Parenting books
Reading is one of the easiest and cheapest past times one can enjoy. Other than printed words you don’t need any special equipment, you don’t need a sunny day, and you don’t have to assemble a team to do it. So you would think everyone reads for pleasure, right?
Not necessarily, according to the 2004 National Endowment for the Arts Reading and Literacy Study. This report analyzes the American public’s reading habits from 1982 to 2002 and to date is still one of the most comprehensive pieces of data we have on adult reading. According to the NEA Study adult readers declined by 3% between 1982 and 1992.
This downturn did not escape Oprah Winfrey, who in 1996 started a book club on her popular talk show. Her legion of loyal viewers did in fact pick up the novels she promoted and soon bookstores everywhere were touting “We have the latest Oprah book!” The idea took off, and suddenly book clubs sprang up from Portland, Oregon, to Portland, Maine. It appeared that Oprah had accomplished her goal of getting adults to read.
Or did she? Although the number of book clubs in America increased after Oprah rolled out her literary chat fests, the number of adult readers actually decreased by 7% between 1992 and 2002. How is that possible? More book clubs should mean more readers.
Turns out people were joining book clubs, but they weren’t always reading the books, or sticking with the clubs for that matter. Because of work and family, people new to book clubs typically dropped out after six months. In today’s busy world of two working parents per family, it’s easy to understand why recreational reading gets put on the back burner for Mom and Dad.
But it doesn’t have to if you incorporate your book club into your family. Starting an age appropriate kids/parents book club not only gets you to read more, but has benefits for your children as well. According to the educational organization Raise Smart Kids, children emulate their parents’ behavior, so if they see Mom and Dad reading they’ll read, too. And when kids see their parents being held responsible for their same goal (finishing an assigned book), it reinforces their own personal accountability.
You can also combine family time and reading by creating couples book clubs where adult couples read an assigned book and meet regularly to discuss it. These book clubs allow busy couples to escape the pressures of family life and have adult conversation centered on a book. Picking a book that incites stimulating dialogue gets couples to explore topics they may not normally discuss.
If you can find a way to meld a book club with your existing life, then yes, book clubs can promote reading. To make your family book club even easier, buy multiple copies of your book (unless it’s very short), so that family members are not forced to read the book sequentially. You can always keep book costs down by trading used books online from services like NovelAction.com. At Novel Action, there are a wide variety of books for adults, and children of all ages, and you can swap a dozen books for about $1 each (including shipping). And isn’t that a small price to pay to get you and your family to read more without sacrificing your time together?
About the Author:
Stacy’s been an editor, feature writer, and copywriter for several magazines and has had her own column in a Parenting magazine. Now a retired standup comic, she’s written for TV, radio and feature films. Most notably Stacy co-wrote (with Zack Van Eyck) and directed the feature film “Jupiter Landing” which can be found on Netflix.
Stacy’s also written two books on desktop publishing; “Interleaf Tips and Tricks” and “The Interleaf Exercise Book” (both published by Onward Press and available in bookstores and on Amazon.com).
Currently Stacy writes a movie review blog for www.ParkCityJournal.com and a movie review show for KPCW radio called “The Friday Film Review. She’s also head writer and creator of the comedy web series HAGNET (new episodes appearing weeking on www.MyInboxNews.com and YouTube).
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Do Book Clubs Promote Reading?
Are there any Teen Pregnancy books about Parenting and things?
I am 17 yrs old and am pregnant. I am trying to educate myself about what I am going expect and things.I have read things online that I need to know.I am also looking into taking classes as well but I want a book to read on about what I should expect and maybe even one based on teens possibly.
Thanks.
I HATE the book What To Expect When You’re Expecting… It made me feel that everything I did was wrong and seemed more like a scare tactic rather than information. And it’s very much outdated. I would not recommend it.
Instead, try Mayo Clinic’s Guide To A Healthy Pregnancy. It’s what I’m reading now. It’s very factual and will tell you what is going on with your body every step of the way. And also what to expect when the baby comes. It tells your all your options about different things, but doesn’t preach.
Check out your local library for other books about pregnancy and parenting. Also, talk to any adult you trust for advice!
Congrats and good luck!!!
