Bella?

Dan?

I imagine that every author gives at least a fleeting thought to which actors Hollywood will get to play the novel’s main characters.

It’s been an honor during the past several weeks to have the Book Whore Book Club discussing Bella. Don’t let the name fool you; these some very savvy and thoughtful readers.

Each week founder Danielle Perez posts questions that club members answer online. One recent set of answers can be found here.

In a previous round, Danielle asked which actors readers would like to see play the parts of Bella, the mysterious widow, and Dan, the D.C. reporter she enlists to help reveal the truth about her husband’s death. It’s no secret that during this quest, the two learn harsh lessons about the power of temptation, the futility of revenge, and the consequences of yielding to either, even for a moment.

Actors mentioned by club members included, for Bella: Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Monica Belluci, Eva Mendes, and Zoe Saldana. For Dan, they liked: Daniel Craig, George Clooney, Sean Penn, Michael Gladis, Bruce Willis, and Richard Gere.

No one picked my top choices: Jessica Alba, and Brandon Routh.

Here’s the latest round of Q&A from Danielle and the club.

And if you have any others you’d like to see in the starring roles, let me know and I’ll pass on the names if the movie folks come knocking.

Danielle Perez wanted memorable name for club

Sexual connotations aside, Book Whore Book Club evokes images of literary prostitution, of women who would promote a novel they may or may not like in return for money or some other unsavory favor.

The name couldn’t be more misleading.

Founder Danielle Perez says she wanted a name that caught people’s attention “because I was so sick of reviews that lied to help promote books.”

But Book Whore? Perez, 27, says her first pick was Book Angel Blog. “My father told me if I was going to start a truthful review blog, I better start with the name, because an angel I am not,” she laughs.

The eventual name grew out of friends kidding Perez about her passion for books she’d read and wanted others to try. She says friends began calling the book whore for recommendations before they went to the bookstore.

As newcomers find the club and blog, some love the name and some hate it. But all remember it, Perez says. Mission accomplished. Members from at least eight countries might weigh in when she unveils a new book and kicks off online discussions that tackle several chapters a week for a month.

Perez kicks things off by posting a few questions. Club members respond, and the discussion is underway. The only one not invited is the author.

“It’s the best and worst of both worlds, I’m afraid,” Perez says. “Sometimes it’s very hard to see the mixed thoughts on characters you (the author) have raised, nursed and loved into creation.”

Indeed it is. Here are the Book Whores’ initial thoughts about Bella. I’m looking forward to the next round, and the one after, and hope that at some point I can speak directly to one of the more intriguing and thoughtful clubs out there in cyberspace.

What’s the coolest experience you’ve had with a book club, either online or in person?