Happy First Week of Fall (and almost start of Banned Books Week)!

Hello my fellow bookworms,

Fall is upon us! Last Monday marked the start of a new season, and while some of the weather still has some remnants of summer, the cool mornings and evenings definitely feel like autumn. The leaves are starting to change colors, our pets are happier walking in the cool breeze, and the weather is perfect to find a good spot in nature and read! Also, today is National Coffee Day, so I hope you had some reading and coffee sipping time to yourself today!

Photo by ALA

This upcoming October 5th - 11th marks Banned Books Week! This year's theme is "Censorship Is So 1984. Read For Your Rights." It is a theme taken from George Orwell's cautionary tale 1984, a warning about the dangers of censorship, while also reminding us that the right to read belongs to all of us, so defend your right to do so! While many of the top challenged books for 2024 are similar to those of previous years, the week is a reminder to not allow censorship to influence your views. It is important to have items in the public that you may not agree with, whether it be politics, religion, or just a world point-of-view, in order to broaden your own horizon, your viewpoint, and to allow for open discussion. If we were in a world where we all thought and talked the same, how boring would that be? Open discourse is what drives us to strive for more, brings upon change and innovation, and teaches us new things each day. 

Below are the top 10 most challenged books of 2024, along with an updated information page, detailing the statistics and censorship trends. 

Photo by ALA

Photo by ALA

I was reading a very informative post by librarian Judi Moreillon online, which listed ways the community could become involved themselves with this week. If you are interested in participating in Banned Books Week, aside from reading books that are/were challenged and supporting your local pubic library, you could also:

• Sign up for the weekly post from the American Library Association Office of Intellectual Freedom (www.oif.ala.org)
• Sign online petitions and write letters to representatives, schools, and public library boards
• Advocate online using the hashtags: 
• #BannedBooksWeek 
• #DefendResearch
• #FreeSpeech
• #FirstAmendment
• #IntellectualFreedom
• #UniteAgainstBookBans
• Attend a Banned Books Week Event (https://uniteagainstbookbans.org/public-school-strong-partnership-will-connect-banned-books-week-events-to-advocates-nationwide/)
• Volunteer with the American Library Association
• ALA Council Intellectual Freedom Committee: www.ala.org/alsc/aboutalsc/coms/pg1childadv/als-if
• ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom: https://www.oif.ala.org/
• ACLU: https://www.aclu.org/
• Authors Against Book Bans: https://www.authorsagainstbookbans.com/
• Defend Research: https://defendresearch.org
• EveryLibrary: https://www.everylibrary.org/
• For the People: https://www.librariesforthepeople.org
• Freedom to Read Foundation: https://www.ftrf.org/
• Intellectual Freedom Round Table: www.ala.org/ifrt
• PEN America: https://pen.org/
• Unite Against Book Bans: https://uniteagainstbookbans.org/
• United for Libraries: www.ala.org/united
• We Need Diverse Books: https://www.diversebooks.org/

Some fun book news:

• Do you know someone who is blind, but enjoys to listen to movies and television? I just found out about this neat website run by volunteers called AudioVault. The website requires a login to download any materials and you are limited to 25 a day. Each item is uploaded by volunteers, some of whom are the ones providing the audio description! The website makes it easy for those who cannot see to hear their favorite shows or movies with the audio descriptions narrating along with the actors. AudioVault also tries to upload entire series, so it is easy to continue to binge listen. 

• Reading Rainbow is returning! The new host is none other than *insert drumroll here* MYCHAL THREETS! I personally think this is so cool, first to reboot a favorite show and also one of my school's alumni librarians will be hosting it! :D

• If you enjoy authors Ali Hazelwood, Christina Lauren, J.T. Geissinger, Ruby Dixon, Katee Robert, and/or Kimberly Lemming (all fantastic romance/science fiction/fantasy authors!), there is a new Amazon Original Stories section where each author wrote a creepy romantic fantasy novella! It is a series titled Scared Sexy, available free to Amazon Prime and Kindle Unlimited members! If you are not a member of either, you can still buy the entire collection for $5.94 online from Amazon. 

• As of this month, the Associated Press is no longer offering weekly book reviews. More details here. 

• If you remember reading The Baby-sitters Club, you'll be happy to hear there will be an official Baby-sitters Club Musical, with a score composed by the same composer of K-Pop Demon Hunters! I'm excited for it - if it is anything like the trending movie, we will be bopping to new music (that is hopefully faithful to the books)! Read more here from Deadline.

I am thinking of using Substack as a way to post in-between things and blog updates. What do you think? Do any of you have a Substack and like the experience?

I am currently reading Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto. I am enjoying it, as a music lover and romance novel enthusiast. What are you reading this lovely fall season? Anything you look forward to? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time - Happy Reading! :)

Book Challenges and Resources

 Hi my fellow bookworms!

As I am in school, I wanted to bring to your attention the fact that libraries are currently undergoing many challenges, one of the larger ones being book challenges. As of 2022, the American Library Association ("ALA") reports that book challenges have nearly doubled since 2021. In fact, it has been at the highest reporting number since data about censorship in libraries was first collected more than 20 years ago. 

(c) 2023, Unite Against Book Bans, Shareable Graphic

Most recently, the Associated Press released an article detailing book bans and school restrictions, which the ALA reports then prompted a group of advocates in the library community to use this news as a platform to write letters to the editor supporting the freedom to read. National Library Week is from April 23, 2023 to April 29, 2023 this year, and you can help join the fight against censorship at your local library through a variety of different resources:

• Join the Unite Against Book Bans campaign and use their toolkit to become a voice in the campaign
  

• Report censorship to the ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom ("OIF")
  

• Fight censorship through sharing social media tools, participating in webinars, providing support for library workers, or even checking out your state and local resources!
  

• Host a house party and talk about what is happening in your local area with resources from Unite Against Book Bans
  

• Join the Freedom to Read Foundation and read up on the legislative action that is actively occurring regarding book bans

(c) 2022, Unite Against Book Bans, Shareable Graphic

I hope that you will join me in the fight against censorship, even if it is a small action such as sharing an image on your social media or supporting your local library. We should all have the freedom to read what we choose for ourselves and have access to those materials.

Until next time - happy freedom to read!

Banned Books and Censorship

Hello my fellow bookworms!

I've been anxiously planning for a book-related conference, and cannot wait to share photos and news after I attend it! I would like to discuss the serious topic of censorship and banned books, but wanted to give you a couple of lighter book news for the summer, as well:

• If you want a one-of-a-kind wedding experience, the Boston Public Library is offering wedding ceremonies in their historic Guastavino Room at the Central Library. The original story can be found here via Boston.com, and for more information on ceremonies, you should take a look at the Boston Public Library's website here. 

• Andrews McMeel KIDS is hosting a Summer Reading Challenge inspired by author Dustin Brady's series Trapped in a Video Game and Escape from a Video Game! You can start here, with the instructions, and print out the game map in which your only escape is through reading! Once you (or your kids) read up to your specialization, you can print out a special certificate that shows you escaped this summer!
  

In the United States, the topic of banned books and censorship has become a huge issue in the media, within libraries and schools, politics, and other places. The banning of books due to a difference in interest, beliefs, or feelings of discomfort, is against our First Amendment rights.We should fight to uphold these rights, for equal access to knowledge and intellectual freedom. Censorship is wrong, and banning books is not the answer to what the politicians (and others) think they are "fixing" in our society. See below for some articles and links as to what different sources around the country are doing in protest of such censorship:

• Congress recently held a second hearing on censorship within the classrooms. Claire Kirch of Publishers Weekly talks about this in detail through her article here. 
  

• The Nashville public library released 5,000 limited edition library cards stating "I read banned books" for those who would like to take part in the library's "Freedom to Read" campaign. For more information, see The Guardian's article here.

• Macmillian Publishers released an email with a Banned Books collection, stating that:
  

"Macmillian stands against censorship and condemns the book banning taking place at schools across the country. With this collection, we've highlighted banned titles to fight censorship and to share our love of these books with the world."

          Books listed include:

1. All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
2. When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullors & Asha Bandele
3. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
4. Lobizona by Romina Garber
5. Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
6. If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
7. The 57 Bus by Daska Slater
8. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

• The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has an article highlighting teens across the country that have been fighting censorship with "banned-book clubs" and lawsuits!

• The American Library Association (ALA) hosts a blog titled "Intellectual Freedom Blog," with posts by bloggers, guest contributors, news editors, and employees/staff from the ALA. A post titled Present Day Musings on Manga Censorship by Victoria Rahbar touches on the issue that even comics and manga are not unscathed by book banning and censorship in today's libraries.

• The ALA also has enlightening infographics about Censorship by the Numbers, as well as the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2021.  

          The top 10 books are:

1. 

   (c) American Library Association, 2022
   

   Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
2. Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
3. All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
4. Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez
5. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
6. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
7. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
8. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
9. This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson
10. Beyond Magenta by Susan Kuklin
    

(c) American Library Association, 2022

(c) American Library Association, 2022

(c) American Library Association, 2022

(c) American Library Association, 2022

There are so, so many more articles and news stories that touch on censorship and/or book banning. I cannot list them all here, but I welcome everyone to contribute what they find interesting, personal to them, etc., and post it here for a friendly conversation. Or just to post! I don't mind either way. My blog is a safe space and censorship is becoming such a prevalent issue within the United States that it needs to be addressed. I cannot wait to attend the book-related conference and see what sort of causes I can join to help combat it at a higher level. (If you know of any, please share!)

Until next time, happy reading, including banned books!!

Happy Autumn Bookworms!

Hello my fellow bookworms!

Happy autumn, leaves changing, coffee and tea drinking, and sweater weather! It is the best time to read a book and enjoy the cooler air with a good cup of coffee (or tea, whichever is your preference).

I am in the middle of a really good book and will soon post a review! Want to know what it is about? Hint: Australia. Ecosystems. Animals. :)

In the meantime, it is a good time to talk about Banned Books Week. Typically held on the last week of September, this year's Banned Books Week is this week (September 27th through October 3rd)! The American Library Association (ALA) created Banned Books Week in 1982, as a response to the challenges books received in libraries, schools, and bookstores. Today, Banned Books Week brings together everyone in the book community to support the freedom to find and express ideas, no matter how unpopular the ideas may be. This year's theme is "Censorship is a dead end. Find your freedom to read!" If you are interested in more, or are curious what events are being held virtually, you can take a look at the Banned Books Week website here. Or, if you want to join in the fun and read a banned and/or challenged book, the ALA has posted a list for the most challenged books for the past decade, 2010-2019.

(c) American Library Association

As a bonus perk to end the week, the ALA is hosting a free watch party for Scary Stories Documentary, based on the series Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz. Join the Facebook event here and join in the fun this Friday, October 2, 2020! The event is limited to the first 100 viewers, so if you can't access the link, you can always watch the documentary through Amazon Prime, Tubi (free with ads), or by DVD through your local library.

If you are looking for a new movie-based-on-a-book to binge watch, may I suggest Netflix's adaptation of Enola Holmes? Based off of Nancy Springer's mystery series, Enola Holmes is based off of the first book in the series, The Case of the Missing Marquess. With such a great cast and story line, I am hoping Netflix continues the series!

As always, I like to promote access to your public library, and with that, you need a library card! September is also the month for signing up for a library card, as hosted by the ALA. This year, DC's Wonder Woman is making this her mission as Library Card Sign-up Month Honorary Chair. As Wonder Woman says (and the ALA), "Lasso a library card and find your super power!" If you are a librarian or help out with your local library, you can take part in promotional items on the ALA's website here.

In additional news, yesterday marked the first day of the YA Scavenger Hunt, an online scavenger hunt encouraging you to visit different young adult authors, read about new books, enter in contests for free books, and have fun. If you are an author and want to join in the fun, you can email the organizer and be a part of the next hunt!

I hope everyone is safe and healthy. Until next post!