Richard Price:
“You don’t write about the horrors of war. No. You write about a kid’s burning sock lying on the ground.”
creative writing
Turning the Page
After our post a couple weeks ago, I’ve been in the mood to read and discuss my latest reads without having to leave my bed to reach out to a book club. I wouldn’t want to be restricted on time (that I don’t have) to read a book and meet a group at a scheduled time which I may or may not miss. I would just love to sit back with my computer, write a post somewhere, and leave it alone overnight to accumulate some feedback.
Well guess what? There’s a place you can actually do that. There’s a Facebook group called Page Turners by Buzzfeed! It’s a great social place to go online and talk to fellow readers about the books you want to discuss. I know it’ll encourage me to pick up a new book and start a discussion or contribute to one.
Here’s what Page Turners had to say about themselves:
“Page Turners is a community/challenge to help people read more and read new kinds of books! [The Facebook group] is where can share what books [people are] reading for each month’s theme, discuss books with fellow readers, and even pictures of where, what, and how we’re turning pages.”
Does this make you want to pick up a book from your #TBR pile? It certainly makes me feel so!
A Bittersweet Feeling
Classic Advice
Charles Baudelaire:
“Always be a poet, even in prose.”
Friday Fun
Show, Don’t Tell!
Fred East:
“If you tell the reader that Bull Beezley is a brutal-faced, loose-lipped bully, with snake’s blood in his veins, the reader’s reaction may be, ‘Oh, yeah!’ But if you show the reader Bull Beezley raking the bloodied flanks of his weary, sweat-encrusted pony, and flogging the tottering, red-eyed animal with a quirt, or have him booting in the protruding ribs of a starved mongrel and, boy, the reader believes!”
The Bedtime Book Club
The only free time I get to transport myself to another world within the pages of a book is in bed. Reading the right bedtime book is sometimes hard to do. I enjoy lighthearted reads before bed, but some people enjoy a good thriller to fuel their nightmarish dreams. Some prefer to read an action-packed chapter to tire themselves out. Everyone deserves a bedtime read – and now we have a way to get that book in our hands before resting our eyes at night.
As of 2018, HarperCollins UK has teamed up with the Heart radio station and Dreams, a bed retailer, to begin what will be known as the Bedtime Book Club. With the radio station broadcasting to listeners, the hosts will discuss a variety of HarperCollins novels, different themes, and genres to encourage reading. But just because the station is only broadcasting in the UK, doesn’t mean you can’t find your own nighttime reads.
If having a Bedtime Book Club isn’t reason enough to read before bed, maybe I should tell you why it can be important to get your nose in a book while under the sheets. It’s simple – if you want better sleep, read. You read me right. Sleep better. It’ll help reduce stress by distracting your brain from the life stresses that can get the best of you. I’m guilty of blaring my TV to help me fall asleep but it’s actually a good idea to read rather than watch. It’ll reassure your brain that you are at peace. And if you’re also like me, scrolling through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (whatever social media platform you choose), reading can help you concentrate better. In the long run, reading before bed can improve two other things: your empathy and your creativity. In a good way!
Reading is a powerful tool, so why not start your own Bedtime Book Club and start curling up with a good book to help rest your eyes and your brain.
Words, Words, Words
Words for Wednesday
The Santa Claus of Publishing
Jolly old Saint James Patterson has returned this holiday season to grant 300 booksellers and owners with a well-deserved holiday bonus. For the last three years, Patterson has donated money to indie booksellers, in hopes of getting more books into more hands. Information to send in forms for bookstore and sellers can be left on the website. As the forms come in, Patterson, himself, reviews the possible candidates on a one-on-one basis. To be considered, the bookstore must have a children’s section and the business must already be in business and be successful.
In 2014, Patterson teamed up with the American Booksellers Association and gathered over $1 million to the first round of recipients. In 2015, he gave $250,000 in bonuses to 89 employees – which was the same dollar amount he gave in 2016 to 149 employees. This year, Publisher’s Weekly confirmed Patterson increased the amount by $100k to $350,000 – giving away bonuses to 300 bookstore employees, especially those who have been affected by hurricanes and wildfires in the past year.
Patterson has even been quoted saying, “These bonuses are my humble acknowledgement of [booksellers’] commitment to putting books into the hands of readers, and I hope these grants make that possible.”
During this holiday season, we want to thank James Patterson for helping those who genuinely enjoy their careers to continue doing what they do, as well as help young people get their hands on the books they deserve.