25 Banned Books That You Should Read Today Almost since the dawn of publishing, books have been banned for one reason or another. Many notable banned books are also compelling reads from classic or contemporary literature. This list summarizes 25 of the most controversial banned books from throughout history. #1 To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Harper Lee's only novel is considered by many to be among the greatest works of fiction in American literature. #2 American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis Ellis is a frequent target for protests due to the nature of his writing, but none has faced the level of opposition of American Psycho. #3 And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson This picture book tells the true story of Roy and Silo, two male penguins in New York City's Central Park Zoo. #4 The Awakening by Kate Chopin Chopin's story of Edna Pontellier asserting her independence was a pioneering work of feminism when it was published in 1899. #5 The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. #6 Candide by Voltaire D.
6 Insane Discoveries That Science Cant Explain We like to feel superior to the people who lived centuries ago, what with their shitty mud huts and curing colds by drilling a hole in their skulls. But we have to give them credit: They left behind some artifacts that have left the smartest of modern scientists scratching their heads. For instance, you have the following enigmas that we believe were created for no other purpose than to fuck with future generations. The Voynich Manuscript The Mystery: The Voynich manuscript is an ancient book that has thwarted all attempts at deciphering its contents. It appears to be a real language--just one that nobody has seen before. Translation: "...and when you get her to put the tennis racket in her mouth, have her stand in a fountain for a while. There is not even a consensus on who wrote it, or even when it was written. Why Can't They Solve It? Could you? Don't even try. As you can imagine, proposed solutions have been all over the board, from reasonable to completely clownshit. Our Guess:
Charles Bukowski, American Author ~ Corbis - XX Century in Black and White Photos BBC Men in Hats Watching the Sky Coco Chanel Robert Kennedy Conversing WithEdward Kennedy Buddhist Monk Committing RitualSuicide Famous Guests at the "Crescendo" Bomb Drill Cups and Saucers on Rope Walker Lee Harvey Oswald in Custody Street Covered With Ticker Tape Dance Scene From West Side Story Cancer Victim Terry Fox on His Cross Canada Run Rocky Marciano Defeats Jersey Joe Walcott Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda in Easy Rider Woman Hides in Fear of Sniper Vanessa Redgrave and Daughters The Rolling Stones Kennedy Family with John Jr. James Dean Cab Calloway Leads Orchestra at New Year's Ball Mick Jagger and Divine The Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall Ann-Margret and Elvis Bobby Hull Smiling with Puck Marilyn Monroe on Subway Grate Elvis Presley is Sworn In Siblings Sharing Birthday Party Segregated Bus in Texas Policemen Inspecting a Crime Scene Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange Coroners with Sharon Tate's Body Mick Jagger Singing Faye Dunaway and Jack Nicholson in Chinatown Groom Writing Love Note in Sand
Top 10 Best Novels of the Last 20 Years Books The ten novels on this list all substantiate the belief that books are the most elastic, introspective, human and entertaining form of media that exist. Not movies, not music, not art, not the theatre. A famous author once said that novels are the best way for two human beings to connect with each other. I believe this, and I believe that people who do not find pleasure in words have never had the opportunity to read one of the great novels. Music for Torching by A.M. First Sentence: ”It is after midnight on one of those Friday nights when the guests have all gone home and the host and hostess are left in their drunkenness to try and put things right again.” As the only woman on the list, A. Homes makes this common enough theme of suburban ennui feel real with her shining prose, a secondary cast of interesting plots and characters, and lack of a fairy-tale ending. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk (1996) Of course, Palahniuk had to be on this list. House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski (2000)
You Have No Idea How Big Africa Really Is (But This Map Does) - Design - GOOD It's about 11.7 million square miles, which is really big—big enough to fit the United States, China, India, Japan, and much of Europe within its borders. And that's precisely what Kai Krause did with this inventive map, "The True Size of Africa," which he describes as his contribution to "the fight against rampant Immappacy." What is immappacy? Krause explains: In addition to the well known social issues of illiteracy and innumeracy, there also should be such a concept as "immappacy," meaning insufficient geographical knowledge. A survey of random American schoolkids let them guess the population and land area of their country. Brilliant. Via Marginal Revolution
Goodreads | Recent Updates The Great Geek Manual & The World's Most Beautiful Libraries I make no secret of the fact that I’m a hardcore bibliophile, but we’re a common enough lot these day. And the one sight that always makes me linger over a webpage is rows and rows of neatly organized books. So, in an effort to draw more like-minded read here to my little blog, I decided to round-up a gallery of photos of some of the most beautiful libraries I’ve ever seen photos of. Enjoy. If you enjoy this gallery, make sure you check out our other list of The United States’ Most Beautiful Libraries! Abbey Library St. The Astronomy Library of the University of Utrecht in The Netherlands Photo Credit: (Erik) Bristol Central Library Photo Credit: *Firefox The British Library reading room at the centre of the Great Court of the British Museum in London, England. Central Library of Vancouver in Vancouver, Canada Photo Credit: lightgazer Delft University Library in The Netherlands Photo Credit: rutger spoelstra José Vasconcelos Library in México City, Mexico Photo Credit: CliNKer
One Story’ Names the Top 10 Short Stories of All Time As a fitting finale to National Short Story Month, we asked the talented crew over at One Story to name their ten favorite epigrammatic tales. Tanya Rey, the managing editor, explained via e-mail that their choices are in no particular order, so anti-Salingerists are advised to not get all huffy just because JD leads the list. Tanya writes, “Certain authors (e.g., Cheever, Moore, Johnson, Barthleme) were nominated more than once, for different stories, so we tried to choose the most ‘classic’ of those stories. This was not exactly a scientific or objective process.” However, we stand behind the choices because they’re some of our favorites as well. What do you think, dear readers? “For Esmé – with Love and Squalor” by JD Salinger “For Esmé – with Love and Squalor” was originally published in 1950 in the New Yorker to great acclaim; it was later included in the collection Nine Stories.
The Half Price Blog - The Official Blog of Half Price Books - 40 Books Every Child Should Read Half Price Blog Shop Online Our Stores Gift Cards Sell to Us In the Community Half Price Blog Talk to Us Top Half Price Blog Half Price Books presents the Half Price Blog featuring book reviews, music and movie reviews, trivia and randomness about things we love. Authors BeckyPotluck-genius, insomniac-procrastinator and crafting-whiz. EmilyPR maven, news junkie, baseball fanatic, late-night talk show watcher, frequent restaurant diner and former VH-1 reality show addict. JimFilm buff and wanna-be chef. JDMusic enthusiast and all around acceptable person. KateRecovering English Major with a penchant for poly-blend, bibliophilic worms. MeredithDonned in an apron, baking pies and other tempting treats – there's nothing desperate about this housewife. SteveThe Buy Guy is a quarter-century-plus employee expert on all things books & music; his favorite buy involved hundreds of old theology books from the Mount St. Subjects Search the Blog Subscribe via Email via RSS Follow HPB Subscribe via RSS Monday