Lit Quick Picks, .2

It's Banned Books Week! Celebrate by reading something dirty. (What? You know you want to!) Or  just reread Harry Potter, because it's the number one banned book series in the country today. I'm not here to judge. (Unless you liked either the Twilight series or the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy, because both of those series should have never seen the light of day. I've seen a LOT of bad writing in my day - I've been a faculty member at university for over a decade - but those...ugh. Spectacularly horrific. They're not allowed in my home.)

Want to see what else has been frequently banned in the United States last year? Check out the ALA's top ten list. Then maybe get really crazy and read one of those books. I've only read five - I just put myself on the wait list for Craig Thompson's Habibi, which sounds fantastic. I've really been a fan of graphic novels lately, too - they're not your parents' comic book adaptations!

Finally, see how deep your banned book knowledge is with this quiz from the New York Public Library. No excuses...it's only six questions long!

Moving on...



I'm so excited about Ruth Bader Ginsburg's upcoming release, My Own Words, that I've already pre-ordered it twice. Oops. Thanks for watching my back on that one, Amazon.  Knowing me, I'll probably try to pre-order it at least one more time. It's set for release on October 4.
Maybe I'll pick up a copy of The Ruth Bader Ginsberg Coloring Book to tide me over until this book arrives. (In other news, the adult coloring book trend has officially become tiresome.)




If you're a contemporary fiction fan like I am, then you'll be excited to check out this list of highly anticipated second half 2016 publications from The Millions! Organized by month.


And no Quick Pick would be complete without my absolutely famous book reviews by hashtag! These books creeped me out a little this year. The spooky season is upon us, right?

• Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis: #thegodsgavethemselfawareness #thinkingdogsarescarydogs #prettysuresomeofthesedogsshouldhavebeencats
• Full Body Burden by Kristen Iverson: #COmakesThreeMileIslandseemlikeatropicalvacation #dontgonearthatlakekids #orthatnaturepreserve #actuallyletsstayinandplaycards
• The Pesthouse by Jim Crace: #postapocalypticAmerica #goeastyoungman #ornot  #bridgesarentwhattheyseem #whatthehellhappened?
• Fellside by MR Carey: #murderer #voicesinthewalls #orinyourhead #creepiestprisonever #oneofmyfavoritesthisyearforsure 

Still looking for books? You're a nut. Check out the 2017 long lists for Andrew Carnegie fiction and non-fiction awards. I guarantee that you'll find at least one title you haven't read yet.