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EBook Reader or Not? [Amazon Fire Tablet] 2

 in Books by

If you’ve been someone who peeks in at this blog over the years, you know I am not an ebook fan at all. I like having a tangible book – the feel, the smell, being able to see your physical progression.

However, as I am getting older I am all for convenience and ease. And now we are post COVID, I am beginning to travel a bit more and go between where I live and my parents quite a lot. All that traveling as a reader can take a toll! Heavier backpack, taking up more space, having to make that dreaded decision of which book to actually bring.

So, this Black Friday, I went down the rabbit hole for an ereader. This started as another conversation with my parents for them, but decided to keep the research going.

When I think an e-reader or tablet, I immediately think of either a Kindle or an iPad. That’s a decent investment for something that I’m not going to use all the time.

But then, Amazon did it again with a very well priced tablet.

I stumbled upon their Amazon Fire 7 and their Amazon Fire HD 8.

What got me was the price during Black Friday – $39.99 and $59.99 respectively (w/ lockscreen ads). I mean what?? That is beyond a steal.

I’m not going to bore you with the technical nature of these tablets (you can find some great videos and articles about that out there already) but for the price of course it is not blistering fast. But I mean, under $80 on sale?? To read books? Doesn’t get much better.

I was a fan that I can both use Kindle Unlimited (which I am new to) and the Libby App, which a lot of libraries provide to let you loan ebooks! Based on my knowledge, the tablet gives a bit more of a range through the Libby app than you can do on a Kindle e-reader.

And immediately, I was sold! With 32GB, it has plenty of room to download to read offline wile I travel, I can stream some of my favorite shows on there in bed without a bulky computer, and not break the bank.

Am I going to use this to read everything? Absolutely not. But when I am traveling, want a cheaper book, or need a book ASAP and cannot get to the library, this will be my go to!

The Fire 7 has a 7″ display and is a bit closer to some of the Kindle e-readers but to me felt a little bit too small. I felt I’d always be turning pages. It also is a bit older. Perfect for what my parents needed.

I got the Fire HD 8 which has an 8″ display and after spending a few hours reading yesterday is hitting the spot nicely!

Over the coming months I will certainly be putting it through its paces, however, so far I am pleasantly surprised and cannot wait for a lighter travel back.

If you’ve been holding out, this is a sign to get one! You cannot go wrong for the price during their Black Friday sales. At full price I may have gotten a dedicated tablet from a laptop company like Lenovo, but with the sale there was no question!

Book Bans Spiking Over Last School Year [Banned Books Week 2023]

 in Banned Book by

PEN America recently published a report about the spiking in book bans in schools over the last year.

They found that it had spiked 33% in the last year, compared to the previous one.

And which state has the most book bans? Florida, which accounted for 40% of the bans.

Misleading rhetoric like “porn in schools”, “sexually explicit” and “age appropriate” were used as the basis of arguments to remove the material.

What has been one of the drivers of this? Misleading and very vague legislation.

And according to their research,

“In the 153 school districts across the country that banned a book during the 2022-23 school year, 124(81 percent) have a chapter or local affiliate nearby of one or more of the three most prominent national groups pushing for book bans — Moms for Liberty, Citizens Defending Freedom, and Parents’ Rights in Education. These districts are where 87percent (2,912) of book bans have occurred.”

 

This is a report that I highly recommend that you read, especially if you are a parent of a child in schools.

 

What Is A Book Ban?

 in Banned Book / Books by

As the 1st of October brings Banned Books Week, starting with what exactly a modern book ban to set the stage would be helpful!

Book banning is a form of censorship. The Encyclopedia Britannica defines it as,

“the practice of prohibiting or restricting the reading of certain books by the general public or by members of a local community or religious group. Books can be banned by means of their removal from publicly accessible locations (e.g, libraries), by their destruction (including the burning of printed books), or by making their authorship or distribution a punishable act.”

The current book bans occurring specifically in the United States come due to a want to censor what people read. Censoring is “the suppression of words, images, or ideas that are “offensive” and usually “happens whenever some people succeed in imposing their personal political or moral values on others.”

School book bans are very similar. PEN America defines those as,

“any action taken against a book based on its content and as a result of parent or community challenges, administrative decisions, or in response to direct or threatened action by lawmakers or other governmental officials, that leads to a previously accessible book being either completely removed from availability to students, or where access to a book is restricted or diminished.”

Opponents of book bans, like this blog and many other incredible institutions out there like PEN America and United Against Book Bans, argue that the ability to access these books is protected under our First Amendment right.

It should also be highlighted that book bans are NOT the same thing as determining if a book is age appropriate. Book bans remove access to everyone in a determined group/community. Educators choosing to not recommend a book, or read a book, due to some themes for a class due to the age of the class is not a book ban, as those students can still choose to access the book.

Here at MyLibraryCardWoreOut, I fully believe in reading books that are age appropriate. A young teen should not be reading a smut book at all. Parents can make those specific choices for their child due to their individual and personal maturity. The reason for this is while the parent may not want a child to read something, the child can still access the book if they so choose. This is why clearly explaining why you ban a book is important, and I’ll delve into this more later in the week!

But a blanket book ban removing access to books is not acceptable. What is offensive to one person and one family is not offensive to another and removing someone’s ability to access books is seen as an infringement on our First Amendment right.

Banned Books Week 2023: 1-7 October

 in Banned Book / Books by

With a new month rapidly approaching, it means Banned Books Week is right around the corner! With all the book banning going on right now, this year it seems to be bigger than ever.

So many libraries and book stores are having events, pushing out information and encouraging people to speak out. I’ll be posting things as I find them, and head over to my Instagram to see some banned books posts! Also if you’re just looking to keep on top of things, check out @stopbookbans where I really focus on this concern.

But PENAmerica is really active this year and has lots of fantastic information!

They do great research of the general pressure of banning books with really great reports.

And they will be having a day of action of October 7th, so be sure to check it out!

Also, like always, you can go check out some Banned Books to buy here to keep knowledgeable! Knowledge is power!

How To Fight Book Bans

 in Banned Book / Books by

With the book bans, book censoring and book restricting going on right now, you may be asking how you are able to help. I wanted to share a great post written by the Authors Guild over on United Against Book Bans.

A post was written titled “Fighting For The Freedom To Read And The Freedom To Write” with some small things that you can do. They include speaking out, joining a book club that reads banned books and report book banning.

Also, the Authors Guild has an amazing tool kit to fight banned books!

While these are all small steps, it everyone does their part as they are able to it will make a difference!