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Nathan Jerpe
Acolyte

Date Joined Nov 2007
Total Posts : 219

Posted 11/26/2007 9:34 PM (GMT -4)

So...I'm still new here, but I've poked around and didn't come across any group reads.

I thought it might be fun: select a book, set up a schedule for reading each chunk, and then discuss each chunk as we digest and dissect?

Personally I'd opt for a slow place, maybe a chapter a week or so? I'd vote, too, for a work that was somehow profound or formidable, one that would benefit from group discussion. I don't think a simple potboiler would do the trick, as most of us could probably grasp its subtleties on our own.

Opinions?

Bill Ward
Biblioholic

Date Joined Jul 2006
Total Posts : 1635

Posted 11/27/2007 12:07 AM (GMT -4)

I was thinking along the same lines, like a 'book of the month' club.

billwardwriter.com

von Darkmoor
Small Press Publisher (and Dancer still)

Date Joined Dec 2005
Total Posts : 2952

Posted 11/28/2007 1:28 AM (GMT -4)

Seriously, Bill?

Based upon your reading list, you could easily handle it; in fact, most everyone here would be too slow for you! I like the concept . . . but I'm not sure I could handle it. Dude, look at my reading list. I think I've listed, what, 26 books? But I've only completely read like 16 of them - I just have bookmarks at various points in the others. That's about 50 books behind normal, almost 80 behind last year. And I don't see it getting any better, unfortunately. So I see myself either falling too far behind the group to meaningfully contribute or just plain bailing - and I personally hate doing that, so this is just gonna cause me internal strife - see? I'm stressing all ready!

So, if this generates enough interest to do, can readers come and go, catchup or fall behind, skip a week or two then return - without being ridiculed? That is, ridiculed more than they normally are?

~~~~~~~~~~
Jason M. Waltz
Fantasy Acquisitions Editor Staffs & Starships Magazine
Anthology Editor Flashing Swords
~~~~~~~~~~
Ever waltz with the Devil? Visit von Darkmoor's thoughts to find out (and read a review or two).
~~~~~~~~~~
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Bill Ward
Biblioholic

Date Joined Jul 2006
Total Posts : 1635

Posted 11/28/2007 2:09 AM (GMT -4)

Well, I was thinking not everyone would necessarily participate every month, you know? Sort of a lot of different discussions going on.

But how about something more like Nathan suggests, a 'book of the irregularly determined internal' where maybe we have a group read thread where a group of interested people pick something, decide on a target date to have begun reading it, and then have an organic discussion without any other really hard and fast rules? Maybe it could be more like a quarterly discussion, and people could always come in to the thread a month or two down the line if they don't jump in to the book right away.

@Nathan, the companion thread to the Members Reading List that you just joined is a place for discussion of stuff we see in each other's lists, so it kinda fulfills the group read to some extent. But I do think something more in depth and pre-planed would be a fun thing to do. So long as you don't expect us all to read Pynchon ;)

billwardwriter.com

von Darkmoor
Small Press Publisher (and Dancer still)

Date Joined Dec 2005
Total Posts : 2952

Posted 11/28/2007 2:25 AM (GMT -4)

Your combined proposals work for me, Bill and Nathan - keep me in the loop, please.

Nathan Jerpe
Acolyte

Date Joined Nov 2007
Total Posts : 219

Posted 11/28/2007 5:20 PM (GMT -4)

Thanks for the nod towards the Members Reading List, Bill. This is a pretty big place, so I hadn't gotten around to delving through all of its nooks and crannies yet. I'll check out the threads over there in more depth.

In the meantime...one way to do it might be to have a *category* for the book we are reading as a group. I'm calling it a category because I don't know what the correct terminology is, but an analogy would be the 'I'd Like to See' sub-heading that we have lurking overhead as we speak.

Then under that category we could have a separate thread for each chunk of the book. We could determine how we size each chunk based on Chapters, Parts, whatever. At the beginning of each week we could start a new thread for the next chunk. That way if you got behind for a few weeks, you could still contribute to threads from older chunks.

I agree with von Darkmoor though. A group read of one book every month would be fairly demanding, unless you were planning on doing something like A Series of Unfortunate Events, Vol. 1.

I was thinking more along the lines of 15-20 pages a week?

Bill Ward
Biblioholic

Date Joined Jul 2006
Total Posts : 1635

Posted 11/28/2007 5:51 PM (GMT -4)

For 'category' read 'sub-forum,' I understand what you mean.

We could probably just get away with having separate threads in the 'right now I'm reading' forum rather than a whole sub-forum for the book, and I can see how having a few separate threads could be useful since big discussions from people at different parts of the book could get really muddy. Although maybe a 'group read' sub-forum with a few books going at once wouldn't' be a bad idea either?

Maybe a trial run just using one thread would be a place to start though, no need to get too complicated if we can't generate the interest.

Who wants to start a thread to generate suggestions on what book to read?

billwardwriter.com

Nathan Jerpe
Acolyte

Date Joined Nov 2007
Total Posts : 219

Posted 11/28/2007 6:56 PM (GMT -4)

I'm down with that, particularly since we are allowed to create threads and not sub-forums.

For a list of suggested books, I'd say this thread is as good as any.

Is there a voting widget we can use?

Bill Ward
Biblioholic

Date Joined Jul 2006
Total Posts : 1635

Posted 11/28/2007 7:33 PM (GMT -4)

Yea, but I believe we have to start a new thread as a poll. Anyway, we would need to narrow the choices down a bit first I think.

I'll throw some titles out to get us started; these are books I plan to read sooner rather than later. Sticking with genre stuff, kinda current or classic, deeper-than-your-average-space-vampire-and-laser-sword book as my criteria.

The Etched City, Bishop

The Knight, The Wizard, Wolfe

Soldier of Sidon, Wolfe

The Worm Ouroboros, Eddison

Vellum, Duncan

Bakker's Thousandfold thought trilogy (deep or no? I dunno)

I'd be willing to reread stuff as well, though nothing immediately leaps to mind ... though Wolfe's Fifth Head of Cerberus is short and deep enough to fuel a discussion.

billwardwriter.com

von Darkmoor
Small Press Publisher (and Dancer still)

Date Joined Dec 2005
Total Posts : 2952

Posted 11/29/2007 12:08 AM (GMT -4)

I up for the group read forum with sub-forums and for the trial run guys.

As far as books, Bill, I've read The Knight, The Wizard; I will not read Soldier of Sidon as it is just more of Soldier of the Mist which I started, quit and refuse to reread; and I fully intend to read the last three on your list. I already own one of Bakker's books, one of Duncan's and the Worm.

Of those, I'd vote for Bakker or Eddison. Nothing is coming to my mind but all the books I have yet to review for SFReader and others, so at the moment I do not have any other suggestions. Unless I used you guys to do my reviewing for me . . . .

Bill Ward
Biblioholic

Date Joined Jul 2006
Total Posts : 1635

Posted 11/29/2007 12:13 AM (GMT -4)

You didn't like Soldier of the Mist? Oh man, those two Soldier books are some of my absolute favorites. I think we may have to arm wrestle now Jason.

Vellum seems interesting, topical, and different. Plus its on my shelf

I'd not mind reading Cerberus again, I think I have a hankering to now.

billwardwriter.com

von Darkmoor
Small Press Publisher (and Dancer still)

Date Joined Dec 2005
Total Posts : 2952

Posted 11/29/2007 12:21 AM (GMT -4)

Ah, sorry, forgot the 3-headed doggy one, and I haven't read it either. My only Wolfe is the knight/wizard duo and the soldier doo-doo.

I've given up on less than 10 books in my life, and that was the last one, oh, about 2-3 years ago now. Over the ensuing years, I've learned that those people who liked Wolfe before reading the knight/wizard don't like the 2-book series and those who read that as their first contact with Wolfe (like me) do. I thought them fine reads, nothing spectacular, but most assuredly worthy of reading. Overall, he has not struck me as an author I have to read - unlike Erikson

(You had to know I'd bring him up sooner rather than later, right?)

Bill Ward
Biblioholic

Date Joined Jul 2006
Total Posts : 1635

Posted 11/29/2007 12:36 AM (GMT -4)

You haven't experienced Wolfe till you've read The Book of the New Sun though.

I'll make you a deal if you are interested...in '08 I'll read Erikson if you read New Sun. You'll have the whole year, no pressure, no arm wrestling.

billwardwriter.com

von Darkmoor
Small Press Publisher (and Dancer still)

Date Joined Dec 2005
Total Posts : 2952

Posted 11/29/2007 12:44 AM (GMT -4)

Not that the arm-wrestling thing is intimidating me or anything, but I will admit I am at least mildly interested. Of course, you come out the winner on this deal from the get-go, but Hey! if it gets another reader in Erikson's corner, I'll take one for the team.

Seriously, isn't the New Sun like 6 books long or something? They are listed on my TBR list (which comes after the TBR pile that is about 300 strong at the moment - not counting the review books piling up around here), so it's not a stretch for me to begin reading them.

Put it this way: I'm not adverse to the idea, but I'm not sure how honestly I can commit to it - I really must reduce my review books pile which is what I'm working on now and I will for sure be catching back up on the Erikson series, as I am now 2 books behind. I usually save my favorites as personal reading rewards and I've been a bad, bad boy with reviews this year, so I don't get to read them just yet.

Hey! Bright idea

If some reading group were to, say, pick these books as their reads I'd probably have my hand forced and have to join the fun . . . hmmmm . . . I wonder . . . .

Bill Ward
Biblioholic

Date Joined Jul 2006
Total Posts : 1635

Posted 11/29/2007 8:16 AM (GMT -4)

Yea, it could be a group read project.

New Sun is five books, but the whole series is maybe as long as two and a half of those big Erikson books.

Nathan, any books you want to suggest?

billwardwriter.com

Nathan Jerpe
Acolyte

Date Joined Nov 2007
Total Posts : 219

Posted 11/29/2007 9:30 AM (GMT -4)

Sure thing...

Hyperion by Simmons would be one. Never read it and I've heard good things.

House of Leaves by Danielewski. However, I don't know much about this book and can't say for sure how *sci-fi* it is. But it does seem that its stature has been growing in the few years since its publication.

Dune by Herbert. Haven't read it in ten years, and it might be more likely to attract interest among the forums.

Some others: The Anubis Gate by Tim Powers, The Difference Engine by William Gibson, and The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson.

I'm also down for Bill's choices. I'd also like to hear more about this Erikson fella.

Maybe we can cull our list down to five books by five separate authors, and then set up the voting booth say, tomorrow?

http://roguelikefiction.com

von Darkmoor
Small Press Publisher (and Dancer still)

Date Joined Dec 2005
Total Posts : 2952

Posted 11/29/2007 2:28 PM (GMT -4)

Speaking of 'sci-fi' . . . . I gotta 'fess up and say I'm not really into the science fiction third of our genre triumvirate so I'd probably skip out an any out-and-out such books. More than likely the horror, also. I don't wish to sound selfish, I just don't have time to read things I'm not interested in.

I like the 5 books/5 authors idea - but what do you say we get some more people in here first? Or would establishing the books we're going to offer bring them in faster?

Speaking of Erikson, visit my blog at von Darkmoor's thoughts and on the righthand sidebar, about halfway down is a listing of all his books I've reviewed. And I'll be the first to admit they are a bit enthusiastic

Bill Ward
Biblioholic

Date Joined Jul 2006
Total Posts : 1635

Posted 11/29/2007 3:26 PM (GMT -4)

Maybe we should start a suggestion thread in the Right Now I'm Reading forum, this thread may not be getting as many looks here.

billwardwriter.com

crystalwizard
Forum Moderator

Date Joined Nov 2006
Total Posts : 4607

Posted 11/30/2007 4:03 PM (GMT -4)

Bill Ward said...
Maybe we should start a suggestion thread in the Right Now I'm Reading forum, this thread may not be getting as many looks here.

If you start the thread, Bill, let me know and I'll sticky it.

von Darkmoor
Small Press Publisher (and Dancer still)

Date Joined Dec 2005
Total Posts : 2952

Posted 11/30/2007 6:04 PM (GMT -4)

good idea Bill, and thanks CW - I say go ahead, Nathan!

Bill Ward
Biblioholic

Date Joined Jul 2006
Total Posts : 1635

Posted 12/2/2007 8:37 PM (GMT -4)

'The Worm Ororoborus' seems to be a common thread all three of us are interested in.

I was thinking, perhaps we three should begin the project here and see if anyone else joins in.

billwardwriter.com

crystalwizard
Forum Moderator

Date Joined Nov 2006
Total Posts : 4607

Posted 12/2/2007 10:14 PM (GMT -4)

The thread should really be moved to one of the Books forum, in that case. Since this one is for suggestions to impliment and if you start the group, it's no longer just a suggestion.

Never meddle in the affairs of a wizard unless you are soggy and hard to light!

Managing Editor of Flashing Swords

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von Darkmoor
Small Press Publisher (and Dancer still)

Date Joined Dec 2005
Total Posts : 2952

Posted 12/2/2007 10:58 PM (GMT -4)

okee-dough-key

Nathan, you still with us? Wanna be the instigator and originator of the new thread in the "Right Now I'm Reading ... " forum? Throw up a post describing things and see who shows up. Perhaps we'll get a few more interested and then we can vote on a book. If no one else bites, then we can follow Bill's lead and start The Worm.

Nathan Jerpe
Acolyte

Date Joined Nov 2007
Total Posts : 219

Posted 12/3/2007 9:23 AM (GMT -4)

von Darkmoor said...
(Nathan, you still with us? Wanna be the instigator and originator of the new thread in the "Right Now I'm Reading ... " forum? Throw up a post describing things and see who shows up. Perhaps we'll get a few more interested and then we can vote on a book. If no one else bites, then we can follow Bill's lead and start The Worm)

Whoops, I parsed your message a little hastily; looks like I jumped the gun a little bit.

Oh well, let me know if you think edits are in order...

http://roguelikefiction.com

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