Writer's Block: Book worms unite!

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Best books

'Les Miserables' by Victor Hugo. It's melodramatic, yes, but so incredibly moving. An unforgettable story of redemption of a criminal who tries to evade a police officer. A story that tells how the very outcasts of society struggle to survive. Basically tells how if we want to reduce crime, we must eliminate to conditions that lead to people committing crime (poverty, ignorance). Hugo had revolutionary ideas (and was lighyears ahead of his peers) for a person of his time.

'Looking for Alibrandi' by Melina Marchetta. A bildungsroman novel on an illegitimate born teen who comes to accept her Italian heritage. She deals with first love, death and finally meeting her father for the first time.

A tie between 'First Test' and 'Page' by Tamora Pierce. These first two books are part of a Fantasy quartet about Kel, the first girl to train as a knight in the European medieval world of Tortall. Simply written and for young teens, but told so well. The first book deals with hazing and bullying, and how to deal with bullies. The second one covers violence against women, self defense, bullying. These books have their flaws (Kel overcomes her fear of heights too quickly), but I love them all the same.

Worst books

Left Behind books, by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B Jenkins. Read hilarious and insightful summaries by slacktivist (Fred Clark, a liberal Christian) here:

http://exharpazo.blogspot.com/2007/01/index-to-slactivists-left-behind.html

Awful far right wing Christian propaganda. Sexist, racist, homophobic, prejudiced against other religions, with flat characters, awful Gary Stus who are more hateful than the villain...Fred Clark describes these books as having anti-Christian values, and I couldn't agree more.

( Read more... )

There was someone who came up with the great quote that bad morals make for bad writing(I think it was baeraad) . All in all, I can only agree.

Humane Chain - end cruel live sheep export

Hi there everyone,

From Humane Chain info pack:

Over 4,000,000 sheep were exported live from Australia to the Middle East in 2008. Over 35,000 of these sheep died en route from starvation, stress and disease. Many of the sheep that survive the journey are handled and slaughtered in ways that would be neither legal nor tolerated in Australia.

Here's what you can do to combat the unspeakable treatment of sheep in Australia's live sheep trade:

Meet with your local MP. At the meeting you can ask questions, discuss your concerns and urge your MP to act against live exports. Organising a meeting is easy. Humane Chain can provide you with materials like video footage to take with you. To find out more, click on the link below to get Humane Chain's information pack:

http://www.wspa.org.au/mp%5Finfopack/MP_meeting_tips_v2.pdf

To learn more about cruelties of live sheep export, the huge cost in jobs and money caused by it, and alternatives to this, visit the website at http://www.humanechain.org/?r=23

Raise awareness even more by including a link to the Humane Chain in your emails or on your social networking site. Join in discussions and highlight cruelties of live sheep trade through these Humane Chain social networking groups:

Humane Chain Twitter: http://twitter.com/humanechainHumane Chain blog: http://humanechain.blogspot.comHumane Chain Facebook cause: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/270496/58621265?m=1b2abeb2 Contact the media

Thanks heaps!

edited to add more information