Banned Books Week Giveaway

Hosted by the ever-amazing I Read Banned Books & I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

September 28th through October 6th

Banned Books Week is a yearly event celebrating the freedom to read.  This event is usually held during the last week of September and highlights the value of free and open access to information.  Banned Books Week brings together librarians, teachers, booksellers, publishers, and readers to show their support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, though they might be considered unorthodox or unpopular.

The books featured during Banned Books Week have all been targeted with removal or restrictions in libraries and schools.  It's amazing at how these books have been criticized and scorned yet they still remain available to the public thanks to the work of librarians, teachers, students, and members of the community who support the freedom to read. 

Below are three of my favorite banned/challenged books:

To find out more frequently challenged titles, please go here.

While I own these three (and others that have been challenged or banned), I'd like to give my readers the chance to select their own banned or challenged book with a $15 Barnes & Noble gift card!

Fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter the giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Katana by Cole Gibson

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's "Waiting On" Wednesday selection is:

Katana

By: Cole Gibson

Publish Date: March 8, 2012 by Flux

From Goodreads~

Rileigh Martin would love to believe that adrenaline gave her the uncanny courage and strength to fend off three muggers. But it doesn't explain her dreams of fifteenth century Japan, the incredible fighting skills she possesses, or the strange voice giving her battle tips and danger warnings. While worrying that she's going crazy (always a reputation ruiner), Rileigh gets a visit from Kim, a handsome martial arts instructor, who tells Rileigh she's harboring the spirit of a five-hundred-year-old samurai warrior. 

Relentlessly attacked by ninjas, Rileigh has no choice but to master the katana--a deadly Japanese sword that's also the key to her past. As the spirit grows stronger and her feelings for Kim intensify, Rileigh is torn between continuing as the girl she's always been and embracing the warrior inside her. 

Being a martial artist and a lover of Japanese culture and art, this book is definitely up my alley.  It sounds like an exciting story, and I'm looking forward to seeing how Rileigh will grow after knowing that she has the spirit of a samurai warrior within her.  Here's hoping March will get here soon!  Plus, that cover looks seriously awesome.

What are you waiting on this Wednesday?

October RAK: Random Acts of Kindness

This is my first time participating in RAK, Random Acts of Kindness, hosted by the wonderful ladies at Book  Soulmates.  I think it's a fabulous way of sharing books with other bloggers, so I'm looking forward to giving some awesome books to awesome fellow bloggers. ^_^

COMPLETE RULES RE-CAP:
Please read carefully & follow all rules!

• Please sign-up each month that you can participate (and by participate, we mean give as well as receive).
• Show off your participation by grabbing our RAK button (code is in the sidebar).
• Create a wish list (on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog etc) and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.
• If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wish list and contact that blogger directly for their information.
• Once you receive a RAK, send us an our new email to [rakbybooksoulmates @ gmail . com] so that we can update the Google Doc. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU SEND EMAILS TO THIS ADDRESS!
• E-book participation is limited to files being gifted directly to a person from the e-book store. Amazon's Kindle Store is set up to allow this, as well as the Kobo store and we believe Barnes & Noble as well.
• At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K by making a "RAK Wrap-Up" post.  This post should include who you SENT gifts to as well who you RECEIVED gifts from :)

OPEN TO EVERYONE including all our International brethren!

Remember, there's always the Book Depository and they offer FREE shipping!

Easy peezy!!

Links you will need:

• Sign up for October [HERE]
• See who else is participating [HERE]
• If you have any questions regarding RAK, please contact the ladies at Book Soulmates via the following: rakbybooksoulamates @ gmail . com Good luck to all the giveaway participants and thanks for joining and passing on the kindness!
  
  You guys ROCK!!

Book Blogger Hop: October 1-3

This week on Denim-Jacket Librarian Dishes:

Manga Review: A Bride's Story Volume 1

Jim Henson: Celebrating an Innovative and Creative Thinking

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Want to Reread

As Crazy For Books says:

Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!

This week's question is:

“In honor of Banned Books Week, what is your favorite “banned or frequently challenged book”?”
Click here for 2010-11 list in PDF format. You can also click HERE to view past years and choose from any of those titles!

My Answer:  Although there are so many excellent banned books, I have to select Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.  It's one of those books that just sucks the reader into the story, and even if a reader hasn't experienced the extreme bullying that Melinda did, I'm sure most can relate to her in some way. 

AND

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  This was one of my all-time favorite novels in high school, and I was so sad to hear it was on the Banned list.  It's too great a novel to keep so many others from reading and learning from the story Lee created.  

What's your favorite banned book? ^_^