My Favorite Banned Books

To continue my celebration of Banned Books Week, I have decided to discuss some of my favorite banned books.

1. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Oh the irony of this book being banned. This book focuses on a dystopian society where where books are burned and reading is considered sacrilegious. This book does a great job of exploring the reasons behind censorship and portraying its flaws. It is one of my favorite classics for this reason. The entire point of this book is to prove how awful censorship is, yet it is often banned from libraries and schools.

2. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

This book is one of the most famous books for young readers. It focuses on two children, Jess and Leslie, and their friendship. Throughout the book, they have adventures in fictional lands. This was one of my favorite books when I was younger, and was one of the first books to ever make me cry.Unfortunately, this book is commonly banned because it has inappropriate language and is considered to be "not religious enough."

3. The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank

This is a phenomenal story that truly captures the effects of the Holocaust. Anne Frank, the teenage author of this book, showcases her views about how The Holocaust is affecting her. In my opinion, this is one of the best pieces of literature to come out of this era because it shows the true effects of the Holocaust. It is not written by some historian fifty years later. The author is a teenage girl, writing in her diary and truly showing how she feels about the entire experience. This book is being banned because it contains some sexual references. While the book gets a bit explicit at times, it shows what life is like for a teenage girl. It should not be banned for doing so. 

I have only begun to scratch the surface when it comes to banned books. Let me know what some of your favorite banned books are!

Banned Books Week

I know that I have not posted anything in quite awhile, and for that I am truly sorry. However, I have decided to start blogging again. And what topic could be better than banned books?

This week from September 22nd to 28th, is officially Banned Books Week. This event is hosted by ALA. Its goal is to challenge the banning of books and raise awareness of censorship.

This is such a great idea. Even  today, censorship remains a very prevalent topic. People have so much freedom in today's day and age that they are likely to forget what it is like to not have them. In some countries, watching television or reading a certain book is a severe crime.

Even though there is nothing that extreme in the United States, there are still certain books that are banned for numerous reasons; including racial and sexual content. 

I understand why some of these books are banned from libraries and schools, but I do not agree with the concept. It is not the job of libraries to control what people read. If a book is considered "inappropriate" for whatever reason, it is not the job of someone on a censorship committee to make sure children do not read that book. It is the job of parents to not allow their kids to read certain books if that is what they desire. 

In addition, there is no concrete process for banning books. Let's assume that a book is considered to be banned. What is the criteria for this process? The same test cannot be used for all books, for no two books are the same. There is no fair way to assess books for being banned.

In my perfect world, there would be no banning of books. However, this is not the utopian society that I created inside my head.. Unfortunately there will always be restrictions on what people read. There will always be those who try to censor what people can read. These people have acknowledged the true impact that words have and are trying to limit their impact. As Cassandra Clare once said, "One must always be careful of books, and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us."

Keep this in mind during this week, and try to raise light on the issue of the censorship of books. 

Goddess Review

After accidentally unleashing the gods from their captivity on Olympus, Helen must find a way to re-imprison them without starting a devastating war. But the gods are angry, and their thirst for blood already has a body count.

To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a diabolical Tyrant is lurking among them, which drives a wedge between the once-solid group of friends. As the gods use the Scions against one another, Lucas’s life hangs in the balance. Still unsure whether she loves him or Orion, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, for war is coming to her shores.

In Josephine Angelini’s compelling conclusion to the masterfully woven Starcrossed trilogy, a goddess must rise above it all to change a destiny that’s been written in the stars. With worlds built just as fast as they crumble, love and war collide in an all-out battle that will leave no question unanswered and no heart untouched. (summary by Goodreads)

This book was very disappointing to me. This series is one of my all-time favorites, so I expected the final book to be nothing short of amazing. I felt like many of the characters in this book, such as Claire and Matt, made some decisions that were very out-of-character. In addition, it took me a very long time to get into the book. Finally, the ending left a few key things unresolved. I felt like this book was only okay, and that's why I was very disappointed with it.
However, the amazing thing about this book was Helen and Lucas' relationship. These two never fail to disappoint and I flt like the ending really gave their relationship true justice.

Rating

3.5 out of 5 stars

The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

One moment can change everything. Amber’s life is spinning out of control. All she wants is to turn up the volume on her iPod until all of the demands of family and friends fade away. So she sneaks off to the beach to spend a day by herself.

Then Amber meets Cade. Their attraction is instant, and Amber can tell he’s also looking for an escape. Together they decide to share a perfect day: no pasts, no fears, no regrets.

The more time that Amber spends with Cade, the more she’s drawn to him.  And the more she’s troubled by his darkness. Because Cade’s not just living in the now—he’s living each moment like it’s his last. (summary by Goodreads)

This book was not at all what I expected. I will admit that I am not the biggest fan of poetry. I had heard a few good things about this book and decided to give it a try. I'm so glad I did.

This book touched me in ways I didn't know were possible. The story was brilliant- stunning, yet subtle in its own way. It packed so many life lessons into only 300 pages. 
The writing was absolutely gorgeous. It was lyrical and flowery, it really added to the overall enjoyment of the story. The writer even managed to have the romance not seemed rushed, even though the main characters fell in love over the course of only one day.

This is a book I highly recommend. It is a new favorite of mine and I give it 5 out of 5 stars

Favorite Fanart of the Week

As a booknerd, looking at fanart is just amazing. It allows your  favorite quotes and scenes from books come to fully come to life. Here are a few of my favorites from this week. This week's pictures are  Infernal Devices and Mortal Instruments related.

Sophie as a cat

The ever-incestual relationship of Clary and Jace

Jem, Will, and Tessa

Starcrossed Review

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart. (summary by Goodreads)

This is one of my all-time favorite books. It is emotionally damaging in every way possible and will most likely leave you sobbing by the end. PROS: 1. Helen and Lucas' relationship It's just so beautiful. I started to ship them by around page 100. They have to overcome so much just to be together and I found myself rooting for them. 2. The cast of characters The variety of characters was fantastic. There were so many in-depth characters that I enjoyed. My favorites were definitely Claire and Lucas. 3. Warning: Extreme Case of the Feels This book made me extremely emotional. I almost started crying multiple times. 4. THAT ENDING! The ending left so many unanswered questions and left me more emotionally damaged than I thought was possible. This book was absolutely amazing. It is one of my all time favorites. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars

Shadow and Bone Review

The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka.

Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom’s magical elite—the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free?

The Darkling, a creature of seductive charm and terrifying power, leader of the Grisha. If Alina is to fulfill her destiny, she must discover how to unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him.

But what of Mal, Alina’s childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can’t she ever quite forget him? (summary by Goodreads)

This book was absolutely amazing. I have no idea why I put off reading it for so long, considering the fact that so many people recommended it to me. Characters: Alina is such a kick-ass protagonist. I loved hearing her story and seeing her grow as the book went on. She starts out unsure of herself and by the end she's awesome. My favorite character would have to be Mal. He reminds me a lot of Day from the Legend series by Marie Lu (one of my favorite books. Story: The story was absolutely amazing. There were twists and turns around every corner. My favorite part of the story was defnitely Mal and Alina's relationship. I loved seeing how it progressed as te story went on. This book was fantastic, a definite must read. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.