Literary The MobileRead Literary Book Club Begins

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

If A Passage to India can be considered literature, there is not much that can't.

Haven't you ranted about this elsewhere? Of course, I happen to like both James Joyce and EM Forster...


But my question is this: how, given the "diverse" shoutings on about what should and shouldn't be literature, are we going to be any different from the regular book of the month club?

[ficbot]

I think that whomever picks the winning book should be in charge of leading the discussion on it for the month. A big thing I noticed with the previous book club was that it seemed unfocused at times. People just posted what they wanted to and the discussion would lag once general impressions were out of the way. I'd love to see someone post discussion questions or prompts to keepnthe dialogue moving.

[TGS]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

Haven't you ranted about this elsewhere? Of course, I happen to like both James Joyce and EM Forster...


But my question is this: how, given the "diverse" shoutings on about what should and shouldn't be literature, are we going to be any different from the regular book of the month club?

Well, perhaps we should just proceed on the basis that we more or less know what it is when we see it rather than getting bogged down in explicit definitions of literary fiction. I am guessing we are getting involved in this because we all value literature and that we are all people of reasonably good will. Unless someone has the intention to be disruptive I can't see it being a problem.

[montsnmags]

Rather than try define it, would it be easier to allow Marketing to determine it? That is to say, "Literature" is that which you'd expect to find across major pbook chains in their section, for those that have them, called "Literature" (with "Classics" likely included, as well as perhaps "Plays" and "Poetry", as desired). That would seem to meet initial expectations and desires of this Club, and perhaps the inspiration (memory of such "Literature"-browsing) behind its creation.

Too much discussion eventually ratchets out parameters to a universal satisfaction such that initial desires get smeared into a generic "everything". Hardly anyone ends up happy, especially those who initially ran with the idea before it changed.

Respect the wishes of the initial proposal and proposer. Be arbitrary if it short-circuits endless discussion and stops the doing. And if someone doesn't like it they can start their own Club, no harm done.

But that's just me, contributing his own "endless discussion".

Cheers,
Marc

[Andanzas]

Let's start with The Da Vinci Code, shall we? It could be lots of fun.

[TGS]

Originally Posted by Andanzas

Let's start with The Da Vinci Code, shall we? It could be lots of fun.

I think I'm washing my hair for that one.

[Hamlet53]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

But my question is this: how, given the "diverse" shoutings on about what should and shouldn't be literature, are we going to be any different from the regular book of the month club?

Agreed. Especially if the same arguments are going to arise about the selection not being exciting or contemporary enough.

I actually like the idea of having once individual choose a book each month and people can read it or not as they wish. It would do much more to introduce variations into selections and the chance to introduce people to authors that they may not even know. I know that deciding who should select each month might be a problem. Maybe have Sun Surfer be the first, and thereafter draw from the pool of people who read the previous month's book and participated in the discussion?

I think limiting to fiction is probably a good idea. Though I would like the cost of the book to not be a criteria, nor should it have to be available as an ebook. There are too many great books that just are not in ebook form [legitimately].

In any case I will consider participating not matter how things are decided, even it it is just a second monthly book club. After all this is all voluntary and no one is being asked to do anything against his will.

Edited to add that [regarding book cost and not being available as an ebook] that we all have access to public libraries.

[poohbear_nc]

I actually like the idea of having once individual choose a book each month and people can read it or not as they wish. It would do much more to introduce variations into selections and the chance to introduce people to authors that they may not even know. I know that deciding who should select each month might be a problem. Maybe have Sun Surfer be the first, and thereafter draw from the pool of people who read the previous month's book and participated in the discussion?

Putting titles up to vote on will give a consensus of what is "literary". Allowing one person to choose (either a personal choice or from a list of submitted titles) could expose the group to new titles, perhaps something they never would have considered reading - and broaden some personal horizons.

[obs20]

We would need a moderator with veto power lest we risk having Tom Clancy's NetForce 4 win.

[jbcohen]

I propose that we use Amazon's book catagories: Christian, Comics, Litterature and Fiction, Mystery and Thriller, Romance, Sci-fi and Fantasy. I recommend a vote on these top level catagories. The winner catagory is then broken out into its amazon subcatagories, then we vote again, for example litterature would break out into Brittish, Comic, Drama, essays and poetry. Then we vote again until we get to voting on individual novels.

[DiapDealer]

We're going to talk it right into an early grave... how 'bout we read something already? It's not like a consensus will ever be reached about what qualifies. For what it's worth, I'm perfectly cool with a benign dictatorship.

[John F]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

We're going to talk it right into an early grave... how 'bout we read something already? It's not like a consensus will ever be reached about what qualifies. For what it's worth, I'm perfectly cool with a benign dictatorship.

+1

Why all the categories? I just want to read some good books, I don't care what category they are in.

Wake me up when you start.

Just nominate and vote.

[Vandy]

NOTE: The following is written with tongue planted FIRMLY in cheek...

ENTER HUMOR MODE

Those of you who don't want categories and choice obviously aren't anal enough...

END HUMOR MODE

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Vandy

Those of you who don't want categories and choice obviously aren't anal enough...

I resemble that remark!

[jbcohen]

Begin humor mode

This darn computer moves slower than an elephant gives birth
A two toed sloth could walk down a tree, across a road and up another tree in the time it takes this computer to do one operation (the sloth will take approximatly one month to do that).
A two toed sloth moves so slowly fungus grows on his back

End humor mode

Same rules as the last book club vote for the May book?