Spike ,'Sleeper'
This thread is a focused discussion group. Please see the first post below for the current topic and upcoming book discussions. While natter will inevitably happen, we encourage you to treat this like a virtual book club and try to keep your posts in that spirit.
By consensus, this thread is reopened specifically to discuss Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It will be closed again once that discussion has run its course.
***SPOILER ALERT***
OK. Does this run both ways?
Yes. Especially as I haven't actually called you anything, I'm certainly willing to continue to not do so.
Actually, there's an easier solution for me.
Also, if I were eager to close the thread, I'd bring it up in Bureau as an actual proposal.
Bookclub thread users, have any of you read the new Harry Potter (I haven't and have no immediate plans to do so, fwiw). I was just thinking, if none of you object, maybe we could toss this thread to Buffista Harry Potter readers to hold an impromptu bookclub, so they could post without white font. It's just a suggestion, and I don't care whether it happens or not, so I won't be saying any more on the subject. I just know if I'd read it, I'd enjoy talking about it without the white fonting, and there's nothing going on in here, anyhow.
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msbelle,
I'm not sure what the deal is here. The point of anything I posted yesterday was that Buffistas aren't using this thread, so I don't (didn't) see a reason to keep it open.
The people who did participate in this thread stopped, and it all but died, so they're not using it, and it seems doubtful that other Buffistas are going to use it, because even those who were being bookclubby weren't being bookclubby here. That does seem point-y to me, "point-y" in the sense that it's a point that ought to be taken into consideration when considering whether or not we ought to close the thread.
Your posts are reading to me as if you saw some sort of condemnation in my statements. There wasn't. This was never about you, or any individual Buffista, for that matter. It was about the fact that the thread has never been much of a hit in practice.
I didn't bring "nebulous groups" or "thorns" into the discussion. If this is a case of my word play from "thorns" to "point-y" failing, I'm sorry that was an issue, but I'm also failing to see the big deal.
Good luck, bookclubbers.
I've noticed with the Gutenberg downloads, that all the text is written in an unformatted plain text style. I think it might be helpful if, after we selected a text, someone were to download it and convert it to an easier reading font and we could post chapter links in the thread. I wonder how difficult that would be.
Cindy -- that's a good idea!
Cindy, I think the gist of yesterday's discussion was not to take this thread off life support yet. I don't want us tossing this thread to Harry Potter readers, unless we were to make Harry Potter 6 the next selection.
Cindy, I think the gist of yesterday's discussion was not to take this thread off life support yet. I don't want us tossing this thread to Harry Potter readers, unless we were to make Harry Potter 6 the next selection.Wolfram, that's pretty much what I meant, but start it now. It's not like we who have posted here have any sort of exclusive on the thread. People are essentially having a bookclubby discussion in Lit, but they have to do it all in white font.
I really don't care, though. I don't see my life changing enough in the near future, to be able to commit to this thread. It seems to me it could be put to use for HBP, right now, until you all make a new selection, and get to the point where you're ready to discuss it, unless people are too comfortable to leave Lit.
I guess I just feel that yesterday's discussions indicated some interest in reviving this thread and giving it another go. I was hoping that we could take a little time to throw out and discuss ideas, rather than yield the thread to a particular subset (HBP readers) for an unspecified period of time. OTOH, if the thread was actually being used, it could do more for us as far as generating interest and users.
Maybe we could set a start date for HBP discussion for Monday? That gives us time to discuss other ideas in this thread until then, and it gives people who've been putting off reading HBP, a couple days (and a weekend) to get it and finish it.
What do other folks think?
I really like the idea of Gutenberg being our source. Completely virtual book reading and discussion--unless someone prints out the book, of course. Part of me likes the idea of tackling some of the big philosophical tomes on there, but more of me likes the idea of grabbing some Dickens or Bronte and just having fun.
I think more than one person is being terribly overwrought, and the accusatory tone on all sides can stop now. Sound good?
What Nutty said.
As for the fate of this thread ... I don't like the idea of closing threads just because they don't get as many posts as we would like, but I also don't have any strong desire to do the bookclub thing on any text. So. The Harry Potter idea has some appeal, if only because it would mean I could go into Literary again.
I'm in favor of inviting the HP folks over to do their thing.