True love is rarely a fairytale...

bookfanatic010

taylorreadsbooks taylorreadsbooks

There are no rules to being a bookworm. No matter how books you read, how many books you buy, if you keep them tidy on a shelf or stacked on the floor, if you read Young Adult or nonfiction, every reader is equal. Never feel bad for not being the bookworm people pressure you to be.

Source: tayintheknight

the-bookie-monster

fuzzysparrow

It’s not hoarding if it’s books

mouseinmypocket

books make it a library

Source: fuzzysparrow

20 Banned Books you’ve probably read

Banning books from schools and libraries is a form of censorship that predominantly hurts the people that would benefit most from keeping the book(s) available. It is not up to a few to say what book is available to who. Making a choice for a group of people based on the decision of a small group is morally wrong in my opinion. There is a difference from a book being challenged, which probably happens to just about every book at one point, and banning, which is when the book is actually removed from a library or school. The following is a list of some of the best books ever written that were banned at one time or another.

1. The Scarlet Letter by: Nathaniel Hawthorne (1850)
A woman has an affair with a man of the church which results in a love child. As a punishment for her transgressions, she has to wear the scarlet letter “A” for Adulterer. There were some that felt the author was too lenient in the character Hester and that she didn’t get what she deserved. There was complaint of immoral content and sympathy to the sins committed. Considering the time this was written, this one isn’t too surprising.

2. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865)
My wedding was Alice in Wonderland themed so this is obviously one of my favorite books. This has had some controversy because of suggested drug use (eating mushrooms that change your size, a caterpillar smoking a hookah…) as well as speaking animals which is considered evil or something. It was banned in Hunan China for that reason in 1931 because of the way the animals acted like humans. The Censor General feared children would see animals and humans as equals and also believed allowing the animals to speak was offensive to humans. I have also read something about the author’s sexual preference, but that refers to Lewis Carroll, not the story.

3. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by: Mark Twain (1884)
I enjoyed this book quite a bit growing up. I was oblivious to the racism in it as a child, but ultimately that is why it was banned. Now, of course racism isn’t ok, but during the time the story takes place (and at the time it was banned oddly enough), racism was a very large part of everyday life. Jim was Huck’s friend and seeing the way he was treated was cruel. Though, I personally feel it was showing the intensity of racism many feel like the book itself was racist. While it may have been called “trash”, it is now considered an American classic.

4. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by: Beatrix Potter (1902)
When I saw this book was banned, I couldn’t think of a single thing that would do it besides the fact that Peter’s father was killed. That wasn’t it. This book was banned for portraying “Middle class rabbits”. Yep. I don’t even really know what that means, so while I technically know why the book has had controversy, I’m still really confused.

5. The Great Gatsby by: F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925)
This was fairly recently made into a film that did well, and it’s a favorite of many readers, but this novel has had its fair share of complaints. The novel contains a sexual affair (which is never portrayed in detail), bad language, and violence, which is the formula to set people off. The novel is set during the prohibition where the drinking was heavy and the partying described was also considered uncomfortable to some.

6. Winnie the Pooh by: A.A. Milne (1926)
Pooh? Pooh was banned? This one was a little all over the place. The talking animals being against God is brought up with this one as well. Piglet being a pig had some controversy over if it would offend Muslim children. One thing that blew my mind, was apparently pooh wore a swastika and was seen as a Nazi supporter. It’s been awhile since I’ve read it, but I don’t remember that.

7. Gone with the Wind by: Margaret Mitchell (1936)
This is the only book on this list that I have never read, which is horrible considering I am a romance writer. I will remedy that soon, but that is neither here nor there. The book was primarily banned because of the racism and the way they treated slaves. Like I said, I haven’t read it, but I’m pretty sure slaves were never treated well, hence the name “slave”. As an author I strive for authenticity, and while slavery has never been acceptable, it did happen. Slaves were, in fact abused, so reading about it isn’t going to be pleasant.

8. Of Mice and Men by: J.D. Salinger (1937)
I remember the effect this book had on me the first time I read it. While it was intense I still don’t feel as if I was too young to be reading it (around 12). A major complaint was that this book didn’t fit in with the age group it was being taught to in schools. There is bad language and violence, but another problem was that the book glorified euthanasia. That seems like a bit of a stretch to me, but ok.

9. The Catcher in the Rye by: J.D. Salinger (1951)
The Character Holden is often compared to number three’s main character Huckleberry Finn. The book follows a teenager who has a pension for drinking (Underage) and a potty mouth. Those were two large reasons the book was banned combined with sexual content. While the book still faces controversy, it has come back from being banned and continues to have an influence on teenagers all over the United States.

10. Fahrenheit 451 by: Ray Bradbury (1953)
Yeah, a book about burning/banning books was itself banned. No irony there. Yes, there is bad language, blasphemy, as well as the bible being burned, which is what lead to the banning, but I think the message of this one was lost on more than a few.

11. Lord of the Rings by: J.R.R. Tolkien (1954)
This was another beloved book that spawned multiple, wildly popular films. One issue with this book is the smoking. The characters do smoke, from a pipe mostly, but if we ban all books with smoking in them… that is a lot of books. The magic involved is seen as witchcraft and un-Christian. What I find interesting is that apparently, J.R.R. Tolkien was not only a Catholic, but the book are said to be symbolic to Christianity. Similar to The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (with whom he was actually friends).

12. Lolita by: Vladimir Nabokov (1955)
When I first heard what this book was about, I was shocked that it was put into print, but later found it was done so through a pornographic press. When my curiosity got the best of me and I read it, I was stunned because it was so beautifully written. Yes, the story is about a pedophile that makes my skin crawl, and is infatuated with a twelve year old, but the truth is, it was so tastefully told that it didn’t make me as uncomfortable as it would have otherwise. Humbert Humbert was the narrator, and I hated him, but still, I loved the book. France, United Kingdom, Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa have all banned it for its obscenities and is was temporarily so in Canada.

13. Green Eggs and Ham by: Dr. Seuss (1960)
I thought for sure we would have more talking animal issues, but the only complaint I have been able to find is that portrayed “early Marxism”. Dr. Seuss was open about the fact that he wanted kids to question their government. From what I can gather (because I had no idea what that meant), Marxism is a belief that our social class system, and the constant conflict between upper and lower class, is responsible for the way history has turned out. And apparently that’s why it was banned, but the ban has been lifted since the death of Dr. Seuss.

14. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by: Ken Kesey (1962)
This book is pretty crazy. There is a lot of sexual material and has been called “pornographic”. Many parents and school boards have fought to get this removed from shelves. It was said to glorify immoral activity and the profanity, torture, and death was seen as inappropriate for high school students. Let me just say, the story is told by a character who is mentally ill, which I always saw as unique and eye-opening and is set in a mental hospital so it isn’t going to be gumdrops and unicorns.

15. Where the Wild Things Are by: Maurice Sendak (1963)
The fact that any childhood is without this book is sad to me, but when I saw why this book was banned, I had to laugh. Because Max was sent to bed without his supper, apparently his hunger sent him into hallucinations of monsters, and is “psychologically damaging” to young children. Really? Because he missed one meal? The book made it clear that Max has an active imagination and was rambunctious hence why his mother called him “Wild Thing”.

16. Where the Sidewalk Ends by: Shel Silverstein (1974)
This book is a fantastic compilation of poems that often have the message to not listen to everything you are told, and use your imagination. A lot of parents and teachers don’t like that message because they believe it teaches them to be disrespectful. It was also accused of having references of suicide, Satanism, and drug use. There is one poem called “Dreadful” about the baby being eaten and the narrator burps at the end insinuating he ate the baby. Ok, maybe it’s a little disturbing, but children are just going to find it funny and amusing, not resort to cannibalism as some parents were concerned would happen.

17. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (1991)
In Australia, the book may be purchased by someone over the age of eighteen, but at one point in the State of Queensland sale and purchase of the novel was illegal. The story is of a man who is extremely concerned with how the world sees him is also a sadistic killer. It was a concern that the book would bring about violence. Simon and Schuster dropped the title three months before the book was scheduled to be released because of a lot of pushback from the media. The problem people had was with the inner dialogue of Bateman, but when you write, the characters become their own entity in a sense. That was who Bateman was, and being true to the characters and their story is the art of storytelling.

18. Harry Potter Series by: J.K. Rowling (1997 -2007)
The most common problem with these books, is the fact that the characters are good witches and wizards that perform magic. Since religious teachings say witchcraft, demons, sorcery, etc. are a sin against God, they feel this is confusing to children because the [main] characters are seen a good. The themes in the book can get somewhat dark and there were concerns that it would be too intense for children. However, the millions of adolescent Harry Potter fans would probably disagree. Another problem is the fact that Harry and his friends lie, sneak around, steal, and break other rules to accomplish what they are doing in the story. Parents were upset that he never got in trouble, but that’s probably because the headmaster was in on it half the time.

19. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by: Stephen Chbosky (1999)
This is a novel about teenagers coming of age. The sexual content is the main concern, especially the witnessing of date rape. There were complaints by parents for drug and alcohol use…did I mention the book was about teenagers? The mention of masturbation was reason for some controversy (Again…teenagers). What really got me, is the fact that people were appalled that homosexuality is even mentioned in the book. Like homosexuality is some terrible thing. You want to talk about offensive… and this was published less than twenty years ago.

20. Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy (2011-2012)
Compared to the other books on this list, this isn’t exactly surprising, but I primarily read and write within the same genre as FSOG, and this book is like the training wheels for the genre. I kind of have to wonder what these people would say about books like “Captive in the Dark”. It was taken out of libraries for immoral content and sadism. They don’t want pornography or erotica in their libraries, and there were also concerns of the character’s religious views. It’s no secret what these books are about (Hot young Billionaire + Virginal young woman + mild BDSM= Book), so if someone wants to read it should be available for them to do so.

These are the books that have shaped us (Well, maybe with the exception of number twenty) and if these books aren’t safe, I don’t know that any books are. I am a proud reader of banned books and will do my part to fight censorship in any way possible.

*What would you add to the list? Did you enjoy this post? I would love to hear from you!

Charity B.

bannedbooks bookblog charityb personal blogpost

How I fell in love with writing.

I post a lot of book reviews and talk about writing and publishing, but this is of a personal nature. I’ve been wanting to do this post for awhile because it’s the reason I’m here and why you are reading this. My love for writing and storytelling.

It started without writing at all. When I was very young, I remember lying in bed thinking about a movie I seen and re-telling it in my head. It was about bending and shaping the story to the way I wanted it to go in my mind. I would spend hours before falling asleep every night in my made up world.

I was seen as a rebellious child and was always intrigued by doing what I wasn’t supposed to. I wasn’t mean, very kind actually, but I was curious and wanted to try things for myself. As I got a little older, sex and taboo things began to pique my curiosity. At about eleven or twelve I wrote my first “erotic” romance… even though the erotic part was seriously lacking because I was, ya know twelve.

I wrote other stories, but through my adolescence I allowed myself to listen to negative thoughts and saw it as a stupid dream that would never become a reality. I finally gave in to my desire to tell stories again at twenty-one when I wrote an erotic fantasy romance and had forgotten how much I adored putting words onto a page. During that time, I read the “Dark Duet” series by C.J. Roberts and it effected me on such an emotional level, I felt like a lightbulb had gone off. I knew, without a doubt, I wanted to make other people feel the way those books made me feel. I wanted my stories to sit with people for days, weeks, years… It was then I knew I wanted to be a self-published author.

I continued working on my fantasy novel until another story began to consume my thoughts. I couldn’t not write this. I needed to get it out of me and onto paper. I had never felt that before. When my first character, Tavin, began to talk to me, it was a relationship I wasn’t prepared for. As I began to write her story, I was consumed with the love I felt for her. As the books became longer, I began to build relationships with other characters until my “Candy Coated Chaos” (release date TBA) was born. I find it difficult to put into words what writing this story and building “friendships” with my character cast as done for me emotionally.

I have begun to make connections within the industry and I am blown away from the amount of support that comes from not only readers, but fellow authors as well. Everyone just wants to create more beautiful stories and relationships. I think that’s amazing.

I have finally allowed myself to reach for my dreams and I found my passion in the process. It’s been an incredibly rewarding experience for me and I just hope that people are effected by my books and it makes them see things are not simply black and white. I have found myself through writing and I hope I inspire others to follow their soul and do what makes them happy and know that their dreams are touchable. They just have to reach.

-Charity B.

personal loveofwords candycoatedchaos bookblogger dreambig

“Complicated Hearts” (Book 1) By : Ashley Jade - Book Review

OK wow… This book was everything for me. I have never read an Ashley Jade novel, but this story has made me a fan for life. I usually like very dark, twisted type books, but this was one of kind. I am pretty obsessed with this, so I’ll try to keep out all the fun plot twists and spoilers. No promises.

Breslin grew up in a trailer park with trash for a father. She was made fun of a lot for it, but that all changed when Asher showed up and protected her from a bully. A few days later, he shows up at her house and from that moment on, they are inseparable. Since Asher comes from a conservative and wealthy family, they decide to wait for sex, but by the time senior year rolls around it’s becoming very difficult, especially for Breslin to keep their relationship non sexual. They are nominated prom King and Queen and when she tells him she can’t wait anymore, he mentions having a hotel room. Asher is a jock and a football God. So when they leave for the hotel, there is an awkward exchange between Asher and another teammate, Kyle (the bully from earlier). They have a romantic time together, but after they have sex, Asher begins to cry and admits his confession.

“Breslin…there’s no easy way to say this…but I think…I’m not sure. But I think I might… have feelings that I’m not supposed to.”

I have absolutely no idea what to make of that statement.

“Can you be a little more specific? What kinds of feelings?”

“The kind I can’t tell anyone about. The kind I don’t know how to deal with, because I don’t know what they mean.” His face falls. “The kind that might make me lose you.”

I shake my head, still baffled. “Unless you’re about to tell me you’re a serial killer I’m pretty sure we can deal with whatever it is you’re going through together. So please, before I have a heart attack, tell me what’s going on.”

“I think I might-“ He looks away. “I sort of think I might be gay.”

She does not handle the news well, and plus there is more to it than that. She tells him she never wants to see him again and he is heartbroken. He truly does love her, and he is completely crushed, so he does what he feels like is his best option which puts him in a manipulative relationship for years.

Fast forward four years later and Breslin is college, following her dream, dating an amazing guy named Landon, and living with her best friend. Landon is crazy about Breslin and she likes him a lot too, but is having a hard time letting things get serious because she can’t let go of Asher. Landon doesn’t ask a lot of questions, but he knows she’s been hurt and he hates the guy that did this to her. When the opportunity arises for her to leave the country for a class, she decides this is the perfect opportunity to clear her head. She tells Landon that she wants no attachments and being the awesome guy he is, even though he’s hurt, he loves her and wants to give her space.

“I’ll wait for you,“ I say before I take her mouth again because I can’t help myself.

“Don’t.” Her voice is broken and fragile, defeated. “I don’t want you to wait for me.”

I let out a frustrated sigh. Round and round we go again. “Why?”

“I don’t want any obligations or commitments. Not while I’m in Europe.”

“Bre-“

“No.” She backs away. “We’ll check in when I get home, see where we both stand by then. But you’re free to do what you want. It’s just the way it has to be.”

“What I want is you.”

She leaves and he is heartbroken. Meanwhile things go south for Asher and he finds himself playing football for a less than popular team. His team mates make fun of him and because of his grades, he is forced to get a tutor… which is Landon. While their relationship has a rocky start, they quickly build a friendship. Though, it doesn’t take long for Asher to become smitten with this sexy, smart, musical nerd. He knows his feelings aren’t good though because not only is Asher still in love with Breslin, but Landon is straight and in love with a girl named “B” (who we know is Breslin, but Asher doesn’t.). He wonders if Landon has any feelings for him, but doubts it because of being constantly reminded that Landon’s still hung up on this girl. Still, the more time they spend together, the harder Asher falls.

He opens his eyes again, and this time they’re trained on me. I can feel my Adam’s apple bob against my throat and something inside my chest shifts. The air in the room becomes even more charged with every second that passes between us.

Landon has to know I’m into him, there’s no way he can’t at this point.

But that’s not the cause of my current sweaty palms and racing heart…it’s that fact that maybe…just maybe.

He might be into me too.

While this is happening, Breslin has spent her time in Europe trying to get over Asher. Even though she never achieves that, she does come to the realization that she loves Landon and wants to do everything in her power to make things works with him. Yeah…

Things are going to get complicated.

This book was beyond five stars for me. There were moments I could almost hear Landon’s music and feel the things the characters were feeling. I have never read anything like this before and it has messed with my head. It was so dang hot and heart wrenching at the same time. This is the first book in a two part series and I don’t know how I’ll ever make it to August waiting for the conclusion. The cliffhanger on this thing was epically brutal. If I was ever going to suggest a romance novel, this would be it. The only thing I hated about it was how quickly it ended.

Genre: New Adult Romance

Stars: 5

-Charity B.

ashleyjade complicatedhearts fivestars newadultromance review personal

See, that’s what the app is perfect for.

More you might like

20 Banned Books you’ve probably read

How I fell in love with writing.

“Complicated Hearts” (Book 1) By : Ashley Jade - Book Review