210 ratings | 13 reviews | avg rating:4.26

Paul’s Year In Books

Paul’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Paul’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

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Paul Acampora’s Followers (77)

Paul’s Bookshelves

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Paul’s Friends (83)

Laura

770 books | 17 friends

Sandy Green

153 books | 779 friends

Bookaddict

2,283 books | 250 friends

Jaymie

4,709 books | 347 friends

Abbey Jones

509 books | 16 friends

Holly

1,225 books | 55 friends

Pam Bachorz

987 books | 975 friends

Gabrielle Acampora

41 books | 4 friends

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Paul Acampora

Goodreads Author

Born

in Bristol, Connecticut , The United States

Website

http://www.paulacampora.com/

Member Since

January 2010

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/paulacampora

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I was born in Bristol, Connecticut and grew up surrounded by an extended mob of parents, sister, grandparents, cousins, neighborhood kids, rabbits, dogs, nurses, engineers and others that, at various times, included musicians, Italians, Canadians, cancer survivors, gardeners, chicken killers, hair dressers, poker players, checker cheaters, pony riders, shopkeepers, factory workers, elementary school teachers, auto mechanics, rock and roll fanatics, massage therapists, several people who may or may not be dead, and a crowd of other miscellaneous wheeler-dealers. I went to school at St. Joseph Elementary School and St. Paul Catholic High School. I was a voracious reader as a kid. I still am. I attended the University of Notre Dame (GO IRISH! I was born in Bristol, Connecticut and grew up surrounded by an extended mob of parents, sister, grandparents, cousins, neighborhood kids, rabbits, dogs, nurses, engineers and others that, at various times, included musicians, Italians, Canadians, cancer survivors, gardeners, chicken killers, hair dressers, poker players, checker cheaters, pony riders, shopkeepers, factory workers, elementary school teachers, auto mechanics, rock and roll fanatics, massage therapists, several people who may or may not be dead, and a crowd of other miscellaneous wheeler-dealers. I went to school at St. Joseph Elementary School and St. Paul Catholic High School. I was a voracious reader as a kid. I still am. I attended the University of Notre Dame (GO IRISH!) where, thanks to my friend John Costello and his father, Dr. Donald Costello, I earned a degree in American Studies despite the fact that the only American places I’d ever visited were summer vacations on a beach at Rhode Island and occasional day trips around New England to watch jai alia, greyhound racing or the trotters with my grandfather who, with my Uncle Joe, taught me how to ride and drive a sulky behind my very own pony named Misty (that's me and Misty at left). After college, I wandered around the country for a few years. Despite what my mother might say, I did not steal her 1973 Buick Electra. Despite what my friends might say, the car was the color of summer gold. Not piss yellow. I've lived in every state that begins with the letter U or a C. I was a Student Conservation Association volunteer for awhile giving tours at the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry in southeast Utah. I spent a winter schlepping very expensive bags around the Rocky Mountains for guests of the Snowmass Lodging Company. As a Holy Cross Associate volunteer, I lived with a half-dozen friends in a tiny house in the San Francisco Bay area where we tried to be good people. I stayed in California to teach kindergarten at St. Patrick Elementary school in West Oakland. I got married (yahoo!), and my wife and I lived in “the heart of the bay,” Hayward, California for nearly ten years. When we decided to move, we put names of favorite places in a paper bag and pulled out a slip that said PENNSYLVANIA. So that’s where we live now. These days, I remain married to my best friend. I have a son and a daughter who keep me on my toes. I’ve got a day job and a kayak and tons of books that I love to read. I write early in the morning and late at night. My favorite place in the world is wherever my wife and kids are. I am especially happy when that place is next to a lake or in France. My favorite word in the dictionary is Naugahyde. I’ve been a vegetarian for about 20 years. My favorite non-home-cooked meal is cinnamon-raisin French toast plus black coffee at the Karlton Café in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. For the future, I hope my family and friends are safe, healthy and happy and that I will write dozens and dozens of new stories and novels, each one better than the last. ...more

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Combine Editions
Paul Acampora’s books

Average rating: 3.75 · 5,800 ratings · 1,204 reviews · 11 distinct works • Similar authors

	I Kill the Mockingbird 3.75 avg rating — 3,979 ratings — published 2014 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Defining Dulcie 3.48 avg rating — 566 ratings — published 2006 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	How to Avoid Extinction 3.87 avg rating — 413 ratings — published 2016 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	In Honor of Broken Things 3.94 avg rating — 285 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Confusion Is Nothing New 3.68 avg rating — 237 ratings — published 2018 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Rachel Spinelli Punched Me in the Face 3.84 avg rating — 207 ratings — published 2011 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Danny Constantino's First Date 3.92 avg rating — 96 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Danny Constantino's First (and Maybe Last?) Date 3.17 avg rating — 6 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	L'arte di andare in pezzi 3.80 avg rating — 5 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Rachel Spinelli Punched Me in the Face by Acampora, Paul (February 19, 2013) Paperback 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Paul Acampora's Blog

Subject: TEAM MOCKINGBIRD(!)

TO: Friends, family, and book lovers!

(with a special shout-out to fans of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD!)

FROM: Paul Acampora

SUBJECT: TEAM MOCKINGBIRD (!)

Hi everybody!

I’m writing because my new novel – I KILL THE MOCKINGBIRD – will arrive in stores this coming spring. It’s a comedy caper for kids (say that three times fast) about a group of friends who sabotage their school’s summer reading list. It’s also

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Paul’s Recent Updates

Paul Acampora wants to read Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 07, 2026 05:35AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Walt Disney by Neal Gabler. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Walt Disney by Neal Gabler <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paul Acampora wants to read One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad (Goodreads Author) Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Readers' Favorite Nonfiction	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 01, 2026 07:12AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paul Acampora wants to read The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald by John U. Bacon	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 01, 2026 07:07AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Gales of November by John U. Bacon. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Gales of November by John U. Bacon <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paul Acampora wants to read The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 01, 2026 05:09AM · like
Paul Acampora wants to read The Battle for Christmas: A Cultural History of America's Most Cherished Holiday by Stephen Nissenbaum	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 24, 2025 05:43AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Battle for Christmas by Stephen Nissenbaum. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Battle for Christmas by Stephen Nissenbaum <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paul Acampora wants to read Lord of the Flies by William Golding	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 13, 2025 06:03AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Lord of the Flies by William Golding <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paul Acampora wants to read The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Readers' Favorite Fiction	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 02, 2025 05:08AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paul Acampora finished reading The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 30, 2025 10:15AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paul Acampora finished reading Faraday, Maxwell, and the Electromagnetic Field: How Two Men Revolutionized Physics by Nancy Forbes	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 30, 2025 10:14AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Faraday, Maxwell, and the Electromagnetic Field by Nancy Forbes. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Faraday, Maxwell, and the Electromagnetic Field by Nancy Forbes <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paul Acampora finished reading Exiles by Mason Coile	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 30, 2025 10:13AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Exiles by Mason Coile. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Exiles by Mason Coile <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by Paul Acampora (?)

“Shelving books incorrectly is as good as stealing them. It's almost worse.”
― Paul Acampora, I Kill the Mockingbird

tags: books, bookstores, libraries, shelving, stealing

24 likes

“We will speak for the books."
...
"Like the Lorax?"
"The Lorax speaks for the trees," I remind her.
"Books are made out of paper. Paper is made out of trees."
"What about e-books?"
"We can speak for them too."
"Audiobooks?"
"Audiobooks speak for themselves." She grins. "Get it?”
― Paul Acampora, I Kill the Mockingbird

tags: audiobooks, books, e-books, lorax

20 likes

“We are all broken, but sometimes the jagged pieces fit together nicely.”
― Paul Acampora, I Kill the Mockingbird

16 likes

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Polls

What book should we read in November?

You may write in titles, provided the book is a 2023 Newbery contender and already published.

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

30 votes 24.6%

Those Kids from Fawn Creek by Erin Entrada Kelly

28 votes 23.0%

Answers in the Pages by David Levithan

15 votes 12.3%

The Secret Battle of Evan Pao by Wendy Wan-Long Shang

12 votes 9.8%

In Honor of Broken Things by Paul Acampora

12 votes 9.8%

How to Build a Human: In Seven Evolutionary Steps by Pamela S. Turner

12 votes 9.8%

Alias Anna: A True Story of Outwitting the Nazis by Susan Hood

4 votes 3.3%

Omar Rising by Aisha Saeed

3 votes 2.5%

Unequal: A Story of America by Michael Eric Dyson

2 votes 1.6%

Breda's Island by Jessie Ann Foley (write-in)

2 votes 1.6%

those kids from fawn creek (write-in)

1 vote 0.8%

Those Kids From Fawn Creek (write-in)

1 vote 0.8%

122 total votes

1 comment

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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The Seasonal Read...: Fall Challenge 2011 Completed Tasks - DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC!	2251	793	Nov 30, 2011 09:05PM
The Seasonal Read...: Winter Challenge 2011: Completed Tasks -DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC	2866	790	Feb 29, 2012 09:03PM
Wild Things: YA G...: 50 State (or Country!) Challenge Reading Plan	58	224	Dec 26, 2014 09:56PM
The Lost Challenges: 'Pick Your Poison' Challenge	37	233	May 16, 2015 11:58AM
David Estes Fans ...: 2015 A-Z Author Reading Challenge - 1/1/15 - 12/31/15	45	81	Nov 03, 2015 06:37AM
WACKY READING CHA...: September 2016 Mini Challenge	82	63	Oct 26, 2016 09:50AM
The Challenge Fac...: And the Winner is...	680	142	Dec 03, 2016 03:19PM
WACKY READING CHA...: Fall Fun Bingo	119	97	Dec 13, 2016 03:32PM

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Paul’s Quotes

“A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others”
― L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

716 likes

“Grammar is a piano I play by ear.”
― Joan Didion, Joan Didion: Essays & Conversations

tags: grammar

1633 likes

“The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.”
― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

4564 likes

“One of the few things I know about writing is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time...give it, give it all, give it now.”
― Annie Dillard

1310 likes

“Thieves of private property pass their lives in chains; thieves of public property in riches and luxury. CATO THE ELDER1”
― Mike Duncan, The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic

1 likes

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Paul Acampora’s Followers (77)

Paul Acampora

Goodreads Author

rssPaul’s Recent Updates

See a Problem?

Preview — Walt Disney by Neal Gabler

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Preview — One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad

See a Problem?

Preview — The Gales of November by John U. Bacon

See a Problem?

Preview — The Battle for Christmas by Stephen Nissenbaum

See a Problem?

Preview — Lord of the Flies by William Golding

See a Problem?

Preview — The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai

See a Problem?

Preview — The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman

See a Problem?

Preview — Faraday, Maxwell, and the Electromagnetic Field by Nancy Forbes

See a Problem?

Preview — Exiles by Mason Coile

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