Updates to the Nominations Process

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Well said Bob.

[Renee]

BAM wrote: "My issue is that I don't think my comments are scholastic compared to some of these deep conversations that occur. But I don't really let that stop me from having my say.
"

That is my problem too. I like to read the comments, and most of them seem so well thought out and intellectual that I don't feel anything I post will add much to the discussion so I usually don't post much. That, and I'm behind the group reads a lot, so by the time I get around to finishing one of them we're already reading something else.

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Renee wrote: "BAM wrote: "My issue is that I don't think my comments are scholastic compared to some of these deep conversations that occur. But I don't really let that stop me from having my say.
"That is my problem too...."

Me too.

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name]

I think it's important for all of us to remember that what each of us says is a positive contribution. We shouldn't feel undervalued because what we feel may not be as earth shattering or as intellectual as someone else. Respect is the imperative word.

[Aprilleigh]

BAM wrote: "I think it's important for all of us to remember that what each of us says is a positive contribution. We shouldn't feel undervalued because what we feel may not be as earth shattering or as intell..."

Absolutely!

[Marina]

BAM wrote: "I think it's important for all of us to remember that what each of us says is a positive contribution. We shouldn't feel undervalued because what we feel may not be as earth shattering or as intell..."

Well said! And, I don't think we're in class, are we? So why should anyone worry about their comments not being scholastic? Let's just read for pleasure :)

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

Few people write poorer than I do, my spelling, grammar, and punctuation is weak, always has been. I don’t post as often as I feel I should, especially given the fact I am a moderator. I am thankful every day that Katy, Pink, and Melanti make this group as good as it is. Other than group business I usually only post when I am moved to say something about a book I either loved or really disliked, I am somewhat neutral and quiet on my middle ground reads. I agree with the above posts reminding folks that this is not class. Most of us are not professional writers. We do this for personal enjoyment and enrichment, and all posts and views have relevance.

[Pink]

I agree with all of the comments above! I'm also guilty of not contributing to a conversation when I don't think I've got anything enlightening to add. Although I do read all of the comments and they often add to my enjoyment and understanding of books I've loved and even books I've hated!

[Aprilleigh]

Pink wrote: "I agree with all of the comments above! I'm also guilty of not contributing to a conversation when I don't think I've got anything enlightening to add. Although I do read all of the comments and th..."

Exactly. I've even been known to go dig through an old thread after reading something that the group read before I did.

[J_BlueFlower]

Bob wrote: "Few people write poorer than I do, my spelling, grammar, and punctuation is weak, ."

Me! Remember that some of us here ”write” English as our second or even third language.

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name]

So good to know I'm not alone feeling this way. I enjoy all of the choices simply because I'm growing as a person. I'm trying to always say something about each book regardless of how it may have affected me.

[siriusedward]

Renee wrote: "BAM wrote: "My issue is that I don't think my comments are scholastic compared to some of these deep conversations that occur. But I don't really let that stop me from having my say.
"

That is my..."

Me too.

[siriusedward]

Pink wrote: "I agree with all of the comments above! I'm also guilty of not contributing to a conversation when I don't think I've got anything enlightening to add. Although I do read all of the comments and th..."

True

Aprilleigh wrote: "Pink wrote: "I agree with all of the comments above! I'm also guilty of not contributing to a conversation when I don't think I've got anything enlightening to add. Although I do read all of the co..."


I do this too.It helps a lot ,sometimes.

[siriusedward]

Bob wrote: "Participate at any level you are comfortable with, we don't keep records, there is no requirement to participate in discussions. Your active participation in nominations, seconds, and polling are c..."

True.And this group helps with the enjoyment of the book part.(esp in cases of books we don't like or books with characters we don't like).

[Michele]

BAM wrote: "I think it's important for all of us to remember that what each of us says is a positive contribution. We shouldn't feel undervalued because what we feel may not be as earth shattering or as intell..."

Yes! This! I love to hear ALL viewpoints - straightforward, elaborate, simple or complicated. "I liked this because..." is as just as valid and worthwhile and interesting a point of view as something that goes all post-modern-y :)

[Marina]

Michele wrote: "Yes! This! I love to hear ALL viewpoints - straightforward, elaborate, simple or complicated. "I liked this because..." is as just as valid and worthwhile and interesting a point of view as something that goes all post-modern-y :) "

I love you.

[J_BlueFlower]

Michele wrote: "Yes! This! I love to hear ALL viewpoints - straightforward, elaborate, simple or complicated. "I liked this because..." is as just as valid and worthwhile and interesting a point of view as something that goes all post-modern-y :)"

I agree. I often discover that I have been narrowing down on one specific point in a book and have overlooked some other completely. Reading other peoples comments often make me appreciate the book even more. This definitely includes the non-scholastic “I liked how the author....”

[Ella]

I have a much harder time writing about why I liked a book than why I disliked it, so the books I love are mostly unreviewed and I don't take part as much in the conversations (but I do read them all.) I keep looking up "how to read" or "how to review" but it's all way more technical than I want. I just want a way to express why I love or even just really like things.

[Michele]

Ella, have you thought of approaching it like a conversation? With a book you liked, imagine a friend asking why you liked it, or what you liked about it -- what would you say to them?

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name]

Ella wrote: "I have a much harder time writing about why I liked a book than why I disliked it, so the books I love are mostly unreviewed and I don't take part as much in the conversations (but I do read them a..."

I approach each book I do choose to review individually. So I tell a personal story as it may relate to the plot ( see One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest )
Or I might give a synopsis along with an opinion (see Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life
Often I just tell what struck me as funny, or sad, or something
that in any way touched me and why (see my Netgalley shelf)
You might find a quote from the reading that could be a starter. Or maybe pick a character to talk about. Reviews are personal, so there is no right or wrong way to write them. I think a review has to be what? 52? 60? Characters to count as one? So it doesn’t even have to be very long!

[Aprilleigh]

Agreed. My reviews are not all the same. Sometimes I mention very little of the plot or characters and only talk about how the book made me feel. If there was a specific thing that irritated me or made me laugh hysterically, I might focus on that. I've even written reviews that basically said, "my kid loved it." I try not to include spoilers, but it happens. Usually, I keep the big reveals to myself with maybe a nonspecific mention if it's salient.

[katie]

Just wanted to chime in that I like how the new nomination process is working. I feel like the winning books have been a little more diverse lately, and I appreciate that. Thank you, moderators, for all of your work!

[Terris]

Agreed! I'm liking it :)

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

So glad that you are liking the new process. Thank you for letting us know.

[Pink]

After recent discussions about making some small changes, we have decided to keep everything as it is, with one small exception!

We like the limit of five books proceeding to polls, but in order to freshen things up, with as little disruption as possible, we’re adding a bonus Mods choice! Each poll will now have a surprise sixth option each month, hand picked by us!

We hope you’ll welcome this change, in the fun spirit it’s intended. Look out in the polls, to see which books we’ve chosen this month!

[siriusedward]

Thanks ,Pink and all the Mods for considering everyones views and then deciding on a course.
You people are awesome.
Hope it works out.
Mods choice is great idea.I hope everybody will be happy or at least content with it.
And the idea, of it being a Mods choice, will at least not result in any unhappiness over ones choice not being selected.
Happy Reading,everyone!!!

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name]

Mods, that’s a great idea! What a great way to solve an issue! And a fun way too. I love surprises

[Julie]

Excellent idea Pink (and the other Mods) - good work :-)

[Lynn, New School Classics]

Pink wrote: "After recent discussions about making some small changes, we have decided to keep everything as it is, with one small exception!

We like the limit of five books proceeding to polls, but in order ..."


Oh that does sound fun. I went back and looked at which books I have read and compared to which books I voted for. Most of the books I have 5 starred were not books I voted for! There are still plenty of great books out there, and I welcome input from others.

[MK]

b^.^d

Sounds fun! Looking forward to the Mods' choice selections!

[Ila]

That's a fine solution. Polls will surely be interesting now.

[Darren]

great idea!
case in point: this month's Old School 5 nominations, I have read 3 and don't want to read either of the other 2, so wouldn't be voting :o(
but maybe I will like the Mod's choice! :oD
(please tell me it starts this month!?) ;o)

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name]

Darren that situation happens to me every month.

[Brina]

Me too on occasion. This sounds like a great idea!

[J_BlueFlower]

Very nice idea! Let us see what happens.

[J_BlueFlower]

Will the mods choice be from the nominated books or just anything that fits the overall category?

[Renee]

I like that idea! Surprises are always fun :)

[Rosemarie]

I like that as well. As other readers have mentioned above, I generally have read many of the books in the polls already.
Good idea!

[Loretta]

I've seen this done in other groups and members really do seem to enjoy what bonus books are picked. 🤗

[Sam]

This sounds like a fun idea! Looking forward to seeing the mods choices :) Your work for this group is deeply appreciated!

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

J_BlueFlower wrote: "Will the mods choice be from the nominated books or just anything that fits the overall category?"

It could be anything that fits into the category. The idea is that it will be a surprise, so we can choose our Mods' choice with a different purpose each month or not.

And yes it will start this month. I hope you all enjoy the surprise fun! And thank you for all of the positive comments.

[Terris]

It sounds great! I'm excited!
Thanks for all you guys do! :)

[Laurie]

I'm kind of excited to see what the mods bonus picks are tomorrow.

[J_BlueFlower]

It seems voting has started, and the dark horse of Revisit the Shelf has taken the lead.

[J_BlueFlower]

.... well, one reload later it is now number two.

[Antonomasia]

Given that you also have a Long Read category, and very long books can be a problem for readers and/or mods to finish in a month where they have other stuff scheduled already, what about putting a cap on the number of pages for books that can be nominated for monthly reads?

(I also suggested this under the Old School June poll. If Little Dorrit had won that, it would have been strange to have that as a monthly read, when The Thorn Birds, 3-400 pages shorter and in a much easier-to-read style, is the seasonal long read.)

[Pink]

We have considered this before, but I don't think we wanted to set more restrictions on our group reads, as we seem to accumulate quite a lot of rules to keep things going each month!

Most of the books nominated in the other categories do come in under 600 pages anyway, but maybe it's something we can consider again.

[Antonomasia]

Further to the discussion under one of the October polls, I thought a less divisive option could be to exclude the most frequently shelved authors for a while. These prolific classic authors can be like juggernauts sweeping more interesting nominations before them.

There are lists before nominations advising people not to nominate certain titles, and adding some of these would be plausible.

I made a list of the most frequently shelved authors to date

Most frequently shelved
Dickens 10
Shakespeare 8
Austen 7 (so everything except a couple of minor works)
Dostoyevsky 6 (minor works still being nominated)
Thomas Hardy 6
Edgar Allan Poe 6 (5 individual stories and 1 poetry collection)
John Steinbeck 6
HG Wells 6 (2 short stories)
Oscar Wilde 6 (4 under short stories)

Four shelved
Charlotte Bronte (complete novels),
Truman Capote (3 individual stories & 1 collection)
Arthur Conan Doyle
Daphne du Maurier
William Faulkner
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Ernest Hemingway
RL Stevenson
Mark Twain
Jules Verne

Three shelved
Ray Bradbury, Agatha Christie, Alexandre Dumas pere, George Eliot, E.M. Forster, Elizabeth Gaskell, Victor Hugo, Shirley Jackson, Vladimir Nabokov, Tolstoy, Edith Wharton, Virginia Woolf

Two works shelved
Hans Andersen, Atwood, James Baldwin, Anne Bronte (complete novels), Albert Camus, Lewis Carroll, Wilkie Collins, Daniel Defoe, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Goethe, Gogol, Hawthorne, Homer (complete), Washington Irving, Henry James, James Joyce, Kafka, John le Carré, Ursula K. LeGuin, H.P. Lovecraft, George Orwell, Walter Scott, Jonathan Swift, Tolkien

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Interesting, thanks for the information, Antonomasia. But this is a classics reading group. So those authors are nominated and read for a reason.

[Philina]

It's an interesting idea, but this group is called "Catching up on classics". I think the purpose of this groups is to give everybody a chance to catch up on the main classics like Dickens, Austen, etc. Those are the books we have always wanted to read and have never gotton around to. At least this was the case when I joined this group a couple of years ago.
Obviously, we can branch out into lesser known books, but I think it's an issue to be decided upon democratically.
Personally, I've now caught up with most of the main works and would be happy to branch out, but I think this wouldn't be fair towards new members who join this group to read Dickens, etc.
There is always the possibility for buddy reads or founding a new group with the explicit purpose of discovering the unknown classics.