As Thanksgiving approaches, I am reminded of a great quote from one of my favorite authors: “Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all,” -William Faulkner

So this weekend I asked our Facebook and Twitter friends what books they are most grateful for. Here are the most “liked” answers.

Krystal S. - Twilight! Just kidding. LOL. I’m thankful for Jemima J, the first “chick lit” book I ever read that also happened to be about a less than perfect character that I could relate to. I love it! Also, A Child Called It. It compelled me to study social work and see what I could do about the issue of child abuse which I still plan on helping to eliminate.

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Dear stellar students, the following is an exciting update from your campus reps at BWB.

We want you to put us to work at the warehouse of our partner, Books for Africa, so we can provide some much needed (wo)manpower in support of their efforts to end the book famine in Africa.

Now that Halloween is over, it feels like the remaining holidays for 2011 are rushing in to take its place. On November 1st I heard Christmas music playing in a sandwich shop and it seems like there are even more commercials on TV reminding you to go out and shop, shop, shop. As we still have some breathing room before the holidays arrive, it’s important to take a moment to stop and reflect on what we can all do to help others in need.

The Better World Books On Campus Team has definitely been thinking about this and we want to let you know about our November service project. (Read carefully because you play a very important part in the plan!)

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I just adore Top 10 Tuesdays. Our Facebook and Twitter fans never cease to amaze me with their creativity, thoughtfulness, open hearts and minds.It is so important to make a positive impact in the lives of others each day of the year – but we recognize that the spirit of giving is even more in the air as fireplaces light up, the snow begins to fall and hot chocolate becomes a staple drink.The question: What are the top ways people can make a difference this holiday season?

The most “liked” answers:

8. Love your neighbor in all ways.

7. Help others by giving our time, resources, and/or money. That’s what we are here for: To love and help one another.

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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.

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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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Here is a collection of sweet Mother’s Day book stories from our staff and online friends…

From Mary Olson, BWB’s Outlet Store Manager -

“I recently read The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (the beginning of the Thursday Next series, which I highly recommend!). Thursday Next, the heroine of the story, is a character in the ‘real’ world who gets to cross over into the fictional world. During the course of the story she interacts within the classic, Jane Eyre, and the reader gets to see parts of the classic play out from Thursday’s perspective within the fictional world.

As I was reading, the story brought back memories of scenes from Jane Eyre, the movie, that I had watched with my mother when I was a little kid. There was so much I didn’t understand about the story, and I remember asking my mom to explain so many things. I was too young to read the book then, but after reading The Eyre Affair, I picked up Jane Eyre for the first time and absolutely loved it. Reading has always been important to my mom, an English professor; and that’s a priority she has passed on to me since childhood. Now we get to share books and recommend titles to each other and dialog and argue about different characters, plot lines, and deeper meanings; our intellectual interaction is a part of our ongoing relationship we both sincerely enjoy.

Reading through Jane Eyre, a story with such a strong and independent woman, reminded me of all of the mothers in my family: my Great Grandma Bradley (who lived to be just over 100!), my Grandma Mayes, my Grandma Olson, and my mother. I am blessed to have had so many remarkable women in my life, and I am proud of the heritage I have in my family because of them.”

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Former slave and abolitionist writer Frederick Douglass said “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” In a society today dominated by TV shows, video games and computer screens, we are so excited to be celebrating the 92nd Annual Children’s Book Week with you! Books open the door to imagination and education for our children. They help us build strong children together – and to fulfill the dreams of heroes such as Douglass.

We asked our awesome Facebook friends and Twitter followers about their favorite children’s books from back in the day. The response was amazing, thank you for sharing! You guys obviously <3 books like we do! Here are some of their most cherished childhood reads:

‎A Wrinkle in Time - Torri S.
Rapunzel – Lise K.
Dr Seuss – Angela O.
Alice in Wonderland - Julie E.

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