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Flabbergasted: Flu Season

Posted by Chip on 11.16.2008 at 7:24 pm

Welcome to the flu season Better World Bookers. I know what some of you are thinking: “I will not get the flu. I am going to get a flu shot.”

Then on the way to get your flu shot you start to feel a tickle in the back of your throat and not a good tickle. A tickle that makes you think, “Why should I spend 30 bucks for a painful shot when I may be sick already.” Then you think of all the times you heard “flu shots make you sick.”

Is this true? Was this ever true? Or… are flu shots the best placebo ever created? Perhaps a flu shot is just a shot of chicken noodle soup. Why does chicken noodle soup make you feel better? Because Mama told you it would. Why would Mama lie?
Read more…

1 Comment » | Tagged Flabbergasted, audio book, chip boyes, choose your own adventure, flu season, placebo, the great gatsby

Slate Audio Book Club

Posted by Jack on 10.14.2008 at 10:35 am

Slate Audio Book Club, one of my favorite reading resources on the web is currently discussing The Night of the Gun by David Carr, a book that I briefly previewed here. Also, next they’ll be discussing my favorite book, The Great Gatsby(!)

Thoughts on SABC review of The Night of the Gun:

Have your say » | Tagged Book Reviews, david carr, f. scott fitzgerald, slate, slate audio book club, the great gatsby, the night of the gun

Body and Soul

Posted by admin on 02.11.2008 at 11:35 am

Yes, it’s another music book. Originally I picked up Frank Conroy‘s Body and Soul (possibly a nod to the awesome Benny Goodman song of the same name?) because he’s an incredible author. He penned Stop-Time, one of my favorite books of all time as a high-schooler and I’m re-reading it now, sitting on my bedroom table with my other favorite of all time, The Great Gatsby.

Body and Soul is also the story of a child piano prodigy. Unlike my last suggestions however, this one is not by a musician but rather cuilds the story and talks about music in a way that the musician can really feel and the casual reader can get an extremely unique view from. If you read some of the reviews, both trained and non-musician say that the book looks into what the musician feels in a manner that few have ever seen in writing.

Quit reading this review and get the hardcover for $3.48 and free shipping (in the US). Wow! Did I mention it’s carbon neutral shipping and money will go to our literacy partners? But of course you know that already…