Iran, Florida, and The Man

And once again we are straying from the primary purpose of this blog (to let you know about library stuff, books, and reading related things.) However, Alissa and I are both pretty passionate about the things I am posting on. Ally is really into politics as a whole (me not so much...I kind suck at politics) and I am always into protesting and standing up for what you believe in (her too only not as loudly as me!) Also, we both think that it is pretty important for you to be aware of what is going on in the world. This week there was a (possibly rigged) election in Iran. I don't know a lot about it. I know the basic facts but I am not really up-to-date on my Iranian politics. John Green seemed pretty informed in this video though. You can also type in "Iran election" into any search engine and get a huge amount of information. The point is that I don't think we have to know everything there is to know about Iran to know that if this election was rigged (which since they are recounting the votes seems pretty likely) that it is wrong. If you are going to ask for the opinions of the people then make sure you listen to what they say. Many of the YA authors that we love and support are sending their support to the Iranian people. Scott Westerfeld has a wonderful blog post here explaining the new time change in our posting. Basically in Iran there are censors who are looking at all blogs with Tehran local settings in order to find and shut down any blogs protesting the election. Since changing the settings to GMT +3:30 makes it harder for them to do their jobs, he is encouraging everyone who has a blog to change the settings. It is a wonderful blog post and you should all go read it. Like him I would like to tell any Iranian censors that I pretty much think oppression sucks and so do rigged elections. I hope that in the time you wasted reading this post that some people who actually know what's going on there were able to continue their protests! Have a wonderful day killing the spirit of your people!

Speaking of oppression...the lovely Maureen Johnson is still having trouble with her book censoring friends in Florida. Go watch her hilarious/heart warming video here to see what she thinks of censorship...(hint she's not a fan)... Here's the thing. I know that I have had several "book challenging" tangents on here...but I HATE IT!!! Seriously. Yes, you have the right to say "I don't want my child to read this," but you do not have the right to say that other children shouldn't read something. I am a librarian, I order a lot of books, I read a lot of books (obviously), I love YA lit. I have no problem telling the parent of a 12 or 13 year old that they should look at a book before their kid reads it, or that a book has mature content. That is part of my job (in my opinion) and it is helpful because I don't get a lot of challenges. However, I have about 20 teens who come and check out books. It is a lot easier for me to police my YA section than it is for librarians at larger libraries. And truthfully, it isn't our job. It is a parents job to be aware of what their children are reading. They should read entire books though, not just passages of books before they make the decision that a book is inappropriate. *Deep breath* Okay, now that my tangents are over, I hope that all of you are equally as disgusted as I am about Iran and Florida book challengers, and that you all have wonderful days!

Booking Through Thursday (on Friday)- Best of 2008

It’s a week or two later than you’d expect, and it may be almost a trite question, but … what were your favorite books from 2008?

1. Paper Towns by John Green

2. Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson

3. Let It Snow by John Green/Maureen Johnson/Lauren Myracle

4. Impossible by Nancy Werlin

5. Stop in the Name of Pants by Louise Rennison

6. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray

7. Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys by Kate Brian

8. Nation by Terry Pratchett

9. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyers

10. Brisingr by Christopher Paolini

Okay, I have a small confession to make...I didn't actually read Brisingr, but since it is one of the most popular check outs I had to put it on the list. I plan on reading it as soon as the hold list is less than 15 people! These books were all really great reads. If any of you need something fun to read I recommend them all (but start with John Green!!!) Get more top ten lists here!

Booking Through Thursday- Reading Resolutions

So … any Reading Resolutions? Say, specific books you plan to read? A plan to read more ____? Anything at all?
Name me at least ONE thing you’re looking forward to reading this year!


I don't have many reading resolutions. I try to read all of the YA books that I order, and most of the juvenile fiction that comes in as well (I am a youth services librarian and I like to be aware of content.) This year I am going to try a few challenges, which is something that I have tried before. I am going to do an alphabet challenge where I read one YA book with a title that begins with each letter of the alphabet. I am also considering doing either a 52 books in 52 weeks challenge or a 100 books challenge. I haven't decided which one yet, I guess I will gauge it on how my schedule looks with programs and such that we have planned throughout the year. I may try some other challenges if I see any that seem interesting. I would like to read more adult fiction, but I seldom have time and to be honest I prefer YA books to most adult fiction that I have read lately. I am really looking forward to reading Maureen Johnson's sequel to Suite Scarlett which is titled Scarlett Fever. Also, I don't think that John Green has anything coming out in 2009, but if he does then it goes to the top of my "Must Read NOW" pile.

Review: Paper Towns

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life- dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge-he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues- and they're for him. Urged down an disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew.

Printz-Medalist John Green returns with the brilliant wit and searching emotional honesty that have inspired a new generation of readers. (From the book jacket)

Why do I love John Green? 1. Because he is hilarious- but not in an obvious sort of way (unless you are a nerdfighter fangirl/boy.) 2. He doesn't write about the "cool" kids, but the kids he writes about are real and cool themselves even if they aren't part of the in crowd. 3. His books make you stop and think.

Paper Towns is another wonderful book by this fantastic YA author (if you haven't read Looking For Alaska or An Abundance of Katherines GET TO READING!!!) The main(ish) character Quentin or Q is a normal well- adjusted kid (just thank his parents who are both therapists) with a legend- Margo Roth Spiegelman (yes all three names)- as his next door neighbor. Q isn't part of the in crowd- he hates prom, is a really good student, and his best friends are band geeks. But, he isn't a shunned loser either. Instead he is what most of us are-the middle of the road who isn't' extreme at all. He is infatuated with his neighbor Margo-he loves her and he always has. But no one really knows Margo. When she disappears Q knows he has to find her. On his journey to find Margo he discovers a lot about her, himself, and love. He also discovers one of the hardest truths to learn: that people aren't what you expect them to be, but the flip side is that sometimes, people are better than you realized. John Green writes a beautiful story (that I can't really review without giving away all of the major plot twists) filled with love and true friendship. The reader had no idea how the story will end but they will wish that they had friends like Q, Ben, Radar, and Lacey. By the time the end of the book comes you know that finding Margo isn't what mattered, it was the journey on the way to finding her that counted the most. Q discovers himself on that journey.

The best thing about this book is the characters (arguably they are the best part of any John Green book.) At the beginning everyone fills a particular slot, but by the last page no one fits in that slot anymore. Each person grows and changes the way real people grow and change. As you read the book you see yourself and you realize how life shapes you. One event, one day, one hour, one minute, one person, one conversation, one sentence, one word can change your life. What you decide to do with that change makes you who you are. This is the realization that I came to as I read Paper Towns, and it is the same realization that Q comes to over and over again. Paper Towns was awesome- I laughed out loud, I understood each of the characters, and I was involved with this book like it was a living, breathing thing. All I can say is read it and see if it comes to life for you too.

**Just to be safe: This book is written about high school seniors. It contains some strong language and some slightly mature jokes.**