#BannedBooksWeek 2016 - Until next year...keep celebrating your right to read

I didn't get a chance to do a post yesterday so that just means that today, on the final day of Banned Books Week, I have double the prompts to share. I hope you have enjoyed my week of posts. Next year, I'm planning in advance to host a read-along of a book that has been banned/challenged (I'll make sure it's a shorter one). I look forward to this week every year. Can you tell? :-)

Wow! Now that would be an endeavor. This was another one I had to really think about. I finally came up with Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. This book should not be lost to the sands of time simply because of what it's about. This "classic dystopian novel of a post-literate future, stands alongside Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World as a prophetic account of Western civilization’s enslavement by the media, drugs and conformity." (Goodreads) What better book to remind people of what we are becoming, and what could happen if we allow ourselves to be completely monopolized by the media, drugs and conformity. I'm afraid we are already headed down that road.

What are your thoughts? Which book would you memorize?

And here I am, full circle, back to the Harry Potter series again. I was already an adult when the first book in the series came out. 29 years old. I read them as an adult and I loved them (I'm planning to start rereading them, with the first book around the holidays this year). However, I so wish that my younger self could have read them. I know the girl I was would have truly reveled in them. When I was around 10 - 12 years old (maybe even younger...I tended to read at a higher level than my age), some of my favorite books were Little Women, The Prydain Chronicles (Lloyd Alexander), the Oz series (L. Frank Baum), A Wrinkle in Time (Madeline L'Engle) so I know Harry Potter would have fit right in with these, and I probably would have read them more than once. 

Which book would your give your younger self?

Thanks again for joining me for Banned Books Week. I conclude with a few more statistics on banned/challenged books. See you next year!

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#BannedBooksWeek 2016 - What book would you go to jail for?

The American Library Association has some really cool prompts this year to stimulate conversation about banned/challenged books. Today's question is...

My answer...

I thought about this for a while. I went through the top 10 challenged books lists from the past 15 years and I decided on the Harry Potter series. The series was on the top 10 lists in 2001, 2002, and 2003. The reasons? Predominantly occult/Satanism. This is why I would go to jail defending this series. Challenging books that teach within their wonderful story lines about friendship, loyalty, love and so much more, and labeling them as occultism/Satanism is just plain hysteria, in my opinion. These are the beliefs that led us to accuse, convict and execute twenty people for witchcraft in the Salem witch trials in the 17th century. That people still believe and fear these things so much that they would deprive their children (and the children of others) of reading one of the most wonderful fantasy book series in the history of books is unfathomable. So yes, I would go to jail defending Harry Potter.

How about you?

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HARRY POTTER NOSTALGIA

They were so cute, especially Ron.

Since I'm all nostalgic about the end of the series, both books and movies, I thought I would participate in this meme I saw over at Tasha's blog.  The meme was created by TifTalksBooks.  I finished book #7 recently and I saw the movie on Saturday so be watching for my book/movie review coming soon.

When and Where (when you first discovered the series):  I was almost 30 when the first book was released.  In fact, it came out two weeks before my birthday.  I'm pretty sure my young cousins were the ones that told me about it.  They were around 8 and 11 years old so they were right at the age for the books.  I'm not sure when I actually got the first book, but I read it well before the first movie came out.  A bit of trivia for you.  My older son was born two weeks before the first movie came out in 2001.  We went to see it Thanksgiving weekend (I think) and took him with us.  It was his first movie! Granted, he was an infant in his infant carrier and he slept straight through, but still.... (Incidentally, his second movie was The Fellowship of the Ring, which came out that December!)


Favorite Character:  What a hard one! I love Sirius Black, but he's in the books such a short time.  Probably Hermione is a favorite and I have to say Snape (for anyone who has ever been misunderstood).  And then there's Ron....Oh, I could go on and on!


Most Hated Character:  Lord Voldemort and I have a special dislike for Lucius Malfoy.


Favorite Book:  Order of the Phoenix  not many people liked this one, but it was my favorite.  I think it was because it showed Harry finally taking charge and growing up.  I read this one really fast!

Favorite Movie:  Prisoner of Azkaban because of the introduction of Sirius Black and Professor Lupin.  I also really liked Goblet of Fire because I enjoyed the introduction of the other schools and the dance.  I really love all the movies though!


Rank the Books (1 = favorite, 7 = least favorite): 


1. Order of the Phoenix
2. Prisoner of Azkaban
3. Goblet of Fire
4. Half-Blood Prince
5. Deathly Hallows
6. Chamber of Secrets
7. Sorcerer's Stone


Most Memorable Scene:  My most memorable scene is a sad one.  When Sirius Black gets killed in Order of the Phoenix.  A happy one I loved was when Harry caused Lucius to give Dobby a sock, therefore freeing him.  Priceless!


What You Will Miss the Most:  looking forward to reading the new books and to the movies coming out. =O(


What You Are Looking Forward To (even despite the end):  I'm not quite sure how I feel about Pottermore yet, but I am looking forward to what Rowling will write next.  She is going to write more (not Harry Potter, I know) books, isn't she?  I hope so! I'm also looking forward to seeing what Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson do next in their careers.  I heard Emma is doing Beauty and the Beast with Guillermo Del Toro.


What are your favorite Harry Potter memories?