So you want to start a book club. Book clubs have been around a long time – long before the Internet and Oprah Winfrey. But, both the Internet and Oprah’s high profile book club seems to have breathed new life into the idea in recent years. I’ve never hosted a book club, but from what… Continue Reading What Makes a Book Club Great – the People, the Books, or the Wine? »
Read MorePosts By: Joel Goldman
It’s All About Character
Do you think you have good character? What is character? The New Webster’s Dictionary defines character as “the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual”. You might have heard a news story about some notorious criminal and thought about his or her bad character. We make character judgments on a daily basis, whether we… Continue Reading It’s All About Character »
Read MoreTips for a Better Fiction Reading Experience
“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” ~Joseph Addison Any type of reading takes time and effort. But when you read for school or work, it’s completely different than fiction reading for pleasure. With leisure fiction, you’re giving your free time to the author and entering into a new world –… Continue Reading Tips for a Better Fiction Reading Experience »
Read MoreReading Novels Can Make Big Changes in Your Brain
If you’re like so many others, you’re probably reviewing a list of New Year resolutions you’ve written down or made a mental note of in your mind. Studies have shown that breaking bad habits (and creating new, good ones) requires a rewiring of the brain. According to a recent study conducted by researchers at the… Continue Reading Reading Novels Can Make Big Changes in Your Brain »
Read MoreWords Can Make the Difference In 2014
Avid book readers, and even those who would rather not read, understand the power and importance of words. We communicate most of our thoughts, feelings, and knowledge with both written and spoken words. Obviously, as a best selling author of crime novels and an avid reader myself, words rank very high in my world –… Continue Reading Words Can Make the Difference In 2014 »
Read MoreDid You Know That You Are What You Read?
We’ve all heard the phrase, “You are what you eat.” Fitness and nutrition gurus everywhere seem to repeat this saying, or some version of it, like a mantra. But is it true that you are what you read as well? Recent research, conducted at Ohio State University, indicates that when you get lost in the… Continue Reading Did You Know That You Are What You Read? »
Read MoreBook Lovers – Do You Fit the Stereotype?
As I browsed through my “to read” articles collected by Zite, I came across a Huffington Post story called, These Stereotypes About Book Lovers Are Absolutely True, and That’s a Good Thing. We’re always taught that stereotypes are bad and that we “shouldn’t use stereotypes” when referring to people or cultures. But I enjoyed the… Continue Reading Book Lovers – Do You Fit the Stereotype? »
Read MoreHow Depressing Fiction Can Change You for the Better
What do you think about depressing fiction? Can it motivate you to take action to better your own life? I’ve talked in the past about how fiction allows us to escape into a fascinating world where we can follow equally fascinating characters as they deal with challenges, experience failures, and win victories. But a recently… Continue Reading How Depressing Fiction Can Change You for the Better »
Read MoreRead Fiction to Solve Financial Literacy Issues?
The other day, a headline caught my eye as I browsed through some news stories online. Jeremy Olshan wrote, Want to get rich? Read fiction. As a fiction author, how could I not take a moment to see what this was all about? The article listed five financial lessons from great novelists like Dickens, Tolstoy,… Continue Reading Read Fiction to Solve Financial Literacy Issues? »
Read More10 Reasons Amazon is Great for Book Lovers
Amazon started as an online bookseller, but is now the world’s largest online retailer and they offer far more than just books to their customers. As a book lover, and later an author, I’ve been a fan of Amazon from almost the beginning. But it’s become so much more than a place to buy… Continue Reading 10 Reasons Amazon is Great for Book Lovers »
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Joel's bookshelf: read
Crisp writing, great characters. Doesn't go where you think it will go. A good read.
Great book! Lot's of fun and funny. Plus, very interesting insights into improv and how to apply rules of improv to the work place. Highly recommended.
A knockout! If you like action, humor and horror, you won't stop with this first installment in this new series. You'll get the rest of them the minute they are released.
One of the best books I've read in a long time. History that reads like the most exciting thriller. Great insights into the expansion of the United States into the West and the crushing cultural conflict that decimated Native American tr...
Just getting started with Michael Connelly's latest - vintage Connelly; captures you from the first page.
