So there's this new book club in the works called Bookwise...excuse me, I mean "a book club/network marketing company with a structure that is unique to both the book and network marketing industries."* How does it work? Well, according to the corporate FAQ, "Our network of sales associates will buy discounted books for their personal libraries and will help others do the same. They can build an independent, online bookstore and make it a profitable home business or, they can simply choose to read more." In other words, for $35 a month, after a $39 enrollment fee (and the annual $30 renewal), you'll receive one hardcover book ("the same quality book available in any bookstore across America," they boast) and you can buy more books at wholesale prices to sell to your friends! Because they'll love you for that. My favorite bit from the pitch: "The BookWise compensation plan is based on the average price of a bestselling hardcover book—about $27." Oh, really? And just where have these people been buying their bestsellers?

Actually, my real favorite bit is when co-founder Richard Paul Evans, the author of The Christmas Box, offers his personal perspective on why books matter so much:

"Where there is change, there is a book. From Hitler's Mein Kampf to Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto, every political revolution has a book at its core..."

Oh, yeah, that's inspiring. Why not throw in Chairman Mao's Little Red Book while you're at it? Better question: What book drove the American Revolution? After all, the Declaration of Independence barely even reaches the word count for a pamphlet.

*What's "network marketing," you ask? As Victoria Strauss points out, the most prominent exemplar of the business model is probably Amway, if that tells you anything.