Tom Sawyer: An American Classic

There's something about a book that has mischievous, adventurous, neighborhood kids, that gets you hooked. I'm not sure what it is, but I know that I really enjoyed The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Throughout the story, the readers follow the life of twelve-year-old Tom, as he becomes pals with Huckleberry Finn, falls in love with Becky Thatcher, and deals with his family: his aunt Polly, brother Sid, and cousin Mary. Tom is great at persuading people to do things. Whether it's his attitude, personality, or ability to make something so dull, look so pleasing, Tom always seems to get what he wants.

When this book was first published, it was considered to be only a children's book; an adult wouldn't dare read it. However, this book is more than just a tale about kids getting into trouble and cracking jokes. This book has much more meaning. Here's an excerpt from Tom Sawyer's famous fence painting scene:

Tom said to himself that it was not such a hollow world, after all. He had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it-namely, that in order to make a man or boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain. ...
Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and that Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.

-Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

What can we get from this excerpt? The answer: that Mark Twain was an intelligent man, and that Tom Sawyer is no ordinary children's book. How many times have you opened a children's book, and found a quote like that? A quote that challenges how we look at the world, and alters our thoughts.

Thank you Mark Twain for writing such a great book for people of all ages.

Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars

Enter the World of eReaders

The world of reading has recently entered a new level, as eBooks and eReaders have becoming more and more popular. eReaders have been known as "the ipod for books", because it's just that: an electronic device that lets you store thousands of books, just like an ipod stores thousands of songs.

eReaders have a screen that displays the book, the words. However, unlike a computer monitor, or a phone screen, you won't get any eye strains from looking at the screen too long. This is because eReaders use E Ink. The reader's E Ink display means it uses special technology that makes the screen look just like paper. E Ink also makes the screen have no glare, so you can read in a low-light area, or in a bright, sunny area.

Most eReaders have an application that allows you to purchase eBooks, eNewspapers, and eMagagzines. It's really easy: for most readers you set up an online account (where you give credit and gift card info.), you open the app (often called the store/shop), browse through reading materials, find something you like, press the BUY button, and it will be delivered to you in under 60 seconds. That's quick!

Depending on which eReader you have, you may have special features. I own the Barnes & Noble Nook (upper left picture). Some of the extra features it has are, 2 screens-one of them a touchscreen and in color, games-chess and sudoku, a web browser, a music player-to play music while reading, and the ability to upload and read Word and .pdf files.

I personally love the Nook, but there are other eReaders out there, too. The one that started it all was the Amazon Kindle (middle right picture), there's the Sony Reader, and a new one called the Kobo (lower left picture). The Kobo will be sold through Borders Booksellers.

While these readers are certainly high-tech and convenient, they will never replace the feeling of a real book. I love my Nook, but I still read more real, paper books. eReaders have certainly changed how the public looks at books, but I don't think it will ever surpass the essence of a paper book.

Also...I have decided not to write Incarceron's review until summer. I have recently started my summer reading theme, classic books, with The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. I hope to finish and review this classic soon.

Poll #1: Summer Reading

I've been in the summer spirit lately, so I decided to make a summer reading poll. This is the first poll on The Bookshelf, and hopefully many more will come. The poll question is Do you plan to read this summer? Following the question are four answer options.

Please vote. The poll is located on the right side of the blog, under the "about me" section. The poll closes June 5th, so enter your vote soon! I would very much like to hear the responses of my readers.

Summer isn't far away, and neither is summer reading!

Read All Over

It's official: I am very excited. A new used bookstore has recently opened up in Downtown Fredericksburg. This store, called Read All Over, is a quiet, little book nook. It has a red awning (and other red things) to display its name, and is filled with great books. Like many other used bookstores, I found Read All Over very original. There were books displayed in unique fashions, novels that could not be found anywhere else, and peaceful music playing in the background.

One section that caught my attention, was an area of the store that had classic books. Included in this section were, Pride and Prejudice, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Peter Pan, Anna Karenina, Jane Eyre, and all the Shakespeare plays. They were all reprinted in paperback, with nice, new cover illustrations. They were the originals, not adapted forms.

I have decided that it will be a goal for me this summer to read some of these classic works of literature, and review them on this blog. I would very much like to read and love these books that shaped modern literature. Who knows, I may even venture out, and read the long War and Peace by Tolstoy. :)

What I'm Reading (05/18/10)

Happy Tuesday!



I'm currently reading a book called Incarceron by Catherine Fisher. It's a young adult, alternate future, dystopia book. I have been very interested in these genres lately, and I hope I will like this book. Here's a synopsis from the publisher:

Incarceron is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells, but also metal forests, dilapidated cities, and vast wilderness. Finn, a seventeen-year-old prisoner, has no memory of his childhood and is sure that he came from Outside Incarceron. Very few prisoners believe that there is an Outside, however, which makes escape seems impossible.
And then Finn finds a crystal key that allows him to communicate with a girl named Claudia. She claims to live Outside- she is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, and doomed to an arranged marriage. Finn is determined to escape the prison, and Claudia believes she can help him. But they don't realize that there is more to Incarceron than meets the eye. Escape will take their greatest courage and cost more than they know.

I will write a review of Incarceron when I am finished.

Silent Spring: A Book That Changed America

I recently had to read a book, Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, for my Science class. When my teacher first gave me the book, I was unsure whether I was going to enjoy it. I was afraid that it would be too boring, because it is a nonfiction book about an insecticide, DDT. And don’t forget it was published in 1962-almost fifty years ago! What I didn’t know was that this book would change my thoughts of nature completely. What I didn’t know was that this book inspired the U.S. government to outlaw the use of DDT, a dangerous insecticide. What I didn’t know was that I would truly enjoy this book.

Silent Spring talks about every organism that was affected by DDT. It talks about the fish in the rivers, bleeding to death, about the birds in the sky, their wings paralyzed leaving them flightless. It talks about cattle, geese, honeybees, dogs, pigs, and the worst, humans. Yes, DDT, an insecticide that’s meant to kill only insects, affects humans, too. DDT had left thousands of humans with nerve damage, blood clots, blurred vision, and kidney and liver failure.

Ten years following the release of Silent Spring, the U.S. Congress banned the use of DDT. Without Rachel Carson’s writing and extensive research, DDT would probably still be used today. Since finishing this book, I have a great respect for Rachel Carson, and a new way of looking at insecticides.

"To a large extent, the physical form and the habits of the earth's vegetation and its animal life have been molded by the environment. Considering the whole span of earthly time, the opposite effect, in which life actually modifies its surroundings, has been relatively slight. Only within the moment of time represented by the present century has one species-man-acquired significant power to alter the nature of his world."

- Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

Rating: 4.2 out of 5 stars

ALA's 100 Most Banned/Challenged Books

A few weeks ago the American Library Association released a list of the 100 most banned and challenged books of the past decade (2000-2009). Topping this list is the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. It's interesting to see the reasons why these books were put on the list. Harry Potter was put on this list due to complaints about Satanism, violence, religious viewpoints, and anti-family. What I think is that those people who are complaining are being too picky. I mean anti-family? Really? But that's just my opinion.

Also on the list: His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson, and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor.

I noticed that almost every book on that list has been or is a popular, bestselling book. Many of the books are also some of the most loved books of all time. Maybe the more popular a book gets, the more unpopular it gets, too. And maybe not every book is meant for everyone.

I do agree that some of the books on this list are "eyebrow raisers", but whether they should be banned? That's up to you.

The Red Pyramid: A Disappointment

It is very rare for me not to finish a book. Unfortunately, this past week I was unable to finish a book. I was expecting so much from The Red Pyramid, Book 1 in Rick Riordan's new Egyptian mythology series, The Kane Chronicles. I was positive that is was going to be as stellar as Riordan's previous Greek myth series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. However, those dreams were shattered at about page 300. I was so disappointed, that I didn't read the last 200 pages. I found many things wrong with this book. I thought the fact that it was a transcript from an audio recording was odd. I thought the character development was poor. I found the book very bland, with not enough vivid, descriptive settings, and lastly, the plot seemed too similar to Percy Jackson's. At many times the characters and storyline were almost identical, except for it being an Egyptian equivalent. I am very sad that Rick Riordan did not live up to his full potential. I will not be reading his books again.

Rating: 2.0 out of 5 stars

Jane Austen for the Young and Skeptical

I have recently read two unusual books: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. These two books take Austen's originals and add in pop culture phenomena. While some may view this as a disgrace to the originals, it opens up opportunities for a new generation. I found these books fun, delightful, and quirky (hence the series name: Quirk Classics). I kept thinking to myself that, "these books would be soooo boring without the monsters". However, that is a comment coming from the younger generation. :) Also, be on the lookout for Android Karenina, coming in June!

Without Further Ado...

Without further ado, I introduce my brand new blog.
The Bookshelf is a place where you can find book reviews, recommendations, and news. I am fairly new to the blogging world, so my blog will most certainly not be perfect. I appreciate your understanding on this matter. There will be no set date for each new post; they will be released sporadically. I hope you enjoy this new blog and all it has to offer.

- Jacob Hopkins