Get Lost in Literature

From October 5th to the 11th, settle in with a banned or otherwise challenged book. It's that time of year to read something that someone else doesn't want you to read. It's time to celebrate your freedom to choose your own books and to honor those 1st Amendment Rights. Right now, in this country it isn't legal to truly ban books from public consumption, but it is possible to have them pulled from libraries, schools, and certain bookstores, making them harder to access. However there are people who are actively fighting for that to change, that is for books that they find offensive to be pulled from shelves everywhere.  Which to me is ludicrous. You can't currently and shouldn't ever be allowed to tell other people what they can and cannot do because you won't do it yourself. I, for example, don't eat onions, but I'm not refusing to let other people eat onions nor am I advocating that farmers be forbidden from growing onions. If you're wondering ...

Happy Sunday! I hope you all are enjoying your weekend! The Sunday Post is a weekly news meme hosted by the CaffeinatedReviewer. I will be posting on the first Sunday of each month and I hope you'll join me. The weather in September was perfect. Not too much rain, plenty of sunshine. The days were warm enough to be jacket free but not so hot that sweat dripped down the small of your back and into your... Well, it wasn't hot. We even had a few nights warm enough to sleep with a window open. In September, life went back to normal, and I was finally able to complete The Book of Night by Holly Black . It was a pretty good read, and it's just received a sequel... I probably won't pick up book number two until it's released in paperback (maybe next year?) but I look forward to it. September was a good reading month for me having completed 3 books: The Book of Night by Holly Black The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury But I have been woeful...

"We are living in a time when flowers are trying to live on flowers, instead of growing on good rain and black loam." This story takes place in a futuristic world where books are banned and burned. Guy Montag, whose job it is to burn the books, is about to become an enemy of the state. I'm having a hard time thinking critically about this book. It wasn't a difficult read, it was scary in certain places, and I found it deeply enjoyable (sometimes classic lit can drag on), and relevant to today's societal and political problems. Yet the review doesn't come easy. Guy Montag lives a life of normalcy. He gets up and goes to work everyday, lucky enough to have a job he enjoys. He comes home to his wife, Mildred who spends her days watching tv. Watching television has become a favorite hobby of the people of this dystopian society, their house installed with three wall-tvs, and Mildred begging for a fourth. She's the epitome of this 'perfect' society. She...

  This is the First Amendment in the United States Constitution. I assume most of you already know this, but if you're from a country other than the U.S.A maybe you don't know. What it means is this: With regards to religion, you have the right to practice or not practice whatever the hell you want without the Government cramming a specific theology down your throat. You also have the freedom to say whatever you want and may do so at any time even if a cop is informing you of your right to remain silent. Media like newspapers, tv, magazines and books are allowed to express opinions and distribute information unhindered by the Government whether They like it or not. If you feel a cause coming on, you may join a nonviolent protest in private or in public, and you may hold the Government accountable for wrongdoing because it is supposed to work for the People by the People and not for itself. This Amendment has long been interpreted as "the freedom of expression" because...

"It is the great misfortune of the coward that he sees danger everywhere, and of the snob that he perpetually underestimates those he considers his inferiors." ( Disclaimer : I try not to let the political views of authors dictate what I read. I do not agree with JK Rowlings views, but I still like her ability to tell a story. I absolutely understand why so many won't read her work anymore and don't need a lecture. ) Robin and Strike are back, with new mysteries and scandals. This time they've been hired to prove that the identity of a body found murdered and mutilated in a vault is that of their client's missing boyfriend. In the meantime, both detectives are dealing with increasingly complicated personal lives. Robin has just had a miscarriage and is suffering from PTSD due to her stay at Chapman Farm, and Strike is ready to admit he's in love with Robin even as he's reconciling how he feels about Charlotte's suicide. The mystery takes a darker t...

Book Beginnings on Fridays  by  Rose City Reader  -  Share the opening sentence (or so) of the book you are reading this week. You can also share from a book that caught your fancy, even if you are not reading it right now. "Any child can be chased by their shadow. All they need to do is run straight toward the sun on a lazy afternoon." The Book of Night by Holly Black I can totally see a young child playing with their shadow in the sun on a summer afternoon. But what I didn't know in the first few sentences what was the significance. Holly Black didn't leave me hanging for long. Book Blogger Hop Q: Are there any books that are considered terrible, but you love? (submitted by Snapdragon @ Snapdragon Alcove) A: Two and they're both by the same author... The Twilight Saga and The Host by Stephenie Meyers. That's right... I liked Twilight . The writing wasn't that good, the characters weren't that complex, the plot was about a girl and her u...