[Jack]

I'm abstaining from discussion on the voting process, as I'll read anything that gets nominated, and furthermore I don't think the crux of the problem is with who votes or the reason behind their voting.

Keep in mind I speak not from a voice of experience specificially with the book club, as I've only been posting there for the past few months. Rather I'm coming from a background where I was taught to critically read and be ready to discuss a book in a group environment.

I am by no means a perfect reader, but the solution to livening up the discussion of a book, IMO, lies not with entangling the nomination / voting process up with more tape Erfdawg & Co. have to wade through, but rather with me, the reader / forumer. I can add fruitful dialogue to the discussion by changing the way I read.

I read for pleasure, and in many ways am stuck in the way I read and think about a book. But when it comes to a book club selection, a book I made a commitment to read by participating in the voting/nominating process, it is my responsibility to read that book with a critical eye and come up with discussion topics while I'm reading. I personally need to write these discussion topics down as I come across them, not so much to refer to them but because an idea stays in my head if I put it down in ink. Once I have that topic in mind, I mentally refer back to it as I am reading to see if my hypothesis about that topic has changed.

Then when the first comes around, I have something to talk about. I guess what I'm saying is that the success of the book club is on the readers' shoulders. There have been a lot of long arguments about how the book club should be run in this thread, so we all know how to properly participate in a discourse community. Let's channel that positive energy into Tim Lebbon's Dusk for April! :)

[Erfael]

Just want to mention you folks have us discussing a few things in the back: Voting options, scheduling, discussion leadership. Any other good ideas are welcome. We'll see if we can come to some sort of agreement about things behind the scenes.

[Yobmod]

Another idea - is it possible to have the current months discusion in the bookclub forum AND the main forums, with the same thread?

Just wanted to reiterate this. I think it should be easy to do, and doesn't require much more work by mods, and wont scare anyone off. i've linked to bookclub discusions many times in the main forums, as some forumites clearly don't click on this forum, but they still want to talk about books we've already done.

[Erfael]

Just wanted to reiterate this. I think it should be easy to do, and doesn't require much more work by mods, and wont scare anyone off. i've linked to bookclub discusions many times in the main forums, as some forumites clearly don't click on this forum, but they still want to talk about books we've already done.

Yeah, I meant to mention that. I need to see if you can double-post somehow....not sure if it's possible or how to do it. I'll look into that, as it's a good idea if there's a way to do it.

[Yobmod]

I think thread titles in the main forum can be made to be links that would take you to the bookclub thread. But whether posting will bump the thread in both forums is for the mods to discover :D

[Erfael]

I think thread titles in the main forum can be made to be links that would take you to the bookclub thread. But whether posting will bump the thread in both forums is for the mods to discover :D

That's exactly the question I just posed to the tech people.

[Rob B]

Just wanted to reiterate this. I think it should be easy to do, and doesn't require much more work by mods, and wont scare anyone off. i've linked to bookclub discusions many times in the main forums, as some forumites clearly don't click on this forum, but they still want to talk about books we've already done.
I'm pretty sure this can be done. Start the topic in Fantasy (or SF), sticky it, then do the whole "move thread to destination forum" and select "leave redirects in place."

That should do the trick.

[Erfael]

I'm pretty sure this can be done. Start the topic in Fantasy (or SF), sticky it, then do the whole "move thread to destination forum" and select "leave redirects in place."

That should do the trick.

I'll try this for next month's books.

[Yobmod]

Yay!

I'm changing the world - one (very) tiny step at a time :D

[Saulus]

Is there going to be a set reading schedule either by page or chapter that we will be advised to go by so that we don't ruin anything in our discussion of the book for somebody who may not have reached that point in the book?