Quote:
Originally Posted by sun surfer
I went with a retrospective month because I like the idea and feel it will be a fitting conclusion to a rotating “cycle”. What I really like about it is that each member will be represented by one nomination in the vote if they have volunteered; it will be a nice reflection that equally includes all of us for one month before we start the cycle over. It will be a celebration of us once every few years, and I like that.
I see it not as revisiting a theme but as celebrating together in one place something that each of us has chosen in our rotating month. But, we do happily revisit themes each year in certain repeated categories and have had re-nominations. In fact, one recent winner had been nominated earlier in the year as well and it won against first-time nominees, so I don’t see people as being against the idea of a book winning that’s been considered before.
A retrospective is simple, easy and gives a nice definite plan that gracefully closes out a rotating cycle. We do have the option of having Open as a regular category; it didn’t get voted in this year but it might next year.
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One of my favorite things about the club is the lists of books. I try to get to many; in fact, right now I'm reading a book I gleaned from Bookpossum's nominations. A second-chance month obviously obviates this!
I don't object to revisiting any particular theme in theory, but in fact, I feel that some themes more than others would result in somewhat repetitive discussions. I'd rather see a new slate where each book was suggested for its own merits - including ones that might have been nominated before.
I see a flip side to the notion that everyone is represented by a book. By the time we finish a cycle, some may have dropped out, while other new members who perhaps don't feel as if they're entitled to a month yet are excluded. I'd rather see an open slate that represents current participants.
I also like the idea of an open month rather than a retread because it gives scope for more serendipity. Recent discoveries, best-loved books, anything at all. We are pretty restricted most of the time, which I think is good from the standpoint of expanded horizons, but sometimes it's fun to read for, well, fun. I think it's apples and oranges to argue that an open month lost to other contenders; generally we like the structure. We haven't considered an open month vs. a retread, however. In the choice of two salmagundis, I'd go for the new dish rather than the leftovers.
I certainly get that you needed a backup plan if no one volunteered for a month, which I'm glad hasn't happened yet. But now that the issue's been raised, I don't see why we can't go for consensus rather than fiat. So far, people seem to like the notion of an open month. Now, if you want a month off, I can't argue that. But if that's not your motivation, why can't we have a poll?