Patricia's Particularity

Young Adult Giveaway Hop (International)

2012-01-26T23:59:00.000-08:00

As you can tell, I love Young Adult Novels! So what better way to share this love than give away a Young Adult novel?

But I'm going to let you pick one out!
A book up to $10 (US dollars) to Book Depository

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to check out the other blogs in this Giveaway Hop!

Finding A New Book Lover!

2012-01-25T04:46:00.000-08:00

I know I say this a lot, but I can never say it enough to tell you how much this is true! One of the best things I love about the Book Blogging world is the support and love offered by fellow Book Bloggers. I love finding a new Blog and becoming "obsessively" addicted to their blog, their reviews, and all their posts really. One of the most recent being Rachelia @ {Booksih Comforts}. If you haven't seen her blog you must! While she may not have been blogging long she has started off with a bang, even reviewing one of my favorite books, C.J. Omololu's Dirty Little Secrets!

We all have our own reasons for Book Blogging... What made you decide to start a book review blog?
I wouldn't say it was any one thing - I didn't just wake up and decide to start one, let's put it that way! I'd been playing with the idea of starting my own book blog for a little less than a year but I just wasn't sure if I could do it. My perfectionism always seem to get in the way and I was nervous about stepping into an already established community. However, I was reading some AWESOME books and really wanted to discuss them with other bookworms. Around this time a lot of book blogs I read keep reiterating the point that anyone can be a book blogger, that the community was really friendly and that it was a great experience. One of my online friends Katy was also really supportive, and so I decided in December to put all my fears aside and just jump in. So far, I'm glad I did :)

There is a quite a bit of fear in starting and maintaining a Book Blog - you are really put yourself out there in a completely different way. It takes strength and you certainly show you have that!

What types of genre(s) do you read the most?
I read a variety of different genre(s): YA (is that even a genre - or is it a larger category? haha), paranormal, contemporary (YA or adult), and some historical fiction and mystery/suspense. I also enjoy some non-fiction too. I try and rotate what I'm reading so I'm not always reading from the same genre as sometimes it gets a bit too repetitive.

What are your hopes for your book review blog?
I would love to start some amazing, thoughtful discussions on my blog between me and my fellow readers. That's why I started the blog after all! I'm not expecting to become a big blogger and I don't expect myself to post a review each day of the week. I want to have fun reading and it doesn't matter to me if that book is an ARC, brand new release or a book that's been sitting on the shelves for a few years. I guess then my hope is that the blog will connect me with other bookworms and give me a place to call my own on the internet where I can share my love of books. It sounds like I am already half way there!

You are definitely already half way there!!

How have you found the book blogging community so far?
I feel like I didn't join at the greatest of times, haha. I was just starting to post when I began reading about all the author/reviewer/Goodreads drama and frankly, it scared me! I can also be really shy and socially awkward so sometimes I find it hard to reach out to other bloggers. I may really want to jump in on a conversation but feel awkward and don't want to be rude. Most of the bloggers I follow and have met on Twitter are really nice, even if it's intimidating because they have a huge following and post amazing content, etc. Making genuine connections and feeling less socially awkward are something I am working on. But generally everyone seems supportive and nice!

Who are some of your favourite authors?
I actually don't have a ton of favourite authors like when I was younger because I'm just getting back into reading more often. My three big ones are J.K Rowling, Ann Brashares, and Jodi Picoult. I'm really liking Myra McEntire and Maureen Johnson right now - they are hilarious on Twitter!

There you have it folks! A lovely new Book Blogger you must check out!

Find Rachelia on her Blog | Twitter | GoodReads

YA Saves - - Building Up A List of Titles

2012-01-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

If you haven't read my recent YA Saves Sunday Post go HERE to read about how high school students have had their Mexican American & Chicano books 'banned' from their schools.

In response here is a small list of Native American, Mexican American & Chicano Young Adult Books I recommend (I have tried to find a good mix of both 'classic' and new published novels & I know there are plenty more out there, so if you have suggestions, leave a comment!):

- Adios to My Old Life by Caridad Ferrer - - mexican

- Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya - - mexican

- Eagle Song by Joseph Bruchac - - native

- Estrella's Quinceanera by Malin Alegria - - mexican

- Graffiti Girl by Kelly Parra - - mexican

- Morning Girl by Michael Dorris - - mexican

- Muchacho by LouAnne Johnson - - mexican

- Rain Is Not My Indian Name by Cynthia Leitich Smith - - native

- Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac - - native

- Sofi Mendoz's Guide To Getting Lost in Mexico by Malin Alegria - - mexican

- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Alexie Sherman - - native

- The Brothers Torres by Coert Voorhees - - mexican

- The Lesser Blessed by Richard van Camp - - native

~ This serves as my version of a Master List for YA Saves books ~

** Titles that are linked are to my reviews **

- A Blue So Dark by Holly Schindler

- After by Amy Efaw - - teen pregnancy; baby dumping

- Annie's Baby edited by Beatrice Sparks - - teen pregnancy

- Baby Be-Bop by Francesca Lia Block - - glbt - banned book

- Between Mom & Joe by Laurie Halse Anderson - - glbt

- Bitter End by Jennifer Brown - - abuse in a relationship

- Blindsided by Priscilla Cummings

- Boy Toy by Barry Lyga

- Burned by Ellen Hopkins

- By The Time You Read This I'll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters - - suicide

- Candy by Kevin Brooks

- Clean by Amy Read

- Crank by Ellen Hopkins - - drugs

- Cut by Patricia McCormick
- Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu - - hoarding

- Fallout by Ellen Hopkins
- Geography Club by Brent Hartinger - - glbt - banned book

- Glass by Ellen Hopkins
- Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks - - banned book
- grl2grl by Julie Anne Peters - - glbt
- Hate List by Jennifer Brown
- Hold Still by Nina LaCour

- I Loved You First by Reena Jacobs

- If I Tell by Janet Gurtler
- Impulse by Ellen Hopkins - -suicide, cutting (self-mutilation), glbt
- Jay's Journal by Beatrice Sparks
- Leverage by Joshua C. Cohen - - steroids (drugs), bullying, rape, suicide
- Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
- Muchacho by Louanne Johnson

- Nicholas Dane by Melvin Burgess

- Perfect by Ellen Hopkins - - body image, self acceptance, drugs, sex
- Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez - - glbt

- Rainbow High by Alex Sanchez - - glbt

- Rainbow Road by Alex Sanchez     - - glbt
- Scars by Cheryl Rainfield    - - cutting (self-mutilation), abuse - challenged
- Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers
- Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson    - - rape
- Stained by Joanne Hichens - - depression

- Stay With Me by Paul Griffin

- Stop Pretending... by Sonya Sones - - mental disease

- The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan - - glbt
- The Rules of Survival by Nancy Wertin

- The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen
- Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
- Tricks by Ellen HOpkins

- Try Not To Breathe by Jennifer R. Hubbard
- Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson - - banned book
- Want To Go Private? by Sarah Littman - - online predators

- What They Always Tell Us by Martin Wilson
- Willow by Julia Hoban

- Winter Girls by Laurie Halse Anderson

- You Against Me by Jenny Downham

YA Saves Sunday - Banning Ethnic Books in High Schools

2012-01-22T02:00:00.000-08:00

There has been a bit of a resurgence of #yasaves on twitter - and I'm not talking about the normal tweets about tshirts and book reviews (which are all wonderful, don't get me wrong - - a few of those are mine). I am talking about one article in particular that caught my attention right away:

* Tucson Schools Bans Books by Chicano & Native American Authors *

Tucson Schools Bans Books hits home, literally - I live in Tucson! So beware this is not going to be a 'short' post...

But first a little background: there has been a long debate about changing the curriculum of the Mexican American Studies within the Tucson Unified School District schools (ignited by the superintendent) starting in 2006. His reasoning for this: they create segregation instead of individualism, they promote the overthrow of the US Government, and they promote resentment. Having not been in high school for a very long time, and in a different city, I cannot tell you if these findings are 100% accurate. But that is not the point. To make a long debate short the schools were under so much presser that instead of changing the curriculum to "fit" what the superintendent deemed appropriate, on January 10th they abruptly shut down ALL Mexican American Studies within the TUSD. In a place you live right next to the Mexican border, this just doesn't make sense to me.... but before I go on a tirade about the schools' decision I should get back on track.... the banning of books.

After these programs were 'shut down' all the schools literally SEIZED all books written by Chicano and Native American authors. And if this couldn't get worse... IT DOES! There are numerous reports of these books literally being taken out of the students' hands!!

(one of the books that have been "banned")

According to The Sun, here are some books that have been banned (even though they are supposedly still in the schools' libraries [saying this with sarcasm] and/or the "district storage facility":

Rethinking Columbus by Bill Bigelow
500 Years of Chicano History in Pictures edited by Elizabeth Martinez
Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Frire
Chicano! The History of the Mexican Civil Rights Movement by F. Rosales - - he was one of my professors in my undergrade!!

Speaking Out

Students been speaking out, hosting their own rally on Martin Luther King Day. Many respected authors and poets have been speaking out as well:

Simon Ortiz, poet and regents professor at Arizona State University's English Department and American Indian Studies said:
"I am very stunned and very shocked and very pissed off the Tucson Unified School District would ban Mexican American Studies and books like Rethinking Columbus: The Next Five Hundred Years that includes works by Indigenous (Native) authors Leslie Marmon Silko, N. Scott Momaday, Winona LaDuke, Buffy St. Marie, Joy Harjo, Wendy Rose, Joseph Bruchac, Jimmie Durham, Peter Blue Cloud, Luther Standing Bear, Gail Trembly, Jose Barreiro, Phillip Martin, Suzanne Shown Harjo. The banning explicitly and pointedly shows it is not only Mexican American Studies and people and so-called illegal immigrants that are targeted but Indigenous studies and people as a whole"
One of the nation's top Chicano authors and professor at University of Arizona (in Tucson), Roberto Rodriguez, said:
"The attacks in Arizona are mind-boggling. To ban the teaching of a discipline is draconian in and of itself."

Ripple Effects

It is hard to not believe that this is going to, if it has not already, have ripple effects within schools, libraries, communities and homes. If Mexican American Studies can be banned, what about other cultural studies? What about topics such as feminism and Black History Month? Already you can see how students are being affected NOW: "Students, describing the trauma, said it was as if they were in Nazi Germany" (source). But it is not just books that have been "banned": "It's everything...ever created." This means posters, slide shows, and those fun things that help bring more students into such programs (source). The same teacher that said this also said that she was "told that she cannot teach the Aztec Calendar to her students. 'Nothing related to Mexican history or culture.' "

Final Thoughts

There are soo many things to be said about this....I could go on a never-ending tirade about this. But to make sure I stay on track I'll break it down:

Restructuring the programs - Instead of getting ride of such programs, why not restructure them!! Put in the work. As I've said, its been a very long time since I was in high school, and if some of these programs are promoting un-civil things then restructure the program so it promotes peace and understanding (I know how cheesy that sounds but seriously!)
School Libraries - because of budget cuts today most schools NO LONGER have libraries... so I'm curious how many schools actually have their own libraries today? According to TUSD Spokeswoman these books where moved to the libraries.... but if the schools do not have their own library, are they staying on site or have they been completely removed from the school site??
Deleting History - I personally see all of this as taking out a large part of American (and Arizona) history out of the curriculum for schools. I am not sure if related historical events that were taught in these Studies have been or will be taken out as well. Honestly, I would not be surprised if this did happen.
Defining "Ban" is not important - it doesn't matter if these books were "banned" or placed in a different location; they have been removed from the classrooms, thus making it less likely for students to read them let alone know of their existence (especially as the program is now non-existent). In the end THIS IS A FORM OF CENSORSHIP!! (ironically, the superintendent is supposidely against censorship... umm doesn't that contradicts itself??...)

"For us here in Tucson, this is not over. If anything, the banning of
books will let the world know precisely what kind of mindset is
operating here; in that previous era, this would be referred to as a
reduccion (cultural genocide) of all things Indigenous. In this era, it
can too also be see as a reduccion."

Make sure to come back tomorrow for a List of Native American & Chicano Books!

Releases This Week: January 22nd - 28th

2012-01-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

Diabolical (Tantalize #4) by Cynthia Leitich Smith (1/24/12)
Getting Over Garrett Delaney by Abby McDonald (1/24/12)

Forbidden by Syrie James & Ryan James (1/24/12) ** 2012 Debut Author
The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe (1/24/12)

Havoc (Deviants #2) by Jeff Sampson (1/24/12)
Everneath (Everneath #1) by Brodi Ashton (1/24/12) **2012 Debut Author

YA Saves Reading Challenge UPDATES

2012-01-19T09:57:00.000-08:00

Guess what!? I have a wonderful new Co-Host to the YA Saves Reading Challenge. You might have seen you around the Blogsphere... her name is Andrea and she is the creator of the amazing blog

The Busy Bibliophile!

We have been working hard this past week in creating a fun yet informative Challenge for everyone. Having a new co-host means new buttons!

You can sign up at either site and link up your reviews on either site.

Again I am very excited about the new updates... speaking of we have 1 more update:

A Twitter Hashtag for everyone to use

#yasaveschallenge

Why use this hashtag? To share your reviews & to participate in the many giveaways we will be having!!

Make sure to keep an eye out for many new and exciting posts soon to come!!

Children's Review: A Kiss Goodbye and Chester & The Big Bad Bully

2012-01-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

A Kiss Goodbye by Audrey Penn
Illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson
Publisher: Tanglewood Press
Published: April 15th 2007
Hardcover, 32 pages
Reading Level: 3 and Up
Source: NetGalley

Patricia's Particularity

Young Adult Giveaway Hop (International)

Finding A New Book Lover!

YA Saves - - Building Up A List of Titles

YA Saves Sunday - Banning Ethnic Books in High Schools

Releases This Week: January 22nd - 28th

YA Saves Reading Challenge UPDATES

Children's Review: A Kiss Goodbye and Chester & The Big Bad Bully

Review: Entice by Carrie Jones

2012 Audiobook Challenge

Calling YA Authors of Love!!

Children's Review: Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport

Cover Reveals Mega Edition!

Releases This Week: January 15th - 21st

New Forms!

Blog Under Construction

Audiobook Review: I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

YA Saves Reading Challenge on GoodReads

A Cute Book Video

Review: When The Sea Is Rising Red by Cat Hellisen

Cover Revel! Miranda Kenneally & Others

Releases This Week: January 8th - 14th

Children's Review: Sweet Land of Liberty by Callista Gingrich

Review: Immortal City by Scott Speer

A Lovely Book Swap

Reminder!! Only 2 More Days!

Cover Reveal - What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor

Releases This Week: January 1st - 7th

Post Your Reviews: YA Saves Reding Challenge - January

Reminder!! YA Saves Reading Challenge

Goodbye 2011 & Hello 2012

Top 10 Books I’m looking forward to in 2012

J.F. Jenkins Book Tour Sign Up - CLOSED

Cover Reveal: Before I Wake by Rachel Vincent

Review: Life Is But A Dream by Brian James

Cover Reveals & Book Trailers Fun

Top 10 Book Boyfriends in 2011

Top 10 Book Covers of 2011

Top 10 Books I've Read in 2011

Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

In My Mailbox (27)

Releases This Week: Decemeber 25th - 31st

Happy Holidays!

2012 Sophomore Reading Challenge

Introducing The YA Saves Reading Challenge

Children's Review: Llama Llama Holiday Drama & Aliens Love Panta Claus

YA Saves Sunday 9

Releases This Week: December 18th - 24th

Review: Sixteenth Summer by Michelle Dalton

Happy Birthday Jane Austen

2012 Standalone Reading Challenge

Children's Review: The Christmas Magic by Lauren Thompson

Follow Friday (12)

Q: When you’ve read a book, what do you do with it? (Keep it, give it away, donate it, sell it, swap it..?)

Cover Reveals

Review: Vampire Academy Graphic Novel

Review: The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

Children's Reviews: The Legend of Mistletoe & A Bad Kitty Christmas

Releases This Week: December 11th - 17th

Review: Kiss Crush Collide by Christina Meredith

Children's Review: The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Review: Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey

Releases This Week: December 4th - 10th

Children's Review: The Mice of Bistrot des Sept Freres by Marie Le Tourneau