The Sunday Salon and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, but sometimes it isn't all fun and games...

Welcome to The Sunday Salon and The Sunday Post! It's that day of the week bloggers from all over the internet get together virtually in a large gathering place called The Sunday Salon and talk books!  And at The Sunday Post, which is a weekly meme hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer, in which more bloggers share their bookish news!

It's a beautiful sunny day in Connecticut. It is November, so it's has cooled off a bit, but it's only in the 50's and that's okay with me this time of year. Lot's of things to start getting ready for... Thanksgiving! Christmas!?! and some interesting reads coming out for Fall. Today's roundup of reads highlights some literary girls that don't fit in your typical mold. Merry, who is like a black widow, charming and deadly (kinda), Skylark, who is trying to find herself among the teenagers she's friends with, and Penelope, who survives her hellish surroundings to eventually find love and acceptance. Here they are...

Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen... From Kirkus Reviews: When Lane Coolman's car is bashed from behind on the road to the Florida Keys, what appears to be an ordinary accident is anything but (this is Hiaasen!). Behind the wheel of the other car is Merry Mansfield--the eponymous Razor Girl--and the crash scam is only the beginning of events that spiral crazily out of control while unleashing some of the wildest characters Hiaasen has ever set loose on the page. There's Trebeaux, the owner of Sedimental Journeys--a company that steals sand from one beach to restore erosion on another . . . Dominick "Big Noogie" Aeola, a NYC mafia capo with a taste for tropic-wear . . . Buck Nance, a Wisconsin accordionist who has rebranded himself as the star of a redneck reality show called Bayou Brethren . . . a street psycho known as Blister who's more Buck Nance than Buck could ever be . . . Brock Richardson, a Miami product-liability lawyer who's getting dangerously--and deformingly--hooked on the very E.D. product he's litigating against . . . and Andrew Yancy--formerly Detective Yancy, busted down to the Key West roach patrol after accosting his then-lover's husband with a Dust Buster. Yancy believes that if he can singlehandedly solve a high-profile murder, he'll get his detective badge back. That the Razor Girl may be the key to Yancy's future will be as surprising as anything else he encounters along the way--including the giant Gambian rats that are livening up his restaurant inspections.

Carl Hiassen's books are rollicking adventures and Razor Girl should be no different. I picked this up and am looking forward to cracking the spine for a fun time. Lots of great praise for this book.

Girl Defective by Simmone Howell... Skylark Martin lives above her family’s vintage vinyl shop that—like its merchandise—is an endangered species in their re-gentrified, forward-looking Melbourne suburb. In the five years since Mum left to “follow her art” in Japan, Dad’s kept the shop going, drinking homebrew and mourning the past (musical and otherwise). Sky, 15, and Gully, 10, aka Agent Seagull Martin, who wears a pig-snout mask 24/7 and views the world as a crime scene waiting to be investigated, hold down the fort. Sky harbors no illusions about their dreary status quo—Dad’s drinking, Gully’s issues, her own social stasis—but she does have dreams, recently ignited by a new friend, the beautiful, wild and fearless Nancy. Other agents of change include Eve, Dad’s old flame, and Luke, the shop’s attractive, moody new hire. Drawn, mothlike, to Nancy’s flame, Sky’s dreams are haunted by Luke’s sister, whose similarly wild lifestyle led to tragedy. The family business grounds Sky. Its used records and cassettes, like time capsules, store music that evokes the past’s rich emotional complexity for the Martins and their quirky customers, while the eternal present and frantic quest for the next big thing hold no appeal.  Funny, observant, a relentless critic of the world’s (and her own) flaws, Sky is original, thoroughly authentic and great company, decorating her astute, irreverent commentary with vivid Aussie references; chasing these down should provide foreign readers with hours of online fun.

I happened to stumble upon this book this week and read a bit of it. Reminds me of a coming-of-age novel, I enjoyed the writing I sampled and have put this one on my wishlist! It's YA and originally published in 2014. 

Ulysses Dream by Tim White... Through Penelope’s eyes we understand the experience of thousands of girls who are kidnapped and become statistics of human trafficking. With the courageous intervention of a young girl, she escapes and ends up living with other children in the Teguciligapa city dump. Her hero is Ulysses, a Nez Perce boy raised in the rugged Wallowa mountains in Eastern Oregon. He and his six brothers and their Beauceron dog have many adventures and are hunted by a monstrous bear. Ulysses and Penelope fall into a sweet teenage romance. When Ulysees is sent to Southeast Asia in 1968, his quest to win back his true love takes him through the horror of Vietnam, as well as the struggles of professional football and the Olympics. Penelope and her son Telemachus are left alone to work towards the miracle of US citizenships, all the while avoiding the retribution of the international gang to whom she once was a slave.

This book seems to have so much stuffed into one story. How do you combine human trafficking, a love story and the NFL into one book? And the book is only 207 pages? I'm not sure, but the story of a girl escaping her sex traffickers,  surviving and falling in love, and almost losing the happiness she fought so hard for makes me want to read this. It's at a bargain Kindle price of $4.99 if you're interested too.

What Literary Girls have you read about lately?

Enjoy your week! I hope you've found something to pique your reading interests! 

Happy reading... Suzanne

There's A Bumbie Under My Bed!... Blog Tour

Oh Yes, we've all had a Bumbie or two lurking under the bed when the lights go out! Here's a cute  look at the Bumbie's under a certain little boy's bed in There's A Bumbie Under My Bed by Bethany Ramos...

There’s a Bumbie Under My Bed tells the story of a boy who can’t go to sleep because of all the monster bunnies keeping him up at night. Told in the first-person narrative, the little boy delays bedtime, using his flashlight and hand to create scary and silly bunny shadow puppets on the wall. According to the boy, friendly, spooky characters like the Bumbie (bunny zombie), Were-bunny (werewolf bunny), Bunny-stein (bunny Frankenstein), and Count Hop-ula come to visit him in the night. At the end of the book, his mother comforts him to sleep by telling him to let his imagination rest — and put the flashlight away.

What Did I Think?! I loved it! Creative, imaginative and wonderfully illustrated, author Bethany Ramos along with illustrator, Emiliano Billai, gives us a peek into what lurks under the bed late at night when the lights go out... but it's the little boy's mother in the story that helps us learn how to deal with such a vivid imagination. I really thought it was wonderful at the end of the story that the mother tells her little boy, to "put your flashlight away and let your imagination rest. You'll see your friends again tomorrow night." It shows us that the Bumbie's are really our friends and that we can bring them out to play another time. Although I didn't spy a flashlight bringing the Bumbie's to life, there seemed to be light streaming into the room that did give life to those shadows. I also liked that the last two pages of the book show how to make our own shadow puppets (or Bumbies) with our own flashlight. A great way to help children learn to deal with their own Bumbies! (or other cute named monsters!)

There's a Bumbie Under My Bed is 24 pages, Published by Saturn Moon Press and is a Children's picture book.

About the Author...
Bethany Ramos is a children’s book author, editor, and blogger. She is a regular contributor to SheKnows.com. Bethany’s first children’s book, Lions Can’t Eat Spaghetti, was published through 4RV Publishing in 2016. Her second children’s book, There’s a Bumbie Under My Bed, was published by Saturn’s Moon Press, also in 2016. Her first chick lit novel, 5 Stages of Grief, was published by Black Opal Books in 2011; her second chick lit novel, Adventure to Love, was published by Soul Mate Publishing in 2013. Bethany works as Editor in Chief for Naturally Healthy Publications.

Here's Bethany's... WEBSITE ! You can follow Bethany on... TWITTER ! Like Bethany on... FACEBOOK!

Chick with Books is participating in today's Blog Tour courtesy of Pump Up Your Books! Virtual Book Publicity Tours! As part of the tour, I was given a copy of There's A Bumbie Under My Bed! to read and share my unbiased review.

The Sunday Salon and What's Cooking?!... or 4 Cookbooks to Get You Back in the Mood to Cook!

Welcome to The Sunday Salon and The Sunday Post! It's that day of the week bloggers from all over the internet get together virtually in a large gathering place called The Sunday Salon and talk books!  And at The Sunday Post, which is a weekly meme hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer, in which more bloggers share their bookish news!

Good morning everyone! Yes, we earned an extra hour of sleep this morning, the sun is shining brightly at 8am, but it's cold! Fall weather is settling quickly in Connecticut. We've gone from 80 degrees to 50 in a matter of a week or so. And with the change of seasons I think about getting the sweaters and gloves out, and think about stirring up some cold weather cooking in the form of hearty soups and homemade bread. Which then makes me think about cookbooks... and then about what new cookbooks have come out that may tempt my tastebuds and make me want to try something new. See all that logical progression?! There have been so many new cookbooks published recently, I thought we'd talk cookbooks...

First cookbook today is The Pollan Family Table by Corky, Lori, Dana and Traci Pollan. Yes, that Traci Pollan! And if that weren't enough, Michael Pollan, the guy who writes all those great books on food, is the brother (and son) to these women. Corky is the Mom to Lori, Dana and Traci and as evidence, this cookbook shows how they all grew up to appreciate good cooking. I met these ladies at a book signing and talk held at Bethel Library (one of the local libraries) and courtesy of the efforts of Byrd's Books of Bethel. It was a nice evening and you could tell how close these ladies were and how cooking was a big part of their family. The recipes in their cookbook are simple, well explained, and with ingredients we can find without any problems. I'll be reviewing this soon, but suffice it to say that it's a winner. Oh and the photographs in the book are gorgeous!

Cooking for Jeffrey by Ina Garten: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook... For America’s bestselling cookbook author Ina Garten there is no greater pleasure than cooking for the people she loves—and particularly for her husband, Jeffrey. She has been cooking for him ever since they were married forty-eight years ago, and the comforting, delicious meals they shared became the basis for her extraordinary career in food. Ina’s most personal cookbook yet, Cooking for Jeffrey is filled with the recipes Jeffrey and their friends request most often as well as charming stories from Ina and Jeffrey’s many years together. There are traditional dishes that she’s updated... and new favorites.

I just love Ina Garten. Her recipes have never failed me. They are always simple and delicious. I haven' looked through this cookbook, but it's been on my wishlist ever since I heard it was coming.

Appetites: A Cookbook by Anthony Bourdain... Appetites, his first cookbook in more than ten years, boils down forty-plus years of professional cooking and globe-trotting to a tight repertoire of personal favorites—dishes that everyone should (at least in Mr. Bourdain’s opinion) know how to cook. Once the supposed "bad boy" of cooking, Mr. Bourdain has, in recent years, become the father of a little girl—a role he has embraced with enthusiasm. After years of traveling more than 200 days a year, he now enjoys entertaining at home. Years of prep lists and the hyper-organization necessary for a restaurant kitchen, however, have caused him, in his words, to have "morphed into a psychotic, anally retentive, bad-tempered Ina Garten." The result is a home-cooking, home-entertaining cookbook like no other, with personal favorites from his own kitchen and from his travels, translated into an effective battle plan that will help you terrify your guests with your breathtaking efficiency.

Years ago I read Anthony Bourdain's, Kitchen Confidential and loved it. But I never really followed any of his other endeavors. Whenever I ran across his TV shows, I just thought he was too arrogant for my liking and turned him off. But, I ran across this cookbook recently and was fascinated. And after reading a few of the recipes shared in a sample I wanted to see more. He still has that same kind of arrogance (and he uses some expletives in some of his recipe anecdotes), but he really shares some great tips, techniques and good recipes. On my wishlist too!

Alton Brown: Everyday Cook by Alton Brown...  My name is Alton Brown, and I wrote this book. It’s my first in a few years because I’ve been a little busy with TV stuff and interwebs stuff and live stage show stuff. Sure, I’ve been cooking, but it’s been mostly to feed myself and people in my immediate vicinity—which is really what a cook is supposed to do, right? Well, one day I was sitting around trying to organize my recipes, and I realized that I should put them into a personal collection. One thing led to another, and here’s EveryDayCook. There’s still plenty of science and hopefully some humor in here (my agent says that’s my “wheelhouse”), but unlike in my other books, a lot of attention went into the photos, which were all taken on my iPhone (take that, Instagram) and are suitable for framing. As for the recipes, which are arranged by time of day, they’re pretty darned tasty.

It must be the year of the cookbook comebacks, because here we have another chef, Alton Brown, who hasn't written a cookbook in years, coming out with a new cookbook too. I'm happy though, because Alton Brown is another favorite chef of mine. He always teaches me something. In his very first cookbook he taught me the muffin method, and I haven't looked back since. His recipes never fail me either, although they tend to be more "complicated" sometimes because of the science you're learning behind it. This cookbook looks to be a winner too and it's on my wishlist!

Does the Change in Seasons mean a Change in Your Cooking?

I love cookbooks. I have way too many, but sometimes can't resist adding one to the shelves. With the internet now, so many recipes can be found online, but I still love opening one up and setting it on the counter with my measuring spoons and measuring cups.  Do you still use cookbooks? 

I hope today's post has inspired you to make something delicious! And I hope you've found something interesting too!

Happy reading... Suzanne

Back from a little quiet time...

Every once in a while, we need to step back and take a break... So, life got a little crazy and that's exactly what I did. I've still been reading, but wrapping up some things that needed my full attention. I unplugged, slowed down and took care of what needed to be done the last few weeks...

But, I'M BACK NOW! Yes! Next week it's business as usual with Books, Books and more books! It's getting to be "that time of year again"... dare I say Christmas is right around the corner! We should start thinking about some great gifts for that book lover you know! (Maybe even for yourself!) And I've already started seeing the "best books of the year" lists. We'll need to start thinking about the books we've really enjoyed this year! And of course there's always new books to fill our shelves and our conversations, so come back next week to get back to what we all love to talk about... reading! (There's also some great books to movies we should talk about too!)

Until next week... Happy reading! ...Suzanne

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty... A Review

A smart, addictive treat! It's not just "The Husband's Secret" we are pining for, it's all the secret's Liane Moriarty dangles in front of us that we want to discover! And it's the fabulous way Liane brings what seems to be three separate stories to a crashing halt together! 

One of my reading group members chose this book for us to read this month. I assumed that it was going to be a chick lit book, and that the premise of Cecelia Fitzpatrick finding a letter addressed to her, written by her husband and to be read upon his death sounded interesting... especially since her husband was "very much alive" when she found it. It seemed that the story would revolve around the question of whether Cecelia should "open the letter or not" now that she's found it and the results of that decision. Ah, yes, the letter... What deep dark secrets does that hold? But that "secret" is just the beginning! Yes, there is the letter and the "moral" decision, and that delicious dark secret, but the story takes such a turn from there that I absolutely could not put this book down. I was sucked into this story from say page 20 on... EVERYone has secrets! There is a murder, a mystery, jealousy, infidelity, and secrets, secrets, secrets!

I don't want to spoil all the fun, so let me just give you a little bit of the layout of the story... There are three "stories" here. First, Cecelia Fitzpatrick, the "perfect" wife, right down to her arrangement of Tupperware in the pantry, who married the wonderful John-Paul, from one of the wealthiest families in town and they have 3 wonderful children. Second, there is Tess, Will and Felicity. Tess and Will are married with a little boy and Felicity is Tess's cousin and closet friend. And lastly, there's Rachel, Grandmother of Jacob, and the mother of Rob who is married to Lauren. All three families have ties to the same town, all three families have an interesting story, and all three of these families are going to experience life altering changes because of one another. And just when you think that the story has reached its' climax, you'll be saying to yourself, "OMG!"

Liane Moriarty's writing is kind of light and airy, like you'd find in a good "Chick Lit" book. (I haven't really heard much about 'Chick lit' these days either, does it still exist?!). BUT, just when you think that the story will be a "light" read, the story teasing you along to a place you THINK it's going, Liane pulls the rug right from under you, and she doesn't stop there. This "light" read turns into such a great read with twists and turns that you wouldn't expect. A story much more complex then you'd think at its humble beginning. Definitely a book I would recommend to almost anyone who enjoys their fiction with a mystery and a bit of Tupperware mixed in! I will now be reading more of Liane Moriarty! This book was her debut novel, which became a #1 hit in the UK back in 2013. She now has 6 more books under her belt, one of which, Truly Madly Guilty, was published this year. Just make sure you put The Husband's Secret on your TBR list!!! 5 stars from this Chick!

*P.S. Something to keep in mind when reading The Husband's Secret... there are a lot of characters that Liane throws at you right from the start. With out any "formal" introductions, early chapters seem to jump right into the middle of a story that you don't know anything about, or the people that are involved. At first, I found it confusing and was trying to sort out who these people were. Eventually you'll see that there are three separate families and it will not seem confusing any longer. You'll be able to follow these "separate" stories seamlessly. Keep a list of characters if you need to at first, but don't let this "complication" deter you from the story. READ IT!

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Banned Books Week... #1 Banned Book in 2006, 2007, 2008, & 2010... And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson

And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson...

Why was And Tango Makes Three Challenged?
Reasons: homosexuality, religious viewpoint, and unsuited to age group.


What the story is about... It's the true story about 2 male penguins at the Central Park Zoo in NYC who enjoyed doing everything together, and when the time came they built a nest just like all the other Penguin couples, but they couldn't lay an egg. Eventually they are given an abandoned egg and raise this as their own. The chick that hatches is named Tango, because "it takes two to make a Tango". This book is one of the top banned books of all time, and it really makes me scratch my head. Can reading this book really change your child's sexuality? I view this book as a cute book about the love between the two penguins, and I'm not really viewing this as a book about homosexuality. Am I wrong?! It could teach children about tolerance. My library does carry the book, but I could not find it in any of my bookstores.

Sherri Machlin of the Mulberry Street Library wrote a wonderful post about the book being banned on the New York Public Library's Blog on September 23, 2013. Here is part of that post...

"Despite the happy ending to the tuxedo-adorned creatures tale, Tango challenged some Americans' ideas and assumptions about homosexuality, age-appropriateness of the material, and raised the thorny question about what makes a family. Since its publication by Simon and Shuster in 2005, And Tango Makes Three has topped the ALA's 10 Most Challenged Books List between 2006 and 2010.

Re-shelving the book was one way that libraries tried to get around the "problem" with Tango. Rolling Hills (Mo.) Library Director Barbara Read moved the book from the popular picture book section to the less-browsed non-fiction area when parents complained about the gay themes in the title. School Superintendent Edgar Hatrick III of Loudon, VA made a decision to move Tango from the Sugarland Elementary School to an area only accessible by parents and teachers after a parent complained about gay themes in the book. What helped Tango remain available in school and public libraries in some cases was the precedent set by the decision in Island Trees School District Board of Education v. Pico in 1981, which ruled that a Board of Education's decision to ban certain books from its school libraries violated First Amendment protections. The challenges against this book have been so profligate, Dr. Marta L. Magnuson, Professor of Library and Information Science at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, recently carried out a study analyzing the motives behind these various challenges to And Tango Makes Three, published in the journal School Library Media Research in January 2011. But if penguins can survive the brutal Antarctic winter, they can surely survive the challenges of access to And Tango Makes Three."  you can read the full post HERE.

Would you like to listen to the story? Here is Tracey Lai Thom reading and Tango Makes Three...

Field Guide to the End of the World by Jeannine Hall Gailey... A Review

Field Guide to the End of the World by Jeannine Hall Gailey, winner of the 2015 Moon City Poetry Award, delivers a whimsical look at our culture’s obsession with apocalypse as well as a thoughtful reflection on our resources in the face of disasters both large and small, personal and public. Pop-culture characters—from Martha Stewart and Wile E. Coyote to zombie strippers and teen vampires—deliver humorous but insightful commentary on survival and resilience through poems that span imagined scenarios that are not entirely beyond the realm of possibility. The characters face their apocalypses in numerous ways, from strapping on rollerblades and swearing to taking notes as barns burn on the horizon. At the end of the world, the most valuable resource is human connection—someone holding our hands, reminding us “we are miraculous.”

What Did I Think? Field Guide to the End of the World is not your grandmother's book of poetry. You won't be finding it in that dusty corner in the far recesses of your local library either. Jeannine Hall Gailey's poetry is fresh, lively, and opens your mind to the possibilities all around us. Jeannine takes the idea of the end of the world and creates amazing stories that just happen to be in the form of poetry. If the world was ending, what would you do? What would it look like? Who would be on your mind? I didn't know what to expect, but quickly found myself hooked. From Martha Stewart 's Guide to Apocalypse Living, where we read about Martha stockpiling drones and lemons, to Teen Girl Vampires wanting "to be loved and fed, in that order", I couldn't help but smile, but even though her wry sense of humor is evident in some poems, other poems are thought-provoking, such as this excerpt from Notes from Before the Apocalypse, where...

There was a halo around a gibbous moon. 

The horses all lay down in their fields. 

Children died in a school holding hands. 

Tornadoes right through the city centers ripped up everything we had built...

These poems are meant to be savored and I enjoyed reading them. This is what contemporary poetry should be and I dare anyone to sit down and not enjoy these poems by Jeannine Hall Gailey! I am so glad I got a chance to experience Jeannine Hally Gailey through her poetry thanks to Poetic Book Tours! 4 stars from this poetry reader! BTW, if you enjoy dystopian fiction you should enjoy this book of poetry too! Available from Amazon now!


About the Poet:

Jeannine Hall Gailey served as second poet laureate of Redmond, Washington. She’s the author of four previous books of poetry:Becoming the Villainess, She Returns to the Floating World, Unexplained Fevers, and The Robot Scientist’s Daughter. Her work has been featured on Verse Daily and NPR’s The Writer’s Almanac, and included in The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror.

Banned Books Week... Looking for Alaska by John Green

Looking for Alaska by John Green... #1 Banned Book 2015

Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. He heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.

After. Nothing is ever the same.

WHY? Challenge Looking for Alaska?...

Reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking; sexually explicit; unsuited for age group; offensive language


Challenged in a Wisconsin school district's libraries due to sexual content (2014). Challenged in a New Jersey high school for mature content (2013). Removed from class reading lists in two Tennessee school districts due to sexual content (2012).

Personally I haven't read Looking for Alaska, so I can't comment on what the big deal is. I did read a small paragraph leading up to the "oral sex" part that caused all the controversy and can understand why some parents may not wish their child to read this. But we are talking high school kids, who I'm sure are pretty savvy when it comes to sex and drugs, or at least know more than some parents give them credit for (or want to acknowledge)And according to the author, John Green, just looking at the "passsage" itself, with no relation to anything else is what creates the problem.

“In context, the novel is arguing really in a rather pointed way that emotionally intimate kissing can be a whole lot more fulfilling than emotionally empty oral sex.”

Sharon Browning does a great review of Looking for Alaska on Litstack, and in her closing she writes...

"I asked my daughter – who has read every single John Green book ever written to date, despite reading being difficult for her – if she felt at all compelled to be like the kids in the book when she read it at age 14, and all she did was give me “the look”.  Later she told me that she can identify with a story, or even characters in a story, without needing to be those characters.  That goes for her friends, too.  And in fact, she told me, Looking for Alaska did more to warn her off risky behavior than entice her into following their example.


Sounds to me that John Green was right.  We need to shut up and stop condescending to teenagers when it comes to making assumptions about we think they should and can read.  Thankfully, that was the decision of the Depew School Board, when they voted unanimously to reject the challenge and allow Looking for Alaska to be taught in the 11th grade English class there." You can read the full review and commentary on Litstack.

In response to the challenges to Looking for Alaska, author John Green made this video...

Though I plan to read Drama for Banned Book Week this year, I am going to pick up a copy of Looking for Alaska to read also. If I don't get a chance to read it for this years banned book... there's always next year (or next week!)

BAN THIS BOOK by Grant Snider...

Artist Grant Snider drew this wonderful cartoon for Banned Books Week in 2012. What a great comic and still relevant to Banned Books Week in any year! I want to thank Grant for giving me permission to share this with everyone on Chick with Books! You can find more of his work at IncidentalComics.com. You can even order a copy of this as a poster, HERE!

The "Drama" about Drama by Raina Telgemeier

Raina Telgemeier’s Drama, a graphic novel about the joys and tribulations of a middle school drama troupe, received universal critical praise upon its publication in 2012. The book received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Media, Booklist, and School Library Journal. It also made “best of the year” or Editors’ Choice lists in Publishers Weekly, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Booklist, and School Library Journal. Finally, it was nominated for a Harvey Award and was a Stonewall Honor Book.

Although most readers of all ages found Drama to be just as endearing and authentic as Telgemeier’s other books Smile and Sisters, a small but vocal minority have objected to the inclusion of two gay characters, one of whom shares a chaste on-stage kiss with another boy. Negative online reader reviews have accused Telgemeier of literally hiding an agenda inside brightly-colored, tween-friendly covers, but in an interview with TeenReads she said that while she and her editors at Scholastic were very careful to make the book age-appropriate, they never considered omitting the gay characters because “finding your identity, whether gay or straight, is a huge part of middle school.” from the CBLDF website  (That's the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund)

Every year I read at least one banned book for Banned Books week. When I visited my local Indie bookstore and discovered that Drama by Raina Telgemeier was in that category I was surprised, but also excited because I had wanted to read this for a long time and this would be the perfect time. So... I'm reading Drama by Raina Telgemeier for Banned Book Week!

My opinion is that most kids are smarter than what some adults give them credit for and most challenged books are a problem more for the adults than the kids. It's important as a parent to be involved with your children, know what they are reading, talk with them and help guide them to what is appropriate (for them). What do you think?

Are you reading a Banned Book this week?

The Sunday Salon and Banned Books Week!

Welcome to The Sunday Salon and The Sunday Post (a weekly meme hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer)! Every Sunday we set aside a little time to chat books, and this week is no different, with the theme being Banned Books! So, grab a cup of joe, find a comfy chair and let's talk books!

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read

September 25−October 1, 2016

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community –- librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types –- in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.

Yes, it's the 21st century and still we have book burners and censorship. I think that the point here is that parents should be involved in what their children read and help them understand what they are reading, guide them in choosing appropriate material for their curious minds. BUT, let's not infringe on the reading rights of another child, whose parent may not wish to ban a certain book. Most banning and censorship takes place in the most accessible (and free) place to check out a book - a library! Let's not make reading a privilege. What do YOU think?!


"This year's Banned Books Week is celebrating diversity. While diversity is seldom given as a reason for a challenge, it seems, in fact, to be an underlying and unspoken factor. These challenged works are often about people and issues which include LGBTQIA, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities—people or issues that, perhaps, challengers would prefer not to consider."


Here are the top 10 banned or challenged YA books for 2014-2015:

 1. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
 2. Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon Books/Knopf Doubleday)
 3. The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison (Holt, Rinehart, and Winston)
 4. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini (Bloomsbury Publishing)
 5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky (MTV Books/Simon & Schuster)
 6. Drama, by Raina Telgemeier (Graphix/Scholastic)
 7. Chinese Handcuffs, by Chris Crutcher (Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins)
 8. The Giver, by Lois Lowry (HMH Books for Young Readers)
 9. The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros (Vintage/Knopf Doubleday)
10. Looking for Alaska, by John Green (Dutton Books/Penguin Random House)

It seems that Banned Books Week has been taking on a theme, instead of just promoting the reading of all banned books. Last year was YA (Young Adult) Fiction, and I read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (read my review), In 2014, the theme was comic books, and I read The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey (read my review), which I loved. In 2013, I read a classic, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, incredible writing and totally not what I was expecting. And I spent a week with Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger in 2009.

So, for this years banned books theme diversity, I am going to be reading a book challenged because it was deemed "sexually explicit". It's a graphic novel that has gotten starred reviews, wonderful praise and has been nominated for 2 awards. What book would that be??? It's on the top 10 banned books list above... and I'm going to reveal it TOMORROW!  Please come back tomorrow to find out! In the meantime...

What Banned Book Are You Going to Read?!?

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett... A Review

I didn't know what to expect from Ann Patchett. I hadn't read anything by her before this book. There seemed to be a buzz in the air about a new Ann Patchett novel, and so I decided I would open the pages of this book for a brief look. What I found was wonderous! I was swept up into the story of these two ordinary families almost immediately and spent the next 50 or so years with them. At around page 182 I had an AHA moment and appreciated this story even more if that could even happen. What have I taken away from Commonwealth? That I love Ann Patchett, and that I loved this book!

Without giving too much of the story away, because that's the fun part to discover all a novel has to offer on your own, Commonwealth begins with a simple drunken kiss at a christening party that begins an affair, causes two divorces, two broken families, the unlikely bonding of 6 children, some of whom are related and trying to survive being ripped from their normal routine and trying to survive a tragedy that touched all their lives one summer long ago. Commonwealth follows all the characters through the ups and downs of trying to navigate life. You are reading it all in a book, which you discover is a book, and you can't help but feel something for each one of them. Empathy, hate, saddness and heartbreak, it's all there.

The writing is so inviting, I found myself not being able to put the book down even though I was just going to read a small bit to get a feel for Ann Patchett's writing style. I felt I was living through the story right along with these characters that were so well developed that they could just walk off the pages. And the story was so interesting right to the end. Each character had it's own voice and shared with us their point of view.

My initial thought was that this novel would be similar to The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, about a disfunctional family dealing with the everyday lessons of life and eachother. But Commonwealth is so much more than that and so much better. I would say that if you enjoyed The Nest, which I did, you will enjoy Commonwealth even more. If you enjoy literary fiction that revolves around the story of an ordinary family, just go out a pick up a copy of Commonwealth! It is moving and beautifully written.

Pulbished by Harper and released Sept. 13th.

Memoir Monday... American Heiress by Jeffrey Tobin

“On February 4, 1974, Patty Hearst, a sophomore in college and heiress to the Hearst family fortune, was kidnapped by a ragtag group of self-styled revolutionaries calling itself the Symbionese Liberation Army. The already sensational story took the first of many incredible twists on April 3, when the group released a tape of Patty saying she had joined the SLA and had adopted the nom de guerre “Tania.” The weird turns of the tale are truly astonishing—the Hearst family trying to secure Patty’s release by feeding all the people of Oakland and San Francisco for free; the bank security cameras capturing “Tania” wielding a machine gun during a robbery; a cast of characters including everyone from Bill Walton to the Black Panthers to Ronald Reagan to F. Lee Bailey; the largest police shoot-out in American history; the first breaking news event to be broadcast live on television stations across the country; Patty’s year on the lam, running from authorities; and her circuslike trial, filled with theatrical courtroom confrontations and a dramatic last-minute reversal, after which the term “Stockholm syndrome” entered the lexicon.
     

The saga of Patty Hearst highlighted a decade in which America seemed to be suffering a collective nervous breakdown. Based on more than a hundred interviews and thousands of previously secret documents, American Heiress thrillingly recounts the craziness of the times (there were an average of 1,500 terrorist bombings a year in the early 1970s). Toobin portrays the lunacy of the half-baked radicals of the SLA and the toxic mix of sex, politics, and violence that swept up Patty Hearst and re-creates her melodramatic trial. American Heiress examines the life of a young woman who suffered an unimaginable trauma and then made the stunning decision to join her captors’ crusade.” 
    

Or did she?

The 70's was a crazy period of time, and the kidnapping of Patty Hearst and her "radicalization" was headline news, and actually as I remember it was almost delivered as daily updates, and drew a lot of speculation as to whether or not Patty was a willing participant. Jeffrey Toobin's book, American Heiress, not a memoir, more of a good piece of investigative reporting, has gotten a lot of great reviews. On my TBR list, published by Doubleday and available now

The Sunday Salon and I've Read That Movie... 4 Great Books Coming to a Theatre Near You!

Welcome to The Sunday Salon and The Sunday Post, which is a weekly meme hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer! It's that day of the week we all gather together virtually to talk about one of our favorite subjects... BOOKS! So, find a comfy chair and grab a cup of joe...

I've always loved books, but my interest in movies came later in life. And what I really find interesting are books that I enjoy that have been made into movies. I love seeing if the movie lives up to the book. I don't think I can say most do or don't, but there are things that I can say...

1. "Hey, they changed the ending!"
2. "That actor doesn't look like what I imagined the character to look like."
3. "I loved the way they brought it all to life!"

If there is a book that I've been meaning to read, but haven't gotten around to it and the movie of it is coming out, I do try to read it first. Why? Because I like to create the characters in my head, to read the full details of the story myself first. Sometimes, I don't have time to read the book first. An example of that is with the movie Me Before You by Jo Jo Moyes. I just watched that last night. I have had that book in my eReader for forever, but just never got around to it. The previews for the movie looked so good, I had to just go for it. Now that I've seen the movie, it kind of ruins the reading experience for me. Why? Because even though I knew more or less the ending of the story beforehand, I won't be able to discover it. To experience it "like the very first time" while turning the pages. It is still is on my TBR list though.

There are some movies coming out that I am so excited to see though! And here they are...

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins! OMG, I can't wait to see this! I really loved this book and the trailer looks great! 

"Rachel (Emily Blunt), who is devastated by her recent divorce, spends her daily commute fantasizing about the seemingly perfect couple (Haley Bennett, Luke Evans) who live in a house that her train passes every day, until one morning she sees something shocking happen there and becomes entangled in the mystery that unfolds."

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Me Before You by Jojo Moyes... Hubby and I just rented this the other night and WOW! I love romance novels, but I do not normally watch romantic comedies. The previews for this looked so wonderful. The book had been in my eReader for forever, and I was in the mood for a movie, and not a horror movie (movie genre of choice usually), and I thought I'd give this a try. It was wonderful! I would give it 5 stars and a box of tissues. I was blubbering so much by the end of the movie I couldn't see or breathe very well. I think the last time I cried that much was watching Terms of Endearment. Ugh. As I said above, the book is still on my TBR list. But the follow-up to Me Before You, is Me After You, published this past July. If you haven't read (or seen) Me Before You, I can't tell you anything about Me After You without revealing anything, so trust me.... RENT Me Before You!

"Young and quirky Louisa "Lou" Clark (Emilia Clarke) moves from one job to the next to help her family make ends meet. Her cheerful attitude is put to the test when she becomes a caregiver for Will Traynor (Sam Claflin), a wealthy young banker left paralyzed from an accident two years earlier. Will's cynical outlook starts to change when Louisa shows him that life is worth living. As their bond deepens, their lives and hearts change in ways neither one could have imagined."

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Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ranson Riggs! Wonderful YA book, which my Book Club read and loved, and the movie adaptation looks spot on!

"When his beloved grandfather leaves Jake clues to a mystery that spans different worlds and times, he finds a magical place known as Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children. But the mystery and danger deepen as he gets to know the residents and learns about their special powers - and their terrifying enemies. Ultimately, Jake discovers that only his own special peculiarity can save his new friends."

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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling! This movie is set to release in November and I am so excited about this one too! I love all the Harry Potter movies! Some are better than others, but I just find them magical! The world of Harry Potter is so well recreated on the screen. AND this movie adaptation, based on the book of the same name, looks to be very well done. Though the book itself is just a slim supplement to the Harry Potter world, the movie takes all the "Beasts" in the book and creates a story to go with them.

"A magizoologist (Eddie Redmayne) makes a brief stop in 1926 New York but is waylaid by a Muggle, a misplaced magical case and the escape of some fantastic beasts."

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Some other books to movies I've enjoyed...

• The Reader (although they changed the ending)
• Jurassic Park (although they changed the ending)
• The Time Travelers Wife
• The Perfect Storm
• Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
• Twilight
• The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo
• The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
• The Fault in Our Stars
• True Grit (the new movie version- not the John Wayne movie)
• The DaVinci Code

Some Books I've enjoyed that were made into movies...

• Water for Elephants
• The Help
• Memoirs of a Geisha (I thought the book was so much better)
• Wild (The book was SO much better)
• The Martian (liked the movie, but thought the book was better)

Do You Like to Read the Book Before Seeing the Movie?

Weekly Wrap-up...

Monday, for Memoir Monday,  I reviewed In Good Company by Carol Burnett. 

Tuesday we found out (and I listed with links) The Man Booker Prize Shortlist.

Wednesday I announced the upcoming celebration of Banned Book Week! In two weeks it's Banned Books Week on Chick with Books and we are going to be celebrating our freedom to read highlighting some fantastic banned books! Plus a nice surprise at the end of the week to wrap it all up! 

That about does it for this week! Hope you found something to "watch" and read. Share the books that you loved as movies! AND, share what books you'd like to see as a movie?!

Happy reading... Suzanne

Celebrate Your Freedom to Read!

The Man Booker Prize... Short List!

2016 Man Booker Shortlist

The Man Booker Prize Shortlist was announced today! Here are the 6 books & authors... (and their country of origin)

Paul Beatty (US) - The Sellout 

Deborah Levy (UK) - Hot Milk 

Graeme Macrae Burnet (UK) - His Bloody Project 

Ottessa Moshfegh (US) – Eileen 

David Szalay (Canada-UK) - All That Man Is 

Madeleine Thien (Canada) - Do Not Say We Have Nothing 

Hey, What is The Man Booker Prize?

"The prize, which launched in 1969, aims to promote the finest in fiction by rewarding the best novel of the year written in English and published in the United Kingdom.To maintain the consistent excellence of The Man Booker Prize, judges are chosen from a wide range of disciplines, including critics, writers and academics, but also poets, politicians and actors, all with a passion for quality fiction."

In Such Good Company by Carol Burnett... A Review

Did you live during that era of great TV, with shows such as Bewitched, The Andy Griffin Show, Gilligan's Island, The Addams Family, and of course, The Carol Burnett Show? If you did, you will love this book! In Such Good Company is a little walk down memory lane, with Carol Burnett as your tour guide.

When I opened In Such Good Company, I was instantly brought back to my childhood, where Carol Burnett (and friends) were a weekly ritual. I was pretty young for some of the show, which ran from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, but I was allowed to stay up most nights when it was on and I remember many, many of the skits that are part of TV history. Who could forget Carol at Scarlet O'Hara in that dress with the drapery rod still in it, or Carol's portrayal of Mildred "Fierce"?! I learned a lot from reading the book... I didn't realize that the designer Bob Mackie created the costumes that made up the show. And during the 11 years that the show was on, that adds up to about 17,940 costumes! I didn't know that the shows were "live", and I didn't realize at the time that it really was Carol's show, that she just wasn't the "star". 

Though it didn't feel like it when I was reading it, the book is actually broken up in parts. The beginning of the book is about what lead up to Carol and the show, Carol's background , which is also sprinkled throughout the book, and then it get's into the show itself... The main "gang" of players (Vicki Lawrence, Harvey Korman, Lyle Waggoner and Tim Conway), some behind the scene funny things you'd never know otherwise, the recurring sketches, the movie parodies, and a up close and personal look at all the wonderful guests over the years, who were more friends than just guests. Also, there are what appear to be full scripts of some of the skits included in the pages of the book, maybe just part of the scripts, but I found reading them to be tedious. I enjoyed reminiscing about the skits, but didn't need to read them word for word. In any case, In Such Good Company really is a wonderful look at The Carol Burnett Show, and also a wonderful glimpse into TV shows of the day. What went into creating them,  and the politics behind running the show (as a woman in Carol's case). Written in a conversational style, with Carol sharing her personal insights and tidbits, I enjoyed reading it very much. 

Published by Crown Archetype it will be on the shelves of your bookstore of choice on Sept. 13th! I wouldn't hesitate to recommend In Such Good Company to anyone who grew up in that "era", and it would make a great gift for someone who use to watch the show too.

*I want to thank Crown Archetype for the eGalley of In Such Good Company that I received for my honest opinion and review!

The Sunday Salon and Girls Who Like Baseball

Welcome to The Sunday Salon and The Sunday Post! It's that day of the week bloggers from all over the internet get together virtually in a large gathering place called The Sunday Salon and talk books!  And at The Sunday Post, which is a weekly meme hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer, in which more bloggers share their bookish news! So, find a comfy chair, grab a cup of joe and relax! Let's talk books and in particular, Baseball Books!

I have a small "New England" bucket list. That is, things I want to do while I am still living in New England. One of those items on the list is a trip to The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, which we did this weekend! One bookish connection to Cooperstown is James Fenimore Cooper, who wrote The Last of the Mohican, The Leatherstocking Tales, and The Pioneers, just to name a few, and whose father was a land speculator and who Cooperstown is named after. Cooperstown is also home to the Fenimore Art Museum, where I was able to see the original drawings for The Leatherstocking Tales. But when people visit Cooperstown, it is usually all about baseball! Baseball is not just for the boys though, girls play ball too, and today I thought I would share some children's books about the girls who loved baseball...

Catching the Moon:  The Story of a Young Girl's Baseball Dream by Crystal Hubbard... From School Library Journal: This anecdotal tale is based on the childhood of Marcenia Toni Stone Lyle Alberga (1921-1996), who became the first woman to play professional baseball. As a girl, Marcenia dreams only of playing baseball, while her strict but loving parents suggest that she stick to dolls and focus on school. One night she overhears them ruefully acknowledge the limited options that lie in store for most African-American girls: teaching, nursing, or being a maid. Marcenia promises herself that she'll achieve her goal. Opportunity arrives in the form of Gabby Street, manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, who runs a free baseball camp for kids. He's impressed by her talent, but doesn't allow girls to participate. The story ends with her acceptance into the camp and her determination to make her dream come true. An afterword sums up Lyle's name change and her career, including the fact that she filled the spot vacated by Hank Aaron when he joined the Major Leagues. Hubbard's lively text does a fine job of capturing this young heroine's unquenchable spirit.

Dirt on Their Skirts: The Story of the Young Women who Won the World Championship by Doreen Rappaport and Lyndall Callan... You had to be really, really good to play in the 1946 championship game between the Racine Belles and the Rockford Peaches. Sitting in the stands, Margaret thrills to every crack of the bat. Someday she hopes to join her heroes like Sophie "the Flash" Kurys and Betty "Moe" Trezza. As the ball hurtles toward the plate, Margaret can almost feel what it would be like to be in that batter's position, arms tensed, bat held high.As we see this historic game in the annals of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League through the eyes of a fictional young girl, Dirt on Their Skirts is a potent reminder that women athletes have inspired young fans throughout the twentieth century. Based on written accounts and on the memories of the players themselves, this exciting story is for all those sandlot sluggers whose hearts beat a little faster whenever they hear the words?"Play ball!"

Mighty Jackie: The Strike Out Queen by Marissa Moss... For as long as she could remember, Jackie Mitchell's father had told Jackie she could be good at whatever she wanted, as long as she worked at it. Jackie worked at baseball. She worked hard. And before long Jackie could outplay anyone in her neighborhood -- even the boys. She had one pitch -- a wicked, dropping curve ball. But no seventeen-year-old girl could pitch against Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. It was unthinkable. Then on April 2, 1931, the New York Yankees stopped in Tennessee for an exhibition game against the Chattanooga Lookouts. And on that day Jackie Mitchell made baseball history. Marissa Moss tells a true story of determination and heroism, a gem of baseball history sure to inspire ballplayers of all ages. And C. F. Payne's vibrant, glorious illustrations make the golden age of baseball come alive.

Players in Pigtails by Shana Corey... A winning new picture book about the All American Girls Professional Baseball League--written with sass and style by all-star Shana Corey with illustrations from promising young rookie Rebecca Gibbon. Did you know that one of America's favorite songs, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," was written about a girl? And that in the 1940s girls all across America were crazy for our country's favorite game? These little known facts inspired Shana Corey to imagine a story about how one determined girl made her way to the big leagues & found a sisterhood of players in pigtails. With the same exuberant spirit that fueled the formation of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, joyful text & jubilant pictures celebrate these brave girls' love of the game & the league they called their own.

Okay, not to leave the boys out... there are some fantastic books for the boys too (we girls can also enjoy them!)

Terror in the City of Champions by Tom Stanton... Detroit, mid-1930s: In a city abuzz over its unrivaled sports success, gun-loving baseball fan Dayton Dean became ensnared in the nefarious and deadly Black Legion. The secretive, Klan-like group was executing a wicked plan of terror, murdering enemies, flogging associates, and contemplating armed rebellion. The Legion boasted tens of thousands of members across the Midwest, among them politicians and prominent citizens—even, possibly, a beloved athlete. Terror in the City of Champions opens with the arrival of Mickey Cochrane, a fiery baseball star who roused the Great Depression’s hardest-hit city by leading the Tigers to the 1934 pennant. A year later he guided the team to its first championship. Within seven months the Lions and Red Wings follow in football and hockey—all while Joe Louis chased boxing’s heavyweight crown. Amidst such glory, the Legion’s dreadful toll grew unchecked: staged “suicides,” bodies dumped along roadsides, high-profile assassination plots. Talkative Dayton Dean’s involvement would deepen as heroic Mickey’s Cochrane’s reputation would rise. But the ballplayer had his own demons, including a close friendship with Harry Bennett, Henry Ford’s brutal union buster. 

The Greatest Baseball Stories Every Told edited by Jeff Silverman... At a 1931 barnstorming exhibition game in Tennessee, a seventeen-year-old pitcher for the Chattanooga Lookouts struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig back to back. Her name was Jackie Mitchell--"organized baseball's first girl pitcher." On September 9, 1965, Sandy Koufax made baseball history by pitching his fourth perfect game. In July 1970, a stripper rushed onto the field at Riverfront Stadium to kiss Johnny Bench, temporarily disrupting a game attended by President Nixon and his family. These are just some of the great, quirky, and comic moments in the annals of baseball recorded in THE GREATEST BASEBALL STORIES EVER TOLD. Here also are profiles of such legendary figures as Joe DiMaggio, Pete Rose, and Yogi Berra, essays that explore the complexities and pleasures of the game, even an excerpt from the movie Bull Durham. This is the perfect book for anyone who has ever played so much as a game of catch. 

The Only Game in Town Edited by David Remnick... For more than eighty years, The New Yorker has been home to some of the toughest, wisest, funniest, and most moving sportswriting around. The Only Game in Town is a classic collection from a magazine with a deep bench, including such authors as Roger Angell, John Updike, Don DeLillo, and John McPhee. Hall of Famer Ring Lardner is here, bemoaning the lowering of standards for baseball achievement—in 1930. John Cheever pens a story about a boy’s troubled relationship with his father and the national pastime. From Lance Armstrong to bullfighter Sidney Franklin, from the Chinese Olympics to the U.S. Open, the greatest plays and players, past and present, are all covered in The Only Game in Town. At The New Yorker, it’s not whether you win or lose—it’s how you write about the game.

Do you read books about sports?

A whirlwind weekend in Cooperstown, and now a day to recover from all that we did. It was fun, although I did not get to read any of the book I brought with me. Hope you found something interesting here today! And please, share any "sports" books you've enjoyed!

Happy reading... Suzanne