Summer unofficially came to an end with Labor Day last Monday, but my summer reading list still remains daunting --- that list being represented by two big stacks in my apartment. One is a pile of graphic novels and manga; the other is a stack of prose books I’m trying to get to. Both piles diminish slowly, it seems, mostly because I keep adding to them --- and then I waste valuable time rearranging them. The art of arranging and rearranging my reading lists is one I take great pride in; it was honed when I was a child and perfected over the years. It came in especially handy with comics, which had to be read in a certain order. I like to save the best for last, so the crème de la crème was always at the bottom of the pile, motivating me to read quickly through those above it; and while I did so, my anticipation would build as I knew each new book was going to be enjoyed more than the last. It wasn’t always 100% right, but it’s a system I’ve kept with all this time.

I think you can tell a lot about a person by not only their reading habits but how they read and then organize what they’ve read. File by genre? Title? Author? Alphabetically or chronologically? (I feel I have to offer full disclosure here…mostly at the prompting of Carol, who remains surprised by one of my media quirks. While I am compulsive about my books-to-be read stack, I am not the same about my Netflix DVD queue. For my DVD queue, I have a completely random system: I like to be surprised by what’s inside the red envelope when it comes in the mail. I have almost 500 movies in my queue and can’t tell you what’s coming next…because the surprise of a new movie is one of the treats of having Netflix in the first place. Given my obsessive organization system with books, Carol is still trying to figure why this only pertains to books and not other media. For the record, she wants to make it clear that she micromanages her Netflix queue, going into a frenzy when she gets email that a movie she has sent back has been received for return when she does not have the “right” next one in place.)

All of this longwindedness ties in to our newest poll question on GraphicNovelReporter.com (What percentage of your reading is graphic novels vs. straight prose?). It’s a tough one for me to answer. My feet seem firmly planted in both areas, so I’m going to say 50-50, but I know it varies depending on what’s going on in my life and about a hundred other variables.

I am proud of the sizable chunk graphic novels occupy on my bookshelf and feel these books are just as worthy and satisfying reading as prose material. I was reminded of that when I spoke with Dr. Michael Bitz, the founder of comicbookproject.org, an incredibly worthwhile endeavor that teaches kids literacy and creativity through the act of creating a comic book. As kids around the country go back to school, the timeliness of this interview seemed perfect to me, giving voice to someone who is helping to make a difference in kids’ lives and using an artform we all love to do it. After you read the interview, check out the site to see the cool things his organization is doing. And if you’re a teacher or a librarian, contact him about doing your own program…and please share your experiences with GNR! I know that our readers would really love to hear them.

By the way, I started out this letter by lamenting the glut of reading material I had leftover from summer. That pile is about to get even bigger as fall begins with an onslaught of great graphic novels. Just as we did for summer, we’ve arranged the biggest books of the season into five convenient categories: Adult fiction, nonfiction, teens, tweens, and kids. Hopefully, that all gives you well-organized access to the best books coming out this fall. And again, just as we did with our summer reading list, over the next few months we’re committed to providing you with as much coverage of those books as we can, so keep checking those pages for updated links to preview excerpts, interviews with the creators, and reviews. They’ll be updated as we go along.

With autumn will come more coverage of back-to-school topics on GNR, things like discussions pertinent to schools and libraries in relation to graphic novels. It’s been an important part of our focus ever since the site started, and with school back in session, we’re focusing on it again. If there are any important issues or topics you’d like to see covered here (if you’d like us to poll other schools to see how they deal with a particular topic or idea, for example, or you’d like to know more about something that would improve library service), then please email me and I’ll see what we can do.

Now I’m off to tackle more reading. Here’s hoping that you’ll find enough books on our fall list and in our assorted features and reviews to keep you occupied for quite a while too!

Those who are subscribed to the GraphicNovelReporter.com newsletter by September 30, 2009 are automatically entered in our Monthly Newsletter Contest. This month you can win Little Things: A Memoir in Slices by Jeffrey Brown, Punisher: War Zone - The Resurrection of Ma Gnucci by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, Farscape: The Beginning of the End of the Beginning by Rockne S. O'Bannon, Keith R.A. Decandido, and Tommy Patterson, Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 by David Petersen, and Swallow Me Whole by Nate Powell. These titles are pictured above this note.

On a final note, you can now follow GraphicNovelReporter.com on Twitter! Yes, GNR has joined the 21st century and is now on the social networking site, and we welcome you to follow us there so you can keep up-to-date with all the news, opinions, and articles added to the site. Follow us and keep informed about all things GNR!

Happy reading,

John Hogan (John@bookreporter.com)

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100% graphic novels

75% graphic novels/25% prose

50% graphic novels/50% prose

25% graphic novels/75% prose

Very few graphic novels/Almost exclusively prose

-Click here to answer our poll.

Question:

Is there a prose book you would love to see adapted into a graphic novel?

-Click here to answer our question.