Poll #2: Reading in the Skies

In less than one week I'll be aboard an airplane, traveling to Paris. It's going to be a long flight (depart at 7pm, arrive at 8:30am), and for the few hours when I'm not asleep, I'll need something to do. Usually when going on an airplane, I bring my ipod, magazines, and, of course, books. However, despite my love for books, I sometimes find it difficult to read on an airplane. Maybe it's the loud, roar of the engine, or the distracting view outside the window. Or maybe, it's the movie playing during the flight. The movie, while silent to those with no headphones, can still be distracting. The last time I was on a plane, Spider Man was playing, and I couldn't help but look up at the screen every 2 or 3 minutes.

All this talk of airplanes leads to my poll question: Do you read on an airplane? The question is followed by four answer options. Like last time, you can find the poll under the "about me" section. Please vote; I enjoy seeing how my readers' opinions differ from my own.

As I said earlier, I'll be vacationing in Paris. I'll also be going to Provence, France and Barcelona, Spain. I'll be going with my French teacher, and some of her other students. Unfortunately, I'll be gone from the 19th to the 28th, so there will be ten days with no posts! I promise to publish double my usual amount of posts when I return! :)

A Passion for Poison

I'm currently deep into the book, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. It's book one in the Flavia de Luce series, a series about an eleven-year-old chemist. Flavia, the main character, is one of three daughters to a widower, in the year 1950. Upon moving into their current house, Flavia discovered chemistry books in the house's library, and an abandoned laboratory near her bedroom. Since then, she has realized her excellence in chemistry, performing many tasks that would be difficult for even a beginning chemist.

Flavia is a very curious, adventurous, intelligent girl, so when a strange string of events occur, she can't help but judge the situation herself. The strange events start with a dead bird arriving on the de luce's doorstep. This would not be odd, except for the fact that a postage stamp was through the beak of the bird. Next, Flavia overhears her father talking to a strange man about murders, possibly committed by her father. And lastly, she finds a dead man in their cucumber patch, the same man that that was talking to her father.

Flavia begins to use her chemistry skills to solve the puzzle, while possibly changing her thoughts of her family at the same time. Flavia is introduced to a part of her life that she never knew existed.

While I have yet to finish this book, I'm writing a recommendation for it, because I can tell it's going to be (and is) great. This witty, intriguing mystery is intended for adults, but can be read by people of all ages. This book, published by a Canadian author, has also won the Canadian Dagger award.

Also...be on the lookout for another poll coming soon!

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter: A Fictional Bio

A fictional biography. It's not often that you hear that, but that's exactly what Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is. This book acts as a biography of our 16th President's life. However, it's not the story you've learned in school. This bio is about Abe's life as a vampire hunter. This bio tells his life exactly how it originally happened, but with added vampires.
***SPOILERS BELOW***

In the introduction, there is a narrative piece from the author. He claims to have received ten journals, all written by Abe. He then uncovers the truth about Lincoln's life, and begins to write a book about it. From that point on in the book, the reader is reading the finished book that the author wrote. The book tells about how Abe's mom was killed by a vampire. How he swore to kill every vampire in America, subsequently becoming a vampire hunter. He kills every vampire that comes his way, until one day something changed in his life; his first child is born. He then realizes that his life is too important, and if he were to be killed by a vampire, he would leave a child fatherless. So, he fights vampires another way: with words and politics. He becomes a phenomenal public speaker, which helps him win the presidential race. Using his great power, he helps the Union win the war. This is excellent, because the vampires play a huge part on the Confederate side (I won't tell you how). Lastly, the book talks of his murder, and his murderer: John Wilkes Booth, a vampire.

I found this book very well rounded, and actually thought provoking. There's a lot of talk about good and evil, and right and wrong. This book is more than just a supernatural mash-up, it's a book that leaves you smiling, laughing, and wanting more.

Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars (that's how good it was!)

The Results Are In! (Poll #1)

Readers have voiced their opinions, and the results to The Bookshelf's first poll are in! The topic was summer reading, and the question: Do you plan to read this summer? I really enjoyed seeing the responses from the people who are reading my blog. The poll had a whopping number of 10 votes-a pretty good amount for a new, virtually unknown blog. Here's the results:

• Yes! I'll be reading throughout the summer. 6 votes (60%)
• Yes, I may read a few books. 3 votes (30%)
• Maybe, it depends on how busy I am. 1 vote (10%)
• No! Why would I read during the summer? 0 votes (o%)
  

I was very happy to see no votes for the last option. And, being the book lover that I am, I was ecstatic to see the first option had the most votes. I hope to put out more polls soon. It's interesting to see other people's relation to books.

On another note...I have finished Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, and plan to post a review for it tomorrow. (It was really good!)

What I'm Reading (06/02/10)

I am currently reading Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith (same author of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies). It's fiction (of course), but it acts like it's a true biography of the life of our 16th President. It's separated into three parts: The Boy, The Vampire Hunter, and The President. "The Boy" being about Abe's early years when his mom died of a sickness given to her by a vampire. "The Vampire Hunter" being about before his presidency, when he became a vampire hunter. And "The President" talks about how the vamps played a part in the Civil War, and the freeing of slaves.
Here's a description from the dust jacket flap:

Indiana, 1818. Moonlight falls through the dense woods that surround a one-room cabin, where a nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln kneels at his suffering mother's bedside. She's been stricken with something the old-timers call "Milk Sickness."

"My baby boy..." she whispers before dying.

Only later will the grieving Abe learn that his mother's fatal affliction was actually the work of a vampire.

When the truth becomes known to young Lincoln, he writes in his journal, "henceforth my life shall be one of rigorous study and devotion. I shall become a master of mind and body. And this mastery shall have but one purpose..." Gifted with his legendary height, strength, and skill with an ax, Abe sets out on a path of vengeance that will lead him all the way to the White House.

While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving a Union and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for hundreds of years. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Secret Journal of Abraham Lincoln, and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years.

Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time-all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War and uncovering the role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation.

Sounds...interesting...unusual...crazy, huh?