CLICK HERE FOR FREE BLOGGER TEMPLATES, LINK BUTTONS AND MORE! »

Friday, September 24, 2010

Fall Catch Up Read-a-thon Update and Mini-challenge!

I have not gotten as much reading done as I would have liked. However, I think I have done a fair amount considering the circumstances!  I didn't get any reading time in at all on Monday. I was busy with pre-op appointments and just getting things ready. I didn't get much done Tuesday either, and then I had surgery Wednesday. I managed to get some reading done while I was waiting to register, and while waiting for my surgery.  I managed to get some reading done at home Wednesday evening. On Thursday I ended  up rereading what I had read Wednesday evening, since I couldn't remember most of it. (Ok, I cracked. I had to do it. I took the painkillers. I had to!)
Anyway, I think I will finish the two books I had hoped to finish. I am on page 253 of Tough Customer by Sandra Brown, and page 90 of The Bird Lady by Judy Lunsford.

Here is the mini-challenge hosted by Michelle at The True Book Addict.

The task for this mini-challenge is to go the the American Library Association (ALA) banned books page HERE and look on the left sidebar.  There is a menu titled Frequently Challenged Books organized by years, authors, decades, etc.  Take a look at these lists and pick one book that you have read, then tell me why you read it (did you read it specifically because of its banned status?), what your thoughts on the book were and anything else you might want to share about the book (why you would recommend it or why not).  If you have not read any of the books, pick one you would like to read and tell me about the book and why you want to read it.

Ok I checked out a few of the categories, and was surprised at what I found. I have read a few of the books listed. 
 Books that I have read that are on the lists are:

The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Catcher in The Rye by J.D Salinger
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Forever by Judy Blume
Goosebumps series
Anastasia Krupnik  (series) by Lois Lowry
Blubber by Judy Blume
Christine by Stephen King
Olive's Ocean by Kevin Henkes
A Time to Kill by John Grisham
Are You There, God?  It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume 
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White 

The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Catcher in The Rye by J.D Salinger, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck were books that I read for English classes in high school. I have re read them since. I enjoyed all three of them.
I read the Lois Lowry, and the Judy Blume ones when I was a kid. I recently reread Forever as part of a YA reading challenge.  I also read Olive's Ocean for that challenge. (I really enjoyed it, and can't think of why it is a banned/challenged book?)
I can not believe that Charlotte's Web made the lists.  Charlotte's Web is my all time favourite  book. It was the first book I ever read completely on my own, and I read it numerous times. I currently own 6 copies of it. One of them is the original copy I read in, ummmm, 1983! 
I enjoyed every book that I listed here, and honestly can't think of a single reason  not to recommend any one of them!
Well, that's it for now! If I plan on finishing the 2 books I wanted to read this week, in time to complete the challenge, I need to get at it!

7 comments:

  1. OK...I had to look it up because I love Charlotte's Web too. It has been challenged because of the talking animals. Uhm...??? Yeah, that's it. Talking animals. Apparently that's blasphemous. You have to seriously call something like that into question. Don't people have better things to do than to be upset by a FICTION book about talking animals??? Seriously.
    All right...rant over...

    ReplyDelete
  2. hello, thank you for coming to visit my blog :)
    i am following back. please come visit me anytime!

    http://havesippywilltravel.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  3. While in college I took a class on censored books. I was FLOORED when I found out that The Diary of Anne Frank was one of them.

    It seriously shocks me to see some of the books they put on this list.

    Thank you for visiting my blog. I am following you back!

    Come visit again

    www.mandalynandthestinkycheese.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love Charlotte's Web! I have 2 different copies and can't wait until my toddler is older so I can read it to him and give him the books.

    I checked the list and there are several books that I read either in undergrad or most recently in grad school (American literature and Children's literature courses)and really don't understand why they would be banned or on the verge to.

    My students had to read The Giver (L. Lowry) and I remember some of the parents freaking out over it.

    P.S.
    Thanks for following! I'm now following you:-D

    I have a business card giveaway going on if you are interested :-D

    http://alwaysaroundboys.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hope your better from the surgery! I don't know what kind of surgery you had, but from personal experience (2 different surgeries in a year), post surgery recovery is the worst.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That's the first thing that caught my eye in your list as well. I actually blurted out loud, "What the heck could Charlotte's Web be banned for?" (Talking animals?! You've got to be kidding me!)

    I've read quite a few of these. When I have a little more time (ha!) I'll make a list of my own. I think it would be interesting to go through and see why each was contested.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sorry I'm so late stopping by to check out your mini-challenge. I got behind this week. Great post. I too loved Charlotte's Web and I still have my original copy from when I was a girl.

    ReplyDelete

Please feel free to rave, rant, or ramble!