Banned Books Week (September 21-27)

BannedBooksWeek.org

Banned Books Week has officially come to close, but I've spent some time reading through the website and seeing which books have made the list in recent years. Why were they challenged? What makes them so terrible that they must be censored?

Here's A Few:

1. The Hunger Games
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
3. The Glass Castle
4. The Captain Underpants Series
5. The Catcher in the Rye
6. The Harry Potter Series

.......... I mean the list goes on and on! Now I don't know about you guys but some of the books that make the cut on this list were some of my favorite books from childhood and adulthood! They're banned for reasons citing offensive language, sexuality, violence, unsuited to the age group, religious viewpoint, etc.

Now not every book is for every person, not every genre is suited for every reader and that's okay. But this censorship I have simply never understood. I've seen a number of Banned Books lists that include books such as the Bible, Anne Frank's Diary, and so many others that just blew my mind!

So I proudly read Banned Books!

Because I will not let someone that's sensitive dictate my literary choices, or any choices I make.

Blue Bloods: Gates of Paradise ... The End

Barnes & Noble

Let me just start out by saying that Melissa De La Cruz's Blue Bloods series I have been following since my early high school years! So now that I've finally finished the series I'm left with that usual feeling of sadness. I'm finally done with characters I've been following for years, the story is complete and it's time to move on to something else.

That being said, the sadness I felt was not as profound as other series I've been following for years. I mean I was following Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls series for almost the same amount of time and yet I felt a deeper sadness over the graduation of Cammie & Co. than I did for the Blue Bloods that finally found salvation. 

Unfortunately I know exactly why my sadness is not as profound ... a typo on the last page.

Put aside for a moment that writing and being published is what I want to do as my career; I'm a bookworm! I love to read and I've been a reader since I knew what books were. So a typo in a book is like a knife in the heart to me, but on the last page ... it makes me want to hurl said novel at the wall and scream. In those last few moments of being in that world that the author has created I'm ripped, rather abruptly, back to reality and have to think and process what the line is supposed to say rather than what the words on the page actually read.

And truly the most unfortunate part is that I wish I could say this was the only typo I'd found in the entire book, sadly that was not the case. There were several bumps along the road and while those were frustrating enough the last page really just killed it for me.

I don't even place the entire blame solely on the author; I understand that when you are close to a project your brain will automatically correct mistakes without actually correcting them. But there are so many people involved in publishing a book, an agent, an editor, a publisher, proofreaders that for the sheer amount of mistakes I found was astounding! How could just so many typos and mistakes fall through the cracks and make it to the final copy? Especially such a glaring on as the one on the last page!

I finished this book days ago but this still makes me annoyed when I think about it! When this is your job these are the kinds of mistakes I, nor any reader, wants to see. Proofread, double check, edit, revise, give it to someone else to read, anything to prevent these types of mistakes that will pull your reader from whatever it is you have written.

**For the record: We'll almost there.

Three paragraphs remained after this line and made the ending completely unsatisfying because there simply was not enough time left to re-immerse myself into the world again.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

The Hunger Games Official Facebook

Guys I can't express just how excited I am for the next installment of The Hunger Games! Now at first I will admit I was very much against having Effie as an active character in these installments. However new aspect have come to light that I did not consider at first. That having been said I no longer have the same reservations as I did prior to the trailer release, I am just genuinely excited for this movie!

Is it November yet?

My Fellow Bookworms

So I have now been tagged twice in a post like this one! My pledge sister has asked me Julia & my fellow library nerd Janice to name 10 books that have left a lasting impression on me. At first I thought ONLY 10? How could I ever choose a mere 10? I’ve read probably a few hundred books in my lifetime and I’m being asked to choose 10!

I really did think it was an impossibility it would be too difficult for me to narrow down those hundreds to a handful. But let’s think about this for a moment, shall we? A lasting impression implies that when you think of a place, an object, a person, or even an event there’s something in particular that immediately comes to mind.  My father has always told me that a first impression is a lasting impression. You only get once chance at a first impression so make it count!

Good advice for me as a person and the same can be said for a book. You only get one first impression and that first impression is what I used as my criteria to choose my 10. So here it is, my list of 10 Books that Left a Lasting Impression on my Life.

Charlotte’s Web by, E.B. White

This book will always hold a special place in my heart. That spider and that pig made me hooked on reading. I read my copy so many times the binding is being held together by tape. Thanks to E.B. White I entered a world similar to my own, yet very different. I learned not to judge someone just because they may be different. But thanks to Charlotte and Wilbur I also learned that friends may leave, but the good ones are never forgotten.

The Harry Potter Series by, J.K. Rowling

Okay so this is technically encompassing 7 books, but hey Harry Potter isn’t just a book … it’s a generation. I discovered Harry, Ron and Hermione when I was nine years old and between the 7 books and 8 movies stayed with them until well into my 20s! This entire series will forever be special to me because this trio were my friends when very few others would be.

The Glass Castle by, Jeannette Walls

To anyone that has not read this stunning biography I highly recommend it! This is a story about family and about not being family. It taught me to appreciate what I have because not everyone is so lucky. But even in the worst of times there are ways to make the situation bright and find a silver lining.

Define “Normal” by, Julie Anne Peters

I feel like this title should speak for itself. I saw a post earlier that said; normal is a setting only on the washing machine. “Normal” is not a box that a person can be shoved into to fit.

The Fault in Our Stars by, John Green

This is a newcomer having only read the book at the beginning of this summer but I find this book to be beautiful. I loved everything about it; the story was frank and real. The language was nothing fancy or pretentious. The writing made me feel as if I could be speaking with a friend, listening to their story myself. But mostly because this is a story about life when death is a constant theme.

Out of Sight, Out of Time by, Ally Carter

I love all of Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girls series from the very beginning I have loved Cammie & Co. But this one just stuck with me in a way the others did not. After Cammie’s lost summer looking for the Circle and trying to find answers about her missing father she was returned to a life very different from the one she left behind. I loved this one because once Cammie returned to Gallagher Academy she was seeing life through the eyes of a spy, a real spy, while her friends still had the blinders of school on and try as they might her friends just did not understand.

Styxx by, Sherrilyn Kenyon

There are no words to describe Styxx, but merely just that there are two sides to every story. This addition to Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series blew everything I thought I knew out of the water. Just when I thought I had it all figured out the ever-surprising Sherrilyn Kenyon proved me wrong, there is so much more to learn.

Hush, Hush by, Becca Fitzpatrick

Bad guys sometimes make the best good guys, even if those bad guys are fallen angels.

Nancy Drew Mysteries by, Carolyn Keene

Probably my favorite shelf in St. Aidan Elementary School’s library. I read each of those yellow spined books religiously, over and over again. Nancy was always getting the job done and solving mystery after mystery.

Story of a Girl by, Sara Zarr

“School slut” this is a title I’m sure no girl wants to carry. Deanna however was labeled a slut when she was nothing more than a young, confused child. This is a story of a girl that was taken advantage of and how it affects her in her formative years of growing up. How her past shapes her and her ability to move past it.

I now nominate Melissa Alves, Aine O'Rourke, Meghan Collins, Megan Janczewski & Caroline Fallon, which 10 books have left a lasting impression on your lives?

Summer, Summer, Summertime

As the summer comes to a close it's time to remember all the good times I've had. Sure there have been a few bumps along the way, but what's life if not a little bumpy every now and then. I watched my sister graduate from high school, had a wonderful vacation with my family.

I've gone boating with friends and been thwarted by the weather on other boating days. A tour of wineries to celebrate a birthday. A minor surgery to close out the summer and both my siblings moving into school for the semester. I've been added to the Goodreads Author Program, which is incredibly cool for me! Spent days upon days working on my writing/researching for a new book.

All in all the summer's been great! But as we move into fall I'm so excited for my favorite season to begin, time to bring back boots and scarves! Time for awesome jackets and hats! The crisp cool air, chilly nights, bonfires, pumpkin picking and the changing leaves. Summer's great but Fall will always be my favorite time of year!

A Summer in Pictures!

Post-Op

St. Francis Hospital

Yes, you read that correctly: Post-Op ... as in I am currently living Post Operation or Post Surgery so this blog is most likely going to be short and sweet since I am still recovering.

This past Friday, August 15 I had to have urgent surgery and have my gallbladder removed. Don't worry though, a gallbladder is overrated anyway and you don't actually need one. Must be why mine decided to make a bunch of gallstones and give me issues, it wanted attention.  Well little organ you got your attention!

Let me just say that when I went to bed Thursday night and woke up Friday morning surgery was about the furthest thing from my mind. My mother is a nurse and when I complained of pains and discomfort, when I was getting sick a lot, she had an inkling that my gallbladder was in fact the issue. But still, when I was brought to the ER at St. Francis Hospital I was expecting treatments, antibiotics, instructions on how to prevent further issues.

Yeah that was wishful thinking on my part because any type of instructions they would give me, including lifestyle changes would only be temporary fixes. I would essentially be waiting for the other shoe to drop and just postponing the inevitable.

I chose the permanent fix and just had the surgery to get it over and done with. It helped that day that my mom was on duty at the hospital when I was brought in, she made sure I would receive the best care possible as any mother would. But I will say this since my mother works in the OR everyone that would be working on me were her friends.

I think this was a big help in easing my mind and allaying tension. It's a different atmosphere when that line between co-worker and friends gets blurred. The nurses weren't just business, they would joke around with me, visit with me and my parents. I'm glad I got such good people to help me through this and do the surgery.

So now I'm on the mend, get a little better each day minus a few bumps in the road. I really just can't wait until I start feeling like my normal self again. That day can't come fast
enough.

Dear Abby ...

Dear Abby

Dear Abby ...

I'm going to start out by saying I'm not really sure how I got into this, but it's just kind of become a little ritual of mine and every Sunday like reading PostSecret I've also taken to reading the Dear Abby column online. It usually consists of 2-3 letters from people ranging in age, gender, sexuality, etc. seeking advice from someone that is essentially an objective third party. Abby's column is, in my opinion, meant to be a place where one can receive nonbiased, objective advice without her words being clouded by the personal opinion of a loved one or friend with their own agenda to fulfill.

That being said I've read a few of her letters and while I haven't always agreed with the advice she gives I never found her words to be so off the mark as to be considered cruel/hurtful. However in this past Sunday's column she crossed that line! I read a letter from OFFENDED DAUGHTER IN CHICAGO, a 24-year-old woman that considers herself to be a plus-sized woman but is comfortable in her own skin. Not to go into too much detail about what was written or said but when I read this letter and saw that this woman is comfortable in her skin, quite confident in fact I really wanted to cheer for her!

Being a 24-year-old woman myself I can relate to her, especially as someone that has never and probably will never be a size 2 I can really relate to her. I've got through the periods in my life where all I want to do is hide in sweats and oversized t-shirts, I wasn't comfortable in my own skin in my early years of junior high and high school. I'm fully aware that I live in a society that sets a standard for body image, a standard that is considered beautiful above all others. Yeah, I've never fit that mold. But I'm at the point in my life where I don't care if I do fit that mold. I like me the way that I am and there's no one that can take that from me.

My own budding self-confidence I can give a big thanks to the people in my life that are supportive and loving towards me, my style gurus from What Not to Wear; Stacy & Clinton! I learned a lot about clothing that fit and how to dress my body type, which let me tell you goes a long way in feeling good. When clothes fit and fit well you carry yourself differently. But of course I wouldn't even have Stacy & Clinton to thank without my own loving, supportive, amazing mother! She introduced me to their show and everything kind of took on a life of it's won from there!

Now back to OFFENDED's letter; in her letter she expressed an altercation with her own mother who is clearly not as supportive of her daughter's self confidence as one would hope for. OFFENDED wrote to Abby asking for help on how to deal with the crushing blow delivered by her mother and how to broach the situation. Let me make this clear she was asking for advice on how the insult she felt had been delivered to her. OFFENDED was just that! This poor girl was offended by her mother's cruel words and was seeking a way to remedy the situation to prevent this kind of incident in the future!

This was a letter about relationships and harsh words and hurt feelings Abby, this was a not a girl that was asking if she should lose weight! Abby you do not know this girl's life beyond the letter she wrote you, telling her to seek a physician's help to deal with her "obesity" is cruel! In what way is that appropriate from you? In world filled with body shaming, photo shop, bullies, etc. for someone to be comfortable in their own skin it's something that should be commended.


But really this little gem is what really mad me angry, "I suspect that your mother would be prouder of you if you were less complacent and more willing to do something about your weight problem."

Dear Abby

I'm not even sorry to say this, but how dare you Abby! How dare you call self-confidence to be complacency! How dare you call her weight a problem! Regardless of your personal views on body image and what is considered beautiful or healthy or right, this girl was in no way asking you what she should do to please her mother or perhaps fit a more socially acceptable norm of beauty. She was asking advice on how to make amends with her mother so that such an incident would not reoccur.

Had it been me I would hope that my relationship with my mother were strong enough that I feel comfortable discussing things with her. As it stands my mother and I have a very strong relationship, if I felt something she said to me hurt my feelings my feelings to that extent I would feel comfortable bringing it to her attention. Maybe the rules had changed since I was a child? Maybe the mother's words weren't intended to be hurtful, but did not come across as constructive or helpful?

My words of wisdom to OFFENDED DAUGHTER IN CHICAGO, if you are comfortable and confident the way you are then let nobody belittle that or take that from you. But do not let another think they have the authority to speak to in such a manner that makes you feel bad about yourself. Your mother especially should be supportive of you and only want to help you grow an become a better person. I sincerely hope that was your mother's intent and her words merely came across the wrong way. The place where your mother is coming from may not be something you were anticipating.


*** I am apparently not the only one that felt Dear Abby crossed the line: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tony-posnanski/my-response-to-dear-abby-on-an-overweight-woman_b_5669305.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592

Would You Still ...

Photo Cred: purkkapallo

I you knew how is would end would you still ...?

I have literally been racking my brain all week and all day trying to figure out what I should make my post about today! And to be honest I have this problem most weeks, except for those aha moments where a lightbulb goes off and my train of thought veers dangerously towards a a perfect idea!

But today was a little difficult, until I saw this post on Tumblr. And here's my feeling on this matter, if you knew how any story would end, including your own, would you still read? Would you still make the same choices?

And I have to say regardless of the ending it doesn't tell me anything about the journey to get there. The journey is the important part in life, in reading, in anything! Knowing the ending is almost like cheating because you can alter your state of mind to ready yourself for it. If I could find out when I was going to die I'm not quite sure I would want to know. The journey to get there, the how, the choices I make are the fun parts.

So the question here remains: If you knew how it ends would you still read?

A BIG, resounding Y-E-S, yes! Because I don't want to know just how it ends, I want to about the journey to get there!

Lazy Days of Summer

Today's blog post is just an ode to my brain being in summer mode! And clearly all I want to be doing is relaxing, with a good book, maybe lounging by the pool or the beach ... but I must force myself to soldier on and work.

Even on my day off. It's my day off from my day job, but I don't get a day off from my career.

Here's hoping everyone is enjoying a happy, safe and healthy summer! Enjoy the sunshine and the warmth! Because the frigid winter will be on us all too soon. 

Day 22: City lights

You discover you have wings when you open a book ...

I've traveled endlessly between the pages of books, so this week I decided to share just a few of the places I've been to in reality!