule of law is weak and when a woman’s body turns up frozen in the ice Brother Cadfael is on the case and helping find two noble teens lost in the chaos. Great yarn, perfect historic details ...more
Grace Tierney is currently reading
Always Remember by Charlie Mackesy
Rate this book
Clear rating
Grace Tierney is currently reading
Dead Man's Ransom by Ellis Peters
Rate this book
Clear rating
Grace Tierney is currently reading
The Sanctuary Sparrow by Ellis Peters
Rate this book
Clear rating
More of Grace's books…
Kate Atkinson
“Fine,’ she said, using the universal Scottish word for every state of being from ‘I’m dying in anguish’ to ‘I’m experiencing euphoric joy.’ ‘Fine,’ she said. ‘I’m fine.”
Kate Atkinson, When Will There Be Good News?

56962 Book Bloggers of Goodreads — 3027 members — last activity May 14, 2026 10:12PM
This is a group for the book bloggers of Goodreads and authors seeking reviews. Book bloggers: post events, reviews, giveaways, ask questions, share l ...more
169034 Non Fiction Book Club — 5117 members — last activity 19 minutes ago
This group is for anyone who enjoys Non Fiction. Genres discussed here include Histories, Autobiographies, Biographies, Memoirs, Science and Technolog ...more
51445 UK Amazon Kindle Forum — 6687 members — last activity 7 minutes ago
Where every hour is happy hour.
No comments have been added yet.