I’ve heard a number of people say that while most of the world works to live, Americans live to work.Recent statistics on American vacation from outside observers seriously confirm this aphorism. Fellow Americans our there, want some facts in defense of vacation? Check out these articles: “America, the no-vacation nation” and “Why can’t Americans take holidays?”They remind us of the spirit of Labor Day. American workers and their labor movement in the late 1800s prompted a day of rest and recognition. Enjoy it, you deserve it.

Labor Day has since morphed into more of an end-of-summer bash. Here are a few book suggestions on the history and festivity of this much-loved Monday holiday…

WORKING – People Talk about What They Do All Day and How They Feel about What They Do


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On Facebook, Twitter, at Better World Books events and even on this blog I have asked you if any book has ever completely changed your life. The answers that you’ve sent in have been fascinating and fruitful.

The Blue Sweater changed mine.

“Like a volcano, Africa can stun you in an instant. It can throw floods and drought and disease at you, sometimes all at the same time. In the next moment, it will tease you with its magnificent beauty, so even if you don’t forget, you can find a way to forgive. Ultimately, it keeps you coming back for more,” I read this sentence 125 pages into the book while still in my first sitting with it.I could not put the stories down.

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*Note* The below blog post is a guest blog from our Twitter friend Lori, founder of “The Next Best Book Club.” This content does not necessarily reflect the views of Better World Books (as our lawyers make sure we say). We love having guest bloggers and invite you to email 11@betterworldbooks.com if you are interested in covering a book or topic on the BWB Blog. Thank you, Lori!

More times than not, after people discover TNBBC and its blog, they will ask me “So, what got you into reading?” and I always find it difficult to answer that question. Not because I don’t know the answer, but mostly because it’s not as easy to define as one would think.
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