Neil Gaiman Hosts "Selected Shorts"

Neil Gaiman hosts this episode of Selected Shorts, featuring "The Rocking Horse Winner" by D.H. Lawrence and "The Book" by Ben Loory (read by Jane Kaczmarek).  What a great way to discover classic short stories and to hear commentary by your favorite authors and performers.

"The Rocking Horse" is about a young boy who bets on horse races to earn money to help his family, but learns that money is not, after all,  his family's real problem. It has a fantasy element that is a departure from D.H. Lawrence's usual style. The story is read by Fionnula Flanagan.

"The Book," is read by Jane Kaczmarek. A woman buys a book and, once she gets home, discovers that it has no text. After the bookstore manager refuses to let her return it, she rants about it to anyone who will listen. Because of her vociferous objection to the book, it soon appears at the top of the bestseller list. (That's exactly why I love book-banners--they've helped me to discover many of my favorite books!) In the commentary, Gaiman says, "No two people ever read the same book because, as readers, we are the books that we read." Indeed.

YALSA's 2013 Hub Reading Challenge

I can't believe I've never done this challenge before, as it's right up my alley. It's time for the 2013 Hub YA Reading Challenge.  Many of these books are already on my TBR list.   overflowing with booknerdy excitement!

From February 3 to June 22, read at least 25 of the 83 books from a list of eligible titles (all are award winners).  A bonus challenge is to read all 83--that's my goal.

The prize? In addition to experiencing the best of contemporary YA lit, be entered to win a YALSA tote bag filled with YA books!  Squeee!

I'll be starting with Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney.  Next up? The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

Now excuse me, I have some reading to do, as I'm starting a week late...

Update (2/9/13 9:40 PM)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever is the sixth installment in the Wimpy Kid series.

Greg Hefley is desperately trying to stay on Santa's nice list, while also finding a way to keep his virtual pet happy and outfitted in the latest fashions (which requires real money).  Of course, Greg's schemes don't turn out the way he intended and he is soon on the run from the law. Worse yet, a blizzard blows into town and (gasp!) traps him in the house with his mom and brothers.  Which is worse? Greg isn't too sure.

My favorite quote from the book:  “So I've started wearing sweatpants to bed because I really don't need Santa seeing me in my underwear.” 

I can't wait to share this hilarious book with my students. They love the rest of the series and I'm sure this one will be a big hit as well.

Update (2/10/13 4:27 PM)
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

I love John Green's writing and I marked lots of great lines as I read that I intended to use in my review. In the end, though, this simple and repeated exchange between Hazel and Augustus says it all. 

"Okay?'

"Okay."

They meet at a cancer support group--Hazel is terminal, but her tumors are being kept at bay for the foreseeable future and Augustus is in remission, but missing a leg. As our protagonists fall in love, awkwardly and sweetly, they know that their "forever" will be brief. After all, "[s]ome infinities are bigger than other infinities."

What I loved most about this beautiful, humorous, and heartbreaking story is how real the love story and the friendships feel. Hazel and Augustus fear that their lives will be meaningless, that they will be forgotten when they die. What each finds in the other is a glimpse of what their lives have meant to another. Just like in our real, everyday lives, these ordinary characters find the extraordinary in each other. And that's what love is.

"Okay?"

"Okay."

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Love poem medley by Rudy Francisco

Rudy Francisco, one of my favorite spoken word poets, performs a medley of his love poems. What I enjoy most about this piece is the combination of humor and emotion. My husband loves like this, with all his heart invested. He can also make me laugh, even when I don't want to. Every time I watch this piece, I am reminded that I am a lucky woman indeed.

A Science Teacher Draws the Line at Creation

I ran across this thought-provoking article, entitled "A Science Teacher Draws the Line on Creation" on Twitter this evening.

The author, Jacob Tanenbaum, points out that biblical literalists who insist that God created Earth for humans do us all a great disservice by encouraging us to believe that this benevolent creator will protect the planet for us until the end of days.  He writes, "Creationists begin with answers and work to prove that those answers are right. This is antithetical to the scientific process. Scientists who formed the idea of human evolution did not invent the idea and go looking for fossils."  These science deniers relieve us of the responsibility of actively caring for the planet and ensuring our own survival.

He concludes, "When Americans selectively reject science, it handicaps us, as a nation, in a knowledge-based global economy. We need to be open when scientific discoveries tell us our actions have consequences, raise doubts about our future and ask us to change."

Food for thought.

Thanks for the laughs, GOP

The satirists are out in force.  Thanks for the laughs, GOP.

In response to Donald Trump's offer of a $5 million dollar donation to a charity in return for the release of the president's college records and passport, Stephen Colbert makes an offer of his own:  "Mr. Trump, I will write you a check for one million dollars from Colbert Super PAC (you know I've got it) to the charity of your choice...if you will let me dip my balls in your mouth."

Giving real news coverage (or even Fox News coverage) to Trump's idiotic and racist demands is like saying his ideas have ANY value in a political discussion.  Colbert shows us the right way to deal with this kind of ridiculous nonsense.  That's right, dip some balls in his mouth to shut him the hell up.

Colbert also has to reset the "Days without a GOP Rape Mention" board after Indiana Republican Senate candidate Richard Mourdock asserted that "...life is a gift from God.  And even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen."

I realize there are people who think that "Dick" is absolutely correct.  To you, I say, "Good for you.  Don't have an abortion, then.  And I truly hope that you do find that new life a blessing." Believers must in turn realize that not everyone else believes in the same God (or even in any God at all).  Thus, limiting access to abortion, the morning-after pill, or even birth control, based on your personal religious beliefs, is not appropriate in a country that was based on religious freedom.

The Colbert Report
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And here's another fake news source that makes you think more than the real thing.  John Stewart weighs in on Dick Mourdock's rape comments.  Here is the crux of the issue for me and why, even as I laugh at Stewart's remarks about "Fetus Club," I am also seriously afraid of the GOP vision for America.  Jon Stewart says, "In other words, according to the Republican party platform and the man who wants to be a heartbeat away from the presidency, if a woman wants to have a baby--In vitro fertilization?  She cannot.  Rape?  She has to."  That, my friends, is some scary shit.




Another hilarious clip was about undecided voters.  There is such an incredible difference between the president and his challenger that I can't imagine how anyone who hasn't been asleep for the past several months could possibly still be undecided.  SNL explains here:




Here is Tina Fey, talking about Todd "Legitimate Rape" Akin.


Hey, GOP members, look down.  If you have a penis, SHUT UP!  As entertaining as it is to watch everyone make fun of you, it would be much more productive (not reproductive) if you stopped trying to fit government in my uterus and did something about creating jobs.

Celebrating Banned Books Week 2012

I celebrated Banned Books Week by reading two books that have made the ALA's most challenged list for more than one year, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (which I've read before) and Deadline by Chris Crutcher.

I read Perks a couple of years ago, but wanted to reread it before going to see the movie (Emma Watson as Sam--yay!).  If a frank treatment of homosexuality, sexually active teens who use drugs and/or alcohol, and child abuse offends you, then you will probably hate both the book and the movie.  I love this book because it definitely pushes the envelope of YA literature and takes on some serious topics.  Charlie is an academically gifted, but socially awkward high school freshman who becomes friends with two seniors, Patrick and Sam.  Their friendship helps Charlie learn to live his life, rather than to simply observe others, and to come to terms with trauma in his past.

As I would with any book to movie adaptation, I strongly suggest that you read the book before seeing the movie.  For a reminder to do just that, try out this website to receive a monthly newsletter:

I started read Deadline several months ago and then got interrupted when Bill and I had to drop everything, pack up the house, and make yet another cross-country move.  I finally found it again while unpacking one of my many boxes of books and happily curled up with it this afternoon.  The main character, 18-year-old Ben Wolf, goes in for a sports physical and finds out that he has a terminal disease that will kill him in a year.  He decides to try to live an entire lifetime during his senior year and takes all kinds of risks that he would have only dreamed of before (like going out for football and finally talking to his dream girl).  As he prepares to die, Ben examines his relationships and finds it ever more difficult to keep his secret from those he loves.  As always, Chris Crutcher takes on a multitude of issues--racism, child abuse, teen pregnancy, censorship, suicide--that some will find offensive.  The scene where Ben's favorite teacher burns a book is one I found especially delightful.  Add to that some mildly explicit sex scenes and some profanity and the book banners start pulling out their torches.

To see Chris Crutcher's awesome responses to multiple attempts to ban his books, check out his website here.

I went to John Green's website after noticing his wonderful book, Looking for Alaska, on one of the ALA's top challenged lists.  I found this nerd warrior response video that made me go, "Whoa, I need to read more of this guy's books."  Check it out!

Let's Make Fun of Twilight

I have to admit to a love of fairytales and happy endings. When I first encountered Stephenie Meyer's book, Twilight, I must further admit that I kinda liked it. I could relate to Bella--an awkward, bookish girl with low self-esteem. Maybe it had something to do with my job as a middle school teacher, constantly surrounded by teenage angst, but Bella made sense to me. And I also liked the fact that the story was set in a real place, and that she based some of the backstory on genuine Quileute legends. I am fascinated by stories that blend realism and fantasy.

Okay, with that out of the way...

Even though the writing wasn't stellar, I continued reading the books and recommending them to my students. These books definitely strike a chord with teen girls, especially reluctant readers. And then came Breaking Dawn. Getting to the end of that book killed the series for me. I have not recommended these books to a single person since.

A message that young girls (and fully-grown women) do not need is that they are not important, that their only purpose in life is to have children and sacrifice themselves for everyone else. I ran across this humorous article with summaries of how Twilight might have been written by famous authors. The following, Twilight by Dr. Seuss, was posted in the comments below the original article. Not only is it hilarious, but it will save you a lot of time if you are curious about the books, but don't want to slog through them.

Twilight, by Dr. Seuss

Jake likes a girl. Her name is Bella.
Bella likes a different fella.

See this vamp? This is Ed.
Ed is pale. Ed is dead.

Ed saved Bella from a van.
Ed must be a special man.

Ed won't kill boys. He won't kill girls.
Ed gets fed on deer and squirrels.

This is James. He's a tracker.
He's a sort of vamp attacker.

James hunts Bella for a thrill.
Will Ed kill him? Yes, he will.

But James gave her a little bite.
Will she be a vamp? She might!

Edward fixes Bella's cut.
She won't be a vampire.
But...

She becomes one. Read some more.
She's a vampire in book 4.