Read Women discussion
Archive
>
2023 Brainstorming, Planning, Feedback Thread
date
newest »
newest »
Hi everyone. I've been pretty much absent from GR for the last few months because.....well it's been an incredibly stressful few months + health issues etc etc. Anyway, I've missed it and I'm glad to be back :)The reasons I've not participated much in group reads this year is because of my chronic pain condition which makes it very difficult to know, in advance, if I'll be able to read a particular book (or any book) at a particular time. This puts me off from nominating and even voting for books to discuss. I don't want to let you all down or cause myself anxiety wondering whether I'll be physically up to leading a discussion or not. I also don't like saying that I don't want to lead and then forcing a moderator to have to lead a discussion on a book they may not even want to read!
The above reasons are why I personally prefer the year long (and not the quarterly) challenges. I can take my time and read books when I feel able. What I think is lacking here is the way that we discuss these books. Each having our own thread where we simply list books without even saying if we liked them or not (as you say - parallel play) doesn't seem very conducive to good discussion. I've stopped even bothering to do this because, honestly, I don't really get anything out of it. Instead of ditching the challenges though I'm hoping we can come up with an alternative way of discussing them. Perhaps monthly/quarterly prompts (like in the general chat thread) to discuss themes that we are discovering within the books we choose for these challenges such as feminism or race within the black women author's challenge for example. Or different regions/genres within the WIT challenge where we can discuss and share recs. Or even just a 'what was your favourite *** challenge book this month' prompt. I don't know; sounds like I'm just creating a lot more work for the moderators!
Themes/challenges I'm most interested in for next year are: black (particularly African), indigenous & Asian authors. Basically anything #OwnVoices
Hannah wrote: "Hi everyone. I've been pretty much absent from GR for the last few months because.....well it's been an incredibly stressful few months + health issues etc etc. Anyway, I've missed it and I'm glad ..."Great feedback Hannah, thank you. Some times we just don't have a lot of spare energy for things, and we understand. Knowing what kind of things are more likely to get you here and interacting is what we want to know, so thank you. I'm also a fan of #ownvoices, which reminds me that this month is Native American Heritage month in the States.
Please continue to give us feedback, we want to hear from as many members as possible.
I'm enjoying the multi-prompt challenge finding it useful for tracking my reading choices, as is the WiT challenge but might be good to have a dedicated general thread for each to aid discussion? I like the group reads but trying to stick to books I already own or can easily borrow so that's cut down some participation plus overdid it with ARCs this year but planning to be more conservative in my choices in future and read more classic/older books. Also, some of the recent selections just didn't really appeal which I think is just happenstance.
I was new to the group this year and thoroughly enjoyed all the challenges. I am already a reader of black authors (male and female), and this year attempted to add more indigenous authors as well. I love Hannah's idea of #OwnVoices. This would encompass race, religion, nationality (in which "translations would play a big part), as well as other parameters. As for doing group reads, I have to admit, I'm a "mood" reader. I never do a prompt challenge in order because of that. I rarely do group reads in any of the groups of which I'm a member.
I'm newer to the group as well (I joined during summer sometime). I've enjoyed the Multi-Prompt challenge, and probably would have joined more, but it was a bit intimidating when I first joined - the multiple categories and places to log felt like a lot. That may have just been my being new to Goodreads as well, learning to navigate the pages/discussions/threads.The amount of discussion in group reads has been somewhat disappointing. Some of the polls get lots of voting activity, but only a few show up in the chat.
I have read several books this year that I wouldn't have found without this group, and I'm super appreciative for that! I love the diversity of the group reads as well.
This year I have participated in the multi-prompt challenge and really enjoyed it. I like long-term challenges which I can chip away at at my own pace. Now I have to hold up my hand here and admit that I am one of those who have used the challenge as a means to track my reading rather than a place to share my impressions on the books I have read for the challenge. This is due to laziness and insecurity that I have nothing intelligent to say about the book. But I totally see the value it has for other group members that we share our thoughts on book, so I commit to making more of an effort in the future.I didn't participate in the quarterly challenges due to lake of time but I did last year and really liked it. I think what works well is if everyone who participates in the quarterly challenge reports their reading in a single quarterly thread rather than everyone creating their own individual thread. That way you more easily see what other people are reading and it also encourages you to share your opinion of the books you've read and not just tick box it.
Regarding the group reads, I haven't participated in them because I prioritse books that are on my tbr, I am a mood reader, not all the books that are selected speak to me, and again because of my insecurities that I have nothing intelligent to share with group members about the book. Sometimes I participate in the voting if there is a book in the poll which I have on my tbr and am keen to read, but if it doesn't get selected then I don't join in the reading of the book that did get selected. Overall, I am more likely to participate in a group reading challenge (like the quarterly reads or WIT, because it combines group sharing with liberty to choose your own readings) than in monthly book reads.
I don't feel there are too many challenges; I think it is good that the group caters to different reading tastes even if that means that participation of the members is sometimes spread thinly across the different challenges.
As to themes that speak to me for next year: WIT is a definite keeper, women in history, 'forgotten'/underrated classics. And I also second own voices as a theme. I would also like to do a deep dive into an author; however since it might be difficult to find an author that speaks to everyone maybe this is more something for a quarterly challenge. For instance, for Qx everyone picks an author of their choosing and then during that quarter reads selected novels of that author, their memoir/biography, a novel that was inspired by one of that author's novels, a novel that inspired your chosen author etc.
Like Alwynne, I try to stick to books I already own or can borrow through the library where I work. This means I seldom participate in group reads or the challenges.I do appreciate the group though, although I'm mainly a lurker :)
I do enjoy the multi-prompt challenge. I'm a bit behind, but I'm working on it. I don't participate in group reads very often, here or in other groups. I'm a mood reader too, like others have said. I'm also quick to DNF when I start losing interest in a book.
Others have come up with some good suggestions. A general discussion thread for talking about books might be nice.
First wish that comes to my mind would be that the books in the group reads are available at my place, so famous enough in Austria, but not too new, as my library won´t have them otherwise. Of course they also have to interest me. I also like the quarterly challenges, though not all of them, as I can choose books that I have easier access to, f.e. Indigenous that wait on my list, also Classics, Crime, Diversity (f.e. ableism or lgbtq+).
Great feedback so far members, thank you. I really like the idea of an author-themed quarterly challenge Valerie mentioned. I'm also both a mood reader and an avid library user so I need availability and interest to drive me as well as many of you. As a mod I do push myself to read books even if they don't appeal to me, and I've found quite a few great reads with this group that way.I also hope anyone reading this thread can see that we would love and appreciate any contribution to our discussion threads, and no one needs to hold themselves to any standard of postable commentary on a book or topic. We love hearing from you.
We do also have a few random discussion threads for those who like to discuss genres, authors, and just share their recently read opinions on books that aren't one of our monthly reads for those looking for other types of discussions.
If anyone has specific genres or themes they're looking forward to (and certain seasons/timeframes they know they like reading them in for our mood readers) please go ahead and let us know so we can take them into consideration when planning out the year. Thanks again for the feedback so far and keep it coming!
I am a lurker and normally look to see what books are being read and if they are books that are new to me. I am a bit haphazard and random so miss prompts. I need to be more organised to join in with the group reads. I think they are a good idea which is why I originally joined up. Fantasy and magic as a theme would be good although that may have been done to death. Caribbean writers? LGBTQ writers. I am making the effort to read more Writers from minoritised groups.
Jennifer wrote: "I am a lurker and normally look to see what books are being read and if they are books that are new to me. I am a bit haphazard and random so miss prompts. I need to be more organised to join in wi..."This month's group read fits both of those (Caribbean & LGBTQ) :) Hurricane Child It's a nice easy/short read (214 pages / 4.5 hr audio)
I'd like to see the following categories considered for reading suggestions: music, self-help, anthropology, social justice.
If it helps, I've noticed a lot of groups are quieter than usual at the moment, and I belong to several. Although not sure why that is. Hannah it's really good to hear from you btw, I've missed you and your comments on books. I'm only sorry that things are no easier for you.
Alwynne wrote: "Hannah it's really good to hear from you btw, I've missed you and your comments on books. I'm only sorry that things are no easier for you.."Thanks Alwynne 😊
I really enjoy this group and participate in some of the book discussions. I also pick up a lot of book recommendations from the folks here. But the only challenge I participate in is the number of women authors to read in a year. I like to set up my own challenges to ensure I read a wide spectrum of books. For example, I challenge myself to read X number of books for the year; X number of books by women authors; X number of classics; X number of books by authors from Africa and the Middle East; X number of non-fiction; X number of translated books, etc. etc.
Even though I may not participate in the challenges, I do want you to know I really enjoy this group and appreciate the book discussions and book recommendations. So keep up the great work. And thank you.
I've not been able to participate as much this year due to my return to the workforce but I'm hoping that in 2023 I will have my work/life balance under control and be able to increase my participation.What I enjoy about the Quarterly Challenges is the freedom to pursue the type of novels I enjoy reading while staying within the themes that everyone is working with. It is also really interesting to discover other works that are being recommended by other members. I feel like the downside of this kind of challenge is that it isn't very interactive. We all write a small comment about the novels we have read for the challenge but there is never any discussion that takes the experience further.
I've really enjoying joining the discussion of "Half of a Yellow Sun" this month and I think it reminded me that the main attraction of joining Goodreads was actually the enriching experience of people discussing novels, talking about things that stand out for them while they were reading, or questions that they had which might actually cause you to stop and think about your own conclusions and see the work in another light.
I sometimes find that I don't have time for the monthly read because I am trying to read other works for my challenges and then I miss out on that wonderful interactive experience. I guess it is about finding a balance.
Thanks, all. We really appreciate your sharing your thoughts and have used them to pull together a tentative plan for monthly, quarterly, and annual challenges, plus something new. As they say at work, feedback is a gift.F = Fiction; N = Non-fiction; RatW = Read around the World; OC = Open Choice (no prescribed theme or country) - but excludes US and UK authors and settings
Proposed Monthly Group Read Themes
Jan F: OC; NF: OC
Feb F: African/African-descent Author; RatW: Ukraine
Mar F: #WiT; NF: Memoir/Biography (woman subject and author)
April F: Disability or neurodivergence; RatW: Spain or Portugal
May F: Asian/Asian-descent author; RatW: Japan or Korea
Jun F: LGBTQ+; NF: History
Jul F: Feminism; RatW: OC
Aug F: OC; RatW: Africa
Sep F: Womens Prize Winner; NF: Art (performing, visual, anything goes if it's an art or artist)
Oct F: Gothic/Horror; RatW: China, Singapore, Taiwan
Nov F: Indigenous (about indigenous people or indigenous character or author); NF: OC
Dec F: #WiT; RatW: Former Colonies
Proposed Quarterly Challenges (thinking that with one theme we're more likely to discuss books in the challenge thread)
Q1: #WiT
Q2: Authors of Asian descent
Q3: African authors – focus on reading from different countries
Q4: Gothic/Horror/thrillers
Proposed Annual Challenges
· (NEW) BINGO challenge (described in the next comment)
· Women Authors
· Black Women Authors (reading authors of African descent)
· Women in Translation
If you have concerns or questions, please flag them now! If you're inspired or excited, that's awesome to hear, too.
BINGO?While we want to streamline our quarterly challenges to offer an opportunity to discuss books centered on unified themes, we don't want to lose the fun factor of one-time tasks - the opportunity to stretch our reading out of our natural comfort zone into some settings, characters, genres, and perspectives we might not otherwise push ourselves to try or include in our reading plans. I'm proposing to replace the multi-prompt annual challenge with a 6-month (Jan 1 - Jun 30) Read Women BINGO challenge. If members enjoy it and want to take another 6-month run at it, we can refresh and re-up.
5 rows across, 5 columns down, 1 free pass in the center. Each member picks the diagonal, across or down path of their choice and reads qualifying books to declare BINGO. I populated a table, but GR won't let me paste it and retain any formatting. : (
B1 Short Story collection by an author of color
B2 First published in your birth year (F/NF)
B3 Genre novel written by LGBTQ+ author
B4 Science, nature, the environment (F/NF)
B5 Memoir or autobiography of a woman
I1 Booker (incl Man Booker), Booker International, Neustadt International Prize For Literature, National Book Award, Scotiabank Giller Prize, James Beard Foundation’s Book of the Year, Newbery Medal, Hugo or Nebula Award, or Women’s Prize for Fiction, winners (any year)
I2 SF or Fantasy Anthology edited by a person of color
I3 Nonfiction in translation
I4 Historical Fiction
I5 Philosophy or spirituality is a theme
N1 Latina author (F/NF)
N2 500+ page book (F/NF)
N3 FREE SPACE – any book written by a woman
N4 Travel or adventure (F/NF)
N5 Humor or satire (F/NF)
G1 Play
G2 Published by a small press (F/NF)
G3 Poetry
G4 Includes one or more mythical creatures (mermaids, unicorns, dragons, elves, werewolves etc.)
G5 Food, cookbooks, genre book with food theme (F/NF)
O1 #WiT, and the translator is a woman (F/NF)
O2 about or takes place in a country you haven’t read about in the last 5 years (F/NF)
O3 MC is 60+ years old
O4 Essay collection
O5 Graphic "novel" (F/NF)
Does this appeal? Are there prompts, modifications or rules that you like from other groups or websites that you'd like to see us incorporate or follow?
Tossing out another possibility for your consideration for 2023. I've been participating at somewhat of a distance from a relatively new GR group reading and discussing a short story per week. By short stories, I mean stories that are 3 - 14 pages long. In that group, all stories are available free online. My observation is that, because the time commitment is low, the price of entry is 0, and the quality generally high, participation even among busy and/or opportunistic members of that group is high and most of the conversations are robust and include varied voices. I keep thinking about how interesting that experience might be in this group, if members are up for trying it next year?Would you be interested in reading and discussing a short story from time to time (say, 1 a month, mid-month?) over a 3 - 5 day period, if it were available at no charge online? I'm not contemplating a nomination/voting process but something far more informal.
So talk to me.
I'm really good with the annual challenges, the bingo, and the short story. I rarely do monthly or quarterly (although that doesn't mean I won't try) so count me in on those; I'm just not sure my voice should count there. Thank you, Carol!
I plan to continue the WiT challenge and also like the bingo and short story ideas. I generally participate in the quarterly challenges and think it would be great to have more discussion with a single category.I haven't done too well at participating in the monthly reads. Maybe I should push myself to nominate and potentially lead a discussion to make myself more active there. :-)
I have never done bingo before, though many groups do it, so I might try that. Sounds very interesting! Also okay with a short story per month. The monthly themes also sound appealing. Thanks for all the ideas Carol!
Carol wrote: "BINGO? .."Carol, I was able to get a picture of a card uploaded to my account. Another group I'm in posted instructions tonight. You should be able to see it under my pictures. Will this work?
I've never been into short stories much, but I really like the idea of something short and easy to access. I'd love to see more discussion - this sounds like a great way to do that!I do enjoy the monthly reads. It's gotten me to move outside of my comfort zone with book choices this year.
Gail wrote: "Carol wrote: "BINGO? .."Carol, I was able to get a picture of a card uploaded to my account. Another group I'm in posted instructions tonight. You should be able to see it under my pictures. Will..."
Gail, your profile is set to private, so I couldn't see. I really appreciate your advice on how to insert a photo or .docx file into a comment, though, because it's bugged me for a while. I don't know how to make it a .jpg and photos don't load for me. Alas.
Thanks, all! Really appreciate the commentary, and will plan on including the BINGO and intermittent short story option and we'll all see what appeals most as we progress through the next reading year. Y'all are truly the best.
Thanks for pulling everything together Carol. It looks good to me. I don't think the bingo is for me personally and I'm a maybe on the short stories (I hate reading on screens). Everything else is a yes!
Hannah wrote: "Thanks for pulling everything together Carol. It looks good to me. I don't think the bingo is for me personally and I'm a maybe on the short stories (I hate reading on screens). Everything else is ..."Hannah - I'm not a fan of reading on screens, either, and I'll search for and identify collections in which stories are published, too, so it's up to each reader. Totally hear you.
Carol wrote: "Gail wrote: "Carol wrote: "BINGO? .."Carol, I was able to get a picture of a card uploaded to my account. Another group I'm in posted instructions tonight. You should be able to see it under my p..."
I'm a geeky accountant so I built it on the online builder, copied it to excel and then I have a tool called Greenshot that allows me to copy and save as a jpeg file.
I just sent you a friend request so that you can get into my pictures. See if that works for you.
MJ's questions, in part, from the Her Body and Other Parties thread:"How can we improve interaction? All ideas welcome.
.
Would members and the moderator/leader asking more questions encourage more participation? If not. what else would be encourage?
Would breaking out discussion into 3 or 4 parts of a book as has been tried before make a difference or not?
Do you as a member and participant feel comfortable asking questions and making comments even if you're only part-way through the book?
Is there any reason you're hesitant to make comments that you're willing to share with other members?"
MJ - These are great questions.
For context, in my experience both on this platform in several groups, and in 3 IRL groups - readers are not of one mind on what makes a good book discussion.
I personally most enjoy GR group book discussions where readers discuss the book as they read it. Literary Fiction by People of Color is the best group I know at hosting these sorts of collective reading efforts. Its members are generally willing to follow a schedule and engage with early impressions and each other as they read, in the moment, with one caveat - if one of the mods is actively leading the discussion. Other members rarely step up to moderate because moderation of these discussions is very hands-on and really requires that a mod be managing the thread on a near-daily basis. And you can see that this month, when they selected the same book, and it's being lightly moderated, members are not engaged or discussing it, and it's now mid-month.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I'm also active in a group where there are spoiler and nonspoiler threads, and the response is uneven on that approach. Some months both threads are strong. other months, nobody comments on the spoiler thread and we're left with lots of bio and movie adaptation content in the non-spoiler thread, e.g., we don't really discuss the book.
Finally, our group and another very active discussion group, Newest Literary Fiction, tend to attract and have many active participants who don't like to discuss as they go, but prefer to finish a book, process it, and then discuss it. The way NLF handles this is that they agree on an expectation that everyone finishes the book before the discussion starts, understanding that that essentially means that an October discussion requires you to read the selected book in September. It works for them because it's what their participating members like and are willing to do. For us, it sometimes means that the first ten days of the month are quiet while people are reading, and then we get to sharing aggregate impressions of the whole book mid- to late-month.
Several discussion leaders here have offered questions in threads to give members something specific to respond to. Sometimes they soar; sometimes they flop. For non-mod members, the more specific actions we as a group require the fewer will want to take on moderation. I think having more voices and perspectives than Anita and me leading discussions is something to nurture and encourage, and prioritize approaches that do that, but that's just me.
That also means that if you (or any member) want to nominate and moderate a discussion, you get to choose your path and try out any of the approaches you've mentioned, and it would be very cool if you want to do that. Members become active and less active over time, and new members become active and want different things. The most successful groups - again, just in my experience - routinely mix things up and are willing to see how things go, without getting either dug in or being oblivious to unintended consequences along the way.
Sorry for the long-winded response. I'm so glad you raised these questions.
@Anita?
Agreed. This is a constant topic between Carol and I, how do we improve discussion? It boils down to participation and response. Some months are just slow, others are on fire.Responding often, posing questions and observations often will eventually strike a chord with someone who will repsond. We also take in to account that many members read both books, so they may be prioritizing one at the beginning and one at the middle to end. (For example I just finished Viola Davis' book and will be starting Her Body this weekend).
All in all I love the discussion so far, and check in every day or two. As the discussion leader you may be checking in multiple times a day, so responses may seem slow to you. For what it's worth I think it's a great book, a great thread, and you're doing a great job as discussion leader.
I 've been following the discussion here and I have to admit that I find it very interesting.Personally I rarely vote for nominations because I am an extremely mood reader, I find it very difficult to plan what to read next and some times not all the books are available here (in my local library in Huddersfield England - I try to avoid buying lots of new books for various reasons).
Also I never nominate a book, again because I am a mood reader and also I find that I can not comit to lead the discussion.
I do like the threads where people list the books they read for each challenge (I try to update mine as often as possible); I get lots of ideas that way.
For the challenges (yearly and quarterly) I would like to see some alternatives to indigenous readings (I'd love to read a few of those but are almost never available in England).
What I would also find interesting would be a thread where members could suggest a writer or two (or more) from their country of origin, translated in english of course.
Carol wrote: "MJ's questions, in part, from the Her Body and Other Parties thread:"How can we improve interaction? All ideas welcome.
.
Would members and the moderator/leader asking more questions encourage mo..."
Thanks for this fabulous summary Carol. I have tried all the suggestions when leading discussions over the past few years. I have tried uploading questions on a regular basis, I have tried separating the book into sections to be discussed over the length of the month but the reality is that we all read at our own pace and many participants read enormous quantities of books each month so they may be reading at different moments during the month (or prior to & even after).
There are members that are more comfortable asking questions or making commentaries about what they are reading, and I'm sure there are plenty that feel shy or nervous about joining in. I think that is pretty normal whether you are online or actually attending a bookclub.
I feel like this group is a very respectful and safe environment for people to make comments without feeling attacked or judged in any way. I think it is important for us to have our own views challenged so that we can actually consider how we arrived at them and assess whether we should reconsider them.
Attempting to insert the bingo card...
Well, it's not as pretty as it is in excel. I have a blank one as well if anyone wants it.
Thanks for sharing Gail. That is wonderful
I came across this list that might be useful for planning future reading, it's a breakdown of forthcoming titles from authors of colour, https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
It's due to be updated as the year unfolds and will be available here:
https://twitter.com/ReadInColour
i use this to plan and account for my timehope it helps every reader and writer out there
http://titleduntitled.blogspot.com/20...
passion planner ; #pashfam for short
On the, can we improve it side of things, Anita and I share concerns that our group read participation can be unpredictable and sometimes scant, and we're thinking that we might be running too many year-long challenges, which can devolve into essentially parallel play where robust individual tracking threads combine with little actual discussion about books. But we may be connecting dots that aren't there, so let us know what you think.
Prompts for those who like them, but feel free to offer commentary that doesn't fit any of the following buckets:
- What do you enjoy or appreciate most about our group?
- What themes or challenges are most likely to interest you over the next 12 months?
- What would you like to see us introduce or scale back?
- If you don't participate in group reads, is there a change that would inspire you to participate?
- If you participate in group reads from time to time, is there a change that might inspire you to participate more often?
If you typically step up and speak up when feedback is solicited, YES, PLEASE! If you typically stay quiet or are concerned about hurting feelings or become anxious with public postings, please consider sharing your thoughts with this group so we can take your preferences and thoughts into account. We promise civility and encouragement. Whether you joined this group in 2016 or yesterday, your inputs are equally valuable.