Chris’s Comments (group member since Jan 07, 2016)

Chris’s comments from the MidCoast Libraries Better Reading Bookclub group.

You hit the nail right on the head moonshine. Flexibility in design has to be the secret. And more and more I think it's about adaptable space. A room that is a meeting room, or a quiet place or an events space etc. furniture on wheels.
What your suggestion has done though has made me think not just of meeting place but discussion space and that may mean some subtle differences in design.
Cheers.

Thanks for that really considered suggestion. One of the challenges of modern libraries is to create quieter spaces. How does meeting rooms work in this role?
We can also create nooks using shelves and furniture etc.
Ive heard of a library in Scandinavia that has a tranquil room.
But you're not just suggesting a quiet space. You mentioned quiet discussion places - which is maybe why meeting rooms, but with more flair and style. A combo of the relaxation room and meeting space.
Or have I got that totally wrong?

Hi Louise,

Here goes. There might be another way, but this works:

From home page go to the bottom of the book covers shown and select Add Books. Search for a book by title.

When to book displays click Add to Group button.

Fill out the fields in the new screen (you don’t need to select a folder)

Click Save to Group.

Good call. Maybe quite a few? What does a reading nook look like please?

First question. What physical features should a new library have?

Hi Melissa,
The novel will be Relativity. We are buying a bookclub kit for it (hopefully have it in a week or two), and our online book group will have first go at it. I will put the collection aside for three months to give people a chance to read it.
We also have a copy at Forster Library, which I've just finished and I can reserve it and send it down to you if you like. We're also getting another print copy of the book and maybe even an eBook copy.
I think it will be an interesting change for people. I'm not going to pre-empt anything or give any spoilers but it is certainly a good book for discussion, well written, current and very much set in Australia. Also, fairly quick to read (at least I ripped through it and it's less than 400 pages).
It may take people out of their comfort zones but hopefully it will be rewarding as well.
Cheers Chris

A great suggestion Marian. I will definitely pass this on.

Good on you Jenny. We were always going to discover this fact the hard way anyway. How did you find The Secret Chord?

Lol. Absolutely. It's made me think about some older ones and even a re-read. Good for diversity of experience hey?

Here's something I should have realised but didn't. The bookshelf only takes on new titles, which means that even though I've read "Secret Chord" Jenny beat me to it.
This means it's 500 unique titles, which raises the bar a bit.
Oh, the joys of a healthy challenge.

Thanks Jenny, Mel and Lesley. I think we might make it so. This week I'll finalise some arrangements and when that's done I'll send out a general message and we'll get the ball rolling.

Right, I've been caught up with a whole range of things including study so I haven't given Goodreads much time in the last week.
I've also been trying to investigate the best way to support this idea.
The good news it that we should be able to do this through the library's bookclub service. What I'm planning to do is acquire a title that our online bookclub has exclusive access to for, say three months (details will probably change once we've implemented it and we know how many people in this club are interested). I'd keep the collection in my office and people could borrow and return from there. There's a few operational aspects to sort out but it should all work.
The other hard part of this is that I have to choose a title. Are people happy for me to choose something that is a) current b) sounds versatile c) would be good for a book club?
Contemporary Australian fiction is a good choice but that depends on what's out there at the moment. At present I haven't found anything Australian that fits the bill, but there are certainly some interesting novels emerging. One on my radar is: Relativity. This was recommended by the local bookshop (Sitting Wombat). Can you please have a look at this and see what you reckon.
Cheers Chris

Hi Megan, Sorry I've been off the radar for a few days. I'd be very interested in talking to you more about how this works for you. I've visited the website and it does look interesting. I'm not sure if this fits in with anything I can do regarding the library but I'm always interested in what programs/services are out that that encourage reading.

Right ho. That's enough support for us to think a bit further about this.
I appreciate what you're saying about having access to the title through the library and I'm sure we can sort something out. Our new model for the bookclub collection involves having 10 copies in a kit and 2 copies on the shelves. I'm sure this will give us close to what we need, especially if we give ourselves an extended period of time. I'll take this back to the library staff and see what sort of model we can nut out.
We'll also have a look at some title options.
Now, back to all of you. Do you have any suggestions for a specific title, a specific author, or even just general guidelines (e.g. contemporary Australian)?
Cheers

Hi Megan,
I'm curious about Book Box. can you tell me a little more about it?
Cheers

now that we've had a month to get a few things sorted out I'd like to put a proposal to the bookclub members. As a book club (though maybe not the most traditional of ones) would you be interested in all of us reading one title? And then we could have a discussion around it.
I'm well aware we've all got plenty on our plates and some already belong to book clubs, so I'm planning to keep it quite achievable.
Some communities set themselves to all read one title. Other book clubs generally do this to, typically on a monthly basis. Why don't we go half way?
Would you be prepared to agree to read one shared book title, maybe in the next sixth months? Then we could discuss it online, or even at a gathering if people felt so inclined.
I really don't want to badger people into this and I'm very happy if people indicate otherwise but I thought we should give the topic an airing. As for what title that could be (and any other logistics), I'll leave that for the moment until we resolve if we're happy with the idea.
So, what do you think about agreeing to read the same title?

That's great news Megan and an excellent target. I totally understand how easy it is to fall out of the habit of reading. Life can be so hectic. For at least a decade, maybe even two, I just put active reading aside. It wasn't until I joined a book club that made me read a book a month that I got back in the habit.
I'm still time poor but now reading is no longer just cast aside. Room is made for it.
Congrats on your goal achievement. Every one helps towards the total for the group. Don't forget to let us know if there's any one you'd particularly recommend (or avoid).
How are you finding your titles? Buying, borrowing from friends, borrowing from library, reading books over other people's shoulders?
And are you going to build up your collection again, or are you happy to be lean (I have significantly culled my collection too, though not down to your levels yet)?
Cheers

Sue, you raise a valid point. Reading by it's very definition is to look and comprehend written matter. So, no Elaine shouldn't count them.
But here's the dilemma. What if a person cannot read anymore? We certainly have patrons who have to use the audiobooks. Certainly they listen to the book, but isn't it also reasonable to say they were reading it in the only way they can.
So, I would argue that Elaine can read an audiobook, but here's the stinger. That argument is only predicated on listening to the book being the only option available. Which means that Elaine may not qualify, using my logic.
However, there is an even deeper motivation to consider audiobooks as reads - it helps us get to our target. Perhaps a tad mercenary, but there you have it. So Elaine can read the audiobook.
And, of course, it encourages participation in general.
Thank you, Sue. I do like a good DEBATE.

I reckon if a library can "lend" it then it counts Elaine. All good for the cause. Cheers Chris

This is a post on behalf of Lesley, who recommends Fear Is the Rider.

Lesley says:
This horror story looks very good. I don’t ‘do’ horror myself.

Thanks Lesley.