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Better World Books Podcast: Lisa Unger

Posted by Dana on 08.18.2009 at 9:27 am

Talk about a page turner. Lisa Unger’s DIE FOR YOU gets going on page one and never really lets up. And though it really moves, somehow the characters (especially Isabelle), really come to life and some big issues are tackled. Lies, secrets, love and family to name a few.

I had the opportunity to speak to Lisa on the phone recently about her latest book, why you should consider it for book club and what the genre of literary suspense actually is. We also tackled some of the big questions in the book like “Was love really real if it didn’t last?”, and Read more…

Interview with Lisa Unger: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (242)

Have your say » | Tagged Author Podcast, Better World Books Podcast, book club, dana barrett, Die For You, Lisa Unger, Literary Suspense

Better World Book Club: The Art of Racing in the Rain

Posted by Dana on 07.15.2009 at 9:56 am

Don’t forget to sign up for the Better World Book Club. We pick a new book each month that you can discuss with us here on the blog or take it back to your neighborhood book club. We even set you up with everything you need for your meeting…. 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 and on the new book club page.

Our Latest Pick

THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN by Garth Stein

I don’t mind a little crying over a good book if then end justifies the tears. In this case, the ending and much of went on in the middle was predictable, but the book was ultimately worth the tears.

The story is told by Enzo the dog – who is nearly a human trapped in a dog’s body. Frustrated by his lack of opposable thumbs and his inability to speak, he makes an interesting observer and sometimes participant to the life of race car driver Denny Swift. Read more…

2 Comments » | Tagged Better World Book Club, Allrecipes.com, book club, dana barrett, Discussion Questions, Enzo, Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain, The Secret

Better World Book Club: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Posted by Dana on 04.20.2009 at 5:35 pm

Still not signed 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

HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET by Jamie Ford

As you can imagine, I love books and authors and love to do what I can to help promote them. It’s not just my current and former life as a bookseller that makes me feel this way — I have always loved books. So, when I come across a debut novel like this one, I am especially happy to be able to help get the word out.

Jamie Ford’s HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER & SWEET has officially become one of my new favorite books. Ford paints a personal picture of race, culture, family, love and loyalty in the 1940s in America. He shows us, through the eyes of children, a time we, as Americans, would rather forget; when Japanese Americans were rounded up and forced to live in internment camps. It is a politically important story for sure, but it is the personal story that sweeps you up and makes you unable to stop turning pages.

I loved Henry, both as a child and as a man. He is loyal, brave and young Henry seems wise beyond his years. What did you think of his quiet disobedience of his father? What about his father’s rule that he could only speak English at home when his parents only spoke Cantonese? Keiko and her family were so very American and worldly and open. Read more…

1 Comment » | Tagged Better World Book Club, Better World Book Club, book club, dana barrett, fiction, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Jamie Ford, Japanese internment camps, World War II

Better World Book Club: The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

Posted by Dana on 03.14.2009 at 6:19 pm

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

Our Latest Pick

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

This is one of those books that I have been curious about for awhile. It was somewhere on my list of books to read, but just had not risen to the top. I think it finally jumped to the top of the pile after I saw Slumdog Millionaire, which is based on the book Q & A by Vikas Swarup. Of course the main thing these two books have in common is that they take place in India, but after seeing the movie, I was interested in reading more about the country and the culture.

I actually really loved this book. Though I have to say I am a bit surprised that I do. In fact, the last book that I reviewed in which the main character was a murderer (we learn that very early on, so I’m not ruining anything for you) was Almost Moon by Alice Sebold which I struggled with a bit. Read more…

Have your say » | Tagged Better World Book Club, Aravind Adiga, book club, fiction, Q & A, Slumdog Millionaire, The White Tiger, Vikas Swarup

Better World Book Club: Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

Posted by Dana on 02.06.2009 at 1:31 pm

Are you all signed 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.

Our Pick for February 2009

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

This month we’re talking about Loving Frank. It’s a fictional account of Frank Lloyd Wright’s tragic love affair with Mamah Cheney. The book is very well researched but is fictionalized so that the author would have the freedom to invent the personal details of the relationship that will never be known.

I have always loved Frank Lloyd Wright’s design aesthetic and so that made me curious about the man. The book does not paint him in the best light, but I think I tended to want to give him a pass because he’s Frank Lloyd Wright. When my local book club discussed the book, many of the women were very upset Read more…

Have your say » | Tagged Better World Book Club, book club, Frank Lloyd Wright, Loving Frank, Mamah Cheney, Nancy Horan

Better World Book Club: Run by Anne Patchett

Posted by Dana on 12.12.2008 at 12:31 pm

Welcome to the Better World Book Club! This is a monthly feature in which we’ll send you a fabulous book pick, our own discussion questions to encourage friendly debating at your next book club meeting, and fun recipes for snacks to munch on. In other words, you do the reading, we’ll do the preparing. We’ll also be holding our own discussion about the book here on the Better World Blog, so stop by, hear what others have to say, and share your own opinion. Use the “Share This” button at the bottom of the post to forward this recommendation on to all of your book club besties-let the discussions begin! (To sign up for the newsletter go to manage subscriptions).

Book Club pick for January: