When I told Nathan I was going to make my summer reading list out of banned books,

he looked at me kind of funny and said, "Band books?" What can I say? He knows me well. We both love music, but we both know books about bands are mainly crap written by superfans and are often subtitled, "The Unauthorized Biography" as in "Thom York Rocks: The Unauthorized Biography." Very meh.



What happened was this: As I was making my summer reading list, I realized that several of the titles I listed had been banned/censored/challenged over the years, so I thought... why not make my summer reading list of banned books? That could be interesting. Just to read and see what someone else might have found offensive or objectionable.



I started with Gone With the Wind, which I've always wanted to read. Which is 3000 pages long. So that was basically the only book I read this summer.



And without giving you any spoilers, I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Until the last fifteen pages. If you've read it and you want to chat about how infuriating and wrong the whole thing is, let me know. We can grab a cup of coffee and chat about how the ending goes down.

Anyway, I've decided to continue this reading of banned books for the year.
Right now I'm reading In Cold Blood and The Handmaid's Tale. Both fantastic so far.

In my searches for books that have been banned and/or challenged over the years, I found quite an extensive list:
The Color Purple
Little Women
Harry Potter (I read the first one years ago, so I think I'll continue with the second.)
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
East of Eden
July's People
America
Mockingjay
Flowers in the Attic
A Day No Pigs Would Die
Rabbit, Run
Invisible Man
Steal This Book
Running with Scissors
The Sun Also Rises
Dubliners
Catch-22
Slaughterhouse Five
Stranger in a Strange Land
Olive's Ocean
Speak
A Prayer for Owen Meany
Sophie's Choice
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents
How to Eat Fried Worms
100 Years of Solitude
Then Again, Maybe I Won't
The Bean Trees
Cut
Carrie
Go Ask Alice
Pillars of the Earth
Doctor Zhivago
Crank
Harriet the Spy
Beloved
Native Son
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Grapes of Wrath

Have you read any of these titles? Which did you like?

Promote literacy... give a book!

An amazing friend and teacher at the amazing school where I've taught for the last eight years has (with the help of her husband and a couple of key local groups) organized a book drive called Roadrunner Reads. The impetus for the drive came from seeing so many children in our school who don't have books of their own at home. Approximately 80% of our students report fewer than four books in their home, and nearly half have never personally owned a book. Literacy is critical for academic success, and if you love reading as much as I do, you can probably remember a childhood filled with favorite books.

Learn more:


Even though we're officially past the dates of the drive, we're STILL collecting and gladly accepting books for our students! We would LOVE any books you can spare, and we're especially hoping to round up these titles to put in the hands of students. Help share the love of reading with a preteen by donating a book today!

Please contact Margaret and Adrian to donate.

A Trip to Paris: Un Voyage à Paris

My mom gave me this wonderful picture book on a recent trip home. It was originally printed in 1959. It's even cuter in real life. I wish I could share it with you over a cafe au lait.








Indeed!

The Twilight Phenomenon

There are tons of different kinds of writers. And at least twice as many kinds of readers. And since the invention of the printing press, readers have not denied how much they enjoy pulp fiction. Hey-- I love a good guilty pleasure as much as the next reader.

So, when I first heard about Twilight, I thought, fine. Fun. But I've got to admit, I thought flash in the pan. That was 2006. Now it's 2010, and over 17 million copies have been sold. That's one formidable flash in the pan.



Then I read the first book. Because who was I to judge?
Well, after reading it, I can tell you. I am to judge. Because the book is terrible, guys. The flat characterization. The heavy-handed storytelling. I can't enjoy it on a guilty pleasure level, because it's just that bad. It's the first title I rated 1 star on Goodreads. But no one else seems to agree with me. No one.

Here's me, yelling.
Me: Hello! (Echo: hello. hello.)
Anyone out there? (out there. out there.)
Am I the ONLY one who thinks Twilight is terrible? (No response.)



The other thing is, this book isn't only loved by swoony teens, oh no. The Twilight Moms have taken over. And they're terrifying. Because they can, you know, vote. They drive cars. They have power, you guys. They run the freakin PTA.



What's going on? I can't tell you how many of my teacher and writer friends (who I totally respect, by the way) have partaken of the Twilight Kool-aid. It's out of control.

Even if the madness is no where near stopping (seeing as we still have another movie or two I think?) can someone please explain what's going on? It's like the emperor has no pulse. And also, he can't go out in direct sunlight or his skin will look like diamonds.

I'd put a message in a bottle, but I think my cries for help might fall on deaf ears.

After reading Cormac McCarthy's

The Road

(which I absolutely loved and would describe as two parts horror to one part beauty)
I needed to take the edge off a bit, so I'm rereading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.


And come on, it has something to do with the newest movie as well...

If you haven't seen it, you have to-- not because it's necessarily the best interpretation, but come on. Johnny, Helena and Anne-- I mean, come ON.

When I was little I loved the whimsy and silliness of the story, and when I reread it in college, I definitely picked up on the social commentary. This time around, I'm finding it absolutely hilarious and well... wonderful.



What are your favorite books from childhood?

All things Alice

On Sunday, Nathan and I saw Alice in Wonderland at the Alamo Drafthouse.
It was just what I'd hoped for-- full of whimsy and fun.

In honor of the newest version of this beloved story, here are some Alice-inspired thises and thats.

Why have a pocketwatch, when you could have a gorgeous pocketwatch necklace?


Or, if you don't want to wear an actual pocketwatch, you could always wear a scarf featuring one.

I love this unique glass teapot
and this more traditional ceramic teapot.


Presenting the cutest sugar dish and creamer ever.

And you must have a cup to drink that tea, after all.

I adore these vintage playing cards.


This green frock is by Catherine Malandrino, and so very Alice, I think. Must be the ruffles....
Here's the designer herself in (nearly the same) dress, but I must say I prefer the pintucks on the bodice on the other one.


Here's a Calvin Klein sleeveless shirt dress that's also very Alice, if she were to go to a garden party in 2010.

The original illustrations by John Tenniel show Alice in Mary Janes. These are a tad more grown-up.


I personally always pictured Alice in patent leather ballet flats like these.


Roses for the Red Queen.


We own this peppermill, which would be perfect for the cook and duchess whenever they want to make soup.

I wish we owned these white rabbit bookends.


And here's a classic chessboard.

Lastly, the cupcakes... ah, the cupcakes.

So it's been a week and two days since the SCBWI conference.

The one here in Austin, mind you. Not that I would've complained at all about making a jaunt up to NYC. But it just so happens that we have a ton of really talented and prolific writers right here, in our own neighborhood.

Since then, I've been thinking through all the information, going back through my furiously-scrawled notes, and most importantly, working on my own writing.
Some of the time I write at the coffee shop, some of the time at the library, and some of the time in my office-- where I can see the infamous wall of rejections any time I want.



I've also been feeling really inspired, and I wish there were a non-cheesy way to say that.

One of the agents who spoke at the conference, Mark McVeigh, said something that I heard as a challenge. He said (along with a bunch of other really helpful things), "Try to write outside your genre-- Rub your Muse the wrong way and potentially free yourself up."
I took that on and decided to write my first children's book. Which sparked the dreaded question, "Did you illustrate it as well?" The answer? "No." But still! It was a pretty big deal. I'm thinking of writing a children's book every week or so, just for fun, while I'm revising my YA novel. Because... well, why not? Apparently my Muse likes to learn new tricks.

I also loved everything Kirby Larson, author of Hattie Big Sky, a 2007 Newbery Honor Book, had to say.


Her session was called "First You Throw Away the Map." I mean, come on-- how great is that?
She talked about her story, her process, how there isn't one right process, and she offered some really practical wisdom as well.
When she began to talk about how writing equals hard work, it's like I felt the NYSE bells go off in my head.
She quoted Madeline l"Engle: "The moment of inspiration isn't a moment. It must be worked for."
and Samuel Goldwyn: "The harder I work, the luckier I get."

That was the second of about 127 things I needed to hear at the SCBWI conference. It made me come back to my computer, and dig back into my writing. It was just what I needed. Like that Cars song that sold its soul to a last-ditch Circuit City ad campaign.



I've got a ton of notes from the conference, WAY too many to include here, but please email me if you'd like my notes from any of the sessions. (Other than the illustrators' session. I did not attend that one-- as I said already, I'm not an illustrator, and the world thanks me.)

P.S. Here's the other thing about my wall of rejections. Even if they were all rejections in the end, quite a lot of them started as requests-- for partial or full manuscripts, so seriously! If that won't motivate me to keep working hard and writing, I don't know what will.