Heh, I edited and now Hec looks crazy. My work here is done.

Heh, I edited and now Hec looks crazy.

Even unedited I can look crazy.

Even unedited I can look crazy.

I believe this.

I still don't understand how the voting works until Kristen gives me NSYNC examples.

As soon as I figure out how this thing works, I'll be sure and sum up the JC-Justin-Chris-Joey-Lance of it all for you.

As soon as I figure out how this thing works, I'll be sure and sum up the JC-Justin-Chris-Joey-Lance of it all for you.

Can I declare it Lance's Nose Job?

Because I want to.

Seriously, all this discussion is doing is making my head hurt. Well, that and making me think I'd rather have a politics thread than a Book Club thread.

What about a b.org mailing list for a book club? Seriously. Pimp it in the lit thread, announce new books being discussed once a month or however often. Run it as best works.

I think it was Heather who asked how RL bookclubs choose books.

Mine works from a master list. It started 3 years ago with each person (7 of us) bringing 5 books to put on the list. If anyone had a very strong aversion to a book or author, it was removed. For three years we selected the next book at the end of each meeting, we would start discussing it and eventually reach consensus (there was never more than 7 of us), but sometimes it took half an hour or more. Recently we have each person come with their top 3 choices and we whittle it down.

We revisit the master list at least once a year to add to and to remove. Everytime a new member joins, they can add 5 books, but we do not remove when someone leaves. Occasionally we have chosen a book not on the list, but not normally.

We once tried choosing books 2 months ahead of schedule, thus having 2 months selected at once, but we didn't like it.

We have had discussion leaders and not had leaders. I find it works better if there is someone to feel responsible for a book and that person usually does a little bit of digging online to see what has been said about a book. It often times helps to keep discussion going or give framework to the discussion.

I have a friend who is in a book club that chooses their reading list for the year at their December meeting. Each person brings 2-3 books to pimp and then the group selects from among them and sets the entire calendar.

I have another that selects discussion leaders for the year and each leader just announces their book, no discussion.

I am starting another group that will lay out 6 months of reading selections culled randomly from suggestions of the participants. Discussion will not be lead by any one person, but will be started from selected questions submitted by the readers.

Those are the various structures I am familiar with.

Allyson: five pop stars walk into a library...

five pop stars walk into a library...

2 pop stars enter... one pop star leaves...

JC, Justin, Chris, Joey and Lance want to talk about the meaning of their music. So they suggest a song they think would be good for discussion. JC picks "Bye, Bye, Bye." Joey picks the Chili's theme song, Chris picks that one where in the video they're all with different girls and there are bubbles in the forest. Lance picks the one about it being all about the fans, and Justin picks "Me Against the Music."

They point out that Justin and Joey's picks aren't really their songs, leaving three. They then randomly decide "Bye Bye Bye" will go first, then the fan song, then the bubble song.

Yes! And JC goes out, finds some notes they wrote while making the song, and the video from my cousin's wedding where her nephew did an unbelievably dorky dance to "Bye Bye Bye," and tries to start the conversation rolling. Then he is distracted by go-go dancers.