Quote:
Originally Posted by treadlightly
I wonder if having some open-ended questions to answer might spur discussion about the book. One month when someone mentioned their favourite character in the book it led to other posts about characters. Questions might lend a bit of structure to the conversation.
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That's actually an idea with merit. The two monthly book clubs at my local library are managed would be the best word by one of the library staff. Book selections just rotate among the regular members, but the woman from the library always starts the discussion with a brief synopsis of the book, some of what has been written about the book by 'professional critics,' and then some points we may wish to discuss about the book. It really does help get the discussion going. Of course when participants are all in the same room that is much easier to achieve than an Internet discussion like at MR. I'll admit that it probably does temper my sometimes acid tone versus what I am inclined to in an online discussion (getting ahead of myself a bit here). Perhaps we could suggest (not force) the person who nominated the book to start the discussion thread off here with something similar? If that were implemented it would seem likely that the discussion would at least start off positive with the nominator putting out what he or she found appealing about the book.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sun surfer
 Great comments, caleb! I do think you're right about serious negative criticism - it has its place but maybe that's not here in the general club. No matter how mature everyone tries to be, we all can't help but be sensitive sometimes, and with such a diverse group I can see that if among the first posts of a discussion are really negative reactions, it might scare some people off from giving their positive opinion. I mean, I'm not for turning the club into a peaches and cream lovefest where you can't dare to say you didn't like a book and I'm all for honest opinions, but maybe we should shoot for making any negative posts on a book light and respectful (if everyone's up for that, I will try, but I'll state right now that sometimes my typing fingers might get the better of me so I'll have to work at it  ). I think that's especially important for a book where a lot of people don't like it or have problems with it or find it mediocre - that has the potential to create a negative atmosphere in the discussion thread that really scares anyone off from posting who actually likes the book. All that said, we have had months where everyone who posts in the discussion thread loves a book and yet it still only gets a few posts.
Other than that, I'm still not sure exactly how we can make this "fun time" happen on a long-term basis, but I think it's a terrific starting point to keep in mind for any new direction we take. |
So every author is brilliant and every book flawless? Seems to me that would lead to a very bland and limited discussion.
However, if it will indeed lead to more participation in I'm willing to give it a try, even if it means I do not contribute to the discussion some times. Not to come off to strong here though. Please see my response to Treadlightly above. I agree that making the discussion something that everyone wants to participate in should be a goal.