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.

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Cindy -- that's a good idea!

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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I'm in favor of inviting the HP folks over to do their thing.

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And if nothing else, the high post count will get people to poke their heads in here to see what's going on.

Yep. Worked with me.

fwiw, I found the off-the-cuff method of setting up an LJ specifically to discuss a given book (which amenuensis did for HBP with HBP_Chapters), in which there was an entry made for each chapter and then you could post your comments to the chapter as you were reading, to be a very accessible and enjoyable way of sharing the reading experience. I haven't really done Book Clubs outwith that. I guess that may have been the kind of thing msbelle meant by a threaded discussion? Possibly.

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And if nothing else, the high post count will get people to poke their heads in here to see what's going on.

Heh, I am so busted!

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