New Leaf Welcome to the New Leaf Book Club

[issybird]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Obviously, my apologies, since I clearly didn't even look. That being said, it is still free at both AmazonUK and KoboUK, so I hope folks can easily avail themselves of one of those options.

No need to apologize! It's on all of us to vet the selections. Given the vote, maybe everyone was hoping no one else would notice.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by issybird

The reason for this particular rule is to help make books available and cheap enough; in this particular case, I hope people can avail themselves of the free UK edition or don't face a long waiting list at the library.

I was a latecomer to the party, so I don't know what went into the creation of the one-year rule, but I don't see much point to it. Prices don't seem to drop significantly at the year mark, library availability seems hit-or-miss--there were long Overdrive waiting lists for Radium Girls, for example, even though it was a couple of years old. Even Dandelion Wine, old as it is, had a waiting list at my library.

I can understand trying to avoid a brand-new book that libraries might not have purchased yet, but is there really anything magical about a one-year milestone? People already take price and availability into consideration when nominating and voting.

My two cents' worth.

[CRussel]

The only real consideration for the one-year mark is that for many publishers, that's when the mass market paperback (MMP) is released, which usually also results in a reduction in the eBook price. Of course, that's clearly NOT true for some of the Onerous Five. And, of course, in the hope that the first rush of Library borrows would have worked its way through the system, leaving a more tolerable wait.

In general, it's my opinion that availability at a reasonable price is a major consideration, however we achieve that. We have regulars for whom an expensive book is simply not in the cards. I completely get that, and want to do everything I can to remain sensitive to it.

[Bookworm_Girl]

We’ve had this discussion several times. I thought we were going to make it a recommendation rather than a rule. Plus issybird said she was willing to overlook some rule bending if it seems appropriate.

I have had a major gripe about this from the beginning. I agree there is nothing magical about a year. There is no requirement that a book is available in the library. Price is a recommendation. Sometimes older books are less available in the library than new books because they are either popular or the library hasn’t maintained copies that they might have had in the past.

You take your chances when you nominate a book that it may not be put into the vote if price is too high or it’s not widely available. We provide enough info in the posts, and we’re all adults who should be able to check whether you are willing to delay discussion or purchase the book before you vote.

[Bookpossum]

Yes, I agree it’s up to all of us to do our own homework when we vote for a book. I always check library availability, and belong to a couple of library systems, living close to the boundary of two local government areas.

So I think Bookworm-Girl is right and we can treat it as a recommendation.

[gmw]

^Ditto^ to most of the sentiments expressed above. I do think it's good that the vote this time was almost unanimous, it leaves much less room for anyone to feel too put out by a slight bend in the rules, but also emphasises that a club can and should be flexible about such things.

Whatever else, I think this rule:

Originally Posted by issybird

[...] I think our rule of thumb has to be that if a book hasn't been challenged by the time the poll goes live, it's an official choice. [...]

should override the others. Any book that found 3 votes and no objections leading up to the poll can't be too much of a problem.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by CRussel

In general, it's my opinion that availability at a reasonable price is a major consideration, however we achieve that. We have regulars for whom an expensive book is simply not in the cards. I completely get that, and want to do everything I can to remain sensitive to it.

I am very serious about this in my budget. If I had not been able to get Halifax at the library, I would not have voted for it. On the same note, if I hadn't gotten an ARC copy of Radium Girls, which has been out for a few years, I would not have been reading that one either.

I appreciate the rule/reg whatever as is. I also agree with others that homework is required on this. (This is also why most of my nominations have been books that are free).

[Bookworm_Girl]

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

Thanks for the post! The switch to topics has brought diversification to my reading selections because it forces me to search using different and unique criteria. It helps to find books that I would not have discovered before. Although, I mostly still select books to read that are within my favorite genres.

My TBR is growing from the nominations, but I had that problem before with the clubs! I wondered if people are reading the books they discover or just adding to the pile. Here are my personal stats for the year-to-date.

I have read 2 books that I nominated: The Fifteen Lives of Harry August and The Summer Book.

I have read 1 book that someone else nominated: Salt: A World History.

I have read 1 book inspired by the monthly book: On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

I have read 3 books that I discovered while searching for a nomination: The Little Red Chairs by Edna O'Brien, A Green and Ancient Light by Frederic S. Durbin and Turtles All The Way Down by John Green.

I thought of another book to add to the llst. I watched the movie of my nomination, Despite the Falling Snow, from the month "The Book Came First."

[Bookpossum]

I remembered that I have read one of my nominations: The Prestige by Christopher Priest, which I nominated for the Time month. I enjoyed it very much indeed and recommend it. I shall certainly be reading more of his books.

[CRussel]

This came up in the current month's nomination and voting process, but I think it more correctly belongs here, since it applies to all months. I want to repeat my offer of several months ago:

If you don't have the ability to check availability outside of your home country, but want to ensure that others will be able to participate, please -- send me a PM and tell me what book you're considering, and I'll verify availability.

I can easily check Canada, US, and UK Amazon availability, and usually Australian Amazon as well, though that's always a bit trickier. (And that's related to why the Australians among us have difficulty checking North American prices, but I have a bit of trickery that usually works.)

[Bookpossum]

I can add to this by offering to check on Amazon Australia if needed.

It is definitely helpful for Australians to have your assistance Charlie, as the information we get on availability in other countries for Amazon is garbled. Thank goodness for Kobo’s much simpler and more accurate system.

Thanks Charlie - karma on its way!

[issybird]

I wonder to what extent people might find the nomination process too daunting or time-consuming.

It's not necessary to post copious links or any links at all. When nominating, citing the book along with, ideally, either a paste from a description or a brief statement why you're nominating it is entirely sufficient.

It can be helpful to make a quick price and availability check for your own purposes before nominating just in case a book is entirely out of the question, but it's also fine just to go ahead and and nominate the perfect book. Ultimately people have to do their own checking at their personal places before deciding whether or not to support a book anyway.

[Dazrin]

I was updating the stats sheet and saw that with today's comments we now have 3 books at 162 comments and we are averaging over 124. Passing, The Three Musketeers, and Never Let Me Go.

We really love to hate on a book don't we? Passing wasn't all negative but The Three Musketeers and Never Let Me Go were certainly mostly negative.

We are almost to 1,000 comments already too. The MRBC final total was 3,318, so in less than a year we have almost 1/3 of the total comments from that club which ran for almost 10 years.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

I was updating the stats sheet and saw that with today's comments we now have 3 books at 162 comments and we are averaging over 124. Passing, The Three Musketeers, and Never Let Me Go.

We really love to hate on a book don't we? Passing wasn't all negative but The Three Musketeers and Never Let Me Go were certainly mostly negative.

We are almost to 1,000 comments already too. The MRBC final total was 3,318, so in less than a year we have almost 1/3 of the total comments from that club which ran for almost 10 years.

I was looking at the stats the other day and missed your old line graph of the comments of the three clubs, but this new chart is fun and informative and very gratifying!

Thank you for being the keeper of the stats! They're fantastic.

[gmw]

Speaking of statistics, has anyone else noticed that most of the currently regular participants here seem to have a joined MR in 2010 and 2011? I wonder if this coincides with some dramatic upswing in MR numbers during those two years, or if there is some other reason.