Towner, a self described liar and crazy woman had vowed never to return to Salem after witnessing the suicide of her twin sister as a teen.  Following the tragedy she spent time in a mental institution complete with electro-shock therapy that has left her memory of the incident and her teenage years spotty at best.

Back in Salem, Towner stumbles through the returning memories of her past and into some present day craziness between her Great Aunt Eva’s disappearance and the disappearance of a young pregnant girl Towner meets on her first day back in town.  Both situations seem somehow tied to the creepy uncle, Cal Boynton who helped raised Towner’s twin.
Are you confused yet?  The Whitney family relationships are maybe a bit unnecessarily complex, or are they?  Remember, our narrator is both crazy and a liar.

Now… on to the witches.  I said Salem, Massachusetts…you knew they were coming, didn’t you?  There are witches in the book, though not in a goofy Bewitched kind of way.  There is a clear religion vs. spirituality theme running throughout the book along with some psychic stuff (i.e. the lace reading) and host of characters who either embrace or deny these philosophies for various reasons.

Perception vs. reality also plays a huge part in the book.  The very act of reading lace has everything to do with how you look at it and who is on the other side.  Each character in the book is written with purpose and with quirks that I think would make for some good book club discussion.  Take the missing Aunt Eva for example, she is a strong defiant woman who embraces her gift of lace reading, holds the family and the town together in many ways and speaks in clichés.  Then there’s Rafferty, the possible love interest for Towner, who is a local police officer, a former alcoholic and a single dad.  And May, Towner’s mother, is a gun-toting recluse who has revived the art of lace making while rescuing battered women.

The book is complex, and though you may realize a plot twist is coming, you’re not really sure what it’s going to be, which to me is masterful.  I mean, don’t you hate when you’re reading (or sitting in a movie) and you’re like “Oh – okay, I know what’s happening here… that guy is already dead…” (or whatever).

I think the beauty of a book like THE LACE READER is that you could read it on the beach for the story alone, OR you could really dive in and discuss and debate the characters and themes.  For me, the beauty is also that I’ve found an author that I’d be happy to read again.  And the good news is her next book THE MAP OF TRUE PLACES just came out!

– Dana Barrett, Editor

Chris Johnson, Better World Books’ organizer of the epic Great American Book Drive (which by now you know is the biggest community based book drive in the US) just dropped me a line about the recent event in Boston:

“The drive went very well, we collected about 13,000 books and everything went super smooth, and I’m itching to begin the national rollout.”

Nice!

Rather than me tell you how it went, considering I was over 2700+ miles away, I’ll let the Boston Herald do their job:

“Bay Staters paged through their book collections for donations to the annual Great American Book Drive, held yesterday at the Brighton-Allston Congregational Church UCC in Brighton.

“It was actually a good excuse to clean out my book shelves,” said donor Stewart Ulm, 27. “They were getting a little unwieldy.”

The Web developer donated about 150 tomes to Internet bookseller Better World Book’s annual drive. The donation ran the gamut from GRE study guides to novels to nonfiction chronicles. He gave nearly as many last year.

The drive from Better World Books collected tomes to sell and raise money for the Prison Book Program and City Mission Society of Boston.

Last year’s effort brought in more than 20,000 books. Since 2003, the for-profit Better World Books has raised more than $4.7 million for the nonprofit partners.”

Now I’m playing Scrabble with three students at Middlsex Community College in Edison, NJ, and let me tell you, despite their smiles, they’re rough customers.  Erin just laid down “Quell” on a triple word score for 45 points and is absolutely killing us.

Garima, Erin (hustler), Barum and Ham from MCC

You can find us in the ballroom between the lovely ladies (Jessica and Amanda) at Hostelling International USA and the folks at UNICEF USA who are soon to arrive.  Later today I’ll be an expert (seriously…) on a forum entitled “Blurring the lines: Public Good in the Private Sector” whilst my killer coworkers (seen above), Roselle (Mid-South Regional Director (ATL baby!)) and Abby (Rocky Mountain Regional Director (Reppin’ Minnehaha!)), are kicking it live at the table.

Today’s highlights will include my super sweet forum (look for a podcast coming soon), our ongoing scrabble throwdown, these sweet new www.BetterWorld.com

Tomorrow is our workshop and more well-meaning shenanigans… check in often for updates (and tomorrow for photos!) shirts and the very un-Boston 50 degree weather.

Better World Books was there with the Prison Book Program deciding which books would be sold for funding or which would go directly to the prisoners, and after a grueling 10-7pm nonstop sorting and packing session we actually had to shut the doors of the church to make sure no one else showed up!

Thank you to UCC, PBP and all the volunteers who showed up for a great experience.  It’s not often enough that we actually get to go out there and get our hands dirty, and the opportunity was a great one.  Below are some photos, courtesy of the Boston Globe, Sunday edition (City & Region 10.21.07).

Prison Book Program, a literacy partner of Better World Books, is organizing a city-wide book drive on Saturday October 20th.  Our goal is to collect at least 10,000 books.  Your book donations will be sent to prisoners around the country, sold at the City Mission used-book store, or distributed by Better World Books for the benefit of national and international literacy charities around the world. This is a great chance to clear out that bookshelf and ensure that your books go to good use.

If you live in the Boston area, please bring your unwanted book donations to benefit Prison Book Program, City Mission Society and other local non-profits. Hardcovers, paperbacks, used and new, fiction and non fiction.

WHEN:  Saturday October 20, 2007, 10am to 4pm
WHERE:   Brighton Allston Congregational Church UCC
404 Washington Street
Brighton , MA 02135

Full details are available at:  http://www.prisonbookprogram.org/bookdrive.htm
For more information, please email: info@prisonbookprogram.org or call 617-423-3298

Sadik & EASE will be leading a Better World Books / Books for Africa book drive this spring at MIT. Here are some great pictures from his trip to Nsuta

Every Spring, the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness hosts this regional conference focused on hunger, homelessness, and poverty-related issues. After hosting a successful national conference this fall at the University of Southern California, the National Student Campaign organized this past weekend’s east coast event with workshops, panel discussions, innovative programming ideas, and fun networking opportunities. Here’s the website for the summit, with more info: http://www.studentsagainsthunger.org/ecsummit/ecsummit.asp?id2=28639.

The National Student Campaign Against Hunger & Homelessness is committed to ending hunger and homelessness in America by educating, engaging, and training students to directly meet individuals’ immediate needs while advocating for long-term systemic solutions. You can learn more  by visiting their website: http://www.studentsagainsthunger.org/

Many thanks to the organizers & students who made this conference such a great event – here are a couple pictures from the weekend!