Wishing You a Merry Christmas . . .

– from Jacob of The Bookshelf

Please Ignore Vera Dietz: Number One for a Reason

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King is number one this year on my best books list. It may be the best book I've ever read, and it is most certainly in the top ten best books I’ve ever read. Here’s why:

But, first, let’s make a few changes to the title of this post:

 

There. Much better. I would “officially” change the title, but “Number One for Reasons” just doesn’t has the same ring as “Number One for a Reason.” Anyway, here is a list of eight or so reasons for why you should read Please Ignore Vera Dietz:

Its Title:  As humans, we naturally do things that we are not supposed to do. Just like the urge to open a box that says “Do Not Open,” it is next-to-impossible to avoid a book with a title Please Ignore Vera Dietz.

Its Author: A.S. King is a literary mastermind. Vera is only her second book, yet it’s been racking up accolades like crazy. Creative and witty, King tells stories that deserve to be told again and again.

Its Story: Please Ignore Vera Dietz is the story of—you guessed it—teenage Vera and her struggle to find answers. The novel begins with the funeral for Charlie, Vera’s neighbor. Vera and Charlie were once best friends, even sortakindamaybe more than friends, until he brutally betrayed her. Now that he’s dead Vera doesn’t know what to think. She hates him and loves him at the same time. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn their story and see what went wrong. Eventually, Vera embarks on a mission to clear Charlie’s name, which was tainted by rumors. Trekking the long, twisted path, she crosses many obstacles. She discovers, she reconciles, she forgives. 

Is it okay to hate a dead kid? Even if you loved him once? Even if he was my best friend? Is it okay to hate him for being dead?

– from Please Ignore Vera Dietz

Its Characters: What I love about the characters from Vera is that they’re so round and complex. They’re like real humans, which is the highest compliment to an author, in my opinion. Vera is likeable for both her innocence and mistakes and for her loudness and quietness. Charlie, through flashbacks and “reincarnated” objects/ghosts, is lost and confident—loveable and despised. Even Vera’s dad is perfectly composed. He’s not perfect, but he’s still a great role model.

a pagoda

Its Eccentricities: The majority of the chapters of Vera are narrated by Vera herself. But on occasion a few other characters take over the book’s point-of-view. Charlie, frequently seen as a sliced pickle by Vera, gives little side notes from the “Dead Kid.” Vera’s dad has occasional chapters—in the form of flow charts. But, wait! Don’t worry! It’s the good kind of flow charts. The ones were you’re faced with a question, and branched off the side of the question are the answer options yes or no. And then you continue down the page until you reach a conclusion. And lastly a pagoda—yes, I mean an “Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves” (thanks, Wikipedia!)—doles out sound advice to the reader. “A pagoda?” you may ask. Yes. A pagoda. No, I won’t tell you why there’s a pagoda! READ THE BOOK! 

Also, Vera works at Pagoda Pizza, so you learn all the pizza delivery lingo and inner-workings.  

a flow chart similar to those in the book

Its POWER: A.S. King has a way with words. With A.S. King’s powers channeling through each page, I—just like Vera—simultaneously loved and hated Charlie. You can tell that each word is hand-crafted and hand-chosen to create a wide array of emotions and imagery.

Its Awards: That’s right, Vera’s a Printz Honor novel and has collected numerous starred reviews from the big-name reviewing companies. Rightfully so, too.

It’s About Everything and Nothing: Does that make any sense? Maybe I’m not explaining it correctly, but—to me—Please Ignore Vera Dietz is a beautiful, fragile, and wonderful book about something not too out of the ordinary. 

OK, there are eight reasons to read Please Ignore Vera Dietz. If you’re not convinced to read this book yet, I do not know what will convince you. This official trailer might, though:

And, A.S. King, if you’re reading this, please know that you’re a magnificent author and deserve all the acclaim that you are given.

Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars

(image via and via and via and via)

Fudgin' It and My Best Books of 2011

So. It's been a while since I've posted. Seventy-six days, to be exact. But, I'm here now. With only eight days left of 2011, I have decided to post my annual “Best Books” List. Without further ado:

. . .

I command you to read this book. READ IT!

I lied. I’m going to add some more “ado” before I reveal the list. This year’s list has an important backstory that needs to be told. And, besides, it’s been a while since I’ve blogged; I feel the need to type more than what is necessary (scroll to the bottom for the official list, if you must).

Like most other years, which book that I was going to choose to be number one was evident the moment I read it. It was actually January, early in Reading Season, that I first read and fell in love with Please Ignore Vera Dietz. It’s one the best I have ever read, and it achieved the great honor of being number one on my personal best book list this year. 

So, number was easy-peasy. I knew eleven months before the end of the year what it was going to be. The other books on list, however, were . . . not so easy to choose. On the journey to creating the list, I lied, cheated, and broke promises. And I fudged it.

Fudgin’ It, a List of Last-minute Decisions and Half-Hearted Efforts (etc.)

Length: Last year my list was twenty-one books long. Yes, an odd number, I agree. This year I struggled to decide if I should put a cap on how many books should be on the list. Should I add as many books as my wee heart desires? Should I continue adding until I fill up a page? Should I set an exact number, like, say, ten, and stop there? With no reasonable answer, I decided late Tuesday night that exactly fifteen books should be on the list. No more, no less. I didn’t even really look at which books I had already had on my twenty-two books long rough draft. I just copied the first fifteen and dumped them into a new Word doc. I made a few rearrangements, but I refused to make the list longer.

Doubles: In previous years I made up the rule “Only one book per series, per year.” This year, that rule transformed into “Only one book per author, per year.” John Green, you’re an amazing author. You truly are (I wrote a whole post on you). But I read all five of your books this year, and as much as I loved them all, I couldn’t put all of them on the list. If I did, then you would claim an entire third of the list. Sadly, that’s not fair to the rest of the books I read this year.

Second Place: Second place can get a bad rap sometimes. I mean, yeah, it’s not first, but it’s still silver. It’s worth something. I value my second place book almost as much as I value my first place book. This year I struggled deciding who should receive the honor of second place. I had three candidates: the book that actually received second, #3, and #4. I tried creating a three-way tie, but that would mean the list would only be thirteen books long.

2011?: OK, not all books on the list were published in 2011, but all books on the list were read in 2011.

The Rear End: So, as made clear by the previous nugget of fudgin’ (hmm . . . that sounds...funny?), books one through four are clearly life-long favorites, and they fully deserve the position on the list that they have received. The other eleven books, however? Eh, I just threw them together. Don’t get me wrong, all books on the list deserve to be on the list. It's just, I don’t know if they’re truly in their “right” position on the list. Looking at the finalized list now, I wonder if #5 and #7 should switch spots. But then I think, Is #7 really better than #6? And, But does #6 truly belong near the top four? Do you get what I’m saying? I could make so many changes and never be certain that it’s perfect (a chronic illness amongst us writers). So I just arranged the books in a manner that I though seemed right-ish, and then I just let it be.

. . . 

Well, I think that’s it for this episode of Jacob’s Mistakes. Let’s turn it over to the moment we’ve all been waiting for! The unveiling of The Best Books of 2011! [crowd goes wild]

BEST BOOKS OF 2011

1.  Please Ignore Vera Dietz written by A.S. King

2.  Looking for Alaska written by John Green

3.  Matched written by Ally Condie

4.  Wintergirls written by Laurie Halse Anderson

5.  Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children written by Ransom Riggs

6.  Nothing written by Janne Teller

7.  Divergent written by Veronica Roth

8.  Where She Went written by Gayle Forman

9.  Uglies written by Scott Westerfeld

10. Delirium written by Lauren Oliver

11. The Giver written by Lois Lowry

12. Okay For Now written by Gary D. Schmidt

13. Shine written by Lauren Myracle

14. Hate List written by Jennifer Brown

15. Olive’s Ocean written by Kevin Henkes

And by the covers:

Enjoy!

Look for more reviews soon, but don’t expect them. Weird advice, I know, but with the holidays and school, I have no idea when I’ll update next.

Merry Christmas,

Happy Hanukkah,

Happy Kwanzaa,

and Happy Whatever Holiday I May Have Forgotten!

– Jacob

You Have to Stop This: The Mystery! The Adventure! The Secret!

Another – you guessed it – syndicated Amazon.com "mini-review". But, hey, it's better than no reviews at all . . .

As with the previous four books in the Secret Series, You Have to Stop This (love the titles from this series!), expertly weaves mystery and humor, good and evil, and sense and madness.

Mystery and Humor: Incorporating unsolved mysteries threads from the previous books in the series – Ms. Mauvais and Dr. L's conniving plans, PB's true identity, and . . . The SECRET – along with new mysteries – a missing finger and a walking mummy – this final book produces a new question for each old question answered. But don't worry! All that is important is revealed, in some way or another, by the end of the tale. And, of course, humor is another big element in this story. Complete with poor mummy puns, chocolate lovers, and an application to join the Terces Society, You Have to Stop This provides comic relief coupled with a serving of crime-solving.

Good and Evil: Cass, Max-Ernest, and Yo-Yoji all make reappearances in this final tales. Their roles? The heroes, of course! All three heroes go through satisfying character developments in this book, creating the ultimate alliance to beat the well-characterized villains and obstacles surrounding The Secret.

Sense and Madness: Pseudonymous Bosch deftly creates stories in which the mystery makes sense, yet you're constantly wondering what happens next. Full of unexpected plot twists that not only deepen the characters' troubles, but also move the plot forward in a timely manner, You Have to Stop This is the perfect story for the imaginative.

Decorated with Gilbert Ford's whimsical illustrations, You Have to Stop This is the ultimate book for anyone looking for a fun, smart, and suspenseful read.

 Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

(image via)

Goliath: Imagination Inducing

Another mini, syndicated Amazon.com review of mine. Sorry for the mini-ness. . . . it's because I've been busy tired lazy experimenting with the power and simplicity of shorter writings these days. :)

Oh, how I've missed the series! And how I'll miss it forever more!

Goliath is the ultimate conclusion to the thrilling, witty Leviathan Trilogy. All the characters you love - Alex, Deryn (aka Dylan), Dr. Barlow, Bovril, and Newkirk (Yes, he'll become of favorite character of yours in this book) - along with a few new ones mold together with vivid settings to create a imaginative, crisp universe.

Alex and Deryn, still aboard Leviathan, the sky's greatest Darwinist, DNA-mutant "beastie", struggle with their problems. Alex's problems? His parents are dead, his home taken away from him, he's the heir to Austria's throne, and he's a deeply confused Clanker, one of engine and steam upbringings, that is surrounded by a world of Darwinists. And Deryn's problems? She has a "barking" huge crush on Alex, but he's nobility and she's just a low commoner. Oh! And she's also a girl disguised as a boy, who will be kicked off Leviathan, her newfound home, and possible tried for treason if her secret's revealed. No biggie . . .

Already faced with unimaginable obstacles, Alex and Deryn's troubles reach a new level when the Leviathan makes a pit-stop and picks up a new passenger . . . Mr. Nikola Tesla, a complete mad-man, whose ideas of world peace involve great deaths. And with Mr. Tesla comes deception, truths, and more secrets.

Faced with brutal decisions, Alex and Deryn must each decide their own future. Becoming closer than ever before, Alex and Deryn start a "no secret" relationship. But will that be enough to save their friendship from the life-changing, life-destroying war that has already taken one too many victims?

Accented by Keith Thompson's stunning black-and-white illustrations, Goliath is a perfect tale that depicts an alternative past. Scott Westerfeld flawlessly relates Alex and Deryn's problems to the issues of our age. Goliath, abundant in imagery, adventure, humor, and wonder, is not a story to be missed.

Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars

(image via)