How to Start Your Own Book Group

Book Groups are a fun way to not only read much more, but also to get more out of the books you read. In a book group, you get to discuss the book with your friends, share your opinion and hear other ideas you hadn't considered before.

• As you may have guessed, the first step to any functional book group is to have members. Optimally, I would suggest that you have at least three people. This is because only two people would be just you and your friend trading book recommendations, which is certainly pleasant and fun to do, but doesn't quite qualify as a book group.

Ask around your group of friends. It shouldn't be too hard to find members since most people wish that they read more. Make sure to tell them the benefits of joining your book club, like how it will be a great way for them to get more reading time in, and they don't have to go through the process of trying to decide what book to read because one will be chosen for them. Also, being in a book group give just the right amount of pressure to actually read and finish the book, while when you read on your own time, it can be hard to motivate yourself to read if you're busy. And then when it's their turn in your book group, they get to choose a book to share with everyone else, which is always fun.

• Once you have your members, set up the meeting time and place.

I suggest that you contact all of your members individually and find out what days and times they are available. Write it all down, and then you should be able to come up with a day and time that works for everyone. If everyone is busy on different days and it's hard to pick a specific day, it’s okay to rotate days as long as you find a consistent schedule that you can all agree on. The location will also depend on everyone’s schedules, but some common spots are in a library, cafe, or in the homes of the members. If you're able to, you can host every meeting at your house, or rotate to have the meeting at the home of whoever offers or whose turn it is. Your members may offer suggestions of where to meet also, but in general try to find a spot that is easy for everyone to get to, and if possible close to everyone's home so now has to commute a long way to get to the meeting.

• You first meeting: planning and setting things up

Now that you have everyone in one place, it's time to discuss some important questions about your book group:

-How much time will you have you have to read a book? Commonly, book groups will meet once a month just to give everyone enough time to finish the book, but you can adjust the length of time base on the length on the book or how busy everyone's lives are.

-Find out what types of books everyone likes to read, and what they don’t. If several people dislike scary horror stories, then maybe than genre can be ruled out. But even if everyone likes a different genre, you don’t have to struggle to find a common genre of interest. Part of the fun of a book group is reading a book you’ve never considered before.

-Consider ways to make the book group fun, by making it a pot luc or going out to dinner before the book group and ten reconvening at someone's home after. I know of one book group that decided that whoever got to choose that month's book would bring snacks for everyone. This seemed fair and worked for them, but you can also rotate snacks and other duties.

-The last step is to exchange contact information with everyone. Make sure you have at least one way to contact each member- I recommend getting their main phone number and email dress just so you can contact them about changes in the meeting time or place, and so people can get in touch if they can't make it to a meeting.

• Now it's time for you and your book group to start reading!

It's customary for whomever starts the book group to choose the first book. All you need to do is give each member the book's title and the authors name. Even if you choose your favorite book that you've read over and over, it might still be a good idea for you to re-read it along with everyone else.

-While you read, annotate and take notes as you read so you can keep track of all your thoughts and have then ready when its time to discuss. If you own the book, you can write your notes in the margins, or dog-ear the pages. If it’s a library copy or not yours, then you can use sticky notes and/or write your notes on a separate piece of paper (which can double as a book mark!)

-Even when your turn isn't coming up, you can still be on the look out for the next book you want the book group to read. I recommend having a list of potential books

-Just because someone has read your book of choice before doesn't mean you have to skip it! It does depend on how they feel about re-reading the book again, but usually most people don't mind a re-read, especially if other members of the group haven't read it yet. If you and/or another person has already read the book, challenge yourself to think of at least one question

• Now that you've finished the book, it's time for your group's first real meeting

-In a single meeting, book groups typically discuss what everyone thought of the book, addressing any questions or concerns and having a fun discussion about it. If the book you read has a movie adaptation, and you and your friends have enough time, consider watching the movie during the meeting as well. Then at the end of the meeting, the next book will be announced, as well as the next meeting's time and place.

• Discussion:

-Don’t be afraid of discussion- its okay if not everyone likes the book, often times the best discussions arise when people have different opinions. Just remember to be respectful and keep the discussion civil.

-You can also start a discussion by each of you rating the book (secretly so people won’t feel obligated to change their score) maybe a grading system of A+, or a 1/10 or simply a thumbs up/down.

-some books have questions for discussion in the back, but since most of them don’t, you can look up some questions and/or read reviews others have left online. While you read them, discuss with your friends whether or not you agree with that person's review, and potential biases they might have.

-After your turn is over and the group has met and discussed your book, then decide who's turn it will be to choose a book next. In the beginning, just go with whoever volunteers or has a book ready. Then, once everyone has had their turn, begin the cycle all over again.

Thank you for reading and good luck with your book group!

Kid’s Book Gift Ideas (Ages 8-12)

Trying to get your kids to read more? Not sure what to give your niece/nephew for their birthday? We all know how important reading is for kids, and books are an easy and fun gift to give in any situation. Thinking back on some of my own favorite books as a kid inspired me to make this handy list of quality chapter books for the young reader in your life.

For this blog post I’ll be focusing on the tricky 8-12 age range, where kids are too old for picture books, but still too young for the teen section. I tried to go a little deeper than the Harry Potter series or Charlotte’s Web, which most kids have probably already read or seen the movie.

• Any Book by Sharon Creech: Heartbeat, Ruby Holler, Chasing Red Bird, Love that Dog

Every book by Sharon Creech has its own colorful story and interesting characters, and each is so well written that it doesn’t matter which one you chose, you’re sure to be captivated by it. Love that Dog specifically also happens to be a great way to teach kids about poetry.

   

• Any Book by Andrew Clements: Frindle, A School Story, The Laundry News, Lunch Money

Every one of these books are about resourceful kids making changes and being proactive in their own lives.

Check out my new Children's Book:

The Temptation of the Golden Pedestal

It's a fun Fable story for ages 8 and up with pictures you can color.

  Available as a FREE ebook download!

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• Savvy – Ingrid Law

Every person in Mibs’ family inherits their own unique power, or a “savvy” when they turn 13, and Mibs’ birthday is only days away!

• The Invention of Hugo Cabret – Brian Selznick

Historical fiction about a boy named Hugo who discovers small robotic machine called and automaton, and how it connects with early French filmmaker Georges Méliès.

• So You Want to Be a Wizard – Diane Duane

This is the first book in the Young Wizard series, which follows Nita Callahan, who discovers a book titled “So You Want to Be a Wizard” in the library while hiding from bullies. She takes the wizard’s oath in the book and discovers that the book’s magic is real, and starts her journey as a wizard.

        

• Dragon Rider – Cornelia Funke

Ben the human boy explores the world on the back of a silver dragon named FireDrake and a brownie creature named sorrel, encountering many magical creatures on their journey to “The Rim of Heaven” mountain range.

• Inkheart – Cornelia Funke

Yet another excellent fantasy novel by Corneila Funke about a magical storybook called “Inkheart” and what happens when the characters inside the book come out into our world.

• Cryptid Hunters – Roland Smith

Grace and Marty O’Hara are sent to live with their Uncle Travis Wolfe, who lives on his own private island after devoting his life to searching for “Cryptids”- or animlas "whose existence has not yet been proven scientifically."

And that's the end of my list. Thank you for viewing!

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My Top 10 Tricks for Writing Inspiration

  When inspiration strikes, it gives us a wonderful flow of power and motivation, and enables us to produce high quality work at a fast pace. But who has the time to sit around and wait for inspiration to spontaneously occur when we all have pressing matters and deadlines to meet?

This is exactly why I’ve compiled a list of the top 10 most effective things that inspire me to write instantly!

No one knows how to say anything better than Writers. Luckily, there are countless websites out there devoted to quoting authors and their knowledge. Authors offer many words of wisdom, comfort and humor, but their most valuable quotes by far are the advice they give to other writers. Whenever I read a quote, I find that my determination and enthusiasm are completely revitalized. So many quotes from famous authors have inspired me that I decided to tweet one a day on my twitter account. That way I can feel inspired to write every single day, and hopefully help inspire someone else in the process.

Have a look for yourself and follow me for your daily quote of inspiration: Montgomery Mahaffey @FreeFlyingPress

Like most writers, I’m a regular at every minor and major book store around. If I’m out running errands and a book store happens to be nearby, I can’t help myself from stopping in to browse the ‘New Arrivals’ section. Being surrounded by books is a wonderful feeling, and it always gives me encouragement that my very own book will someday be among them! Not to mention, that magical smell of new books is an instant anti-depressant. So stop by your closest book store (or Library- after all, it’s free!) and pick up some new books to read.

Thanks to the internet, sharing images is easier than ever. Just through one Google search alone, I can see into any number of people’s homes, cars, bed rooms and offices. People are posting pictures of themselves and their lives in abundance, and some of them really know how to make things look good. Seeing other author’s picturesque workspaces never fails to inspire me to clean off and organize my desk. Especially since working at a crowded desk makes my thoughts muddled. Once I clear everything off and put it back in order, it’s like whipping a dirty windshield clean. Give it a try for yourself, and who knows? Maybe all of the clutter you’ve gotten used to might actually be sabotaging your creative process.

I chose this image because I’m primarily a fantasy writer, and luckily for me, there are ENDLESS amounts of beautiful fantasy art for me to gaze upon. One of my very favorite websites for finding inspiring fantasy images is Pinterest. There are so many talented artists out there, and they make me feel like I’m looking right into the world I’m writing about. Then while I’m browsing, I often discover something new to put in my story. If you use the right key words, regardless of the genre you write- you can always find some inspiring images that relate to your story.

Here’s my board on Pinterest dedicated to Fantasy Inspiration: Fantasy Inspiration Board - Fantasy Fashion Board

No matter how much I love books and reading now, I never would have gotten this far if it weren’t for my favorite authors. I recently made a list of those special few writers who really made an impact on me with their work and vision. Once you have your own list, revisit every book you’ve read by them, and think about what you like most about it. If I don’t already know, I try to learn more about the lives my favorite authors led and how they got to be famous. Learning about great writers always inspires me. Here’s my list as an example:

• Jeanette Winterson: “Sexing the Cherry” and “The Passion”
• Isabelle Allende
• Tom Robbins
• John Irving
• Truman Capote
• Jane Austen
• Agatha Christie
• Florence King
• Hans Christian Anderson
• John Kennedy Toole

Of course it’s necessary to understand something well before writing about it, but I often find that research on its own is more than enough to inspire me to write a few pages.

Once I have a complete understanding of the way something in my story works, like alien technology or landscape, I feel unstoppable. This is especially true if something in my story is based on a real concept or item, then I can learn as much as I can about it and have lots of reference material to fall back on.

So take some good notes and make sure you really do understand a concept by explaining it to someone else.

For me, listening to the right kind of music is key for my writing process. If I really need to concentrate, I listen to music without lyrics, such as classical music or alternative lyric-less audio. If I’m writing a sad, dramatic, angry or exciting scene, often movie sound tracks provide excellent mood music, and Pandora has endless stations to choose from.

Music doesn’t even have to relate to your story, you can just put on your favorite song or any classic inspirational track like “Eye of the Tiger” or “Don’t Stop Believing” and dance around your house until you feel inspired enough to write!

Odds are that you already know what type of music you like and works best for you, so just think about how you can apply it better to your work. Maybe your favorite genre of music can be doing more for you than you realize!

When I’m really stuck, I always have this trick to fall back on. Pick up your laptop and writing supplies and get out of the house! Whether it’s just sitting to the neighborhood park for 5 minutes, or spending the afternoon in a warm coffee shop, getting up and moving around always gets my thoughts flowing. When I go somewhere else to write, like a café or library, then I have nothing to do but write. In this a way, I give myself no choice but to get things done. The same thing can’t be said when I’m writing at home, surrounded by distractions. Another great plus to being out in public is people watching. My stories always contain people, so observing real live humans is a great benefit for my writing.

While I was already on Pinterest looking at inspiring fantasy images, I also found a number of intriguing writing prompts, (as well as genius writing tips & tricks). So while you’re already on the internet from my last tip, open up a new tab to search for some Writing Prompts.

Pinterest is my favorite, and I’ve devoted an entire board to it, so you don’t even have to do any work: Writing Inspiration Board - Writing Tips & Tricks Board

It might seem strange to think that not writing at all will help inspire you, but putting too much pressure on yourself and forcing yourself to write is a no-go. If I concentrate too much on trying to write well and quickly, I often get less done and the quality of my writing suffers. Sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself and your writing is to just back off and take a break. Go relax and have some fun. Watch a movie with friends or go on an outing, and do your best not to think about writing. You’ll find that as soon as you stop stressing over what to write, the answer becomes clear and comes to you naturally.

Well, that's my list! I hope it can be of service to you! What are some things that inspire you that I didn't mention?