Book Reviews by Elizabeth A. White

According to the American Library Association, there were 348 challenges reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom in 2010, and many more go unreported.

The 10 most challenged titles of 2010 were:

And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson. Reasons: homosexuality, religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Reasons: offensive language, racism, religious viewpoint, sex education, sexually explicit, violence, unsuited to age group.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Reasons: insensitivity, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit.

Crank by Ellen Hopkins. Reasons: drugs, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit.

The Hunger Games (series) by Suzanne Collins. Reasons: sexaully explicit, violence, unsuited to age group.

Lush by Natasha Friend. Reasons: drugs, sexually explicit, offensive language, unsuited to age group.

What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones. Reasons: sexism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group. (more…)

Today is the start of Banned Books Week 2011:

Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted banning of books across the United States.

Intellectual freedom—the freedom to access information and express ideas, even if the information and ideas might be considered unorthodox or unpopular—provides the foundation for Banned Books Week. BBW stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints for all who wish to read and access them.

The books featured during Banned Books Week have been targets of attempted bannings. Fortunately, while some books were banned or restricted, in a majority of cases the books were not banned, all thanks to the efforts of librarians, teachers, booksellers, and members of the community to retain the books in the library collections. Imagine how many more books might be challenged—and possibly banned or restricted—if librarians, teachers, and booksellers across the country did not use Banned Books Week each year to teach the importance of our First Amendment rights and the power of literature, and to draw attention to the danger that exists when restraints are imposed on the availability of information in a free society.

Banned Books Week is sponsored by the American Library Association, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the Association of American Publishers, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the National Association of College Stores. Banned Books Week is also endorsed by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.

The year is nearly three quarters over (where’d the time go?!), so that means nominations for this year’s Indie Lit Awards are now open!

Independent Literary Awards are given to books that have been recommended and voted on by independent literary bloggers. Nominations are open to independent literary bloggers only, and are then voted upon by a panel of bloggers who are proficient in the genre they represent. Each panel is led by a judge who oversees the integrity of the process.

Awards are given in a number of genres, and nominations are open from September 1st through December 31st. So what are you waiting for? Click over and nominate your favorite reads of 2011 for the Indie Lit Awards.

Writing is a solitary practice, but revision requires feedback. Most aspiring authors send their manuscript to friends and family, others meet with a critique group, and some enroll in an MFA program.

In April, Penguin Group (USA) launched Book Country, a website dedicated to genre fiction readers and writers. Focused on romance, fantasy, science fiction, mystery and thriller, Book Country helps new authors hone their craft as part of a genre fiction community.

Users upload their novels (or a portion of their novels) for peer review. Book Country’s unique genre map helps writers categorize their novels, and lets readers find books similar to ones they love, which they then read and provide detailed critiques. Book Country brings the peer feedback and community feel of a critique group, online.

Another key feature is discoverability. If you’re working on a novel, publishing professionals won’t see it until you begin sending out query letters. Book Country gives agents and editors a place to discover new talent; for this reason, many publishing professionals have already signed up. Book Country also allows avid readers and bloggers to discover budding talent and use their reading experience to offer helpful feedback.

As the world continues to shift online, Book Country creates a community that was once only available in metropolitan areas. Now, genre fiction authors all over the world can come together online to exchange feedback, engage in discussions, and have their work discovered.

Join us at www.BookCountry.com and follow us on Twitter @Book_Country

Once again Le0pard13 over at It Rains… You Get Wet has hipped me to another cool meme that’s making its way across the blogosphere. This time it’s My Cinematic Alphabet, which looked like such fun I couldn’t resist giving it a go.

I based my answers on films I never tire of watching, and while there were a few clear cut choices most were pretty difficult…except for Z, for which I legitimately have no answer. All in all I think the list is a pretty accurate reflection of my general taste in movies.

What, if anything, it says about my personality in general, well, I leave that to those who know me to decide.

(more…)

A is for Aliens

B is for Blade Runner

Heads up, crime fiction fans, Macmillan has a new community website you need to check out: Criminal Element.

Featuring original short stories, excerpts from upcoming crime and mystery novels, as well as daily blog articles, Criminal Element is a great place for fans of crime fiction and mysteries to come together and share their love of the genres.

They’ve even let me have the floor today to talk about short stories and crime fiction: “Short Stories: Fewer Words, More Work?” So pop over, read my article (feel free to leave a comment, too), and then take some time to explore the site. I guarantee you’ll get lost amongst the Criminal Element.

A man wakes up naked and cold, half-drowned on an abandoned beach. The only sign of life for miles is an empty BMW. Inside the expensive car he finds clothes that fit perfectly, shoes for his tattered feet, a Rolex, and a bank envelope stuffed with cash and an auto registration in the name of Daniel Hayes, resident of Malibu, California.

But that raises the most chilling question of all: What will he find when he gets there?

That’s the setup for The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes by Marcus Sakey, which will be released on June 9th. Intrigued? You should be. I’m about halfway through the book and I promise you it is every bit as exciting as it sounds. You know what else is exciting? Marcus Sakey is offering you a chance to win an iPod and the audiobook version of his novel The Amateurs if you pre-order The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes. (more…)

Yesterday Spinetingler Magazine announced its nominees for the 2011 Dave Thompson Community Leader Award. To say I was shocked to wake up to posts and tweets congratulating me on my nomination is an understatement of epic proportions. It honestly wouldn’t have crossed my mind in a hundred years that Musings of an All Purpose Monkey would be in the running for such a meaningful award. And that’s not “aw, shucks” false modesty. That’s a fact. I was floored.

Even though I mentioned my nomination yesterday on Twitter and Facebook, I wanted to do so formally here on the blog today in order to pay tribute to the man the award is named after. If you’ve even dipped a toe in the crime fiction pool you are well aware of David Thompson. But for those who aren’t, David Thompson was a bookseller (Murder by the Book) and publisher (Busted Flush Press) who was a force of nature in his advocating of crime fiction books and authors. His love of crime fiction and the community surrounding it was deep, genuine, and contagious.

Tragically, David passed away unexpectedly last year. He was only 38. Spinetingler renamed the Community Leader Award in David’s honor. To get a true sense of the footprint David left on the crime fiction community visit Sarah Weinman’s blog, where she compiled a deservedly lengthy list of the tributes that poured out from every corner of the crime fiction community in David’s honor.

That the people at Spinetingler Magazine found my blog worthy of being nominated for an award named for David is both an honor and truly humbling. And I’m rubbing elbows with some amazing people, all more than representative of the community spirit that exists amongst crime fiction readers and authors. I don’t care how clichéd it sounds, this truly is an honor just to be nominated. Thank you.

Spinetingler is also giving awards in several other categories, including: Best Short Story Collection, Best Anthology, Best Crime Comic/Graphic Novel, Best Cover, Best Novel: New Voice, Best Novel: Rising Star, Best Novel: Legend, and Best Mystery/Crime Fiction Press, Publisher or Imprint. Voting in all the award categories runs April 1st through April 30th.

The year is nearly a quarter over (where’d the time go?!), so that means it’s time to start thinking about the Independent Literary Awards. For those who may be unfamiliar with what those are:

Independent Literary Awards are given to books that have been recommended and voted on by independent literary bloggers. Nominations are open to independent literary bloggers only, and are then voted upon by a panel of bloggers who are proficient in the genre they represent. Each panel is led by a judge who oversees the integrity of the process.

The awards are given in a number of genres, and I am honored to have been asked to serve as a member of the “Mystery” panel.

Nominations in all genres will be open from September 1st through December 31st, and I encourage my fellow bloggers to participate in that process. If the spirit moves you, also feel free to add an Independent Literary Awards button to your website and help spread the word. There are going to be a lot of great books to consider by the time September rolls around, so start making your list now!

Read more about the Independent Literary Awards.

If you’re a reader and you’re on Twitter, chances are you already know about Friday Reads. But for those who may not haven heard of this great meme, here’s the low down:

Friday Reads is a community of thousands of people who come together each week to share whatever they’re reading. Our goal is simple: to raise reading’s visibility and encourage more people to join in!

Right now, 20% of American adults are functionally illiterate. The situation is not much better in the UK, with 18% of people illiterate. We all want to make the world a better place. Reading is one thing we can all do to achieve that lofty goal. This is why #fridayreads matters: it bands us together in the shared joy of reading and encourages us all to read more. (more…)