I think it is about time for a little update from me. As you know, I have issued a few challenges to myself in the last year. Here are the goods:

Good news first? You betcha!

My romance group critique partners and I issued each other a challenge–get a literary agent by Christmas. Well, guess what? 2 of the 3 of us have! I would be in that statistic–due to a humongous leg-up from Calista Taylor–she put a well-timed word in for me. The third partner is doing edits requested by an agent that could very well lead to representation. Wow! Can all three of us meet that goal? I think so!

PASS!

(So, yes. I am now ‘agented’ and have been working on my proposal for my nonfiction Kid’s Play project. We hope to have that out on submission soon. Cross your fingers for me!)

Other good news:

My WEbook Page to Fame submission (Humorous women’s fiction) got elevated to round 3! I haven’t submitted it yet, but will soon. (More on that as time goes by.)

PASS

And then I’ve been letting other things slide…

Remember my challenge to myself to read 5 banned/challenged books in one year? Well, I didn’t quite make it. I blame all those other good books in my life and how they’ve weasled their way ahead in the To Be Read lineup. I do still plan to read those banned/challenged books. And I will.

FAIL

As for my Read Around the World Challenge which is an ongoing project… well, I haven’t posted anything in months, but I have been keeping tabs on what I read. I’ve gotten to the point where it is typically the same three or four countries being read over and over again. But, I do have a little something from France that I will post (one of these days).

Er… FAIL? Er…PASS? You decide.

And lastly, there is my tidy up and organize my life New Year’s plan. Yes, I am still working on that one. Decluttering, etc. I have shredded and recycled a whole pile of old manuscripts–don’t worry, I still have copies! But I still haven’t cured the problem of the tumbling items on the top shelf of the back door closet yet. Working on it though. Well, mentally. (I might mention that in the New Year’s Plan post I also mentioned getting an agent and also relaxing a bit–I’ve done both.)

Er… PASS? Mostly.

That’s all from me at the moment, any news updates from you?

First up was The Giver by Lois Lowry, which I have recently finished reading. This is a soft science fiction young adult novel that has been challenged and/or banned in schools due to some of its content. Jonas, a 12-year-old living in a utopian society, is chosen to become a receiver of memories. In the past, Jonas’ community decided to go to ‘sameness’ and to remove emotion and emotional memories from their lives in order to live pain-free. Naturally, that comes at a cost. As Jonas learns more about his new job (he accepts the memories of the past that include war, hunger, and much, much more in order to serve as an adviser to the community) the more the illusion of innocence slips from his world.

The Giver has been challenged for many reasons. One is that in some ways, Jonas’ community resembles a communist society, two is that suicide is used as an ‘out’ by one character, three is infanticide, and fourth is the role of death in the story. Personally, I would have thought his ‘stirrings’ would have got a few parents squawking. I guess because he took a pill to resolve the pleasurable feelings, it’s okay. (Although, he did go against the rules and stop taking it. I would think that would really bother some parents.)

Personally, I enjoyed The Giver. It is a book that deals with a lot of heady topics and can serve as a forewarning to the next generation in a ‘what if’ sort of way. For example, what would happen if we didn’t remember war? What would happen if we had no choice or individuality?

I believe it to be an important book. What do you think?

P.S. Here is a cool little blurb about a student who is keeping a banned book lending library in a school locker. I love her gumption. She’s creating readers and should be given The Pristine Award (don’t know what it is? Stay tuned, more on that in December). She’s got some great ones on her lists.

Without further ado, here are the 5 banned/challenged books I will read over the next year, with a check-in during Freedom to Read Week (Canadian version of Banned Book Week) in February:

The Giver (Lois Lowry) Reason for choosing: Was a ratty, popular book in the library I used to work in. I’m curious.

The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck) Reason for choosing: I already have a head start with all the background research I did on the film for a film studies project years ago. I like knowing the social and political history of a book’s time period. And I also like Steinbeck.

Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov) Reason for choosing: I have actually been waiting to read a book called Reading Lolita in Tehran because I haven’t read Lolita yet.

Lord of the Flies (William Golding) Reason for choosing: It is surprising nobody made me read it in school, and since I don’t want to be the only person on the planet who hasn’t read this classic, I’d better get moving.

A Wrinkle in Time (Madeleine L’Engle) Reason for choosing: I’ve heard lots about it, and have even had it recommended, but have never picked it up. Yet.

Want to read a few challenged/banned books too? Join me! Your mind will never be the same. Mwa-ha-ha.