I read mainly paranormal YA--throw a few good adult series like DEXTER and THE SOUTHERN VAMPIRE MYSTERIES in there. But rarely will I pick up a contemporary and read it, and love it. Nothing against contemp! Not at all! I just prefer beasts and blood.
So lately I'm trying to mix things up a bit and read a few different genres that I would normally not think twice about. I finished CATCHING JORDAN by Miranda Kenneally last night, and I have to say I really loved it! Miranda is awesome, and I've read some of her other stuff, so I had high hopes for this one. But I was worried that I wouldn't connect with her character Jordan, because she's a quarterback on a football team, and my knowledge of football ends with...well I know they run around with the ball and try to get it to the end of the field. But I loved her!
Another contemp that I've loved is Gail Forman's IF I STAY which had a slight paranormal tint to it, I suppose. It took me longer to get into the second book, WHERE SHE WENT, but they're both fantastic reads!
And one of my most favorite contemps would be Jandy Nelson's THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE. Such a beautiful story.
Last night I decided to be wild and crazy and pick up an erotic romance--CRASH INTO YOU by Roni Loren. This is very far out of my genre comfort zone, so we'll see how that goes.
What about you all? Any books outside of your norm that you fell in love with?
Showing posts with label banned books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label banned books. Show all posts
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Why Book Banning is Wrong
From classics like A Wrinkle in Time and Catcher in the Rye, to modern day works like Harry Potter and Twilight, there have been attempts to remove books that are considered inappropriate by some people. People who have decided the "not right for me" should really mean "not right for everyone."
I fully support someone's right to buy or not buy a certain book based on their preferences, but when people push their values onto others by saying certain books shouldn't be allowed on the shelves at all, it usually speaks to fear, ignorance, or a combination of the two. Just look at how many books with LGBT themes or characters end up on challenged/banned lists. I've heard statements like, "Well, it could lead young people to believe that [being gay] is an acceptable lifestyle." Seriously? All that demonstrates is a complete lack of understanding of human sexuality.
As a parent, do I have the right to temporarily "ban" a certain book for my 7-yo if I feel he's not old enough for it yet? Absolutely. I'm his mom. I also "ban" him from R and most PG-13 movies, despite the fact that most of his friends are allowed to see them (I tell him they'd be called PG-7 movies if they were meant for his age). But I allow him as much freedom as possible to choose his own books, because at some point, he'll be able to read whatever he wants. My job will be to keep the communication lines open when he has questions, and I realize that at some point his questions will involve deeper issues than how a fake tail was attached to a dolphin.
But all kids are different. What's right for my kid might be wrong for someone else's, and vice versa. Trying to control what all kids read based on my personal perspective would be extremely ego-centric on my part. Unfortunately, there are a lot of ego-centric folks out there, who cloak their book banning attempts under the guise of "trying to protect our children." I'd rather empower my children and give them all the knowledge they need to make their own informed decisions.
It's interesting that most of the books that have had the biggest impact me, books that made me think about them long after I read them, have been on these sort of lists at one time or another. Why is it that books that make you question things--or heaven forbid, make you think--are the dangerous ones?
What about you? What is your favorite banned/challenged book of all-time? Mine is probably a tie between The Giver, and Go Ask Alice (which I read at a very young age BTW, and it had a tremendous positive influence on me. It was part of what motivated me to become a psychologist.)
I fully support someone's right to buy or not buy a certain book based on their preferences, but when people push their values onto others by saying certain books shouldn't be allowed on the shelves at all, it usually speaks to fear, ignorance, or a combination of the two. Just look at how many books with LGBT themes or characters end up on challenged/banned lists. I've heard statements like, "Well, it could lead young people to believe that [being gay] is an acceptable lifestyle." Seriously? All that demonstrates is a complete lack of understanding of human sexuality.
As a parent, do I have the right to temporarily "ban" a certain book for my 7-yo if I feel he's not old enough for it yet? Absolutely. I'm his mom. I also "ban" him from R and most PG-13 movies, despite the fact that most of his friends are allowed to see them (I tell him they'd be called PG-7 movies if they were meant for his age). But I allow him as much freedom as possible to choose his own books, because at some point, he'll be able to read whatever he wants. My job will be to keep the communication lines open when he has questions, and I realize that at some point his questions will involve deeper issues than how a fake tail was attached to a dolphin.
But all kids are different. What's right for my kid might be wrong for someone else's, and vice versa. Trying to control what all kids read based on my personal perspective would be extremely ego-centric on my part. Unfortunately, there are a lot of ego-centric folks out there, who cloak their book banning attempts under the guise of "trying to protect our children." I'd rather empower my children and give them all the knowledge they need to make their own informed decisions.
It's interesting that most of the books that have had the biggest impact me, books that made me think about them long after I read them, have been on these sort of lists at one time or another. Why is it that books that make you question things--or heaven forbid, make you think--are the dangerous ones?
What about you? What is your favorite banned/challenged book of all-time? Mine is probably a tie between The Giver, and Go Ask Alice (which I read at a very young age BTW, and it had a tremendous positive influence on me. It was part of what motivated me to become a psychologist.)
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Holiday Gift Giving--What books are on your wish list?
It's almost that time of year again. In a way it's a relief, because my kids have been begging to put up the tree since July. No matter which holiday you celebrate, most involve gift giving of some kind. Each and every year growing up, one of the gifts in my stocking was a book. This was mostly because one of my younger sisters and I got up around 3am every Christmas to try and 'catch' Santa in the act. We weren't allowed to wake up my parents for present-opening until 6am, so Santa would leave books to give us something to do in the meantime (because I couldn't possibly go back to sleep with all those shiny presents staring at me). Seriously, I was that kid who had the presents sorted into piles (based on the gift tags) by 4am.
Those quiet hours of Christmas morning were a magical time for me. I'd curl up under a blanket on the couch and read Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, or Little House on the Prairie. When I was older, the stocking books morphed into Stephen King and Dean Koontz (try reading Four Past Midnight at that literal time--creepy). Books have always been entwined with holiday memories for me. I'm sure it's part of why I love giving books as gifts--to pass along the magic to others. It's also a fabulous way to support bookstores and authors. So along with all the sparkly things on display at the mall or online, please consider giving a book to someone you love.
Okay, this concludes my public service announcement. I want to know about your gift-giving. Any books that you've given or received that stand out in your holiday memories? What books are on your wish list for this year?
Those quiet hours of Christmas morning were a magical time for me. I'd curl up under a blanket on the couch and read Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, or Little House on the Prairie. When I was older, the stocking books morphed into Stephen King and Dean Koontz (try reading Four Past Midnight at that literal time--creepy). Books have always been entwined with holiday memories for me. I'm sure it's part of why I love giving books as gifts--to pass along the magic to others. It's also a fabulous way to support bookstores and authors. So along with all the sparkly things on display at the mall or online, please consider giving a book to someone you love.
Okay, this concludes my public service announcement. I want to know about your gift-giving. Any books that you've given or received that stand out in your holiday memories? What books are on your wish list for this year?
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Speak Loudly
We don't usually post on Sunday, but I wanted to let you all know:
Visit Laurie's blog for more on the conflict and to share your thoughts on the book:
http://madwomanintheforest.com/this-guy-thinks-speak-is
http://madwomanintheforest.com/this-guy-thinks-speak-is
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