Better World Book Club: Ella Minnow Pea

Posted by Dana on 05.28.2009 at 10:54 am

Don’t forget to sign up for the Better World Book Club Newsletter.  Our monthly book club email includes a synopsis of the book, discussion questions and even a great recipe.  You can sign up by going to manage subscriptions now.

You can also catch the selections AND discuss the book here on the blog.

Our Latest Pick

ELLA MINNOW PEA by Mark Dunn

I actually read Mark Dunn’s Ella Minnow Pea several years ago for a book club I was part of and it stuck with me, so now I want to share it with you.  While clearly a literary exercise (as letters fall off a statue – they are removed from the written and spoken vocabulary of an island community by its totalitarian government), it is also a really good story and a thought provoking political statement.

I have read other books that felt like literary exercises to me.  Some work and some don’t.  The one that pops into my mind first is Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer.    The book was very highly acclaimed but I found myself distracted by some of his literary devices, and for me that took something away for the book.  I felt like it was a project for a graduate level writing class.  It would get an A for sure, but I want to feel the emotion and discover the plot rather than be cleverly deviced to death.

Read more…

2 Comments » | Tagged Better World Book Club, Author Mark Dunn, Book Club Pick, book reviews, dana barrett, Ella Minnow Pea, Everything is Illuminated, jonathan safran foer, literary devices, literary works, Mark Dunn

Books on the Big Screen: Angels & Demons

Posted by Dana on 05.28.2009 at 6:47 am

So the summer movie blockbuster season is here.  This past weekend after some  Memorial Day shopping, my daughter and I  hit the movie theater to see Angels & Demons.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say I think the movie was better than the book.  Don’t get me wrong, I liked the book, but I think there is a reason Dan Brown didn’t really hit it big until The Da Vinci Code.  For me it was a weird and unbelievable action scene in Angels & Demons at the height of the suspense.  The movie fixed this problem and for me it worked much better. Read more…

4 Comments » | Tagged Books on the Big Screen, Angels & Demons, Angels & Demons Movie vs. Book, Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown, The Lost Symbol Pre-Order, Tom Hanks Hair

Better World Books Podcast: Jodi Picoult

Posted by Dana on 05.20.2009 at 11:24 am

Jodi Picoult came by my office on a Wednesday afternoon while she was in Atlanta for her book tour.  And while I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing NY Times bestselling authors before, I’m definitely not as cool as I should be and  I was nervous.

I mean, after all Jodi Picoult is not just any author she’s the kind of author whose books jump to #1 on the list the minute they come out.  Everyone knows who she is.  If you’ve ever walked into a bookstore or even past one in an airport, you’d recognize the cover of a Jodi Picoult book.  And now her most famous book MY SISTER’S KEEPER is about to come out as a major motion picture as well.

So yes, I was nervous because of her fame but it was more than that.  I had just finished HANDLE WITH CARE the night before at about midnight and I was fired up about the ending. Read more…

Interview with Jodi Picoult [ 14:42 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1080)

6 Comments » | Tagged Author Podcast, Author Podcast, Brittle Bone disease, dana barrett, Endings, Handle with Care, Jodi Picoult, My Sister's Keeper Movie, Wrongful birth lawsuit

Better World Books Podcast: Susan Rebecca White

Posted by Dana on 05.14.2009 at 12:10 pm

Susan Rebecca White packed the house for the BOUND SOUTH launch party back in February.  She did a talk and signing at the Margaret Mitchell House here in Atlanta, which is of course, where all the big name authors go when they are here in town.  So now you’re thinking — big name?? — I never heard of Susan Rebecca White.

Trust me.  You will.  Susan is a fresh new voice in Southern Literary Fiction and her debut novel is fantastic.  The characters are rich and while you do feel the story is complete at the end, you find yourself wanting to know what happens to these characters next.

The book is the story of three Southern women — a proper Atlanta matron, her rebellious teenage daughter, and their housekeeper’s young daughter and the intersection of their lives.  While Susan tackles some complex issues like religion and gender identity, she does it with humor.  Read more…

Interview with Susan Rebecca White [ 19:22 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (978)

Have your say » | Tagged Author Podcast, Author Interview, Bound South, dana barrett, debut fiction, Debut novel, Margaret Mitchell House, Southern Fiction, Susan Rebecca White

Great American Book Drive this weekend in Brooklyn

Posted by Dana on 05.14.2009 at 11:47 am

Brooklyn Public Library and Better World Books host the Great American Book Drive on the Plaza at Central Library on Saturday, May 16th from 10AM-3PM.

An untold number of used books rest on shelves, under beds and stacked in offices across the country. The Great American Book Drive is a book-by-book, click-by-click campaign to turn these books into dollars to support Brooklyn Public Library. At last year’s event, over 15,000 books were donated.

Bring your books to Central Library from 10-3 on Saturday, May 16th. In addition to the Book Drive, enjoy the music of the Library’s own Lost in the Stacks from 10-12, and crafts for kids throughout the day. In addition, the library will also revive its popular book sale with all books priced at $1.

For additional information, check out The Abbeville Manual of Style blog post about the event!

Have your say » | Tagged Our Partners, Abbeville Manual of Style, Brooklyn Public Library, great american book drive, Lost in the Stacks

Book Review: MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL

Posted by admin on 05.13.2009 at 8:11 am

Before a recent trip to Savannah, Georgia, I was asked the same question each time I mentioned the city: “Have you read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil?”  I wondered why so many people found this book to be synonymous with Savannah and decided I’d better check it out.

The author, John Berendt, explains how he came to Savannah on a whim in the 1980s and became fascinated with the city and people he met.  He recounts the decade-long murder trial of wealthy antique dealer Jim Williams, weaving the lives of his circle of friends and enemies into the storyline.  It’s easy to forget that the book is based on actual events as the eccentric characters blend with a suspenseful murder mystery and make it read like fiction.

Read more…

5 Comments » | Tagged Author Podcast, Book Reviews, book reviews, John Berendt, Kathryn Gosaynie, Mercer House, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Savannah

We can’t thank you enough!

Posted by Dana on 05.07.2009 at 12:31 pm

It is because of you — all of you — our amazing customers, book drive organizers, librarians, fans and friends that we were voted THE MOST PROMISING SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR by Business Week.

We are so proud of what your support has been able to do for our Non-Profit partners.  So far we have:

With your help, Books for Africa, Invisible Children, Worldfund, Room to Read and the National Center for Family Literacy are doing amazing things to increase literacy around the world!

Thanks!  And please keep spreading the word!

2 Comments » | Tagged Impact, Our Partners, book drive, books for africa, business week, BusinessWeek, invisible children, National Center for Family Literacy, room to read, social entrepreneur, social entrepreneurship, Social Impact, Winner, worldfund

Denver Green Festival

Posted by Dana on 05.07.2009 at 7:16 am

So I guess now I’m a veteran of the Green Festivals having now been to 3 of them.  DC last November, Seattle in March and now Denver this past weekend.

This was the first year the festival was held in Denver and though the weather wasn’t great on Saturday it cleared up and the traffic picked up on Sunday.  Unlike Seattle, where we just had an informational booth, in Denver we were the official bookseller for the festival.

It’s a lot of fun getting to meet our customers face to face as well as both the local and national authors.  One of the highlights for me was getting to meet Mike Farrell who played Captain B.J. Hunnicutt on M*A*S*H.  Of course in addition to his acting, he is well known for his activism and has two books out which he was signing after his talk.  I’ll actually get the chance to sit down Mike for a podcast while when we’re in Chicago for the next Green Festival, May 16 & 17.

I’m looking forward to another fun but exhausting trip out there, so if you’re in the area, come see us.

Have your say » | Tagged Dispatches from the Green House, Activist, Denver, green books, green festival, Mike Farrell