Want to Suggest a Book for Next Month's Country?

Mia & I decided to choose our next country to read because it has been in the news of late for very scary reasons. They've recently performed a test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) & there have been implications of a possible nuclear threat.

<shudder>

As a last bastion of undiluted communism, North Korea is a unique country in isolation & one we think we should delve into further. Initially, we worried that few books would be available since North Korea doesn't promote freethinking & people don't often escape. But we managed to find enough books that we'll be able to provide a nice selection. One caveat: We won't have as large a variety of genres to choose from since every book we found with the exception of one was a memoir. However, all the North Korean books seem fascinating to us & we think you'll agree.

Book club members will vote on which book to read on July 15 from a list of 6 books. Before then, if you have any North Korean books to suggest, please let us know. Just remember that we are specific in the books we read. They must:

- Largely occur in North Korea unless the world described is an alternate reality
- Be written by an author born there who has spent a good portion of their life there
- Exist in paperback & ebook available on both Amazon & Kindle at least in the US & hopefully elsewhere

Until then, the questions on my mind are: Do the North Koreans really believe what they're told & do they truly revere their "Dear Leader"? We shall soon find out.

Easy Ways You Can Help #SaveTheBees (Action Book Club)

Bees are dying around the world. But as a part of the Action Book Club Program, we've compiled 10 easy ways you can help #SaveTheBees.

The Finnish book we read (The Blood of Angels) we read for our online book club spotlighted a future world where bee deaths created global food shortages. Our current world is not that far away from such devastation since bees are responsible for about 1/3 of the food we eat & horrifying bee losses are being reported with 33% of domesticated bees & 23% of wild bees dead in the US!

These same problems are occurring everywhere across the globe, but you can help #SaveTheBees:

1. Share this post.
Make your social network aware of the issue by sharing this post with the tag #SaveTheBees.

2. Sign a petition.
Make your voice heard using the largest global web movement calling on decision makers to save the bees & the global food supply.

3. Give thirsty bees a free drink.
Bees die of thirst, but you can make a difference by putting a shallow dish of fresh water outside with mini "islands" of marbles/rocks/cork. (Bees can drown so don't forget to include the islands!)

4. Buy local, raw honey.
Supermarket honey is a blend of honeys from many different countries & floral origins (& sometimes includes corn syrup!). There’s no way for you to know it's origins or composition. It's also processed, heated & filtered so that it has a color & translucence that we have mistakenly come to know as "honey." Real honey is locally-produced, raw honey which you can buy at farmer's markets, specialty grocery stores, local apiaries & even online from companies like Bee Raw. You’ve heard of wine flights where you try different wines? Bee Raw even offers a honey flight packaged in beautiful glass vials.

5. Use eco-friendly honey instead of highly-processed sugar.
Instead of unhealthy sugar in your recipes, use local, raw honey which is better for you & the environment. Here are some delicious honey recipes to try.

6. Avoid using garden & lawn chemicals.
Pesticides, insecticides & many fertilizers are not only decimating bee & other wildlife populations, but are linked to cancer in people. Switch to a strategy of integrated pest management or opt for organic fertilizers & biological controls. Better for your family & the bees.

7. Plant native, bee-friendly flowers & flowering herbs.
Bees are suffering from malnutrition. Any person who has even a postage-stamp yard (or a windowsill!) can put in native bee-friendly plants & leave some wild areas to give bees a place to nourish themselves & their hive. Butterflies & hummingbirds will love these areas as much as the bees do! Here are guides on which native plants are best: US | Canada | UK

8. Let clover, dandelions & other useful "weeds" bloom.
Before mowing your lawn, allow these useful "weeds" to bloom so bees can benefit from these important nectar & pollen sources. 

9. Encourage schools to promote bee-friendly programs.
Help expose students to new ideas about food, wildlife & plants through bee-friendly programs & school garden kits: US | Canada | UK

10. Donate (even small amounts help!)
Donate to an organization dedicated to helping protect/promote bees & other pollinators. We love The Pollinator Partnership which was given the highest rating (4 stars) from Charity Navigator.

To learn more about bees

Check out this great article on bees from DIY Garden! (Their site is also chock full of creative gardening tips you'll love as well.)

Have You Ever Contacted an Author of a Book?

When I was very young, I wrote to Steven Spielberg as a part of a class project. All the other kids heard back from the people they contacted. Some received a form letter. Others received personal hand written letters & gifts!

I was the only one who didn't hear back at all & it crushed me. :(

Up until recently, this was my only experience in reaching out to someone in the public eye.

Then, I wrote to Douglas Rogers, the author of the May book our book club read called, The Last Resort. He responded back almost immediately & the little girl in me squealed with delight. 

I contacted him after our last book club discussion where we discussed the memoir piquing everyone's curiosity.  Was the resort (Drifters) still open & how were the author's parents doing? I thought Drifters was open pointing to a couple of links I found online. Club member Judy Shenk believed the links referenced a tour group instead.

So to find out the truth, I decided to ask the author directly & here is his response:

It was gratifying to hear back from Douglas, but even more so to know what actually happened to Drifters as well as Douglas' parents. (Special thanks to Judy whose discussion point made me curious enough to reach out to our Zimbabwean book author.)

So have you contacted an author you love or hate? If so, what drove you to send a message & what was the response?

Our Guatemalan July book is...

Thank you to all who voted! All votes have now been tallied. I'm excited to read Guatemala & support an author from a country with such a low literacy rate.

I hope that you'll be excited as I am to read this book, but I also want to note for all our new members that we want reading to be fun. We hope you to read the book & participate in the discussion. However, if this doesn't happen, that's ok. Mia & I will love you anyway. :)

So without further ado, the winning book chosen by our book club members for July is...

"'Right from the start I picked her for a thief, although that day she didn’t take anything. . . . I knew she’d be back,' the narrator/bookseller of Severina recalls in this novel’s opening pages. Imagine a dark-haired book thief as alluring as she is dangerous. Imagine the mesmerized bookseller secretly tracking the volumes she steals, hoping for insight into her character, her motives, her love life. In Rodrigo Rey Rosa’s hands, this tale of obsessive love is told with almost breathless precision and economy. The bookstore owner is soon entangled in Severina’s mystery: seductive and peripatetic, of uncertain nationality, she steals books to actually read them and to share with her purported grandfather, Señor Blanco.
 
In this unsettling exploration of the alienating and simultaneously liberating power of love, the bookseller’s monotonous existence is rocked by the enigmatic Severina. As in a dream, the disoriented man finds that the thin border between rational and irrational is no longer reliable. Severina confirms Rey Rosa’s privileged place in contemporary world literature."

View on Amazon (US) | (UK) | (Canada)

VOTE: Which Book Should We Read From Guatemala?

It was difficult to discover book suggestions for Guatemala. Many of the books found weren't written by Guatemalan authors, weren't available in both electronic & paper format, were only in Spanish, or were from authors who left Guatemala as young children. However, we persevered & together came up with 6 wonderful Guatemalan books.

But before I get into the books, I'd like to introduce the book club member who made a Guatemalan book suggestion this month which fit all of the criteria, Aisha Esbhani. We have a wide variety of passionate book club members, but Aisha is pretty special. Just like Mia & I, she realized that her book shelf was filled almost entirely with books by North American & British authors so she set out to change this by reading the world. But her story is a bit different from ours in that she made this decision when she was just 12 years old last year. Here's her full story if you want to find out more. We're happy to have Aisha as a book club member & pleased that she helped us craft our list of Guatemalan books this month!

You have a number of genres to choose from for our Guatemala book: nonfiction, literature, history, poetry & testimonio (the latter of which is described in more detail in that book's description).

You can vote until Tues., June 20. To participate:

1. Review the books.

2. Vote by ranking each book in order from most want to read to least want to read.

We'll publish the anonymous results afterwards so you can get the book in advance.

Our New Book Suggestion Method & New Country

With our book club growing, we're adjusting how we compile the monthly book list. We'll now create a list of 6 books per month as follows:

• I will suggest 2 books
• Mia will suggest 2 books
• We'll use 2 suggestions from members*

(This list is later voted on by members & the most popular book becomes the book we'll then read.) 

*Notes:

• If more than 2 books are suggested, the entire list of suggestions will be entered into a lottery with 2 randomly chosen.
• If fewer than 2 books are suggested, than Mia/I will add to the list to ensure a total of 6 books is compiled.
• If more than 1 suggestion is provided by a single member, Mia & I will choose the book we feel will work best for the book club.

With all of this in mind, we'd love to hear book suggestions from you. Just let us know by Wed., June 14 11:59PM US ET. Also, please note we're specific in the books we read, they must: 

• Largely occur in the country specified unless the world described is an alternate universe
• Be written by an author born there who has spent a good portion of their life there
• Exist in paperback & ebook available on both Amazon & Kindle at least in the US & hopefully elsewhere

But what country will we be reading?

We'll be adventuring to a place we haven't been before as a club: Central America. Known for its volcanoes, ancient Mayan ruins, coffee & crazy bus rides, we'll be reading Guatemala!

Voting Is "Finnished" ;) & Here's Our June Book

When your votes were tallied, there was a tie for 1st place: The Summer Book & The Blood of Angels. Because of this, we created a new rule: Mia & I will break any tie by choosing the novel we think is best for the book club.

Both books were suggested by club members & looked fantastic, but we chose The Blood of Angels because it's science fiction which we haven't read much of & it's an eco-thriller (with a hint of magic) which we haven't read at all.

"Another novel from the award-winning author of Troll & a powerhouse of the Finnish science fiction & fantasy scene.

It is claimed Einstein said that if bees disappear from the earth, mankind has four years left. When bee-vanishings of unprecedented scale hit the U.S., Orvo, a Finnish beekeeper, knows where it will lead. And when he sees the queen dead in his hives, it's clear the epidemic has spread to Europe, & the world is coming to an end. Orvo's knowledge of bees just may enable him to glimpse a solution to catastrophe: he takes a desperate step onto a path where only he & the bees know the way but it propels him into conflict with his estranged, but much-loved son, a committed animal activist. A magical plunge into the myth of death & immortality, this is a tale of human blindness in the face of devastation—& the inevitable."

(A special thank you to book club member, Caity Greig for the suggestion.)

View on Amazon (US) | (UK) | (Canada)

VOTE: Which Finnish Book Should We Read in June?

In June, we're adventuring by book to a very different place this month's Zimbabwe book: Finland, a stable country with cold winters, thousands of lakes & a view of the Northern Lights.

Including our suggestions as well as those from book club members (thanks Caity, Ivor & Stéphanie G.!), we have sci fi, short stories, literature & satire for you to choose from for our Finland book.

You can vote until Sat., May 20. To participate:

1. Review the books.

2. Vote by ranking each book in order from most want to read to least want to read.

We'll publish the anonymous results afterwards so you can get the Finnish book in advance.

Curious What Country We'll Read in June or Have a Book Suggestion?

Well, this candy is made there. Apparently, you can make a "medicine" from it which is a "cure for all ailments" by crushing 2 bags & combining it with 1.5 liters of vodka. :o At least, that's what it says on Amazon.

Just knowing this makes me want to read...

...FINLAND all the more. Yep, we're going to a place quite different from May's Zimbabwe book.

We'll vote on which book to read on May 15 from a list of at least 6 books across genres. Before then, if you have any Finnish books to suggest, let us know. Just remember that we are specific in the books we read. They must:

- Largely occur in Finland unless the world described is an alternate universe
- Be written by an author born there who has spent a good portion of their life there
- Exist in paperback & ebook available on both Amazon & Kindle at least in the US & hopefully elsewhere

You Voted & May's Zimbabwean Book is...

Mia & I are excited to take this trip to read a new continent & hope you are as well. As you'll see at the end of this post, the top 3 books scored close to one another & we had a 3-way tie for 4th place! This has never happened before since the algorithm used when you rank each book weights each selection. 

The winner is...

"Thrilling, heartbreaking, and, at times, absurdly funny, The Last Resort is a remarkable true story about one family in a country under siege and a testament to the love, perseverance, and resilience of the human spirit. 

Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Douglas Rogers is the son of white farmers living through that country’s long and tense transition from postcolonial rule. He escaped the dull future mapped out for him by his parents for one of adventure and excitement in Europe and the United States. But when Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe launched his violent program to reclaim white-owned land and Rogers’s parents were caught in the cross fire, everything changed. Lyn and Ros, the owners of Drifters–a famous game farm and backpacker lodge in the eastern mountains that was one of the most popular budget resorts in the country–found their home and resort under siege, their friends and neighbors expelled, and their lives in danger. But instead of leaving, as their son pleads with them to do, they haul out a shotgun and decide to stay. 

On returning to the country of his birth, Rogers finds his once orderly and progressive home transformed into something resembling a Marx Brothers romp crossed with Heart of Darkness: pot has supplanted maize in the fields; hookers have replaced college kids as guests; and soldiers, spies, and teenage diamond dealers guzzle beer at the bar. 

And yet, in spite of it all, Rogers’s parents–with the help of friends, farmworkers, lodge guests, and residents–among them black political dissidents and white refugee farmers–continue to hold on. But can they survive to the end? 

In the midst of a nation stuck between its stubborn past and an impatient future, Rogers soon begins to see his parents in a new light: unbowed, with passions and purpose renewed, even heroic. And, in the process, he learns that the "big story" he had relentlessly pursued his entire adult life as a roving journalist and travel writer was actually happening in his own backyard. 

Evoking elements of The Tender Bar and Absurdistan, The Last Resort is an inspiring, coming-of-age tale about home, love, hope, responsibility, and redemption. An edgy, roller-coaster adventure, it is also a deeply moving story about how to survive a corrupt Third World dictatorship with a little innovation, humor, bribery, and brothel management."

View on Amazon (US) | (UK) | (Canada)

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VOTE: Which Zimbabwean Book Should We Read in May?

Mia picked an interesting country for May & I think the choice of books reflects this. We found many "Zimbabwean" books which were written about the country, but not by someone born there. Or books like the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency which are immensely popular & written by someone born in Zimbabwe, but take place in another African country instead. However, we're quite pleased by the literature, memoirs, short stories & historical fiction included in the list of books for you to vote on along with a book of essays kindly suggested by book club member, Ivor Watkins. All of the books are written by authors born in Zimbabwe, living a good portion of their life in Zimbabwe & about Zimbabwe. (Ok, now "Zimbabwe" sounds strange to me since I've written it more times in this article than I've probably said it in my entire life.)

It's all up to you now:

1. Review the books.

2. Vote by ranking each book in order from most want to read to least want to read.

Voting ends on Thurs., 4/20. We'll publish the anonymous results afterwards so you can get the Zimbabwean book ahead of time.

Curious About the Unique Flag of the Country We'll Be Reading in May?

Before 1980, Zimbabwe was alternately known as Southern Rhodesia, Rhodesia & Zimbabwe Rhodesia before becoming the Republic of Zimbabwe as it's known today (after the historical stone structures called "Great Zimbabwe", the largest in Africa after the pyramids of Egypt). And this flag was adopted.

• The red stripes represent the blood shed for independence. 
• The yellow stripes represent the country's mineral wealth.
• The green stripes symbolize Zimbabwe's agriculture & land.
• The black stripe represents the African people.
• The bird is a national symbol & represents a soapstone statuette of the bird found at the Great Zimbabwe archaeological site.
• The red star behind the bird represents socialism.
• The white triangle behind the red star stands for peace.

Weird fact: Zimbabwe has banned the use of its own flag.

We're Reading a Whole New Continent in May!

Our online book club will be reading Zimbabwe in May!

We'll vote on which book to read on April 15 from a list of at least 6 books across genres. Before then, if you have any books to suggest, let us know. 

Just remember that we are specific in the books we read, they must:

- Largely occur in Zimbabwe unless the world described is an alternate universe
- Be written by an author born there who has spent a good portion of their life there
- Exist in paperback & ebook available on both Amazon & Kindle at least in the US & hopefully elsewhere

I'll leave you with a wonderful Zimbabwean proverb: In the world of books, the mind-set of the reader is of great importance.

9 Easy Ways to Win Free Books

I never believed I could win a free book. I thought it was mostly a scam till I won a lovely bundle of books after just entering 2 random contests. I have to admit I was a little skeptical at first because I received the notice on April Fool's Day, but I actually won!

Then, I spoke to a number of bookish friends who assured me this wasn't a fluke. They win great books all the time. Want to get in on the action? Here are 9 easy ways to find & enter book giveaways.

1. Search Book Riot's giveways or get their newsletter delivered to your inbox.

2. Sign up for publisher newsletters: Choose a few of the largest publishers in the world or the publishers/authors of your favorite books. 

3. Enter Goodreads giveaways.

4. Follow book groups on social media like BookAholic Cafe on Facebook.

5. Check out Bookstr's giveaway page.

6. Search for social media giveaway tags like #bookgiveaway on Twitter.

7. Use the compiled book contest page on Bookloons to find the perfect book giveaway.

8. Join Free Book Friday.

9. Enter one of the weekly giveaways on Authors Cross Promotion.

Good luck to you all! 

12 Solid Reasons You'll Love an eReader/Kindle

I adore the smell of books, but a gift of a Kindle one year turned me from an eBook hater to a huge proponent.

I believed eReaders would tire my eyes like a computer screen or iPad, but they offer a screen made for reading. With it's "E Ink" technology, the Kindle in particular reads like paper.

Today, I convinced someone to buy their first eReader. Here are the solid reasons I gave to join the eBook army & why you'll love an eReader/Kindle.

1. Access to a larger world of books at your fingertips. Electronically obtain books no longer in print or only available in print in a few countries. 

2. You'll spend far less money. eBooks cost less money & tons of free eBook sites exist from Kindle Unlimited to BookBub.

3. No need to charge your eReader daily as with your phone. Most only require a single charge to last weeks & you can extend the time by turning off the wireless.

4. You won't run of out reading material. No new books on hand? Download one immediately anywhere.  (All Kindles come with WiFi, but you can also purchase one with FREE 3G which works almost any place on Earth. I bought a book while on a tiny island halfway around the globe.)

5. eBooks embody environmentally friendliness. No paper=no tree cut down & nothing manufactured. 

6. Smaller or hard to read print won't bother you. Simply adjust the text size or the font.

7. An eReader can fit in your purse, briefcase, backpack or even your pocket.

8. You can read free samples of books before you buy.

9. Many eReaders are backlit making it easy to read in dim light or complete darkness.

10. If you accidentally attempt to purchase an Amazon book you've already bought, your Kindle will notify you beforehand.

11. You can still love your library & enjoy more convenience! Yep, libraries lend eBooks which you can borrow while at home or on vacation.

12. No library fines. Libraries automatically return eBooks by their due date. And if you haven't completed the book on time, don't connect your device to the Internet & the eBook won't be removed. Still no fine & more time to read.

I've never known anyone to switch over to a good eReader & regret it. And remember, it doesn't preclude you from reading a paper-based book, but you may end up falling in love with eBooks that you end up reading 99% of your books this way.

Final note: I cherish my current Kindle Voyager & I loved my previous Kindle Paperwhite. Don't be snookered into the expensive Kindle Oasis. The Paperwhite? Delightful. The Voyage? A bit nicer, but pricier.

(Here are 13 more reasons which are bound to convince you if haven't yet made up your mind to buy an eReader.)

The Votes Are in for Japan & April's Book to Read Is...

Drum roll, please!

We offered 8 different books from which to choose spanning a wide variety of genres including biography (2), humor, prose with poetry, science fiction (2), fantasy & literature.

The competition was tough.

The voting was close.

And the winner is...

"'A nonchalant string of anecdotes and wisecracks, told by a fellow who doesn't have a name, and has never caught a mouse, and isn't much good for anything except watching human beings in action...' —The New Yorker

Written over the course of 1904-1906, Soseki Natsume's comic masterpiece, I Am a Cat, satirizes the foolishness of upper-middle-class Japanese society during the Meiji era. With acerbic wit and sardonic perspective, it follows the whimsical adventures of a world-weary stray kitten who comments on the follies and foibles of the people around him.

A classic of Japanese literature, I Am a Cat is one of Soseki's best-known novels. Considered by many as the greatest writer in modern Japanese history, Soseki's I Am a Cat is a classic novel sure to be enjoyed for years to come."

View on Amazon (US) | (UK) | (Canada)

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VOTE: Which Japanese Book Should We Read in April?

Mia & I scoured the libraries & web to find you the best 6 books to read from Japan across genres. Thanks to book club members, Tatiana Medvedeva & Ivor Watkins, we now have a total of 8 books for you to choose from! (Alex Mackenzie was also kind enough to suggest a poet who already happened to grace our list.)

Now it's up to you:

a) Review the books

b) Vote by ranking each book in order from 1 (most want to read) to 8 (least want to read)

Once the voting ends on Mon., 3/20, we'll publish the anonymous results so you can get the Japanese book & begin reading on April 1.

A Reader's Best Friend—the Library Browser Extension

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This is the most magical piece of technology for library lovers out there—a FREE browser extension that checks to see whether a book you are perusing online is available via your library as a hard copy, ebook, or audiobook called Library Extension. And it works for multiple libraries at one time in case you have borrowing privileges at more than one library!

You simply install the extension on your browser & select your library (or libraries) from a list. Anytime thereafter that you view a book on a major book site (e.g., Amazon, Goodreads, Audible, Barnes & Noble, etc.), the extension will show you whether your library has it in their collection, in what format, & whether it’s available (or there’s a waitlist)! With a touch of a button, you can then snag the book from your library.

Note: This extension includes libraries around the world, but if your library isn’t there, just send a message to Library Extension Support. I asked for an obscure library to be added & it was done quickly.

Check out the video I put together to show you how Library Extension works:

We'll Be Reading Japan in April!

Japanese cherry blossoms

Just in time for the cherry blossom festivals, our online book club will be reading Japan in April! 

We'll vote on which book to read on March 15 from a list of at least 6 books across genres. Before then, if you have any books to suggest, let us know. 

Just remember that we are specific in the books we read, they must:

- Largely occur in the country specified unless the world described is an alternate universe
- Be written by an author born there who has spent a good portion of their life there
- Exist in paperback & ebook available on both Amazon & Kindle at least in the US & hopefully elsewhere

ありがとうございます (or Arigatou gozaimasu which is a polite way of saying "thank you" in Japanese. See how to pronounce it)

Tips & Tricks for Using Facebook Groups

Use these tips & tricks to get the most out of your Facebook groups, like our online book club.

1. Fill out all pre-membership questions. If these are set-up for the group, they will pop up once you request to join the group. Some groups won't allow you to join unless you fill out all  questions.

2. You will miss group posts unless you change "Notifications" to "All Posts" instead of Highlights. Another way to see more posts is to interact regularly with the group's posts.

3. Add the group to your Facebook shortcuts so you can find it easily. (Select the three dots next to Share & then select "Pin to Shortcuts." On apps, this may work differently.)

4. There are 3 types of groups. The primary differences among them are:

• Public: Anyone can any of the posts.
• Closed: Only members can see the posts.
• Secret: Only current & members will see that the group even exists. Only current members can see the posts.

This also means that if you share a post from a closed or secret group to your wall/page/another group, only other members of that closed or secret group will see it.

5. Find important posts pinned to the top of the page. On mobile, this post is collapsed & simply says "View Pinned Post."

6. You can save posts to read later on by selecting the down arrow on the upper right & then "Save post."

7. You can search for posts in the group using the "Search this group" feature:

• By the name of a Group member to see all the posts they commented on or created. (And you can even search using your own name to find all of your activity in the group.)
• By a word to see all the posts mentioning that word. Note: Related words are sometimes included as well (e.g., "trip" when you search for "travel", both "read" & "reading" when you search for "read", etc.).
• By a phrase. If you search for a phrase with quotes around it (e.g., "science fiction"), then posts with that exact phrase will appear. Otherwise, posts with one or more of the words will appear.

Note: Search only goes back a certain amount of time which can change based upon group size.

8. You can add someone to the group only if they are a friend of yours or a friend of someone else in the group. The group admins may also need to approve the person once you add them.

9. If you find a post objectionable, you can report it in 3 ways:

• Select the down arrow on the top right of the post & then select "Report to Admin." This sends a note to the group admin who can help you.
• Tag the name of the group admin or moderator on the post using the "@" sign & their name. For A World Adventure by Book, that's @Beth McCrea or @Mia Degiovine Chaveco.
• Select the down arrow on the top right of the post & then select "Report post." This sends a note to Facebook. We recommend only using this if you've been unsuccessful contacting the group admin.

10. You can get banned from a group if you don't follow the group rules so make sure to read them. They are usually pinned to the top of the group or included under the group description.