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TheSite.org book club

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
edited January 2023 in General Chat
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Post edited by JustV on
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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    sophia wrote:
    It's like Richard and Judy's, only better :D

    Following on from the thread about books, I thought I'd see if anyone would be interested in having our own book group, where we all read a book a month and then talk about our thoughts and reactions to it.

    Obviously it's going to be tough to choose which book we're going to read and it would be best if it could be as democratic a decision as possible...and it would also be good to vary it each month so that if you don't like the current book, hopefully you might like the next one.

    So what I thought we could do is, for anyone who's interested and has a book in mind, PM me your suggestion, then in a couple of days, say on Saturday, I'll put up a poll and we can vote for which we'd like to read. Then we'll have say a month to read it, and then have a discussion thread.

    What does everyone think, does a book club seem like a good idea? And is my suggested method of choosing the book a good one, or does anyone have any better ones?

    (I'm not normally one for organising stuff like this, I'd ordinarily leave it to other people to do, but if we all did that it would never happen :razz: )
    Sounds cool to me.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Randomgirl wrote:
    Sounds cool to me.

    I really like that idea. I'm reading a book at the moment called the Book Group and each member chooses a book each month. (I mean they take it in turns.)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    sophia wrote:
    Well I thought about that. The only problem is how on earth to keep track of members, because it's not going to be a closed thing, anyone can read the book and join in. Which means it would be hard to take turns choosing the book, I think...I don't know though, I'm open to suggestions. I don't want people to be put off because they think they'd never get to read their book of choice.
    I think a democratic method like you suggest is a good idea. We could all nominate books and then vote (otherwise one person could choose something nobody wants to read, nobody would read it and then the whole thing wouldn't work). If your suggested book doesn't win the vote that time then you can keep suggesting it the next time(s). Also I would hate to have sole responsiblity for choosing the book as then if you hated it you would blame me whereas if I merely suggested it and then others voted for it then it would be everyone's fault!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well I'm happy to take part, be interesting to see what people recommend
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    sophia wrote:
    Yes, this was my thinking. If people want to give me nominations I'm happy to accept responsibility for putting up a poll etc.


    The thing is, it's really hard to suggest something if you haven't already read it yourself! Otherwise how would you know if it was any good/good for provoking discussions? I could suggest good books but I would have already read them!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What what about that idea of cheap classics then - books people always hear about but never get round to themselves.
  • littlemissylittlemissy Posts: 9,972 Supreme Poster
    I think people should all nominate books and then do a poll. :yes:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Okay well I nominate -

    Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime - because it sounds interesting and I never got round to reading it.
  • littlemissylittlemissy Posts: 9,972 Supreme Poster
    And I shall nominate:

    The Blind Assassin - Margaret Atwood for the same reason Jim V has stated.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'd do this :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Oh I'm definitley up for this. Seems like a really cool idea to do it on a message board because if your busy one month and don't finish it on time it doesn't matter. You can just chip in when you've finished a few days later.

    I'm reading a couple at the moment so I would like to nominate either:

    Thomas Pynchon - Crying of Lot 49

    or

    Charles Johnson - Middle Passage

    But if another book comes up I'm more than willing to give it a bash.

    :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I like the idea of this. I always tend to stay within my genre and this might force me to try something else.

    :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I would like to do this but I wont, I guess I dont read "proper" books and feel quite intimidated in book threads cos I dont read all the classics etc.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Jim V wrote:
    Okay well I nominate -

    Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime - because it sounds interesting and I never got round to reading it.
    I was thinking of the exact same book!

    It's something I have been thinking of reading for while and I was going to suggest it as almost all the books I read for non-academic purposes are either (a) extremely religious or (b) in Portuguese and I can't imagine either would go down too well here!

    Also that book is not too thick or tricky looking and I'm a very slow reader so I think I could manage to read that in a month.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Jon_UK wrote:
    Charles Johnson - Middle Passage

    I'm in the middle of this as we speak, so it would suit me fine, too :thumb:

    However my initial thought was The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Despite having read it far too many times already (and suspecting that a lot of other people may have, too) I still find it utterly gripping and it always makes for fascinating discussion.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Glittery wrote:
    I would like to do this but I wont, I guess I dont read "proper" books and feel quite intimidated in book threads cos I dont read all the classics etc.
    The first time I clicked on a book thread I thought I was a good reader and had read a lot of books. I was disappointed! I think of all the books mentioned in recent threads I've read one or two. Give it a go anyway, you might enjoy it :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Max of 10 books / closing tomorrow sounds good. Of course if there are less than 10 of us reading then it might be hard to see a clear winner on the poll. Is it possible to set up the poll so you can select more than one option? For like if you think two or three books are equally appealing?

    Another suggestion/ nomination: Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson

    (I've not read it myself though but it's another general interest book that I have been meaning to read).
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Glittery wrote:
    I would like to do this but I wont, I guess I dont read "proper" books and feel quite intimidated in book threads cos I dont read all the classics etc.
    You could always vote in the poll for something you would read and then if the winning book is something mightly thick or tough looking just not read it that month (I know that's what I am going to do).
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    briggi wrote:
    I'm in the middle of this as we speak, so it would suit me fine, too :thumb:

    Are you? I've got really into it. Trying to limit myself because I have a habbit of getting into a book and reading it too fast. Are you enjoying it so far? I really like it, the characters in particular are amazing...seem like they're straight out of Tom Waits' song Singapore.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Randomgirl wrote:
    if the winning book is something mightly thick or tough looking just not read it that month (I know that's what I am going to do).
    Im not thick :p

    I've read classic books before and havent really enjoyed them. To me, reading is something I do to unwind and chill out once the baby is in bed, I cant do that with those kind of books.

    But yeah I might vote if I see one that interests me.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think she meant thick books, as in the width of the book :p

    But yeah. I have no interest in classics and can't ever see myself reading Jane Eyre or Pride and Prejudice or something like that.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Glittery wrote:
    Im not thick :p
    Okay so that's just me then :p

    I was just looking on amazon and saw that some of the books are available on CD too so I might just cheat if it looks too hard to read!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think she meant thick books, as in the width of the book :p
    I know that :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Jon_UK wrote:
    Are you? I've got really into it. Trying to limit myself because I have a habbit of getting into a book and reading it too fast. Are you enjoying it so far? I really like it, the characters in particular are amazing...seem like they're straight out of Tom Waits' song Singapore.

    I'm really, really enjoying it, I expected it to be an interesting but not actually "entertaining" read - given the subject matter - but, it is. I'm tearing through it, too, which is why it's potentially a good choice for a book club. Though I suppose that depends on whether it grabs you from the start (or not), if you're interested in the philosophical points it raises and also The Middle Passage generally in historical terms.

    I agree completely about the characterisation, in particular Calhoun is just so well-developed as a character/narrator without being one of those annoyingly perfect protagonists I can't stand to read about or get involved in caring about. That is what's gripped me, and the fantastic characters were the point on which it was "sold" to me as my next read by the friend I borrowed it from.

    I hadn't thought about Singapore, I'm surprised I didn't make the link just given the sea-faring theme, but now you mention it I see what you mean. Ooh, I feel like listening to it now :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Jon_UK wrote:
    Thomas Pynchon - Crying of Lot 49
    I've just been reading reviews about the suggested books on amazon and this one is apparently "full of filthy sex" :eek:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
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