According to the users of GoodReads, there are some books that everyone should read at least once in their lifetime. You can find the list here. It is a list of 100 books that were voted on by the users of GoodReads. The Iowa Library for the Blind has every book on that list in at least one format (digital, Braille or large print). Most of the books the library has in multiple formats. There are books for all kinds of readers. Check out the list and see how many you have read and request the ones you haven’t!
Tag: 2016
Banned Books Week
Which banned book character would you want to have lunch with?
Banned Books Week, September 25th – October 1st, brings together the entire book community—libraries, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types —in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider controversial and unpopular. First observed in 1982, Banned Books Week reminds Americans not to take the freedom to read for granted.
Banned Books Week – September 25 – October 1st
If you could go back in time, which book would you give your younger self?
Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community—libraries, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types —in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas. First observed in 1982, Banned Books Week reminds Americans not to take the freedom to read for granted.
Celebrate your freedom to read during Banned Books Week, September 25 – October 1
This very month, U.S. libraries of all types and sizes, in cities and towns, will acknowledge Banned Books Week September 25—October 1. Sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA), Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and highlighting the value of open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community—libraries, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types —in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider controversial and unpopular. First observed in 1982, Banned Books Week reminds Americans not to take the freedom to read for granted. This year’s Banned Books Week slogan is “Stand Up For Your Right To Read.”
The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles lists of challenged books as reported in the media and submitted by librarians and teachers across the country.
The top ten most challenged books of 2015 include:
- Looking for Alaska, by John Green
- Fifty Shades of Grey, by E. L. James
- I Am Jazz, by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings
- Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, by Susan Kuklin
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
- The Holy Bible
- Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel
- Habibi, by Craig Thompson
- Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan, by Jeanette Winter
- Two Boys Kissing, by David Levithan
Below is a list of banned and/or challenged Books from the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century. Here are the top the top 15 classics from the list, more can be found here http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/classics/reasons
Challenged Classics
- The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- The Catcher in the Rye, by JD Salinger
- The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck
- To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
- The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
- Ulysses, by James Joyce
- Beloved, by Toni Morrison
- 1984, by George Orwell
- Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov
- Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
- Catch-22, by Joseph Heller
- Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
- Animal Farm, by George Orwell
- The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway
- As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner
What Should I Read Next?
Are you wondering what books you should read or request next? The staff at the Iowa Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped want to make sure you are reading the books YOU want to be reading. Reading a book that is of actual interest to you will make the reading experience that much more enjoyable. And it is good to play a role in the books you are receiving and reading. Your request list with the library can be as long as you want it to be. When the library staff download books to your cartridge or send you Braille or large print, they are taking books from your request list, so it is good when that list is long and provided by you. There are different resources to help you choose what you want to read next.
You can always use the Talking Book Topics to choose what you want to read. Talking Book Topics does a good job of grouping the books into different genres and also offering a nice summary of the book to help you decide. You can send us your request list through the mail, give us call or send us an email with your picks.
The library’s online catalog (http://idblibrary.blind.state.ia.us/EOSWebOPAC) can also help you choose what book(s) you may want to read. Simply do a keyword or subject search for your favorite authors or subject and discover titles you may not have already read. Or check out the “Lists” section of the catalog and see what titles in the collection the library staff have highlighted. For example, under “Special Titles” there is a list of titles by Iowa authors, a list of Mystery Picks, etc.
There are also a few websites that could be helpful in choosing your next book:
Amazon (http://www.amazon.com)
GoodReads (https://www.goodreads.com)
All Readers (http://www.allreaders.com)
These websites do a good job of providing different lists from which to choose books or offering title suggestions that are based on a title you have entered. If you see a book on one of these sites, give us a call with the title and author and we’ll check to see if we have it and put it on your request list. Or go to our catalog and you can search for yourself!
Remember, we want to send you the books YOU want to read!
What’s New in Large Print
Are you a large print reader? Below are some large print titles that were added to the collection over the summer. Follow this link to see the entire list of large print titles added this summer. Some are brand new books; others are books that are old favorites that are new to the Iowa Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. As you may know, the large print books can also be sent through the mail to your home. Just give us a call at 515.281.1323 with some titles and, if they are available, we will get them in the mail to you!
LT12092 – The 14th Colony by Steve Berry
LT12167 – All is not Forgotten by Wendy Walker
LT12090 – As Time Goes By by Mary Higgins Clark
LT12153 – Bay of Sighs by Nora Roberts
LT12100 – Brush of Wings by Karen Kingsbury
LT12086 – Clawback by J.A. Jance
LT12085 – Cometh the Hour by Jeffrey Archer
LT12081 – Country by Danielle Steel
LT12149 – Dishonorable Intentions by Stuart Woods
LT12150 – End of Watch by Stephen King
LT12157 – Falling by Jane Green
LT12087 – A Few of the Girls by Maeve Binchy
LT12094 – Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben
LT12164 – Insidious by Catherine Coulter
LT12098 – Miss Julia Inherits a Mess by Ann B. Ross
LT12089 – Most Wanted by Lisa Scottoline
LT12091 – Once a Rancher by Linda Lael Miller
LT12166 – Sunday Kind of Love by Dorothy Garlock
LT12147 – Tall Tail by Rita Mae Brown
LT12082 – Undercover by Danielle Steel