New Leaf Welcome to the New Leaf Book Club

[issybird]

Welcome to the New Leaf Book Club! The purpose of the New Leaf Book Club is to discover, read and discuss new books across a wide spectrum of genres to expand our reading palettes. Our objective is to engage in thoughtful conversation with people of diverse perspectives who share our love of reading within a friendly and inviting community.

We'll be kicking things off on January 1, 2018, with nominations on the theme of A Rainbow of Reading: books with color-full associations. The discussion for the final MobileRead Book Club selection, Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers, will start on January 15, 2018.

We look forward to reading books both well-written and entertaining which appeal to a gamut of tastes, from serious to light. We'd like to have fun with the nominations and encourage lateral thinking. Don't feel, for example, that the first theme is limited to books with a color in a title; that books related to color, have a rainbow theme, an author with a color in his name and so forth are precluded. The only two conditions are books that would appeal to others and books that would make for a lively discussion. That's it! (Well, there are also a few technical conditions that will be addressed in a subsequent post.)

Please consider participating at whatever level is comfortable for you. We're starting with a committed core of readers to which we want to add, but we also welcome droppers-in. Help us make a success of our brand new book club. All questions or comments are welcome.

We're ready to read! Grab your gadget and let's go.

[CRussel]

I'm quite looking forward to this. Though I admit, I've struggled with this first theme; there are so many ways I could take it, but finding the _perfect_ book is hard. OTOH, the breadth of the theme (and themes, in general) has allowed me to re-discover all sorts of books I'd not read in years and years and years.

[astrangerhere]

I already have my three nominations cooked up!

Hopefully we can really use this as a vehicle to stretch our typical genre-habits and help others discover our own hidden gems.

[June]

Hmmmm, intriguing theme, and just looking through my wish-list I found a few that fit. Now on to decide what to nominate and I’m looking forward to seeing what others come up with!

[Catlady]

For those of us who never participated before, it would help to have a brief description of the basics of how the book club works.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Catlady

For those of us who never participated before, it would help to have a brief description of the basics of how the book club works.

The thread with FAQs and Guidelines should post shortly, but here are the basics:

Nominations will start on first of the month and last for a week; each person has three nominations to be used at will to nominate, second or third any book. Three nominations are needed for a book to make the poll, which is multiple choice and will last for five days. The discussion will start on the 15th of the following month.

We hope many who haven't participated before will take a look and join in. The more participants, the better the discussion.

[Dazrin]

Edit: issybird has this covered, I'm apparently too wordy.

Originally Posted by Catlady

For those of us who never participated before, it would help to have a brief description of the basics of how the book club works.

I'm working on a FAQ post now that will cover most of this in more detail, it should be up this afternoon, but here are the basics:

On the first of each month we will have a nomination thread and anyone is invited to nominate a book or second/third a previously nominated book that meets the month's theme; January's theme will be A Rainbow of Reading, see issybird's post above and lateral thinking is encouraged. Everyone may do this for up to three different books. Books that receive three total nods will move onto the vote thread which should start on the 8th and lasts for 5 days.

Voting is multiple choice (vote for any books that catch your fancy) and anyone can vote but if you do vote please try to participate in the discussion regardless of which book wins. (Even if you didn't vote for the winning book!)

Discussion will begin on the 15th of the next month, so we will begin discussing the book we choose in January on February 15th.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

I already have my three nominations cooked up!

Hopefully we can really use this as a vehicle to stretch our typical genre-habits and help others discover our own hidden gems.

I've opted to save two of my nominations for seconds, but have decided on a book for my one nomination. Not the one I'd originally intended -- I decided that it was a bit too outright escapist for this first month. But I'm pleased with the one I came up with, and I am really looking forward to seeing what others nominate -- I expect to discover some new favourites.

[JSWolf]

Can we have members create logos so we can have a vote? I think it would give us a chance to pick something we (overall) like.

[Dutchbook]

Ok, now you're just cranky for the sake of being cranky

And nobody is stopping you from making another one

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Dutchbook

Ok, now you're just cranky for the sake of being cranky

And nobody is stopping you from making another one

Go back and reread my message. You caught me mid edit.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Can we have members create logos so we can have a vote? I think it would give us a chance to pick something we (overall) like.

Please, use whatever logo you want! And if it's cool enough, I'm sure some of us will ask you to make it publicly available.

FWIW, I made one set VERY quickly, just so we'd have something! But Dazrin came along and did much better, and I'm abandoning my own and going with his. And if you come up with something better, I'll gladly abandon Dazrin's and use yours.

[JSWolf]

I'd like to see the ideas of anyone who wants to submit something and have the club vote on them.

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Please, use whatever logo you want! And if it's cool enough, I'm sure some of us will ask you to make it publicly available.

This!

Originally Posted by CRussel

FWIW, I made one set VERY quickly, just so we'd have something! But Dazrin came along and did much better, and I'm abandoning my own and going with his. And if you come up with something better, I'll gladly abandon Dazrin's and use yours.

And, me too!

For what it's worth, I have made a couple more variations than what are in use now, and will be posting them in the FAQ thread this afternoon when I get finished doing some cleanup. I can post a link here directly to that FAQ item if you like.

Edit: Direct link to the FAQ question with the various images posted (last question of the FAQ.)

[JSWolf]

Dazin, can you make a leaf circuit board with a Reader instead of a pBook?