Post 430: a general update

Awwww yeah, halfway through Banned Book Week. I am such a pro. Just in case you didn't figure it out, the posts that say "Post" are my regular...posts, and the ones that say Banned Book Week make lovers of freedom everywhere cry. Except that Banned Book Week is awesome. There are of course a naysayers, that Banned Book Week is all propaganda and 'no one in America actually bans books.' The logic behind the argument is that books are widely available for purchase everywhere, and therefore limiting access in one location (such as a school library) does not preclude the ability to procure the book elsewhere. To those people I say, you do realize that Borders closed ALL of their stores recently, right? And that we're in an economic crisis and not everyone can afford to buy ALL of the books they want to read? Because, I mean... that happened and is happening. There are some communities that no longer HAVE a bookstore because Borders ran out all of the small booksellers, and now there is a gaping bookseller shaped hole. Information deserts, ya'll. Anyway, I can't afford to keep feeding you all this thought-food, because I am broke as shit. So I will talk about the books I will talk about. Except of course the Banned Books, because those are SURPRISES.

Grave Matters by Tony Platt.
Finished this on Saturday. Possibly the best book I have ever read that was written by a white guy and explains the issue of Native American burial rights and wanting artifacts and bones returned. It's focused on one Native American group, the Yoruk, in California, but he uses their condition as a way of talking specifically about an issue that affects a large number of people in a similar manner. As someone with a background in history (and a white person), I am complicit in benefiting, however indirectly, from the suffering of Native Americans. That shit is not cool, and I'll be talking more about my feelings regarding the use of research gained through illicit means, i.e. grave robbing.

The Best American Science and Nature Writing of 2011 edited by Mary Roach.
Mary Roach is a science superstar. I want to follow her around on her next research project, if only so I can get more poop stories. I am afraid of reading the news, so I feel like I missed out on a lot of interesting scientific research/developments/whatevers, and this seems like a good way to at least broaden my horizons a bit. The fact that it is edited by someone I trust just makes it awesome. Also, how the hell am I going to shorten that title for my label? Holy butts.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.
I have no preconceived expectations about this one except that pretty much everyone on my blogging list is all THIS IS GOOD! So, I saw it at the library, and I was all, meh, okay. It will be a nice break from my proscribed reading, because holy crap after this I am pretty much booked until November. Get it, booked? I am a book blogger... Yeah okay, at least I didn't eat paste as a kid.

How to Live Safely in a Science Fiction Universe by Charles YU...
no have a shorter title? Actually, I really like this title, and somehow it makes me really, really want to know how to survive (and safely!) in a science fiction universe. These are things that are relevant to my life. This is why I also own a copy of The Zombie Survival Guide; well, that and I found most of the information also works for stupid people.