I'm excited! My local library has The Intuitionist on their shelves!

Is that more or less the proposal?

No, I'm trying to keep the beginning dates of discussion flexible, and set the reading deadlines for the next couple of books earlier than would be necessary if discussion proceeded on the normal timeline to allow us to jumpstart new discussion if the situation demands it. IOW, we control the timeline, we don't let it control us.

AmyLiz hits the concept on the head:

I think I followed that. Kind of. Essentially, you want to pick Book 2 (and even Book 3?) now, so we can start reading those (or those of us who are fast readers can, anyway) and be ready for a new discussion if talking about The Intuitionist doesn't take as long as we thought, yes?

I also think we should guarantee each selection two weeks (at least at the outset) and allow consensus to be used to determine if a discussion is deader than a dead thing and ready to be put down after that.

So, would we need to be able to finish a book in two weeks? Because that seems a little fast to me.

I don't know that I can discuss Book A while reading Book B, for one thing. I'm gonna want a little time to discuss The Intuitionist and flip back to parts I want to re-read, or that make a particular point or what have you before going on to whatever Heather picks.

But I can jump into the discussion when I've caught up, also.

I could pick a short book- no I hear you 2 weeks is likely not enough time to have read the next book.

Little bit of Colson Whitehead trivia. Before he wrote The Intuitionist (his first novel) he was the tv writer/critic for the Village Voice -- and a Buffy fan.

Here's an essay by Colson titled I Worked At An Ill Conceived Internet Start Up And All I Got Was This Lousy Idea For a Novel. (It's about his second novel, John Henry Days.) There's also a picture of him there if you want to take a peek.

I like Wolfram's suggestion, but it's hard to follow.

Tell me about it. Just re-reading it gave me headache.

So glad this wasn't just me.

Kate, I was off looking, and it looks like they have it one town over. I'm going away soon, so I'll just hop over there tomorrow. I can use my local library card, there. I would actually buy it, but it would come while I'm away, and that's no good.

Heather, it would be really nice if you could pick book 2 really soon, just for my selfish reasons.

FYI, I've decided not to do the book club after all, largely because the last thing I need right now is another time commitment, but also because upon reflection I realized that the only way I'd ever be happy in a book club is if it had a focus related to something I'm naturally interested in--like the science book club I would've joined at my old workplace if only I'd discovered it sooner than two weeks before I left. Or maybe a Georgian/Regency book club combining history and fiction from and about the era, which I just thought of and decided would be lots of fun. So if anyone ever wants to start a book club where we read Austen, O'Brian, Heyer, a good Wellington biography, etc., let me know.

But anyway, the reason I'm posting this is because I figured I should let people know I was leaving so the books I suggested ( Jaran and Persuasion) could be taken off the table unless someone else wants to champion them.

So, would we need to be able to finish a book in two weeks? Because that seems a little fast to me.

This is the part I can't seem to explain right. If implemented right we will always have at least a month's notice on each book. Unless people think they literally can't read more than 12 books a year.

Susan -- I imagine that everyone doesn't have to read every book. Why not join in for the books that interest you and skip the others?

I'll make a choice tomorrow Cindy, or had you rather I did it sooner. I can maybe do it by 6, but it would be hasty and done while boss-man's not around.

We'll miss you Susan! Check the Press for the next books, maybe something you like will come up, or maybe you'll have more time later.