It's Monday,My 2cents on Book Censorship, and reading challenges (I fail)

I think this poster art says it all. One thing I've always hated was other people telling me what to do...so of course it follows that I wouldn't want anyone telling me, or dictating to my children (or grandchildren now) what they (or I) should read, be allowed to read or even be able to borrow or buy from a store. My parents were never the type to censor our reading. My father was always about learning and researching for your own opinions, and my mother just might not have been aware, or had any idea of what we were reading. I do know that her parents were very strict in Panama (central america) and that she was a bit rebellious herself, so it could also be that she just wasn't going to go there with us. We did benefit though, since we were able to read whatever we could get our hands on. As my own children came of reading age, I followed the tradition of not making a big deal of whatever they were reading. I have to admit that I did make a big deal out of Marilyn Manson's first couple of record albums, and mainly because they seemed so full of hate and diseased thinking. It never stopped my kids though. I did tell them not to bring the cd's in the house, but I never actually told them they couldn't listen to them. (fine lines there).

I don't want my grandchildren's choice of reading to be affected by anyone else by their mom and dad. It's no body else's business. Certainly not some other parents, or well-meaning but totally misguided people who try to ban books.

Don't Ban Books. Leave Them Be

Think For Yourself - make up your own mind

For my Monday "what's up" post. This is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey.


Saturday, I finished reading a great young adult fantasy novel - The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff. My review is here. I think it's a great book with wonderfully creepy characters. I believe it's a debut novel also. You know, debut novels nowadays are much better than some debut novels that I've read in my ...ahem... younger years. (I'M GETTING OLD! PEOPLE! OLD!!!)


I was paid my monthly little piddly paycheck (read with extreme bitterness - then move on) and even though it wasn't as much as I had hoped, even though I didn't get to buy as many books as I WANTED to, I was able to get a few...



I bought the latest young adult novel by Terry Pratchett - I Shall Wear Midnight. This is the book that I'm currently reading - in fact, I started it on Saturday and since I haven't been able to mess around on the computer (virus problems) I was able to concentrate on it and am almost finished. (See how much the computer and internet interfere with our lives? and yet I can't imagine being without if for even one day! I have to adjust though, since my computer is going on a little trip to be fixed by a computer genious...I hope) Anyway, if you've been reading any of his Tiffany Aching (young witch) disc-world novels, you'll love this one. It also features the little crazed blue men you see on the cover, the Nac Mac Feegles - they are six inches or less, kilt-wearing, fighting, drinking, clan-like little Wee Men. And they're blue. This is, sadly, the final Tiffany Aching Novel.


Another book I bought is Grave Witch by Kalayna Price. Even though this is the first book of hers that you'll see in the bookstores, on a physical shelf, this is her third published book. She's also written Once Bitten, and Twice Dead - a series about a shapeshifter who has been turned into a vampire. Imagine that. (Talk about double jeapordy!)

I also found Pathfinder by Laura E. Reeve. Now this is the third book in a sci-fi spaceship odyssey type series, but it looked interesting and the store didn't have the first two books available, so I though I would give it a try anyway. Maybe it'll be one of those books that are enjoyable even if you haven't read the first two books. Who know? I know I have tried out the first chapter, and ....I'm not sure yet. There are references to past tragedy's (of a profound and extreme nature), but this book also seems to have a standalone plot. We'll see. Sometimes I just want to read sci-fi with space travel, enhanced humans, different species, etc. The first two books are Peacekeeper and Vigilante.

Then...last but certainly not least is Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews. So far, I have loved reading everything that I can get my hands on by this couple. Everyone has heard of the Kate Daniels series, right? Same authors. In fact, as soon as I finish reading I shall Wear Midnight, if a book that I'm supposed to review by October 10th hasn't shown up yet, I will be reading this one next. This is the second in their Edge series. "rustic fantasy"...or something like that. Whatever they call it, and their other book On the Edge, it'll be good. If you haven't seen the websites of Ilona Andrews yet, go over and take a look. They (Ilona and Gordon) have a page for each of their series, with all kinds of extras. little bits about characters, species, pictures, and extra writings. It's all entertaining and it's wonderful that they've gone that extra mile for their readers. Think of the talent, the ability to get along and produce not just one series, but TWO as well as other online or e-fiction. I mention get along, because anyone who's been married for long knows, it's not all a bed of roses - so the fact that these two can work and live together, blog together and continue to do so while raising a family, and dogs...I'm impressed.



Now that we're into October, and I'm pretty sure that I've failed at the 2010 Countdown Challenge, the pressure for me to read books written in other years is off. I had been buying a lot of books printed in 2010, but putting off reading them (unless I had promised a review - I'm so much in demand as a reviewer...snicker, snicker...LOL) and trying to read books published in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008. Folks, I didn't make it. I was able to read all of the required 2010 books (10) and all of the required 2009 books (9) and all of the 2001 books (1), but only had a few read for 2005, 2006, 2008, etc.

Well, I tried. I seriously tried. But it didn't happen. One thing I decided to do though...

I'm pretty sure that there will be a 2011 countdown challenge (the 2010 was the second of third or whatever). Instead of reading all of the current years books right away (very easy to do) I will try to alternate. One older book, one newer, two older, one newer. Maybe that will help.

The other thing that would have helped is if the host had put up a challenge page. There was the original post, but that's all I could ever find. I like the way Book Chick City, Color Online, and J.Kaye (challenges taken over by HomeGirls book blog) had set up the review pages for their challenges. There was the original post, then each of them put up a page with places to post your review links every month. I know there's more hosts of challenges who've done this, but those are the ones that I signed up for. It really makes a difference when you can keep track of challenge progress not only on your own, but on another site.

If I join the 2011 countdown challenge, then I will put up a separate page for myself, my own reviews. I did keep track on my sidebar, but it makes for a verrrrryyyyy looooonnnnnggggg sidebar. :)

Well, we'll just have to see how the many other challenges that I signed up for finish (not looking to good, but as one reader put it, it's a challenge, and if it were easy it wouldn't have been a challenge- by the way, thanks for those words, it did make me feel better.)