What are we going to read in this group?

[Werner]

Thanks for posting it, Jim!

[Werner]

Well, it's now official: our common read for October will be The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey, which received 17 votes (out of 56 cast --that's one of our best levels of participation yet in a poll!). City of Ashes got 12 votes; after that, the totals are: Dead Witch Walking, eight; Kitty and the Midnight Hour, seven; Hauntings: Is There Anybody There?, five; Moon of the Wolf, four; andAfternoon of an Autocrat, three.

From what many Goodreads reviewers say, we've picked a good book. Those of us who want to take part in this read will start around the beginning of October (I might be delayed by a day or two). I'll try to get a thread for discussion started as soon after the beginning of the month as I can --unless Alysson or someone else wants to beat me to the punch. :-)

[Werner]

Kyle, were you suggesting one or the other of those as a common read for this November, or just nominating them for inclusion the next time anyone puts up a poll? (Since we had a good response this time, I do hope to make an October common read an annual tradition in this group; but anybody can propose a common read any time, since they're strictly voluntary.)

[[deleted user]]

Kyle wrote: "I suggest ,"

I also want to read Let the Right One In as a friend that I share many books with likes it. We seem to have similar ideas about what is a good book so if she likes something that lets me know I probably will too.
Please give me an idea when it will be read and discussed so I can try to prepare.

[Werner]

Will do, Alice!

[Werner]

Kyle, I've been giving some more thought to the idea of doing a common read of Let the Right One In, and one thing gives me pause. From what I'm picking up from some of the reviews, that book has a lot of graphic content depicting child sexual abuse. Since we have a certain number of teen and preteen readers in our group (one as young as 10), I'm inclined to avoid common reads that would be rated R or X if they were movies --something more in the the PG or PG-13 line would be more my preference. Maybe a better idea would be to post on the Buddy Reads thread, and see if one or two others in the group would be game to do a buddy read of that book with you? It's not a book I'm shelving as to-read myself (my tastes in vampire fiction are a bit different), but I'm sure there are plenty of other folks in the group who'd be interested!

[[deleted user]]

Werner wrote: "Kyle, I've been giving some more thought to the idea of doing a common read of Let the Right One In, and one thing gives me pause. From what I'm picking up from some of the reviews, that book has ..."

Thanks for this warning as now I won't try to get it. I don't like that kind of thing either. I just finished an awful YA book. I had high hopes for it but hated it. Sometimes its very hard to tell from reviews.

Let the Right One In

[Werner]

I'll put Brian Keene's Ghoul in the next common read poll I put up, though that's not apt to happen for awhile.

[[deleted user]]

Kyle wrote: "I read, and own, Brian Keene's Ghoul. Fantastic novel!"

Please post a link so I can read reviews, thanks.

[Jim]

Ghoul is the link for GR. Only one of my friends has read it so far, but there are quite a few reviews here.

[[deleted user]]

Kyle wrote: "Sure, no problem:

http://www.amazon.com/Ghoul-Brian-Kee..."

Thanks for the link, excellent reviews. I like most Koontz and some Stephen King. He is compared to them so he must be good.

[[deleted user]]

Jim wrote: "Ghoul is the link for GR. Only one of my friends has read it so far, but there are quite a few reviews here."

Will check this one out now, thanks.

[Peter]

Is there any chance for starting up again with a new book, we could discuss?

I really hope so :)

[Jim]

That would be great. Unfortunately, I probably won't be participating. I can't get to half the group reads I have already.

[Werner]

Peter, the most recent time we did a common read in this group was this past October. I'm hoping to make that an annual tradition (and so far, nobody's objected to that idea!). You wouldn't necessarily have to wait that long for the next one, though; our current policy is that any group member can suggest one at any time, and if there's enough interest, those who want to take part can do so. (You might also check out our "Buddy reads" thread, in case you'd enjoy setting up a shared read with just one or two other people.)

Common reads usually work best, IMO, if they coincide with a calendar month. (Though doing one every month didn't work before in this group when we tried doing it that frequently; people lost interest.) They also need to be planned far enough ahead that people can allow for it in their reading schedules, and secure a copy of the book. For my own part, I'm committed to taking part in the next read in October; but like Jim, I have a LOT of planned reading of my own I hope to get to soon, so I don't like to commit myself in advance to another common read (though others are welcome to do one!). But I might take part depending on whether the book that's chosen is one I want to read. (April or May would be the best near-future times to schedule one; in the summer months, a lot of people tend to take time off to be on the road for vacations, etc.)

[Peter]

Werner wrote: "Peter, the most recent time we did a common read in this group was this past October. I'm hoping to make that an annual tradition (and so far, nobody's objected to that idea!). You wouldn't neces..."

Thanks for all the details. I see why it's not an easy thing to establish. All my respect for your effort trying. I'll check buddyread and all your other interesting posts meanwhile. Thanks for your time, Werner. :)

[Werner]

No problem, Peter!

[Werner]

In one of my other groups, we're planning to do a group read of Afternoon of an Autocrat (the original title is The Devil in Clevely) by Norah Lofts, this fall. It had been set for September, but now there's some interest in changing it to October --which, of course, would also be the time for our group's annual common read. The Lofts book features a ghost with a significant role in the plot, and deals with devil worship in late 18th-century rural England.

Normally, we only have one selection for our common reads, chosen in a poll, or at least with some member feedback. But as a change of pace, would you all be open to having two selections that participants could choose from this October: the Lofts book (so it would be a simultaneous common read in both groups) and another book to be picked later in a poll?

[Werner]

So far, nobody's objected to either my suggestion of doing a common read each October or, for this year, of having two selections people can pick from: Norah Lofts' Afternoon of an Autocrat, and one other book to be chosen in a poll. The rule of thumb in law is that "silence is consent;" so if anyone has a problem with either idea, now's the time to speak up! If not, I'd like us to take this month to think and brainstorm about what titles to put in the poll --let's see if we can narrow it down to no more than a half dozen or so. Then I'll try to get the poll up and running around the first of September.

The one suggestion we got earlier this year was Ghoul by Brian Keene. Any other ideas? (If you're a supernatural fiction writer yourself, my suggestion would be NOT to nominate your own work --often, we authors aren't the most objective judges where that's concerned. :-) But we have a lot of writing talent in our group; so if you want to read something from the written-by-group-members shelf by another member, and think it might make for a good common read, go ahead and speak up!)

[Deb]

I will definitely join in the group read--sounds fun! I'll throw two titles into the mix. I've always wanted to read Straub's Ghost Story and Matheson's Stir of Echoes.

[Jim]

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to remain silent. I'm not sure what all is in my TBR pile, but I HAVE to read just what I have for a while. The Boss has been making comments about tottering piles of unread books again.

[Werner]

Jim, I hear you; I'm about in the same boat, and plan to take 2013-15 mostly to put a dent in my overflowing piles. :-) If we include The Devil in Clevely (American title, Afternoon of an Autocrat) as one of two alternates this time, though, I'll read that one; it is in one of my physical TBR piles, and I'm already committed to lead a discussion of it in another group.

Deb, we already did a common read of Ghost Story in February of 2009. Great suggestion, though --I gave the book five stars, and it was one of the most popular reads we've ever done in this group! (That thread is still open for comments.) We'll definitely put A Stir of Echoes in the poll.

[Werner]

Our most popular common reads have mostly been of books that have been around for awhile and attained a kind of iconic status as genre classics: Interview with the Vampire, Ghost Story, The Haunting of Hill House. In that vein, what would you all think of putting Dracula: A Norton Critical Edition in the poll? I know one group member (Alice) is already planning to try reading it this October anyway; and several of us, including myself, have read it and could readily chime in on a discussion.

[Victoria]

I'd love to read that as a group as I have read it on my own several times.

[Werner]

Okay, Victoria, I'll put that one on the poll. It'll probably get my vote, too!

[The Pirate Ghost]

I'm reading American Gods by Neil Gaimon and there is so much here that could a very interesting discussion starter.

[Werner]

Counting the Great Curmudgeon's suggestion, that would give us four nominees for the poll so far!

[Jim]

Hugh is now The Great Curmudgeon. Sigh. Everyone is going up in the world.

;-)

[The Pirate Ghost]

I was going to go with "The Once and Future Curmudgeon"... then I realized that going by that wold revoke my Grumpy License for Current complaining, fussyness and general poo-poohisms.

And for those who have been around as long as I have, which isn't really that long, I started as "the Great" then I thought people might think I've got a swolen Ego, and a hat size dispurpotionate to my ... uh... ankle circumference.


Now I'm pretty sure everybod knows I'm a grumpy egotistical bastard... so I figured "what the heck" and went back to being great... where I belong.

({B-:{D>)

[Werner]

We don't necessarily have to have as many as six options on the poll, if folks are comfortable with less. I'm just inclined to think that if we have any MORE than six options at one time, it gets to be a bit too many, and scatters the votes too much. What do you all think?

[Victoria]

I agree. Too many choices would probably mean that we wouldn't have a clear "winner."

[Werner]

My thought exactly, Victoria!

[Werner]

Okay, the poll is up and open, and two people have voted already! I'll try to send a general message to everyone about this momentarily (hopefully it'll reach the whole group!).

[Werner]

Voting closed on our poll at midnight. With 28 votes cast altogether, Dracula emerged as the clear winner with 11 of them. (The other three named options clustered close together, Matheson's Stir of Echoes receiving six votes and the others five each. There was also one vote for "Other," but what "other" was intended wasn't specified.) So, for our annual common read next month, those looking for an alternative to Afternoon of an Autocrat will have Dracula as an option!

[Werner]

Although we didn't have as many participants posting on either thread as we've sometimes had, discussion on both selections for our second annual common read was active and energetic, and enjoyable for all. Thanks to all those who helped make it a success; and I'm already looking forward to the third annual read!

Having two selections this time was an unusual response to an unusual situation (an opportunity for a simultaneous common read of one book in two groups). It worked out well; but it's not something I'd expect to try again, unless others want to. My expectation is that in October 2013 we'll just pick one book to concentrate on. So you can be thinking ahead about any suggestions you might want to make!

[Victoria]

I actually read both books but between being on deadline for finishing my novel and attending the Savannah Film Festival, I never seemed to have a chance to comment. I had actually wanted to comment that it was "Dracula" that was the main influence for the vampires in my book, Redemption (using Stoker's description of Dracula as the basis for my vampire characters). I also did extensive research on Vlad Drakulya for the sections from his perspective.

But, I agree, it might have been easier to comment if I hadn't been working on reading two books simultaneously.

[Werner]

It's still summer, but fall is approaching fast, bringing with it October! That's the month with Halloween in it, and (for those new to the group, who might not know) the month that we do our annual common read. (Participation is voluntary, of course!) Early in September, I post a poll that you all can use to pick the book we read; but about a month before that, I usually try to get some brainstorming going about what books should go on the poll.

To get the ball rolling, I'll suggest the first book in Jim Butcher's popular Dresden Files series, Storm Front. We have at least one staunch Harry Dresden fan in our group, and I was a fan of the (unfortunately short-lived) TV series it inspired --though I'm told that the latter was a lot different from the books. Personally, I've been itching to read this one for some time. :-) What do you all think of putting it on the poll?

[Jeremy]

I already have it on my to-read list. Count me in!

[Benjamin]

Well, if it is occult detecting we are up for... maybe something a wee bit more highbrow... ; )

http://www.tartaruspress.com/collecte...

[Werner]

Benjamin, I don't doubt that The Collected Connoisseur is a worthy book; if my to-read shelf wasn't already out of control, I'd probably add it there, whether we do it as a common read or not! As a selection for the latter, though, it would have one drawback: in the entire worldwide OCLC system that underlies the World Catalog database (which most libraries use for interlibrary loan), there are only five libraries that have the book, and only one of them is in the U.S. This means that we can figure it is NOT going to be easy to get through your local library; it's not apt to be on their shelves, and they're likely to have no luck in trying to borrow it. Since we can assume that even if they want to take part in the read, many group members don't want to buy the book for that purpose, my preference would be to pick books that are more readily available in libraries.

This is apt to be a common problem for books that are self-published or published by small presses. Many indy authors and small publishers, being less savvy about the book trade than the more established players (and yes, there are exceptions to that) don't try much if at all to market their books to libraries. And if they do, they find library selectors very cautious about taking chances on books whose quality they're unsure of, in the absence of favorable reviews from the established venues they trust --which we all know are hard for new kids on the block to break into. My book, Lifeblood, is only in a few libraries, and wouldn't even be in those if I didn't have some contacts for networking, being a librarian myself. :-( I know this is a lousy situation, but I don't have any good ideas for overcoming it.

[Charles]

Werner wrote: "As we move into the holiday season, a lot of us will have too much going on to spend as much time on Goodreads as usual. (My wife and I have family coming in on Dec. 9, so for most of the rest of ..."

I agree with Werner's suggestion.

[Werner]

Uh, Charles, that suggestion was from back in 2008, so it's no longer current. A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then!

What we've done for the last few years is plan on doing a common read every October. But any member of the group has the freedom to suggest an additional common read any time; we're a democracy (more or less :-) ). Anybody can broach that idea on this thread, and you also don't have to be a moderator to post a poll. (Since we started doing the October reads, though, nobody's ever proposed doing one at any other time.)

[Charles]

lol, sorry about that. I thought it was a newer thread and didn't catch the date.

[Werner]

No problem, Charles!

[Benjamin]

Werner wrote: "Benjamin, I don't doubt that The Collected Connoisseur is a worthy book; if my to-read shelf wasn't already out of control, I'd probably add it there, whether we do it as a common read or not! As ..."

Hey Warner, I believe Tartarus Press has made the book available as an e-doc, which would make it instantaneously available to any reader. I don't use an e-reader, but I do have all of the not so easy to find limited hardbacks on my shelves. They also do publish a paperback collection of all of the Connoisseur's tales. Alas, if the criteria is that a title for group read must be accessible via library...

[Werner]

Benjamin, I'm sure that Tartarus Press provides a full range of purchase options for this book and the others it publishes, including handy e-versions and paperbacks. (Most presses, even small presses, will provide both of those.) The rub is that they won't provide them free --and shouldn't be expected to; after all, they're trying to make money, for themselves and the authors! That's fine; we all want to see a thriving publishing industry and book trade. But for a common read in a group like ours, if we pick a book that readers can only access by buying it (in whichever format), we may wind up excluding some people who can't afford to do that. (That wouldn't be a problem for me at this point in my life; I can't afford to buy every book that's listed on Amazon, but I can afford to buy one for a common read, if I want to. But there have been times in my life, when I was between jobs or whatever, when it would have been a problem; and I'd feel badly about excluding anyone for that reason.) I don't know that we've ever decided as a group to make it a criteria that all books chosen have to be readily accessible in libraries, but it's a criteria I'd personally strongly recommend. What do some of the rest of you think about this?

[Tasha]

How about Dead Letter Office by Kira Snyder its even seasonally appropriate.

When Celia’s father is killed in Afghanistan, she moves with her mother to New Orleans, the city where her father grew up. Struggling to adjust and haunted by troubling dreams, Celia finds comfort in new friends like Tilly, a practicing witch, and Donovan, the son of police detective. On Halloween, bizarre supernatural occurrences rock the city. Celia meets the mysterious Luc and finds a letter, over a hundred years old, addressed to her...

[Werner]

Tasha, again, Snyder's book looks interesting; but it's going to present access problems, to an even greater degree than The Complete Connoisseur. In this case, there isn't a single library in the entire OCLC system (which includes over 100,000 libraries worldwide) with a copy. :-( I can put both these books in the poll, if we don't have any other suggestions that would be easier to get copies of; but I think that difficulty would be something people would want to consider in voting. (I haven't checked OCLC for the holdings of Storm Front, but I'd be surprised if it's not very widely held in libraries, because of the popularity of the series.)

[Tasha]

Oh wow I thought they were better hooked in. Back to the drawing board. Or you know we just read Storm Front. I'm pretty sure it's in libraries & we have a copy lying around.

How do I check the OCLC library system so I don't waste your time in the future?

[Werner]

Tasha, that's no bother (checking OCLC probably takes me all of 45 seconds :-) ). Your question is a good one, though!

OCLC's World Catalog (they're in the process of phasing it out and replacing it with WorldShare, but the new system will have at least the same capabilities) is a subscription database, which means you can't access it through a regular Internet subscription. You have to pay extra for it, and the cost is one that individuals usually can't afford. The good news, though, is that lots of libraries can afford it; and they generally make it available to their patrons, on the library computers where access is usually a simple process of "point and click," or on your home computer/laptop through the library's website (where access may involve a log-in process). My suggestion would be to ask the staff at your local public library for details (they may vary a bit from one library to another). Hope that helps!