Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.
Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
Speaker 1: tip is that if a book club isn't an option
Speaker 1: for you, consider getting a reading pen pal. You will
Speaker 1: still get the social reading experience, which could make reading
Speaker 1: a lot more fun. So I know plenty of people
Speaker 1: love their book clubs. It is fun to connect with
Speaker 1: other book lovers. You may get more out of what
Speaker 1: you read when you discuss it with other readers, and
Speaker 1: the structure of a book club might mean you read
Speaker 1: more than you otherwise would. But if a book club
Speaker 1: doesn't work for your schedule right now, or you don't
Speaker 1: want to make an ongoing commitment, you can get similar
Speaker 1: benefits by finding a reading pen pal and reading a
Speaker 1: book or two together. What is a reading pen pal.
Speaker 1: It's someone who agrees to read a book at the
Speaker 1: same time as you, and then you send notes back
Speaker 1: and forth to each other about what you're reading. So,
Speaker 1: for instance, maybe you and a friend could decide to
Speaker 1: read Huckleberry Finn and then Percival Everett's James. You agree
Speaker 1: on a reading schedule, and then as you read, you
Speaker 1: text or email each other when there's something you want
Speaker 1: to connect about. Maybe it's a scene that you liked,
Speaker 1: or maybe it's a question you have about a character,
Speaker 1: or maybe it's something that confused you. Some days you
Speaker 1: might end up texting back and forth numerous times. Other
Speaker 1: days might pass without any interaction, but you have the
Speaker 1: shared experience of reading the books together. You could do
Speaker 1: the same with poetry. Maybe you and a reading pen
Speaker 1: pal read a poem a day from the new Billy
Speaker 1: Collins collection. Self improvement books are especially well suited to
Speaker 1: reading pen pals. When you are reading a self improvement
Speaker 1: book with another person, you have a thought partner as
Speaker 1: you figure out how to apply the strategies in your
Speaker 1: life to gather you can troubleshoot any challenges that come up.
Speaker 1: Hearing how your pen pal is applying a strategy in
Speaker 1: her life might spark your thinking about how you could
Speaker 1: apply the idea in your life. With a reading pen pal,
Speaker 1: you may feel a sense of accountability to try the
Speaker 1: strategies rather than just reading about them. Sometimes a self
Speaker 1: improvement book is so engaging that you devour it in
Speaker 1: one sitting, which may mean that you don't really digest
Speaker 1: the strategies. With a reading pin pal and a deliberate
Speaker 1: pace you will ensure there is time to reflect. Lots
Speaker 1: of books, including novels and self improvement books, come with
Speaker 1: book club guides or discussion guides. These may be found
Speaker 1: in the back of the book, or perhaps on the
Speaker 1: author's website or on the publisher's website. For instance, can
Speaker 1: access a book club guide for my book Tranquility by
Speaker 1: Tuesday on my website. These guides can help you start
Speaker 1: a conversation with your reading pin pal. Many years ago,
Speaker 1: before electronic communication, having a pen pal meant sending letters
Speaker 1: back and forth in the mail. This was a lot
Speaker 1: of fun, but you did have to wait a while
Speaker 1: in between messages. The good news is that these days
Speaker 1: you could have the fun of the back and forth
Speaker 1: conversation instantly. Most of us just discuss random things, but
Speaker 1: we could give these discussions a lot more shape. So
Speaker 1: if a book club isn't for you right now, consider
Speaker 1: a reading pen pal. Having a reading pin pal can
Speaker 1: deepen your appreciation of a book and perhaps increase the
Speaker 1: impact of the book too, while also letting you connect
Speaker 1: in a new way with a friend. In the meantime.
Speaker 1: This is Laura, Thanks for listening and here's to making
Speaker 1: the most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.
Speaker 1: If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach
Speaker 1: me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,
Speaker 1: please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.