Reviews for the Literary Inclined discussion
Book of the Month
>
Group Reads?
Jo wrote: "I had a thought!What would everyone here feel about reading one book a month by an author in this group and then writing reviews and discussing what we each had to say? The authors would have to ..."
Definitely interested in doing this, Jo.
As to the pros/cons I'll have to address that when I have time. I've not had any adverse dealings with authors. In fact, I drove to San Diego to meet the author of The Angry Woman Suite, and I have been messaging back and forth with Javier Robayo of THE GAZE and The Chapter. I also made friends with Monica (our very own in this group), but I have yet to read her book The Priest. I just downloaded it today, so I'm looking forward to reading that one.
Great idea, Jo!
Mod
What would everyone here feel about reading one book a month by an author in this group and then writing reviews and discussing what we each had to say? The authors would have to ..."
Good idea and as long as it stays a respectful debate I have no objections. However as to your 2 very reasonable hazards: Authors behaving badly are out the group (we have a no bullies/no people bashing zero tolerance policy)and the self-serving authors well the way I see it they have to give at least 1 or 2 reviews before we even considering doing a BotM on them. Actually this might be even better for the Author of the Month instead of BotM.
Nice idea, Jessi. I'd definitely be up for that. And I really enjoy learning about new authors. In fact, through Goodreads, I've 'discovered' several really good authors. So this would be a great chance to find more, as well as support them through reviews (honest reviews though!).
Jessi wrote: "Jo wrote: "I had a thought!What would everyone here feel about reading one book a month by an author in this group and then writing reviews and discussing what we each had to say? The authors wou..."
Is there a difference? If we did have an author of the month, wouldn't we be reading one of his/her books anyway?
Mod
@Vicki: That's why I suggest Jo's idea for Author of the Month instead because book of the month would be something different & based on nominations
No pitfalls I can see, except if the requirement would be physical book copies (rather than digital). If there are a lot of people in a group, this can get very expensive for an author. Also, a question: Would a review have to consist of something written in depth? I love to read books and can do short reviews, but I'm really not great at writing big reviews (which is why I don't run a review blog).
I do want to participate in this, though, it's a great idea, so please let me know :).
Mod
Also, a qu..."
Digital would be better cost wise and time wise. And a review can be pretty much any length as long as it's honest.
Sarajayne wrote: "I think the difference is, a book of the month is one book that everyone would read, whereas an author of the month would give people the option to read any of the author's books, assuming they have more than one published :) So a bit more flexibility for readers..."Why couldn't we do both...?
Digital for sure. For those with no e-reader, we could send PDFs.
I love this idea! I'm up for this!
Great idea - I'm in :) I only have digital books, and I now much prefer reading e-books too. A paperback is not practical for authors either, because we are scatter all over the globe and posting them could be expensive! Whilst with e-books, just a few clicks away :)
Would we all like to start this month, or next?Another thought:
For everyone that posts a review, we can assign a random number and use something like random.org to choose a winner. That person could win a signed copy of the book we're reading for the month.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I have a couple of copies of each of my books sitting around for giveaways and such.
Thoughts? Comments?
Jo
Mod
Sounds cool!! I shall await your instruction, oh guardian of the page!:)
I would wait till October to start BOTM, just because September is already mid way and this gives people who are a little slower to read two weeks to finish the books they are already reading. Plus it will give us two weeks to choose or vote in which book we want for our first month. (I'm not an author, but I am extremely excited about this)
Mod
Sarajayne wrote: "Vicki wrote: "Jessi wrote: "Jo wrote: "I had a thought!What would everyone here feel about reading one book a month by an author in this group and then writing reviews and discussing what we each..."
Sarajayne, thank you. I just saw this post today.
I am just getting to these posts today. I would be into reading and reviewing one author a month. And as an author, I'm willing to donate books for that purpose. Sandra de Helen
Good heavens. I'm sick for a couple days and look what I miss! So it seems we're having an author of the month AND a book of the month? Sounds cool.
I actually did something like this in June when my debut novel was selected to be a "Secondary Group Read" by the Science Fiction and Heroic Fantasy Group. Read that discussion here: http://bit.ly/SFHF-CondResp It was a great discussion that went on for quite a while. I advertised the discussion (rather than myself or the book) on Twitter and Facebook and drew more people into the group that way. I think I only brought 2 or 3 people but still. For authors, I think it's great. For the group, well, my experience in the SFHF group has been that they seem to have trouble getting a discussion going or keeping it going all month if the author does not get involved.
If you look through my remarks in the discussion, I was pretty involved, pretty opininated (because that's ME) and still stayed respectful and polite. The BIG thing for me was that the readers stayed respectful and polite. Then after the monthly read was over, while the discussion was still going on with one or two more readers I'd wrangled in, I had one reader become nasty and screw around with their review and rating. I approached the moderator who'd invited me to be the Secondary read and he intervened and managed it.
I know you have to be worried about authors behaving badly but please recall that readers can behave pretty badly too. I love that Jessi's rules are NO BULLIES. Period. :) It's perfectly all right to NOT LIKE a book. Especially if you discuss why and allow the author to say "I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it" without twisting an actual apology into some kind of sideways remark. I mean, I seriously feel like I let the person down if they didn't like my book -- even though I GAVE IT AWAY FREE. It's even worse if they paid money for it!
Having an Author of the Month would be good but from the author perspective, it might be a bit of a hassle to make all the books available for free rather than specifying one book in particular to make available to the group free for the monthly group read. It's a marketing and promotional logistics problem, not a stingy thing :) At least not for me.
-Friday
@phoenicianbooks
(Vered, I was sick for a few days, too! Did the stomach bug bite you the way it did me? And with you, there, on another continent and everything! LOL)
Hey Friday - no, it's a God awful throat infection. Difficult to swallow spit. Blah. As you can see, it hasn't slowed down my typing though!
Vered wrote: "Hey Friday - no, it's a God awful throat infection. Difficult to swallow spit. Blah. As you can see, it hasn't slowed down my typing though!"haha, well my jittery tummy had me curled up in bed like a 2 year old wimpy baby
Amazing what a nice bowl of plain rice will do to steady one's system ;) One "dose" of that is better, faster, cheaper than taking an army of pills (seems to be the usual American solution to health)
not just American these days...For interest sake - drinking flat coke (cola) or plain vanilla ice-cream also helps with tummy issues...
Vered - for Throat - Gargle Whiskey!!!! (if you're not a drinker DO NOT SWALLOW!! LOL - it tastes awful! but it really does help! :D
Mod
And for sore throats or congestion it's usually a hot toddy, whiskey (like Jax said), some really hot peppers/food, or one shot of 151 proof rum. Those usually open me up to so that I can breathe and swallow easier.
Jessi wrote: "I usually drink ginger ale or sprite for an upset stomach. And for sore throats or congestion it's usually a hot toddy, whiskey (like Jax said), some really hot peppers/food, or one shot of 151 p..."
OH, cool...I didn't know we had doctors in our group, too! YAY! LOL
Jax wrote: "not just American these days...For interest sake - drinking flat coke (cola) or plain vanilla ice-cream also helps with tummy issues...
Vered - for Throat - Gargle Whiskey!!!! (if you're not a dr..."
BRILLIANT! Whiskey... that's a new one on me.
And coke can be used to flush out pretty much anything including blocked fuel lines. So yeah, I can see it helping stomachs.
Mod
And for sore throats or congestion it's usually a hot toddy, whiskey (like Jax said), some really hot peppers/food, or one..."
Doctors sureeee...LOL!!!
Vered wrote: "And coke can be used to flush out pretty much anything including blocked fuel lines. So yeah, I can see it helping stomachs."If I drank coke, I'd be so appalled at the thought :).
If I drank coke, I'd be appalled, period!
Vicki wrote: "Jessi wrote: "I usually drink ginger ale or sprite for an upset stomach. And for sore throats or congestion it's usually a hot toddy, whiskey (like Jax said), some really hot peppers/food, or one..."
haha, webside doctors, Vicki, webside doctors.
Vered, you've never tried Coca-Cola to settle a stomach? Almost as good as ginger ale (only the ginger ale brands that actually HAVE ginger, though, and Canada Dry used to be the only one in America that was made with real ginger, not an extract) Coca-Cola switched their formula in the 50s or 60s (decades before the whole "New Coke" and Coke Classic bruhaha) to include a form of corn syrup that has some "secret chemical" bonded to it--and that's what actually settles the stomach. I'm not sure if it was ever uncovered (in the 60s or 70s) what it was, exactly, but I vaguely recall a study done in medical journals when I was a kid (60s or 70s) revealing WHY Coca-Cola was "better" than Pepsi Cola and other "cola" drinks. That's when Coca-Cola REALLY revived the whole "Coke, The Real Thing" campaign--exploiting the doctors' endorsement that Coke really WAS the only "real" thing to help an upset stomach.
All that said, the carbonation of either Coke or ginger ale will make me vomit so entirely different problem. I am happy to say that although my stomach did attempt escape through my mouth, I managed to keep all substances contained within normal travelling parameters ...we just had a speeding problem *haha* Who knew allusions could be so funny?
LOL - Not sure our various home remedies could be counted as anything medical - but I know I'd rather try everything under the sun before hobbling off to the doc's office... :D
Mod
@Jax: here, here!!!
@ Jessi - Hehehe - well that just means more for me!!! :DI'm a total caffeine addict. If its not coffee, then its coca-cola for me... LOL
I'm still not as bad as my nephew, who easily consumes at least 6 litres of the stuff in a day!!
Mod
I'm a total caffeine addict. If its not coffee, then its coca-cola for me... LOL
I'm still not as bad as my nephew, who easily consumes at ..."
WOOOW 6 litres?...But I like my caffeine I just like my caffiene in the form of an Iced Mocha Cappucino from Tim Horton's, an Mocha or Java Chip Frappucino from StarBucks or huge mugs of coffee with french vanilla creamer.
That's just what I've personally seen him consume. LOLOne evening, 3 2litre bottles flattened!
Me, I'm not too picky... just no dairy products in my coffee please...
If I go out, I enjoy a cappuccino, or a Mocha Choca.
Needless to say, I don't get out much! LOL
(Hey! I like my hermit-hood!;D )
Though unlike my hubby, I cannot drink as much coffee in summer - then I switch to "coke"
And despite popular belief - my caffeine addiction actually has nothing to do with my insomnia - I actually tested it - I managed an entire month with no caffeine what-so-ever - and what do you know - I still couldn't sleep! LOL
I suppose I shouldn't be too appalled :). When I'm writing and editing, my usual habit is at least a coffee and a can of Rockstar a day....at least, since I usually get 3-4 hours of sleep a night for weeks (or months) on end.I can't drink that now, since I'm pregnant (which is probably why my editing is going at the pace of a geriatric turtle), but it kind of makes me wonder --- if it would screw up the baby's development, what on earth is in that stuff and what is it doing to me? Gotta love our "substances" :).
@ Kisten: Which would "screw up the baby's development?the coffee? or the Rockstar?
I only ask, as I continued to drink coffee and coca-cola throughout my pregnancies, and other than vast amounts of normal kiddie energy, my rugrats seem to have turned out okay.... :)
I discount my youngest's complete lack of anything remotely resembling co-ordination, as it would appear to be a genetic fault from my mother's side of the family - as in each family there is no less than one child that is permanently falling down and injuring themselves... LOL (thankfully in my case - it was my sister and not me... :D)
Sarajayne wrote: " I've tried cutting it out, but that didn't go so well-mommy turned into a dragon lady lol."LOL - don't feel too bad...
My mother is a smoker, as am I (though I am currently trying to quit) and it was the same for us...
Hell, I remember the second time my mother decided to quit, my sister and I both asked to be allowed to sleep out that weekend... LOL
And as I am currently home with my kids 24/7
my usual response to ppl trying to force me to quit is: "It may be bad for my health, but its good for my kids - Its what's keeping them alive..."
(yes, I know - I'm a terrible mother! LOL)
I'm told I can have 200 mg of coffee a day (some doctors approve up to 300 mg), which is from all substances (chocolate, tea, coffee, etc.). The Rockstar is another story. Apparently it's loaded with stuff that's either "iffy" or has proven to cause miscarriage or growth issues. As long as you're not an excessive caffeine eater/drinker, they've proven that limited caffeine creates no issues. I have to be careful with Starbucks (nearly a day's worth of caffeine in one regular cup), but the stuff I make at home is half that. So I typically splurge on a Pumpkin Spice Latte (95 mg in a Tall) once a week and drink coffee at home the rest of the week and I'm content.
Of course, it's not enough to power through the 3-4 hour sleep habit, but I'm told that would be bad for the baby, too :).
Mod
Mod
Are we gonna have a poll for how we take our coffee? I'm with you, Jessi, light, sweet, some flavoring (vanilla or hazelnut is good) but I do like it strong with just milk and sugar, too.
34 mg per 12 oz Coke. Energyfiend is a pregnant woman's friend :).
What would everyone here feel about reading one book a month by an author in this group and then writing reviews and discussing what we each had to say? The authors would have to donate the books but it would give readers direct access to the authors that wrote the books they read in their group.
We could get a list of works (from authors in this group) that are available for donation to the cause and vote on which one we want to read/review.
Of course, we all know of authors behaving badly and it might spawn some ugly battles. But it could be just the thing to get some deeper discussion with multiple POVs going at once. It would be better than the typical book club because other authors AND readers would be able to talk to the author of the work.
I see two benefits: 1. Readers get free books and have an opportunity to discuss those books with the authors and ask questions. 2. If reviews are written by everyone, that's a lot of reviews going out for the authors and some good content for book reviewers that blog.
I see two potential hazards: 1. The aforementioned authors behaving badly. 2. We could get a lot of self-serving authors in here that won't give back by giving reviews, just asking for them.
I do a TON of promoting on my blog for fellow indie authors and a book a month isn't a huge obligation.
What do you guys see as potential hazards/benefits?
Anyone interested in doing something like this?
Jo