I'm So Excited And I Just Can't Hide It

Can I tell you all what one of the best feelings in the world is?  When one of your favorite authors comes out with a new trilogy set in one of your favorite worlds!  I was perusing the shelves at my bookstore and caught sight of a book with the name of one of my beloved never fail authors on it.  I got really excited then noticed that the title sounded like books that were already out.  "Oh well" I thought, "at least her books are getting some attention".  The title kept niggling (isn't that one of the best words ever?) at the back of my mind so I hopped on her website and lo and behold sure enough IT WAS A NEW TRILOGY!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Seriously though folks, this is not the first time I have had
this thrill.  A lot of my favorite authors are either not super prolific...you know 'cause they actually take time to create awesome books instead of spewing out lather rinse repeat novels every six months (sorry, literary pet peeve coming out there) or they have multiple series or projects and I am waiting for a specific one.  I love the excitement and surprise of finding an unexpected book that I have never read from one of my favorite authors, it's like a special present just for me.  Anyways I am now off to my local bookstore to see if there are any other undiscovered treasures hiding out.  Happy Reading Everybody!

Clean or Read...

Sooo...I was totally supposed to clean my house today...and then I started putting my piles of books away...and then it started raining...and then the wine fell into my glass...so I read instead!

It's amazing how often this happens, oh well Happy Reading Everybody!

Book Quote Book

One of the things that puts a smile on my face is when I read a great quote in a book about reading...did that make any sense?  Here are some examples to hopefully clarify what I mean.

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”
― Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!

“The world was a terrible place, cruel, pitiless, dark as a bad dream. Not a good place to live. Only in books could you find pity, comfort, happiness - and love. Books loved anyone who opened them, they gave you security and friendship and didn't ask anything in return; they never went away, never, not even when you treated them badly.”
― Cornelia Funke, The Inkheart Trilogy: Inkheart, Inkspell, Inkdeath

“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! -- When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.”
― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

“Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.”
― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

“Isn't it odd how much fatter a book gets when you've read it several times?" Mo had said..."As if something were left between the pages every time you read it. Feelings, thoughts, sounds, smells...and then, when you look at the book again many years later, you find yourself there, too, a slightly younger self, slightly different, as if the book had preserved you like a pressed flower...both strange and familiar.”
― Cornelia Funke, Inkspell

It is only a novel... or, in short, only some work in which the greatest powers of the mind are displayed, in which the most thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delineation of its varieties, the liveliest effusions of wit and humour, are conveyed to the world in the best-chosen language”
― Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“The books transported her into new worlds and introduced her to amazing people who lived exciting lives. She went on olden-day sailing ships with Joseph Conrad. She went to Africa with Ernest Hemingway and to India with Rudyard Kipling. She travelled all over the world while sitting in her little room in an English village.”
― Roald Dahl, Matilda

“He held up a book then. “I'm going to read it to you for relax.”
“Does it have any sports in it?”
“Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True Love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest Ladies. Snakes. Spiders... Pain. Death. Brave men. Cowardly men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles.”
“Sounds okay,” I said and I kind of closed my eyes.”
― William Goldman, The Princess Bride

I think you all get the idea :-)  Happy Reading Everybody!

All I Want In Life

Substitute coffee for tea in number 14 an this about sums up my life wants :-) 

Banned Book Soapbox

It is Banned Book Week here in the States. There are many aspects to this week, highlighting books that have been banned for various reasons, authors and individuals who may be black balled, and most importantly enjoying the fact that here in the USA nobody goes to jail for what they read.  To me that is the
most important part of this week is to remember that while certain organizations might try and "ban" a book from their own particular shelves, one can rest easy knowing that you will not be raided, arrested and jailed just because you choose to read a book that is on somebodies naughty list.  We also have to remember that this freedom needs to be constantly monitored and not taken for granted, we need to ensure that while
parents and certain institutions may have the right to keep an eye on their minor's reading material on the whole everybody should have a way to access every word ever written down. No person should ever have the right to read taken away in any way shape or form, we need to promote literacy in every language, we need to ensure access to every type of book, story, report, manuscript and article is pervasive, we need to encourage reading of various authors, genre's and ideas.  This is what will hopefully keep us able to think for ourselves and be aware of what is going on outside of our little homes. This access to ideas and information will enable us to not only keep, but enjoy the freedoms that other people do not have.  Please remember that every time you walk into a book store and have shelves and shelves of books to choose from, or go online and have your pick of pretty much anything you can think of that it is a freedom many others in the world do not have.  The fact that we don't even think about being in any more trouble then "if mom catches me reading this book she will ground me for life" (which we all know is only about 2 weeks max) instead of having to be fearful of your neighbor catching you reading it which would result in a possible life sentence in jail is a wonderful wonderful thing and we need to try and not take it for granted.  Ok so this has totally turned into a school essay so I will get off my soap box now and go read a book of my choosing, happy to know that I will not be jailed for it (only slightly ridiculed by certain folks with no imagination )

What banned books have you read?  Do you ever stop and think how awesome it is that you can pick up any book from the Bible to 50 Shades of Grey without fear of imprisonment?  What books have you personally banned from your own shelves?