MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - And Then There Were ?… The future of the book club here

sun surfer · 04-16-2021, 05:41 PM

A time of reckoning has come. The lit club will celebrate ten years (!) of existence in May 2021, and that may also be our last month. There is the question of participation; while we have several who still post their thoughts or contribute here and there, we currently only have two who regularly nominate, vote, read and discuss selections each month. While some may think an even higher number is necessary, I feel that at least three regulars who nominate, vote and discuss each month seem to be the minimum needed to be viable, and this year we have now dropped below that for the first time.

As is obvious, we are also the only book club left here. The two iterations of a more general book club have come and gone.

While I run the lit club, I also participated in the general book club for many years, and I think I can safely say that most if not all who participate in the lit club also have participated in the general book clubs as well and so have an interest in both. As well, the lit club has broadened in scope over the years and we currently consider it ‘literary’ mostly in name only and almost wholly dependant on whatever anyone wants to nominate and vote for in a given month. While the selections may almost always still be able to be classified as literary, the same could also be said for selections from the New Leaf club and the older MR Book Club. I know some might be hesitant or critical of a ‘literary’ label but in the end it really is hardly any different.

The lit club will not go on with only two regulars. We need at least one more regular (and preferably several more) to continue, or we will close up. And if we do close up, that is fine! Don’t cry for us Argentina. We’ve had a full great decade. To everything there is a season (turn, turn, turn).

However, there is also the possibility of some sort of transformation of the lit club or, with no other clubs around, the possibility to close up this version of the lit club at the even ten year mark and start something new, whether ‘lit’, ‘general’, a combination, or whatever. Or, we could simply close up and leave this subforum as a sleeping relic for future generations to discover.

With all that in mind, I’d like to open up a discussion on the future of the book club here (if any).

Are you interested in participating in a book club here?

What sort would you be interested in?

What other thoughts do you have on the subject?

04-16-2021, 05:41 PM	#1
sun surfer languorous autodidact ✦ Posts: 4,235 Karma: 44637926 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: smiling with the rising sun Device: onyx boox poke 2 colour, kindle voyage	And Then There Were ?… The future of the book club here A time of reckoning has come. The lit club will celebrate ten years (!) of existence in May 2021, and that may also be our last month. There is the question of participation; while we have several who still post their thoughts or contribute here and there, we currently only have two who regularly nominate, vote, read and discuss selections each month. While some may think an even higher number is necessary, I feel that at least three regulars who nominate, vote and discuss each month seem to be the minimum needed to be viable, and this year we have now dropped below that for the first time. As is obvious, we are also the only book club left here. The two iterations of a more general book club have come and gone. While I run the lit club, I also participated in the general book club for many years, and I think I can safely say that most if not all who participate in the lit club also have participated in the general book clubs as well and so have an interest in both. As well, the lit club has broadened in scope over the years and we currently consider it ‘literary’ mostly in name only and almost wholly dependant on whatever anyone wants to nominate and vote for in a given month. While the selections may almost always still be able to be classified as literary, the same could also be said for selections from the New Leaf club and the older MR Book Club. I know some might be hesitant or critical of a ‘literary’ label but in the end it really is hardly any different. The lit club will not go on with only two regulars. We need at least one more regular (and preferably several more) to continue, or we will close up. And if we do close up, that is fine! Don’t cry for us Argentina. We’ve had a full great decade. To everything there is a season (turn, turn, turn). However, there is also the possibility of some sort of transformation of the lit club or, with no other clubs around, the possibility to close up this version of the lit club at the even ten year mark and start something new, whether ‘lit’, ‘general’, a combination, or whatever. Or, we could simply close up and leave this subforum as a sleeping relic for future generations to discover. With all that in mind, I’d like to open up a discussion on the future of the book club here (if any). Are you interested in participating in a book club here? What sort would you be interested in? What other thoughts do you have on the subject?