It’s so hard to believe that it’s September already. This summer just flew by!
Teaser Tuesday is hosted every week by MizB at “Should Be Reading.” Here are the rules if you’d like to play along!
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
As Stuyvesant came to the rue Vavin, he waited for his feet to turn the corner towards the hotel. They did not. The night felt soft after the harsh day, and about the last thing he felt like was settling onto that hard, solitary mattress with Sylvia Beach’s detective story on his belly and Pip’s reproachful snapshot on the desk.
– The Bones of Paris by Laurie R. King
Yes, I know this was not on my list of things to read on Wednesday. I almost completely forgot about this ARC that we’re supposed to be reviewing on the podcast this week.
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the lovely folks over at “The Broke and the Bookish.” This week’s topic is an interesting one, and something that I think will generate a lot of discussion, especially with Banned Book Week coming up. I know I have said many times that I think teenagers, especially older teens, can handle a lot more than we give them credit for. A lot of these books may have subject matter that is difficult to talk about, which is why sometimes it is easier for them to identify with these characters as a way to help support them through whatever issues they have to handle. I know that there have been books that I have found comforting during difficult times, if only because they made me feel less alone. Someone out there understood what I was going through, and sometimes, that’s a big thing to help you through.
Sheesh, that’s a lot more than I usually type for these things. Moving on . . .
Top Ten (or Seven) Books That You Wish Were Taught In Schools
1. Shine by Lauren Myracle – This book tells the story of a hate crime against an openly gay teenage boy living in a small town. It also a story about friendship and how to recover from things in your past to be able to move forward into your future.
2. Looking for Alaska by John Green – This one has been challenged in schools (which you know makes me want to push it even more). Guess what, grown ups – teenagers talk about sex. Get over it. This book is a beautiful story about friendship and love, but also a warning against letting your friends get too out of control. Lessons are sometimes learned too late and you have to be prepared to face the consequences.
3. The Book Thief by Marcus Zuzak – This book might be taught in schools already, I don’t know. I will say this – I have learned more history from books like this (set in World War II) than I ever learned in a boring history class. Connecting with a character and seeing what that character goes through brings historical events to life.
4. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson – This is an author who definitely doesn’t shy away from difficult topics. This book is about two friends, both of whom battle anorexia, one of whom doesn’t recover. The friend left behind has to learn how to deal with the loss while still battling her own demons.
5. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson – Remember what I said about teenagers needing to identify with a book character in order to help heal from bad situations? This book is one of those. To say more would be to spoil the entire thing, so I will leave it at that. Let’s just say that although the main character in this book is a girl, it’s the young men of this world that really need to read it.
6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky – Another amazing book that tells how important friends are when going through difficult times and how important it is to be yourself. I’ve raved about this book already, so I’ll just leave it at that.
7. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – I think this one does get used in classrooms already, but it would be really good to pair up with studies about the Nazi regime or other oppressive dictatorships. Again, it’s something that can really help illustrate a complicated issue.
Please leave your Teasers and Top Ten lists in comments!
Categories: Teaser Tuesday, Top Ten Tuesdays
Life With No Plot 
I like Laurie R. King and am eager to hear what you think about this book. Come see my teasers for This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales and The Edge of Normal by Carla Norton. Happy reading!
It’s good so far, although it’s moving a little too slow for me. I’m about at the halfway point.
This is a great list. I have never read Shine, and while it sounds like a very difficult read, I think it would be very relevant to today’s society and what students see in schools. I will have to pick it up!
My Top Ten Tuesday- http://wp.me/p3DIPM-6e
Shine is a difficult book, since it doesn’t just deal with the hate crime and the fall out around that, it also deals with a sexual assault. I understand that it makes some people uncomfortable (which is probably why some of these books get banned), but the problems aren’t going to just disappear unless we talk about them.
You’ve got some great choices this week Denise. I have some of the same on your list. I was going to put Wintergirls on mine too. It is important for schools to tackle these issues.
Thanks! I love when books tackles these big issues because it makes the issues more easy to deal with and understand. Which is why they should definitely be discussed in schools. It might be uncomfortable to some people, but if it helps other students, then I think it’s worth it. 🙂
Interesting teaser…thanks for sharing. Here’s MY TUESDAY MEMES POST
Thanks! I liked your teaser as well. Happy reading!
I like your list. Your teaser didn’t tease me – is it a good book?
Here is mine: http://reviewbooksandmore.com/2013/09/03/teaser-tuesday-meme-9313/
I’ll be honest, it’s not my favorite book that I’ve read, not by a long shot. It’s going really slow at the moment, but I’m at about the half way point, so things should start picking up soon. I hope. 🙂
The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Book Thief are definitely should be.
Absolutely. And a good thing about Perks is that it’s short! You could easily fit it into a schedule!