Banned Books Week: We Have a Winner!

Leigh and I are so happy to announce the winner of our #Speak Loudly/ Banned Books Week contest! We used Random Integer to pick our winner:

Picksee77 is our winner! We love all of Picksee's comments here at Whimsical Fic-ery, and she has reduced us to tears (in laughter) with some of her Lazy Book Club responses. (Namely the "Nah..." from the Graceling Book Club, in case you're wondering Picksee - Leigh and I were crying over that.)

And, though she won with her twitter post, we loved Picksee's original comment:

I must admit that I've never paid much attention to the banned book list, even though, I know I should. I looked today, and it REALLY is the place to find books to read! The books I've read, I've loved. And the ones I haven't, I've really wanted to and just haven't (Sorry Slaughterhouse Five...you've been on my list for years and our copy got lost somewhere-I promise to get back to you!).

But, my favorite on the list is Catch 22. Yossarian is one of my all time favorite literary characters. I'll think of him randomly and smile. He's just trouble. And he doesn't have an internal editor-so if a thought comes in his head, he says it, including his fears. Which, is kind of fearless. I also love the way it reads--it's not an easy read, but it's fun to read. The concept of Catch 22, or circular logic, is throughout-and the story has this depth and commentary on bureaucracies and war etc--but, on the flip side-it's just an interesting story that is really very funny and then dark. If you want to just read it for the story, you can! If you want to read it and think about it and unwind the Catch 22's, you can! I read it well after school was over and it was on my list of, "how did I miss this one again?" It wasn't because it was banned, just, somehow I didn't take the class that covered it. I'm glad I finally picked it up. It is now one of my all time favorites.

Thanks for doing this point - I think I take it for granted sometimes that books such as these get banned. And, I shouldn't because Fahrenheit 451 (a close second to Catch 22 from the list) is about banning books-and I had nightmares about it every night that I read it-I should be more aware. What's happening with Speak is just outrageous and sad and I probably wouldn't have known about it if it wasn't for you ladies--so thank you for the awareness!

Two of my favorite books! If you haven't read Catch 22 or Fahrenheit 451, definitely take Picksee's advice and pick them up! Congratulations Picksee!! Email us and we'll send you your loot!

Reading Rainbow: Banned Books Week Edition

It's Banned Books Week starting September 25th and we're ready to celebrate here at Whim Fic with a giveaway! But first, Leigh and I thought it would be fun to recommend our favorite banned books for today's Reading Rainbow.

My favorite, hands down, is Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. I'm kind of in love with Vonnegut - I'd say he was my first literary crush. I'm completely serious when I tell you that I had to pull over and cry when I heard he died. His books mean that much to me. I've read almost everything he's ever written, but Slaughterhouse Five is one of my favorites. It's a brilliant book.

The Banned Books List I found here on the ALA's site is practically a guide for where to find GOOD books! I love many of them, but I think one of my favorites is A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. This was really the first Urban Fantasy I ever read, before I even knew there was a distinction. I was blown away by the idea that there could be mysterious worlds not hidden by doors in cupboards, but by time itself. It cemented my love for science fiction and fantasy, spoke to the awkward girl I was at the time, and reassured me that there was magic - in some form - waiting for me.

There are so many great books on the banned books list it was hard to narrow it down to one book. I have to go with To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Atticus Finch was probably my first literary crush and the story still sticks to me to this very day. I might even go so far as to say this book influenced me in such a way that I am a better person for having read it. To Kill a Mockingbird reminds us all to be decent and kind humans and to always do the right thing. So yeah, I can totally see how this book ended up on the banned books list.*rolls eyes*

So there you have it. We've shared ours and now you must share yours. Why? Because you could win fabulous prizes! First, to honor Laurie Halse Anderson's book Speak, we are giving away a copy of the award-winning book. And, I promise to read it too (I'll order my copy when I order the winner's copy). In case you haven't yet heard about the #SpeakLoudly campaign, please go read Laurie Halse Anderson's blog post about her book being the recent target of this guy. Also, don't miss Myra McEntire's response at her blog - it's worth the read (I was in tears). Leigh has also written a wonderful post on parenting and censorship at her writing blog, so be sure to check that out as well!

We'll also be giving away a Whimsical Fic-ery tee that was inspired by this post.


It's pretty fantastic. Leigh even wore hers at the Decatur Book Fair!

Leigh, Myra McEntire, and Victoria Schwab

Okay, so to enter the give-away just follow these steps:
1. Leave a comment with your favorite banned book in the comments section of this post. Feel free to tell us why it's your favorite (because we like it when you're wordy). That will give you one entry and make you eligible for an extra entry (see #2).
2. If (and only if) you have left a comment with your favorite banned book, then you are eligible for one extra entry by tweeting about this post and the giveaway. But you must link to your tweet in a SEPARATE comment in the comments section.
3. Do all of this before Friday! We'll pick a winner and announce on Saturday. Good luck!

And, sadly, this is only open to US residents. I hate to even say it. Don't be mad. Please?

(And if you already own Speak, we can send you a different banned book instead. Don't worry - we're flexible. And whimsical.)