A couple months ago, Better World Books posted a list of books people could read in order to see different parts of the world through the perspectives presented in literature.  I was really honored and thrilled that my first novel, One for Sorrow, was included on the list of books for the United States.  Not only was John Steinbeck, Harper Lee, Stephen King and F. Scott Fitzgerald on that list, but there was me and my first novel!  How could my little novel be one selected as book through which a reader could “see” the United States?

Read more…

You think you get 80 years.  Steve Jobs’ recent death knocked the wind out of that one, and snapped back into focus for me that we have one day (this day) to live our fullest lives.  Jobs had barely been on my radar–I have never owned an Apple product, and I’ve walked into an Apple store exactly once, while on vacation, simply to check my email (I don’t even text).  Yet, I saw that face looking up at me at the last of the big-box book stores.  And for some reason, he spoke to me (smart marketing decision, that face).  I requested the book from my husband as a holiday gift, and I received it.

Thus began my life transformation.  First, let’s start by saying that I read books rather slowly, not because I’m a conscientious, deliberate reader but because by the time night comes, the opening of the book and the almost-immediate closing of the eyes have become a Pavlovian response.  It is common for me to dog-ear the same page day after day after day.  So picking up this 600-page behemoth elicited snickers from my family.

Yet Steve quickly became my constant companion.  He rode with me in the car and stood in line with me at the post office.  He walked with me to the supermarket and I read while I strolled (carefully).  He even kept me company during that annual three-hour mammogram/ultrasound appointment where I mostly shuffle from waiting room to waiting room in a blue gown, hoping to dodge the family-history bullet for another year.  Two other women brought him as well, and thus began what became a common occurrence over this timeframe for me–the recognition of a secret society of people completely addicted to this book.  We smiled at each other, we talked briefly, and we collectively dove back in, almost sorry when our names were called.

Guest post by Jean Reidy, children’s author and activist

My third children’s book, Light Up the Night (Disney Hyperion), was inspired by every kid who throws a sheet over the kitchen table and calls it a clubhouse. It’s for every kid who makes a fort out of couch cushions. And it’s especially for every kid who huddles down under a blanket at night ─ where safety and security reign, allowing imagination to blast off. It’s about earth, space and a kid’s sense of place.

But unfortunately, not all children enjoy security and sense of place. Over the past seven years my family has developed strong connections to the country of Uganda and its people. With that came my understanding of the plight of Uganda’s children. HIV/AIDS robs these kids of family and health. Past civil war threatens their security. And the warehouses and refugee camps where they currently seek safety are unimaginably inhumane.So it was with both an overwhelming sense of gratitude for what I have, and a deep sense of responsibility for those who have not, that I wrote Light Up the Night.

To celebrate the release of the book and honor the children of Uganda, I’m part of a project benefiting literacy in Africa and a library at Musana Children’s Home in Iganga, Uganda where I worked in the summer of 2010. Musana was founded in 2008 to provide a safe and loving home for children, many of whom have been orphaned or abandoned. In 2010 an existing building at Musana was repaired, secured and designated as their library. Now we need to fill it with books.

Read more…

Andrea is a writer, editor, and writing teacher who is working on a book about the people who were enslaved on the plantation where she was raised. She writes this not as a former slave, but as a young women who grew up on this plantation in recent history.The bleachers are still there.  Covered with gray chalky paint. Tucked against the brick wall. The small room is not hidden but is hardly noticeable  in the corner of the house wing closest to the fields and the slave quarter.

In this space, the enslaved children on this plantation were educated. They were taught to read and write. They learned simple arithmetic and biology.  A whale vertebra from their lessons still rests on the floor across from their seats.

Read more…

Post by Better World Books’ Outlet Store Manager, Mary OlsonI’m sure that somewhere, there exists a textbook kid who lives a textbook life and went through a textbook school experience to get a textbook degree and a textbook job and now has a textbook family and is living happily ever after… by the book.That kid wasn’t me.

It took me 3 years of attending college to convince my recently Ph.D.-ed mother that it wasn’t the right time for me to be in college. I couldn’t have explained it well then, and I’m still not sure if I could explain it well now. But I didn’t feel like the school system was for me. School was a pivot table, and I was abstract art. Luckily, my parents are amazing people who understand the importance of being true to who you are.

Read more…

There has been quite the uproar online the past week about two articles which discussed the issue of libraries actually throwing away books. First, Cracked.com wrote about the problem. Then, NPR responded and elaborated. Now, it’s our turn to show these news outlets and book lovers around the world how we are the solution.

I interviewed our library experts at Better World Books about how we serve and work with libraries to help them responsibly handle their surplus books, make money, and make the world more literate in the process.

Read more…

Most Tuesdays I ask a question to our amazing fans prompting a top 10 list. This collection might be one of my all time favorites.

The question: Collecting a top 10 list of the best author quotes ever made. Short and sweet. What are your favs?

The answers made my day. I hope they inspire yours as well:
Read more…

This is a love letter to Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help by Better World Books employee, Erin Levin.

As a book company that funds and promotes literacy and education at home and all over the world, we love many authors and books. Recently, however, I have been particularly inspired by a series of love letters our fans have written to us, Better World Books, on their blogs. In this spirit, I felt led to write a love letter to one of my favorite authors.
Read more…

Post by Erin Gerber, Better World Books Partner ServicesI grew up in a house where I was never told we couldn’t read a particular book, which made my conversation with my fourth grade school librarian all the more confusing.  I desperately wanted to read the latest Judy Blume book, Blubber, for a book report, but was told I’d need to choose another title.  The school library, she explained, did not have a copy of the book because it contained inappropriate language and was not, therefore, a good choice for my project.  Every year, when Banned Books Week kicks off, I’m reminded of this story.

Read more…

*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.
Read more…