Moderator Thread

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

I have the same problem Mark...lol I plan to read both of these but I am so behind...Nicki, can you moderate Hitchhiker's since it was your nomination?

Next month will have to be me and Mark...so get prepared! lol

[Jason]

Okay, I've got a fairly clear slate, so I'll do it. It's a great book! :)

[mark, personal space invader]

maggie, re. Languages of Pao: no worries, of course. didn't realize it was written in the 50s. and didn't respond earlier cause i was on vacation in mendocino for the past few days. thanks for putting up the polls! go, Footfall, go!

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

lol Mark-If LeGuin wins, you have to moderate that one though....If it's Dick, I will. Forever War will be fine...

[Jason]

It's looking like Adroids Dream is going to win. I was torn between that and the LeGuin. I ended up voting for the latter.

Do you guys think we should post a schedule for us moderators to follow in regards to creating the theme suggestions and polls/suggestions group reads?

[mark, personal space invader]

i know that maggie offered, but i also don't mind moderating a discussion for Do Androids Dream...it is one of my favorite novels!

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

well it looks like the other one will be forever war...any volunteers for that one? Also, Nikki has not been back since I 'volunteered' her to moderate Hitchhiker's so she may not know about that...lol

Hopefully we will hear from her soon or we will have to modify things a bit!

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

cool Nicki!

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

so, I was thinking about this great nominations for themes list, and thinking how we can recycle it.

Two possibilities...I use the topfew noms for the themes for the next xcouple months, or just use this list again next month. Anythoughts?

[mark, personal space invader]

i think we should just use the whole list. although we should make sure to add ala's nomination that i had inadvertedly left off - after he explains it! "Popular Sci-Fi" was his nomination.

[Jason]

I think that both are great ideas! We should take a moderator vote on it. lol

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

lmao Jaason-you would have to be the tie breaker!

[Jason]

Yeah...didn't think of that. lol

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

Hey-so we have Day of the Triffids and revelation space for September reads....Mark, I am assuming you want to lead Revelations space since you nominated it...let me know if I am wrong! and Jason, since it is Horror after all, you can have Triffids!
Next month Mark and I will be up....

[mark, personal space invader]

yep, will do Revelation!

[Jason]

Will do, Maggie!

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

well, that was easy!

[mark, personal space invader]

hello fellow moderators!

so there has been some discussion this month regarding switching up our group reads, at least for a little while, to allow for some extended focus on SciFi Classics. i think this is a great idea and would like to start the new year off with this. we could do it for a little while and then choose a different theme, or go back to a different theme per month, or just keep it rolling on.

so in january i propose we switch our group reads to:

(1) Classic Science Fiction
(2) Random Picks

we will probably have to define what "Classic" even means, but there has been some good suggestions that we can just use the list of books that are Huga winners, Nebula winners, and/or novels included within the Masterwork Series (i think that's what it's called).

[Jason]

I like the idea, mark!

I think that it's a good idea for us, as a group, to give the respect that the classics of sci fi deserves. There is, after all, a wealth of sci fi classics!

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

I agree with the concept...I think we need to delve into true classics...and the Vote of The Rowan for women in sci-fi month has me seriously shaken!
In the thread we were talking about this, the original thought was to have a Hugo/Nebula winners read, and then as Mark said some other list suggestions were brought up. Maybe alternate being the different lists? Then we dont have to do nominating and voting on themes.

[mark, personal space invader]

Maggie, i'm a little confused... if we go by message 84, this could be pretty straightforward, with no voting on themes at all. one nomination can be Random - no Theme - and so anyone can just nominate anything. the other nominatations would be for a classic novel, with nominees drawn from the Hugo & Nebula awards as well as the Masterwork Series. what i can do is just create a Classics thread that lists all the award winners and Masterworks, so folks can just go to that thread to pick their nomination.

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

ah ok-I guess i thought you were being more complicated than that....lol

so the idea is to make a classics list by combining those lists? and folks nominate books off the list?

[mark, personal space invader]

yep! and if it ends up seemingg like too small of a list, we can just expand it to include nominees as well as winners.

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

Mark-for what it's worth, I think the list is enough. Plenty of great rec's on there!

Jason and Mark-do you guys have any preference re: the December moderating??? It's my turn to have the month off!! :)

[mark, personal space invader]

i'll set up that list somewhere in the next couple weeks...

for December, i'm happy to do Canticle. i really admire that book.

Jason, can you do the heinlein? i'm not such a fan of that one myself.

[Jason]

Sure, I'll do Heinlein.

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

yay! I want to just read them both....lol

[Jason]

Stranger in a Strange Land is brilliant.

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

Hey do either of you guys have a preference with Dauntless or The Windup Girl???

I am not up that month, but I read and loved Windup girl, and have very slim interest in military sci-fi

[mark, personal space invader]

i have no particular interest in either one, so have no particular preference. sign me up for whichever is needed.

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

lolol-maybe we can switch! You can have that month off and I will do WIndup, Jason can do Dauntless (I know he voted for it) and you can owe me the next time...

[Jason]

I'd like to do Dauntless! I've been wanting to read this one for some time now.

[mark, personal space invader]

okay Maggie, sounds good to me... i owe you one!

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

it makes me laugh when I am getting this good at knowing who will do what...lol

[Jason]

LOL

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

:D

[mark, personal space invader]

moderating next month's book... can i get Martian Chronicles? i really don't want Left Hand of Darkness, as i read that one long ago in college and although i loved it, i have no inclination to read it again.

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

ooops! I just did that because I thought you voted for it! lol
Are you up to doing Gateway in November??

[mark, personal space invader]

sure. i've been meaning to read that one for a while. it was the first scifi book i was ever given as a gift! in junior high. and yet i have never gotten around to actually reading it.

[mark, personal space invader]

hi new moderators! would either of you like to moderate discussion threads for next month's reads (Fuzzy Nation & Altered Carbon)?

i'd be happy to moderate Altered Carbon, but i'd also be happy not to - i'd like you guys to take first pick and i'm fine either way.

i do not particularly want to moderate Fuzzy Nation.

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

I am planning to read one or the other-lol-they are both on my tbr. That being said, it doesnt matter to me if I moderate them or not...you know me, I will still talk about 'em anyways...

[Jason]

Welcome new Mods!

If you don't want Altered Carbon, mark, I'll take it. I tried reading it some time ago but could'nt get into it. I've been meaning to give it a second try. It's up to you. :)

[Trax]

I'm down with some Fuzzy Nation.

[mark, personal space invader]

cool, thanks Trax!

Jason, take Altered Carbon!

[Megan]

Cool. I'll take something in February!

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

yup megan-it will be mistressworks so we can claim privilege! ;)

[Jason]

Excellent! Perhaps Altered Carbon and I will get along better this time. lol

[mark, personal space invader]

hey moderators!

there may be an issue if Reality Dysfunction wins for February and if it wins for the March Series read as well. Footfall is in the lead now but who knows, Peter Hamilton is (deservedly) popular and that lead could end. so i propose that we keep Reality Dysfunction/Night's Dawn series as one of the nominees for the series read... and if it wins in both polls, then we change the Feb Random Read to Footfall so we don't have the same book for 2 months in a row.

sound kosher?

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

or, if it wins we could start in February? Just thinking....

[mark, personal space invader]

oh but i don't want to automatically give the Series Read over to Night's Dawn (as much as i'd like to reread the series)... there were a bunch of nominations so let's put it to a vote.

right now Reality Dysfunction is one up on Footfall and i bet it will stay that way by the time the poll closes tonight. after that poll closes, i'll put up the Series Read poll. prob sometime tomorrow (and will include Reality Dysfunction/Night's Dawn of course).