The Sword and Laser discussion
A proposal... How about a Sword AND a Laser each month...
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Personally I have a lot of books on my TBR list. In between the club picks I work on those. I'd imagine some people might be interested depending on the book chosen.
I expect based on responses to my the new Dresden book that a bunch of people will be reading that. Not to mention the final Wheel of Time book in January. I'm sure there are other books coming out soon that people plan to read and be interested in discussing.
Rob, It's not that I need a book to be an S&L pick to read it - I've read 11 of the Dresden books over the last few weeks and various other stuff - 15 or 16 books since early August. More to read isn't the point, it's more to discuss. What I enjoy most on the forum are the discussions around the current pick - a second pick would be one way to have two sets of discussions for those people who would like that or who don't like one of the books.
I suppose I could do a thread like Jenny's each month but I like the diversity of threads the official suggestions spawn.
There's another thread with this more or less same question...it was rather active, if I remember correctly. It's great that people have time to read so much. Some of us can't. Most of us can't, actually. Hell I can barely keep up with the quantity (not quality) of threads around the forum.And T&V do this on a volunteer basis (actually I'm not sure if the agreement with G&S pays them at all, and I guess they might get kickbacks from Audible but it's still mostly for us and for free I'd wager). You're more than welcome to "renegade read" but I doubt T & V would do too much--they each have other obligations.
But you're always welcome to start your own thing. We did two picks a month (well, a primary and and alternate) and I got the impression that many members as well as T&V felt like it was too much. When it becomes "official," it becomes more of a commitment.
I think there is sometimes an alternate ? or maybe this could be started, I know it works very well in the vaginal fantasy group we have a primary and an alt book each month some will read both some just one, the group all read the primary and often 2 out of the 4 have read the alt pick so there is some discussion on the alt pick though obviously not as much as the primary. But personally I like the focus on just one book a month
Vaginal Fantasy has an alternate book every month which is nice... It's nice if you've already read the first pick, or if you're just not that interested in it, or a quick reader. It opens the floor to discussion but it's understood that not everyone will read both books and that's okay.
I think two books a month would be too much as the main pick is usually a part of a series as well, getting through all series's as well as our own reading. Granted you dont have to read both, but it would be a shame to miss out on reading all these books together and discussing them as a whole.
I cant see this happening anyway unless its a renegade read, because as already stated T + V wont want to take on the extra load and who blames them.
I cant see this happening anyway unless its a renegade read, because as already stated T + V wont want to take on the extra load and who blames them.
No. Bad idea. This has been commented on in the past by Tom and Veronica. Maybe they need to alter the FAQ with a response explaining why this would not be possible given both of their current other responsibilities. Personally two books a month in this club would not be possible for me given my current amount of free time. Not to mention I like to have time to read my own personal choices of books outside of what the club is reading. If you want to read more there are dozens of other books clubs you can read books along with in addition to reading along with the Sword and Laser pick. Also as has been mentioned in previous replies nothing keeps you from discussing other books in the "What else are you reading?" sections of this forum.
One a month is definitely enough. I'm lucky to keep up with that. I scrambled w/ other things in life to finish Assassin's Apprentice before the wrap-up. Having T&V announce the upcoming books in advance should hopefully help the speed readers too.
Pretty much agreeing with everyone else. One book is enough, and if I am able to finish early, that just means I have time to enjoy reading other books for myself. Also, doing both a month might lead to more of a division between sword and laser, especially for those of us who can only manage a book a month for whatever reason. I love the current format, so I'd be sad to see it change.
Listening through the back catalog of podcasts, it seems they did try to do two books at once one time. I think it was The Princess Bride and The Once and Future King. And I could be wrong, but it seemed like they ended up needing two months to finish both books.One a month is good enough for me.
One a month is enough for me. I could read more, but with a lot of books being part of a trilogy or more I feel compelled to read those too. Currently I have a backlog of such 'follow up' books that will keep me busy for months.
I read two book together a few months back and i think it spoiled both books for me. I really really enjoyed reading them, but they could have had more impact on me if I had read just one of them only. I can't read more than one book a mont and I am a very slow reader, as an example Foundation is a very short book, but I doubt I will finish it before S&L moves onto the next book. The fact that this is a short book, is what made me join in this month. Sorry but one book a month is enough for me. :( No offence.
I'd prefer it if it was kept to one book a month.
I have to side with the majority here. One book per month is the best bet. I often juggle multiple books per month, but I don't think it would work with the club. I prefer the freedom of being able to read my own personal choices, along with the monthly club selection.
I think we should do a Sword, Laser, and Dagger (horror), every month.
You could join the Scfi and Fantasy Book Club on GoodReads ... they do a sword and laser every month (and you can participate in the nomination and selection).http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1...
Mark wrote: "You could join the Scfi and Fantasy Book Club on GoodReads ... they do a sword and laser every month (and you can participate in the nomination and selection).http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/..."
*****cough********cough***********
Ahem!!!
we are THE sci-Fi/fantasy book club on goodreads. There is no other. We are the beginning and the end. The alpha and the omega. Anyone else is but a poor imitation of our geekery.
Well at least when it comes to sci-Fi/fantasy book clubs on goodreads that is. :)
Rick wrote: "I was just reading the September "What else are you reading?" thread and thinking of some of the 'meh' reactions to Foundation. Each month we have some of these because, face it, no one book will b..."I think it's a good idea.
Micah wrote: "we are THE sci-Fi/fantasy book club on goodreads. There is no other. We are the beginning and the end. The alpha and the omega. Anyone else is but a poor imitation of our geekery.Well at least when it comes to sci-Fi/fantasy book clubs on goodreads that is. :) "
Hmm I dunno. My group started a year before S&L...
Thanks for pointing out the Sci-fi/Fantasy club... I now have TWO more books per month. :-D
The Sci-fi/Fantasy club and Beyond Reality both read a sword and laser each month:http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1...
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1865
Kim wrote: "Hmm I dunno. My group started a year before S&L... "It's not so much about who got there first as it is about TOTAL ALL AROUND AWESOMENESS! Under which criteria S&L dominates all.
Think about it as if Goodreads Sci-fi/fantasy groups were in a cage match. S&L would be Mick Foley and everybody else would be the nameless guys who are just there to be used as cannon fodder. :)
And yes that is a WWF (when it was still the WWF) wrestling reference from the late 1990's. As I haven't seen it since then I don't know who the major stars are now. :)
Micah wrote: "Kim wrote: "Hmm I dunno. My group started a year before S&L... "It's not so much about who got there first as it is about TOTAL ALL AROUND AWESOMENESS! Under which criteria S&L dominates all.
T..."
It's not like you have to choose one or the other. I am a member of several sci fi/fantasy groups here, including S&L and "the Scifi and Fantasy Book Club", and I think they're both great. It's nice that you have a group that you love, but I really don't see why you have to talk that badly about other groups.
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I'm fairly certain he's joking around..
Rob wrote: "I'm fairly certain he's joking around.."I feel as if I have found a native spirit on the internet who understands SARCASM!
I thought the WWF references from the late 90's would have given it away. Next time i will be more obvious. :)
Sorry, internet trolls seems to have jaded me to the point where I can't tell sarcasm from seriousness in written form, haha.
Micah is just being a jabroni. Pay him no mind.
Everyone knows The Rock > Mick Foley
Everyone knows The Rock > Mick Foley
Sofie wrote: "Sorry, internet trolls seems to have jaded me to the point where I can't tell sarcasm from seriousness in written form, haha."don't let the bad ones get yah down. The S&L community is a great one and I haven't ran into many trolls here. And that is yet another reason why we are better than every other sci-fi/fantasy group on goodreads. :)
(you see what I did there? more sarcasm)
@ALA - oh man. I would love to see The Rock take a chair to the face after jumping off a 15 foot ladder into a pile of tacks. MICK FOLEY RULES ALL!!!!
The Rock ain't half bad either though. I enjoy his movies quite a bit.
You're sure you haven't confused sarcasm with marketing? :)
Hmm... a few points. I'm not asking T&V to read and discuss 2 books. As I mentioned at the start, the idea would be to have two 'official' discussions for the forum population; this isn't a complaint about what T&V are currently doing. I'd envision that the main selection would work just as today, just with the addition of an alternate that's Laser when the main one is Sword and vice versa.
Also, while I respect that a lot of you either read more slowly, do the audio version, have less time or for some other reason don't get through books quickly, you're not the only people out there. As I noted above, this came to mind specifically because of the What Else Are You Reading threads - it's obvious that there are a lot of us who do, in fact, read more than one book a month. I merely thought that having a second book to talk about might be fun and books with their own discussion sections vs just one thread seem to spawn a bunch of threads.
Frankly, I'm a little surprised by the negative reactions. No one has to read any books here if you don't have time - if there were two selections and you don't want or can't read both, don't. However, I'm not sure how the mere presence of an alternate book with a matching discussion section hurts you at all and it rankles a bit that because YOU don't want it, you don't want anyone to have it.
It's also rather ironic that some of you were claiming you didn't have time to read a second book and then noted it was because you decided to read an entire series instead of just the selection. In any event, it was just an idea.
Ala wrote: "Micah is just being a jabroni. Pay him no mind.Everyone knows The Rock > Mick Foley"
No way! At least not in terms of books. Mick Foley wrote his own biography without a ghost writer or any assistant. The Rock co authored his with Joe Layden:)
Rick wrote: "Frankly, I'm a little surprised by the negative reactions. No one has to read any books here if you don't have time - if there were two selections and you don't want or can't read both, don't. However, I'm not sure how the mere presence of an alternate book with a matching discussion section hurts you at all and it rankles a bit that because YOU don't want it, you don't want anyone to have it. "Ah, please don't take it to heart; it's just something that people feel strongly about, and as I've said, I love the club exactly the way it is, and would be sad to see it change.
As you say, it was just an idea, and it's great that you wanted to make a suggestion. Sorry the thread got negative. We really could do with a 'like' button or equivalent on here, since many people were mostly just agreeing with what had already been said.
Also, as a few people have mentioned, feel free to start your own 'alt book' threads if you like. :)
Possible objections I can see:
1) Some people read more slowly/have less time to read, etc. Answer: no one has to read both selections. Read the one that appeals more.
2) Some will have read both selections in a month so they're still left without anything new. Answer: this does reduce the odds of the selection having been read. It can't eliminate that possibility though.
3) Podcast complications. V & T would have to read two books and allot time to them. Answer: This is a real issue. One way around it would be to pick one of the selections to serve as the main one talked about on the podcast. The other would be mostly for forum interaction. Alternately, expand the audio podcast slightly (20 minutes or so) to accommodate the extra book. Youtube too if that's possible.
Of course, this presumes that they can and want to fit in another book that needs to be read. If not, then fall back to the 'we're talking about the Sword book, but here's a Laser book for forum discussion." Basically, this is a main selection/alternate selection format where the podcast only covers the main selection and that still alternates back and forth.
Thoughts?