A recent headline in one of the local weekly newspapers stated:
"Novelteens" sets out to promote reading for teenagers
As my headline indicates, I believe there is a play on words between "novelteens" and "novelties" and, of course, "novels."
Novelteens is a group that is "aimed at encouraging a love for reading among teens aged 13-18." I'm not sure why the 19-year-olds were not included, but, there you have it.
The group is sort of a book club combined with a library and second-hand book store. Teens can borrow books for free or buy them for half of the original price of the book (the newspaper article said that they could buy the books for half the value of the book, but we know that the value of a book in a person's life may be incalcuable).
So it's like a library but not exactly. There is no time limit on how long a book may be borrowed for. If teens have books they are finished with, they can donate them. This keeps the collection circulating.
It's also not quite like a library in that the group meets at Faking Sanity, a cafe in the downtown area. It's a bit more relaxed perhaps, and, for some, maybe not as intimidating.
The group has other activities, such as a book drive and a Scrabble tournament, coming up soon.
Why should writers be interested in this group? These people are our readers now and our future readers! We can find out what they like in books. What they want to read. What makes a book "work" for them.
Novelteens may even have some budding writers in their midst!
interesting: readers now and hopefully into tomorrow ... plus, as you point out, these may be the writers WE'RE reading in the not-so-far-off future! (my favourite bit is how you highlight the difference between the "price" and the "value" of a book - love it!)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment! You're a faithful and careful reader!
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