I was reading Natalie Goldberg’s writing guide Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within, and as I worked my way through its sixty-four short chapters, I became less and less attracted by her thoughts and suggestions as a sort of tiredness set in.

Then I realized I had been doing it all wrong. Writing Down the Bones is not a book to be absorbed in one sitting, or even sequentially in a handful of reading sessions. Each of those dozens of distinct chapters should be experienced separately — this is a book for snacking on over a period of time, not gorging on in one or a few meals.

Goldberg shares in the introduction that she put out this book at an ideal time, in the mid-1980s, when many more people than before began to throw their interest in writing. Soon, the wide use of home computers would ease their effort considerably. Since then, the book has been used widely in schools and writing workshops as a source of inspiration, and when it’s read part by part, I think, it provides a steady diet of encouragement and exercises.

Why? Goldberg’s lively anybody-can-do-this essays are sometimes a little strange, but her comments about how daily life can get in the way of fighting to become a great writer are supportive, somehow. “This woman has had false starts and personal crises and self-doubt, just like me,” I tell myself, “but here I am, holding in my hands a book she wrote, a book that a number of people have read, and continue to read.”

Goldberg recommends writing in many of the various environments: not just at home or in a cafe or at a workshop; how about setting up a spontaneous (发自内心的) writing booth at an outdoor fair or festival? It’s just like those kissing booths in the past — except that instead of giving out kisses for a dollar (did people actually do that once upon a time?), you write a poem on a topic of the customer’s choosing. She says the booth was always a hit.

Harry Potter is one of the most famous characters in the world. He is the main character of a series of books that have become a worldwide success. He is an English boy who has magical powers and discovers them when he goes to a special school for wizards. There are seven novels in the series, and the seventh in J. K. Rowling’s Potter series was published on July 20th, 2007. Some 3,500 fans queued for half a mile outside Waterstone’s flagship branch in central London on the night of July 20th, with an expected waiting time of four hours.

Parents and teachers are very happy about the books because children are spending more time reading than playing video games or watching television. It is incredible to see children waiting outside bookstores at night with their parents to buy the books. Some of the books are heavy and thick, but children don’t seem to mind. They rush inside the store when it opens and grab one or more copies. The books are sold out immediately, and parents sometimes fight with each other to buy the last one.

This has never happened to a book before. In the past, we saw kids or their parents running into a store to grab the latest popular toy like Cabbage Patch Kids. Harry Potter books have outsold these dolls, and they have set a world record as the best and fastest selling books in history. Large parts of the books are about Harry trying to understand his new identity and making the choices that come along with it, Harry Potter’s choices and problems are common problems that all young people have as they grow up.

Book clubs are no longer limited to living rooms, and bookstores offer much more than just books with a new opening up for gatherings centered around reading.

When entering Hearthfire Books and Treats in Evergreen, shoppers are greeted by a bright green wall of frozen yogurt machines and a topping bar.

Owner Kappy Kling believes she has created more than just a store but a space for community. Kling sees many bookstores modifying their business models to attract new customers. “Bookstores over the years, with changes, have adapted by adding different things for engagement, especially smaller ones,” she said. “So for us, the frozen yogurt was a big one of those.”

Hearthfire attracts a big afterschool crowd from the local schools, and Kling enjoys providing a safe place for kids to hang out, have a snack and read.

Creating reading community is also a central focus at BookBar on Tennyson Street in Denver. Nearly nine years ago, Nicole Sullivan was wishing she could have a book club meeting anywhere besides someone’s living room, and from that thought, BookBar was born. The popular bookstore offers wine, coffee and small plates to enjoy while leading and browsing books. Beyond just book club meetings, Sullivan says the shop sees a lot of girls’ nights, professional meetings and remote work.

While he may not have changed his business model, Topp does devote much of his time to reading to his customers. Topp founded Read Me a Story, Ink after reading to children in public schools for nearly 30 years. His website features recordings of Topp reading stories aloud and over a thousand stories for others to read and children can make comments and exchange opinions. He also has a podcast (播客) available on major platforms that feature him reading stories fit for the classroom, bedtime and more.