Book Club: reading with kids to catch them young

Book club
My ten-year-old picked interest in books lately and this fills me with so much joy. The competition has been between TV watching and games. Book reading is slowly finding its way to the top of his ‘to do list’ as soon as I got him to take part in book club activities.

There is also the goal of getting him to explore a wide genre of books to foster an open mind and a bigger world view. The education our children need is the ability to read, write and reason well.
There is a book series that has caught his fancy recently. The book by Whimpey kid. While he wants to stick to reading just Whimpey kids, I try to introduce other genres and even newspapers to him.
Book Lovers can testify that all writers do not have the same perspective, and they approach topics from their different world view. Exploring books from different writers opens the door to acquiring knowledge.
The downside is that book prices have skyrocketed and keeping up with book purchasing is not for the faint hearted. Hence the need for book lending by book clubs.
Book clubs in Nigeria
There are not many book clubs in Nigeria and I’m the city of Abuja. I struggled to find good libraries and clubs that I could join so as to get books on rent I discovered that there was a real need for such, hence I started holding book reading gatherings. This book reading gatherings os what gave birth to bookiz club.
Because the prices of books are high, any people shy away from buying books with the thought that they might never go back to it after reading it. Borrowing books on the other hand, is a more economical way to get access to a lot of books within a short period of time.
Join a book club near you.
Joining or registering as a member in a book club is a good way to meet other book Lovers, writers/authors and a way to foster great relationships.
Below are other benefits of joining book clubs.
Social Connection
Book clubs offer an affordable way to connect with others. Socialization helps sharpen your memory and cognitive skills, which leads to an increase in your sense of happiness and well-being.
It forces you to read
And I mean that in a good way. In today’s busy world, it can be hard to find time for ourselves. Being in a book club forces you to put everything aside and just read and relax.
Broaden your horizons
Book clubs read a wide variety of books so if you’re stuck in a reading rut or don’t know what to read next, look no further, a book club can open you up to a whole new world of books.
Hear new perspectives
You can enjoy healthy, respectful debates about a variety of issues in a book club. Hearing other readers’ perspectives on social issues and everyday topics might change your own opinions – or theirs.
Share your love of books
You get to talk about books! Whether you’re gushing over a book or ranting about it, your fellow book clubbers will be all ears.
Book clubs offer great stress relief.
Writers need stress relief and book clubs offer it. This is your chance to sit back, relax, and talk about a good book, without the pressure that can come with talking about the books you’ve written.
You’re still doing something related to writing, but you’re doing it in a way that’s relaxing and stimulating at the same time. You’re stimulating your brain by talking about the book but relaxing with friends in a stress-free environment (usually with yummy snacks!).
Book clubs encourage you to read more, too, and reading relieves stress all by itself.
“Losing yourself in a book is the ultimate relaxation. This is particularly important in uncertain economic times when we are all craving a certain amount of rest time.
 Book clubs can boost your creative powers.
Creativity is all about making new connections, and book clubs help you do that. As you listen to others’ opinions about the plot, characterizations, and settings, you’re likely to think about things you wouldn’t have thought about before. Don’t be surprised if you leave the meeting imagining new plot lines and new ways you may approach your current work in progress.
The action of debating ideas brought up by the book also exercises your brain and forces you to make new connections to support your point of view: This setting illustrated that concept. This character embodied the theme in this way. That plot point demonstrated the conflict, which was that, and so on and forth.
Book clubs stretch your thinking beyond what you would normally experience just from reading the books themselves.

How to develop love for reading

The Habit of Reading
If you’re serious about creating the habit of reading, what’s important is finding a time you can read every single day — often that’s early morning or late at night (or both). For others, it might be during their lunch break. You only need to read for 10-20 minutes a day to form the habit.

Also find a place that’s comfortable and read there every time. Make sure it has decent lighting, that the temperature is nice, that you’re in a good chair or couch or someplace that you can relax in without falling asleep (although there’s nothing wrong with sleep).

Be sure to shut off distractions such as the TV, Internet, phones, Blackberry or iPhone, radio or other music. Let reading be a quiet time

In forming habits, you want to be as consistent as possible. So, mark an “x” on your calendar every day you do the habit, and try to keep your unbroken streak of “x”es going as long as possible (Jerry Seinfeld’s trick).

A habit is much easier to form if it’s something you enjoy, not something you’re forcing yourself to do. So, make the time you spend reading a joy — see the next section.

The Joy of Reading
The habit of reading is not as important as the joy of reading. As a bonus, though, if you discover or nurture the joy of reading, the habit becomes much much easier.

How do you discover the joy of reading? Well, start by finding amazing books. If a book bores you, move on to another. Find a book with a main character you love, doing things that excite you or give you joy.

But beyond the book itself is everything else that surrounds you — where you sit, how quiet it is, how comfortable you are. You want the experience to be as pleasurable as possible. For some, that might be reading while taking a hot bath (reading in the shower is more difficult). For others, that might be with a hot cup of tea or coffee. For still others, it’s reading in the park, near a river or lake or ocean, on their front porch as the sun rises.

Whatever works for you but make it something to look forward to.

Don’t force yourself to read — do it because it’s fun and enjoyable. If you treat it like a chore, it will feel like one. If you treat it like a treat, that’s what it will be. Make reading a voluntary thing, a hobby, a passion.

Learn to immerse yourself in the world of a book and forget about the world around you. This is related to being in the moment or finding the state of Flow — time seems to disappear, and nothing else exists but your book.

If you have kids or grandkids, read to them. Snuggle up close on the couch or bed and read a good book. It’s great quality time, and it helps you enjoy reading more as well. Reading chapter books, such as BFG or Matilda or the Hobbit or Harry Potter, is a great experience for both child and adult.

You might also try reading groups in your area, or discussion groups online. Discussing a book is a great way to make reading fun, to motivate yourself to read, to get deeper into a book.

Finally, consider a reading log or journal, if you enjoy things like that. It can be fun to look back on what you have read, and writing in a journal is a great way to reflect on what you have red and amplify the joy of reading.

If you are someone who also has a flair for writing and creativity, reading is a good way to acquire knowledge and skills for writing. As you read the books of renowned authors, you kind of pick lessons on their style of writing. You also see what works and what does not work. Reading books from the viewpoint of analyzing them helps you master the art of writing.

So, get started, pick a book. more books, delve into them, pay attention to how the stories are been crafted and get creative with penning some words of your own down. You will be glad you did!

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