When I saw To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee book on the banned books list I was confused. Who could have a problem with a heartwarming tale of children discovering the truth of the world around them? A story about a widowed man trying to raise his children the best way he can? Children…
We’re taking a short break from talking about banned books (although there is still an opportunity to gain an entry in to our banned books giveaways. Details at the bottom) to talk about the books celebrating their birthdays this month! Here are some books to get excited about this October. (Once again I stole all…
John Green’s Looking for Alaska is a gateway drug. It’s no wonder that SafeLibraries.org fears that it will change the way teenagers think. However it’s not the 281 occurrences of swearing, the three frankly awkward sexual scenes portraying the differences between physicality and emotional connections, or the teen drinking and smoking that they should fear….
Vivian’s life is anything but roses and rainbows. Her father died last year. Her mother is acting like an out-of-control teenager. The guys she used to used to hang with – nicknamed ‘The Five’ – are immature and jerks now. And one other thing… she’s a loup-garou, which is commonly translated as werewolf, living in…
When I saw Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time on the list of most commonly banned books, I was pretty confused. I was even more confused when I noticed the ALA had rated it the 22nd most banned book from 1990-2000 in their list of the 100. As far as I’m concerned, these books are…
This week we’re going to be doing something a bit different on WhatchYAreading. Instead of reviewing whichever book currently strikes our fancy , we’ll be reaching into the archives a bit for a very specific reason: to stand up for intellectual freedom. What prompted our little rebellion is that it happens to be the last…
Leah Cypess’s Mistwood has been sitting on my nightstand for a bit now. I kept telling myself, ok, Mistwood next, and then somehow something else always got put on top of it. Somehow this almost always guarantees that I love a book. I wish I knew why this always seems to happen, but I don’t….
Every once in a while, a book comes along, seemingly out of nowhere, and changes your life. It’s one of those books that you clutch to your chest when you’re done, like if you hug it hard enough it will melt right into your heart because it feels like it belongs there already. I found…
Before I proceed with this week’s Time to Be a Grownup, I get to announce the winner of our Clockwork Angel book plate- Emilie! Please contact us with your information so we can mail it to you! The first time I read The Great Gatsby I was neither a grownup nor was it during the…
I loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved this book. Loved. A lot. I’ve had a very long and (mostly) happy relationship with the writings of Cate Tiernan. Her chosen genre speaks to me. Some people will read any book with vampires, some people like faeries. I have a thing for witches. Not like, Wizard…