Going away for the weekend

Sorry guys, but I will be gone for the weekend. It's my five year college reunion. Since I went to a military college, it's this huge deal.

Here's some pics from my freshman year at Norwich University MCV.

This is the very first day, that's me in the middle. 

My freshman year portrait.
I don't even know who this person is anymore.
Wow.  

The day we were recognized as cadets. Me on the top right.
We got so much crap for decorating for Christmas.
The top middle girl is the bambino's godmother, Auntie Tina.

So I guess I'll see you all on Monday! That's when I'll be announcing the winner of the Banned Books Giveaway! I'll also be announcing another fun and exciting thing here on my blog. I'm super excited about it!! Pin It

Here's the most banned books of all time. I think I'll have read more of these than the most banned books from 2000-2009. Let's see.


#1 The Bible
#2 Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
#3 Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
#4 The Qu'ran
#5 Arabian Nights
#6 Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
#7 Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
#8 Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
#9 The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
#10 Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
#11 The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
#12 Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
#13 Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
#14 Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
#15 Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
#16 Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
#17 Dracula by Bram Stoker
#18 "Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin"
#19 Tom Jones by Henry Fielding
#20 Essays by Michel de Montaigne
#21 Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
#22 History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon
#23 Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
#24 Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
#25 Ulysses by James Joyce
#26 Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio
#27 Animal Farm by George Orwell
#28 Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
#29 Candide by Voltaire
#30 To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
#31 Analects by Confucius
#32 Dubliners by James Joyce
#33 Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
#34 Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
#35 Red and the Black by Stendhal
#36 Das Capital by Karl Marx
#37 Flowers of Evil by Charles Baudelaire
#38 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
#39 Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D. H. Lawrence
#40 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
#41 Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser
#42 Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
#43 Jungle by Upton Sinclair
#44 All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
#45 Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx
#46 Lord of the Flies by William Golding
#47 Diary by Samuel Pepys
#48 Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
#49 Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
#50 Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
#51 Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
#52 Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant
#53 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
#54 Praise of Folly by Desiderius Erasmu
#55 Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
#56 Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X
#57 The Color Purple by Alice Walker
#59 Essay Concerning Human Understanding by John Locke
#60 The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
#61 Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
#62 One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
#63 East of Eden by John Steinbeck
#64 Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
#65 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
#66 Confessions by Jean Jacques Rousseau
#67 Gargantua and Pantagruel by Francois Rabelais
#68 Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes
#69 The Talmud
#70 Social Contract by Jean Jacques Rousseau
#71 Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
#72 Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence
#73 American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
#74 Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler
#75 Separate Peace by John Knowles
#76 The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
#77 The Red Pony by John Steinbeck
#78 Popol Vuh
#79 Affluent Society by John Kenneth Galbraith
#80 Satyricon by Petronius
#81 James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
#82 Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
#83 Black Boy by Richard Wright
#84 Spirit of the Laws by Charles de Secondat Baron de Montesquieu
#85 Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
#86 Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
#87 Metaphysics by Aristotle
#88 Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
#89 Institutes of the Christian Religion by Jean Calvin
#90 Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse
#91 The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene
#92 Sanctuary by William Faulkner
#93 As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
#94 Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin
#95 Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
#96 Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
#97 General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud
#98 The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
#99 Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Alexander Brown
#100 Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
#101 Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest J. Gaines
#102 Emile Jean by Jacques Rousseau
#103 Nana by Emile Zola
#104 The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
#105 Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
#106 Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
#107 Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
#108 The Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Peck
#109 Ox-Bow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark
#110 Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes


Eh, I did a little bit better. 44 out of 100. I gotsta stop blogging and get my read on. Pin It

How many banned books have you read?

So all this talk of banned books. Let's see if put my money where my mouth is. How many have I actually read?

Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009

1. Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling

2. Alice series, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

3. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier

4. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell

5. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck

6. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou

7. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz

8. His Dark Materials (series), by Philip Pullman

9. ttyl; ttfn; l8r g8r (series), by Myracle, Lauren

10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky

11. Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers

12. It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris

13. Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey

14. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain

15. The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison

16. Forever, by Judy Blume

17. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker

18. Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous

19. Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger

20. King and King, by Linda de Haan

21. To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

22. Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily von Ziegesar

23. The Giver, by Lois Lowry

24. In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak

25. Killing Mr. Griffen, by Lois Duncan

26. Beloved, by Toni Morrison

27. My Brother Sam Is Dead, by James Lincoln Collier

28. Bridge To Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson

29. The Face on the Milk Carton, by Caroline B. Cooney

30. We All Fall Down, by Robert Cormier

31. What My Mother Doesn’t Know, by Sonya Sones

32. Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya

33. Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson

34. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things, by Carolyn Mackler

35. Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging, by Louise Rennison

36. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley

37. It’s So Amazing, by Robie Harris

38. Arming America, by Michael Bellasiles

39. Kaffir Boy, by Mark Mathabane40. Life is Funny, by E.R. Frank

41. Whale Talk, by Chris Crutcher

42. The Fighting Ground, by Avi

43. Blubber, by Judy Blume

44. Athletic Shorts, by Chris Crutcher

45. Crazy Lady, by Jane Leslie Conly

46. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut

47. The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby, by George Beard

48. Rainbow Boys, by Alex Sanchez

49. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey

50. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini

51. Daughters of Eve, by Lois Duncan

52. The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson

53. You Hear Me?, by Betsy Franco

54. The Facts Speak for Themselves, by Brock Cole

55. Summer of My German Soldier, by Bette Green

56. When Dad Killed Mom, by Julius Lester

57. Blood and Chocolate, by Annette Curtis Klause

58. Fat Kid Rules the World, by K.L. Going

59. Olive’s Ocean, by Kevin Henkes

60. Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson

61. Draw Me A Star, by Eric Carle

62. The Stupids (series), by Harry Allard

63. The Terrorist, by Caroline B. Cooney

64. Mick Harte Was Here, by Barbara Park

65. The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien

66. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred Taylor

67. A Time to Kill, by John Grisham

68. Always Running, by Luis Rodriguez

69. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

70. Harris and Me, by Gary Paulsen

71. Junie B. Jones (series), by Barbara Park

72. Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison

73. What’s Happening to My Body Book, by Lynda Madaras

74. The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold

75. Anastasia (series), by Lois Lowry

76. A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving

77. Crazy: A Novel, by Benjamin Lebert

78. The Joy of Gay Sex, by Dr. Charles Silverstein

79. The Upstairs Room, by Johanna Reiss

80. A Day No Pigs Would Die, by Robert Newton Peck

81. Black Boy, by Richard Wright

82. Deal With It!, by Esther Drill

83. Detour for Emmy, by Marilyn Reynolds

84. So Far From the Bamboo Grove, by Yoko Watkins

85. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, by Chris Crutcher

86. Cut, by Patricia McCormick

87. Tiger Eyes, by Judy Blume

88. The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood

89. Friday Night Lights, by H.G. Bissenger

90. A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L’Engle

91. Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George

92. The Boy Who Lost His Face, by Louis Sachar

93. Bumps in the Night, by Harry Allard

94. Goosebumps (series), by R.L. Stine

95. Shade’s Children, by Garth Nix

96. Grendel, by John Gardner

97. The House of the Spirits, by Isabel Allende

98. I Saw Esau, by Iona Opte

99. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume

100. America: A Novel, by E.R. Frank

So I've read 32/100 of the most banned books from 2000 to 2009. I think that if I used the list of most banned books ever, I'd have read more. I've read pretty much all of the "classics". I can't believe that "Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret" was banned. My mom handed me that book when I was eleven years old to help explain what the heck was going on and why I had giant boobies. It did not help. 

So how many have you read? 

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Books that should be banned

Earlier this week, I wrote that I didn't think any books should be banned. So why now am I writing a post on books that should be banned? 

Because there are some books that are so stupid and so horribly dumb that they should be burned, let alone banned. 

The two books I hate with the fire of a thousand suns (that's some Shakespeare for you right there) are Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and Waiting For Godot by Samuel Beckett.

I first had to read Wuthering Heights in I think the 10th grade. The first thing that makes me mad. Wuthering is not a word. As I type this, blogger is highlighting Wuthering because of that fact. Unless you are Shakespeare, you can't go making up your own words. It's highly presumptuous. Alathea, over at Bridge to Books, makes the point that Wuthering Heights probably never would have gotten published, had Emily's sister Charlotte not had such great success with Jane Eyre. And before you think I just have a distaste for Victorian literature, as my college professor did, Jane Eyre is in my top five favorite books of all time. Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre is my number one literary crush. So, don't think I hate all Victorian literature. Just Wuthering Heights. There is nothing romantic about Wuthering Heights. The main characters are an incestuous group of hicks stuck high up in the moors of England.  Heathcliff is a raving madman who is both sadistic and abusive. Kind of ironic that it was part of Twilight because Edward is also sadistic and abusive. 

Waiting for Godot is supposed to be the great existentialist work of art. It's just not. It's stupid. The two main characters, Vladimir and Estragon, are standing beneath a tree by the side of a road, waiting for Godot. They daydream and a host of characters stray down the road to them. It's all supposed to be very deep and meaningful and be a portrayal of man's attempt to find meaning in meaningless things and BLAH BLAH BLAH. I thought maybe since it was a play, I had to see it in order to appreciate it, rather than just read it. So I went and saw it performed up in Vermont. It was even worse in person. Vladimir and Estragon spend two hours just saying over and over again "we can't leave, we're waiting for Godot" "is Godot here yet?" "He's not very reliable." Those are paraphrases but it pretty accurate descriptions. Before you go saying that I just don't understand the beauty of the existentialist viewpoint of this horse-patootie, you're wrong. I get it. It is just stupid. End of rant.

So that is why I believe these books should be banned. Burned even. Every copy should be burned.

Which books do you think are such disgusting drivel that every copy should be destroyed? 

Ps. I'm just kidding. I don't think these books should be banned, because there are people who genuinely love them. It's not my right to say which books people should and should not read. Besides, if I have to suffer by reading them, then so should you.

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CJ jamming to some Marley

I caught CJ rocking out to some Bob Marley the other day. Please excuse the messy house. Pin It

In My Mailbox Monday

I usually don't do this, because I'm really bad at remembering where my books came from but I'm going to try to do this weekly.

Bought

I bought a ton of new American Sing Language books so I can become fluent in ASL. In my baby sign language classes, when someone asks me "how do you say..." I want to be able to tell them.

Nook
I got four new free nookbooks. I honestly don't remember if they are from the Unbound free Friday books or what. I am really excited about Bright Young Things by Anne Godberson. I read Luxe about a month ago and loved it, so I'm sure this will be just as good. I haven't read anything by Agatha Christie in probably about 10 years, so I'm due for a few good mysteries. I honestly don't remember a thing about Night Birds' Reign, but the description sounds interesting.

Won

During the Back to School Giveaway Blog Hop, I won two books from Bookhounds YA. The first was Discord's Apple by Carrie Vaughn. I'd never heard of it, but from the goodreads' description, it sounds like something I'd love. I also won Last Sacrifice: A Vampire Academy Novel by Richelle Mead. I've never read any of the Vampire Academy books, but I suppose now I will have to. :) Thanks Bookhounds!!







For Review

Courtesy of BookSneeze

Courtesy of Edelweiss

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Silent Sunday

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Papercrafting Leftovers?

Buddha Shrine made from leftover magazine bits.

I really like to do crafts. I crochet, do cross-stitch, and paint. My favorite crafts though, are paper crafts. I love making matchboxes and other random paper crafts. I used to do ATC's but I hate the way mine turned out. Whenever I do paper crafts, I end up with those little tiny bits of leftover paper. And just like Fabrizio over at Crafting Mad, I have a really hard time getting rid of those little bits of paper. I just always think that I'll be able to find a use for them. Even the tiniest scrap of paper can end up making the difference on some sort of paper craft! Or so I tell myself. I think this is one of those classic crafting sicknesses. My husband doesn't understand.

Lately though, I have found some use for medium-sized bits of crafting leftovers. I give them to the baby to scribble on! I made him some crayons that are big enough for him to hold on to, and he can scribble to his heart's content. See husband, I found a use for those random bits of paper!!

So what about you crafters? Do you use up all your crafting paper? If not, what do you do with the leftovers? Do you purge yourself of them or do you hoard them? Pin It

Banned Books Giveaway! (International)

As a teacher, I am absolutely appalled at the fact that anyone would try to ban books. It just boggles my mind. I've read books I found offensive, books that made me absolutely sick to my stomach, books that upset me so much I threw them across the room, books that are horrible drivel, etc. And from each and every one of those books, I've learned and I've grown. The world isn't always pretty. I'd rather learn that from a book than anything else.

Banning a book because it has magic in it is something that drives me even more insane. If you aren't able to teach your children the difference between fantasy and reality, that's your failing, not the books. I loved the Harry Potter series. I also knew while reading it that there's no such thing as Hogwarts (unfortunately) and that Hagrid was not going to come take me away to a wonderful world where I was the girl who lived (unfortunately). Furthermore, everyone knows that if you tell a child not to do something, they're going to want to do just that. Banning something doesn't help. I promise you. Go read Fahrenheit 451 if you don't believe me.

So anyway, that is why I am participating in this awesome giveaway! Yay! There are currently 300 bloggers participating. You can find the full list here.

I'll be giving away any of the banned books I've read that are available from The Book Depository. So if the Book Depository delivers to your country, you can enter. The giveaway will run from September 24th - October 1st. I'm actually going to be out of town that weekend, so the giveaway will probably be up until the 2nd and I'll announce a winner on the 3rd. If I get more than 100 entries, I'll choose two winners!

So here's how to enter :

Leave a comment telling me a banned book you've read, and whether or not you thought it should be banned. If you've never read a banned book, just let me know which book you would like to read.

You get an extra entry if you are a follower, just let me know in the comment. To follow, go all the way to the top of the page and click "follow". Another extra entry if you click the "like" button here.

Just let me know in your comment which you did.

Here are the books you can choose from (so long as they are under $19.99US at The Book Depository).

Lindsey's banned-books book montage

Lindsey's favorite books »

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Children's Book Review - Night Night Blessings

My son and I loved Night Night Blessing by Amy Parker. Sometimes children have a rough time trying to figure out how to thank God or understanding what prayer is for. This book makes it simple for smaller children to understand. The characters are sweet and adorable, and sincere in their thanks to God. The book is religious without being preachy. You could go along with the story and have your child say what they are thankful for each night.

The images in the picture are absolutely gorgeous. My son loved them. Every time I turned the page, he would point at the little children and smile. The pictures are soft and muted colors, not bright and crazy. This makes it an ideal bedtime story.

For a children's book, I give this book 5 stars.

I received this book free from Booksneeze. I was not obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are mine. Pin It

Signs Coming Tomorrow!

I'm in the process of making a few videos to teach some Fall/Autumn signs. If you have any in particular that you would like to see, please let me know. I'm going to try to make this a weekly thing, giving two or three signs a week. Maybe once a month I'll post a book or a song in sign language too. Let me know if this is something you'd be interested in. Thanks!! Pin It

Hispanic Heritage Month - Barefoot Books Discount

Did you know that September 15th-October 15th is Hispanic Heritage Month in the US? Well, now you do. Don't say I never taught you anything. :)

Well in honor of the month, I am giving a 10% discount on all my Spanish language and Spanish/English books from Barefoot Books. Those titles are :

Spanish only
iMira quién toca calipso!
Un Recorrido por las Estaciones
Abuelita Fue Mercado
El Mundo
Oso en Casa
Oso en la Ciudad
Oso en un Cuadrad
Oso en Bicicleta
Oso Bajo el Sol
Nos Vamos a Mexico
Nos Fuimos Todos de Safari
Navegamos a Galapagos
El Nabo Gigante
El Milagro de la primera flor de Nochebuena
Los Tres Chivitos Gruff
Loro Tico Tango
Hay Una Vaca entre las Coles
Familia Activia de Oso
Fiesta Feminina


Spanish and English
Oso en Casa/ Bear at Home
Oso en la Ciudad/ Bear About Town

Rather than click on all the links, if you go to Mama Munky's Barefoot Books and click on the Spanish folder you can see all the titles and prices. To place an order, either message me from Mama Munky's Barefoot Books or e-mail me at LindseyAylward@yahoo.com.

Anyone who purchases a book between now and October 15th will be entered to win ANY Barefoot Book of their choice ($19.99 and under). Pin It

Emmy Awards

Did anyone watch the Emmy's? I didn't. We don't have cable anymore. But I am super excited that my main man Peter Dinklage, won for his portrayal of Tyrion Lannister on Game of Thrones. He is superb in this role.

Even before awards season started, after every episode, I would say "OK, just give him the Emmy already." He just has the character down pat. Supposedly he was George's first choice to play Tyrion.

Anywho, congrats to you Peter Dinklage. You are the sexiest little man I've ever seen and I don't know how I feel about that. I might be in love with you and your very pretty hair. Pin It

My first book review - Daughters of Isis

Have you ever read a book that was so bad, you just couldn't finish it? I genuinely hate when this happens. I want to love every book that has ever been written. But in this case I just couldn't.

The first book that I selected to review for Dorrance Publishing Co, was Daughters of Isis. The book has a great premise. Three women discover that they are descendants of Cleopatra's secret daughters. They discover that they possess great abilities which they must use to defeat a great evil. Really, the story was there. It was just so poorly written that I just couldn't get to it. I blame the editor more than the author.

To begin with, the book jumps from present to past tense for no reason. The parts that are written in the present tense just seem awkward. "As so and so was walking to the door, someone else was dancing to a jig while pouring milk down the drain." It just seemed like it would've been less awkward to say "As he walked to the door, she poured herself a glass of milk." I think the author was trying to make you feel like you were right there in the story by using the present tense, but it just didn't work.

Then there was the level of detail in the story. Sometimes the author would go through crazy excruciating detail describing something that was absolutely mundane. One of the examples I can think of is when one of the characters becomes head chef and is making his demands regarding his new restaurant. The author went into ridiculous detail describing what each and every demand was. This had nothing to do with the story! The head chef wasn't even a main character! There was a complete lack of description in other areas. Two characters who barely had any interaction with each other all of a sudden decided they were falling in love. Since when!? You've barely even spoken to each other!

The final thing that bothered me was the extreme suspension of disbelief. I understand that this is a fantasy novel, so the magic and the monsters didn't bother me. What bothered me was this. The three women are distant distant descendants of Cleopatra. Cleopatra died in approximately 30BC. These women are living in modern day. If they were that distantly related to her, they should be in various different parts of the world. But they are not. They are cousins. All with the same last name. In order for that to be true, there has to be some serious inbred stuff going on. I just couldn't understand how the author could be so much detail on something like what the kitchen looks like and not think about the geneological impossibility of their existance.

I'm really sad that my first book review was a negative one. I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't. I give it 1 star and that 1 star is only for effort.

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Free Coupons

I have two coupons for free items from Beech-Nut. The first is a free box of Beech-nut cereal and the second is for two free jars of Beech-Nut baby food. They don't expire until March 2012. If you'd like them, just send me an e-mail at LindseyAylward@yahoo.com. Thanks! Pin It

Silent Sunday

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Blast from the Past Saturday

Who is that gorgeous baby? Why, that's me! I was such a cute baby. I always stuck my tongue out like that so they called me "Lindsey the lizard". It's so crazy how much CJ looks like me while also being a tiny clone of Craig. Pin It

Big Bang Theory

So I'm slightly obsessed with the show Big Bang Theory. In case you've never seen it, as Sheldon would say "For shame!". It's really a hysterical show. I'm just posting because the season premiere is in 6 days and I'm super excited. To get you all excited to, here is this little picture. Gifs are awesome btw.

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