Banned Book Week

In honor of Banned Book Week, I started reading Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. The writing, especially the descriptions of landscape, are amazing.

"To the red country and part of the gray country of Oklahomas, the last rains came gently, and they did not cut the scarred earth." First line. Always a good test for what's to follow.

It's monumental and funny and sweeping and personal and American in many different ways.

Go here to take a look at what's been banned and what's being fought over in 2006, and perhaps to choose a banned book to read this fall. They come in all shapes and varieties, just like Americans.

I chose Grapes of Wrath because I wanted something long and loved Travels with Charley (a book Steinbeck wrote toward the end of his career about traveling America with his dog Charley) when I read it in high school. Your choice might be short or long, serious or funny: something that's right for you. Anyone who reads the Captain Underpants stories gets special honors!

And though my readers are a quiet bunch, I'd love to hear what you're reading. Just send me an email or post a comment with the name of the book, and anything else you want to add.

Comments

Anonymous said…
What I'm reading:

I reread the first Harry Potter the other night looking for something. I've been spending more time than I'd like with my English/Spanish dictionary and my verb book. I reread "Make Way for Ducklings" when I ran across it in my room yesterday. I have a copy of... um... author is Libba Bray, can't remember the title, waiting for the first good day after I finish packing my room. I think that's it.

Question for you... would you have any interest in a pattern book for various purses? I won it as a door prize months ago and found it again as I was going through my bookshelves. I can absolutely guarantee that I will never be knitting myself a purse other than the one (not from that book) that I already have yarn for, so I'm offering it around to see if anyone might want it.
Anonymous said…
I’m on a sci fi kick lately. Currently reading The Machine’s Child by Kage Baker. This is the fifth or sixth volume in her series on The Company. The concept of the series is hard to explain, but Baker has done an amazing job of creating an concept for an organization located in our future that is mining the culture and biology of the earth to acquire and preserve that which would other wise have been lost through evolution, extinction, and natural and made-made disasters, such as wars. The purpose of the company’s activities is not clear – altruistic, mercenary, or downright sinister. And story is about the individuals who are recruited through out earth’s history from cave people to residents of future societies. The recruits are modified and enhanced, and used to carry out the company’s work. I see that I am using a lot of series in my description – an indication of the great number of things that are going on in this series. Anyway half a dozen volumes in, I am still excited whenever the next one is published. This is not outer space/aliens sci fi, but rather a look at the past, present, and future of our own earth, from a completely unexpected viewpoint.

C.