I’ve snipped this from the Boston Bibliophile. Here is the 100 most frequently challenged books between 1990-1999.
Bold the ones you’ve read and italicise the ones you plan to read.
Scary Stories (Series), by Alvin Schwartz
Daddy’s Roommate, by Michael Willhoite
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
Forever, by Judy Blume
Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
Heather Has Two Mommies, by Leslea Newman
The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
The Giver, by Lois Lowry
My Brother Sam is Dead, by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
Alice (Series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Goosebumps (Series), by R.L. Stine
A Day No Pigs Would Die, by Robert Newton Peck
The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
Sex, by Madonna
Earth’s Children (Series), by Jean M. Auel
The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson
In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak
The Witches, by Roald Dahl
A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle
The New Joy of Gay Sex, by Charles Silverstein
Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous
The Goats, by Brock Cole
The Stupids (Series), by Harry Allard
Anastasia Krupnik (Series), by Lois Lowry
Final Exit, by Derek Humphry
Blubber, by Judy Blume
Halloween ABC, by Eve Merriam
Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George
Kaffir Boy, by Mark Mathabane
The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters, by Lynda Madaras
Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers
The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton
The Pigman, by Paul Zindel
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
We All Fall Down, by Robert Cormier
Deenie, by Judy Blume
Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes
Annie on my Mind, by Nancy Garden
Beloved, by Toni Morrison
The Boy Who Lost His Face, by Louis Sachar
Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat, by Alvin Schwartz
Harry Potter (Series), by J.K. Rowling
Cujo, by Stephen King
James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl
A Light in the Attic, by Shel Silverstein
Ordinary People, by Judith Guest
American Psycho, by Bret Easton Ellis
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
Sleeping Beauty Trilogy, by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
Bumps in the Night, by Harry Allard
Asking About Sex and Growing Up, by Joanna Cole
What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons, by Lynda Madaras
The Anarchist Cookbook, by William Powell
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume
Boys and Sex, by Wardell Pomeroy
Crazy Lady, by Jane Conly
Athletic Shorts, by Chris Crutcher
Killing Mr. Griffin, by Lois Duncan
Fade, by Robert Cormier
Guess What?, by Mem Fox
Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
Native Son by Richard Wright
Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies, by Nancy Friday
Curses, Hexes and Spells, by Daniel Cohen
On My Honor, by Marion Dane Bauer
The House of Spirits, by Isabel Allende
Jack, by A.M. Homes
Arizona Kid, by Ron Koertge
Family Secrets, by Norma Klein
Mommy Laid An Egg, by Babette Cole
Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo A. Anaya
Where Did I Come From?, by Peter Mayle
The Face on the Milk Carton, by Caroline Cooney
Carrie, by Stephen King
The Dead Zone, by Stephen King
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain
Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
Always Running, by Luis Rodriguez
Private Parts, by Howard Stern
Where’s Waldo?, by Martin Hanford
Summer of My German Soldier, by Bette Greene
Tiger Eyes, by Judy Blume
Little Black Sambo, by Helen Bannerman
Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett
Running Loose, by Chris Crutcher
Sex Education, by Jenny Davis
Jumper, by Steven Gould
Christine, by Stephen King
The Drowning of Stephen Jones, by Bette Greene
That Was Then, This is Now, by S.E. Hinton
Girls and Sex, by Wardell Pomeroy
The Wish Giver, by Bill Brittain
Jump Ship to Freedom, by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
Why is James and the Giant Peach on this list?! It’s very concerning that many of the books are about sex education – surely it is much safer to learn about them from books than from practice?
What I’m Reading on Mondays.
Finished:
A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. I read it before I went and saw the play with Cate Blanchett as Blanche!
Tales of the Unexpected by Roald Dahl. This has been my travelling book and short stories are perfect for it. Each story was captivating and thrilling while at the same time able to be picked up and put back down. This book just cements Roald Dahl as one of the best and most creative and imaginative writers ever. He’s also very sly and manipulative as a writer too.
Reading:
Carry Me Down by M.J. Hyland. I’ve been waiting for the right moment to start this because I don’t want to put it down. It’s also a large paperback so it can’t be carried around in my bag.
The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus. Ongoing relationship with all things existentialist.
Bibliotopia, or, Mr. Gilbar’s Book of Books and Catch-all of Literary Facts and Curiosities compiled by Steven Gilbar. A marvellous little book I found at the book stall in the Sydney Theatre while waiting for the play to start. It has little facts and figures of bookish things. Very American biased but still fun to read. It’s designed to be picked up and put down.
This week’s BTT.
What’s the most enjoyable, most fun, most just-darn-entertaining book you’ve read recently?
(Mind you, this doesn’t necessarily mean funny, since we covered that already. Just … GOOD.)
Most of what I’ve been reading (and tend to read) are somewhat…dire. However, I have been reading Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected for my ‘tram’ book. It’s fabulously fun, clever and witty and the endings are always superb and ‘unexpected’ I guess you could say. They’re a collection of short stories so they’re perfect for travelling with.
This week’s MM.
Do you find yourself forming trends in your reading? Is this a conscious act, influenced by either your own interests or current publishing fads?
I don’t usually have a trend when reading but I do go through phases. I went through a classics phase, Sensation fiction phase, *cough* Dan Brown phase *cough*, Indian writers phase, Agatha Christie etc. Many of those phases were brought on by subjects done in uni and that had spurred my interest. Currently, while I’m still reading other books, I’m in an Existentialist phase and trying to get my hands on a lot of the works by Albert Camus, Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre and also trying to discover new existentialist writers. However, I start to feel a little guilty at being so narrow with my choices that I soon feel compelled to break up trends and go read something entirely different.
I’m not at all interested in publishing fads. In fact, if I do notice a fad happening, I won’t touch it with a ten foot pole.
*WARNING – spoilers*
Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don’t know.
The defining opening lines of this classic existentialist novella succinctly illustrates the state of Meursault’s mind. The mother is such an revered figure in our society that when a child does not know, or is so indifferent, towards their mother’s death, alarm bell rings in the reader’s mind that there is something odd about this man.
As the novella progresses, we see that Meursault is a unique man. He listens to his body and is highly attuned to its needs and wants. He feels like smoking so he’ll smoke. He wants to feel the fluidity of water so he’ll go for a swim. He feels like making love so he sleeps with a pretty girl who has been reacquainted with him the day after his mother’s funeral. There is no explanation for Meursault’s actions because there is none. He simply acts and is and there is nothing unauthentic about him. He rarely, if at all, thinks for the consequences and lives in the moment. This will be his downfall.
After a string of events, Mersault shoots dead an Arab on the beach. His defence is that the sun blinded and overpowered him. The magistrate is willing to accept Meursault’s reasoning except for the extra shots Meursault fired at the victim after it was apparent he was dead. Meursault cannot explain it.
The trial turns into somewhat of a farce as Meursault curiously examines the proceedings and watches the expressions of those present. Everybody has a front, an act. As the trial progresses, the court hears that Meursault did not properly demonstrate that he had mourned his mother but that he went swimming, saw a funny film and took a girl home. In the end, Meursault realises that he is on trial for not conforming to social norms and that he is on trial for not mourning his mother, firing the last shots into the dead victim and for his indifference towards the world. He realised the truth of the world, saw the world and society for what is was and saw that regardless of what he did, or how well he played the social game, everybody was eventually going to die and everything will disappear.
The Outsider is somewhat a desolate novella but it resonated with me. This was my first re-reading after working with it in Year 12 English and new things have struck me. Meursault will appear differently to every reader – some will view him as an unrepentant murderer, even mentally ill or somewhat heroic. I perceive him in the latter because it is incredibly brave for someone to refuse to conform. This is a terrific piece of work and writing, or my translation, is wonderful and fluid. The sentences are simple, short and staccato which helps ease readers into Meursault’s mind.
This year’s Booker Prize shortlist has been announced. The list looks really good and looks much better than previous years. The titles are:
- The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt
- Summertime by J.M. Coetzee
- Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
- The Glass Room by Simon Mawer
- The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
The entire list is now on my TBR list. They all sound fascinating particularly The Children’s Book. Wolf Hall probably has the best cover. However, the list appears to favour more prominent and established authors – or perhaps that a coincidence.
I’ve snipped this from Paperback Reader. Looks like immense fun (the book geek that I am).
Using only books you have read this year (2009), answer these questions. Try not to repeat a book title.
Describe yourself: The Reader (Bernhard Schlink)
How do you feel: The Big Sleep (Raymond Chandler)
Describe where you currently live: Love in a Cold Climate (Nancy Mitford)
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Truman Capote)
Your favorite form of transportation: 4.50 from Paddington (Agatha Christie)
Your best friend is: Lucky (Alice Sebold)
You and your friends are: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass (Lewis Carroll)
What’s the weather like: Tender is the Night (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
You fear: The Plague (Albert Camus)
What is the best advice you have to give: Let the Right One In (John Ajvide Lindqvist) 
Thought for the day: This is How (M.J. Hyland)
How I would like to die: Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
My soul’s present condition: Great Expectations (Charles Dickens)
That was pretty hard! Leave a link if you decide to do this too. I’ll be interested in your replies.
And here’s a quiz via With Extra Pulp about your reading personality.
Your Reading Personality: Eclectic Reader!
You read for entertainment but also to expand your mind. You’re open to new ideas and new writers, and are not wedded to a particular genre or limited range of authors.
Well, that was interesting. The book quotes were all so fabulous I wanted to pick them all.
This week’s Friday Finds.
What great books did you hear about / discover this past week? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!
Been on a little book shopping spree lately which even includes a new small bookcase!
- The Lucky Country – Donald Horne
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Arthur Conan Doyle
- The Age of Reason – Jean-Paul Sartre
- Lord of the Flies – William Golding
- The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath
- Carry Me Down – M.J. Hyland (still waiting for it in the post though)
This week’s BTT.
What’s the biggest book you’ve read recently?
(Feel free to think “big” as size, or as popularity, or in any other way you care to interpret.)
I’m going to interpret this questions as ‘popularity’ big. I haven’t been reading as much lately but I did finish M.J. Hyland’s This is How yesterday which was absolutely spiffing. The book has been reviewed in all the literary magazines and columns so I guess it is pretty big at the moment.
I was going to title this post ‘The Rape from Borders’ but perhaps it might have been a little too extreme.
Having received a gift card for my birthday (hoo-rah!) for Borders, I was no doubt in a hurry to spend it – even after all the books I’ve recently bought. I went in after uni and decided I might settle for the 3-for-2 promotion to get more bang for my buck. Well, the selection was dismal and that idea was soon forgotten.
So I proceeded to browse through the stacks, and because I actually had money to spend on whatever I wanted (kind of) I looked at each shelf carefully rather than skimming. I started at ‘A’ and by the time I got to ‘C’ I was suffering neck pains and feeling quite nauseaus from constantly squatting down to the see the very bottom shelf – where all the good literature happened to be shelved. The placement is horrendous and the short shelves makes browsing annoying. Skimming is fine, but it makes it hard work for browsing.
I found a few books I would have liked to get but the prices Bordesr charge is riddiculous! Prices have obviosuly been inflated. I would rather go buy from independent bookstores at those prices.
The final disillusionment came when I looked for several books and authors – M.J. Hyland, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre – (yes, I was probably slightly too optimistic) and found that they were not stocked by Borders. I think I found one extrememly tattered copy of Sartre hidden away on one of the bottom shelves.
I was never particularly fond of Borders but now I don’t think I’ll be able to shop there again. They were pretty good for the more popular reads but with such bad placement, inflated prices and lack of stable literature (not too mention somewhat rude service) I don’t think I’ll go there again after the gift card has been used. I finally understood why some bloggers and friends say they feel slightly ‘dirty’ shopping in Borders. It’s back to independents and Book Markets for me!
Note: the Borders I went to is located in central Melbourne so you would assume it’ll be the premiere of all Borders…
First timer for this meme.
Finished:
I finished The Plague by Albert Camus this week. Marvellous and awe-inspiring. It’s one of those books that has so many layers that you already know from the beginning that you’re going to have to read it again and again to fully understand it.The book took awhile to finish due to several reasons: a) Bombarded with uni work and have been working non-stop and b) Camus isn’t really something you can take onto the crowded train filled with screaming teens and drunks. One needs to savour Camus and that environment really isn’t ideal.
Reading:
I’m halfway through In Cold Blood by Truman Capote and it is bloody fantastic. The story is shocking, of course, and it isn’t really ideal bedtime reading because it is so brutal but the writing! The writing! The way Capote builds up suspense and characters and settings – it’s all tremendously effortless and effective. I replaced Camus with Capote for my train/tram rides.
Lined up:
This is How by M.J. Hyland. As if I haven’t raved about her enough. Prepare for more raves and sickly gushes.
I attended the Outsiders event at the Melbourne Writer’s Festival this evening and it was simply, simply marvellous. The panel was made up of M.J. Hyland, Nikki Gemmell and debut writer Catherine Therese and they discussed what it meant to be an outsider and how outsiders feature in their work. All three panellists were incredibly engaging and wonderful readers when they read aloud a section of their work. I’m not usually a fan of being read to but all were spirited and articulate.
The discussion began with Nikki who detailed her life as an ex-pat, moving from Australia and living the better part of the last decade in London, and moving back to Australia again, frustrated by her inability to finish her book (Book of Rapture). She fled London with her three young children and rented a one bedroom shack in the country where they intended to stay for three weeks. They stayed for three months and her experience reawakened her longing for home: Australia and for her children to know their roots.
Next was Catherine who discussed her dysfunctional childhood and family who are sadly still very dysfunctional today. She recounted her teenage pregnancy with a boy who had half a thumb, who, upon discovering she was pregnant, gave her $20 to go have an abortion (which she didn’t). Catherine’s family was not one for talking and, rather than tell her parents, she let the pregnancy carry on, she herself also denying the situation. Her parents were only told when Catherine felt the baby kick for the first time during dinner. When Catherine notified her parents that her book/memoir was imminent, they packed up the car and drove from Sydney to North Queensland and called her book ‘filth’. Catherine made a memorable comment when she said (and I’m paraphrasing) “your life begins when you first realise you are you”.
Finally, it was M.J, or Maria’s, turn. Her voice was the first surprise. It’s deep and full with a strong British accent tinted with a faint Irish note. I had assumed she would have an Australian accent since she spent her teenage and young adult life here. The second surprise was how funny she was. There were numerous times when she had the audience in stitches. When introducing her, the chairman (in the first of some several major slip ups!) butchered the pronunciation of her main character’s surname. Her latest book is This is How and the main character epitomises an outsider. M.J (the other panellists called her Maria but I have her as M.J in my head) read the first few paragraphs from her book before throwing it aside, exclaiming how she hated doing this because all it does is make her want to edit the entire thing.
In discussing her inspiration for the book, M.J drew on several other works that helped mould her story. Albert Camus’ The Outsider, Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment and another book that I didn’t catch and that I was stupid enough not to remember to ask her later when she signed my book! I’m still kicking myself. It is a companion or a response to Camus’ The Outsider.
The hour went very fast and there were some light hearted moments towards the end. M.J even took a photo of the entire audience with her camera which I find endearing. She also broke some tension when the chairman accidentally called an older woman in the audience “that gentleman” during question time!
The three authors did book signings after the event so I had to quickly go purchase a copy of This is How from the numerous book stores downstairs (bliss!). However, due to my silly nerves about speaking to M.J, my mind went blank and as I handed her my book, clutched in my sweaty hands, all I could stupidly squeak out was “I really enjoyed your talk”. Ugh!
