The Sunday Salon and The Official Start of Banned Books Week!

Welcome to the Sunday Salon! This is the day during the week where we get together and talk books! So grab a cup of joe, find a comfy chair and relax! What bookish things have you been doing this week?

The Big news this week is that it is Banned Book Week! Be a part of the movement to save freedom of speech and read a banned book! There are all sorts of events thru-out the United States, including...

* Read-Outs, which are where people read "out loud", parts of their favorite banned books. Check out the state by state list at Bannedbooksweek.org  to see what's going on near you.

* Banned Books Week Twitter Party 2013! "For the first time this year, Twitter parties will help promote the message of Banned Books Week. A party will be held on Monday, Sept. 23, from 10 a.m. to noon, Eastern Time, and Wednesday; a second party is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 25, from noon to 2 p.m., Eastern.  Supporters are urged to tweet using the hashtag #bannedbooksweek. And additional tags: #bannedbookparty, #heroes, @OIF, @KidsRight2Read, @freadom, @FTRF."

* Virtual Read-Out on YouTube... The American Library Association (ALA.org) asked for submissions of readers reading from their favorite banned book that they had uploaded to YouTube. So search YouTube for tags such as "Virtual Read-Out" or "Banned Books" to see what people are reading virtually. The only requirement that the ALA asked was that the readings were no more than 5 minutes.

There's also a great Banned Books Week Blog Hop hosted by Mary at BookHounds and Kathy at I Am a Reader, Not a Writer. Follow the links to enter for some great banned book giveaways!

My Banned Books Week choice is Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. Stop by monday to learn more about this book and follow my progress. I thought I might get in a rereading of Charlotte's Web by E.B.White if I have time.

What else happened this week? I read about Nelson DeMille's new book, The Quest. I was very excited about the premise, but discovered that it was a "version" of a book he wrote 40 years ago. Read what I have to say about that in I Can't Wait for that New Novel... Or Is It New? Share what you think about reissues. And here's my take on Banned Books with my opening post about Banned Books Week Sept. 22 - 28th.

What are you planning for Banned Books Week? Share what you're reading and what you think about censorship!

Happy reading... Suzanne