A sizzling love affair with Frank Lloyd Wright

Last year when I saw several of the girls in my group of friends reading Loving Frank by Nancy Horan, I didn't understand the appeal. It's a stuffy old architect from over 100 years ago, right?

Wrong.

In Loving Frank, Nancy Horan creates a historical fiction story about one of Frank Lloyd Wright's long term mistresses, Mamah Cheney. Although the details in the book are made up, the bigger picture is all factual and everything that happened in the book, really happened between 1903 and 1914.

I thought, ok. This sounds good. Maybe someday I will read it, and then I promptly forgot about it.

Then when Lisa suggested touring the Frank Lloyd Wright home in Oak Park, IL while we were all Chicago, she urged me to read Loving Frank. I didn't want to tour his home cold, and know very little about his life, so I checked out the book and planned to begin reading it on the bus to Chicago.

Oh my, am I glad that I did. Not just because I gained some knowledge about Frank Lloyd Wright's family before touring his home, but because it was so interesting and the story was so enthralling. FLW is a very charismatic man that is easy to love and hate at the same time. I commented to the girls once we got to Chicago that I wasn't sure if I liked Frank. Obviously, he's unfaithful to his wife and he's famously carrying on an affair with another married woman, but there are moments in the book where I was literally cheering for Frank and Mamah, wanting them to be together.

Here is the synopsis from Goodreads:

I have been standing on the side of life, watching it float by. I want to swim in the river. I want to feel the current.

So writes Mamah Borthwick Cheney in her diary as she struggles to justify her clandestine love affair with Frank Lloyd Wright. Four years earlier, in 1903, Mamah and her husband, Edwin, had commissioned the renowned architect to design a new home for them. During the construction of the house, a powerful attraction developed between Mamah and Frank, and in time the lovers, each married with children, embarked on a course that would shock Chicago society and forever change their lives.

In this ambitious debut novel, fact and fiction blend together brilliantly. While scholars have largely relegated Mamah to a footnote in the life of America’s greatest architect, author Nancy Horan gives full weight to their dramatic love story and illuminates Cheney’s profound influence on Wright.

Drawing on years of research, Horan weaves little-known facts into a compelling narrative, vividly portraying the conflicts and struggles of a woman forced to choose between the roles of mother, wife, lover, and intellectual. Horan’s Mamah is a woman seeking to find her own place, her own creative calling in the world. Mamah’s is an unforgettable journey marked by choices that reshape her notions of love and responsibility, leading inexorably ultimately lead to this novel’s stunning conclusion.

The end of this book had a twist so shocking and out of nowhere that it left me stunned and heartbroken. Since finishing this book, I have not been able to stop thinking about it and have already recommended it to several people.

You want to know the twist right? I'm telling you, you will fly through this book just to get to this twist!


While in Chicago I was really looking forward to touring FLW's home. His home, which he built for his wife and children to live in is nestled in an Oak Park neighborhood, surrounded by old Victorian homes. It's kind of funny to see, because there are all these homes that look very similar and then sitting on the corner is a FLW home, that is so clearly not like the others.

The tour took about an hour and we toured his family room, dining room, children's bedrooms and playrooms, FLW and his wife's bedroom and his studio. The guide was fantastic and she was so clearly well-educated on his life and career. She had many anecdotal stories and comments about each room. It made the tour so much fun!



Today I am linking up with Blonde Undercover Blonde for her Friday Book Club - stop by and check it out! I'm always interested in seeing what everybody else is reading.

Stay by Allie Larkin

Recently Becky was raving about a book called Stay, when one of my friends raves about a book I almost immediately add it to my TBR pile - which is virtual, btw. Are you on Goodreads? (If you're not and you're a reader, you're seriously missing out).

When I first read the synopsis, I thought, "Anoooooother dog book?!"

Not that I am not a dog person. Or not an animal person in general. I am! My sister is studying to be a vet tech - with aspirations of becoming an actual veterinarian someday. My aunt takes in abandoned dogs and rescues dogs sentenced to be euthanized. We currently have five pets. FIVE. Which? Is why I call it The Animal Kingdom. I cannot remember a time when I did not have a pet.

Long story short. I'm an animal lover.

But the books? They make me cry. The Sarah McLaughlin commercials? They make me cry. Anything about animals doing extraordinary things? They make me CRY!

Stay wasn't just about the dog though. It was about so much more! Somewhere I read it described as Something Borrowed meets the movie, Must Love Dogs - which is COMPLETELY accurate!

In Stay the main character is in love with her best friend, who at the beginning of the book marries her other best friend. (See? Something Borrowed!)

To comfort herself and take her mind off her two best friends honeymooning together, she buys a $6,000 German Shephard from Slovakia off the Internet. If you're wondering if she was under the influence of alcohol, you would probably be correct...

Before I give anything else away, I will stop. I will say that I absolutely loved this book and flew through it. It was a light, fun read and definitely what I needed after the heavy topics I have been tackling lately (The Book Thief, The Invisible Bridge, State of Wonder...). If you're not a fan of chick lit, don't shy away from this book. I wouldn't classify it as chick lit at all. The main character is smart, honest and hilarious, my only problem with her is I wanted her to stand up for herself more - but that's easier said than done for us all, right?!

Do yourself a favor and put this one on hold at the library or buy it soon. You won't regret it! I borrowed it from the library and got it right away!

Are you a fan of chick lit? Do make sure to alternate genres or do you read the same genre all the time?

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

Today I'm linking up with Blonde, Undercover Blonde for her Book Club Friday - you know I'm all over this link up!

I recently finished The Marriage Plot, which is the third novel for Jeffrey Eugenides and the second novel I have read by him. His second book, Middlesex, earned a Pulitzer and was also the book we read for our local book club, Books 'n Bars in November. His first book was The Virgin Suicides, which I own, but haven't read. Did anybody see the movie? I remember watching it in high school and being very disturbed by it...



I probably would not have picked this book up if we weren't reading it for #twookclub, which is this awesome book club on Twitter hosted by the adorable Stephany over at Stephany Writes!

Although I didn't love the book, I'm glad I finished it because I think it will create great discussion among the group. The many issues addressed are marriage, homosexuality (slightly) mental illness, what is normal in life...

The Marriage Plot follows three main characters, college students Madeleine, Leonard and Mitchell in the early 80s, at the beginning of the book they are all graduating from college and are embarking on possibly the rest of their lives. All three of them unsure, all three of them struggling to figure out what they're supposed to be doing. Sound familiar? On this premise alone, I wanted to like this book. When I graduated from college I did not adjust well, so I'm always curious how other people attempt this weird transition in life.

So far, how I feel about Middlesex is exactly how I feel about The Marriage Plot. I love Eugenides writing and how he weaves a story together, but I tend to hate the stories he tells. So... it's tough. His writing is just beautiful, and I don't think I have ever come across a storyteller quite like him, I just don't seem to care for the content!

I don't want to go any further because I don't want to discourage anyone from reading this book. I can see how some will love it and some will hate it. Now, go read it! ;)

Top Ten books of 2011

I cannot end this year without talking about my favorite books of 2011 - that would be just... silly.

Yesterday Lisa and Stephany both posted their top 10 lists and I just loved reading them - follow the links to read theirs! We have very similar tastes and I just love discussing books with these two. I wish we all lived in the same city so we could meet up and discuss more often. ;)

This year I read A LOT. At the beginning of the year I made a goal for myself to read 50 books, and I didn't think it would happen while being in grad school full time all year, but somehow it happened! I have read 57 books in 2011. A few of those books were for school, which I'm counting because I have a goal to read more non-fiction books. Many of the books are also middle grades and YA books, which several were for my children's lit class.

Narrowing down my list of favorites this year was pretty easy. In fact coming up with ten for the list was a little hard! There weren't many that I just absolutely loved, but for the most part all of these on this list are books that I always recommend to others.

I have noticed on Goodreads, that I am not generous with the five star rating - I rarely give a book five stars, in fact only a few of those books on my top 10 list got five stars from me when I finished them, but that doesn't mean I didn't love them. To me, for a book to get a five star rating, it needs to have me engaged the entire time, the writing should be impeccable and it should be a book I would consider as "couldn't-put-it-down."

I'm not sure what my goal for 2012 will be. I have gotten myself tangled up into three book clubs, so I think I will probably read my adult fiction with them and the rest will be middle grades and YA. I wish I could say I hope to read more in 2012, but know what my class schedule will be like, I don't know if that is possible. I guess I surprised myself in 2011, so who knows?

Anyway. I'll stop rambling. Here are my "Top Ten Books of 2011!" Enjoy!

10. Secret Daughter - this was the third book we read for Books 'n Bars, and I absolutely loved it! This year I began to really become interested in Indian culture and this book really contributed that interest. It's about an American couple that adopts an Indian girl. The father is of Indian heritage and the mother is American.




9. The Lover's Dictionary - this book was FANTASTIC! It's really a dictionary, but in the definitions it tells a story. It's heart-breakingly honest and real. Definitely a must read.






8. Lola and the Boy Next Door - oh, Stephanie Perkins. I don't think she can do anything wrong! Loved Lola - what a great character! If you liked Anna and the French Kiss, this is a MUST-READ.






7. Anna and the French Kiss - it took me a long time to pick this one up, but after seeing it float around the book blogging around and so many people raving about it, I had to see what the fuss was about. Boy, oh boy am I glad I did! What a wonderfully written, cute romance for a YA fan.





6. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt - I will always remember this book because, A. it was the first book that we read for Books 'n Bars and B. Beth Hoffman EMAILED ME TO SAY THANK-YOU! I think I literally squealed out loud when I got that email. This book was wonderful and if you're a fan of The Help, you will like this one too!




5. Divergent - Wow, the response to this book is unreal! This book is action, action, action and will you keep flipping the pages to the very end. If you like dystopians, like The Hunger Games, you will probably like Divergent too!






4. Delirium - Ahhhh, Delirium. I adored this book. I cannot wait for Pandemonium. It's time like this when I wished I put more into book blogging so I could get my hands on an ARC of the sequal. This book was so good - another dystopian that I just couldn't put down. Read it. Love it.





3. One Day - I admit, I didn't love this book until I saw the movie and it sort of brought it all together for me. Now, I think about this story all the time. It's realistic, heartbreaking and so rich. David Nicholls writing is superb and this story will make you happy, sad, pissed off, giggling... cheering for a romance that is real.




2. Sarah's Key - Ahhh, the book that started the WWII obsession this year. I-LOVED-THIS-BOOK and think everyone should read it. This book follows a little girl that is Jewish in Paris during the Holocaust. What happened to Jews in France during the Holocaust? Read this book and you will find out. Then see the movie - because they did a fantastic job.




1. The Help - I adored The Help. I adore Kathryn Stockett. She created a wonderful book about her own experiences being raised in the South by black maids. Although this isn't a memoir and is fictional, after hearing Kathryn speak about her novel and her own childhood maid, I love the book (and the movie) even more.




What was your favorite book of 2011?

Are you on Goodreads? If so, come find me. ;)

Winner, winner!

Chicken dinner! (you know you thought it in your head...)

Ok, so the winner's not getting a chicken dinner, but they are getting a signed copy of Baby Proof by Emily Giffin!

According to random.org the lucky winner is comment number 2!

Congrats Cassie from Cat Lady in Training! Email me at alittlepinkinthecornfields@gmail.com with your address and I'll get your book right out to you!

Today I am guest posting over at The many thoughts of a reader! We're discussing the third part of The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer - stop by and check it out!

Top 10 books I'm looking forward to in 2012

I'm not doing a very good job at keeping up with the whole "book posts on weekend" huh?? Each week I have all these grand plans to post reviews and other fun bookish posts on Saturday and Sunday, then the weekend rolls around and I just cannot motivate myself enough to write anything! The blogger world is so quiet on weekends, it feels pointless sometimes.

I couldn't let the entire weekend go by without posting something so I decided to write about the books of 2012 that I'm most looking forward to reading. This next year I will be severely cutting myself off from buying too many books, so I will have to plan accordingly which books I want to buy each month. I still haven't decided if I'm going to give myself a dollar limit or a number of books limit for my book budget. Probably a dollar limit, since I can obviously do a lot of harm with just a couple of books (read: hardcovers are expensive!).

Anyway. On with the subject of this post! Here are the top 10 books I am most looking forward to in the next year! Not posted in any particular order...

After reading Save Me by Lisa Scottoline earlier this year, I've been looking forward to reading something else by her! Her writing reminds me quite a bit of Jodi Picoult's and you all know how much I adore her! Come Home will be released on April 10, 2012

I've only read a few of Elin Hilderbrand's books, but the few I have read I really enjoyed! They're perfect beach reads (ahhh, the beach) and always set on Nantucket Island. It sounds like such a beautiful place, after reading any of her books, you will be itching to visit! Summerland will be released June 26, 2012. Right in time for summer and reading by the water!

Ahhhhh! Finally! It's understandable that Emily Giffin didn't release a book last year, with Something Borrowed coming out on the big screen, so I am so excited to read this one! Emily Giffin is one of my favorite authors and has been for quite awhile! I had the chance to meet her last month (and I have a signed book to give away to you all! Watch for it THIS WEEK) and she is just as pretty in person, and so NICE! Where We Belong will be released July 31, 2012 - which is going to be painful to wait that long, but is definitely one I will buy and include in my budget.

I didn't love Mini Shopaholic, which was released in 2011, but I absolutely adored Twenties Girl, which was released in 2010. Hopefully Sophie Kinsella's 2012 release will redeem herself! I think the character of Becky Bloomwood needs to retire, and I think Sophie Kinsella knows that too! The synopsis for this one doesn't sound very promising (sad, but true). The main character seems to be pretty flighty, like Becky is, but I will undoubtedly still buy this one and devour it. I have been a fan of Sophie Kinsella's for over ten years now, and is definitely a chick lit guilty indulgence for me. ;)

I've Got Your Number will be released on February 14, 2012 - Valentine's Day!

Jane Green is another favorite author of mine! There really isn't a book of hers that I didn't like! Some I like better than others, obviously, but all of them are great! These are also perfect beach reads. Another Piece of My Heart comes out on March 13, 2013.

Another one to "Ahhhhhh!" at! Jodi Picoult is one of my absolute favorite authors and one that I have driven over three hours to see for three years in a row. It's become a tradition for me to drive up to Minneapolis, meet up with Lesli or Lisa and go to Jodi's readings. Jodi's got the BEST personality and has some of the best signings I have ever been to!

Obviously the cover for this one hasn't been released yet, but I will update this post when it is released!

Lone Wolf comes out February 28, 2012

Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams? Sign me up, please! I really hope this movie doesn't disappoint. Since I am a nerd and have to read the book before seeing the movie, I have the book on my list. The book version of The Vow comes out February 10, 2012 which looks like the same day the movie comes out. That is really weird and I don't like it at all! Hopefully I can read it before going to see the movie.

This is the sequel to Delirium, which I read at the beginning of 2011 and I loved it! Delirium held the perfect amount of action for me in a dystopian YA novel, and the cliffhanger at the end was painfully perfect! It's one of the only books that I have had on my mind all year long, and I don't think I need to re-read any part of it to enjoy Pandemonium! This book comes out on February 28, 2012.

I wasn't a HUGE fan of Divergent, but I did really like it. I think if there wasn't a ton of hype about it, I would have liked it more. It is a book I recommend though quite frequently, especially to students. I book talked this one in my children's lit class and I can think of two students that read it specifically because my book talk (shocker: I can sell a book! Ha!).

I am really looking forward to Insurgent though, and hate that I have to wait until May 5th to read it. This is the only book that I went ahead and emailed the publisher to request an ARC. I got turned down though, they said I needed at least 350 followers to be considered. Good to know!

(FYI, I do not blog specifically for ARCs, but... I do enjoy them. A lot actually)

If you haven't read Divergent yet, and you liked The Hunger Games, you should check it out!

The Soul by Stephenie Meyer is the sequel to The Host, which is a sci fi book that she released right after the Twilight saga wrapped up. I have had The Host on my bookshelf for an embarrassing amount of time and I hope I can read it in 2012. After reading some YA sci fi books, I might be getting into this genre of books that I pretty much disregarded before...

This book doesn't even have a release date yet, so I have no idea if it even comes out next year. That cover is also not the official cover. I have no idea where it came from - probably a fan, because it doesn't look very professional. It's still gorgeous though! Even if that girl looks like Megan Fox, whom I cannot stand.

There you have it! What are you looking forward to reading in 2012?

In My Mailbox - Scholastic Warehouse SALE!

In My Mailbox is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, where book bloggers share what books they got this week from the library, bought, publishers, etc.

On Friday afternoon after school got out, I headed to the Scholastic warehouse for the first day of their warehouse sale! Educators were able to get a fast pass for the first day and got to shop, shop, shop, till we dropped! Have you ever been in a warehouse full of books? No? Me either!

I went in there on a budget though. It's Christmas, and I needed to be responsible. I had a coupon for $10 off $50, so $50 was my limit.

I think I did pretty good. Here's my haul, and it only came to $41!

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer - this one is a science fiction book that we read for children's lit, and I really liked it. I think I need to review this one on here...

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - I haven't read this classic, so I figured I would pick it up.

First Light by Rebecca Stead - I absolutely loved When You Reach Me (which is so fun because it has so many A Wrinkle In Time references), so I figured I would pick up Stead's first book

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne - this is a historical fiction must read for the middle grades, if you ask me. I cannot wait to use this book (or movie) in a lesson to teach about the Holocaust. (Yes, these are the things I think about - I CAN'T WAIT)

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi - This was a total impulse buy. It looked really good and it was really cheap so I grabbed it!

The Maze Runner by James Dashner - A more recent classic that I haven't read, but have been meaning too. I can't wait to read this one.

The Line by Teri Hall - This book looks awesome (look up the cover!) and was listed as a nominee for the YALSA quick picks for reluctant readers - so that tells me it's definitely an engaging read!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick - I know most of you have probably heard of the movie by now, but if you haven't at least picked up the book and flipped through it, you are seriously missing out! Hugo is a graphic novel and the drawings inside are simply A-MAZ-ING! I can't wait to read this one, too!

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - I have avoided the movies because I want to read this book - let's hope I can get to it soon!

Most of these books I have my future classroom in mind, since I hope to teach in the middle grades once I am done. That's my justification for buying all of these books anyway!

What did you get this week?

The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan

I love dictionaries. There I said it.

Ok, so maybe I just love words. But, that means I love dictionaries too.

I know exactly when it happened. I was in the 5th grade and my best friend that year (who is a very good lawyer now) used to read the dictionary.

Like, she literally sat down with the dictionary and read it. So, me being the type of kid that didn't want to miss out on anything, decided to try it too.

(We did a lot of weird things in the 5th grade. Including calling any medical specialist in the area and asking them to send us brochures on different disorders. This is another post in itself, so before I get off track....remind me to tell you all about it sometime).

So, when I saw this book, I knew I had to read it.

This book is one of those books where while you're reading it, you're thinking, "Why didn't I think of this?!" The idea is so original and so simple.

The book IS a dictionary. The entire story is told in the format of a dictionary. I am not kidding. It's really cool. If you like words and enjoy looking up new words, you will like this. I am a total word person and am constantly looking up new words. The Merriam-Webster app on my phone is one of the apps I use the most. I use it to learn pronunciations of words (it has an audio function), get the word of the day or just learn the meanings of words I come across in books or everyday life.

What I liked most about this book was that it had a nice mix of everyday words and words that are just a tad above that (but not quite "SAT words"). I wasn't looking up so many words for it be annoying, but every few words I would look up just to confirm the definition or because I had no idea what it meant.

Here are a couple entries from the book:

lackluster, adj.

And when Kathryn asked you about me, I imagined you said, "He's lackluster."

Which is why I waited for you to ask me out for the second date. Just to be sure I hadn't underwhelmed you.

aloof, adj.

It has always been my habit, ever since junior high school, to ask the question:

"What are you thinking?"

It is always an act of desperation, and I keep on asking, even though I know it will never work the way I want it to.

neophyte, n.

There are millions upon millions of people who been through this before -- why is it that no one can give me good advice?

contiguous, adj.

I felt silly for even mentioning it, but once I did, I knew I had to explain.

"When I was a kid," I said, "I had this puzzle with all fifty states on it -- you know, the kind where you have to fit them all together. One day I got it in my head that California and Nevada were in love. I told my mom, and she said no idea what I was talking about. I ran and got those two pieces and showed it to her -- California and Nevada, completely in love. So a lot of the times when we're like" -- my ankles against the backs of your ankles, my knees fitting into the backs of your knees, my thights on the backs of your legs, my stomach against your back, my chin folding into your neck -- "I can't help but think about California and Nevada, and how we're a lot like them. If someone were drawing us from above as a map, that's what we'd look like; that's how we are."

For a moment, you were quiet. And then you nestled in and whispered,

"Contiguous."

And I knew you understood.

dissonance, n.

Nights when I need to sleep and you can't. Days when I want to talk and you won't. Hours when every noise you make interferes with my silence. Weeks when there is a buzzing in the air, and we both pretend we don't hear it.

Final verdict: A wonderfully original idea for a way to tell a story. It's thought-provoking and shockingly real. There were entries that warmed my heart (contiguous?! That one makes my heart beat so fast, because that moment in a new relationship is so amazing) and other entries that made me want to tear up because I knew exactly what he was talking about (dissonance? That moment is one of the worsts).

Definitely look into this book if you're a word person. It's a fast read and worth looking into!

Non-fiction reading: the Hitler Youth and tenements of NYC

It's Saturday, and weekends around here mean ... book reviews!

We're reading non-fiction in children's lit right now and the books I read were Shutting out the Sky Deborah Hopkinson and Hitler Youth by Susan Campbell Bartoletti.

I'm finished with Shutting out the Sky, which is the one I was assigned and I'm still working on Hitler Youth. I don't have to read two, I just really wanted to read the second one because I like books about WWII. (Well, not exactly like per se, just ... just extremely interested. I know I'm not alone.)

Shutting out the Sky is about the immigrants moving to America from eastern and southern Europe during the turn of the 19th century between 1880 and 1919. Historians think that about 23 million people came to America during this time and about 17 million entered through the port in New York.

The voices in this book were Rose Gollup Cohen, born in Belarus and came to America at age 12. Leonard Covello, from Italy, age 9. Maurice Kindus, from Belarus, age 14. Pauline Newman, born in Lithuania, approximately age 13. Marcus Eli Ravage, from Romania, age 16.

It was really interesting to read about the tenements in New York City during this time period. The living conditions were terrible and it's hard not to feel so sad for these people that came to America with such high hopes and were shown instead such hardship. The apartments in NYC were housing called tenements that usually had four apartments on each floor and each apartment housed a family and sometimes several boarders that the family charged to stay there.

The tenement housing was quickly, and very poorly built. As immigrants moved into New York City builders rushed to construct housing quickly and cheaply. It was most cost effective to put many families in the same building. The law defined a tenement as any house that was occupied by three or more families living independently and doing their cooking on premises.

The conditions were bleak, and most did not have clean water. Regulations on the housing were poorly enforced and most of the efforts to provide decent housing failed miserably. Landlords were not willing to give up their profits, but they weren't willing to spend the money on improving the conditions either.

It was interesting to see the history of the high cost of living in New York City! I would definitely recommend this book if you're studying genealogy in the classroom. Who didn't have to make a family tree while in elementary? I know I did! After reading this book you will definitely be interested in learning about where your family came from and if they ever lived in New York City during this time period.


We all know about The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, right? If you haven't read that book, or seen the movie I definitely recommend it. It is not accurate, but it's moving and (in my opinion) very well done for students or adults that are not that interested in history and need the fictional story to go along with it.

Where am I going with that? Just wait...

This book made me think of Bruno. I assume he would have been a part of the Hitler Youth, considering his father was a Nazi commander of a concentration camp (assumed to be Auschwitz).

Reading the biographies of these children that are so brainwashed by one of the most horrible political minds in our world's history is disturbing and completely disgusting.

As I said, I am not done with this yet, but it is absolutely worth mentioning because it's a true account of what the children in Germany did during the war. Many classrooms show The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, which I think is great, but some non-fiction like this is definitely worth adding in to the curriculum while studying the Holocaust.

Both of these books were wonderful pieces of non-fiction that I'm really glad I read (and am reading). Sometimes I would rather study history through children's books like these, they're more interesting and easier to follow then the dense, boring text in history textbooks.

Definitely pick these up if you are interested in either subject! They read pretty fast and are extremely interesting!

S & S Stacks v4 - Banned Books Week + a GIVEAWAY!

It's that time of year again, Banned Books Week - 2011! For the past couple of years I have made note of this week, and urged friends to read a banned book via Facebook, but haven't really done anything else about it. This year, I am changing that!

This year, I am giving away your choice of two banned books - I'm letting you choose, because... well, if you're here, you probably already have some of these. I'm assuming you don't want duplicates!


There are 4 books to choose from that all have conveniently come from a local bookseller, Beaverdale Books. This shop just might be cuter than Shop Around the Corner...


The Catcher in the Rye: the main character, Holden has become a hero in many rebellious teens' eyes, which undoubtedly leads to many adults trying to keep it from getting into a teenager's hands. For over two decades, this book was the most censored book in high schools and libraries in the US, which makes it perfect to give away during this week! (Only to spread the love, of course. Not because I don't want it - I already have a copy!)

A Wrinkle in Time: Why are some of the best books commonly banned? Because some people are grumpy, old fun-haters - that's why! This book has witches - GASP! This book has crystal balls - THE HORROR! This book talks about - Shhhh! RELIGION! Quick, cover it up!

Go Ask Alice: I can sort of see why this book is banned - but for people like me, this book did the opposite of bad. It did a world of GOOD! I was a very curious child. Let's just say I wasn't afraid of much and pretty much thought I was invincible. After reading this book there were drugs I wouldn't come within 5 feet of. Certain "things" were offered to me, coincidentally after reading this book and I said, "Hellllll to the nooooo." See? Good. A book that's banned did something good? Wha-what? This book will forever be a favorite of mine.

The Hunger Games: We all know you love this book. And, if you haven't read it. Get off the couch, go to Barnes & Noble (or even Half Price Books, it's probably there) and BUY it. Or, just win this giveaway and I will get this book to you quicker than you can say Katniss Everdeen. Seriously, why is this book banned again? Too much imagination? Too much gore? Have you played a video game lately?! Ban those things! Not this book.

You can earn up to three entries to win:

1. Leave a comment with which two books you would choose and your email address.

2. Be a follower of ALPITC and leave a separate comment.

3. Follow me and post about this giveaway on Twitter or post about this giveaway on your own blog. Leave another comment telling me if you did so.

That's all you've gotta do! Easy peasy! You have until October 1st at midnight to enter and the winner will be announced Sunday, October 2nd via random.org.

Good luck, and happy reading!

S & S Stacks v4 - Anna and the French Kiss review

Earlier this year when I first saw Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins circulating around the book blogs, I thought, "Wow, that book looks super cheesy. Are all of these bloggers getting paid to gush about this book?"

Seriously. I thought that! I figured it was completely overrated and publishers were pushing bloggers to push it.

Now, I get it. This book was adorable. Completely, utterly adorable. I fell in love with Anna almost immediately.

Stephanie Perkins nailed these characters and developed them just right. The anticipation that she wrote into the story was almost too much to bear! In a good way!

I completely identified with Anna and actually wished I was more like her. She was totally herself, and such an individual at such a young age without being too far out there. I loved that she didn't try to be something she wasn't, she accepted her own quirks. She was selfless and put the happiness of others before hers, even if that did keep her from falling in love for the first time (well, for awhile at least!). I loved that although she was falling hard for St. Clair, she held back because he was going through a lot with his mom. On the other hand, that is what made it so anxiety-inducing! I wanted to reach through the book and shake them both and make them kiss already!

I cannot write this review without mentioning another important character. Paris, the most romantic city in the world... supposedly. I have never been sold on Paris... I don't know what it is. Although I haven't been there, I just didn't think it sounded that great! Now that I am getting closer with Lisa and when I read books like this... I'm thinking I need to give the City of Lights a chance!

Anna wasn't sold on Paris either. She wanted to go back home to Atlanta and hated Paris when she first got there. In fact, she didn't even leave campus for quite a while! Luckily, she did and the descriptions of the city really nailed the spot for a skeptic like me. Now, it's definitely on my bucket list of places to visit.

If you're a fan of YA and you like some romance with a dash of boys with English accents (yep, St. Clair is English!) then you're gonna love this! Definitely worth checking it!

Do you stay away from YA or is it a genre you enjoy?