Year: 2010

Morning Meanderings… Do I own my dogs or do they own me?

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)38 Comments


Good Morning.  Picture this.  I am up but I am not.  It is early and I am here with Coffee Cup trying to relax a bit and scrape in some caffeine before I go to the gym.  My hair is everywhere…..  My eyes I think are still slits….

The dogs get out of bed.  I hear the “thwump” as their little shih-tzu  feet hit the floor.  They wander out of the bedroom and I open the door to the deck so they can go out for their morning jaunt.

I go back to the lap top…. where was I?  Oh yeah…. working on my post for later today….  great read…. what should I say ne….

“Woof Woof!”

Seriously.  They have been out all of a minute…. maybe a few seconds more …. I look over my shoulder at Elmo and Bailey wagging their tail waiting to be let in.   I ignore them.  It’s not cold out… in fact its lovely… must be almost 60 degrees already, I will just…

“Woof Woof.!!!!!”  “Woof Woof!!!”

GAH.

I let them in and they parade past me like I am scum.  I am so beneath them.  They do not even throw me a kind glance.

I shuffle to the kitchen rubbing my eyes and refilling my cup.  Elmo comes up and looks at me.

“What?”  (That’s me saying that.. not the dog…. although I am not sure if it would surprise me.)

He does his excited “follow me” dance where he looks at me and runs to the entryway and then comes back to get me and runs again and makes sure I am following.

I look at the kitchen clock.  I have to get moving.  Elmo is still doing his Lassie and Timmy is in the well impression.  He should have been an actor.  Seriously he is wasting good talent here in central Minnesota.

I go to the entryway… yup.  The water dish is empty.  I fill it.

I go back to the lap top…. look at my post.  I will have to finish it later.


That’s my morning…. anyone else have pets that own them?  😛

Why was The Color Purple by Alice Walker banned?

2010

Challenged and or banned for offensive language, being sexually explicit and unsuited to age group.

2009

Challenged in Burke County schools in Morgantown (NC) by parents concerned about the homosexuality, rape, and incest portrayed in the book.

2008

Banned for sexually explicit and offensive language and homosexuality.

2003

Challenged in Fairfax (VA) school libraries by a group called Parents Against Bad Books in Schools for “profanity and descriptions of drug abuse, sexually explicit conduct and torture”.

Harry Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix by JK Rowling (Banned Books Week)

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)24 Comments

He who shall not be named has once again… oops…. scratch that….. I guess I am a little deep into the story line yet….

*shakes head*  Starts again….

Voldemort is once again causing a bit of destruction and mayhem in the wizarding world.  It is the fifth year at Hogwarts and Harry has emerged into full-blown adolescence, including a crush, rage, and questions about his future.  Dumbledore has taken to avoiding him at all costs and it seems to Harry that everyone has forgotten that he almost had died last year and had saved the school from yet another horrifying evil.

Then there is the new addition to the school compliments of the Ministry of Magic, Dolores Umbridge.  A short toad like of a woman who is scrutinizing everything going on in Hogwarts much like a child would do to an ant with a magnifying glass.  In no time at all she has Harry off the Quidich team … banned for life (there’s that dirty word banned again!) and in desperation the Griffindor Team puts Ron in as Keeper.

“Hem Hem”


Things are not so wonderful at the school as they had been in the past and Harry is really wondering what sort of future he is going to have if this keeps up….


I listened to this one on audio, which  haveI  been doing all year, and highly recommend the audio versions if you have not yet experienced Harry Potter that way.  Narrator Jim Dale is an experience in itself and you will not believe the many voices he uses for the different characters.  I swear Hagrid is the real Hagrid and when Dale does Delores my skin crawls just like it did when I read the books!

While listening to this audio what I really noticed that I had not before (during my many readings of this book) is that this really is the book where Harry comes to the realization that his father was not the hero that he had built him up to be in his mind.  Harry is introduced to some hard truths about his dad and has to learn that everyone has faults.

As I thought about Harry’s feelings about his dad I had to think that this was another great move on J K Rowling’s part.  I swear, the more I listen and or read the books, I find more things that impress me.  I thought about how easy it is to put someone on a pedestal when they have passed away…. how we forget the annoyances, and focus on the wonderfulness and what we miss.  J K shows Harry a side of James that not only gives us a glimpse at why Snape loathes Harry so….. but also a look at his true father….  a fifteen year old hot-shot kid who thought he was super cool and loved to show off for his friends.  This book really shows us a good  message about relationships and Harry comes to realize that while his dad was not the perfect man he had imagined, he was still a very good man.

If you have not taken the time to experience Harry Potter on Audio I highly (HIGHLY) recommend it.   This rich installment won Jim Dale a Guinness World Record for the most character voices in an audio book. The series has won the Audies Hall of Fame Award. Fifth in the series. “Dale’s exciting, nuanced performance wholly captures the story’s irrepressible humor and magic.”—Booklist

Why was Harry Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix by J K Rowling banned?

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, along with the rest of the Harry Potter series, has been attacked by several religious groups and banned in some countries because of accusations that the novels promote witchcraft. However, some Christian commentators have written that the book exemplifies important Christian viewpoints, including the power of self-sacrifice and the ways in which people’s decisions shape their personalities. Educators regard Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and its sequels as an important aid in improving literacy because of the books’ popularity.

In July 2002, the parents of a student in Cedarville, Arkansas, filed suit against the School Board’s decision to restrict access to the Harry Potter series.  The Board’s decision limiting the availability of the book only to students who received parental clearance came in response to a parent’s complaint that Rowling’s books promoted witchcraft and defiance of authority.

If only we could wave a magic wand and educate parents and school boards about the First Amendment.

I borrowed this audio from my wonderful local library


Morning Meanderings… Reality sometimes hits you right in the face

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)36 Comments

Good morning!  Coffee Cup and I are off to a good start today.  After a really good weekend and a pretty decent Monday here we are back again.

So…. fact about me… I really like about three tv shows.  Survivor, Biggest Loser and Amazing Race.  I love the challenges, I love to see them succeed…. I love to cheer for my teams.  SO… on Sunday evening Al and I sat down to watch the season premiere of Amazing Race.  They had one challenge where the teams had to use a big sling shot with watermelons to knock over life-size suits of armor that were lined up in a field.  It was a pretty cool challenge and this one team of two girls was really struggling.  And well….. look for yourself:




Can you even believe how that happened?  I was amazed that she didn’t break her nose or knock out some teeth.  How she was able to go on from that was like….. “Whoa!”  Unbelievable!   Poor girl!


Anyway – had to share that with you.

In other news…. I hope you had a chance to check out my new sticky post.  We are currently looking for Mini Challenge Hosts for the Dewey read A Thon and we would love to get some new people involved who haven’t hosted a mini challenge before.  Check out the Read-A-Thon site for more information.  Basically all you do is plan a giveaway around a little challenge.  It can be to answer a question, do a little task….. whatever, then you offer a prize to your winner.  It is a two-hour commitment and will drive traffic to your blogs.  If you need any help thinking of a challenge let me know and I can try to assist you.  Please consider being a mini-challenge host for the October 9th event.

Oh – I was also featured on Reading Minnesota yesterday promoting the Twin Cities Book Festival and Book Blogger meet up.  If you have a second stop by and check that out.


And finally yes…. the “Banned Wagon” is still moving full steam ahead.


I am off to work and tonight I have kick ball (feel free to insert giggles here).  Hope you have a fantastic day and moments of good reads!  😀

Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret by Judy Blume (Banned Books Week)

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)64 Comments

Twelve year old Margaret has a lot of worries for her young age.  She wonders if she will ever need anything beyond her training bra.   When the time comes to kiss a boy, how will she even know how?  And she is desperately afraid that she will be the last girl in her club to get her period.  As if this wasn’t enough, she also has a new home and a new school.  And where does God fit into all of this…


Ok.  I think I became a reader through Judy Blume’s books.  Ok…. maybe I started with my collection of Nancy Drews and then on to the Hardy Boys, but in those early years of double digits, Judy Blume was my author of choice.   I fondly remember reading this book and it was a pleasure to pull it out again for this re-read.

Judy writes well with her sixth grade voice of Margaret, page by page going through Margaret’s fears and hopes for her new school and for herself.  When Margaret’s teacher asks the students to share what religion they are, Margaret starts to wonder about that too.

What I love about this book is how Margaret takes her questions to God.  Throughout the whole book God is her companion and much like a voiced diary, Margaret shares it all.  The book is funny and sweet and a wonderful book for young girls as the are starting to ask their own questions.  I think this book would be a wonderful discussion book that could be shared between mother and daughter.

Reading this book again made me laugh out loud (all I am saying is six cotton balls…. ) and reminded me of the wonderful stories and characters I had found with Judy Blume.  It brought me back to a time when I worried about such things and it was good to read a book about a girl who had concerns like me.  😀

Check out all the covers for this book… how fun are they!


Did you ever read this book?  What cover was your copy?

Why was Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret banned?

Due to its relatively frank treatment of adolescent sexuality and religion, this book is one of the top 100 most frequently challenged books at libraries (i.e., books that have been requested to be banned), according to the American Library Association.

A fun FYI: This book was seen being read by Sawyer from the hit TV show LOST, on the beach, demonstrating his indiscriminate desire for reading material. He disliked the book, calling it “predictable”, with “not nearly enough sex”.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)91 Comments

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

I love being a part of this and I hope you do too!  As part of this weekly meme I love to encourage you all to go and visit the others participating in this meme.  I offer a weekly contest for those who visit 10 or more of the Monday Meme participants and leave a comment.  You receive one entry for every 10 comments, just come back here and tell me how many in the comment area.

Last weeks winner (using Random.Org) was:

Heather  She Is Reading


Congratulations!  Please choose an item out of the PRIZE BOX and email me your choice with your mailing address as well!   journeythroughbooks@gmail.com


Wow!  What an amazing week.  We are currently right in the beginning of Banned Books Week and I am having a lot of fun chatting it up with others about Banned Books….  here are the posts that landed here last week:


Book Bloggers Unite – a list of the top 100 banned books for the last two decades

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (my review and the Bookies – My Book Clubs review)

Seriously?  How do you lose the book you are currently reading?

Oh!  Oh!  Guess what I found?

Banned Books Eve and a little crazy poem

Review of ROOM by Emma Donoghue (I can not believe this book has sat in a box since May and I had not read it yet!)

Author Chat with Emma Donoghue (Author of ROOM)  (and she even answered a question for the spoiler page!)


Review of The Face On The Milk Carton for banned Books Week (uhhhh….. WHA?  I totally couldnt figure out what made this banned!)

I went to a Minnesota Author event on Saturday and uhhh…. errr…. came back with a few books.  😛

Review of Freedom Writer’s Diary for Banned Books Week (If you have not seen the movie I encourage you to do so!  Then read the book of the diary’s of these students….. powerful, powerful. stuff!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (complete – need to post review this week!)

I Would Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman – audio review completed, still need to post

So how is that for a smoking awesome week?  I had a lot of fun catching up with books lying around everywhere partially read thanks to Michelle’s Fall Catch Up Read-A-Thon. Granted, I could use more than one week to catch up… but I did make a dent.


This week I will continue reviewing Banned Books but I will also be reading a few other reads if all goes well.  Here are a couple I hope to get to this week:

I just purchased this book this weekend but listen to this synopsis:

Meet Laura Van Ryn and Whitney Cerak: one buried under the wrong name, one in a coma and being cared for by the wrong family.

This shocking case of mistaken identity stunned the country and made national news. Would it destroy a family? Shatter their faith? Push two families into bitterness, resentment, and guilt?

Read this unprecedented story of two traumatized families who describe their ordeal and explore the bond sustaining and uniting them as they deal with their bizarre reversal of life lost and life found.

And join Whitney Cerak, the sole surviving student, as she comes to terms with her new identity, forever altered, yet on the brink of new beginnings.

Mistaken Identity weaves a complex tale of honesty, vulnerability, loss, hope, faith, and love in the face of one of the strangest twists of circumstance imaginable.

I have to read this!

Doesn’t this look good?  I am in the mood for a little historical fiction!

I picked this one up from the library after reading about it on another blog.  I am really looking forward to this story!

So that’s the week!  I am so looking forward to stopping by and seeing what you are reading!  This is actually one of my favorite things to do each week.  Add your What Are You Reading post to the linky where it says CLICK HERE and we all can visit the posts!  😛

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**Update:  Linky server seems to be down so leave a comment below and I can connect to you that way.  Once up I will update the links for you.  🙂

Freedom Writers Diary by Zlata Filipovic w/ Erin Gruwell (Banned Books Week)

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)42 Comments

Twenty three year old Erin Gruwell was a new teacher in Long Beach, California.  Erin was filled with energy and ideas and was not deterred when she was given the students referred to as the “unteachables”.  Going optimistically head long into the class it did not take Erin long to see the invisible lines drawn between race, color, and social status.

When a picture is passed through the room making fun of a student, Erin brings up how hateful things like this start wars.  Mentioning the Holocaust she is shocked to find that most of the students in her room had never heard of this.  Using her own money, as the school would not provide books for such social outcasts, Erin teaches the students through reads like Anne Frank, and slowly builds the trust not only in her, but in each other.


I always try to read a book before I watch a movie although, such as in this case, it does not happen that way.  When I seen this movie years ago I did not even know it was a book.  The movie was phenomenal and even as I write this review and I think of this powerful story it brings tears to my eyes.

I had purchased the books years back after realizing it was a book and as many of my books do… it sat on the shelf until recently.  Reading this book, was  just as wonderful as the movie.

I can not stand hate.  It is a dirty four letter word.  I can not handle families torn apart and people judging each other for anything.  Having lost all of my immediate family members to tragedies, it breaks my heart to see families choose not to speak to one another over whatever differences they feel they have.

What I wouldn’t give to have one more conversation with my mom.  My dad.  My sister.

I am getting off course, but this book brings out a lot of emotion as I felt again within the pages, the hate, the labels, the teachers who looked at these students as a waste of their time and the schools money.  What Erin does costs her much, but the outcome…. is priceless.  Within this true story you will find the power and passion of one person, who erased the invisible hate lines by daring to cross them and showing love to students that were starving for it.

An amazing and powerful read that if you have not read – I highly recommend you do.  And this week, if you can make the time, I challenge you to rent this movie.  I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

Amazon Rating


Why was The Freedom’ Writers Diary Banned?

On March 11, 2008, an English teacher at Perry Meridian High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, Connie Heerman, was suspended for a year and a half without pay for using the Freedom Writers Diary in her classroom against the wishes of the school board.[ Administrators objected to racial slurs and sexual content in portions of the book. Heerman had received permission the previous year to attend a workshop based on the books and obtained permission slips from the parents involved. The school board contends that Heermen did not properly follow the rules to receive permission to use the book. Erin Gruwell commented on the controversy, saying, “The best way to get a teenager to read a book is to ban it. When someone who is a daunting authority figure says, ‘Give us your book’, I think these students [thought], ‘There must be something powerful in these words’.

*FYI.  The Diary of Anne Frank is also a banned book.

(1982) Challenged in Wise County, Virginia due to protests of several parents who complained the book contains sexually offensive passages. (1983) Four members of the Alabama State Textbook Committee called for the rejection of this title because it is a “real downer.” (1998) Removed for two months from the Baker Middle School in Corpus Christi, Texas after two parents charged that the book was pornographic. The book was returned after students waged a letter-writing campaign to keep it, and the review committee recommended the book’s retention.


Morning Meandering… Reading To Beat The Banned

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)39 Comments


Ok Ok… that was a little cheesy but I am trying to have a little fun with the word banned this week.  😛  I noticed that Natalie over at Mindful Musings has a wonderful post for banned and challenged books as well as links to other posts and giveaways around this topic.

Yesterdays trip to Barnes and Noble in St. Cloud was a lot of fun and I chatted with quite a few Minnesota authors.   Many of them will be at the Twin Cities Book Festival in October that we are doing the book blogger meet up at, so if you are in the area and able to join us, let me know.  I have information I can send you.

Of course… book stores and me mix together well and I did leave with several…. err…… ok, more than several books.

All but the bottom one are Minnesota Authors

Today Navy Son will be hanging out for the football game and for the entire day!    That will be a lot of fun!  He has been so busy since he got home and trying to get around to see everyone that this will be our first full day to hang out and catch up.  Of course during the game, while making shrimp chowder, I fully plan to read. 😀

Have an awesome Sunday everyone!

Why was J K Rowlings Harry Potter Series, banned?

JK Rowling, author of the wildly popular Harry Potter series, is sometimes referred to as the writer Americans would most like to see banned. According to librarian scientists, there were more than 3,000 attempts to have her books removed from U.S. libraries between 2000 and 2005 alone. Fanatics across the nation still claim that Rowling’s books promote the occult and Satanism.

The Face On The Milk Carton by Caroline B Cooney (Banned Books Week)

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)51 Comments


15-year-old Janie Johnson feels plain.  Ordinary.  She wishes she had a better name like her friends Sarah-Charlotte Sherwood and Adair O’ Dell.  Those are names that say something.  She thinks maybe she could start spelling her name with a “y”, like Jayne.  Or two”y’s”, Jayyne.   And maybe her last name could be something cooler, like Johnstone.  How will she ever be anyone as Janie Johnson?

All of this changes when one day at lunch she sees a face on the milk carton of a little three-year old pigtail girl.  The face, is Janie’s face.   She remembers the dress in the picture and suddenly her world is turned upside down.  Is she a missing child?  Are her parents not really her parents?  If she is not Janie Johnson….

then who is she?



The Face On The Milk Carton was a quick and good read.  As I was reading this book I could not help but feel I had seen this somewhere and had a flash back to a younger version of me watching an After School Special about this.  (Anyone remember after school specials?  They were on tv around 4:00 in the afternoon and they were stories with a message. )   Sure enough, I looked it up and this was actually a tv show and seeing the actress that played Janie, it all came back to me.

The book deals with typical teenage angst.   Janie gives me the impression in the beginning of just being bored.  Of course that rapidly changes as she starts to have anxiety over what she discovered on the milk carton and starts to explore what that could possibly mean for her and the people she loves as her parents.

I thought the book was handled well and as I finished it I really had no idea why this book would have made the banned books list.  Other than a brief possible sexual opportunity – which is considered, but declined, there really was nothing in the book.

The books ends suddenly and many questions are still left unanswered.  Apparently to my surprise, the story doesn’t end with this book.  There is a sequel to the  book called “Whatever Happened To Janie?”  AND then it goes on to a third book called “The Voice On The Radio” and concludes this series (4 books now… it is a series) with “What Janie Found“.

I never knew about the other books so that was interesting.  Also interesting is that none of the other books are on the challenged or banned lists.  😀

Why was Caroline B Cooney’s Face On The Milk Carton Banned?

The faintest reference to the idea of sex (a possible first encounter) was all that it took for a challenge to be made to this book. Subsequent protests involved a perceived “challenge to authority” that occurred when Janie becomes to determined to establish her true parentage.

I borrowed this from our local library


Morning Meanderings…. Jumping On The “Banned Wagon”

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)24 Comments

Good Morning and welcome to Banned Books Week, officially September 25 – October 2.   You can read up more about it here .  I for one am excited and my plan is to review a book a day this week from the Banned Books Lists, as well as give you a little background on why it was on the list.  I am hoping many of you will join me in reading a banned book or two this week and reviewing it.  If you are, please link your banned books related  posts to the linky below.  I would like to stop by and see what you are reading.  I am hoping to do a drawing at the end of the week from those who linked their posts…. still looking for the right giveaway item for this event.  😀

I also plan to share a book a day on my Morning Meanderings that tells about a banned book.  Hopefully by the end of the week we will all know a little more about banned books.

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Today, is going to be fun.  I am meeting up with Chance, our 15-year-old dynamic Kinship Partner and he and I are going to drive the hour to St Cloud.  I want to stop in Little Falls at their book store and see if they are doing anything for banned books week as it is on our way.  Once in St Cloud we are going to have lunch at Mongo’s and then off to Barnes and Noble where they are having a local author event.  Chance is also a reader so I though this would be a fun little day trip.

Tomorrow I will be spending the day with hubby and Navy Son.  They will watch football and I will read…. and then we will do dinner together.

Any plans for the weekend?

Why Was Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Banned?

On March 18, 1885, The Committee of the Public Library of Concord, Mass. expelled Huck from the library as “trash and only suitable for slums.”

In 1902, the Brooklyn Public Library banned The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with the statement that “Huck not only itched but he scratched,” and that he said “sweat” when he should have said “perspiration.”

In general, the debate over Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has centered around the language of the book, which has been objected to on social grounds. Yielding to public pressure, some textbook publishers have substituted “slave” or “servant” for the term that Mark Twain uses in the book, which has been considered derogatory to African Americans.