Off The Shelf

{Already missing the summer days} So it seems yet again, I have taken an unintended hiatus. I promise, it was not intentional. I am ready to return, to tell what I've been reading, and to post reviews in the coming weeks. But first, there is quite a bit of book-related news to share and be excited about. Let's catch up on a few things, shall we? The New York Times  has reconstructed their Bestsellers List once again, expanding the Children's list to include hardcover, paperback, and e-book editions .   Go Set a Watchman , Harper Lee's much-anticipated sequel to her 1960 classic, has been on the Bestsellers List for 9 weeks and sold over 700,000 copies in its first 6 days on the shelves.  Bloomsbury Publishing and artist Jim Kay have teased illustrations from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: The Illustrated Edition . The book will be released October 6th, but is currently available for pre-order.  Speaking of Harry Potter...his son Ja...

{Lake view from a hammock} “And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”      -F. Scott Fitzgerald   I almost named this post "Mid-Summer Blues", given that I've been a bit down recently. I suppose it's because I've just gotten all four of my wisdom teeth removed, that I just finished Jojo Moyes' extremely sad Me Before You (review coming soon), and that I've realized that the summer is already half-over. Don't get me wrong, I've been having a wonderful summer so far - reading lots, kayaking a bit, sleeping in, and venturing out. But still, I can't seem to shake the feeling that with every day that passes, I'm inching closer and closer to what is supposedly the toughest school year yet.   In spite of all that, there are several small things making me happy as the hot days of ...

As you can see from opening the page, Off The Shelf has gotten a bit of a re-design! I have been trying to make some changes to the site for some time now, but the Blogger Template was being quite temperamental. I was unable to make small changes (font color, text size, etc.) in the template I had previously been using. In that case, I decided it might be time to try something totally different. Upon scrolling down, you will notice all of the regular features of this blog can still be found where they had been. The sidebar on the right is still filled with lists of my favorite authors, book suggestions and links to other great book blogs. I'm not sure I am totally in love with it yet, so the look might be a little different the next time you visit. (For those of you that view my blog via email, make sure to visit the actual webpage to see the changes!) What do you think? Let me know in the comments... In order to make my book reviews more helpful and direct, I have decided...

 {The sun sets at the closure of another month} Things in the literary world have been very, very busy lately - with everything from new publications to leaked pseudonyms and discoveries made about chocolate. The following are a collection of the most popular headlines buzzing around the Internet at the moment.   To start, have you been reading what you should this summer? With only a month left to go, you might want to check out The Huffington Post, as they have revealed the  7 Must-Reads of Summer .   There are only 10 more days until the highly-anticipated fourth and final installment of Susan Beth Pfeffer's Life As We Knew It series is released on August 13th! Have you pre-ordered The Shade of the Moon yet? You can do so  here , here  and here!   The biggest hype in the book world currently is most certainly the surprise that  J.K Rowling can write a crime novel...who knew? In April, Rowling wrote The Cuckoo's Calling u...

  I have my ticket!   Advance tickets for the movie Breaking Dawn Part - 2 went on sale this past Monday at midnight. Although the movie is not in theaters until November 16th, according to this article, Monday's ticket sales brought in an estimated $1.7 million.   The ending of the upcoming movie has been rumoured to have a different, newly thought-out one as compared to the book. I'm not sure how I feel about that yet, I guess I will just have to wait and see. Only 41 more days!   In the meantime, be sure to read my reviews of all of the books in The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer: Twilight New Moon Eclipse Breaking Dawn              

Breaking Dawn Part 2 Movie Poster In celebration of the fictional character, Edward Cullen's 111th birthday, Summit Entertainment released the first Breaking Dawn Part 2 Official Trailer yesterday. The new trailer gives viewers their first look at Bella and Edward's child Renesmee, played by Mackenzie Foy as well as the actors chosen for the Cullen's allied covens. One of the most anticipated moments of this movie, coming to theaters November 16th, is Bella in her vampire form. Many are excited to see her transformation beyond the red eyes seen at the very end of the previous film. Unlike Part 1, which focused on the romantic sections of the novel, Part 2 will finally give avid readers and viewers the action and race-for-survival they have been waiting for. Click below to watch the official trailer.