BookSwim a Good Way to Get Books Delivered

Just this week I heard about a service called BookSwim. Book Swim is often called the “Netflix for books.” You essentially sign up for a membership (there are various membership levels), visit their site to pick out books you want to read, and wait for them to be sent to you. When you are done reading them, you send them back and they send you the next ones in your list. You do not have to pay any additional shipping fees.

What sets BookSwim apart from a library is that they actually have new releases and best sellers in stock. I did a spot check of the last 10 books that I read (most purchased as soon as they came out), and every one of them were listed. I also checked some of the books that my daughter (who is 9) read and many of them were there as well.

Right now we are lucky enough to be giving away a couple of BookSwim memberships at Sunshine Rewards. Check out my videoblog to find out how you can enter and also how you can get discounts on BookSwim.

Review of Book by Book: The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs

Up until a couple of years ago, the books I read with my daughters consisted mainly of picture books and Dr. Seuss. Although I love to read, I tended to read short books to my girls and not anything that really interested me. Then came Harry Potter. It completely changed the ways that my daughters and I read books both together and apart. I started reading less business books and more fantasy (I also more than quadrupled the number of books I read in a year!). My daughters started reading chapter books before bed. Before long, we were all getting interested in the same things. Now we find ourselves reading series like Kingdom Keepers and Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief–each of us trying to finish faster than the other.

We also discovered that our friends enjoyed the same books as us. Over time, we started sharing books with other mothers AND daughters. After a few months of this, we decided that it might be fun to try a mother-daughter book club. Now, I’ve never even been in a regular book club. Starting a mother-daughter book club should be interesting!

Cindy Hudson’s Book by Book: The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs is where I will be starting. In addition to the basic information (whom to invite, how big the group should be, where and when to have meetings), Cindy discusses issues that I would never have even thought about. For example, how can you tie in community service projects to the book that you are reading? What kind of expert can you bring in about the book? What will you do at meetings besides just talk about the book?

I had not thought about any of this when I envisioned our book club. I just imagined that we would read a book and then grab a pizza and talk about it for a couple of hours. However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what you can do. You can really use the book club as an opportunity to learn and grow with your daughter. It can also be a good way to strengthen your bond with the other mothers and daughters in the club.

Another great thing about the book are the book suggestions. Cindy breaks down age groups and gives you ideas about different books that you might want to use and what the themes of those books are. It’s a great starting point for choosing your early books that should then help you find more books later as your group progresses.

As I read this book, I became more and more excited about starting my group. I’ve touched base with a couple of other moms and am now eager to get the process going! You can pick up Book by Book: The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs at Amazon or other book retailers.

Starting Parent-Child Book Clubs (Guest Post)

Looking for a tip to help your family stay connected in this fast-paced world?  Start a parent-child book club to simply and economically make connections with your children through a community of books.  Busy moms will appreciate how this activity will easily blend into their already full lives.

To get started, find a few like-minded friends and their children who are interested in joining you on this adventure.  Agree on the goals and ground rules for your family book club.  Choose a first book that will be challenging and engaging to read.  The host adult for each meeting can draft open-ended discussion questions that will ideally stimulate a rewarding and meaningful book discussion.  You can share your values and thoughts about situations that arise in the books, and your children can share their feelings and ideas through discussing situations that the book’s characters faced.  Also, the host can create enrichment activities such as book-inspired art or science projects, snacks, field trips, movement or sports activities, and games or puzzles.  These types of experiences truly enhance the book discussion and provide a hands-on experience that everyone will remember.  Enjoy reading the books that your group has selected, and bonding with your family through discussions and related activities.  It works for me!

Melissa Stoller

Co-author, The Parent-Child Book Club: Connecting With Your Kids Through Reading (Melissa Stoller & Marcy Winkler, HorizonLine Publishing, 2009, www.parentchildbookclub.com).  This is a comprehensive resource book with step-by-step instructions for organizing and conducting your family book club.  The 20 Book Club Model Guides provide everything families need to get started!

Is Percy Jackson the Next Harry Potter?

I’ve been seeing so many reports lately about Percy Jackson being the next Harry Potter. I’ve now completed both series and am ready to answer that question…not really.

Aside from the obvious similarities between the two books (young boy find out that he has special powers, enters a magical world, finds out he is part of a big prophecy, makes friends, battles monsters, learns more about “family” and “friendship” as a result), what else to Percy Jackson and Harry Potter have in common? They are both book series, and they were both made into movies. So we’ve established some similarities that they also have with many, many other book characters and series. Beyond that?

When I think of Harry Potter and why it was so big, I think of two things. The first is that it known as one of the best selling book series of all time and is a favorite of both young and old. It’s a phenomenon that will not be repeated soon. Percy Jackson will not be THAT Harry Potter.

But the other thing that Harry Potter was Percy Jackson COULD be. They are both a reason to get kids reading again. They are both a series that appeals to a demographic that can sometimes be hard to motivate to read (10-15 year olds, especially boys). It’s not only one book but an entire series that can get somehow hooked and into reading for the first time or back into reading if they have not been interested in awhile. It’s not fluffy like Diary of a Wimpy Kid but actually has some real social value (as least in my opinion) when you take to heart the lessons about life, love, and perseverance.

For me, Percy Jackson is not the next Harry Potter because there will never be another Harry Potter. It’s a one of a kind experience that crosses generations and media. But does that mean I wouldn’t suggest Percy Jackson to my friends and their kids? Not at all. Just take it for what it is–another fantasy series about teens growing up and learning life lessons while fighting monsters.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Shirts

One of the hottest book series for pre-teens and teens this year is Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Not only is the book series on fire, but a Percy Jackson and the Olympians movie is set to be released soon. The series is a mixture of fantasy and adventure, based on Greek Mythology. Some of my adult friends are reading the series and loving it as well. If you haven’t added it to your family book list yet, you should definitely check it out.

If you already have Percy Jackson and the Olympian fans in your house, you might want to consider these Percy shirts now available at Hot Topic:

Percy Jackson And The Olympians The Lightning Thief Poster T-Shirt

Percy Jackson And The Olympians The Lightning Thief Hero T-Shirt

Click here to find more Percy Jackson and the Olympians merchandise.

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