Banned Books Week and Top Ten Tuesday

Thank you to Ava for recommending that I post about Banned Books Week.

This week, Sep. 21-Sep. 27, is Banned Books Week!

What is BBW?

Well, I didn’t know until I looked it up. Here is an overview, straight from their official website.

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community –- librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types –- in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.

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 according to the American Library Association. There were 307 challenges reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom in 2013, and many more go unreported.

This week celebrates the freedom of reading and, mostly, banned books.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What types of books are considered banned?

Here are the top three reasons for banned books:

1. Material considered to be sexually explicit.
2. Material has offensive language.
3. Material is “unsuited to any age group.”

What can I do to celebrate BBW?

Most obviously, read! Read anytime you can, to show others that you can read and you are allowed to. No one can tell you not to. [Except maybe your teacher…] And read banned books. You can find a list of challenged authors from the 21st century, up to 2012, here. J. K. Rowling and John Green make the list! Basically, you can read almost any YA book. Because most contain “offensive language.”

You can also participate in some events. If you live in the USA, here is a list of states and their events.

And you can participate in a Virtual Read-Out. More information about that can be found here.

For TTT, I decided it would be fun to make a list of [in my opinion] top ten books that should be/are challenged. This doesn’t mean I don’t like them; this is for fun!

TTT is a meme created by The Broke and the Bookish.

My Top Ten Banned Books

1. Paper Towns by John Green

2. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

3. If I Stay by Gayle Forman

4. The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

5. Ink by Amanda Sun

6. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

7. Where She Went by Gayle Forman

8. A Dark Sky by Giselle Rocha

9. The Princess and the Pauper by Kate Brian

10. Geek High by Piper Banks

Sorry I didn’t include pictures. I’m too lazy. XD

This post was extra-long!

[Added after a comment I saw.]

I find the whole concept of BBW to be a joke. These books are normal, everyday books that everyone reads. There’s no point of them being banned, in my opinion.

What are you doing to celebrate Banned Books Week? [BTW, I made up the acronym.] And what books are on your banned books list? Tell me in the comments below.

TCWT Blog Chain

[Click the image to go to their blog.]

I know I said I’d post this tomorrow, the actual day, but I got tired… Lesson learned! I will now try to not post as much on one day.

So the topic for this month’s chain is “What are your favorite book beginnings and/or endings?” Before I went to sleep last night, I wrote down some notes for myself to remember in the morning. Those will be helping me!

Let’s start with the obvious–beginnings.

These are all of my favorites! So I’ll say the book title, what I like about the beginning, and perhaps a quote.

The Book Thief–The beginning  is so original and funny and intriguing, and it just hooks you.

First the colors.

Then the humans.

That’s usually how I see things.

Or at least, how I try.

And the title of the first chapter is “Death and Chocolate.” I mean, come on. How can you not like that?

Harry Potter–Yet again, a hook. And the first sentence doesn’t necessarily talk about Harry; it talks about the Dursleys and their normality. Which is great, I think.

The Lightning Thief–It’s funny! Everything about Percy Jackson and the Olympians is funny, because Percy is narrating it. Duh. :P

City of Bones–I believe someone else talked about this already, but whatever. You see a blue haired buy in the beginning, who Clary thinks is cute, and then [SPOILER ALERT] he turns out to be a demon and is killed after a few pages. Ah, the irony of life. And then the killer of the demon turns out to be Clary’s boyfriend, even though she hates him and thinks he’s evil in the beginning.

I Am Malala–Honestly, I just love the first two sentences.

I come from a country that was created at midnight. When I almost died it was just after midday.

Is that cool-sounding or what?

The Fault in Our Stars–This one is obvious. The first sentence, which is a paragraph, is all about how Hazel’s mom thinks she’s depressed, and what she makes her do. It opens us up to Hazel’s character and voice and life. Brilliant, I think.

Now, the endings. I don’t like endings that much. They mean the book, or series, is over. No more. Nada. I will be so sad when I get to the end of the Blood of Olympus, because then it will be over. For reals. No more funny Percy, or smart Annabeth, or cocky Jason, or adorable Leo, or mysterious Hazel, or baby-face Frank, or charm-speaking Piper. :'(

However, I do love the ending for Harry Potter, because of the epilogue. Most of my favorite endings have epilogues–I just love ’em. They tie everything up all neat and tidy, with sweet families and children. [Contrary to my love of epilogues, I don’t think Nakoma will have one. Sorry!]

So now my dad is saying I have to get up, because today is my sister’s birthday party and I have to help out. It’s Harry Potter themed! I’m going to sort people. :)

Here are the rest of the amazing people linking up for TCWT:

7th – http://vergeofexisting.wordpress.com/
8th – http://zarahoffman.com/
9th – http://thelittleenginethatcouldnt.wordpress.com/
10th – http://www.elizamcfarlish.weebly.com/
11th – http://sammitalk.wordpress.com/
12th – http://irisbloomsblog.wordpress.com/
13th – http://musingsfromnevillesnavel.wordpress.com/
14th – http://fantasiesofapockethuman.blogspot.com/
15th – http://miriamjoywrites.com/
16th – http://magicandwriting.wordpress.com/
17th – http://ttkesley.wordpress.com/
18th – http://www.brookeharrison.com/
19th – http://www.freeasagirlwithwings.wordpress.com/
20th – http://roomble.wordpress.com/
21st – http://unikkelyfe.wordpress.com/
22nd – http://erinkenobi2893.wordpress.com/
23rd – http://butterfliesoftheimagination.wordpress.com/
24th – http://lillianmwoodall.wordpress.com/
and http://www.paperdaydreams.com/
25th – http://write-where-you-are.blogspot.de/
and http://theedfiles.blogspot.com/
26th – http://insideliamsbrain.wordpress.com/
and http://anmksmeanderingmind.wordpress.com/
27th – http://semilegacy.blogspot.com/
and http://dynamicramblings.wordpress.com/
28th – http://oliviarivers.wordpress.com/
and http://randommorbidinsanity.blogspot.com/
29th – http://theloonyteenwriter.wordpress.com/
30th – http://thelonglifeofalifelongfangirl.wordpress.com/
and http://teenscanwritetoo.wordpress.com/ (We’ll announce the topic for next month’s chain.)

Love y’all to the moon an back. <3 Thanks again for 50 followers.

The Best Day Ever

Today is one of my top-ten days! Why? I bought The Fault in Our Stars, watched “Maleficent”, downloaded an e-book, saw friends, and curled my hair (which may sound un-fun but really is). Obviously, today ruled.

First off, The Fault in Our Stars is by far one of the best books. Apparently one of my friends was a mess after she read it, and the people coming out of theater were pretty emotional… I don’t know if I’ll cry, though; I tend to keep my feelings inside and I’ve never cried when reading a book or watching a movie, –spoiler alert!– not even when Dobby died! So, if it does make me cry, it’s got to be good.

I also got another book today, except it was before TFIOS. I follow Jeyna Grace’s blog, and on it we could download her latest book, Battle of Oz: Exitium for free! I was like, OMG!!!

Anyway, it’s a fantastic read with beautiful illustrations. Now I have too much to read!

I. Finally. Saw. “Maleficent”!!! And it’s just as great as it seems–even better! (I am using tons of exclamation points!) I don’t want to spoil anything, but there’s this one scene where Maleficent is battling this guy that wants her killed and they fall off a tower, just like in “Harry Potter”! It was so funny. And one of the fairies is played by the woman that plays Professor Umbridge. And the fairy wears pink. Coincidence or what?! And I saw two friends at the movie. Squee!

And, like I said, I curled my hair. (I’d show you the selfie I took, but then you’d know who I am.)

I’ve been watching a lot of X Factor auditions lately. I’m totally doing that because I need to study their British accents for writing and their…hair and clothes and stuff for my writing. Not really. My guilty pleasure… Sorry.

Comment, follow, like–it’s all good!

Carpe librum,

Chloe