What's Happening this Month? "A is for..."

A is for...

1. An ARC (Advance Reading Copy) Review: Sweetly by Jackson Pearce
2. Adapting to Severe Change: Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes
3. Anthologies, Collections of Short Stories
4. An Alternate WWI: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld 
5. An Abundance of Admirable Books: Great Back-to-School Reads
6. An Announcement
7. Another Announcement
8. An Accompaniment to I Am Number Four: The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore
9. Traveling Back to Ancient Times: A Possible Review of The Missing Series by Margaret Peterson Haddix 
10. Astonishing Heat

A is for...
    11. AUGUST on The Bookshelf!

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The Results Are In! (Poll #8)

The readers of the newly redesigned The Bookshelf have voiced their opinions; the results to Poll #8 are in! Poll #8 addressed the topic of the ever-debatable and ever-changing market of eBooks and eReaders. I imagine everyone understands what eReaders and eBooks are by now, but for the theoretical few that may not, this previous post might be handy to you. 

Amazon Kindle

My views on eReaders and eBooks are mixed. On the one side, paper will always be my most favorite form of book. I enjoy holding the book in my hands, feeling the cover, turning the pages, and easily jumping from the front of the book to a page in the back. However, on the other side of my mind, the defendant side, I truly recognize that the material, the words, and the story are not at all different in the eBook format than the paper format. I also recognize that eReaders and eBooks aren’t leaving any time soon – they’re too popular to just stop existing one day. It is my hope that the paper book will share that same outcome. I do not think paper books will become obsolete because paper books have been around for thousands of years. The Amazon Kindle, the most popular eReader, was first released in 2007, just four years ago. I believe that a world with equal parts e- and paper books would be perfect.

Time for the poll results!

The question: What are your views on eReaders and eBooks?

And the results:

• They are the way of the future! Paper books are the past! 3 votes, 12%
• They're nice, but paper books are better. 12 votes, 50%
• I think both eBooks and paper books are excellent! 4 votes, 16%
• eBooks and eReaders are horrible! 2 votes, 8%
• I've never read an eBook, so I'm not sure. 3 votes, 12%

Nook Color

The clear winner is option number two, “eBooks = good, paper books = better”. Second place, and my personal opinion, is “eBooks = paper books = excellent!” Tied for third was “eBooks > paper books” and “eBooks = ?” Interestingly, there were only two votes for “eBooks are D:< ” compared to the three votes that “eBooks are :D” received. I like that option number two won because it says that both e- and paper books are good, but that eBooks and eReaders will need much improvement until they reach the level of awesome that is reserved for paper books.

Thank you so much for the total of twenty-four (twenty-four!) votes! Unfortunately, there will be no polls in August. But don’t fear! August will be filled with a great deal of reviews, recommendations, summaries, and news! A new poll, topic yet to be revealed, will be published in mid-September.

– Jacob 

(images via and via)

An Obituary for Borders

                Borders                           

Borders, 40-years-old, will be laid to rest later this year. He was pronounced dead on Monday, July 18th, 2011.

Borders, the second most visited bookstore in the United States, was a fighter to the end. Introducing many new products and ideas, Borders will be missed by many, especially in areas where he was the only major chain bookstore living. Trying to stay current and innovative, Borders made many attempts at new marketing and selling programs. However, in an uncertain business, rattled by a rocky economy and the ever-expanding eBook market, Borders was unable to make it. Still trying to please his millions of customers, Borders will be offering going-out-of-business sales throughout the rest of the summer and fall of 2011.

Beginning as just a single used bookstore in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Borders climbed his way up to success, creating a place, a home, where people of all ages could visit. Always encouraging reading and writing, Borders offered events, parties, and other engaging activities for the people of his community.

Borders is survived by his fellow book stores: Barnes and Noble; Books-A-Million, who will take Borders’s place as the second most visited bookstore in the U.S.; online stores such as, Amazon and Book Depository; and local independent book sellers.

It is unknown the official date of when the memorial service will be held. It is believed that after all liquidation sales are completed, separate services may be held at the locations of Borderses across the map.

In lieu of flowers, the family of Borders has requested that readers keep reading and book lovers remain loving.

Online condolences may be expressed to Borders’s family in the comments section.

 

My sincerest hope is that we remain in the hearts of readers for years to come.

– Mike Edwards, CEO of Borders

Poll #8: eReaders + eBooks

It’s reward time! After Poll #7’s absolutely smashing, record-breaking results, I thought it would be fun to have another poll, because they are a great way to for you, the readers of The Bookshelf, to participate and have your voices heard. I present to you Poll #8!

I imagine everyone has now heard of eReaders and eBooks (if not, please read this post) and the impact they have brought into both the literary and technological worlds. eReaders are devices, oft called “the iPods of books,” from which you can purchase and read eBooks. An eBook is an electronic copy of a regular book. The only difference is that you don’t get the full experience of a regular book with actual pages, designs, and (with some eReaders) color. Amazon.com introduced the first eReader, their famous Kindle, in 2007. The Kindle remains the most popular eReader on the market, surpassing the Barnes and Noble Nook, Sony Reader, and the Kobo eReader (I’m not including the iPod Touch, iPhone, and the iPad, because they’re considered more than eReaders). However, not only is Amazon’s Kindle the bestselling eReader; their eBook sales aren’t too shabby, either. On May 19th of this year, Amazon announced that, only after four years of selling eBooks, their eBooks sales surpassed the sales of their hardcover, “real,” paper books.

This news is monumental, especially with people saying that one day paper books will become obsolete, and that eBooks will take over for good. I, and many others, will be horrified if paper books become obsolete. I cannot envision a world without paper books. Imagine how different things would be: Would libraries lend eBooks instead? And bookstores? Would they all be online? Textbooks? Would every schoolchild be issued an eReader instead of an armload of textbooks? I own a Barnes and Noble Nook, and I use it fairly often (I buy probably fifteen books a year on it). However, nothing is more beautiful to me than “actual” paper books, available in a wide variety of shiny and muted colors, sitting on my bookshelf. Speaking of bookshelves, if paper books become extinct, will people even use the word “bookshelf” anymore? If not, what meaning will my blog’s title have?

the original Kindle

Please, don’t miss understand me; eBooks, in certain circumstances, can be very cool and very innovative. And, despite not being in paper, is the same book in both formats. And I suppose that should be the main concern: the writing, creativity, and thought in the book, not the format it arrives in. So, without further ado, Poll #8’s question:

What are your views on eReaders and eBooks? You can find the poll, along with its answer options above the “about me” section on the right side of the page. Please vote! The last poll was so successful, and I suspect this one will be nothing less! Make your vote and let your voice be heard, because the poll closes on July 31st at midnight!

Do you think eBooks are awesome? Or do you not want paper books to become obsolete? Now is the time to let your opinion out in a peaceful way. VOTE!

– Jacob

PS: You can find just about any book in eBook format these days. Even the Harry Potter series (final movie comes out on Friday!), which J.K. Rowling once insisted not to become eBooks, will be available in eBook format in October, through a website called Pottermore. For more eBook sale stats, please visit this website.

(images via and via)

The Results Are In! (Poll #7)

WE DID IT! Or rather, YOU DID IT! Here, in all its glittery, poorly designed glory are the results to the RECORD-BREAKING Poll #7! (For those of you, do not want to suffer the pain of reading my poorly designed monstrosity, you will find the written results of Poll #7 under the picture page spread.)

If you're wondering why there is a girl shooting a shark with a...harpoon gun (?), it's because it's the only (legal) online Guinness World Record page spread that worked with the information that I had....

Easy-to-read results:

First place: Yes, I may read a few books with thirteen votes! What a wonderful first place – it's not an extreme (like, "Yes, I'll be reading five hundred pages a day!" or on the other side of the spectrum, "No. Books disgust me."); it's a perfect medium.

Second and Third Places: Yes! I'll be reading throughout the summer (with ten votes) and Maybe, it depends on how busy I am (with six votes).

Last Place: With ZERO votes, No! Why would I read during the summer? Thankfully, there were zero votes. I mean, really? Whether you're into books or not, you'll probably be reading something over the summer: newspapers, Facebook status updates, cereal boxes, etc, etc. For those hypothetical people (since no one actually vote for this option), I dare you to count how many  times per day you read something. I imagine you'll be surprise.

Add up all the votes: 13 + 10 + 6... and you get TWENTY-NINE VOTES! A new record for The Bookshelf, with twelve votes more than the previous record (Poll #5 - seventeen votes). I am so proud of you guys (and girls)! You've set a difficult record to beat, but I have feeling that we can do it again next time! Look for Poll #8 arriving around mid July!

Thank you!

– Jacob

What's Happening this Month?

Happy July! Summer has been in progress for many days, many hot days, now! I’m sure many of you have visited the pool, or have been to the movies, or, maybe a lucky few of you, have visited some foreign countries. Whatever you have on your long list of planned things for this summer, summer reading should definitely be one of them. Whether you’re going to read because the “newness” of summer has begun to wear off, or if you’re going to read to make summer even more exciting, you can always find a list of great books right here on The Bookshelf! 

Starting off July right, on Monday, Independence Day, there will be a review of a great 4th of July read: Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson! Chains is a phenomenal perspective (written by a phenomenal author, might I add) of a young female slave during the Revolutionary War, the war from which the U.S. won its independence from Great Britain (not so Great now, are ya?). (I have to stop using parenthesis now. I don’t want to look too unprofessional.)

There will also be reviews of the following books: Countdown by Deborah Wiles – everybody should read this fun and smart book immediately; Mockingbird, a touching book about a child with autism, by Kathryn Erskine; and Wish You Were Dead, a mysterious, psychological murder mystery page-turner, by Todd Strasser.   

On to polls! The results of the RECORD-BREAKING Poll #7 will be published on Thursday, the seventh. As promised, it will be like the Guinness Book of World Records, but ten times greater (As long as you can look past poor graphic design… Drat! I’m using another set of parenthesis!) Poll #8 – We’re almost at double digits! – will be arriving in mid-July. The topic? Ereaders and Ebooks. [cue scary music] duh duh duh! You’ll hear my thoughts, my preferences, my likes, my dislikes, my compliments, my complaints, and my statements on Ereaders and Ebooks later this month.

(How do you spell “ereader”? Is it all one word? Two words? Hyphenated? Spelled with a lowercase “e” and an uppercase “R”?)

And July will end on a strong note, with STRONG Characters. Yep, that’s STRONG, in all caps. I will be writing about what it means to be a STRONG character in a book, how their thought processes work, and how they succeed, or at least face and overcome adversity. There will be three, maybe two, examples of STRONG female character and three/two examples of STRONG male characters from young adult novels. 

So. A Quick Summary for July: 4th of July Day book + review, three more definite reviews, polls and poll results, Ereaders (E-readers? e-Readers? e readers? eReaders?) and Ebooks poll/discussion, STRONG (all caps!) Characters, summer reading, and summer heat! 

– Jacob

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Poll #7: Summer Reading, Revisited

About a year and a month ago, I created the first poll for The Bookshelf, titled Summer Reading. Today, June 21st, is the first day of summer, so I thought it seemed fit to have another summer reading poll on The Bookshelf – a clone of the original. That's right; I'm republishing last year's post with the same question and the same answer options. Some may call this idea lazy, others may call it genius; a brilliant way to see the growth and development of a blog and its readers over a time period of one year. I prefer the latter opinion.    

With that being said, Poll #7 is up and ready to receive precious votes! Remember that we are trying to create a record number of votes on a single poll for The Bookshelf! The current record is taken by Poll #5: Books into Movies, with seventeen votes. We can do better than that! Even if we only make to eighteen votes, we will still have accomplished something. FYI, if the record is broken, a special results post will be posted. It will be like the Guinness Book of World Records, only ten times greater.

The question, same as last year's, Do you plan to read this summer? Following the question are four answer options, also the same as last year's. GO VOTE! If you can only do one thing on this blog, that one thing should be voting on this poll (And, you know, you should appreciate books and their book review counterparts, too...). As always, the poll is located on the right side of the page, above the "about me" section. The poll closes on Thursday, July 7th, so make sure to have your voice heard before time runs out!

The time for summer is here, as is the time for summer reading!

– Jacob

P.S: You may have noticed that this post is shorter than some of my more recent ones (i.e. all posts from this year). This is because, after reading the original, short Poll #1: Summer Reading post, I realized that their can be beauty in simplistic, yet meaningful posts. However, do not expect this to happen often.

Hey! You, yeah, you! Stop reading this postscript and go VOTE! (please.)

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The Results Are In! (Poll #6)

The readers of The Bookshelf have voiced their opinions – the results for the sixth poll, the enjoyment/unenjoyment/neutrality of graphic novels, are in! Graphic novels, known as comic books to many, are stories that are told with pictures. They come in many different forms. There is the original comic book with panels and speech bubbles; manga, which is a Japanese variation of the comic book that reads back-to-front and right-to-left (con.fus.ing); the average novel, with black and white pictures interspersed within the text (examples would be Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Happyface, a book I have reviewed); and there’s the simple picture book. 

Manga

I typically prefer the words of a story over the illustrations. However, the graphic novel is an ever-growing form of literature, art, and fandom. Graphic novels have created new readers and art addicts alike. Due to all the hype and all the expansion of graphic novels, I decided to challenge myself by reading one this month. I chose a graphic novel that would be of interest to me: Anne Frank, the Graphic Biography. Earlier this month I reviewed the original heart-breaking and inspiring novel. I decided that I would like to experience the wonderful tale of willpower and resilience in a different format. A review of Anne Frank, the Graphic Biography will published later today.

On to the results!

The question: Do you like graphic novels? The answer options and results:

• Yes! They are the only books I read! 2 votes, 15%
• Yes, I enjoy both novels and graphic novels. 4 votes, 30%
• They’re OK. The pictures are nice, but I prefer the words. 5 votes 38%
• No, I don’t read books with pictures. 2 votes, 15%

A collection of comic book onomatopoeia

I’m happy to see that all answer options were voted for; a great sense of a variety of different readers is found on this blog. I’m also happy to see that the third option won because that is my views on graphic novels also! Thirteen votes were recorded for The Bookshelf’s sixth poll. Thirteen is the second highest amount of votes on any poll on The Bookshelf – only to be beat out by Poll #5: Books into Movies, with seventeen votes. Thank you, thank you (thank you) so much to everyone who voted, but I know we can do better! I’m offering an opportunity for us to make a record number of votes on the next poll. That’s right; on Tuesday Poll #7 will be published! It will be open until early/mid July – plenty of time for us to establish a new record for The Bookshelf!

(images via and via)

Poll #6: Graphic Novels

The graphic novel is an ever-expanding form of literature. Originally only available in the form of the comic book, graphic novels were typically only read by “nerds” and “geeks” and the occasional “dweeb.” However, now the term graphic novel has expanded its definition. Many people, new to both graphic novels and reading itself, have recently discovered the joy of graphic novels and the different varieties in which they are presented. Of course, there’s the original comic book, but there’s also manga, a Japanese form of graphic novels, read from back to front and right to left (talk about confusing…); there’s the novel with pictures, usually black and white, interspersed (think Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Happyface, a book I reviewed); and lastly there’s the picture book – the simple story with simple sentences with simple words. As you can see, graphic novels are a growing form of both literature and art; a storm that has gripped people of all ages.

Manga

I have mentioned previously that I do not care for this form of literature. I greatly prefer words, and the power and wisdom that they offer, over illustrations. After reading Happyface, by Stephen Emond, my stance on graphic novels changed slightly. But Happyface was an exceptionally written novel, with pictures added here and there. So, I suppose I will be able to tolerate the novels with added pictures from now on.  But what about the comics and manga? Unfortunately, I do not see myself liking those types of graphic novels; too many pictures, not enough words.

However, I am always open to new ideas and formats when it comes to books. So for this month of June I, and you, the readers of The Bookshelf, hopefully alongside me, will be reading one graphic novel. Since this is going to be tough for me – I have a difficult time focusing while reading an uninteresting book – I have chosen to read a graphic novel that might appeal to me: Anne Frank, the Graphic Biography. It is an authorized, sponsored the Anne Frank House, edition of The Diary of a Young Girl. I thought it would be appropriate to choose Anne Frank because I just recently reviewed the original edition of the inspiring, heart-stealing diary. This edition of Anne Frank is written/illustrated as a comic book; it has panels and speech bubbles, but still reads front to back, left to right. I will be publishing a review on this edition of The Diary of a Young Girl, however, the review will not focus on the content of the story, but more on the illustrations, the imagery, and how it compares to the original. 

The review for the graphic novel edition of Anne Frank will be published June 18th, the same day that…wait for it…Poll #6 ends! Yes, the wait is finally over (and I know some of you have been waiting a long time)! Today, I present to you a new poll, one that will be asking your opinion on graphic novels! Don’t worry if you’ve never read a graphic novel before, or if you’ve only read one specific type, or even if you are just learning about graphic novels; everyone’s opinion is valuable. 

The question: Do you like graphic novels? You can find the answer options – and vote too! – above the “about me” section on the right side of the page. Vote now! The poll closes on June 18th!

(images via and via)

What's Happening this Month?

May is over, and June, along with the summer heat that it brings, is in full swing! Last month was Favorite Author Month on The Bookshelf. This month will be bringing many new reviews, recommendations, and, yes, finally, polls to The Bookshelf. Summer officially starts on June 21st, but summer reading starts now!

Summer (or late spring – what it is right now) is a great time to enjoy a novel outside in the fresh air, or a great time to enjoy a novel inside your home, 65 degrees, in front of a fan, set on high. Either way, summer brings many opportunities to enjoy great books and read reviews about great books right here on The Bookshelf.

This month will feature reviews of Divergent, an engaging book about identity and decisions, by Veronica Roth and The Diary of a Young Girl, the world’s most famous primary source of World War Two’s horrible extermination of Jews, by Anne Frank. In addition to these two reviews, more reviews will be coming towards the mid and the end of June. 

Reviews are nice (very nice, in my opinion), but I’m sure you must be wondering, “What happened to the polls?” I know, I know – I promised new polls in both March and May, and I didn’t follow up with my promises. However, June will be different. I have two polls already pre-planned – pre-planned so I can’t make up an excuse saying that, “Oops! I forgot!” Expect the first of June’s polls on… okay, maybe I shouldn’t give an exact date, just in case I can’t make the date. Despite not having an official date, polls will be put into place soon.

A Quick Summary for June: Two definite reviews, more reviews are highly likely to be posted, two polls, summer heat, and fun. 

– Jacob 

(Image courtesy of Donna Hopkins, PatchWork Photos)

One Year Ago...

One year ago, I was one year younger.

One year ago, the average word count for my posts was about 300.

One year ago, my writing was juvenile.

One year ago, I didn’t exactly know, where, to, place, commas.

One year ago, I placed emoticons at inappropriate places. :)  ;P >:(

(and parentheses, too)

One year ago, I didn’t realize that “The arrow affected the aardvark. The effect was eye-popping,”

or that “Sue accepted all party invitations, except ones from George.”

One year ago, this blog was all white and bland.

One year ago, I used the words, “thought-provoking” and “intriguing” way too much.

One year ago, I blogged about uninteresting topics, such as insecticides, and 

made impossible goals, like reading only classic books over the summer.

One year ago, I discovered the word novella and didn’t stop saying it for an entire week.

One year ago, I created the goal that I would inform the world of great books.

One year ago today, I created The Bookshelf: Book Reviews, Recommendations, and News

by Jacob Hopkins.

And I would say that it’s been a pretty good year.

Stats, Part II

Last August, I shared with you some of the various statistics of The Bookshelf and its viewers. Now it is May, one day before The Bookshelf’s first birthday, and I’m ready to share with you some new, more accurate stats about this, in my opinion, great book blog.

The Bookshelf has been receiving more pageviews, more comments, and more foreign visitors than ever before. Below, I have separated the various stats into different paragraphs:

Pageviews: They generally range from 30-65 per day, but they are very inconsistent. For example, on May 1st, I received 41 pageviews, then on May 2nd, 34 pageviews, and on May 3rd, only 16 pageviews. At first, I assumed days that I posted on would have a higher amount of pageviews than those that I didn’t. However, May 1st had the most pageviews out of any day in the first week of May, and I didn’t post anything that day. I didn’t post anything the day before, either. Oddly, I did post on both the 2nd and the 3rd. That’s some strange stuff. 

The Bookshelf on an iPhone

Search Engines and Keywords: About thirty viewers have found my blog through Google and another seven through Bing. I’m so happy to see that I’m “search-able”. That’s great (and in retrospect, a little creepy, too)! What I find strange is what search keywords are used to find my blog. Of course, there’s the obvious ones, like “the bookshelf jacob hopkins”, “the bookshelf jake hopkins”, and “the bookshelf jacob”. But then there are the odd ones, which people clearly weren’t intending to find a book review blog with. For example, “film reel tattoo” (I do have a picture of a film reel on the Books into Movies poll page), “happyface emond” (I wrote a review of this book), and “what is the book before the throne of fire” (which I blatantly answered here, “…from The Red Pyramid, the book before The Throne of Fire…”).

Web Browsers: Mozilla Firefox leads the competition with a little over 50% of the pageviews. Internet Explorer comes in second, with 36% of the pageviews. Apple’s Safari web browser is third, Google Chrome is fourth, and Java is trailing along at the end with fifth place.

Operating Systems: As expected, there’s the usuals, Microsoft Windows, Apple’s Macintosh, and the lesser known Linux. What I’m really excited about, is that I have 23 pageviews from iPods/iPhones and one pageview from both a Blackberry and an iPad. I think it’s so cool that someone is reading my blog on a portable device. They could be risking their lives, looking at their mobile devices while driving, for me and my book blog. Not that I recommend web browsing while driving….

Foreign Visitors: I saved the best for last! The majority of my blog viewers come from the U.S., but I also receive pageviews from several other countries. Shall I list them all? I shall: Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom and Vietnam. That means, including the U.S., I receive pageviews from twenty-five countries. Twenty-five! That’s twenty-two more than last August, when I published my first stats post. Excluding the U.S., Russia has the most amount of pageviews, followed by Canada in second and South Korea in third. Please, please, please keep visiting foreign visitors. I wish I could thank all of you individually. Hopefully, a big group thank you will suffice – please see a “Thank You!” message on the right side of the blog, under the blog archive.

I believe that I have covered all statistics that are made available to me. Now it’s time to prepare for tomorrow’s one year birthday. But before I leave, I must give a HUGE “thank you” to everyone everywhere who has visited, commented, or voted on The Bookshelf. I am honored to have had such a successful first year, but I would have been lost without you, the readers.

Thank you,

Jacob 

(images via and via and via)

It's Favorite Author Month!

Rick Riordan

For the month of May, it will be Favorite Author Month on The Bookshelf! After doing some research, I became very disappointed. There's Favorite Book Month, Banned Books Week, Children Book Month, and Literacy Month, but there is no Favorite Author Month. I believe a Favorite Author(s) Month should be created because without authors, where are the books? Authors deserve recognition for the hard work and thought process that they put into their books!

Neal Shusterman

I thought May would be a great month to honor the favorite authors of mine, because it is also my Blogiversary Month (blogiversary - cool word, huh?) All this month I will be writing reviews and recommendations of books written by my favorite authors. Some of my favorites include Neal Shusterman, Ally Condie, Suzanne Collins, Gary D. Schmidt, Rick Riordan, Markus Zusak, John Green, Jackson Pearce, and Maggie Stiefvater.You can see their pictures scattered around this post. I though the best way to draw attention to these marvelous writers would be to create reviews that will not only praise their books, but also praise them as authors and individuals, too.

Ally Condie

Wondering how you, the readers of The Bookshelf, can celebrate Favorite Authors Month, too? It's easy:  Read your favorite books, visit the websites/blogs of your favorite authors, tell friends about the best books you've ever read, buy a new book by one of your favorite authors (authors benefit financially and spiritually when they see their fans purchasing their books), visit the library and ask the librarian for books similar to those that you enjoy, post about some of your favorite books right here on The Bookshelf in the comment section! The possibilities are endless! Just have fun and enjoy the books that you are reading. And when you're thinking, "Wow! This book is amazing!", remember the author, and just think about what an incredible person this must be to have written such a stellar book!

Because that's what Favorite Author Month is all about: reading and discovering favorite books and being so happy that someone, an author, put a certain story down on paper for the whole world to read.

What's Happening this Month?

Attention, attention! All readers near and far get ready, because The Bookshelf, on May 16th, will be turning one-year-old! I am so proud of all the progress that The Bookshelf, and I, have made. Looking at previous posts from last year, I can see how much I've grown and developed compared to newer, more recent posts. I have discovered amazing books, enhanced my writing skills, and have developed an (even) greater respect for literature. But most importantly, I believe I am starting to complete my goal: to inform the world of great books.

I am receiving more and more page views, from twenty plus countries, I am reaching out to people on different ends of the globe, I am discovering what a huge world it truly is out there, and how the people of that world can meet together and share and discuss and seek on one simple book blog. The Bookshelf is slowly, but steadily, becoming one of these meeting places. I am proud, and I am in awestruck of all of the book lovers, young, old, new, shy, loud, and all of the different literature they like, fiction, non-, realistic, fantasy, mystery, romance, poetry. For it is not me or the web or even books that keep this blog alive. It is the readers, the viewers, the commenters, the praise"ers", and the criticizers that keep this blog alive and thriving.

Thank you.

There will be many posts special just to The Bookshelf and me this month. Look forward to reviews/recommendations of Gary D. Schmidt, a favorite author of mine, a review of The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan, another favorite author, a review of Unwind by Neal Shusterman, yet another (no surprise!) favorite author, and I'm sure a few more reviews of spectacular books. (Maybe I'll make this month favorite authors month. Hmmm...) Also on the horizon: part 2 of last year's Stats, a new poll featuring graphic novels (aka, comic books!), and, most endearing to me, a poem-ish post on May 16th about all that happened in one year.

There you have it! May will most certainly be a historical month for The Bookshelf! Once again, thank you to all my readers, and I hope that I will continue to post here for quite some time.

- Jacob Hopkins

(image courtesy of Donna Hopkins, PatchWork Photos)

The Results Are In! (Poll #5)

The readers of The Bookshelf have voiced their opinions, and the results of the fifth poll are in! After reading and reviewing I Am Number Four, which is now a movie, I was inspired to create a poll to see how other people like their favorite (or even not so favorite) books being adapted into movie form. I believe it is safe to say that no one thinks the movie adaptions are better than the books, but there are a few movies that stay pretty truthful to the book counterpart. However, in my opinion, the number of movie disasters that don't stay truthful to the books greatly outnumber those that do. Head on over to this post to read more about a very fragile subject, deep and personal to me...

On to the results! The question: What's your view on books being made into movies? And the results:

• They're great - I love seeing my favorite books on the big screen! 0 votes, 0%
• They can be pretty good, but often don't stay truthful to the book. 11 votes, 64%
• I don't watch them because I know they won't be good. 4 votes, 23%
• Two words: absolutely horrible! 2 votes, 11%

As you can see, option numero dos is the winner, with well over half of the votes. This is how I, and according to this poll, everyone else, think about books being made into movies; they can be good, but only if the Hollywood puts in the effort to stay truthful to the book. Thankfully, no one voted for option number one (it pained me to type that option). Second and third place were I don't see them at all and horrible!, respectively.

And the biggest win, well at least for me, was that seventeen people voted - a NEW RECORD for The Bookshelf. Thanks, you guys. I just may have to publish an extra, reward poll sometime soon (hint, hint).

Poll #5: Books Into Movies

Since reviewing I Am Number Four, which is being adapted into movie to be released later this month, I’ve had the concept of books into movies in my mind. I think it’s fair to say that the book is almost always better than its movie counterpart, but some movie adaptions hold pretty close to the original book. And there are those that are so far away from the book, it might as well be a whole different story.

The Harry Potter film series is a great example of how a movie can be truthful to the book. They’re not entirely the same, but awfully close. And with the release of the last Harry Potter movie this year, Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows Part II, it’s going to be sad to know that there probably won’t be any more truthful and accurate adaptions for a while.

A good, or bad, example of bad movie adaptions of books is last year’s release of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. I really shouldn’t talk about this because I’ll just rant on forever, never stopping. Let’s just say I, and millions of others, were greatly upset by the direction they took with the film. And it shows in the critics’ reviews, too. What was really upsetting was that it was directed by Chris Columbus, the same guy that directed the first two Harry Potter films and produced the third (however, he did not discover the New World). I just guess I expected more.

So, you get what I’m saying? Books into movies can be really good or really bad. And I suppose I can see why; most move scripts are 90-175 pages, not like books which are, typically, 250-800 pages. Also, movie producers want to try to make the story their own, unique and special, so I can see how that would cause some changes in the movies, too.

Anyways, let’s get to the main point of this post: the unveiling of a new poll! This is the fifth poll on The Bookshelf, and it’s about the adaption of books into movies and what you, the readers of The Bookshelf, think about them. The poll, as usual, is located on the right side of the page, under the “about me” section. Please, please, please vote! There’s no reason not to – you don’t have to be eighteen to vote here! So far there’s no official, set in concrete, poll closing date yet, but I’m thinking maybe March 12th?

To thank you for reading this unnecessarily too long post, I have included some info about upcoming books into movies release dates in 2011:

I Am Number Four, Feb. 18

Beastly, March 4

Water for Elephants, April 22

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II, July 15

The Help, Aug. 12

Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I, Nov. 18

Hugo Cabret, Dec. 9

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Dec. 21 (this is actually the second adaptation of this book)

...

And just because I’m excited about this one,

The Hunger Games, March 23, 2012!

I cannot wait for The Hunger Games movie, if you can’t tell.

Well that’s it, now go vote!

ALA's Midwinter Conference

Every year the American Library Association, ALA, has a midwinter conference. Usually held in January, these conferences provide many seminars, courses, and award shows for the members of ALA, educators, and authors. One of the most anticipated segments of the midwinter conference is the announcement of the ALSC, Association of Library Service to Children, and the YALSA, Young Adult Library Services Association, Award Winners. Awards that are received include, the John Newbery Medal for children's literature, the Michael L. Printz Award for young adult literature, the Randolph Caldecott Medal for illustrators, and the Coretta Scott King Award for African American authors and illustrators. I am most excited about the Newberry and Printz awards, because the winning books best fit my interest reading level.

I have decided to include the Newbery and Printz winners and honors (runner-ups) on this post, so you, the readers of The Bookshelf, will be aware of some of the most prestigious books to read this year.

John Newbery Medal Winner and Honors:

• Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool: WINNER, Twelve-year-old Abilene Tucker is the daughter of a drifter who, in the summer of 1936, sends her to stay with an old friend in Manifest, Kansas, where he grew up, and where she hopes to find out some things about his past.

• Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm: HONOR, In 1935, when her mother gets a job housekeeping for a woman who does not like children, eleven-year-old Turtle is sent to stay with relatives she has never met in far away Key West, Florida.

• Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus: HONOR, Fast-paced and full of adventure, this fascinating, true story is based on a real incident that occurred in 1841, and follows a young Japanese boy as he travels from Japan to America and back to Japan.

• Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman: HONOR, Welcoming her readers into the “wild, enchanted park” that is the night, Joyce Sidman has elegantly crafted twelve poems rich in content and varied in format. Companion prose pieces about nocturnal flora and fauna are as tuneful and graceful as the poems. This collection is “a feast of sound and spark.”

  

• One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia: HONOR, The voices of sisters Delphine, Vonetta and Fern sing in three-part harmony in this wonderfully nuanced, humorous novel set in 1968 Oakland, Calif. One crazy summer, the three girls find adventure when they are sent to meet their estranged poet-mother Cecile, who prints flyers for the Black Panthers.

Michael L. Printz Award Winner and Honors:

• Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi: WINNER, Near a drowned New Orleans ravaged by hurricanes and global warming, Nailer and his young crew eke out a meager existence by scavenging materials on the ship-littered coast.

• Stolen by Lucy Christopher: HONOR, While on a layover at Bangkok Airport, 16-year-old Gemma, the unknowing object of a long obsession, is kidnapped by Ty and stolen away to the Australian Outback.

• Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S King: HONOR, Vera Dietz wants to be ignored, but the ghost of her ex-best friend won’t leave her alone in this dark comedy that examines relationships, identity, grief and flowcharts.

• Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick: HONOR, In this grim, chilling story set in the Arctic Circle, Sig finds his father’s frozen corpse as human predator Wolff arrives seeking retribution and a hidden Gold Rush treasure.

• Nothing by Janne Teller: HONOR, Pierre Anthon’s nihilism causes his classmates to begin a search for life’s meaning in this bold, unsettling parable translated from Danish.
  

There you have it! I would highly suggest clicking the link on the title for each book; it provides a much more descriptive summary, especially with the last one, Nothing. That summary was the best short one I could find for this modern-day Lord of the Flies. Nothing is an amazing book, different, but most certainly amazing. I plan to post a review on it soon. My personal favorite on these two lists is Please Ignore Vera Dietz. I read it about a week ago, and it is, so far, the best book I've read this year (and once again the short summary does not suffice this fantastic piece of literature). On my to-read list: Moon Over Manifest, One Crazy Summer, and Stolen.

I hope I've provided you with useful suggestions as to what to read this new year, and that this extra long post has not scared some of you away. :)

Best Books of 2010

It's that time of the year again. The time that I publish my annual "Best Books of [insert year]" list. I have included my list in this post, so you, the readers of The Bookshelf, can see what I enjoyed this year, and perhaps get suggestions of what you might want to read in 2011.

The best book that I read this year was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I did a review of The Book Thief earlier in the year, and it is one of the best books that I have ever read.

Onto the list...

Notice the asterisk. As it says at the bottom of the document, this means that all of these books were read in 2010, but not necessarily in 2010. So, that explains why Catching Fire, book 2 of The Hunger Games, which was published in 2009, is on the list (It got second place!).

Which brings me to the second symbol on the list: the dagger. The dagger represents that only one book, per series, per year could make it onto the list. So, that explains why Catching Fire is on the list and Mockingjay, the final book of The Hunger Games is not (they were both, however, excellent reads).



Sorry... the spacing is a little off. It was changed slightly, because I had to move it from Word to Blogger.

If you're interested in other best book lists, here's a few: Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Publisher's Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, and The New York Times.

2010 has been a fantastic year for The Bookshelf. Here's to a new, joyful, book-filled 2011!

National Book Festival 2010

Last Saturday, September 25th, I visited the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. The National Book Festival is an annual event, that has occurred every September since 2001. It takes place on the National Mall, a big stretch of grassy land between the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol (no, it's not a shopping mall). There was numerous tents spread out across the mall, each serving a different purpose. There were huge tents that were titled with a genre of fiction (or nonfiction), like Poetry and Prose, Mystery and Thrillers, and Teens and Children. At these tents you could listen to some of your favorite authors talk about themselves and their writings. I was able to listen to Suzanne Collins, the critically acclaimed and internationally best-selling author of The Hunger Games trilogy. Her tent was PACKED with eager fans (we probably created a fire hazard). I enjoyed hearing Suzanne Collins speak, and was even more excited to have her sign (stamp) my books.

At the Capitol end of the mall, there was twenty little tents where authors sat and signed their novels for excited fans. I went to the Festival last year, so my family and I were prepared for the long, no not long, ginormously (yes, spell check, it is a word. your little red line will not defeat me) long lines. There was an estimate 130,000 plus people at the Festival this year, and it seemed like every single one of them was in line to get their copy of Mockingjay signed by Suzanne Collins. Luckily, I got in line three hours early and was second in line! Unfortunately, due to a carpel tunnel injury, Collins was unable to sign her books. But, she did have an ultra, extra-special stamp designed especially for her book tour. You could hardly tell that it wasn't the real thing (see photo below)!

The National Book Festival also had tents with games for little kids, and a big book sales tent that sold books by the authors that attended the Festival. There was row, upon row of copies of Mockingjay. You can see for yourself in the photos below.

me, with my signed (stamped) Mockingjay

Mockingjays!

Suzanne Collins

The New York Times Bestseller List

Every week The New York Times publishes several lists of bestselling books. There are several lists, because each list is for a different category. For example, there's a fiction list, a nonfiction list, a children's list, a graphic novel list, etc.

Being a Times bestseller is a huge accomplishment for an author and the publishing company. The publisher's are so proud that they often say on the cover of the author's book, New York Times Bestselling Book, or New York Times Bestselling Author.

If you don't receive The New York Times, the bestseller list is also available online. I have included the link below. The online edition of the bestseller list is updated every Saturday. I would highly recommend that you check out the list. In addition to seeing what books are popular, The Times writes reviews for books that they feel deserve a review. They may write a review for a book they feel is superb, but they may also write a review for a book that is highly criticized, or is often considered provocative.

The New York Times bestseller list is another great way to discovered great books.

The New York Times Bestseller List