not a book club

**Nachtnoir** · December 9th, 2006

I'm not currently able to join in the reading for fun club thingie but am dropping a suggestion anyway "Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said" Phillip K. Dick. My most favoritist book ever.

**Eyreplenh** · December 9th, 2006

Well, despite my earlier burst of, whatshallwecallit, inspiration, or zest or something, I am not going to get my hands on this book (giants of the frost that is) until around 27thish of desember. My hope is that the holidays will drug and dazzle everyone so that I will appear right on time no matter when I actually read the book.

Yeah

**dark fuschia** · December 10th, 2006

Just a suggestion. We should not make Mansfield Park the next book, as Giants of the Frost has a high romance factor, and I suspect Mansfield Park does too. So two in a row like that might not be so good?

**Amos** · December 10th, 2006

Hmm. Okay. We'll switch Austen with Gaiman, for now at least.

I'm trying to find a method of voting+suggesting that will lead to a more flexible list, but I'm struggling. I was thinking it would involve a rating system, so that books moved up and down the list based on how much people wanted to peruse them, and an indefinite number of books could be suggested. Maybe if I pre-created all the discussion threads for all the suggested books, then had everybody rate the threads using the inbuilt rating thingamajigger, and sorted from most popular to least popular? That could be messy though. I'll do some looking around for programs or script. If anyone knows of anything I would be glad for the info.

**sir archely** · December 10th, 2006

well, you could just have people create a thread if they'd like to suggest a book. then if you wanted to vote for it, post there. it would bump to the top. then whichever one was next highest after the one currently being discussed, that one would get stickied for the duration of its currency. or something.

it does have the definite con of the creation of a bunch of 'this is my vote' posts, but those could be easily deleted with a few clicks once a book is chosen.

**Amelia** · December 11th, 2006

So, for the record nothing is chosen yet? I couldnt afford to buy the book for this month but I can swing it next time.

**Amos** · December 11th, 2006

Oh, no we're definitely reading Giants of the Frost this month

Originally Posted by arch

well, you could just have people create a thread if they'd like to suggest a book. then if you wanted to vote for it, post there. it would bump to the top. then whichever one was next highest after the one currently being discussed, that one would get stickied for the duration of its currency. or something.

yeah, i think that's still pretty messy though. i had this marvelous idea that incorporated Google spreadsheet, but in the end decided that it was just too complicated. so what i will do is create a thread specifically for voting while we are reading Giants of the Frost, and repeat that when the time comes for the next book. that will give us 12 options (i think?) every time, not to mention three weeks in which to vote.

the only disadvantage i can see is that we wont be able to buy books quite as early, but i'm sure that issue will resolve itself. somehow.

~nods~

**Amos** · December 20th, 2006

I don't know that I will be around to start the discussion thread for GotF, as I'm heading home both for Christmas and indefinitely. But anyone can do that, should they feel inclined to. The Calendar should display it as an event, assuming neither I nor arch have screwed up.

I don't even have a copy yet :shame:

**night faerie** · December 21st, 2006

ok so the present plan is...

Originally Posted by Amos

The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho
Giants of the Frost, by Kim Wilkins
Fragile Things, by Neil Gaiman
Nausea, by Jean-Paul Sartre
Tigana, by Guy Gavriel Kay
Don Quixote: Which Was A Dream, by Kathy Acker
Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen
Wise Children, by Angela Carter

?

**Amos** · December 21st, 2006

Depends on how the voting in the other thread turns out. At this point No.3 will likely either be Fragile Things or Brave New World (by Aldous Huxley). I think that for No.4 a new vote will be started, and so on.

Which reminds me, actually. I have all but two of the books on the current voting list available in electronic format here (no Gaiman or Acker, unfortunately). I think you have to join to download them, but that's a simple enough process.