I hate that we call the book club rules “rules.” Just typing this post makes me feel BOSSY. However, I do think having (just a few) guidelines in place strengthens the book club.
So here’s my quick fyi message: On my blog, I updated the rules a bit (and the Goodreads club rules connect back to it). Before, I had listed that discussion should take place only after finishing the book, but that’s plain loony. It occurred to me that such a rule could impede discussion, which would be BAD. My main goal had been avoiding spoilers for those who hadn’t yet finished. To avoid spoilers but still allow good discussion, I updated the rules list by asking club members to simply avoid mentioning aspects of the plot that could ruin the book for others. (Worry not, nobody has “spoiled” a thing so far—this is just a preemptive bullet point.) Some folks have finished the book, others haven’t gotten the book yet, and some of us (raising my hand) are only halfway through. After July 1st, however, feel free to spoil!
So here’s my quick fyi message: On my blog, I updated the rules a bit (and the Goodreads club rules connect back to it). Before, I had listed that discussion should take place only after finishing the book, but that’s plain loony. It occurred to me that such a rule could impede discussion, which would be BAD. My main goal had been avoiding spoilers for those who hadn’t yet finished. To avoid spoilers but still allow good discussion, I updated the rules list by asking club members to simply avoid mentioning aspects of the plot that could ruin the book for others. (Worry not, nobody has “spoiled” a thing so far—this is just a preemptive bullet point.) Some folks have finished the book, others haven’t gotten the book yet, and some of us (raising my hand) are only halfway through. After July 1st, however, feel free to spoil!