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Health & Fitness

The Reading Experience Part 1

Open the book with a reading experience.

I am taking an on-line course called Opening the Book.  The aim of the class is to improve the participant’s ability to speak with people about books. 

Opening the Books starts with a novel premise: - the key to speaking with people about books, say the leaders of the class is to talk about the experience of reading.  Ask why, how and where people read and how reading fits in their lives.  See the value in each reader’s individuality.

To put the participants in the right mind-set the leaders suggest asking these questions:

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  • Where do you read?  I read most often at the table in our dining room. 
    I am not sure why I read there. Perhaps it is the big window that I can looks out upon our back yard.  Or perhaps it is the proximity to the kitchen.  Coffee and cookies are great reading companions.
  • When do your read?  I like to read early in the morning before breakfast when the house is quiet and I like to read in the evening after dinner.  Reading helps me forget about the cares of the day for just a little while.
  • Would you ever cheat and read the ending first?  I could write an essay about this question so I’ll just say yes I do cheat sometimes and read the ending first.  If I am going to invest myself in reading a book I want to know that it’s worthwhile.
  •  Who is the character in a book you would most like to be?  A Welsh writer, Jasper Forde, created a character named Thursday Next who can literally enter any book and interact with characters.  I think it would be fascinating to be able to do this.
  • Which character would you most like to meet?   I would like to meet Lee Child’s character Jack Reacher.   He’s an incredibly interesting character.  Although I suspect that he would never tolerate anyone asking him too many questions about himself.

Now you know a little bit more about my reading habits.  Would you be willing to share your reading habits with other people?  If you are let me know by e-mailing me at jtpl@jeffersonlibrary.net.  Your identity will be kept anonymous. 

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