WEBVTT - Get a reading pen pal

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is that if a book club isn't an option

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<v Speaker 1>for you, consider getting a reading pen pal. You will

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<v Speaker 1>still get the social reading experience, which could make reading

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<v Speaker 1>a lot more fun. So I know plenty of people

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<v Speaker 1>love their book clubs. It is fun to connect with

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<v Speaker 1>other book lovers. You may get more out of what

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<v Speaker 1>you read when you discuss it with other readers, and

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<v Speaker 1>the structure of a book club might mean you read

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<v Speaker 1>more than you otherwise would. But if a book club

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't work for your schedule right now, or you don't

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<v Speaker 1>want to make an ongoing commitment, you can get similar

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<v Speaker 1>benefits by finding a reading pen pal and reading a

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<v Speaker 1>book or two together. What is a reading pen pal.

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<v Speaker 1>It's someone who agrees to read a book at the

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<v Speaker 1>same time as you, and then you send notes back

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<v Speaker 1>and forth to each other about what you're reading. So,

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<v Speaker 1>for instance, maybe you and a friend could decide to

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<v Speaker 1>read Huckleberry Finn and then Percival Everett's James. You agree

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<v Speaker 1>on a reading schedule, and then as you read, you

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<v Speaker 1>text or email each other when there's something you want

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<v Speaker 1>to connect about. Maybe it's a scene that you liked,

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<v Speaker 1>or maybe it's a question you have about a character,

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<v Speaker 1>or maybe it's something that confused you. Some days you

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<v Speaker 1>might end up texting back and forth numerous times. Other

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<v Speaker 1>days might pass without any interaction, but you have the

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<v Speaker 1>shared experience of reading the books together. You could do

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<v Speaker 1>the same with poetry. Maybe you and a reading pen

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<v Speaker 1>pal read a poem a day from the new Billy

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<v Speaker 1>Collins collection. Self improvement books are especially well suited to

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<v Speaker 1>reading pen pals. When you are reading a self improvement

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<v Speaker 1>book with another person, you have a thought partner as

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<v Speaker 1>you figure out how to apply the strategies in your

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<v Speaker 1>life to gather you can troubleshoot any challenges that come up.

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<v Speaker 1>Hearing how your pen pal is applying a strategy in

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<v Speaker 1>her life might spark your thinking about how you could

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<v Speaker 1>apply the idea in your life. With a reading pen pal,

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<v Speaker 1>you may feel a sense of accountability to try the

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<v Speaker 1>strategies rather than just reading about them. Sometimes a self

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<v Speaker 1>improvement book is so engaging that you devour it in

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<v Speaker 1>one sitting, which may mean that you don't really digest

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<v Speaker 1>the strategies. With a reading pin pal and a deliberate

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<v Speaker 1>pace you will ensure there is time to reflect. Lots

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<v Speaker 1>of books, including novels and self improvement books, come with

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<v Speaker 1>book club guides or discussion guides. These may be found

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<v Speaker 1>in the back of the book, or perhaps on the

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<v Speaker 1>author's website or on the publisher's website. For instance, can

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<v Speaker 1>access a book club guide for my book Tranquility by

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<v Speaker 1>Tuesday on my website. These guides can help you start

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<v Speaker 1>a conversation with your reading pin pal. Many years ago,

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<v Speaker 1>before electronic communication, having a pen pal meant sending letters

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<v Speaker 1>back and forth in the mail. This was a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of fun, but you did have to wait a while

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<v Speaker 1>in between messages. The good news is that these days

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<v Speaker 1>you could have the fun of the back and forth

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<v Speaker 1>conversation instantly. Most of us just discuss random things, but

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<v Speaker 1>we could give these discussions a lot more shape. So

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<v Speaker 1>if a book club isn't for you right now, consider

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<v Speaker 1>a reading pen pal. Having a reading pin pal can

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<v Speaker 1>deepen your appreciation of a book and perhaps increase the

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<v Speaker 1>impact of the book too, while also letting you connect

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<v Speaker 1>in a new way with a friend. In the meantime.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura, Thanks for listening and here's to making

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<v Speaker 1>the most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.

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<v Speaker 1>If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach

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<v Speaker 1>me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,

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<v Speaker 1>please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

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<v Speaker 1>listen to your favorite shows.