I can easily imagine that graphing when a book too place could quickly get out of hand: so many occur over a long period, or over multiples periods - think Robert Goddard.

Good point. Or pretty much any time travel novel.

One more graph...this one is not specific to the MRBC though.

The averages below are through January for the Literary and MRBC but do not include February other than a single placeholder comment. The Literary club discussions tend to last longer than the MRBC discussions did so there may still be a few coming for previous discussions but it looks like they are pretty much wrapped up.

Average comments/discussion:
MRBC: 29.7
Literary: 31.9
Overall: 30.5

This includes an "annex" discussion of The Lost Symbol from 2009 since it had the MRBC tag on it but doesn't include a 63 post side discussion for The Count of Monte Christo that happened in 2008. It wasn't an official selection (yet) but was in the BC sub-forum. If that is included the MRBC average goes up by 0.5/discussion.

OK, I'm going to make a suggestion here. We've got a good discussion for our first official book in the New Leaf Book Club, and I'm pleased by that, but I'd also like to have a place where we can just sort of "hang out" and talk about books or whatever. And actually quite a bit of whatever, I hope.

Now, we could start a new thread for "General Discussion" or even call it Chat. But it seems to me that a "Welcome" thread is really just as good a place to do it and we avoid having proliferating threads. But perhaps our fearless leader could 'adjust' the title of this thread to something like Welcome and General Discussion for the New Leaf Book Club? What do people think? A new thread, or morph this one?

Definitely not a new thread; too much clutter and I wouldn't want to add to the stickies. But I'd be happy to change the title of the thread to reflect it as a place to go for a natter. I think I'd like to work on a new title a bit though; something shorter and punchier would be my preference.

Yeah, that title didn't exactly grab one, did it? <rueful grin>

Suggestions, anyone? I'm all out of them I admit!

NLBC Welcome and Discussion?

Make NLBC a tag and that will leave that bit out of the title. Then the title can just be Welcome & Arguments (Discussions). :D

Apart from the very attractive opening photograph and post by issybird, this thread has been a general chat thread almost from the beginning. So we may not really need the word Welcome there now - though obviously we want to be welcoming to anyone new dropping in to check us out. I feel we need to keep the Club name in full, at least for now.

So maybe something like ... New Leaf Book Club Drop In Centre ...?

Perhaps then all that's really needed is to tweak the opening post to add something about discussion.

Not an option we control, nor are there those around lately who do. It's the goal, but not likely soon.

Drop In Centre - I like it. (Especially the correct spelling!)

Drop in Center - correct spelling and in English.

It is in English - Australia and Canada use English spelling, not American. However, I can live with the American spelling given that many members, though certainly not all, are from the US.

Or we can find another word, but I thought that one gave the idea of a place where you pour yourself a cup of coffee, pull up a chair, and have a chat.

You know Americans think their version of English is correct, even though there is absolutely no historical or other justification for that. Personally, I'd prefer centre, but I'll leave any such decisions to our (American) moderator. :)

Technically there is no correct version of English. When the colonies were established, the people there spoke the same English as the UK. So both the UK and the US started off with the same English. Now both the UK and the US speak a different English. So really, neither is the correct English but both are English.