Louisa May Alcott

Next semester I may be embarking on a rather exciting project about Louisa May Alcott. Best known for largely autobiographical novel Little Women she also wrote many stories and novels that she like to refer to as "blood and thunder" stories- gothic romantic thrillers under the name A.M. Barnard.
The more I learn about her and her work the more I adore her and become even more excited for the project. Reading accounts of her life and her personal letters makes me feel a very strong connection to her. I'll be very pleased to continue my research.
Her father was an abolitionist and friend of Emerson (Louisa and his daughter were apparently close), Thoreau and many other intellectuals of the time. She was a nurse during some of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War where she was inspired to write Hospital Sketches. Then she contracted Typhoid fever and was dosed with a mercury based medicine that caused vivid and disturbing dreams- perhaps providing inspiration for some of her sensational novels?
Over this winter break I'll be rereading Little Women, I haven't read it since I was twelve. My goal is also to go to Concord MA and visit Orchard House where she lived most of her life and wrote the novel. I have friends that live near Boston, so I'm hoping they might let me couch-surf with them for a few days. I've always wanted to see Boston as well and while I'm there, I'd love to take a day to visit Walden. It would be quite the literary trip and I want to do it in December before I fully embark on this project, but money and the prospect of driving around Massachusetts in the middle of winter may delay me until the spring.
I've also been toying with the idea of writing my own gothic romance in a similar style to hers to get me in the proper mindset.
Maybe I'll post excerpts if it goes well.
Now back to reading Sons and Lovers.

Banned Book of the Day: The Giver

Lois Lowry's book about a futuristic world where inhabitants are anesthetized for most of their lives is one of the most commonly banned young adult books. Dystopian novels don't always get a warm reception after all (sorry 1984) and one geared toward children has apparently been called "inappropriate for age group"- a very common assertion.
Personally, I read that book when I was about 12 and I loved it. Still, it is probably one of the most significant reading experiences of my life. It illustrates the importance of individuality and emotion, that sometimes unpleasant things in our life must be there- if we weren't able to feel the unpleasant, we would also miss out on all the beauty and all that gives life depth.
I would recommend this to any young adult reader. Expanding a child's awareness and making them more conscious is not a bad thing, making them thoughful will help them grow into better adults.
When I searched it to check the book's release date (1993), I discovered that there are two companion novels- Gathering Blue and Messenger. I probably never heard of them because they were released more recently, 2000 and 2004 respectively.