My passions has always been reading. I love to read and look at it as a fun activity to do. I am always the person that will ask "do you think I'll have time to read?" whenever I go places. I think it is a great way to be imaginative and to explore new topics and perspectives. For this assignment I chose to look into joining a book club. It is something I have always thought about because it would interesting to read a book with a group of people at the same time and then be able to discuss with them what their thoughts and interpretations are. Big discoveries that I made with this experiment are that there are a lot of people that share the same passion I have. When doing the research part of the assignment I was amazed at how many different groups there are in just the Bloomington/Normal area and then the amount of people in each group. I think that if you are doing something that you are passionate about even if you don't like the subject that is being read that month you can still find joy in the act of reading.

 

My other topic that I explored were working out classes. I feel like these topics actually have a lot in similar. People work out to relax, better themselves, and connect with people. I felt like that is exactly what reading can do for people as well. I think the the workouts that are done in classes can be done alone but it is always better to have a shared experience with someone. The same can be said when reading. After reading the same chapter as two other people and being able to discuss it after it really made reading enjoyable in a way that I have never explored before. I think that you could definitely blend these two together. If you got a work out class that worked out together on the weekends but then met during the week to discuss the book or you could have everything on the same day. You could also talk about the book while working out if you were doing something light like yoga. 

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After some research I learned that book club does take a lot of your time during the month so it is important to make sure you fit it into your schedule. People expect the book to be read by the time the meeting happens and to come ready to talk about the book. Some times  there will be questions given before and then sometimes the questions will be given at the time of meeting. Most of the groups require you to participate at least once a month in order to be considered in the club so it is important to choose one that fits well with your schedule. I think that these topics can connect to one another because people who are looking for a way to connect with people while also enjoying their hobby are probably going to find a lot of joy out of the activity. 

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