Book Reviews and More: PatrickCarman

Showing posts with label PatrickCarman. Show all posts

Sunday, 2 January 2011

Top 10 Fiction Books 2010

2010 was my beat year for reading productivity, not counting books read to my children, some again and again I read over 300 books this year. As such it was really hard to pick the Top 10 Fiction Books for the year but here goes.

Friday, 1 October 2010

Top 10 Fiction Books 3rd Quarter 2010

Top 10 Fiction Books of the 3rd Quarter 2010

1. Draugr - Northern Fights #1 - Arthur Slade
2. Not That Kind Of Girl - Siobhan Vivian
3. Eternal - Cynthia Leitich Smith
4. Clockwork Angel - Cassandra Clare
5. The Haunting of Drang Island - Northern Frights #2 - Arthur Slade
6. The Live-Forever Machine - Kenneth Oppel
7. Alex O'Donnell and the 40 Cyber Thieves - Regina Doman
8. The CrossBones - Skeleton Creek #3 - Patrick Carman
9. Tantalize - Cynthia Leitich Smith
10. Half Brother - Kenneth Oppel

Relates Posts:
Top 10 Fiction Books 1st Quarter 2010
Top 10 Fiction Books 2nd Quarter 2010
Top 10 Reading Goals for 2010
Top 10 Fiction Books 3rd Quarter 2010
Top 10 Fiction Books 4th Quarter 2010
Top Ten Reading Goals For 2010 - Recap
Top 10 Fiction Books 2010
Top 10 Picture Books of 2010
Top 10 Non-Fiction Books of 2010
Top 10 Graphic Novels for 2010
Top Ten Reading Goals For 2011
Top Ten Fiction Books 1st Quarter 2011
Top Ten Fiction Books 2nd Quarter 2011
Top Ten Reading Goals for 2011 Update
Top Ten Fiction Books 3rd Quarter 2011
Top Ten Fictions Books 4th Quarter 2011
Top Ten Fiction Books 2011
Top Ten Reading Goals 2011 - Recap
Top Ten Reading Goals 2012
Top Ten Fiction Books 1st Quarter 2012
Top Ten Fiction Books 2nd Quarter 2012
Top Ten Fiction Books 3rd Quarter 2012
Top Ten Fiction Books 4th Quarter 2012
Top Ten Fiction Books 2012
Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2012
Top Ten Reading Goals 2012 - Recap
Top Ten Reading Goals 2013
Top 10 Fiction Books 1st Quarter 2013
Top 10 Fiction Books 2nd Quarter 2013
Top 10 Books Second Half 2013
Top Ten Fiction Books 2013
Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2013
Top Ten Books First Quarter 2014
Top Ten Books Second Quarter 2014
Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2014
Top Ten Books Fourth Quarter 2014
Top Ten Fiction Books 2014
Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2014
Top Ten Books First Quarter 2015
Top Ten Books Second Quarter 2015
Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2015

All Top Ten Lists on Book Reviews and More

Statistics Books Read By Year:
238 January-October 2010
142 - 2009
98 - 2008
83 - 2007
191 - 2006
151 - 2005
60 - 2004
52 - 2003
97 - 2002
50 - 2001
41 - 2000
71 - 1999
73 - 1998
131 - 1997
101 - 1996

Wednesday, 8 September 2010

Crossbones - Patrick Carman - Skeleton Creek Book 3

Crossbones
Skeleton Creek Book 3
Patrick Carman
Scholastic
ISBN 9780545249942

This third book in the Skeleton Creek series was a surprise. I thought there were going to be just 2 books, and greatly enjoyed Skeleton Creek and Ghost in the Machine, and after some books this summer where book three did not live up to expectations I approached this with a little trepidation. With Patrick Carman I should have known

better. This book was awesome. It lived up to the quality, skill in storytelling and creativity of the first two, maybe even surpassed them. Like the other two Skeleton Creek books, this one is told in two parts. The book is Ryan's journal, hand-written, and Sarah's videos. Every few chapters you get a code and go to a website and watch a video. Unlike the first two books, Sarah and Ryan are working on a problem together but doing it in different locations. Ryan is stuck in Skeleton Creek and Sarah's family has moved to the east coast. She is driving across the country for film school at UCLA, but unknown to her parents, visiting haunted sites along the way to collect clues she and Ryan have solved that they found in the hunted dredge.

But both of their lives are getting more and more complicated. Ryan has to solve the clues fast enough so she will not have to backtrack and lose too much travel time. Ryan feels like he is being watched and Sarah's videos seem to be capturing th?Only time will tell. But as they uncover clue after clue they realize the stakes are higher than they ever expected. The Crossbones has a long history of destroying people who got in their way and now Ryan and Sarah find themselves in their crosshairs.

I read the book twice, first just reading the book, the second time through watching the video's where indicated. I did this to see if the book can stand on it's own, and it does, even just reading Ryan's journal it is a great story, but when you watch the video's it becomes truly magnificent. Patrick Carman is a master storyteller, he is creative, and has a wide breadth of different stories, and genre's and even for various age groups. Every book of his I have read I have thoroughly enjoyed and always anticipate his new books. This one left me eagerly anticipating book 4 which is not due out for a year. This is another great book by a great author!

Other of Patrick Carman Books:

The Dark Hills Divide - The Land of Elyon Book 1
Beyond the Valley of Thorns - The Land of Elyon Book 2
The Tenth City - The Land of Elyon Book 3
Into The Mist - The Land of Elyon Prequel
Stargazer - The Land of Elyon Book 4

The House of Power - Atherton Book 1
Rivers of Fire - Atherton, Book 2
The Dark Planet - Atherron Book 3

Saving Mr Nibbles - Elliot's Park Book 1
Haunted Hike - Elliot's Park Book 2
The Walnut Cup - Elliot's Park Book 3
A Windy Tale - Elliot's Park Book 4

Skeleton Creek - Skeleton Creek Book 1 - A Prereview.
Ghost in the Machine - Skeleton Creek Book 2
Crossbones - Skeleton Creek Book 3
The Raven - Skeleton Creek Book 4

The Black Circle - 39 Clues Book 5

Trackers #1

Thirteen Days to Midnight

Saturday, 1 May 2010

Trackers #1 - Patrick Carman

Trackers #1
Patrick Carman
Scholastic
ISBN 9780545165006

Patrick Carman has created another masterpiece. This story, much like Skeleton Creek, is told in two parts: first the books and then videos to supplement the story. Who or what are the trackers? They are a group of friends who have cutting-edge technology and really want 'to do good'. They desire to use their skills and technology to discover truths and bring them to the light.

The Trackers are: Adam, he's the brains behind the crew, the one who creates all the gadgets that start to get them into trouble; Lewis, the cautious one, who has computer skills, but also is the one to always worry; Emily - great skill with remote controls and nerves of steel. And finally Finn - he is the athlete, skateboarder, and always pushes the limits, but he is also the one who helps to take the edge off.

The team has spent their time building tools to use for surveillance and investigation. But something has gone horribly wrong. And now Adam is telling his story to the authorities. The website with the videos is excellent and the videos are incredibly well done. I have read the book twice - the first time with just reading the transcripts of the videos at the back of the book, and the second time watching the videos. It does work without the online videos but they do add to the story.

Adam was captured by someone posing as the Glyph Master who drew him to a website with puzzles from a secret language he helped create. He was drawn in, and by the time he realized he was in trouble it was too late.

This book is great and looks like it will be the beginning of an excellent series.

Other of Patrick Carman Books:

The Dark Hills Divide - The Land of Elyon Book 1
Beyond the Valley of Thorns - The Land of Elyon Book 2
The Tenth City - The Land of Elyon Book 3
Into The Mist - The Land of Elyon Prequel
Stargazer - The Land of Elyon Book 4

The House of Power - Atherton Book 1
Rivers of Fire - Atherton, Book 2
The Dark Planet - Atherron Book 3

Saving Mr Nibbles - Elliot's Park Book 1
Haunted Hike - Elliot's Park Book 2
The Walnut Cup - Elliot's Park Book 3
A Windy Tale - Elliot's Park Book 4

Skeleton Creek - Skeleton Creek Book 1 - A Prereview.
Ghost in the Machine - Skeleton Creek Book 2
Crossbones - Skeleton Creek Book 3
The Raven - Skeleton Creek Book 4

The Black Circle - 39 Clues Book 5

Trackers #1

Thirteen Days to Midnight

Tuesday, 20 April 2010

Top 10 Fiction Books of the 1st Quarter 2010

Top 10 fiction books of the first quarter of 2010 are:

1. Geektastic - Holly Black & Cecil Castellucci
2. Thirteen Days to Midnight - Patrick Carman
3. Rose Sees Red - Cecil Castellucci
4. The Poison Eaters - Holly Black
5. White Cat - The Curse Workers Book 1 - Holly Black
6. Lockdown - Escape from Furnace Book 1 - Alexander Gordon Smith
7. The Hunchback Assignments - Arthur Slade
8. The Clone Codes - The McKissacks
9. The Haunting of Derek Stone Books 1-4 - Tony Abbott
10. Iorich - Steven Brust

Looking forward to some of the new stuff coming out over the summer, and don't forget to check out the Scholastic summer reading challange.

Relates Posts:
Top 10 Fiction Books 1st Quarter 2010
Top 10 Fiction Books 2nd Quarter 2010
Top 10 Reading Goals for 2010
Top 10 Fiction Books 3rd Quarter 2010
Top 10 Fiction Books 4th Quarter 2010
Top Ten Reading Goals For 2010 - Recap
Top 10 Fiction Books 2010
Top 10 Picture Books of 2010
Top 10 Non-Fiction Books of 2010
Top 10 Graphic Novels for 2010
Top Ten Reading Goals For 2011
Top Ten Fiction Books 1st Quarter 2011
Top Ten Fiction Books 2nd Quarter 2011
Top Ten Reading Goals for 2011 Update
Top Ten Fiction Books 3rd Quarter 2011
Top Ten Fictions Books 4th Quarter 2011
Top Ten Fiction Books 2011
Top Ten Reading Goals 2011 - Recap
Top Ten Reading Goals 2012
Top Ten Fiction Books 1st Quarter 2012
Top Ten Fiction Books 2nd Quarter 2012
Top Ten Fiction Books 3rd Quarter 2012
Top Ten Fiction Books 4th Quarter 2012
Top Ten Fiction Books 2012
Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2012
Top Ten Reading Goals 2012 - Recap
Top Ten Reading Goals 2013
Top 10 Fiction Books 1st Quarter 2013
Top 10 Fiction Books 2nd Quarter 2013
Top 10 Books Second Half 2013
Top Ten Fiction Books 2013
Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2013
Top Ten Books First Quarter 2014
Top Ten Books Second Quarter 2014
Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2014
Top Ten Books Fourth Quarter 2014
Top Ten Fiction Books 2014
Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2014
Top Ten Books First Quarter 2015
Top Ten Books Second Quarter 2015
Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2015

All Top Ten Lists on Book Reviews and More

Thursday, 1 April 2010

Thirteen Days To Midnight - Patrick Carman

Thirteen Days To Midnight
Patrick Carman
Little Brown
ISBN 9780316004039

This book was so compelling I could not put it down. I literally read it in one sitting. (Mind you I stayed up much later that I should have.) Patrick Carman is one of my favourite authors; I will not pull any punches. I love his writings in all their variety. I have had the pleasure of corresponding with him and find him friendly, encouraging and caring. He seems to personally emulate the best of what is in his books. However, this new book is a very different venture for him. It is not the technical wonder of either Skeleton Creek or Trackers, combining video, websites and text into a single story.

This is the story of Jacob Fielding. He has been given a gift or maybe a curse; he is indestructible. But like any great gift, with it comes responsibility. The problem is, Jacob does not understand the gift and ends up hurting everyone he cares about. Jacob's best friend is Milo Coffin and they both befriend the new girl at school Ophelia James or just Oh as she prefers to be called. Jacob has this ability to be indestructible, and he can pass it off to someone else. Oh is the first person he passes it to. That is when the problems begin; soon they want to start using it to save other people's lives, but what if you cannot cheat death, what if for every life you steal from death a darkness is growing and it is getting closer to you, you can feel it but you also feel trapped? What are the morals of saving someone's life, how do you choose, what if you fail? These are all questions the three friends struggle with but ultimately it comes down to Jacob. It is his gift to give or to take back. The three friends attend a private catholic high School in Oregon, and Jacob is living at the rectory with Father Tim the principal of the school and some older priests. He was recently orphaned, and he must figure out the secret of this gift before it destroys him, his friends and their friendship.

Told in the first person narrative, it looks back at the 13 days leading up to Jacob standing over a friend and letting them die. This story is tightly-packed and it wrestles with some large questions. This book is the first written by Carmen exclusively for young adults. It is darker and grittier than his earlier works; it also showcases his talent and skill as a writer and showcases a greater range of skill in storytelling than his previous works.

Other of Patrick Carman Books:

The Dark Hills Divide - The Land of Elyon Book 1
Beyond the Valley of Thorns - The Land of Elyon Book 2
The Tenth City - The Land of Elyon Book 3
Into The Mist - The Land of Elyon Prequel
Stargazer - The Land of Elyon Book 4

The House of Power - Atherton Book 1
Rivers of Fire - Atherton, Book 2
The Dark Planet - Atherron Book 3

Saving Mr Nibbles - Elliot's Park Book 1
Haunted Hike - Elliot's Park Book 2
The Walnut Cup - Elliot's Park Book 3
A Windy Tale - Elliot's Park Book 4

Skeleton Creek - Skeleton Creek Book 1 - A Prereview.
Ghost in the Machine - Skeleton Creek Book 2
Crossbones - Skeleton Creek Book 3
The Raven - Skeleton Creek Book 4

The Black Circle - 39 Clues Book 5

Trackers #1

Thirteen Days to Midnight

Friday, 23 October 2009

Ghost in the Machine: Ghost in the Machine - Patrick Carman

Ghost in the Machine
Skeleton Creek Book 2
Patrick Carman
Scholastic
ISBN 9780545075701

This much-anticipated sequel to Skeleton Creek is written in the same unique fashion. It is not just a book but a multimedia arts experience. The story is told in two parts; the first of the book is Ryan's journal and the second is amateur videos from his friend Sarah Fincher. The book also has a collection of websites and supplemental material to make the story more interesting and innovative. As you read through the book, every now nd again

you are given a code to access a video on the website www.sarahfincher.com. Combined with Ryan's journal they tell one complete story. Patrick Carman has created a new entertainment medium with this series, and done a masterful job of it. Like the first book in the series, I read the story alone first, then I read it while watching the videos. The book has the power to stand on its own but is incredible with the videos.

The story continues after the first novel. Sarah and Ryan are trying to find out the mystery around the town's name of Skeleton Creek and the old Mining Dredge out in the woods. Because of Ryan's broken leg in the first book, their parents are trying to keep the two apart. But their youthful technology savvy and desire to find the truth drives them on to keep investigating and the more they learn the more afraid they become.

The story is full of ghosts, rumors of murder, and hidden gold, and these two characters are locked in a struggle to find out the truth before all the clues are destroyed when the town burns the dredge to the ground. The story is addictive; the reader will not want to put it down; you will find yourself wanting to read to the next video and then after watching it, deciding to keep reading even longer.

This book is a fantastic story by an amazing story teller. It is riveting, and skillfully written and filmed. It is an intriguing new form of entertainment that I am sure will be copied and emulated. Carman has crafted not only a new media format, combining writing and video into a single book, but does it very well.

(First Published in Imprint 2009-10-23.)

Other of Patrick Carman Books:

The Dark Hills Divide - The Land of Elyon Book 1
Beyond the Valley of Thorns - The Land of Elyon Book 2
The Tenth City - The Land of Elyon Book 3
Into The Mist - The Land of Elyon Prequel
Stargazer - The Land of Elyon Book 4

The House of Power - Atherton Book 1
Rivers of Fire - Atherton, Book 2
The Dark Planet - Atherron Book 3

Saving Mr Nibbles - Elliot's Park Book 1
Haunted Hike - Elliot's Park Book 2
The Walnut Cup - Elliot's Park Book 3
A Windy Tale - Elliot's Park Book 4

Skeleton Creek - Skeleton Creek Book 1 - A Prereview.
Ghost in the Machine - Skeleton Creek Book 2
Crossbones - Skeleton Creek Book 3
The Raven - Skeleton Creek Book 4

The Black Circle - 39 Clues Book 5

Trackers #1

Thirteen Days to Midnight

Friday, 9 October 2009

The Black Circle - 39 Clues Book 5 - Patrick Carman

The Black Circle
The 39 Clues - Book 5
Patrick Carman
Scholastic
ISBN 9780545060455

Patrick Carman does an amazing job on the hingepin book in this series. This series is 10 books by seven different authors. The flow of the story is continuous, and nearly seamless. Patrick's adventure takes place in Russia. In this segment of the story, The Cahill children Amy and Dan have a secret benefactor who is leaving them clues and guiding them along. The problem is they have a time limit to research clues all over Russia. So the Cahills form an alliance with the unlikeliest of teams, the Holts. Fortunately they negotiate and go back and forth with the son of the Holt clan, Hamilton.

The history lesson in this book focuses around the Romanovs, Rasputin and general Russian history. Patrick Carman does a great job of including a lot of information without the fictional book appearing like a history lesson. The story flows and has an amazing pace. Once you pick it up and start reading it you will not be able to put it down. With any book in a series there is always hesitation to pick it up, knowing it will be months before the next one comes out. However once I started this one I could not put it down.

This series is amazing. First the concept was intriguing - one continuous story told over 10 books but 7 different authors. It will introduce fans of some of the authors to other authors. All of the authors have won multiple awards across different areas. Together they are telling an amazing story of an adventure around the world and through history. Following members of the 4 clans in the Cahill family, the Janus, the Ekaterina, The Lucians and the Tomas, these families have been the movers and shapers of history and now they are on a chase for 39 clues that will lead them to the greatest treasure in history. The Black Circle is a great book in a great series.

Sites With More Info:
http://various.wikibruce.com/39Clues
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_39_Clues
http://39cluesworld.com/
http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=27257

The 39 Clues:
The Maze of Bones - Book 1 - Rick Riordan
One False Note - Book 2 - Gordon Korman
The Sword Thief - Book 3 - Peter Lerangis
Beyond the Grave - Book 4 - Jude Watson
The Black Circle - Book 5 - Patrick Carman
In Too Deep - Book 6 - Jude Watson
The Viper's Nest - Book 7 - Peter Lerangis
The Emperor's Code - Book 8 - Gordon Korman
Storm Warning - Book 9 - Linda Sue Park
Into the Gauntlet - Book 10 - Margaret Peterson Haddix
The Black Book of Buried Secrets - Rick Riordan
Vespers Rising - Book 11 - Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman, and Jude Watson

Midnight Ride - Clifford Riley

…

Card Pack #1 - Books 1-3
Card Pack #2 - Books 4-6
Card Pack #3 - Books 7-9
Rare Card Pack

...

The 39 Clues Cahills vs. Vespers
The Medusa Plot - Book 1 - Gordon Korman
A King's Ransom - Book 2 - Jude Watson
The Dead of Night - Book 3 - Peter Lerangis
Shatterproof - Book 4 - Roland Smith
Trust No One - Book 5 - Linda Sue Park
Day of Doom - Book 6 - David Baldacci

…

The 39 Clues Unstoppable Series:

Nowhere to Run - Jude Watson

Breakaway – Jeff Hirsch

Countdown – Nattalie Standiford

Flashpoint - Gordon Korman

…

The 39 Clues Doublecross Series:

Mission Titanic - Jude Watson

Mission Hindenburg - Jenny Goebel

Mission Hurricane - Alexander London

Mission Atomic – Sarwat Chadda

…

The 39 Clues Rapid Fire:
Legacy - Book 1 - Clifford Riley
Ignition - Book 2 - Clifford Riley
Hunted - Book 3 - Clifford Riley
Crushed - Book 4 - Clifford Riley
Turbulence - Book 5 - Clifford Riley
Invasion - Book 6 - Clifford Riley
Fireworks - Book 7 - Clifford Riley

…

The 39 Clues The Cahill Files:

Operation Trinity - Clifford Riley

The Submarine Job - Clifford Riley

The Redcoat Chase - Clifford Riley

The Houdini Escape - Clifford Riley

Silent Night - Clifford Riley

Spymasters - Clifford Riley

…

The 39 Clues Super Special Books:

Outbreak – C. Alexander London

…

Monday, 15 June 2009

The Tenth City - The Land of Elyon Book 3 by: Patrick Carman

The Tenth City
The Land of Elyon Book 3
Patrick Carman
Scholastic
ISBN 9780439700955

This is book three in the Land of Elyon trilogy and the tenth book by Carman that I have read. It is the 5th set in Elyon. Elyon is the Semetic for God or Most High, and the Tenth City is a city shrouded in mist that none can reach, for it is the home of Elyon and his angels. The power of Carman's creativity is exemplified by the fact that this is the middle book of the 5 set in this land. It is the last I read, and yet nothing was lost by reading it after the others. I am sure something would have been gained by reading them in order but they did not come into my hands in sequence. Carman is a master story teller and this book is an excellent example of that.

Book 3 is the end of the original trilogy of Eloyn by Patrick Carman. In it the Grindall still has Yipes captured and is demanding the return of the last of the magical jocasta stones by Alexa Daley. As usual she is traveling and battling the forces of darkness with a strange mix of companions. The Warlord, Odessa the wolf, Squire the Hawk, Murphy the squirrel, and Armon the Giant are just a few of the characters that return in this adventure. The story focuses around a battle for the hearts and minds of the people. Elyon loves his creatures and wants the best for them; Abaddon is a monster bent on destruction and fire, whose sole driving purpose is to destroy Elyon and the creatures he loves.

The books draw heavily upon religious and Christian imagery. It is told in a masterful way. Yet it all comes down to Alexa. Can she once again save the day? You will have to read the book to find out. But there is a hint in that Carman went on to add two more books set in this world featuring Alexa. To some extent she is central to both. It is a great book in a good series - it will be fun, light summer reading.

(First Published in Imprint 2009-06-12.)

Other of Patrick Carman Books:

The Dark Hills Divide - The Land of Elyon Book 1
Beyond the Valley of Thorns - The Land of Elyon Book 2
The Tenth City - The Land of Elyon Book 3
Into The Mist - The Land of Elyon Prequel
Stargazer - The Land of Elyon Book 4

The House of Power - Atherton Book 1
Rivers of Fire - Atherton, Book 2
The Dark Planet - Atherron Book 3

Saving Mr Nibbles - Elliot's Park Book 1
Haunted Hike - Elliot's Park Book 2
The Walnut Cup - Elliot's Park Book 3
A Windy Tale - Elliot's Park Book 4

Skeleton Creek - Skeleton Creek Book 1 - A Prereview.
Ghost in the Machine - Skeleton Creek Book 2
Crossbones - Skeleton Creek Book 3
The Raven - Skeleton Creek Book 4

The Black Circle - 39 Clues Book 5

Trackers #1

Thirteen Days to Midnight

Saturday, 30 May 2009

Confessions of a Bibliophile #3 - Judge A Book By It's Cover

Often shoppers judge books by their covers, at least at first glance. Reading some of my favorite authors happened by chance as I picked up one of their books based upon the cover. Steven Brust's early novel Jhereg, is one example. This book came out when I was 13 - it was about an assassin witch. I loved the art work so much I used the font from the cover of this and others in the series to create the designs for one of my tattoos. Another book I picked up to look at just because of its cover was Orphanage by Robert Buettner; first published in 2004 it had a great retro Sci-Fi feel, and it reminded me of many of the early covers of Robert A. Heinlein's books, and in reading the cover I found out it was written in homage to Heinlein's classic Starship Troopers, which is an amazing commentary on war. So of course I had to buy it that very day.

Third, The Dark Hills Divide by Patrick Carman, had something mystical about the cover and it had an effect upon me. I had the book for almost two years before reading it because I did not want the spell of the cover to be broken.

In years gone by I collected every edition of different books. Some of Piers Anthony's books have gone through 5 or 6 cover changes. Many classic science fiction books were originally only available in pulp, paperback editions - cheap to make and cheap to recycle to make new ones. I owned the complete Edgar Rice Burrows Warlord of Mars series originally published between 1917 and 1964. These books were transformational in the years after I first learned how to read. Let me digress for a minute. With a dual form of dyslexia and after repeating grade one, they just kept passing me on in school. I got through my book reports by renting VHS or

Beta tapes, and paying close attention in class. The summer between grades seven and eight I was sent to a private summer school, and I went from reading at a grade 3 level to reading at a university level and reading over 400 words per minute. It was this whole world that opened up to me that I never knew existed. Reading became an addiction and books an obsession. I read many DAW books, a publishing company dedicated to Science Fiction books. At the time of their merger with Penguin Group in 2007 they had published 1400 books, and from the inception in 1972 until 1985 their books all had yellow spines and a yellow logo box on the front cover. Therefore as you browsed used book stores you could easily recognize the books even if they were not cover facing.

I am sure that you are aware that a great deal of planning goes into choosing covers for books. Publishers also change covers if a book has been out a while, if response was not what was expected. A few years back a book called The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks came out, in the original prereleases of the book there was no author or title on the front cover. But eventually the American arm of the publisher forces a small black diamond with this info. Later they changed the cover completely so that the title and author was in large blocks on the cover. I personally was more attracted to the original, it was so unique and different it immediately grabbed my attention. I often judge books by their cover, or if I do not know the author their covers induce me to pick up the book or to leave it on the shelf or table. It is all part of how books are marketed to us. The next time you are in a Chapters or Indigo books, check out the tables, check out the books on the end caps of the bookcases. These spaces are rented or sold to publishers. Some tables will be all books by one publisher, some will be thematic or issue focused. But most of these books on tables are there to get your attention, to inspire you to pick it up and hopefully purchase it.

Another thing used to draw you to certain titles are book lists. At Chapters you receive a discount on the Globe and Mail best sellers' list, and then there is Heather's Picks. The owner of Chapters-Indigo has a table with her selection of books that influence her and are favorites. The other is Oprah's Picks - the day a book is mentioned on her show most Chapters, Indigos and Coles in Canada sell out. The stores start getting calls to reserve them before the show has finished airing. There is an interesting story about Canadian author David Adams Richards. One of his books was selected to be an Oprah Pick. When his publisher told him this, and that it would dramatically increase sales, he went to look at this list of Oprah's Picks. When he saw the books on the list he did not want his name associated with those other books and opted not to allow his book to be one of her picks. Yet all of these marketing tricks are designed to get you to pick up the book and hold it, In part to judge it by it's cover.

Seldom when book covers change do I appreciate it. I am a creature of habit and like things to stay the same. A few books that have changed the cover art for the worst, in my opinion, are Dust by Arthur Slade, Fidelis by A.R. Horvath, and Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Some books that have pulled it off well are Orphanage by Robert Buettner, The Singer by Calvin Miller and Night by Elie Wiesel. So drop me a line and let me know what books you have judged by their covers and whether it was worth it. Yet all in all judging books by their covers has almost always served me well. Seldom have I been terribly disappointed and wished I had not read the book. So as you look at that next book cover, and its placement in the store, consider all the factors in the marketing behind it, before picking it up, flipping it over and reading the back. Yet as always remember you never know what you will find between the covers.

(First Published in Imprint 2009-05-29.)