Have you read . . . ?

  I read this as a freshman in high school. I just finished reading it again; my daughter, a freshman in high school, will be reading it for her English class. Interesting commentary on humans behavior, as illustrated by the animals of Manor Farm. 

Also just finished My Louisiana Sky by Kimberly Willis Holt. Set in the South in the late 1950's, twelve year old Tiger Ann Parker faces the death of her grandmother and has to decided where to live--with her aunt in Baton Rouge or with her mentally disabled mother and "slow" father.

Just started Septimus Heap Book One Magyk by Angie Sage. The queen was assassinated ten years ago, just after the birth of her daughter and heir to the throne. The baby was whisked away to safety. Now the princess's life is in danger and she must be taken from the Heap family who has cared for in the interim. 

My fellow hospital volunteers and I (we sew neck pillows for patients) were talking about how books do NOT need explicit descriptions of sex and/or foul language. If you can't say it without using curse words, you're not a good writer. Use your imagination, stretch your mind, be creative. And we certainly don't need every detail of any sexual encounter. People have a good enough imagination in that area and don't need to have it spelled out. Plus, it detracts from the story line. Take out the sex scenes and the story should stand on its own. If it can't, you're writing or reading pornography and that is never a good thing.