Banned Books Week: The Curious Incident . . .

Challenged Book:
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
Doubleday

According to the ALA:
"Removed from the Lake Fenton, Mich. summer reading program (2010) after parents complained about its "foul language." The book is about an autistic child who investigates the death of a neighborhood dog. It was a joint winner of the 2004 Boeke Prize and won the 2003 Whitbread Book of the Year award."

My Thoughts:Despite the foul language, which I can't remember too much of, I think that this book is definitely worthwhile for young adults to read. The perspective of the main character is unique, yet I think his journey of growing up and the realizations he comes to during the course of the book are universal for that age group. These realizations are even more real because the story is told from his perspective as if you're reading his mind. Additionally, the story is told through drawings and other non-linear text devices, which is appealing for that age group.

Banned Books Week: Water For Elephants

Challenged Book:Water for Elephants

According to the ALA:
Removed from a spring break elective course at the Bedford, N.H. School District (2010) after a parent complained about the novel’s sexual content. The complainant further suggested that the school only allow "youth versions" of particular books or organize a parental review system over the summer that would look at books that students need parental permission to read. A checklist has been proposed that Bedford school officials would use to rate books and other instructional materials.

My thoughts:
I loved Water For Elephants (the book and the movie). And while I can see why a parent might be concerned with the novel's sexual content, I more surprised that no complaint was made based on the violence of the book. However, I think there is such value in reading this book, for many literary reasons. It is a fantastic example of historical fiction that would more likely appeal to youth than other books in that genre. It is well-written, and the perspective of the narrator is unique, because it is a male character written by a woman author. And while there might be some questionable content for teenagers, I think that anyone enrolled in a spring break elective course likely has the maturity for this to be an appropriate choice, and the content is not any different than what can be found on TV and other books targeted to young adults.

Have any of you read Water For Elephants? What are your thoughts on it being read in schools?

Banned Books Week

Last week, I was at the library and noticed my beloved Alice books (by Phyllis Reynold Naylor) out on display for Banned Books Week. I loved the Alice books when I was younger (and honestly, now I want to reread them) but had no idea that they were on the banned books list.

That is the point of Banned Books Week:, I suppose. According to the ALA:

"Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment.  Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States."

This week, I'll look at three of the books on the list of books that were banned or challenged in 2010-2011 that I read this year. Until tomorrow, here is the list, courtesy of ALA.

Book Review: Sammy's Hill

There are two kinds of readers, generally speaking. Those who can reread their favorite books over and over and over again, and those who read books only once. There is not a right or wrong way, just different ways. Also, I'm sure there are people that are the exception to that, too. I fall into the first category: I can read my favorites over and over again. But they aren't necessarily my favorites; instead, they are books I can turn to when I just need something to read. Something that I know I will like, something that is easy.

I have read a LOT of very good books recently. But I generally have phases with my reading, where I read so much (I was going to the library every day and checking out at least three books each time...that's a lot!) that I just can't do it anymore. And that's where my comfort books come in.

The book I grabbed last night was Sammy's Hill by Kristin Gore, which is about the everyday life of a Capitol Hill staffer. But she is one of the best characters ever written, because she is totally quirky. I mean, seriously quirky, and you really wonder if anyone is that quirky, until you realize that you are. (Yes, that did happen to me while I was reading this.)

Here is an example of one of her quirks:
"Yet as I tried to fall asleep, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was going wrong. If not in my romantic life, then somewhere else. It was times such as these that I always got very worried about alibis. What if my weird feeling was intuition (which was even more plausible now that I knew about my mother's psychic prowess), and I was sensing that right at that very moment, while I was home alone with no witnesses, someone was framing me for a terrible crime?"

I read this book while I was in D.C., which is probably part of the reason that I like it so much. And I do like it that much--I saw someone else on the bus reading it after I had just finished and had to really resist the urge to talk about the book with her. And I read it twice in a row. As in, I finished it, and then started it again because I wasn't ready for it to be over.

There is a hilarious part that invovles sending a slightly scandalous email as a "reply all" message rather than reply, which is hilarious. Many fish and the conspiracy behind why they keep dying. Boyfriend drama and romance drama. And a look at what it might be like working in Washington. Really, the whole book is great for a laugh, and of course you end of cheering for Samantha all the way through the book and the sequel. There were talks for a movie back when I first read it, but alas, not yet . . .

Summer Recap: First Birthday

When I let Shelby out one morning last week, I was able to see my breath. It was about 5:45 in the morning, so that might have something to do with it, but I also think it means fall is coming. Plus, new TV starts for us tomorrow and I can't wait!

Because my poor blog was neglected so much this summer, I thought it would be good to recap the summer and what kept us so busy. Today, we'll start with Shelby's birthday, which was June 10.

She looks a lot happier in this picture than she actually was wearing the birthday bow. But I thought the silver was a festive color that matched her coat well. Shelby got a new toy for her birthday, a squeaky rhino named Ricky. She also got her very own birthday cake, which had applesauce, peanut butter, and carrots in it--all of her favorite things. We lit the birthday candle for her and gave her her very own plate to eat off of.

Overall, she was very spoiled as she started her second year of life, but what else would you expect for a very, very spoiled dog

TV: More Women Watch, Less Women Write

As soon as next week, some of my shows will start the new season (though of course, the ones I'm most excited for start last) and I have also carefully selected some new shows to watch. Last year, I didn't really add any new shows and cut down on the shows I watched. This year, I only had a few shows canceled, but I'm very interested in many of the new premieres.

Today, I found an article on my facebook news feed about how the number women television writers is going down, and I thought it was a very interesting read. I just finished listening to Tina Fey's autobiography (if she reads the audio book, too, is it an auto-audio autobiography?) and loved it. She is hilarious, and I loved learning more about her personal life and how she got to where she is today, but even more so, I loved her discussion on what it means to be a woman, as a boss, a wife, a mother, a writer, a comedian, etc. and how all of these "roles" fit together. The article also addresses some of the obstacles Tina Fey overcame, which she talks about in great detail. I hope you'll check them both out!

One Year Ago

One year ago we were celebrating the wedding we'd planned for a year with loved ones from near and far. Today (and this weekend), we're remembering our special day and and all of the special days before it, and thinking ahead to all of the special days to come.