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.

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.

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!

but it still seemed a little point-y. Not thorny. Just pointy.

I completed misread this, now that I see your post today.

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.

Thank you for clarifying.

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 would love this. Having the texts available for free (and possibly being philosophy or lit classics), would definitely be a plus for me.

It seems like opening this thread for a specified period of time for non-white font HP discussion would be a nice gesture, but I have no strong feelings about it. I have read it, and would be happy to join the discussion, at least as a lurker.

What kind of details do you think we need to work out, Wolfram? (I'm not arguing about it; this is a serious question.) I come up with book, formatting book, discussion guide (buffista created or cribbed from elsewhere). Perhaps we also should discuss whether or not the book chooser and discussion guide provider should act as some sort of moderator, bringing up points or throwing out questions when it appears that the discussion is lagging. Any thoughts?

What kind of details do you think we need to work out, Wolfram?

Exactly what you're talking about. Making the Gutenberg idea, which sounds great in theory, work in practice. Is there someone with the technical know-how to format and link the book for download? (Assuming people see the plain text format as a barrier.) Creating a discussion guide, and having a guide provider, whether the book chooser or otherwise, lead and stimulate discussion. Talking about the length of discussion periods, and what was turning people off (and on) in the first round of book club.

For example, there were some postings upthread which might be helpful, like Hec's pointing out that we like discussing character motives and actions:

DavidS "The Buffista Book Club: Isn't the Point of Computers to Replace Books?" Dec 16, 2004 2:38:54 pm PST

Or Lcat's suggestions about changing up genres and a designated guide:

lcat "The Buffista Book Club: Isn't the Point of Computers to Replace Books?" Mar 17, 2005 7:46:18 am PST

And there were similar suggestions made by folks like Connie, Amyliz, Cindy, Brenda M, Stephanie, Heather and others.

And I'd love to do a graphic novel and recruit those fine experienced minds from Jossverse to help us analyze. (But that's selfishly because I've recently read some amazing works in that style and I think some could sustain extended discussion.)

Anyway, if we're going to give it a final go, I think it might be worth taking a little time to tweak the things that weren't working and focus on the things that were.

I suspect Fay's suggestion about a threaded book conversation by chapter is probably what works best online. Which may account for why our unthreaded board is less suitable for a book club. It's all or nothing. You can't read the first chapter and discuss it. You can't get drawn in by seeing what other people are discussing in the first chapter.

I think Gutenberg would be a fine experiment, but I personally wouldn't want to read a book online. I have to stare at a computer all day. Readnig a book is a different kind of eyestrain.

I'd like to open it to HBP discussion because I think that would probably work here since so many people have already read it.