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The Week in Books

General Chatter, The Week in Books

10 Literary Quotes to Celebrate Pride

10 literary quotes to celebrate pride


June is Pride Month, a worldwide celebration, commemoration, recognition, and coming together of all members of the LGBT+ community. There are many different ways to celebrate pride as individuals as well as part of our communities. From parades and parties to exhibitions and art performances. You can celebrate pride loudly, quietly, in groups or by yourself.

Books have always been a fantastic resource for learning and witnessing diverse representations. You can find a selection of fantastic books from fiction to biography, poetry to essays all written by LGBTQIA writers on our Pride Books page. Below we’ve listed some of our favourite literary quotes to celebrate pride. Read ours and share your own!


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General Chatter, The Week in Books

The Best Books Celebrating Real Life Heroes

celebrating real life heroes

The last year has really shone a light on the everyday heroes of the NHS, the unsung keyworkers in retail and service industries, our teachers, social workers, community leaders, the list goes on. We’re shining a light on some of the best books that celebrate these real life heroes, as well as books which provide insight into the lives of inspirational people.

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Author of the Week, The Week in Books

5 Things to Love About Roy Grace

5 things to love about roy grace


Peter James’ bestselling Roy Grace crime series is soon to be brought to life on the small screen with ITV. John Simm will be playing Detective Inspector Roy Grace, the Brighton-based sleuth who’s captured the attention of crime and mystery readers across the globe. The Roy Grace TV adaptation begins on March 14th, so in celebration of Peter James’ fantastic detective, we want to share five things to love about Roy Grace.

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General Chatter, The Week in Books

World Book Day Costumes | The Do’s and Don’ts

Costume

By Sarah Kneath.

It’s coming close to that time of year again. The day parents up and down the country discuss in hushed tones in quiet corners, shuddering over the ghosts of World Book Day past. Sadly, for most parents, the days when children were just given a voucher and had a book fair are done, it’s all about the costumes these days. Now, before you go delving into the dressing up box in a blind panic, here are some handy tips to help you get prepared.

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General Chatter, The Week in Books

20 Inspirational Women Authors

20 Inspirational Women Authors

It’s International Women’s Day on the 8th of March, and the entire month of March is Women’s History Month! There’s always a reason to celebrate women in literature, and no better time than right now. So here are our 20 inspirational women authors that you should all be reading right now.

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General Chatter, The Week in Books

Books that were previously banned

By Rebecca Reed

Many of the classics that we know and love today were frowned upon due to their content. So we have compiled a list of banned books for Banned Book Week, and some may surprise you.

Angus Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging – Louise Rennison
The first in the hugely popular teenage angst series that featured on many a high school girls bookshelves, the main character Georgia Nicholson discussed boys, lesbianism, pornography and erections this subject material made this book a target for censorship in US schools.

His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman
This popular trilogy was mostly criticised in the US for its apparent attack on the church and religion altogether. The author Philip Pullman does admit the books are about “The Killing of God”. To add to the books controversial nature, the sexual awakening of Lyra has been removed from some editions.

The Lord of the Rings – J. R. R. Tolkien.
This book has been banned in the past as they are deemed as “satanic” and the books were even burned by members of a church in New Mexico. However, J. R. R. Tolkien was a devout Christian and many scholars note Christian themes in his work.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
A childhood novel that has been the pinnacle of many bedtime stories and adaptions Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was banned in China because the animals in the novel were acting on the same level as humans.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – J.K. Rowling.
A favourite of ours here at World of Books, we are the first to jump at any Harry Potter goodness. So, we were surprised to learn that the first book in the wizarding saga was banned and burned in many US states for promoting witchcraft.

Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchel
The novel that set many hearts aflutter with the introduction of Rhett Butler. This novel has been banned in various US states for containing racist language.

Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
A staple of many English literature GCSE lessons here in England but this novella contained offensive and vulgar language, racism, sexism and promoted euthanasia. These are all accusations that this book has received. Due to the above reasons you will often find this book on the American list of the most censored book in schools.

Animal Farm – George Orwell
Animal Farm powerfully demonstrates the importance of democracy and freedom of speech. However, allied forces found the book critical of the USSR and found it too controversial to print during war-time. A play of Animal Farm was banned in Kenya as it was too critical of corrupt leaders. You will often find this and Nineteen Eighty-Four by the same author on the banned books list.

There are many other Banned Books and many are still banned today. You can stock up on all your bookish needs here at World of Books.