Friday Fun: Good Food, Banned/Challenged Books & Authors I'd Like to Meet--or Not

A couple days ago I started reading Teresa Messineo's The Fire by Night for an upcoming book tour. I could not resist this one after reading the blurb.

 Snippet from Goodreads Summary:  

 A powerful and evocative debut novel about two American military nurses during World War II that illuminates the unsung heroism of women who risked their lives in the fight—a riveting saga of friendship, valor, sacrifice, and survival combining the grit and selflessness of Band of Brothers with the emotional resonance of The Nightingale.

A weekly meme in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading. Hosted by the wonderful Freda of Freda's Voice.

She was cleaning his wound now, patting at it with gauze in the half-light, washing it with the cold water she had boiled earlier, still sitting in its freezing teapot. He kept getting the gun between her and the light. Exasperated, she grabbed the Luger from him--but just to thrust it back into his other hand, pushing both up against her head. "There, fine, shoot me if you have to, but just stay out of my light." [56% from uncorrected proof, e-copy of The Fire by Light]

She certainly has moxie, doesn't she? It may seem a bit reckless on her part to grab the gun away from him and give it back, but given what she's been through and where she is in that moment . . . I would say she doesn't have much to lose. At least, she doesn't think so. As a result, she resorts to the one thing she does have control over. Putting her nursing skills to use.

What do you think? Is this a book you would continue reading?

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Each week Maureen from Maureen's Books asks participants to share a favorite on the weekly designated topic.

This week's topic is my favorite restaurant.

I am not really sure I have a favorite restaurant. Red Robin perhaps because I love their Whiskey Barbecue Chicken Wrap. Or it could be Romano's Chicago Pizzeria, whose pizza I have been favoring lately. Even my daughter likes their pizza, which is saying something because she hates almost everything. Then there is Don Jose's (now Rodrigo's, although I haven't been there since they changed their name), when I'm in the mood for some good Mexican food. Joe's Italian Restaurant is a favorite place to take out of town guests who like Italian food. It's on the smaller side and plays the old oldies-- and it is a nice cozyatmosphere.

Do you have a favorite restaurant? 

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Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from Coffee Addicted Writer poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday). They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs.

In regards of Banned Books Week (www.bannedbooksweek.org/), what are your favourite books that has been banned or challenged?

A few years ago for Banned Book week, I read a novel by Laurie Halse Anderson called Speak. The book had a profound impact on me. I saw myself in the main character Melinda. It was like looking at myself in a mirror, despite our circumstances being somewhat different. Parents over the years have challenged the book, calling it pornography (Melinda is raped) and arguing that it deals with too difficult issues such as bullying, depression, rape, and harassment which they believe aren't suitable for their teens to read about. And yet these are very real issues our kids face. Pretending they don't by not letting them read about it, can have the opposite intended effect. Had this book been around when I was in school, would it have changed anything for me? Maybe not. But at least I would have known I wasn't alone.

On a less serious note (sort of--because trying to ban books is just wrong), I couldn't help but think of the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling, which have been accused of glorifying witchcraft. The fear is that these books will lead our children to practice real-world witchcraft. I adore these books. In fact, I love books about magic in general. I have since I was a child. My daughter likes to play pretend and will cast spells and such. Those against Harry Potter would likely call me a bad parent. Let them. I like to cast spells alongside my daughter. This last time, we turned the cats into a prince and princess.

Another favorite, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, has been banned in multiple places over the years, believed to be anti-religious, anti-Christian, and promoting witchcraft. Anyone who knows Tolkien's history knows how ludicrous this is. The author, in a letter to his friend and fellow writer C.S. Lewis, acknowledged that The Lord of the Rings (and The Hobbit) had elements and themes of Christianity throughout. He himself was a devout Catholic.

It makes me sad and angry that in today's day and age books still face being pulled off the shelf because someone feels threatened by a book that goes against their personal beliefs. It is one thing for a person to choose not to read a book him or herself--or even to make that decision for their own children. It is an entirely different one when someone wants to take that choice away from everyone else.

Next week I will be focusing some on banned books for Banned Book Week, including children's picture books, including one by Dr. Seuss that is a household favorite.

What about you? What are your favorite banned or challenged books?

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Everyone has a favorite and then we also have something we dislike. Like a coin, there are two sides to every question. Each week, Carrie at The Butterfly Reads and Laura from Blue Eye Books ask participants to list what they like and don't like about that week's topic.

This week's topic is Author You'd Most/Least Like to Meet

Author I would most like to meet:

I can think of a number of authors I would like to meet: Juliette Cross, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Neil Gaiman, Sue Grafton, Karen E. Olson, Lisa See, Stephen King, just for starters. But if I have to chose the one I most want to meet, that would likely be J.K. Rowling. Not only has she demonstrated that she is a brilliant story teller in multiple formats, but she also seems like a smart and courageous woman. She has come a long way in her life to make her dream become a reality. She stands up for what she believes and is not afraid to speak her mind. I have a lot of respect for J.K. Rowling, not only as a talented author, but also for the person she is.

Author I Would Least Like to Meet:

Whereas it was hard to narrow down my list of authors I would most like to meet, I found it particularly difficult to come up with ones I would least like to meet. I can think of a few people who have written books on the political spectrum I would like to avoid like the plague, but I really didn't want to go there. So, instead, I am taking the easy way out. The author I would least like to meet (at least for the sake of today): J.D. Salinger. Not just because he is dead and either a) I'd have to be dead to meet him or b) he would be a ghost and there's no telling if he would be a friendly one. No, I simply would not want to meet him because he likely wouldn't want to me. Or anyone for that matter. He was a recluse for a good part of his life. And as such, I would respect his desire for privacy.

Which author would you most like to meet? How about least? 


 I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading and are up to!

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© 2017, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.