Future group reads

[Outis]

I'm pretty terrible at keeping up, except for a couple of sources... which reminds me I ought to have posted about a bit of news.
Against your general advice, I've made a specific thread this time because it's about a set of stories which do not represent the whole of SF but a particular viewpoint.
I hopefully won't forget to start this "what are you reading now" thread at some point but in the meantime please feel free to start it yourself!

[Outis]

So I've created this 'What are you reading now?' thread. I'll be talking about a few more of my recents reads in there over time and we'll see where it goes.
I hope I understood your intent with the thread you created a few days ago, Shomeret. Do tell if you wanted to position it differently w.r.t. the 'What are you reading now?' thread.

In other news, The Power will be our group read in 10 days.
If anyone wants to lead the discussion, do tell. Else I'll do it my way, meaning I'll be prattling endlessly about the book (and likely be critical of its author) before I've even finished it. If anyone wants to, we could coordinate our running commentaries more narrowly than April/May.
If anyone has preferences or suggestions as to how the discussion ought to be organized (such as a separate no-spoiler thread), they're welcome.
Once several of us start talking and I get an idea of whether I can recommend the book in good conscience, I may push a message to all group members. The thing is, it would probably be a good idea to set up a list or poll first in order to enable quiet clickers to vote for future group reads...

[Nick]

I very happy for you to lead the discussion - prattling endlessly about the book sounds like an excellent technique and it's one that works for me!

I'm ok with just one thread, or with separate spoiler/no-spoiler threads. The only thing I don't much enjoy is having only no-spoiler threads, because it makes it much harder to have a discussion when everything is hidden behind tags and you have to bear in mind where anyone is in the book before replying with a comment that references a different part!

On the whole I feel like you're keen for people to become more actively involved in the group - but I'm a bit reticent about leading threads and stuff while I'm still a noob! I'd like to get a few months under my belt before being presumptious enough to meddle.

Also, I'd be happy to co-ordinate reads. I'm pretty open, except I have real world book club on the penultimate Thursday of the month, so I probably need that week for my book club read.

[Shomeret]

I don't know when The Power will arrive, so I can't volunteer to lead this discussion. I'll be happy for you to lead it, Outis. I may be willing to lead others depending on the title's availability.

[Outis]

I'd rather have nobody lead but when there aren't many participants, insiting on balanced participation can lead to silence.

About availability, I made a couple of polls without announcing them as an experiment:
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...
I was planning to mention them in a broadcast message at some point.

[Nick]

Weirdly, I'd already done one of the polls, btu I have no memory of it - and I've now done the other as well.

[Nichola]

I am perusing the discussion lists in the group "feminist science fiction fans". At one point in the 70s and 80s I only read feminist SF. I am introducing the bookclub I am in to SF and starting with Ursula K Le Guin's "Left Hand of Darkness".

I am using this group to find new feminist SF (there is no conflict in my mind about what is and isn't valid feminist SF). I do like the suggestion posted 1-2 years ago that there could be critique and analysis of SF posted rather than what are you reading and creating a small bookclub online.

I am enjoying getting back to one part of my SF journey. And I'm thinking about how I'll discuss the subject matter of feminist SF with my bookclub when they don't even read SF!