Book of the Month Club?

[finn's mom]

Has anyone ever tried to get a book of the month club started here at Pet Talk? I thought it would be worth posting the question at least, to see if there are any other readers out there who would be interested. I've been trying to get back into reading like I used to, and, the motivation just isn't there. I know if I start up again, it'll be easy. I need to set aside half an hour or so a day to read. So, I was wondering if anyone would be interested in joining me in reading a different book each month. We could start it at the beginning of next month, and, have an online chat about it at the end of the month, or something like that. Anyway, I risk this sounding extremely boring or cheesy, but, who cares? It's a thought...


The members list and rules will be updated at this location...

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=90297

[lvpets2002]

:) I think it is a great idea.. I dont read thick books, but if it was a small one I would be willing to join.. Let me know ok..

[finn's mom]

:) I think it is a great idea.. I dont read thick books, but if it was a small one I would be willing to join.. Let me know ok..

Well, I don't know what kind of books we'd read, if this were to become a reality. I wouldn't think they'd be War and Peace sized, but, I know they'd be more than 100 pages. More like what Oprah has going on in her book club...the thought just popped into my head today, and, I thought I'd mention to see if there'd be anyone even kindof interested. :) I haven't put much more thought into it than that, though...

[lady_zana]

that sounds like fun! I hope I can find the books at the library. I love to read :)

[finn's mom]

that sounds like fun! I hope I can find the books at the library. I love to read :)


Cool...yeah, I was thinking that, too...making them books that we could either buy or get at the library. If we can get four or five of us interested in this, I'll see about getting it together, and, setting up some "rules." Maybe each month a different "member" could choose the book...that could be cool.

[Jadapit]

I think thats a wonderful idea Kari! I'm like you i love to read! I used to read a lot until the computer came along. ;) I really need to start reading again and this would help motivate me also.

[elizabethann]

I may be interested. I love to read but this past Summer I started 2 books and they're waiting for me to finish (A Walk Across American & Eragon - both VERY good). I would keep this thread going to see if others are interested. If we can get enough of people, it might be fun.

[shutterbug0303]

Oh, Oh, Me, Me! I would love to do that! I think I could squeeze a book a month in...especially since I'm not in school right now :o

maybe we could all suggest an author or two or book or two and compile a list that way. Then randomly choose for each month (have a calendar maybe) and go to town.

This sounds like a great idea!! :D

[finn's mom]

Awesome, I don't know why I didn't expect anyone to be interested, but, this is really cool that a few of you have shown an interest...it's only the sixth, maybe we can get something quickly together for October. Just a thought, I'm just excited is all. :)

[DJFyrewolf36]

I'd be interested!! I LOVE to read! I'll read just about anything and give it a try, even mushy romance stuff ;).

[caseysmom]

I love to read...count me in!

[finn's mom]

Woo hoo! Maybe I should start composing a list of all the definitely interested folks!

[Karen]

I am a voracious reader, and usually have at least two books going at a time. I have boxes of books I got free still to read (Book Expo America - how I get to read books before other people can even buy them!), but would happily participate in this as well.

[kimboe]

Ooohh...I'd Like to join with everyone. Recentley i've been neglecting the whole reading scene, i should start up again. Count me in!

[CamCamPup33]

This is such a good idea! Count me in. :)

[finn's mom]

How cool that so many of you are interested! Do y'all think we should start this month or November? I'm stoked!

[shutterbug0303]

I'm game for this month as long as we could get a book title by say the 10 or 12th....still plenty of time to consume a good book!! :D

And may I suggest Iris Johannsen ?!?!? Wonderful writer...thriller/mystery...and most of the books have a dog or 2 in them ;)

[Jadapit]

I'm game for this month also. The books you suggested sound really good Judy. :)

[buckner]

I'd definitely be interested, especially since I'm not an avid reader. I love to get caught up in a good book, but I honestly don't find "Beowulf" that exciting! :P I read every book assigned to us in the time required, but I just don't have any fun.. and this sounds like fun. Especially since it's REAL people deciding what books to read... not some stupid school system.

I'm game! :)

[finn's mom]

I'm game for this month as long as we could get a book title by say the 10 or 12th....still plenty of time to consume a good book!! :D

And may I suggest Iris Johannsen ?!?!? Wonderful writer...thriller/mystery...and most of the books have a dog or 2 in them ;)


Awesome. I think what we should do is go ahead and choose a title for October. And, just go for it, and, see how it goes and how many participate. I do think what we should do as far as choosing titles for the month is have a different person in the group choose the title for that month. I plan to read the book, no matter what. The whole point of a book club is to expand your reading, not just stick with one kind of book, or the types of books you would normally read. So, how about it Judy? Wanna suggest October's title?

I'm thinking of this...people will have this whole month to decide if they wanna join or not...then, by November, we can start with a new book and our group of people. And, as new people join, we'll just put them at the bottom of the list for being the one to choose the title...does that make sense? I'm totally brainstorming here, I just like the idea of it being a different person choosing the book for each month...and, I'm thinking, with the exception of you, ms. shutterbug, we can just list the names alphabetically, and, go from there...for choosing who chooses the book for the month. :)

[finn's mom]

just bumping this up before it gets pushed to page two...

[k9krazee]

Count me in! Sounds like a great idea!!

[Jadapit]

Your idea is perfect Kari! Now, if everyone else agrees we need Judy to post a book for us to read. ;)

[finn's mom]

Your idea is perfect Kari! Now, if everyone else agrees we need Judy to post a book for us to read. ;)

Yep, I'll send her a private message, just in case. :) But, I figure we can get all of the "members" by November, and, then put everyone's names in alphabetical order to see who gets to choose the books we read each month. I'm excited, I hope it goes well. If nothing else, though, I know I'll be reading a good book soon!

[kimboe]

Cool...Can't wait! :)

[NoahsMommy]

Ooooh, count me in as well. I read a lot and it'd be nice to have someone to discuss books with.

:) Sounds fun!!

[CagneyDog]

I'll be in it!

[CagneyDog]

bump..

[binka_nugget]

Count me in! Sounds awesome!

[Cincy'sMom]

I'm in!!

[finn's mom]

Hey, and, someone asked the question that if they decided they couldn't do the book for the month due to a schedule change or just having too many things going on, would that be all right...of course it would! I'm not trying to run a prison camp, we're not being graded on this. ;) What I told them was this...if you're a "member" and you choose to bow out one month, I'll just take your username off the alphabetical list of names. And, if you choose to come back later, I'll just put it back on, but, not alphabetically. It would just go to the end of the list, meaning it would just be longer before you could choose the book that we read. :) Does that sound fair to everyone?

[finn's mom]

bump..


Thanks for the bump, CagneyDog!

[flamepony12]

I'll join. :) Sounds fun.

[Almita]

I'll be willing to join I haven't been reading latley either. I was so into reading but then i haven't read a book in a long while. So it would be great if I can join!

[slleipnir]

Sounds cool

[Nomilynn]

I would like to join please!

[finn's mom]

Sounds cool


Does that mean you'd like to join? :)

[elizabethann]

Have we decided which book to read yet? It's a 3 day weekend and it's supposed to rain for 1/2 of it. Seems like good reading weather (at least for me in NH).

If we pick it today, I can go to the library after work and get it (if it's in).

:)

[kimboe]

yes, I agree with elizabethann. It's going to be perfect reading time this long weekend, I hope we can decide on a book title today.

[shutterbug0303]

The pressure's on!! ;)

I'm going to go right now and check out the best sellers list and see what sounds good...or maybe just choose a book from an author I already like

(oh boy, I'm nervous about this...I hope I pick a good one...)

[Jadapit]

You will do fine Judy! :D I just hope our library has the books everyone picks. Small town living sucks sometimes. ;)

[elizabethann]

I hope you pick a good one too.

:D

[shutterbug0303]

I think I've found the one...something that would be good for all ages :) It's #7 on NYT Best Seller's List (has been on the list for 2 weeks now)

"Light on Snow" by Anita Shreve

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316781487/002-0893384-8116847?v=glance&n=283155&s=books&v=glance

That is Amazon's page on it...here's the synopsis:

"An after-school stroll leads to a life-altering event for widower Robert Dillon and his 12-year-old daughter, Nicky, in this delicate new novel by acclaimed author Shreve (All He Ever Wanted,etc.). In the woods surrounding their secluded home in Shepherd, N.H., Robert and Nicky make a startling discovery—a baby abandoned and left to die in the snow. The infant survives, but the incident leaves its mark. Still recovering from the painful loss of her mother and infant sister two years earlier, and readjusting to the shock of a sudden move from suburban Westchester to rural Shepherd, Nicky struggles to reconcile her innocent notions of adult integrity with the bleak reality of their discovery. The tenuous sense of normalcy Robert manages to sustain is broken with the appearance of Charlotte, the baby's young mother, on his doorstep. Retold 18 years later by an adult Nicky but written in the present tense, the story shifts brilliantly between childlike visions of a simple world and the growing realization of its cruel ambiguities. Aside from a few saccharine moments and a rather pat ending, Shreve does a skilled job of portraying grief, conflict and anger while leaving room for hope, redemption and renewal. Her characters are sympathetic without being pitiable, and her prose remains deceptively simple and eloquent throughout. "

Happy Reading!! :D

[CagneyDog]

It sounds good! I'll get it today.

[DJFyrewolf36]

I'll have to see if our library has it. Sounds like its good though!

[finn's mom]

I have made a new thread, too, with Judy's chosen book and with what I've come up with so far concerning the "structure" of this...let me know your thoughts. I'm excited, I'm going today to get my book!

[finn's mom]

bump

[tatsxxx11]

I'm in! Great idea. I'm a big reader and have enjoyed several books by Anita Shreve over the years so sign me up:)

Sandra~

[tatsxxx11]

Oh, have you considered using the chatroom for discussions?

[finn's mom]

Oh, have you considered using the chatroom for discussions?


I hadn't even thought of it, actually! I imagine we could probably start a thread in here and do live chats in the chat room, too. As long as it wouldn't be an issue for the pet talkers who aren't part of the book thing...

[tatsxxx11]

Maybe they'd allow us to book some time, for an hour or so;) We could have the thread discussion on going and one or two live discussions:)

[CagneyDog]

I just got the book! I'll start it tonight :D

[finn's mom]

Maybe they'd allow us to book some time, for an hour or so;) We could have the thread discussion on going and one or two live discussions:)


I think that sounds good. I sent the Kay, the group master a private message. So, we'll just wait for her stamp of approval. :) I know that she's scheduled the chat at 8 pm for Pet Talk to get together...I wonder what would be a good time for the book club? Hmmm....I definitely think an on-going thread will be a must! :)

[CagneyDog]

You could set up another ICQ chat, its fairly simple...I don't think that one should be the book chat, but i guess its not that big of a deal.

[finn's mom]

You could set up another ICQ chat, its fairly simple...I don't think that one should be the book chat, but i guess its not that big of a deal.


it's not either way. like i said, i sent a message to kay, and, we'll just wait to hear her final answer! if we can't use the pet talk chat room, then, we'll see what we can do to set up another one.

[finn's mom]

just bumping this up for anyone who might not have seen it...and, cuz I just got home and am getting ready to go to bed...:)

[finn's mom]

Oh, have you considered using the chatroom for discussions?

Hey, Sandra. Kay let me know today that we can use the chat room she created, if we want to. So, we just have to decide on a good time to have the discussions...basically, we can do it as long as we don't overlap the 8 o'clock, eastern time chat that has already been started. :)

EDITED: Because of personal issues, the chat room is not being open to the book club for discussion. I don't know how to start one up, but, if we want to have a live chat along with the thread that we'll start in here, I'd be willing to help out, but, I'd need some guidance. ;) Sorry for the confusion, guys!

[tatsxxx11]

Oh, ok...I'm clueless re: setting up chat rooms but maybe someone else can help out...

Also wanted to echo Karen's suggestion from last night, re: each week or session, we discuss selected chapters. That's how we've done it the book clubsI've belonged to, "Next week we read chapters 1-4 and discuss," blah, blah. That way too, people don't have to finish the entire book before the discussion date!:)

[finn's mom]

Oh, ok...I'm clueless re: setting up chat rooms but maybe someone else can help out...

Also wanted to echo Karen's suggestion from last night, re: each week or session, we discuss selected chapters. That's how we've done it the book clubsI've belonged to, "Next week we read chapters 1-4 and discuss," blah, blah. That way too, people don't have to finish the entire book before the discussion date!:)


That could work, but, I was mostly just thinking about people who haven't even received the book yet. I don't know...maybe I should set up a poll? Geez, I have never even done THAT before! Ha ha, I'm lame on the computer. :rolleyes: Anyway, I'm heading out for the day, but, if y'all want to discuss the splitting of the chapters up, or the reading the whole book...etc...that's cool! I'll check the threads again when I get back home!

[tatsxxx11]

Catch up later but I meant that well, of course read the whole book at your own pace but that each session, several chapters could be the focus of the discussion, something like that. I've found that the discussions tend be more interesting; our perceptions, impressions discussed on an evolving basis as the plots moves on. But I'm game for anything, anyway you all would like to set it up:) We can experiement and change our approach as the months go by too!

[CagneyDog]

Also wanted to echo Karen's suggestion from last night, re: each week or session, we discuss selected chapters. That's how we've done it the book clubsI've belonged to, "Next week we read chapters 1-4 and discuss," blah, blah. That way too, people don't have to finish the entire book before the discussion date!:)


I think thats a good idea.

I can set a chat up for you, or show you how to if you'd like.

[tatsxxx11]

That would be great! I'm sure Kari will be in touch! Thank you!:)

[finn's mom]

I think thats a good idea.

I can set a chat up for you, or show you how to if you'd like.

That would be awesome if you could set up a chat room for the book discussions! I am just clueless on where to even go! :rolleyes:

[CagneyDog]

That would be awesome if you could set up a chat room for the book discussions! I am just clueless on where to even go! :rolleyes:


Alright. When does it need to be set up for? Is it alright if I do it tomorrow? :)

[finn's mom]

Alright. When does it need to be set up for? Is it alright if I do it tomorrow? :)


Oh, whenever! I am at your mercy! ;) You are doing us a huge, huge favor by setting it up, so, it's at your leisure. I know since we chose the book a couple weeks later than what we will do from now on, we haven't as much time to do it "right" this month...but, for sure, by the start of November, it would be cool to have it set up. I'm going to sit down and try to figure out a good way to break the book up, considering we gave ourselves nineteen days to read the book...going from yesterday to the 25th, when the final discussion will take place and the new book will be chosen. I'll be back with a possible schedule for discussing it in sections, weekly. :)

[buckner]

Maybe nobody wants my opinion on this matter, but oh well.

I think that we should keep it the way it was originally planned. I won't have the book until at least Sunday, maybe even later than that. I think the libraries have already closed, and I'll go right after church tomorrow to check them out. If not, I have to check my school library. And if I can't find it, I'll have to do some searching around. That could put a damper in when I can discuss the book and I wouldn't want to be left out of the discussions.

Also, I'm in school, doing a play, and we have Friday-Monday off this upcoming week. And with rehearsals, physical therapy, and going out of town, I won't be back on PT until probably NEXT Tuesday (the 18th). So for some of us who won't be able to make weekly, or bi-weekly discussions, I think it'd only be right to have the "week-long" discussion (the on-going thread) about the book. Give us until the 25th to read it, and lets discuss it.

I know of some people who only visit PT once a day (reading all the forums) due to work schedules and such. And some people don't have it during the weekend. And some have more time than others to read the first 4 chapters by the end of the week, or whatever.

If we're going to break it up and have discussions weekly over certain chapters, can we not start this month, due to it being a shorter amount of time?

[finn's mom]

Maybe nobody wants my opinion on this matter, but oh well.



If we're going to break it up and have discussions weekly over certain chapters, can we not start this month, due to it being a shorter amount of time?

Of course I want your opinion! I won't always be able to adjust according to other people's schedules, but, I think you may be right about this month. I did just post the schedule for the chapters by weeks and everything, but, I'm going to go back and put a note on it that that may not happen this month. I know this was a very last minute thing, so for people who have a more difficult time getting the book, it's not necessarily fair. We'll choose November's book the last week in October, and, we won't be able to bend the rules as far as reading chapters and discussing them starting from next month on. But, for this month, I think we can just go with discussing it at the end of the month, from the 25th to 31st. We'll see what other's reactions are, too, though...

[CagneyDog]

Personally, I think we should discuss it every few chapters this month. This month will be kind of messed up but I don't think it will be that big of a deal. We have 19 days to read it! There is no way to work around everyones schedule so if someone cant participate there is always next month!

[finn's mom]

Personally, I think we should discuss it every few chapters this month. This month will be kind of messed up but I don't think it will be that big of a deal. We have 19 days to read it! There is no way to work around everyones schedule so if someone cant participate there is always next month!


Well, I see your point...but, the only reason I'm questioning it is not because of buckner's or anyone else's schedule...because we'll never get that all in "sync", but, I'm more concerned about the fact that we lost two weeks. The biggest thing is the availability of the title to some of the members. Some are having to put the book on hold at the library, some are having to order it off the internet, etc. That won't be an issue for next month, as they'll have at least a week even before the beginning of the month to find the title. It's not so much that people can't read the book in 19 days, it's that it may take them ten of them just to get it in the first place...I'm still waiting to see how other's feel...I'm obviously not going to bend and twist all over the place to please everyone, but, I feel like buckner brought up a good point, and, it's one I'd thought of myself. Again, this has nothing to do with anyone's schedule, or when they'll be on Pet Talk. It's simply because we started two weeks late, as far as the choosing of the book. ;)

[flamepony12]

I'm really sorry, but I'm afraid you're going to have to scratch me off the list :( I just don't think I'll have time between school, homework, assigned reading, and such. :( Sorry, I wish I could! It sounds like so much fun.

[finn's mom]

I'm really sorry, but I'm afraid you're going to have to scratch me off the list :( I just don't think I'll have time between school, homework, assigned reading, and such. :( Sorry, I wish I could! It sounds like so much fun.

All right, that sucks, but, I understand! Hey, if you ever wanna rejoin, just let me know! :)

[flamepony12]

All right, that sucks, but, I understand! Hey, if you ever wanna rejoin, just let me know! :)

Okay. Hope you guys have fun, and I'll let you know :)

[Oggyflute]

Kari, I'm really keen, but I may have trouble getting new books as quite often they are released later in Aus. If I can't get hold of a particular book, I'll just sit out the discussion for the month. (Well I'll probably sus out the first few chapter discussions, I will probably want to eventually read it after all :D )

[finn's mom]

Kari, I'm really keen, but I may have trouble getting new books as quite often they are released later in Aus. If I can't get hold of a particular book, I'll just sit out the discussion for the month. (Well I'll probably sus out the first few chapter discussions, I will probably want to eventually read it after all :D )


Awesome! I'm so excited that you want to participate! :) We're not doing weekly discussions on October's book, we won't discuss it until the 25th, and, it's a fast read, so, you'll probably be done with it in time. As for November's book, we're hoping to have it chosen in the next couple of days, so, that people have time to get a copy. :)