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Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio.
Good morning. This is Laura.
Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's tip is that if a book club isn't an option for you, consider getting a reading pen pal.
You will still get the social reading experience, which could make reading a lot more fun.
So I know plenty of people love their book clubs.
It is fun to connect with other book lovers.
You may get more out of what you read when you discuss it with other readers.
And the structure of a book club might mean you read more than you otherwise would.
But if a book club doesn't work for your schedule right now, or you don't want to make an ongoing commitment, you can get similar benefits by finding a reading pen pal and reading a book or two together.
What is a reading pen pal?
It's someone who agrees to read a book at the same time as you, and then you send notes back and forth to each other about what you're reading.
So, for instance, maybe you and a friend could decide to read Huckleberry Finn and then Percival Everett's James.
names. You agree on a reading schedule, and then as you read, you text or email each other when there's something you want to connect about.
Maybe it's a scene that you liked, or maybe it's a question you have about a character, or maybe it's something that confused you.
Some days you might end up texting back and forth numerous times.
Other days might pass without any interaction.
action. But you have the shared experience of reading the books together.
You could do the same with poetry.
Maybe you and a reading pen pal read a poem a day from the new Billy Collins collection.
Self -improvement books are especially well suited to reading pen pals.
When you are reading a self -improvement book with another person, you have a thought partner as you figure out how to apply the strategies in your life.
Together, you can troubleshoot any challenges that come up.
Hearing how your pen pal is applying a strategy in her life might spark your thinking about how you could apply the idea in your life.
With a reading pen pal, you may feel a sense of accountability to try the strategies, rather than just reading about them.
Sometimes a self -improvement book is so engaging that you devour it in one sitting, which may mean that you don't really digest the strategies.
With a reading pen pal and a deliberate pace, you will ensure there is time to reflect.
Lots of books, including novels and self -improvement books, come with book club guides or discussion guides.
These may be found in the back of the book or perhaps on the author's website site or on the publisher's website.
For instance, you can access a book club guide for my book, Tranquility by Tuesday, on my website.
These guides can help you start a conversation with your reading pen pal.
Many years ago, before electronic communication, having a pen pal meant sending letters back and forth in the mail.
This was a lot of fun, but you did have to wait a while in between messages.
The good news is that these days you could have the fun of the back and forth conversation instantly.
Most of us just discuss random things, but we could give these discussions a lot more shape.
So if a book club isn't for you right now, consider a reading pen pal.
having a reading pen pal can deepen your appreciation of a book and perhaps increase the impact of the book too while also letting you connect in a new way with a friend in the meantime this is laura thanks for listening and here's to making the most of our time thanks for listening to before breakfast if you've got questions ideas or feedback you can reach me at laura at lauravandercam .com before breakfast is a production of iheart media for more podcasts from iheart media Please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
And I'll see you guys next time.
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This is Danielle Fishel from Podmeets World.
Okay, moms, it's that time again.
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Shop back to school and beyond at JCPenney .com.
Yes, JCPenney. This is an iHeart Podcast.