Hi, all,

The new polls are up. Vote now!

I wanted to give you all a quick note on how I choose the books. I use the books people have requested that are on the "suggested for book group" list on our bookshelf. If there are fewer than 10 books in the category (e.g., adult) I just use them all. If there are more than ten, I use a random number generator to determine which books we'll read. Once a book by an author has been selected for that month's poll I remove all of that author's books from the remaining choices. That way we don't end up with 5 books by one author on the list. The In continue in that vein until 10 have been selected. All books that were not selected are put back in the running for next months' poll.

Real world example: This month we have 13 children/young adult book choices. Two are by Chris Cutcher and two by Robert Cormier. I used a random number generator to select the books. When Cutcher's The Sledding Hill came up, I removed Whale Talk from the list and continued. When Cormier's The Chocolate War was selected, I removed Fade from the list and continued. Both Fade and Whale Talk will again be eligible for selection next month.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

You have probably noticed that there wasn't a poll this month and for that I apologize. I've been very ill the past couple of months, was in the hospital for nearly two weeks, and just didn't have the energy to devote to this book group. I'm very sorry. I'm much better now and am excited to get the ball rolling again.

Because there was no poll, I took the runners up from last months poll and used them for this month's books. Hopefully there is enough of an interest that people will be okay with that. I will put up new polls for next month in a few minutes.

No problem. I hope to see you all there. I can take questions/comments by email prior to the interview for those busy at that time. The recording of the interview will be posted indefinitely. myaggie2@gmail.com

Thanks, Aggie. That answers that. So Pacific time is 1 hour earlier, Central is 1 hour later, Eastern is 2 hours later. Those for the mainland U.S.

Lisa, I only know Mountain time (which is my time) the radio show will be at 1:00 pm Mountain time.

I do hope you will call in with any comments or questions. It will be very informative

the event will be 9/23 at noon

What time zone? Thanks.

Wow, that sounds great! Thanks for the invite, Aggie!

Everyone, the event will be 9/23 at noon.

Hi everyone. I wanted to send an invitation to you all to listen/call in(http://www.blogtalkradio.com/grandmamose...) to my live interview with Angela Maycock, Assistant Director at the ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom. Learn what the American Library Association is doing about censorship in America, not only during their annual Banned Books Week, September 26-October 3, 2009, but year round. All questions welcome live at this call-in number: (646) 595-4756. Or email them to me ahead of time at: myaggie2@gmail.com

My thankx to you for inviting me to this group also, which birthed the idea for the interview. Hope to see you there.

Woo hoo! I've been feeling lonely in that discussion room...

Oh good! I just finally got Lolita from my library, now I have more incentive to read it.

Both the books we're reading this months are heavy and we didn't have a lot of time, so I'm going to give them an extra month. I'm going to put new polls up for September rather than August. Hopefully that will give people time to participate.

LOL. I'm sorry, I forgot that I asked you and I just made the poll! The next poll will be in a couple of weeks and I will be sure to include it then. It does sound interesting. I figure that as long as it's been banned somewhere, it counts.

Well sure Kelly ... but it is my own book so maybe that disqualifies it even though it is banned?

thanks
biLL

William, did you want me to include Fe Fi FOE Comes in our poll? I couldn't tell.

I actually need to work out the logistics with Wes. We only have two weeks before July starts with a month for reading and discussing. If I put the polls up in the next day or so, keeping them up for a week, would that be enough time to start in July? I'd do the next poll right after that so we can be ready for the following month much earlier.

So, straw poll: do we start in July or August? Either way, I'll put the poll up in the next day or so.

Kelly

Katharine wrote: "Which book is that? With all that hype on the back?


"

It's a double entendre ... shows up in the first chapter ... but it is true that the book cannot be taken to some places due to religion/antigovt material.
Fe Fi FOE Comes

I discovered I've read almost all of the top 10! I usually don't do that well on lists of "books you must read" but apparently I'm great at reading "books you mustn't read!" :)

Funny -- I was thinking just about the same thing!

I'm ready to read just about anything you choose, Kelly. I'd love for this to be a reading group where we start on a given date and are able to read and talk about the book as the month goes on. Without all the worry about 'spoilers'. After all, most of those on banned lists are books we know quite a bit about.
Has the way the book club will work been designed yet?
Katharine in N.California

Which book is that? With all that hype on the back?

Kelly wrote: "LOL. That would FOR SURE get me to read the book if I had just happened upon it and picked it up! That publisher is brilliant."

And it's a true story! LOL

LOL. That would FOR SURE get me to read the book if I had just happened upon it and picked it up! That publisher is brilliant.

Kelly wrote: "With Wes's permission, I'm going to start a bookclub in here where we read a new banned book each month. I am thinking of having it be one adult book and one children's book. We can vote the month ..."

Some books should not be read:

From the Back Cover ... A warning to the reader ... You may not wish for people to know you are reading this book. In some jurisdictions such material is banned, and in some there may be severe penalties should you be caught with it in your possession. Even in places with free speech some authorities, and some of your neighbors will be suspicious if they open and read portions of this book, and find you reading it. In the near future the consequences could be much worse. You may not wish to read it at all.
Fe Fi FOE Comes
Let's be careful not to read books that should not be read!

Good points, Julia. I think I'm going to go with the classic/modern idea instead.

I'd like to recommend and add The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Chbosky. (Think that's his last name.)

Of Mice and Men is frequently taught to 9th- 10th graders in my area. Grapes of Wrath is taught to seniors, generally. I've seen The Chocolate War by Cormier on my state's curriculum list, but don't remember his Fade being there. Another author's Fade? Call of the Wild, really?

I think I'd enjoy reading Blubber... for some reason I must have missed that when I was a kid, even though I read other books of hers...

Oh, yay! We'll figure it out together, Katharine!

Fabulous suggestions, everyone. I just realized the link to the ALA was broken because it included the period in the URL. I've fixed it now. I'm going to give the poll a few more days.

I'm beginning to rethink my idea of adult vs. youth and wondering if classic vs. modern would make more sense. Most of the books suggested so far were written for kids and I guess people are a lot more worried about what their kids read than other adults.

Thoughts?

Here are the books we have so far:
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (classic, youth?)
And Tango Makes Three (modern, youth)
The Outsiders (classic?, youth)
Blubber (modern, youth)
Fade (modern, youth)
Call of the Wild (classic?, youth?)
Of Mice and Man (classic, adult)
Grapes of Wrath (classic, adult)
Carrie (modern?, adult?)

I'd like to add to the list
Whale Talk (modern, youth)
Lolita (classic, adult)

In reading Banned and/or Challenged Books from the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century I discovered I've read almost all of the top 10! I usually don't do that well on lists of "books you must read" but apparently I'm great at reading "books you mustn't read!" :)

Oh, I want in, too.
yay!

Although I have to say I've never quite figured out how to use this forum well. Perhaps this will be my golden opportunity to learn!!

I would be intrested in such a group. Looking over the ALA list I could suggest: John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Man and Grapes of Wrath, Jack London's Call of the Wild (read White Fang be thinking of Call of the Wild), Stephen King's Carrie, S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders (Did my term paper on why it shouldn't be banned), Robert Cromier's Fade and Judy Blume's Blubber.

I think this is a great idea and look forward to reading whatever the group chooses! (And I think two books is very do-able.)

Great idea! Let's do it.

Great idea. Two that come to mind as must reads that are also challenged books are The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and And Tango Makes Three.

:) lets do this

With Wes's permission, I'm going to start a bookclub in here where we read a new banned book each month. I am thinking of having it be one adult book and one children's book. We can vote the month before for the books for the following month. Of course no one has to read any of them, or just read one, no pressure. If someone has a better idea of how to organize this or think two books is too much let me know. (I thought of us reading one classic, one modern book but I think there will be more thought-provoking discussion if we talk about books that are being banned and/or questioned today.)

Give me suggestions of books that have been frequently questions or banned that you would like to see us read. If you need ideas, visit http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/ba... . There are all kinds of lists there sorted by year, by author, etc. (Another option is for me to just randomly pick books from the entire list the ALA has. I'll have to find a randomizer for that.)

I'll compile the list in a week or two and then set up the first poll.

Thanks!

Kelly