The Dressmaker of Khair Khana - Thank You People Magazine

Someone recently asked me if I had heard of a book called The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe. 

I can't remember who it was and they couldn't remember the full title of the book - but thanks to People Magazine (where it got a four star review and People Pick of the week) I was able to look it up. I found a description and a really great Q&A with the author Gayle Tzemach Lemmon on  Amazon here.

"The Dressmaker of Khair Khana tells the incredible true story of this unlikely entrepreneur who mobilized her community under the Taliban. Former ABC News reporter Gayle Tzemach Lemmon spent years on the ground reporting Kamila's story, and the result is an unusually intimate and unsanitized look at the daily lives of women in Afghanistan. These women are not victims; they are the glue that holds families together; they are the backbone and the heart of their nation. Afghanistan's future remains uncertain as debates over withdrawal timelines dominate the news."

And check out a  Huffington Post review here.

Has anyone read this one yet? 

 

First BBTO Sunday Book Club Pick: Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

I had a lovely brunch this morning with two of my oldest friends from Ottawa, Lisa K (and her beautiful kids and husband) and Liisa V (aka LK and LV). 

AS, LV, JL (who also loves to read) and LK

Both LK and LV are great readers and LK is a member of a book club at her office. While we were discussing, LV who blogs at Fit for a kid suggested that I start a BBTO book club here.

Of course I loved the idea and I'm really excited to start sharing and hearing from readers here.  After we've all read the first book then we can meet in person, do a book swap and talk about future picks for the BBTO book club.  

Here's how it will work:
1. On Sundays I will post three questions to get the conversation started.
2. I will collect your comments and create a post to summarize what everyone thinks. I will post on Wednesdays.
3. After we finish the book we can meet up and discuss ideas for the next BBTO book club pick and everyone can bring a few books to swap with the group.

My first pick for the inaugural BBTO book club is SING YOU HOME by Jodi Picoult. I'll be posting a few BBTO book club questions on the first three chapters next Sunday.

I will alert everyone on Facebook and Twitter when I post the book club comments. My Facebook profile is Lesley Slack and Twitter is @LesleySlack.

Please join me and feel free to add your suggestions and comments too!