Sunday, 30 September 2012

Banned Books Week

This week is Banned Books Week where the freedom to read is celebrated in an annual awareness campaign. Escape in a Book would like to celebrate this with you by reading, reviewing and writing about banned and challenged books and encourage you to do the same. You can check out different events in th U.S. on the website linked above or participate in the Virtual Read-Out.


A little about the campaign from their website:
"Banned Books Week is the national book community's annual celebration of the freedom to read. Hundreds of libraries and bookstores around the country draw attention to the problem of censorship by mounting displays of challenged books and hosting a variety of events. The 2012 celebration of Banned Books Week will be held from September 30 through October 6. Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than 11,300 books have been challenged since 1982."


The banned and challenged books
When I took a look at the books that were reported banned or challenged (attempt to remove or restrict) from libraries and schools in the U.S. there were some similarities between them. First of all most of them are being challenged by concerned parents who wants to protect their children. ALA have listed the three most common reasons for challenging a book:

- the material was considered to be "sexually explicit"
- the material contained "offensive language"
- the materials was "unsuited to any age group"

It seems to me that sex and offensive language is automatically a problem in YA-books while other issues like girls falling for guys who want's to kill them (usually Paranormal Romance), promoting unhealthy relationships as the ultimate love story, or as Mari recently wrote about, that most of the characters in YA are so beautiful and not comparable to real life are not problematized. Even violence seems less problematic.

Why challenge and ban books?
As a school librarian myself I would never deny anyone reading what they want, but as a parent it might be a different matter. Personally I don't think I would deny my child any books but I guess in the role as a parent you act more irrational and protective than as a professional. I also think we underestimate children and young adults and what they are capable of understanding and deal with. Maybe books are one of the few places where we can control what other people consume. Because this is a paradox to me, what's the point of challenging books when what we can read and see on the internet and television are a lot worse? To read a book does in my opinion leave a lot more open for the reader to discover and interpret, and one can only do this from one's own point of view and experience.

In working with young adults 15-18 I rarely have a problem with the age limit but I have to admit that I also find it hard to actively recomend books with difficult issues as sexual abuse and suicide. I've heard the argument "why introduce children to these grown-up issues?" several times. But on the other hand aren't children the ones who suffer the most when these things happen in real life? These are issues that we don't talk too much about and that makes it even more important to make people aware, because maybe someone you know are or have experienced something like this.

What about in Norway?
In Norway a few years back there was a debate about some children/YA-books and whether or not they used violence and sex speculative to get attention. I read some of these books and totally disagreed. I don't think many people reacted either but several newspapers wrote about it, there was a debate at a large literature festival and I heard that some parents didn't want their kids to read these books at school. I have also noticed lately that many parents I talk to won't let their kids read for instanceThe Hunger Games. I agree that some of the youngest (12-13 year olds) might not be ready but I'm also talking about 16-year olds. A parent is the only one who can decide whether his or her child is ready or not but I still think the least they/we can do is to read the book ourselves or at least find out what it really is about and not just presume things. I haven't heard about a lot of cases in Norway where books are challenged or banned but on the other hand we don't have a place to report and read about these incidents either.

I am very curious to find out if you have ever been banned or challenged from reading books at your school, library, at home or elsewhere or if you have heard of this happening in your country?

Mari also wrote about this subject in 2010.

Wednesday, 19 September 2012

Stuck in a Good Book Giveaway Hop

The Stuck in a Good Book Giveaway Hop

September 20th to 25th

Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
 & Valerie from Stuck in Books



Here is my chance to share a book that I just couldn't put down. 

A book that sucked me in and kept me glued to its pages 
despite having to fight two other people to read it.

So tell me "What book have you read that really sucked you in and made you totally tune out the world?"



Contest will be open only to the US 
as I'm shipping the book.
I will be giving away a paperback copy of 
The Time Travelers Wife.
I also just read that as of Oct 10 it will also be available as an e-book.


The Time Traveler's Wife was the debut novel of American author Audrey Niffenegger, published in 2003. It is a love story about a man with a genetic disorder that causes him to time travel unpredictably, and about his wife, an artist, who has to cope with his frequent absences and dangerous experiences. Niffenegger, frustrated in love when she began the work, wrote the story as a metaphor for her failed relationships. The tale's central relationship came to her suddenly and subsequently supplied the novel's title. The novel, which has been classified as both science fiction and romance, examines issues of love, loss, and free will. In particular, it uses time travel to explore miscommunication and distance in relationships, while also investigating deeper existential questions.
As a first-time novelist, Niffenegger had trouble finding a literary agent. She eventually sent the novel to MacAdam/Cage unsolicited and, after an auction took place for the rights, Niffenegger selected them as her publishers. The book became a bestseller after an endorsement from author and family friend Scott Turow on The Today Show, and as of March 2009 had sold nearly 2.5 million copies in the United States and the United Kingdom. Many reviewers were impressed with Niffenegger's unique perspectives on time travel. Some praised her characterization of the couple, applauding their emotional depth; others criticized her writing style as melodramatic and the plot as emotionally trite. The novel won the Exclusive Books Boeke Prize and a British Book AwardA film version was released in August 2009.
Using alternating first-person perspectives, the novel tells the stories of Henry DeTamble (born 1963), a librarian at the Newberry Library inChicago, and his wife, Clare Anne Abshire (born 1971), an artist who makes paper sculptures. Henry has a rare genetic disorder, which comes to be known as Chrono-Displacement, that causes him to involuntarily travel through time. When 20-year-old Clare meets 28-year-old Henry at the Newberry Library in 1991 at the opening of the novel, he has never seen her before, although she has known him most of her life.
Henry begins time traveling at the age of five, jumping forward and backward relative to his own timeline. When he leaves, where he goes, or how long his trips will last are all beyond his control. His destinations are tied to his subconscious—he most often travels to places and times related to his own history. Certain stimuli such as stress can trigger Henry's time traveling; he often goes jogging to keep calm and remain in the present. He also searches out pharmaceuticals in the future that may be able to help control his time traveling. He also seeks the advice of a geneticist, Dr. Kendrick. Henry cannot take anything with him into the future or the past; he always arrives naked and then struggles to find clothing, shelter, and food. He amasses a number of survival skills including lock-picking, self-defense, and pickpocketing. Much of this he learns from older versions of himself.
"It's hard being left behind. I wait for Henry, not knowing where he is, wondering if he's okay. It's hard to be the one who stays."
—Clare[1]
Once their timelines converge "naturally" at the library—their first meeting in his chronology—Henry starts to travel to Clare's childhood and adolescence in South Haven, Michigan, beginning in 1977 when she is six years old. On one of his early visits (from her perspective), Henry gives her a list of the dates he will appear and she writes them in a diary so she will remember to provide him with clothes and food when he arrives. During another visit, he inadvertently reveals that they will be married in the future. Over time they develop a close relationship. At one point, Henry helps Clare frighten and humiliate a boy who abused her. Clare is last visited in her youth by Henry in 1989, on her eighteenth birthday, during which they kiss for the first time. They are then separated for two years until their meeting at the library.
Clare and Henry marry, but Clare has trouble bringing a pregnancy to term because of the genetic anomaly Henry may presumably be passing on to the fetus. After six miscarriages, Henry wishes to save Clare further pain and has a vasectomy. However a version of Henry from the past visits Clare one night and they make love; she subsequently gives birth to a daughter, Alba. Alba is diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement as well but, unlike Henry, she has some control over her destinations when she time travels. Before she is born, Henry travels to the future and meets his ten-year-old daughter on a school field trip and learns that he died when she is five years old.
When he is 43, during what is to be his last year of life, Henry time travels to a Chicago parking garage on a frigid winter night where he is unable to find shelter. As a result of the hypothermia and frostbite he suffers, his feet are amputated when he returns to the present. Henry and Clare both know that without the ability to escape when he time travels, Henry will certainly die within his next few jumps. On New Year's Eve 2006 Henry time travels into the middle of the Michigan woods in 1984 and is accidentally shot by Clare's brother, a scene foreshadowed earlier in the novel. Henry returns to the present and dies in Clare's arms.
Clare is devastated by Henry's death. She later finds a letter from Henry asking her to "stop waiting" for him, but which describes a moment in her future when she will see him again. The last scene in the book takes place when Clare is 82 years old and Henry is 43. She is waiting for Henry, as she has done most of her life, and when he arrives they clasp each other for what may or may not be the last time. (from Wiki)

This is a book that my daughter had taken to the beach with us nine years ago on a family trip. Now when I go to the beach, I take more books than clothes. I'm determined not to be without something to read when on vacation. At some point on this vacation, I was unable to get interested in any of my  books so picked up my daughter's book, The Time Travelers Wife. OMG, right away I was sucked into this story. I found myself clutching the book till my fingers were numb and constantly dabbing my eyes as I cried. Every time I put the book down, my daughter grabbed it to read and before I had finished it, my daughter-in-law had also started it. So at one point all three of us were reading the same book. This is also one of the few books to movies that I thought was done on an acceptable level. Though it helped that Rachel McAdams, from my favorite love story of all times, The Notebook, portrayed Clare. 



Here is a  full list of participating bloggers in the hop. At this time there is over 100 great blogs to visit and enter their giveaway! This is a great way to meet more bloggers, win books, gift cards and more!
Click on the "Read More" to take you to Rafflecopter--
If you have any problem getting Rafflecopter to come up,
generally refreshing the page will fix it.
Read "Click for Instructions" before answering the question!

So tell me "What book have you read that really sucked you in and made you totally tune out the world?"

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Friday, 14 September 2012

September New Release Hop



Welcome to Stop #5 of the 
September New Release Giveaway Hop!
The  September New Release Giveaway Hop
  is hosted by 
and 

Take time to visit the other blogs 
on this awesome giveaway!
Winner may choose one (1) of the following!


















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Thursday, 13 September 2012

Book review: 172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad

I read this norwegian book a few years back and it became one of my favorites. Last year it was published in english and I think it deserves some attention, so I'm giving my review based on my norwegian review from back when I read it and what I remember of the experience.

172 Hours on the Moon
What's it about:
It has been a while since the moon landing and now NASA has given three teenagers the opportunity of a lifetime to  travel into space in a worldwide lottery. The lottery is a way for NASA to create attention and to get financial support to this expensive excursion.  The three winners are Mia from Norway, Midori from Japan , and Antoine from France. We meet them before they win in all three countries to get to know them. Mia plays in a punk band and hopes this lottery will help her band get famous, Antoine is so heartbroken that he wants to get as far away from his ex-girlfriend as posible, and finally Midori wants freedom from her very strict parents. Before they go they all receive some sort of warning not to go. What they don't know and we only get to know little by little, space is a lonely and very dangerous place.

My opinion:
The best part of the book for me is the mood the writer creates. It's dark, scary, and David Bowie's "Space Oddity" keeps playing in my mind when I think about this book. I also liked that you get to know all three of the characters in their own countries before they go to NASA for training. Even though the characters are not the most important part of the story for me, or what I remember the most, I do remember this part where we got to know a little bit about their background and culture. Still what makes this book different from many other YA-books and thrillers are the mood and definetely the environment. The Moon must be the creepiest place on earth and Johan Harstad does an excellent job describing it as such. I have read more YA, sci-fi, and fantasy after I read this book than I had before so I don't know if I would have liked it just as much now, but I'll still claim it's original, creepy and very thrilling. I recommend you not to read this before bedtime, at least not if you know you scare "easy".

Source:
Checked out at the school library

My rating:


Silje

Under the Sea Giveaway Hop

Announcing the Under the Sea Giveaway Hop.
September 14th to 20th

Hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer & The Musings of ALMYBNENR.

Featuring books with mermaids, sirens, selkies, divers, 
swimming, boating, dolphins, etc.  We won't be too picky just tie it to water somehow.
Contest will be open only to the US as I'm 
shipping the book.
Tangled Tides by Karen Amanda Hooper




Just tell me what the best mermaid, siren, selkie, diver, 
swimming, boating, or dolphin book 
you have read in a comment
 Click HERE for the full list of participating bloggers on the hop. At this time there is over 150 great blogs to visit and enter their giveaway! This is a great way to meet more bloggers, win books, gift cards and more!
Click on the "Read More" to take you to Rafflecopter--
If you have any problem getting Rafflecopter to come up,
generally refreshing the page will fix it.
Read "Click for Instructions" before answering the question!

<
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Tuesday, 11 September 2012

Discussion: Give me more ugly people in YA!

May I have your attention please? I just want the world to know that I want more ugly people in YA(young adult) novels. What is your opinion on the matter?

 

We've all started out as tiny buds, as a young adult one is
on a journey towards full blossoming.
Photo by kaktuslampan via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Stunning 
By ugly people I mean normal people, if ugly is the correct term for those of us who doesn't look like stunning beauties? It sure is easy to interpret it that way these days. For the supernatural creatures beauty might be the norm, but honestly I’m tired of the perfect YA characters. I mean come on come up with something else and let young adults feel that they way they look are fine, perfectly normal! Girls don't have to have perfect, shiny, blond/red/brown/black/blue (whatever!) hair falling in lush waves down their straight back. Boys don't have to have muscles that give of so much reflection from the sun the girls nearly go blind from it.

Diversity = true
I want to have some real people in my books. Teens quite often do have zits for one(!), some are chubby, some are overweight, some are very long, some are very skinny, some are short, some have a crocked nose, some have scars and so on. Of course some are picture perfect but that doesn't necessarily mean that life is any easier for them! What I want to say with this little rant is that I want diversity, a good blend.

And yeah, I feel the same way about all the pretty girls that is overrepresented on book covers these days as well.

Do you have any opinions on the matter? Is it ok that YA seem to be overflowing with ideals that might not be all that healthy for young adults' perception of self?

An author that I love for setting the spotlight on this beautification of our society is Scott Westerfeld and for that I love him.

Remember that to the world you are someone, but to someone you are the world.

With love from your average girl, Mari!

Monday, 10 September 2012

Books to Movies Giveaway Hop


Announcing the Books to Movies Giveaway Hop

September 11th to 17th

Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
&

As an avid reader I'm never satisfied 

with the movie of a beloved book.

There have been some okay ones 
but only one where I thought the movie 
was better than the book, COLD MOUNTAIN.

What's the best movie you've seen made from a favorite book?

Contest will be open internationally.
I will be giving away 
a $10 Amazon/Barnes and Noble Gift card 
or I'll let you chose 
a book from Book Depository
up to $10 and as long as they ship
 free to you, you can enter.
Just make sure they ship to you. If not sure, 
 check here.

I love to win Gift Cards and 
these are the simplest and the best 
as far as I'm concerned.
For every 50 brand new followers,

I'll give away another $10 Gift card or
book from Book Depository.
AmazonGiftCard
B&N
Book Depository

Sunday, 9 September 2012

Book Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

I'm very sorry for my long absence, combining school with life is harder than I expected.
While sorting through my goodreads account yesterday I came across an old review. Seeing I absolutely loved this book I though it would be nice to share it with you guys.

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

The Iron King tells the story of Meghan, a 16-year-old girl. She never understood why she always felt like she didn't fit in, until she finds out about fairies. And that her life is tied together with their world more than she could ever have imagined.

"Me? Die? Didn't they tell you, princess? I'm Robin Goodfellow."

At first I was a bit wary of reading this book, because it is so similar to A Midsummer Night's Dream. However, Kagawa manages to create a complete new world, with only the same old names. And I like it.
The writing was amazing, the Nevernever so beautifully described I felt like I could almost touch it.
The story was even better. This was a true fairytale, not the usual bittersweet love story, but a spark of beautiful hope in a void world.
The Nevernever, filled with dangerous creatures wanting to eat you and manipulating Fey hoping for you to say two words, signing a binding contract. Thank you.
Julie Kagawa is a genius.

"Bravo," said Grimalkin, peering down from Cold Tom's chest. "The Winter prince and Oberon's jester agreeing on something. The world must be ending."

The characters are amazing.
Meghan. Brave, stubborn, selfless. She's a likeable character, a character you can't help but empathize with. Even though she is a tad naive and has the bad habit to freeze when things are coming to eat her.
Ash and Puck, two Fey with a shared troubled past.
Grimalkin though, he steals the show. A big, sarcastic talking cat. I mean, how can people not like that? HOW?! Days after finishing the book I still wondered whether Grimalkin is a good guy or a bad guy. Only one way to find out.

The only reason why I felt a bit uncomfortable while reading was the relationship between Ash, Puck and Meghan. Still, a love triangle. While it wasn't necessary for the story.

I'm definitely reading the other books in the series, I can't wait to find out more about the Nevernever, Meghan, Puck, Grimalkin and Ash in particular...

You must get your hands on this one. Promise me.

My rating of this book


Source
Ordered it. Glad I was smart enough to buy the entire series at once.


Other links
Find this book on Goodreads
Visit Julie Kagawa's website here

~ Sylke

Saturday, 8 September 2012

2nd Annual Back to the Book Giveaway Hop

2nd Annual Back to the Book Giveaway Hop
Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
Buried in Books

September 1st to 7th


Winners will be chosen by Rafflecopter.
Imagine, you get a do over in life, money is no object.
You just graduated from high school and your
 first year of college is starting.
Where are you going and what’s your major?
YOU MUST COMMENT/ANSWER THIS QUESTION TO ENTER

Contest will be open internationally. 
I will be giving away a $10 Amazon/Barnes and Noble Gift card or
 I'll let you chose a book from Book Depository 
up to $10 and as long as they ship free to you, 
you can enter. 
Just make sure they ship to you. If not sure,  check here.
I love to win Gift Cards and these are the simplest and the best as far as I'm concerned.
For every 50 brand new followers, I'll give away another $10 Gift card or 
book from Book Depository.



Hope you'll take the time to look around, 
make a comment or two. 
Click here for the full list of participating bloggers on the hop. 
This is a great way to meet more bloggers, win books, gift cards and more!
Grandbun
Giveaway Details from the Grandbuns!



Click on the "Read More" to take you to Rafflecopter--
If you have any problem getting Rafflecopter to come up, 
generally refreshing the page will fix it.

Read "Click for Instructions" before answering the question!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Thursday, 6 September 2012

Book review: Ripper by Amy Carol Reeves.

Sometimes I feel that my reviews are way too long, I've tried to kept it fairly short now but it looks like I suck at it. Today I will be reviewing a YA where the British serial killer who haunted the streets of London back in 1888, Jack the Ripper, plays an important part.

Serial killers is a theme that is semi-popular in YA novels at the moment.



Ripper by Amy Carol Reeves
Seventeen year old Arabella(Abbie) Sharp was forced to move to London and move in with her old grandmother after her mother passed away. The grandmother is a fine and old fashioned lady, and Abbie being used to living a though life on the streets in Ireland struggles to behave accordingly. As a proper punishment Abbie is sent to work as a volunteer at the Whitechapel Hospital. The patients at the hospital houses is mainly poor women and prostitutes, it sounds like a place that should learn a girl how to behave, right? Well unfortunately for grandmother Sharp Abbie loves her new work, but Abbie doesn't face any real difficulties until one of the patients is found murdered. Then Abbie's grandmother is the least of her worries.

I've been to London in 1888
The story is thrilling and the setting is painted in such av vivid way that one almost believes to have traveled back in time and actually been to London in 1888. Abbie(the MC) seems to be strongly influenced by the strong females from her time period and that is something I can like! She is determined and not easily scared.

A female doctor
A doctor, that is what Abbie wants to be and the health service is almost a character in its own right in this story. I loved reading about it and it made me sit down on my computer to investigate further into women practicing medicine at that time. Of the two Ripper-novels I've read this year this was by far my favorite. It seems to be the first book in a new series so I look forward to spending more time with Abbie, her friends and family.

Research
It is obvious that the author has spent a good amount of time studying both medical history and the case surrounding the mysterious murders back in the days. Well done! This was a nice historical read with a touch of the supernatural.

Source: Received via Netgalley for honest review.

Mari

Monday, 3 September 2012

Passing The Pages: The Golden Lily (PZR) and Giveaway!

Passing The Pages: The Golden Lily (PZR) and Giveaway!: Hey everyone, Its been about, oh, a week and a half and I have posted nothing! I am sooooooo sorry but with school and work I have just ...


200,000 Page Views Giveaway! | Live To Read

200,000 Page Views Giveaway! | Live To Read

God Loves You. - Chester Blue $50 Amazon Gift Card


God Loves You. - Chester Blue

What if when you most needed help, a blue bear appeared with a note from God? One night, Miss Millie of Blossom, Ohio turns her face to the stars and asks God for help. The next day, a package arrives on her doorstep containing a blue teddy bear and a special note. Over the course of a year, this remarkable blue bear travels across the country, showing up just when he’s needed most. During his journey, Chester Blue helps a young girl trying to impress her big sisters; saves a sailor caught in a terrible storm; reunites two constantly fighting brothers; helps a cowboy become a rodeo clown; and aids a father and daughter in bonding after divorce. If you ever needed a message from God, it's here... 


This book blast will be for a $50 Amazon Gift Card.

This Blast will run from September 4th to 11th
Meet Author Suzanne Anderson
I was born in Fort Lauderdale, attended the University of Michigan on an athletic scholarship for swimming and then worked on Wall Street. I left the bright lights of the big city fifteen years ago and traveled the world. I now live in the mountains of Colorado, where I pursue my dream of writing novels.

LINKS:
Website: http://www.suzanneanderson.net/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Suzanne-Anderson-Author-Page/201662786512944
Twitter: https://twitter.com/seakiev

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