You Can’t Read That! Banned Book Review Lookback: James and the Giant Peach

You Can’t Read That! is a periodic post featuring banned book reviews and news roundups. YCTR! News From a “love letter” to librarians: I imagine librarians are also working on their Banned Books displays now. Banned Books Week is set for Sept. 24-30, celebrating our freedom to read and to seek and express ideas. My […]

Paul’s Book Reviews: Nonfiction, Thrillers, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction

English has a lot of synonyms for “fool” or “idiot.” Perhaps you take this to mean that English speakers are mean-spirited; I simply reply that necessity is the mother of invention. —Kory Stamper, Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries by Kory Stamper Without naming the […]

Friday Bag o’ Bloggage

With Hurricane Harvey due to strike a heavily-populated part of the Texas Gulf Coast later tonight, potentially dumping rain that will be measured in feet, not inches, it’ll be interesting to see what manner of leadership this White House is capable of. Has it struck anyone else that while Trump constantly lays into the New York […]

Paul’s Book Reviews: Historical Fiction, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thrillers, Classics

“I can hear the cries of the Costers upon Wall Street, below; and the calling of the Hour; and lately, now the Day darkens, a Dialogue between two waiting Chair-Men, upon the Chances of a Horse they favour to run at Flushing, named Royal Roger. Merriment, and bawdy Jests on the Subject of this Name.” […]

Wednesday Bag o’ Sit

Or Shack o’ Sit, if you prefer. Cleverly vulgar signs and business names are funny the first time you see them, but the humor wears out fast. Used to be, I’d see photos like this on Facebook and instantly share them with all my friends. These days I try to exercise restraint … and yet here I am leading […]

We Was Robbed

Seen on Twitter: “RT if you still haven’t said the words ‘President Trump’ aloud.” These lips haven’t, but I did type them once, in a January blog post. In my defense, I was quoting a Washington Post headline, and I hope George Soros won’t invalidate my intolerant liberal license. So now we have, or had, a liberal with a gun. […]

You Can’t Read That! Banned Book Review: The Handmaid’s Tale

You Can’t Read That! is a periodic post featuring banned book reviews and news roundups. YCRT! News Colorado school district pulls library copies of “Thirteen Reasons Why” over concerns it sensationalizes suicide, later reinstates the book. This article, from the American Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Blog, celebrates public library programs (in San Francisco, New York […]