Get a reading pen pal

Even without a book club, you can connect through a love of books

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
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

(00:24):
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

(00:44):
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

(01:05):
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. 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,

(01:29):
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, but you have the
shared experience of reading the books together. You could do

(01:49):
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 to gather you can troubleshoot any challenges that come up.

(02:14):
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

(02:37):
the strategies. With a reading pin 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 or on the publisher's website. For instance, can

(03:00):
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 pin pal. Many years ago,
before electronic communication, having a pen pal meant sending letters
back and forth in the mail. This was a lot

(03:20):
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

(03:42):
if a book club isn't for you right now, consider
a reading pen pal. Having a reading pin 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.

(04:02):
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 Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast

(04:32):
is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,
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listen to your favorite shows.