I recently read a great article about the numerous books which have been banned by schools. Some of these books are now required reading in classrooms across America. Brave New World, A Wrinkle in Time, The Grapes of Wrath and Uncle Tom's Cabin all fall into the company of previously banned books. In a Texas high school, To Kill a Mockingbird was cited as unsuitable due to the values it portrayed. 

I'd be proud to be in the company of such works as the previous list. I pondered on the names of more recent novels joining the ranks of banned books. We all know of the stir that the Harry Potter books created.  I found a current list online with books like The Kite Runner, Twilight, and The Lovely Bones.

The Pelham Public Library has a challenge for you. It's called the Fahrenheit 451:  Banned Book Reading Challenge Suggested Reading List 2011. To see the list, go here: http://pelhamlibrary.blogspot.com/2011/03/challenged-and-banned-book-list.html. I dare you. 

Every writer I talk with has a different tool that he/she uses for writing. Some use the computer. Others use notebooks or index cards. I've even heard about notes on dinner napkins.I'm now the owner of an ipad and wanted to find an app for writing where I could take my tool with me everywhere. Okay, I know that paper napkins can be had anywhere...but I need organization. And something without a ketchup stain.Are you a writer? If so, check out the wonderful Manuscript App. With this app, I'm able to use electronic notecards, make outlines for chapters, and then organize each chapter in separate sections. For a visual boost, I can access my Work-In-Progress as a hardbound book with the title in gleaming gold letters. The work also has the word count listed at the bottom.The cons are there, of course. I haven't figured out if there is a spell check, but I'm pretty sure it's missing. It is also too easy to delete something without getting the handy message you get in other software programs. You know the one. The box pops up with, "Are you sure you want to delete this file?" I was always annoyed with it before. Now, I miss it.Overall, I'd recommend the app for your first draft and for organizing all your thoughts.It also worked well for putting in my synopsis, outlines, and notes. For the second draft, I had to move to Word or Pages. I'd give it a thumbs up for the writer working on the ipad.Posted: Thu, 17 Mar 2011 01:43:00 +0000