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Read 12 OUR YUCAIPA | JUNE 2015 The benefits of reading are obvious… when you read, you gain knowledge, improve your vocabulary, strengthen your analytical skills and ward off diseases like Alzheimers and dementia. You also escape the static of sound and images emitted by the tech heavy world in which we live. People stare into their phone vortexes for hours every day and reap few lasting benefits for their lives. Reading feeds the mind and calms the body. It's cheap entertainment and can change lives. I read Atlas Shrugged in my early 20s. It's a conservative look at the benefits of hard work and the detrimental effects of supporting a welfare society. I was so moved by the message that I quit my job and started my own business. I haven't looked back in over two decades. Thanks Ayn Rand. Summer is the perfect time to start a book club. Here are some suggestions to make your book club a success: 1. Find a great group of people. Pick wisely because if things go well you might be together for a long time. There are book clubs that have gone on for years. 2. Discuss what kinds of books you are going to read… fiction, lighter (beach reads), deeper (literary reads), novels, sci-fi, historical, humor, or mix it up and try genres you may not choose on your own. 3. Decide how often you are going to meet. Everyone has a busy schedule so try to set your date a month or two in advance. Meet regularly to keep the momentum going. 4. Pick a place to meet. Some book clubs like meeting at a coffee shop, church, workplace or a rotating schedule of members' homes. 5. Determine how much you are actually going to talk about the book. It is important to set a clear expectation on what kind of club you want to be so nobody is irritated or disappointed — this is supposed to be fun. There are basically three types of book clubs: • The Social Book Club: This is a book club that uses it more as an excuse to get together, have a night out, and maybe drink some wine. At some point you will discuss the book but it usually isn't centered around it. • The All About the Book Book Club: This book club only talks about the book. This is better for groups that may not know each other well and, for them, socializing may be distracting. • The Social and Mostly About the Book Club: This book club divides their time. The first hour or so is used to talk, drink, eat, and catch up. After that, about an hour or so is used to talk about the book, and the last half hour is picking the book for next time. A lot of clubs have each member bring a book or two or an idea of a book to read for the next meeting and members will vote on it. Hopefully you will choose some good books. Sure, you may have to slog through a book that doesn't fit your reading palate but you may discover a favorite you never would have picked for yourself. Sometimes it is fun to pick a book that is turning into a movie so that you can read the book and then go critique the movie. Who knows? Maybe someday the movie will be as good as the book. By Stacey Parr and Courtney Taylor