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Before I get to the books, I want to talk about a localish news item that happened this week. (To skip my rant, scroll down to the dragon art.) Last month, the city council in Fremont, Nebraska voted to allow parents to request that a book be moved from the children’s section to the adult section of the city’s public library, if they find that book offensive. The policy stemmed from a controversy about a book called Sex is a Funny Word by Cory Silverberg.

The book blurb says “….Sex Is a Funny Word is an essential resource about bodies, gender, and sexuality for children ages 8 to 10 as well as their parents and caregivers.” This book, like so many others in the children’s section, is a book that is meant to be shared between parents and children — together.

The councilmember that originally proposed the policy wrote in an email, “It seems straightforward that a taxpayer-funded organization would respect the rights of parents to control what their children see and read and take steps to ensure that is the case.”

I’ve heard this argument many, many times. My response to that argument is actually a question: Which parents have that right to determine what all kids can or cannot read? I think it unlikely that every parent of every child that goes to a library is going to agree on an approved reading list. So, I have two suggestions: 1) let librarians do their job. Librarians are guided by training, collection development policies, reviews and by the demand of their patrons when they decide which books deserve to be added to a collection. Are parents equally guided? 2) Parents absolutely can take steps to control what their children see and read. They can do this by going to the library with their children. Librarians love it when parents and children visit the library together. When I see this, I rejoice in seeing parents foster a love of books and reading in their kids.

Allowing only certain people to decide what everyone should read, is undeniable censorship. The good thing is, this week, the Fremont city council voted 6-2 to strike last month’s ill-conceived policy, citing vagueness and possible discrimination as reasons. While I see the issue as much bigger than lack of clear definitions, I am extremely pleased to see that some lawmakers can make rational decisions.

This is a huge win for intellectual freedom!

(News source: KETV news https://www.ketv.com/article/nebraska-fremont-city-council-library-policy/43317903)

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And now, on to the books I am currently reading or listening to. If you feel so inclined, please share the books you are reading by posting in the comments at the end.

Lonely Dragon by Disa M

Clicking on the book covers below will take you to Amazon. Use of these links supports this blog and is very much appreciated. I also recommended checking with your library (if you want to save some $$$).

On my Kindle, I am reading Pride and Prejudice) by Jane Austen. Last week I mentioned that my library’s book club is going to read Jane Austin’s original and variations next month. So I thought I should read the original. Have you read it? I now know why I have never read it. This story could have been told far fewer pages! So many words describing so little substance! Thank heavens, language and writing styles have changed (drastically) over the years. I can’t truly say that I like it, but I am glad to be reading it considering all the screen adaptations and book variations I have enjoyed. This very particular version is sprinkled with not a few less than engaging side notes and explanations about the historical setting, observations of characters thoughts and actions and details about the author’s life, in order to add interest to an otherwise not very exciting story. (Note: I just tried, quite unsuccessfully, to write a sentence in the style of Jane Austen.)

About Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice is at once a deeply felt love story, a deft romantic comedy, and a sharp exploration of social life and manners in Georgian England. With Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, Jane Austen created two characters whose battles over love have entertained and delighted millions of readers and moviegoers. 

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My current audiobook is The Choice, the final book in Nora Roberts’ Dragon Heart Legacy series. This one was released last November, and I have been on the waiting list since then. But based on the first two books, I feel the wait will have been worth it. Humans and fae meet in a magical world parallel to our own to fight evil, ride dragons, and find love. Plus, there is a dog!

About The Choice

Breen Siobhan Kelly grew up in the world of Man and was once unaware of her true nature. Now she is in Talamh, trying to heal after a terrible battle and heartbreaking losses. Her grandfather, the dark god Odran, has been defeated in his attempt to rule over Talamh, and over Breen―for now.

With the enemy cast out and the portal sealed, this is a time to rest and to prepare. Breen spreads her wings and realizes a power she’s never experienced before. It’s also a time for celebrations―of her first Christmas in both Talamh and Ireland, of solstice and weddings and births―and daring to find joy again in the wake of sorrow. She rededicates herself to writing her stories, and when his duties as taoiseach permit, she is together with Keegan, who has trained her as a warrior and whom she has grown to love.

It’s Keegan who’s at her side when the enemy’s witches, traitorous and power-mad, appear to her in her sleep, practicing black magick, sacrificing the innocent, and plotting a brutal destruction for Breen. And soon, united with him and with all of Talamh, she will seek out those in desperate need of rescue, and confront the darkness with every weapon she has: her sword, her magicks―and her courage…

Tell me! What are you reading?

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