2017 Group Bookshelf Challenge Reading Calendar

[Ellen]

Sarah Anne wrote: "I think Doomsday Book has been on three years in a row."

I read that last year with the group when I was new. My first Connie Willis book and I fell in love with her. So I would have missed it with a restriction but I can see the point. I Haven't reread the ones on the list I read last year because there are so many I haven't read I want to read.

[Sarah]

Okay, here's an idea that's just an idea because I'm not sure how feasible it is.

We do quarterly voting and scheduling. At the end of each quarter I pull the top six books and schedule them for the next three months and then reset the voting google doc. Voting could be continuous with me just pulling the top 6 off and resetting each time. Also, any book that had been read in the past 24 month would be ineligible.

We would need to figure out how far out to schedule. For example, if at the end of December I'm scheduling Jan, Feb, and March then people don't have much of a heads up. So would it work if at the end of December I'm scheduling April, May, and June?

Would Edwin kill me for complicating this?

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

I feel like one more rule, and we've just invented a new, bookish party game a la mafia.

If we're just running kind of an ongoing poll, is there a reason we wouldn't start it 2-3 months in advance and just pick the top pic every month?

[Melanie, the neutral party]

Let's simplify and have 2 voting rounds and 2 six-month schedules. If that doesn't increase participation, then we can re-evaluate. I do approve of the 24-month restriction to lessen the re-reads.

[Sarah]

Allison, the problem with choosing the top one every month is that some people need advance notice to get their hands on the books.

If we go with Meanie's idea would ending the polls in March, for example, and scheduling June-Dec work? So the schedule would always be three months in advance?

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

I agree with the lead time but if say we picked March's book in December and continued from there, and we're already proposing just using the top vote from ongoing polls, that just seemed easier :) I'm cool to try 6 month polls

[Sarah]

Allison wrote: "I agree with the lead time but if say we picked March's book in December and continued from there, and we're already proposing just using the top vote from ongoing polls, that just seemed easier :)..."

Something like this?

Dec 1st - publish schedule for Jan-June 2018
April 1st - publish schedule for July-Dec 2018
October 1st - publish schedule for Jan-June 2019

And then continue doing six month schedules every April and Oct?

[Dj]

Sarah Anne wrote: "Allison wrote: "I agree with the lead time but if say we picked March's book in December and continued from there, and we're already proposing just using the top vote from ongoing polls, that just ..."

Going that far out doesn't allow for much flexibility in case some event comes up.
I kind of like the one that you were proposing.
Where October, you would vote for Jan
November you would be voting for Feb
December you would be voting for March and so on.
It gives a lead time and allows for some flexibility in case something comes up that you want to work in as a theme.
Just a thought.

[Sarah]

I'm not willing to do monthly voting. It's a time consuming process, much more so than official group votes. Even quarterly votes would be difficult. Every six months seems doable and I would try quarterly only if it increased participation.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Sorry, didn't see this. I say we try the schedule you suggested, Sarah Anne. It'd at least be more maneuverable, and we'd get more good stuff that has maybe been missed than we are presently.

[Sarah]

I suppose I should get my butt moving on preparing the poll :) I'd like to get it up by Oct 15th if we're doing it this way.

[Sarah]

Edwin and I are waving our magic wands as we speak...

...The poll should be ready to go on the 15th. Voting will go Oct 15th-Nov 15th, then we'll get the schedule up for the top 12 within a few days. Books read within the last 24 months won't be eligible.

Let me know if the timeline doesn't work for you guys.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Oo, sorry, I have a prior poll priority that will take all my time...

JK! Great work as usual, Sarah Anne and Edwin! I'm'a do the thing this year!

[Sarah]

I confess that when I started to edit the poll I had to keep in mind how much I love you guys :P It's such a pain.

But that's okay because I love you guys.

[Sarah]

One more question - would it be extremely helpful to mark the ineligible books on the poll? Like: Doomsday Book by Connie Willis 578p (ineligible).

This is kind of a lot of maintenance. If it will help then I'll give it a try.

Another choice might be to list the ineligible books at the top of the thread?

[Melanie, the neutral party]

Can they just not be in the poll at all? They probably should be at least marked.

PS: Thanks to you and Edwin for the extra effort on our behalf. Well try and be worthy of your love.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Yeah, can you like change their background color or something? I only vaguely remember what the page looks like. I imagine it'd be easier for you to have some way to categorize, rather than going title by title through the books we've read? If I'm wrong, then don't worry about it, and the 24 with the most votes that are eligible can win. If I'm right, putting them first or at the end, or adding the "year read" to each for all subsequent years might be worthwhile? For your and Edwin's overall sanity?

[Sarah]

I just spent over an hour dragging the new books into place. You can only drag them up one page at a time so each one is drag and drop over and over. It's very clumsy and slow. So to say dragging them to the bottom ain't gonna happen is an understatement 😜

I'll see about adding (ineligible) to them to see if that works. I may need some help remembering to update each time we vote again. I'll probably post the poll before it's open so I can get feedback from you guys on if the layout works. I may try putting the last date it was read by the "ineligible" so you guys know when it will be eligible again.

[Sarah]

Feedback please?

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FA...

Please don't actually vote.

[Chris]

I notice that the books added to the shelf in 2017 are eligible. I think that making those ineligible too would serve the same purpose.

[Sarah]

Chris wrote: "I notice that the books added to the shelf in 2017 are eligible. I think that making those ineligible too would serve the same purpose."

I agree. That tends to happen a lot.

[Sarah]

Okay, I made Chris's suggested edits. I only have 7/16 until now marked as ineligible because we're scheduling for the first half of 2018 now. Does this work or should I mark the full two years?

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Good work!

I say up to you. I think that's pretty good, and still hits the main point of making sure we don't just read Doomsday Book every 6 months :)

[Silvana]

Thank you Sarah Anne and Edwin, you guys rock.

[Adam]

Are you thinking about pricing something you’ve written?

[Ellen]

Thank you Sarah Anne and Edwin. This looks great.

[Sarah]

Okay everyone, here's this month's links.

The Girl with All the Gifts
"The Girl with All the Gifts" First Impressions *No Spoilers*
"The Girl with All the Gifts" Finished Reading *Spoilers*

American Gods
"American Gods" First Impressions *No Spoilers*
"American Gods" Final Thoughts *Spoilers*
"American Gods" Book or Show First?

[Dj]

So it seems I have read 61 of the books on the groups' bookshelf. With a few more queued up for current reading.

[Sarah]

Okay, we officially have a Group folder that will have our monthly links in it. It's located directly under the What Else Are You Reading? thread. The first thread in the folder has the current schedule in it.

[Sarah]

And after people are done admiring that I need to know if you guys want me to announce that we're taking votes for 2018 when I send out the broadcast on the first.

[Silvana]

That would be great!

[Melanie, the neutral party]

Sarah Anne wrote: "And after people are done admiring that I need to know if you guys want me to announce that we're taking votes for 2018 when I send out the broadcast on the first."

Yes please.

[Maggie]

definitely yes!

[John]

Maggie wrote: "definitely yes!"

Definitely yes

[Marti]

Could you repost what link you want us to use for voting? I just joined this subgroup.

[Anna]

The link is in this thread.

[Sarah]

Here are the threads for Nov. Just a reminder that they'll be located in the Monthly Bookshelf Rereads folder for the duration of the read.

"Anansi Boys" Gut Reaction *No Spoilers*
"Anansi Boys" Finished Reading *Spoilers*
"Anansi Boys" Comparison to American Gods *Marked Spoilers*

"Assassin's Apprentice" First Impressions *No Spoilers*
"Assassin's Apprentice" Conclusions **plenty o' spoilers**

[[deleted user]]

challenge to myself : Fantazy ? I started The Wheel of Time Yes Yes i know it's 14 books We'll just see how far I get

[Sarah]

I just saw we're reading Cloud Atlas in December and my brain kinda froze up and stuttered over such a lovely thought. Maybe I can fit it in?

[Sarah]

Here are our December threads! I'm hoping to join in on Cloud Atlas :)

Cloud Atlas
"Cloud Atlas" First Impressions *No Spoilers*
"Cloud Atlas" Final Thoughts *Spoilers*
"Cloud Atlas" Book vs Movie *Spoilers*

The Goblin Emperor
"The Goblin Emperor" First Impressions *No Spoilers*
"The Goblin Emperor" Full Discussion *Spoilers*