posted
I liked danquixote's idea, so I'm going to go with it. We seem to have about 10 people who have vocalized interest and possibly some lurking in the shadows. So I'm going to start a new thread to organize this thing.
PLEASE...If you are not interested in joining us, this isn't the place to tell us about it. Feel free to argue pros and cons on the other thread, if you like.
danquixote's idea was to take turns selecting the book of the month. I agree that this will probably result in a larger selection of books than a true democratic system. This will also greatly simplify the process. If it doesn't work out, we'll change it.
The only ground rule for selecting books is that if you go with a series, we have to stick with the FIRST book. I garuntee if you pick book 10 of the Wheel of Time Series no one can catch up their reading in time. Even if the first book has been discussed, let's not move on to book 2...there are many great authors and part of the point is to get some wide exposure to a lot of good writers, not stick with one writer through a series. We can finish the series on our own if we like it that much. Otherwise, no holds barred. Pick fantasy, scifi, romance, mystery, combinations of the above...not nonfiction, either, though....because we're really studying fiction writing here.
So, sign up. I'll take May 1st and volunteer to lead the first discussion. I already mentioned a suggestion for a book that could be read quickly in the three weeks we have, and I think I'll stick with it. So May's discussion will be on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Philosopher's Stone if you're in Britain...not sure why they had to change it. ) If you haven't read it...WHAT's WRONG WITH YOU? I mean, go ahead and get it and read it. If you have read it, might want to brush up on it. I hope that in the future we get to read many new books that we might not otherwise have run across, but I thought it might be best to ease our way in with an old favorite.
As for everyone else, you don't have to pick a month yet. Just reply and say you want to participate. I figure anyone at all can join in the discussion if they want, but we'll randomly choose the person who gets to pick the book from the list of those who have officially signed up here. (I'll choose names from a hat or something fair...first come first serve is rather unfair to those who don't spend all day lurking around here. )
So sign up please!
[This message has been edited by Christine (edited April 08, 2004).]
posted
Count me in Christine - since I started writing my reading has shifted from what I love to a new love - how to WRITE - I find myself reading more of The Writer and Writer's Digest and books on writing than catching up on my stack of fiction. I have read Sorcerer's Stone a couple of times, so that work's for me
posted
I just realized that I misspelled "club" in the title of this forum....I don't suppose there's a way to fix that. How embarassing.
Posts: 3567 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
I'm in. I hadn't planned to reread the HP series until the next book was coming out, but now's as good a time as any, huh?
Posts: 233 | Registered: Mar 2004
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Now I have to snag HP#1 from my 10 year old daughter! She comes out of her room, after reading for 15 minutes, to tell me all about what happened! (And yes, we've both read it several times! )
So what's the deadline for finishing? (And if you've already told us, I apologize-- I'll check your post again to make sure! )
Okay... I re-read your post, and now I get it! I guess my daughter and I can be HP-reading-airheads together!!
[This message has been edited by Lullaby Lady (edited April 08, 2004).]
posted
Well, I've already read the entire HP series several times (save the last one, which seemed kind of sub-par* to me), but this club thing sounds like a good idea. As long as we don't go for those Great American Novels (call me dense, uncultured, or a dense, uncultured slob, but I read The Great Gatsby 4 or 5 years ago, and I still don't get why it's so great), I'll jump in feet first.
CVG
*--an off-topic question: how come it's good to be sub-par in golf, where the word "par" originated (I think; I've done absolutely no research on the topic ), but it's not good in every day life? Just wondering. **
**--I noticed Christine used a lot of happy faces in her first post (which I have no problem with, BTW. I'm glad you're so happy ), so I thought I'd try to keep up.
There. Should be enough. Just in case, though....
[This message has been edited by cvgurau (edited April 08, 2004).]
posted
Ooooh...yuk...yes, I think we should ban the Great Gatsby from the book list.
Seriously, though, if someone wants to read one of those great american novels on their month it's their choice....but if no one plans to read a novel for a given month they might let the month's facilitator know in advance so they can pick something else. For example, I have no intention of ever reading the Great Gatsby again either. On the other hand, there are some classics I would read, like Twain.
All smiles!
OK, we now have 11 members. More are welcome to sign up (or just read and discuss), but as we have almost a year's worth of book selectors, here's the list (randomly picked using a pseudo-random number generator with a time stamp seed).
May: Christine (HPATSS) June: Gen July: AeroB1033 August: danquixote September: Lord Darkstorm October: Silver6 November: punahougirl84 December: Khyber January: Lullaby Lady February: cvgurau March: teddyrux
Anyone else who signs up will get tacked on to the end of the list...may or may not last that long but we'll see how it works out.
I assume (oops!) that we announce the next book a month before that discussion starts. So on May 1st, when we start doing HPATSS, Gen will announce the book for June 1st, and so on?
posted
Yes, punahougirl84, that was precisely my intention. So Gen has about three weeks here to come up with a title, that way everyone has a month to acquire/read the next month's book.
Posts: 3567 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
Fixed the title for you, Christine. (Hope all of those who signed up for a Book Clup will forgive me for doing that.)
Do you want a separate forum for your book discussions, or shall I change the title of the Discussing Published Hooks forum? (I could change it to Discussing Published Books, but then where would the Hooks discussion go?)
posted
I am free for the summer and very well may jump in on these conversations, but don't count on me for anytime after that!
Posts: 1621 | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
How about changing the title to "Discussing Published Books & Hooks?”
Christine, can we come up with a book earlier? I know that when I visit a used book store I walk out with a stack of books. The problem for me is that I don't get to go to one that often, not a good one anyway.
posted
February, huh? I guess that gives me a good long time to think of something. It'll probably be an OSC novel, though, because let's face it, the man knows his way wit' da words.
CVG
PS--
quote:
All smiles!
That's cute. Really.
PPS--I was wondering (and feel free to say no), can we change from one month to...say 2 weeks? Or even 3?
It's just that 4 weeks seems like an awfully long time to go through one book. I can probably breeze through HP&TSS in a couple of days. Again.
posted
I'm much the same way, cvgarau, but I know also that I would like to have plenty of time to read other stuff of my choice, and I bet quite a few others here are the same way. Just my thinking...
Posts: 292 | Registered: Feb 2004
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quote:PPS--I was wondering (and feel free to say no), can we change from one month to...say 2 weeks? Or even 3?
It's just that 4 weeks seems like an awfully long time to go through one book. I can probably breeze through HP&TSS in a couple of days. Again.
The only problem that I have with 2 or 3 weeks is that while I can read a book in less than a month, it would be easier to have the extra time to. Life has a habit of getting in the way.
And please, please don't ever make me read The Great Gatsby again! I had to read is THREE TIMES between middle school and high school. (I changed schools twice during high school, so there were several repeats. I didn't really mind doing Twain more than once.)
posted
Wow, been busy overnight....ok, let's set about addressing all these concerns:
Kathleen, I was considering using the Discussion of Published Hooks forum, and I still think it would work. Although I don't want to encroach on anyone who wants to discuss a published hook, I have noticed that that particular section had kind of lost energy anyway. And I think that if someone still wants to discuss a published hook, it would clearly fall under a discussion of published "books" as well.
Rahl22, you're welcome to join in but I didn't give you a month. If I put you on the list it wouldn't be until NEXT summer anyway.
Lord Darkstorm "Discussion of Published Books and Hooks"...sounds great to me.
And ABSOLUTELY...come up with a book earlier! I was thinking about making the suggestion but I thought, one step at a time. But yes, people who scan for books at used books stores might well want to pick up next December's book if someone already knows what it is. So anytime someone's ready, just post your book and your month and I'll occassionally post the entire list to keep everyone up to speed. (I have it on an excel spreadsheet.)
cvgurau, I also considered more often than every month. And you're right, we don't need a month to discuss a book, and this month we don't even really need a month to read the book in question. But unlike many of the threads here, this is more work. We actually have to acquire and read a book that we potentially never heard of before. But who knows? Let's get our feet wet and then consider changing the rules once we see how it all works.
Eljay, I am sooooo sorry, you poor, poor troubled soul. BTW, at one point I considered the Great Gatsby to be the WORST book I had EVER read. I have coped with this by completely forgetting everything about it, so I might have read worse by this point, but I'm not going to drudge up old nightmares to figure it out.
[This message has been edited by Christine (edited April 09, 2004).]
posted
Yep... I can get the June title out earlier, since there's really only one book I'm thinking of. Just give me a little longer to check out some stuff on the different versions and get my links in order.
Posts: 253 | Registered: Jan 2004
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posted
I had my book chosen about a second after I read I got to choose for November... and while the author's site says it is out of print, it has gone back into print, and is also available digitally! Plus lots of cheap used copies...
I am going to think on this a bit more, but I have several good reasons for the one I'd like to use.
Should we actually tell as soon as we have chosen, so people can arrange getting the book?
posted
I'd like to participate. For those of us who live in the sticks and have to order books online, it would be helpful to have several month's worth of selections ready.
posted
After about thirty seconds of very deep, reflective thought into the matter, I realized that my choice for the June book had to be Deep Secret , by Diana Wynne Jones.
After those thirty seconds, I went back and worked out some reasons why I liked this choice:
It's an interesting mix of fantasy and SF ideas/tropes, which is rare, and it works with some ideas you don't see as commonly as well as some ones you do;
It has some interesting bits about writing;
When I read it I found a lot of things I felt like discussing;
It's something I suspect most people won't have already read;
It's in a less conventional narrative form for our genres;
It's in print and readily available;
It's set at a SFF convention; and
I like it. Recursive, but there you go.
There's couple different versions of the book. The one linked to from the word "Deep" in the book title was a YA release, and apparently some of the dialogue has been bowlderized. The one linked to from "Secret" is the mass-market general release. (Both of them seem to have used copies available through Amazon, as well.) If you're looking at offline bookstores, it may be in the YA section, although I think it was originally intended for an older audience, or at least an audience who didn't mind salty dialogue.
And a and a and a , just for good measure. I like fitting in.
posted
After some perusing of Amazon, it appears the book I wanted to suggest is actually still in print (a miracle...) So my suggestion for October is (which should give everyone plenty of time to track a copy down...): The Book of Atrix Wolfe, by Patricia McKillip. Technically I think it's a juvenile (at least in the UK), but I think it's for everyone really, and she writes so well...
Posts: 121 | Registered: May 2002
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posted
I've heard of Wynee Jones, but never read any of her work. I just visited her official Web site [http://www.leemac.freeserve.co.uk/] and I'm eager to read "Deep Secret."
Posts: 21 | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
A(nother) question: Would it be impossible to set up a live chat forum? I mean, some don't get to come here for days at a time, and as popular an idea this seems to be, it's likely that those unfortunate few will be overwhelmed by the undoubtedly long and multiple responses sure to ensue.
posted
I think a live chat would be incredibly difficult to organize (in terms of time, not technology). I do, however, have a suggestion for how the discussion will run. I will try it for May, at least, and if it doesn't work we'll try something else.
Starting May 1st, I'm going to start a *series* of threads in the Discussion of Published Hooks forum. Each will begin with the title "May:" and will include a brief topic description after the semicolon. At the moment, I am planning such topics as opening hook, climax, characterization, etc. This way our discussion will be spread out over several threads because otherwise no one would ever get their say about anything because the topic would change too radically and too often. By splitting the discussion up into multiple threads, we can hopefully stay relatively on topic and thus give those who do not post as often a chance to have their say. Also, after I get the ball rolling any new threads would be welcome. So if you want to, you can just start your own thread and then get your word in that way.
Does that make sense?
I think there will be plenty of room for even those who post rather seldom to be involved. But live chats...when do you have them? Some people work days, others nights, some weekends, then there's family time...I just don't think it would work.
posted
Oh, that's the one about the dupled soldiers, right? Interesting idea, and better yet, it managed to be a story.
Posts: 8322 | Registered: Aug 1999
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Christine May Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Gen June Deep Secret by Diana Wynne Jones AeroB1033 July danquixote August Lord Darkstorm September The Forever War by Joe Haldeman Silver6 October The Book of Atrix Wolfe by Patricia McKillip punahougirl84 November Khyber December Lullaby Lady January cvgurau February teddyrux March TheoPhileo April Ergoface May Eljay June sassenach July Kickle August mogservant September
posted
I can't see too far into the future. But I'd love to join. My list of books to read has shrunk a bit and I'd love to add to it. I'll participate when I can.
And Just for the record the book I'd choose is: The Siege of Mt. Nevermind by Fergus Ryan. It's in the Dragonlance Saga, but it explains it's setting and races well enough to stand alone. It is also in a series, in fact the last of the series, BUT the series doesn't follow any line, in fact I think they all take place at the same time, just different places. So, as I said it stands alone, and is wondefull in it's comedy and the villain char is quite interesting.
posted
I have a question for everyone's that has selected their book or has one in mind. Is the book you've picked, in your opinion, a good book or a bad book?
posted
_Deep Secret_ is, in my opinion, a good book. It's also a book I found highly enjoyable. Although I'm sure someone has a different opinion... It's an online forum, after all.
Were you thinking "bad book" in terms of the "read slush to discover the slushpile errors and avoid them yourself" school of learning to write?
[This message has been edited by Gen (edited April 14, 2004).]