Yes, I know, grammar and punctuation is always the thing. And despite the title of this post sounding a bit strange, it conveys exactly what I want it to.

As it is written, I’d like to tell you a bit about community reads and how to survive them.

1. Community Reads encourage the masses to read the same book, thus providing a common experience and a nice platform for discussion with anyone who partook in the read–regardless of age, gender, stage of life, or general interests. This book is for everyone. It is universal in our attempts to live our daily lives with grace, courage and dignity.
2. Reading a book outside your typical genre sometimes isn’t easy. However, it is worth it to broaden your literary experiences. The nice thing about Andy Steiner’s How to Survive: The Extraordinary Resilience of Ordinary People is that she tells the story of courage and triumph in bite-sized pieces. It’s easy to find a story that speaks to you.
3. As we know time is short, we try to pick community read books that are quick and easy. This allows readers to spend minimal personal time while still being able to participate. So, I would say, don’t be afraid to cut your teeth on this book. Take a chance that you will find a sliver of time to read at least one story of survival.
4. Sharing is caring. Sometimes we fall in love with literature and are reluctant to pass it along to others in case the pages get crumpled or someone might love a story with their morning coffee. The beauty of a community read is that these books are meant to be shared. The more widely read they are, the more successful our endeavor becomes. Read, share and discuss. Pass along the book to others who are going through tough times and who might need a bit of encouragement, or who enjoys similar writing as you do.
5. Attend a book discussion. Yes, I know that is uncomfortable sometimes. But listening is also participating. Nobody expects to hear and speak with authority on the topics presented in Steiner’s book. Rather, everyone is encouraged to simply absorb the book as a community, listening to others and yourself about how a story touched you personally.
6. Lastly, community reads are a no-cost endeavor. Thanks to a grant from the Minnesota Cultural and Heritage Foundation, Meinders Library has 30 free copies of How to Survive for your reading pleasure. Simply stop in and nab a book.

How To Survive Events

Monday October 30 @ 6:00pm: Community Book Discussion

Friday November 10 @ 6:30pm Books-n-Brew Book Club

Saturday November 11 @ 2:00pm Publisher’s Presentation on How to Survive with Adam Wahlberg

Tuesday November 21 @ 8:30am Early Bird Book Club

*read*share*discuss*