Banned Book Week 2018

Top Ten for 2017

The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 354 challenges to library, school, and university materials in 2017. Of the 416 books challenged or banned in 2017, the Top 10 Most Challenged Books are:

 1. Thirteen Reasons Why written by Jay Asher

Originally published in 2007, this New York Times bestseller has resurfaced as a controversial book after Netflix aired a TV series by the same name. This YA novel was challenged and banned in multiple school districts because it discusses suicide.

2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian written by Sherman Alexie

Consistently challenged since its publication in 2007 for acknowledging issues such as poverty, alcoholism, and sexuality, this National Book Award winner was challenged in school curriculums because of profanity and situations that were deemed sexually explicit.

3. Drama written and illustrated by Raina Telgemeier

This Stonewall Honor Award-winning, 2012 graphic novel from an acclaimed cartoonist was challenged and banned in school libraries because it includes LGBT characters and was considered “confusing.”

4. The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini

This critically acclaimed, multigenerational novel was challenged and banned because it includes sexual violence and was thought to “lead to terrorism” and “promote Islam.”

5. George written by Alex Gino

Written for elementary-age children, this Lambda Literary Award winner was challenged and banned because it includes a transgender child.

6. Sex is a Funny Word written by Cory Silverberg and illustrated by Fiona Smyth

This 2015 informational children’s book written by a certified sex educator was challenged because it addresses sex educationand is believed to lead children to “want to have sex or ask questions about sex.”

7. To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee

This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, considered an American classic, was challenged and banned because of violence and its use of the N-word.

8. The Hate U Give written by Angie Thomas

Despite winning multiple awards and being the most searched-for book on Goodreads during its debut year, this YA novel was challenged and banned in school libraries and curriculums because it was considered “pervasively vulgar” and because of drug use, profanity, and offensive language.

9. And Tango Makes Three written by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson and illustrated by Henry Cole

Returning after a brief hiatus from the Top Ten Most Challenged list, this ALA Notable Children’s Book, published in 2005, was challenged and labeled because it features a same-sex relationship.

10. I Am Jazz written by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings and illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas

This autobiographical picture book co-written by the 13-year-old protagonist was challenged because it addresses gender identity.

Note: All of the information and the graphics in this entry come from the American Library Association Website (ALA website.) The information is from the reported challenges. Many challenges go unreported each year.

So, while you can, if you can, Read a Banned Book. Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #256: The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event which had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't-Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Felicity Montague is through with pretending she prefers society parties to books about bone setting—or that she’s not smarter than most people she knows, or that she cares about anything more than her dream of becoming a doctor.

A year after an accidentally whirlwind tour of Europe, which she spent evading highwaymen and pirates with her brother Monty, Felicity has returned to England with two goals in mind—avoid the marriage proposal of Callum Doyle, a lovestruck suitor from Edinburgh; and enroll in medical school. However, her intellect and passion will never be enough in the eyes of the administrators, who see men as the sole guardians of science.

But then a small window of hope opens. Doctor Alexander Platt, an eccentric physician that Felicity idolizes, is looking for research assistants, and Felicity is sure that someone as forward-thinking as her hero would be willing to take her on. However, Platt is in Germany, preparing to wed Felicity’s estranged childhood friend Johanna. Not only is Felicity reluctant to open old wounds, but she also has no money to make the trip.

Luckily, a mysterious young woman is willing to pay Felicity’s way, so long as she’s allowed to travel with Felicity disguised as her maid. In spite of her suspicions, Felicity agrees, but once the girl’s true motives are revealed, Felicity becomes part of a perilous quest that will lead her from the German countryside to the promenades of Zurich to secrets lurking beneath the Atlantic.

The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee is due to be released October 2nd, 2018 from Katherine Tegen Books.

Why am I waiting on this one? This is book two in the Montague siblings series. I haven't read book one yet, but this one is really calling to me. Maybe in part, it's because once upon a time I was pre-med.  The idea of piracy being involved sounds pretty exciting too. And since book one seems to have focussed mostly on her brother, I don't see a problem with jumping in on book two to see what's up with Felicity and her adventures. And it doesn't preclude my going back and reading book one afterward. Does this series or either of the books intrigue you?

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Review: Pecan Pies and Dead Guys by Angie Fox

Angie Fox has another wonderfully fun mystery with Verity and Frankie in Pecan Pies and Dead Guys - the 7th entry in the Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries series.

The ghostly Inspector De Clercq has drafted Frankie, Verity's resident ghost, to help him solve a murder mystery at a Great Gatsby era party. They have 3 days to solve the mystery and then it will be closed to them for another year. If they don't succeed, the inspector will lock Frankie up in ghost prison for good. With motivation like that, Frankie will pay close attention to the goings on at the Adair mansion. Verity will do her best to assist them in solving the mystery even though the inspector doesn't want the help of a live woman. Not sure which he considers the bigger liability, that she is alive or a woman.

Meanwhile, Ellis (Verity's boyfriend and a cop) has a mystery of his own to solve regarding a dead body in a ravine. And then Verity has an additional mystery - someone is leaving pecan pies at her house without a note or a friendly visit. Is someone stalking her?

I love the way Verity and Frankie interact. Their banter is entertaining. And it's obvious they've come to care about each other.

The mysteries are well done, especially the ghostly mystery at the 3-day party. There were plenty of suspects with motives. I loved the descriptions of the opulence of the mansion and the party and could easily picture it being made into a movie or a film.

While it can be read as a standalone, it might just whet your appetite for the rest of the series. It's not the first one that I've read and I feel the reader would perhaps get more enjoyment out of the book if they read some of the earlier ones as well.

I give this paranormal cozy 4 stars out of 5. It's well-written and entertaining. I look forward to the next installment in the series.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #255: Murder in her Stocking by G.A. McKevett

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event which had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't-Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

As the Moonlight Magnolia Agency revisits old memories on Christmas Eve, Granny Reid takes the reins back thirty years to the 1980s--back when she went by Stella, everyone's hair was bigger, and sweaters were colorful disasters. But murder never went out of style . . .

Christmas has arrived in sleepy McGill, Georgia, but holiday cheer can't keep temperamental Stella Reid from swinging a rolling pin at anyone who crosses her bad side--and this season, there are plenty. First, an anonymous grinch vandalizes a celebrated nativity display. Far worse, the scandalous Prissy Carr is found dead in an alley behind a tavern. With police puzzled over the murder, Stella decides to stir the local gossip pot for clues on the culprit's identity . . .

Turns out Prissy held a prominent spot on the naughty list, and suspects pile up like presents on Christmas morning. Unfortunately, the more progress Stella makes, the more fears she must confront. With a neighbor in peril and the futures of her beloved grandchildren at risk, Stella must somehow set everything straight and bring a cunning criminal to justice before December 25th . . . 

Murder in her Stocking by G.A. Mckevett is due out October 30th, 2018 from Kensington Publishing Corporation. This is number one in the new Granny Reid Mystery series.

Why am I waiting on this one? This mystery takes place in small-town Georgia in the 1980s. I like the idea of the setting and the time period. And with "suspects piling up like presents on Christmas morning," it sounds like it will be a fun read.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Pecan Pies and Dead Guys by Angie Fox

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

Smoke curled from his nose. "I mean, if you're going to commit to a life of crime, doll, you ought to commit to doing it right." (18% on my Kindle)

That's Frankie the ghost talking to Verity who is very much among the living.

Pecan Pies and Dead Guys by Angie Fox is being released today, September 18th, 2018, from Moose Island Books. This is book seven in the Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries series.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #254: Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event which had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't-Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Join Peter Grant, detective and apprentice wizard, for a brand new case . . .

Martin Chorley, aka the Faceless Man, wanted for multiple counts of murder, fraud, and crimes against humanity, has been unmasked and is on the run. Peter Grant, Detective Constable and apprentice wizard, now plays a key role in an unprecedented joint operation to bring Chorley to justice.

But even as the unwieldy might of the Metropolitan Police bears down on its foe, Peter uncovers clues that Chorley, far from being finished, is executing the final stages of a long term plan. A plan that has its roots in London’s two thousand bloody years of history, and could literally bring the city to its knees.

To save his beloved city Peter’s going to need help from his former best friend and colleague–Lesley May–who brutally betrayed him and everything he thought she believed in. And, far worse, he might even have to come to terms with the malevolent supernatural killer and agent of chaos known as Mr Punch . . .

Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch is due out November 13th, 2018 from DAW Books.

Why am I waiting on this one? This is book seven in the series. I will probably start with book one, but I like the way the series sounds. It makes me think a little of The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

Bottom line, not only am I not a liar, I'm not even an exaggerator. If anything, I like to dial things down a bit so everything doesn't come off as a drag queen line dance at Mardi Gras. (p. 50)

The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher was published November 22nd, 2016 by Blue Rider Press.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Review: Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett

In the course of the story, Sancia Grado is sent to retrieve a box for an enormously tempting sum of money. But, once she has it, she is curious about what’s in it. Inside she finds an ornate key that somehow is able to talk to her and can open anything. The key calls itself Clef. Being no fool, Sancia realizes that someone from one of the founder Houses will be coming for the key and will probably not want to leave any loose ends. And so starts Sancia’s adventures.

Sancia may be a thief in the city of Tevanne, but she is like a superthief. She accepts work from a friend of hers named Sark. She accomplishes her objectives with the use of scrived objects. Scrived objects are magical things that have been written on to alter their realities – for example making a wheel think that it is going downhill so it will roll forward without being pulled. She gets her scrived objects from a group of people known as “Scrappers.” They scrive things illegally with scraps they find. And Sancia has a special ability to listen to things like a stone wall and tell if the coast is clear.

Along the way, she will encounter interesting characters such as Gregor Dandalo- a captain in the guard at the waterfront, and Orso and Berenice who are scrivers for one of the Houses. What happens to Sancia as she meets and interacts with these people will change her view of reality.

It’s a good fantasy book with a good story. The only problem I found was that there were  occasional parts that were dense with information that slowed things down a little. The information needs to be imparted somehow because it has to do with world-building and how things work in Tevanne, the various founder Houses, and historically speaking with the ancients who started the process of scriving. Once you get past or through these spots, things speed along. And as the book goes, there are fewer of these parts as the story progresses.

This is definitely book one in a series. While most plot points are resolved at the end, there is enough left open to see where the second book might begin to go. But not so much is left open as to make it frustrating. Still, I look forward to book two.

Overall, I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. It’s well-written. The magic and world-building are different. The characters are interesting. If you enjoy a good fantasy tale, this should be right up your alley.

Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett was published August 21st, 2018 by Crown.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.

Review: Yea Though I Walk by J.P. Sloan

Yea Though I Walk by J.P. Sloan is what I think of as a weird western. It's a western, but there are paranormal beings and events in the story. Another good example of this sort of story is The Six-Gun Tarot by R.S. Belcher.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

"Never leave a devil without puttin’ it in the dirt." ~ First Law of the Godpistols. 

Gunning down the heathen monsters of the untamed West is the calling of the Godpistols, and may be Linthicum Odell’s only path to redemption. A Union Army deserter, Odell figures he has plenty of sins to atone for. As he has yet to earn the Godpistols’ trust, they send Odell on a thankless errand to Gold Vein, a mining town with two afflictions: a corrupt local justice named Lars Richterman, and a horde of cannibal wendigo in the surrounding hills. 

Half-dead from a Wendigo attack, Odell is nursed back to life by Denton Folger, a righteous pressman from the East Coast. Intent on settling debts, Odell takes up Folger’s cause against Richterman and his schemes on the land surrounding Gold Vein. Odell soon realizes that Richterman and the Wendigo in the hills are not the only monsters threatening the town. His greatest ally comes in the form of Folger’s ferociously capable wife, Katherina, who holds the secrets to the intrigues of this valley. To save Gold Vein, Odell must pry loose these secrets, though her dark allure may prove too much for Odell’s loyalties… both to his Godpistol dogma and to Folger. 

When Odell discovers the truth of what brought him to this valley, and why Katherina keeps this truth buried, will his virtue fail? Or will a bag of silver bullets be enough to survive this war between devils, virtue be damned?

Lars Richterman, Linthicum Odell, and Denton Folger are three of the most important characters in the book along with Katherina. The story is mostly told from Linthicum's perspective. Not sure one would really call him a hero, even though he has heroic moments. He has plenty of humbling moments as well.

It's a good story with some really interesting twists. In addition to the Wendigo, there are vampires of a sort called Strigoi. There is plenty of suspense. And it kept me turning the pages wanting to know what would happen next. The closer it gets to the end, the faster the pages seem to turn.

If I could tell you anything about this book, it's that as a fan of weird westerns, I enjoyed it and if you are intrigued by the genre, you will most likely enjoy it as well. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. This reads as a standalone. I'd read it again or another like it by the same author.

Yea Though I Walk by J.P. Sloan was published July 11th, 2016 from Curiosity Quills Press.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #253: Sisters of the Fire by Kim Wilkins

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event which had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't-Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In a Norse-flavored fantasy series that follows the lives of five sisters: the warrior, the magician, the lover, the zealot, the gossip--an old enemy threatens the fragile peace they have built.

Four years have passed since the five sisters--daughters of the ruling king--worked together to restore their father to health and to the throne, while fracturing the bonds between themselves almost irreparably. Only Bluebell is still at home, dutifully serving as heir to her father's kingdom. Rose has been cast aside by her former husband and hides in exile with her aunt, separated forever from her beloved daughter, Rowan. Ash wanders the distant wastes with her teacher, learning magic and hunting dragons, determined that the dread fate she has foreseen for herself and her loved ones never comes to pass. Ivy rules over a prosperous seaport, married to an aged husband she hates, yet finding delight in her two young sons and the handsome captain of the guard. And as for Willow, she hides the most dangerous secret of all--one that could destroy all that the sisters once sought to save!

Sisters of the Fire by Kim Wilkins is due to be released February 5th, 2019 from Del Rey.

Why am I waiting on this one? This is book two in the Blood and Gold series. I read book one and enjoyed it. I'd like to see what's going on with the sisters. They are all so different; that's part of the attraction. There are different story arcs that will most likely culminate coming together. I gave the first book 4 out of 5 stars. I expect and hope this one will be at least as good as the first one.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!