The Next Best Book Club discussion
Revive a Dead Thread
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APRILS GROUP READS ARE>>>>>
Me too! My eyes are drooping, getting so sleepy--no wait. I think I need to vote --
OKayyyyyyyyy! Fiona, you've make your mark. I won't change my vote (I got my own nomination, right?), but I'll go get a copy soon. Just keep stumbling upon this book for a month. It make me really curious.NOW please STOP that moving thing!!!!!! I've got works to do, can't sleep now!
Lori, you could create a nominations thread and then close it to new posts once the nomination period has ended-that's what they do in one of my other groups.Just saw that someone else posted this too-oh well!
Fiona wrote: "Haha! Excellent, had I known mind control worked with book pushing I'd have used it ages ago."it works contrary for me. I can't read well the posts around so i jsut go away of the thread.
Can I recomend a book? Just wondering...I am new in the book club....
Mod
Aprils group reads are:
Regular: Shadow of the Wind
Funny: Hitchhickers Guide to the Galaxy
Funny runner up: Fool
Fool lost by 1 stinking point. I think it should get runner up status. So we have three group reads this month!!!!
Mod
Thanks for voting everyone!
Someone could nominate it next month. With that kind of popularity . . .
Oh yayyy Lori!! Thanks for making it runner up!! :D
Mod
I have a suggestion for maybe next month... Is it possible that there could also be a kid-friendly read in each category? I don't know how many other children there are on this group, but I'm not allowed to read some of the things nominated. But this month I can read the "Funny" book. :)
Mod
I'm a little concerned that if you are too young to read some of the suggestions.. that perhaps you are too young to be reading some of these threads.
We are not always on our "best behavior" in these threads, if you know what I mean. I am pretty sure that Goodreads has kid-run forums in here that may cater to your specific tastes and reading choices. Have you looked around for those?
I am glad to hear that you can read Hitchhickers Guide... but I warn you to stay away from Fool, I hear that gets pretty...uhm... well... not kid-friendly :)
This is great! I've been wanting to read Shadow and Hitchhiker for a long time. Now I have no excuse not to read them.
I think it would be fun to have a young adult novel every once in a while...
Mod
Phoey! Maybe just once we can do an only YA selection?
Yeah! I have Shadow already installed on my Sony e-book reader...it changes up what I was planning to read next, but hey, I'll go with the flow!
YAAAAAY! I nominated Shadow of the Wind, and I'm so stoked that it won! :) I know everyone is going to love it! :)
Shadow of the Wind seems good though I don't have yet this book... But I don't want to pass this month's discussion...
Mod
I'd love to see a YA book as one of our choices, as well!
That's a great idea. I love YA books.
YAY! Lori thanks for making Fool have a runner up thread.I also think YA category for next month would be a great idea. :~)
I barely join in the group reads anyway, and most of you already know what I think of YA. I suppose it's nice to have younger people among us, but I planned on joining an adult book club, where we'd be reading adult books.
You could always join in for the book that wins the regular fiction for next month.
Lisa, I'll be reading the regular fiction for April but not the funny one. The nominations were wonderful, though, and I will read one that didn't win. It's a book I might not have learned about had it not been for the nominations, so even though it's not a group read, I get something out of the process. With YA, that won't happen. I'm probably the most vocal on the subject, but I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who feels this way.
Yeah! The Shadow of the Wind is a wonderful book! I can't wait to join in the discussion and might even try to re-read this one. (ScottK! ScottK! They picked it! They picked it!)
I have a suggestion. If there are YA group reads, there will of course be discussion threads for those groups. In order to preserve our freedom of expression in all other more adult threads, as well as to respect the very likely participation of younger readers--we might consider self-imposed "code of conduct" or some other sort of understanding among us for the YA discussion threads.This way we acknowledge and respect the participation of younger readers. We also set a clear understanding that all other threads are assumed to be adult in nature and discussions will be conducted with that assumption.
Just a thought.
The regular/YA fiction sounds great! And I´m half happy with the results lol but hey! I will try to read the comedy book with everybody, maybe I can find it in the library.
And Mosca, I don´t want to start all the vs/pro YA discussion, but you are very mistaken trying to separate one thing from another, I´m an adult, I speak adult-ly, I have brains... and I read YA all the time. So it´s very "pre-judging" (sorry don´t know the right term in English) of you to say that only "young readers" want to discuss YA novels, and that adults don´t. Another mistake is to assume that "younger readers" need a thread for themselves.
So let´s do a comedy thread so people can assume the other ones are the truly serious discussions and let the "funniest one" to have their space.
I mean... it´s all books.
Or are you so afraid of reading a pink cover book? lol
Mod
Let's not get our feathers all ruffled up.
I am not shy about my dislike of YA novels either. Ive read 4 in the past year and just couldnt find anything to like in any of them.
As far as I am concerned, if there are any underage members, they joined knowing that this is an adult group. Meaning, over 18 discussion can and will be taking place. When a new member joins that can be identified as "young", I warn them and express my concern at their decision to become a member.
I will not make changes to the way the discussions are being held in this group. I dont want to censure anyone. I dont want anyone to feel they need to be careful of what they say.
I think having a YA category is a good idea for next months nominations. There are lots of adults who appreciate reading them, and there's no harm in it. Besides... I was having a hard time coming up with a second category for that month anyway :)
There are two books to read from each month. I understand that sometimes one book or perhaps even both may not "call" to you, and thats ok too.
If you read something that you want to discuss with the group, we have a seperate folder specifically for that option, called "Wanna discuss this novel". It was created for all those books our members chit chat about in the "waht are you reading" thread, and also for the people who were upset their books didnt picked, but had a decent number of votes against it.
I know i cant make everyone happy all of the time, but I can do my best to make it as a fair and fun for you!!!!
Great books!!!i read already shadow of the wind and it was great. I was planning to read hitchickers,so will read that one, hopefully in april.
Yay for you Lori ^^It´s super normal to not agree with the group reads... For exemple the March reads, I´m sooo not into it lol But that´s the fun, to have every single subject possible as an option to everybody
I never read a "comedy book" before, so I don´t know what to expect from Hitchickers.. I know I saw the movie! Or don´t. And I´ll try to fit it in the Spring Challenge lol
Mosca wrote: "I have a suggestion. If there are YA group reads, there will of course be discussion threads for those groups. In order to preserve our freedom of expression in all other more adult threads, as well as to respect the very likely participation of younger readers--we might consider self-imposed "code of conduct" or some other sort of understanding among us for the YA discussion threads. This way we acknowledge and respect the participation of younger readers. We also set a clear understanding that all other threads are assumed to be adult in nature and discussions will be conducted with that assumption. "
Are you trying to say that if we, as an adult book group, choose a YA book as our group read for the month, the "younger readers" (I'm 25, but since I love YA fiction, I assume I'd be lumped into this category) will revert back to the mental state of our 14-year-old selves and begin speaking in Netspeak? "OMG, my BFF Jill!" ... I hate Netspeak just as much as the next intelligent adult. Never fear! I will continue to speak in complete sentences, with proper capitalization and punctuation (except for my gross overuse of ellipses)... ;)Elizabeth wrote: "... most of you already know what I think of YA. I suppose it's nice to have younger people among us, but I planned on joining an adult book club, where we'd be reading adult books. .... I'm probably the most vocal on the subject, but I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who feels this way."
I just don't understand how mature adults, who will read ALL SORTS of books, can completely discount an entire genre. Young adult fiction is NOT the same as it was even 7 or 8 years ago. Of course there are crappy YA books--there are crappy books in every genre--but there are some great YA books, also. Not all young adult fiction books are frou-frou-ey little things with pink and purple sparkly covers anymore.
I have confidence that the mature adults in this book group will nominate quality YA novels that will be worth reading. I wish everyone would give YA another chance, and not judge the genre (or the readers who enjoy it) so harshly.
I will enjoy rereading Hitchhikers Guide!! It is always fun!
I've been composing that for about a half hour (off and on), so sorry if my comment only serves to rile people up more. Lori wrote: "... I will not make changes to the way the discussions are being held in this group. I dont want to censure anyone. I dont want anyone to feel they need to be careful of what they say. ..." (emphasis added)
On one hand, I appreciate that comment: I understand that not everyone likes YA fiction, and if you've tried reading some lately, and didn't like it, fine! I have no problem with that. Everyone has different tastes and opinions, and that's what makes the world such an interesting place to be in.
On the other hand: I try really hard (when I'm not pissed off) to be kind and courteous and respectful when I post on the forums. When people make blanket statements about entire genres, those comments can be very hurtful to those of us who read that genre. The books people read are very personal to them, and should be respected, even if you, personally, don't care for those books.
As for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, it's AMAZING! I highly recommend the audiobook, if it's available. I went to Sonic for lunch 2 or 3 days in a row, just so I could sit in my car and listen to it. It's brilliant.I really like it when strange genres collide. Hitchhiker's is a Sci-Fi/Comedy--and I don't mean it's a sci-fi with some jokes thrown in for good measure--I mean it is a COMEDY IN SPACE. :) It's great. (If you saw the movie and weren't impressed, trust me when I say the book is WAY better.)
Another mix I liked was the TV show Firefly, which is a Sci-Fi/Western. Not something you see every day. :)
Mod
No one should be book bashing here. Or posting "aggressive, harrassing" topics. That is something I have been very clear about, and those who have been members here for awhile have seen me in action when someone steps over the line....
On the other hand, everyone is allowed to express their feelings or thoughts, whether it be on a particular genre, or author, or novel.... We would never be able to have a discussion if there were no differences to discuss.
Sara, we had a YA discussion in another thread. It was pointed out to me that YA is not really a genre, that, in fact, YA includes all sorts of genres. If that is so, then what makes it YA? The answer must be that it is written for *young* adults, or teenagers. This is an adult book club, not a book club for teenagers. In any case, Lori recognizes that many TNBBC members are still reading YA and has generously agreed to include that "genre" as the second monthly selection for May.
The answer isn't NECESSARILY that the books are written for young adults or teenagers. Many times books are classified as YA because the main characters are young adults or teenagers, when, in my opinion, the content is not appropriate for teenagers at all. However, whether they are written about or for young adults or teenagers--it doesn't ALWAYS follow that the writing is poor or unchallenging or only uses words of 3 syllables or less. In general, the writing style of YA novels is probably less complex than your Pulitzer-Prize winning books, but that doesn't mean they don't contain great stories that are worth telling. A desire to be literarily challenged is not the only reason people read, after all. Sometimes people spend all day at a stressful job that is intellectually challenging, and just want to relax with a book.
And, I would like to say for the record, that "young adult" is a subset of "adult". I'm 25 years old and consider myself an adult. (I've been married for 5 years, have a full-time job, pay taxes, and all those things society considers adult-ish!) But within the adult group, I also consider myself a young adult.
I respect your opinion, and I'm sorry if the YA genre just doesn't float your boat. I guess we won't be competing for books at the library, which is fine by me--those waiting lists can get really long!
If YA isn't a genre, then neither are "adult books."I can agree with that in that they all deserve to be enjoyed equally.
Elizabeth wrote: "YA is not a genre."How, praytell, do you come to this conclusion, Elizabeth?
You know, I was doing really well controlling my temper during this discussion. I thought I was being pretty nice and cool and calm and collected. And I'm really trying to work on my swearing problem. ........ So here I go: *bites tongue* Aren't you proud?
And I don't believe there was a requirement for any of us that we must read one of the monthly selections.As my grandmother used to say, "This is Liberty Hall."
The Next Best Book Club
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You know?.....Maybe I voted wrong.