Book Blogger Hop #11 (10/5 - 10/11): Banned Books Week

  

Welcome to

the Book Blogger Hop!

This is where bloggers and readers

connect every week!

This wonderful blog hop is

hosted by

Jennifer @ Crazy for Books!

Starting this week,

a different blog will be hosting

the hop for Jennifer each week,

until she returns from hiatus.

This week, the host is

Erica @

Soon Remembered Tales!

What To Do:


1. Post on your blog answering this question:

Banned Books Week ends on Oct. 6th.
How do you feel about books
being challenged to be
banned from libraries and schools?
Have you read any banned books?

2. Enter the link to your post in the
Linky list at this week's blog,
with your blog's name, genre you review,
and a direct link to your post.

3. Visit other blogs on the list.
This blog hop isn't about the number of
people you can visit,
but the quality of each visit.
Find new blogs to read by clicking
through the links on the list!


My Answer:

In principle, I am totally against books being banned.  I do believe that people have every right to read any book they want.  This is the principle of intellectual freedom.  After all, books have always been carriers of wisdom and knowledge, as well as adventure, romance, tales of fantasy and wonder.  Banning any book at all is, at first sight, a huge disservice to humanity.  However, important life issues such as this one are very rarely black-and-white, all-or-nothing situations.  While I think that a
mature adult should be able to read anything they please, I am very much concerned that younger age groups may be getting exposed to material they simply can't evaluate without being adversely affected by it, just because they aren't sufficiently prepared to do so, from an intellectual and ethical standpoint.

MY FAVORITE SEPTEMBER 2012 YA RELEASES!!

 

 

The Raven Boys - Maggie Stiefvater

September 18, 2012

 

The Crown of Embers - Rae Carson

September 18, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

Hidden - Sophie Jordan

September 11, 2012

 

Tiger's Destiny - Colleen Houck

September 4, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

Shadowfell - Juliet Marillier

September 11, 2012

 

Covet - Melissa Darnell

September 25, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

Stormdancer - Jay Kristoff

September 18, 2012

 

Entice - Jessica Shirvington

September 4, 2012

 

 

Shelf Candy Saturday #28: Ascend, by Amanda Hocking

 

This wonderful book meme/blog hop

is hosted by

Stephanie @

The purpose of this feature is to display

a beautiful book cover,

with information, if available,

about the cover illustrator,

photographer, and/or designer.

For all the participation rules,

just click

HERE.

 

Here's my choice for this week!

Torn

(Trylle Trilogy, #2)

Amanda Hocking

Paperback, 324 pages

St. Martin's Press

February 28, 2012

(first published November, 2010

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult,

Paranormal Romance

NPR Books: The Top 100 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books

A recent poll taken by NPR Books, in which more than 60,000 people who read F & SF voted, generated a list of the top 100 books in these two genres.  Unfortunately, the YA genre was not included, but more lists are coming!  So keep visiting the site every so often.  Hopefully a YA list will be available soon.

Here are some of my personal favorites.  The book images are readily available at Goodreads and Amazon; the comments accompanying each book are mine.   

You can read the complete list of 100 books HERE.

The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien

Tolkien's immortal epic, sold in both one-volume format and three-volume format,  has been the reading delight of several generations of fantasy fans since its publication in the 1950's.   The author, an Oxford professor, made full use of his expertise and love for ancient myths and languages in this richly-detailed masterpiece, which tells the story of the War of the Ring, pitting the seemingly insignificant hobbit, Frodo Baggins, against the fearsome, evil Sauron. 

Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

This is a mesmerizing, although horrifying and sobering look at what the world would be like if books were declared illegal, and burned when found in anyone's possession.  The main character, a 'fireman', comes to realize just how special books are, and begins a journey of discovery from which he will never turn back.

The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov

Asimov's declining Galactic Empire is the background for the founding of a special colony that will bring together all of humanity's knowledge throughout the centuries, as well as its aesthetic achievements.  Hari Seldon, a leader in the field of psychohistory, is the founder of this unusual colony, which reminds me of Castalia, the fictional intellectual province so central to Herman Hesse's masterpiece, Magister Ludi , also known as The Glass Bead Game.





Animal Farm, by George Orwell

A brilliant satirist, Orwell here creates a humorous, although chilling look at the development of a totalitarian regime.  At the beginning of 'the revolution', the motto is "all animals are equal".  By the time the dictatorship, obviously based on communism, is in place, the motto has changed to "all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others".





I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov

In this collection of related stories, Asimov brings to life his uique conception of robotic technology, with his highly original "Three Laws of Robotics".  These tales reflect his preoccupation with the latent dangers of artificial intelligence for human beings.

Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein

The clash of cultures, especially religious beliefs, is portrayed in this novel.    The Martian in question is really a human, born and raised on Mars, and brought to Earth as a young adult.  Valentine Michael Smith is a mystic whose particular brand of off-world religion will transform the culture of Earth.  The title refers to Exodus 2:22.






Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey

For centuries, the Dragonriders of Pern have staved off planetwide disaster due to the fall of Thread, which falls like rain, but destroys everything it comes in contact with.  Now, the Red Star is approaching the planet, and there are very few riders left.  Lessa, a lowly kitchen servant, meets a queen dragon, and realizes what her true destiny is.






A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller, Jr.

After civilization is nearly wiped out in a nuclear war, the Monks of the Order of St. Leibowitz the Engineer became the custodians of pre-war knowledge.  Through long centuries, they endured.   And then history began to repeat itself...  This is a masterpiece of irony and even humor, which presents a staple of human nature, the repetition of historic cycles, with wit and style.

The Once and Future King, by T.H. White

This modern retelling of the Arthurian tales sparkles with humor and vivid characterization.   It follows the life of King Arthur from his boyhood as brother to Kay, who calls him "The Wart", to his coronation as king of England, the establishing of the Round Table, and the adventures of the Holy Grail.

The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury

This collecion of eerie, mesmerizing tales cover the years of the colonization of Mars.  They are poignant, reminiscent of smalltown Americana, and yet, strangely alien.  Some of the stories are weirdly humorous, but they all share an atmosphere of past nostalgia mixed with the reality of a new world, in the future.





There's also a printable version of the complete list, which you can access HERE.

For more details about each of the books that made the list, just go to the original post, and click on the book images.  Enjoy!! 

Twilight-Inspired Book Covers for Classics? Why not?

There is a series of five classics -- four novels and one play --

with covers that were supposedly inspired

by those of The Twilight Saga.

They have been produced by Harper Teen,

and are meant to attract young adults to

the perennial classics of English Literature.

Some people are not very happy about these covers.

They somehow consider it insulting

that time-honored classics should have to be promoted

under the Twilight banner.

I honestly don't see what all the fuss is about.

These covers are absolutely

gorgeous!

So here they are -- "The Twilight Classics"!

These covers are quite beautiful!!  

I can't say it enough!

The colors are indeed similar to those in 

The Twilight Saga's four volumes,

except for the rather obvious fact that 

the color green is not much in evidence

on the Twilight covers. 

If the same artist designed these,

as well as the Twilight ones, 

then it stands to reason that there would be 

some similarity of style.  

Well, there's nothing wrong with that!

If the publishers wanted a "similar look"

when they commissioned the covers for the classic novels, 

with the purpose of attracting a teen audience, 

I for one think this is a wonderful idea!

After all, these five books are love stories,

with the sole exception of Wuthering Heights,

which is really a tale of misplaced revenge. 

(The only thing I love about this book is the cover...)

Does putting such covers on these classics

mean that Twilight is on an equal literary footing with them?

Well, that's a loaded question...

If one looks at the writing style in which the listed classics were written,

and compare them with Twilight, 

obviously not.

However, if one looks at the dynamics of the plots

of these books, and the Twilight books,

one can't help but notice that the characters and events 

in all of them evoke some very, very similar

emotions.  They all touch the heart.  They all provide

that powerful catharsis present in all 

great literature, the grand drama that stirs the 

emotions, thus changing the reader forever.

These books all possess that elusive quality

that makes them timeless.

Is The Twilight Saga already a timeless classic?

Without a doubt.

So I am very pleased and happy that these five classic

novels have been designed in this style.

Whether or not it's similar to that

of the Twilight books, it's still quite fitting.

Love, after all, has always been linked to the color red,

especially in such flowers as roses or tulips.

Of course, I am collecting them all, not only

for the covers, but for what is contained

within each book.

The only one I'm missing at this point is

Sense and Sensibility,

but it won't be for long... it's in my Amazon 

Wish List, waiting for me to bring it home! 

My Book Collection: Partial Views!

Since I'm still on vacation from one of my two jobs ( the part-time ), I have some free time available at night!  So tonight I started doing some blog browsing.  I checked out Hale & Salvatore's Supernatural Must Reads, and saw a post on bookshelves.  The pictured shelves are truly awesome!!  I especially like the one that encloses a reader in a cozy, little space in which books fully surround a comfortable chair!  It's Bookworm Heaven!!  The other bookshelf looks like it could be aboard the Starship "Enterprise".  It's cool, too, but I do prefer the cozy one.  It comes pretty close to my ideal living conditions.  Books all around me!  Ah, bliss!  I'm reminded of the Jorge Luis Borges quote: "I cannot sleep unless I am surrounded by books."  Oh, absolutely!!  Borges, for those not familiar with him, was a great Argentine writer and Nobel Prize winner.  (For more Borges quotes, click here.)   I've been meaning to start reading his books, but well...as another quote goes: "So many books, so little time..."  That one comes from Frank Zappa, incredibly enough!  (For more FZ quotes, click here.)

You can check out Hale & Salvatore's favorite shelves here.  A link to Hale's personal bookshelf can also be found on that page.

Now here's a look at part of my own shelves.

These books are in our bedroom.  The first picture shows part of two shelves that take up one wall, from floor to ceiling.  The second one shows stacks of books on the dresser, and the third shows more stacks on the night table right next to my side of the bed. 

It's more than obvious that I'm seriously addicted to books.... I've been collecting for years and years!  I buy them mostly online now, but I still buy at good ol' Barnes & Noble from time to time, as well as Borders.  I've gotten a LOT of used books at both eBay and Amazon; however, if I buy a used book, it had better be in "like new" condition!  Otherwise, I'll return it.

Here's a partial list of the books on the shelves.  I'm hoping and praying I'll be able to get to all of them, or at least most of them, someday!

Here we have the following:

1.  Creativity - Eric Maisel

2.  Silence, Simplicity, and Solitude - David A. Cooper

3.  Diamond Heart, Book Three - A.H. Almaas

4.  The Complete Works of W.H. Auden: Prose - W.H. Auden

5.  The Kabbalah Tree - Rachel Pollack

6.  The Hidden Face of God - Gerald L. Schroeder



This group consists of the following:

7.  The Republic and Other Works - Plato

8.  Dialogues: Cratylus, Phaedo, Timaeus, Critias - Plato, with commentary by Thomas Taylor 

9.  The Wisdom of The Enneagram - Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson

8.  Christmas In My Heart - Joe Wheeler

9.  Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - Anonymous

Well....I have to be honest here.  This is not one of my bookshelves; I got this picture from Goodreads.  I do have some of these books, though; it's just that they're not all in one place.  The ones I don't yet have, I intend to acquire, with the possible exception of the Anne Rice book pictured here.  Of course, I did want to show off my paranormals!  They are as follows:

10.  City of Bones - Cassandra Clare (owned)

11.  Dead In The Family - Charlaine Harris  (wish list)

12.  Spirit Bound - Richelle Mead  (wish list)

13.  Tempted - P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast (wish list)

14.  Evernight - Claudia Gray (wish list) 

15.  Twilight - Stephenie Meyer (happily owned!!)

16.  Night World, Vol. 1 - L.J. Smith (omnibus edition, owned)

17.  Vampire Diaries, Vol. 1 - L.J. Smith (omnibus edition, owned)

18.  Queen of The Damned - Anne Rice (maybe wish list)

All right, so I don't own all of them.  They all look so nice together, I decided to post the picture! 

I'm a very eclectic reader.  Most of the ones shown in the closeups are non-fiction.  I'm glad I photographed them, even if the pics look darker here than they do on my cell phone, because this will serve as a reminder that I do have these very fascinating books that I really need to sink my teeth into!  (I suppose the pun is intended.)

By the way, there is one writer whose books I will never read or buy: Stephen King.  There are some others, like H.P. Lovecraft, for instance, whom I also refuse to read or collect.  Any writer in the hard-core horror genre (I do not consider books like those in The Twilight Saga part of this genre) is a writer that will not make money from me!  

  

How well read are you?

I was catching up with my favorite blogs this afternoon, and came across the following, posted on the blog Dog-Eared & Bookmarked.  The blogger, Cyndi, got it from yet another blog, Everything Distils Into Reading, whose creator, Gautami Tripathy, has graciously given permission to post this on other blogs.

I have to point out one small detail, however.  There are really more than 100 books on this list.  For example, the Harry Potter series is listed as if it consisted of only one book, when everyone knows that each of the seven books of the series was published separately.  The Lord of the Rings, although one book, was first published in three separate volumes, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King.  This has become a publishing tradition, since the entire book is a pretty unwieldy thing to handle.  Therefore, it's technically considered a trilogy.  As for The Chronicles of Narnia, it can be considered as seven separate books, although it has also been published as one volume containing all of the seven books.  Interestingly, this list mentions the entire collection as one book, as well as one of the seven, separately.  It's The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardbrobe, which is the first book in the Chronicles.  Another example is The Complete Works of Shakespeare, also listed as one book (I have seen it in bookstores), while one of The Bard's plays, Hamlet, is listed separately as well.   Last but definitely not least, the book listed as Inferno is one of three making up Dante's Divine Comedy, which I've seen sold both as one book and three separate ones, although it is considered one book.

So where does that leave the reader who, like me, has perused at least one "book" which is really a series of books?  I think each of those books should be counted.  That's only logical.   Okay, then....I can say I've read 30 books from the list, since I'm including the three in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, as well as the seven in the Harry Potter series.  I haven't read any of the Narnia books, so that's not a problem. 

There!  Now that's settled!  Also, there are five books on the list that I started and never finished.  A few, I'm embarrassed to admit, I have never heard of before.  There are a couple of others, like Dracula, that I have absolutely no interest in reading, and I am not at all ashamed to say so!

So here's the list, with thanks to Cyndi & Gautami!  How well did you do?

The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here.
Instructions:
• Copy this list.
• Bold those books you’ve read in their entirety.
• Italicize the ones you started but didn’t finish or read only an excerpt from.
• Tag other book nerds.

Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
The Lord of the Rings – J.R.R. Tolkien
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
Harry Potter series – J.K. Rowling
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
The King James Bible
Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) - George Orwell
His Dark Materials - Phillp Pullman
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Little Women – Louisa M. Alcott 
Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy
Catch-22 – Joseph Heller
Complete Works of Shakespeare
Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier
The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien
Birdsong – Sebastian Faulk
Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger 
The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
Middlemarch – George Eliot
Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh
Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
David Copperfield – Charles Dickens 
Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis
Emma -Jane Austen
Persuasion – Jane Austen
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis 
The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Bernieres
Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
Winnie the Pooh – A.A. Milne
Animal Farm – George Orwell
The DaVinci Code – Dan Brown
One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez 
A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving 
The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins
Anne of Green Gables – L.M. Montgomery
Far From The Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
Lord of the Flies – William Golding
Atonement – Ian McEwan
Life of Pi – Yann Martel
Dune – Frank Herbert
Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons
Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth
The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon
Love In The Time Of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
The Secret History – Donna Tartt
The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold
Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
On The Road – Jack Kerouac
Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy
Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding
Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
Moby Dick – Herman Melville
Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens
Dracula – Bram Stoker
The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson
Ulysses – James Joyce
The Inferno – Dante
Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
Germinal – Emile Zola
Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray
Possession – A.S. Byatt
Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
The Color Purple – Alice Walker
The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White
The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 
The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton
Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery
The Wasp Factory – Ian Banks
Watership Down – Richard Adams
A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute
The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas
Hamlet – William Shakespeare
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
Les Miserables – Victor Hugo