Official SSMB Book Club

[Pelly <3's U]

Hey everyone,

Due to the positive response I got to this idea I decided I would go ahead and make this thread.

I'm starting an SSMB book club!

What's the purpose of this book club you don't ask?

Well, the goals I have in mind would be

*To provide a motivation for non academic reading

*To explore a range of genres and open the door to being exposed to a wide range of literature one might not on their own

*To give a place to discuss the opinions or thoughts pertaining to the books we read here

With all that in mind, I would ask that any interested souls please join us, as I have been in book clubs before and they are definitely a lot of fun !

From a logistical standpoint, as of right now the plan is to have a genre/theme every month. The book we then choose will be based around that theme. We will select a main book for discussion for that month, as well as an alt. book that is an optional read for those who either enjoyed the first book so much that they want to read more of the selected theme, or those who didn't like the main book but still would like to read along with something.

As with any book club, if you want to be a part of it, it is important that you read the book. The only way this book club will work is if we have a group of people who are actually willing to participate. The hurdles in your way are accessibility, interest, and time.

Bearing in mind accessibility, in order to read the book you must first be able to obtain a copy of it somehow. As we have a wide group of people from around the world, we must bear this in mind as we make our book selections. Books that have an ebook format are definitely an advantage over print only versions for this reason. Cost can be another factor that could deter some people, but there are plenty of avenues available such as libraries and secondhand books to offset the price.

Interest is another issue. As we would like to explore a wide variety of genres/themes, we must bear in mind that most of us are pretty restricted to what we think will interest us. In a club such as this, it is important to understand the value of broadening our horizons and opening ourselves up to finding books we wouldn't have ever explored before. Please keep this in mind when thinking a particular book or subject may not interest you.

Lastly is time. Reading can be a time consuming activity but come on, this is a forum. All you do here is read ;P

With all that said let's get into the logistics. Since this is new idea all of this is subject to change as we find better methods but to start.

1. We will have a genre/theme every month

2. We will have a main book/alt book that have to do with the genre/theme

3. The time frame of this book club is going to be loosely monthly, hopefully giving everyone ample time to not only obtain the book but also read it

4. Each month we will have a discussion forum of said books/genres/themes where we can give out input on everything

As for the process of selecting books, for the sake of simplicity in the first month I have selected both the theme and the books. After this though I would like to try having people pitch different themes/genres they would like in the upcoming months. We can simply go down them like a list or vote on what we would most like that. After that, people can 'pitch' books they would like to read based on the themes/genres and we can decide from there whether by a vote or for simplicity sake staff could just pick.

Any suggestions and feedback about the process are welcome and encouraged.

Below is where I'd like to keep a list of the months themes/genres.

August - Young Adult

September - ?

October - ?

November - ?

December - ?

This topic can be used for over arching discussion of the book club, possible themes and upcoming book selections.

On a last note, if you've ever participated in a library/school reading program you may be familiar with the concept of being rewarded for your efforts. I remember back in my day we'd get a sticker per book, and eventually earn a free mini pizza or something. Well we don't have pizza, but we will have super cool new badges you can earn for participating in this. Stay tuned for more details on those.

So let the reading begin !

Also stay tuned for the august book picks, I will be making a separate topic for them when I have time.

[Speederino]

I for one absolutely love this idea. I've been making it a habit to read more lately, so this would also keep me motivated.

[...]

I love the idea of this. For either September or October, it'd be cool to see the History theme, with the English adaptation of The History Of Sonic on the horizon.

[NGw00d]

I'd possibly join in on this if I didn't have 5 other books to read for school. Maybe in a few months and if I can find the time, I'll jump in.

[Nepenthe]

I'm interested in this too. My reading has slowed to an absolute crawl, and I feel like this will push me towards rectifying that.

[Coral]

You can count me in too! I've never been in any book club before and I've never been much of a reader, but I'm willing to try and expand my horizons. :} Mmm words...

[Match]

If we ever do a biographies month, can I recommend Schulz and Peanuts by David Michaelis? If that's not what this particular thread is for I apologize.

[Noir]

I have other schoolwork to worry about at the moment since I put it off until the last two weeks of break, so I won't be doing August. But once school's back in my work should be more spread out and I'll be able to walk to the library no problem, so I'm just here to say I'm totes game for September !

[Dr. Mechano]

This is a fantastic idea. I'm in, and can't wait to start reading!

[The Tenth Doctor]

Onde my local library reopens after its renovations I'd be happy to. I'm so bored of all my books at the mo, so this may get me interested again :-)

[King Frosty]

Interested, looking forward to the book that ya picked.

[Octarine]

Yep, still interested in this.

[Axl.EXE]

You had me at 'book'.

[Burnt Ash]

Perhaps for October, we could have the fantasy genre?

Edited September 29, 2012 by Burnt Ash

[Linkabel]

Perhaps for October, we could have the fantasy genre?

October=Halloween=Horror genre

[JD!]

Sound great, but due to work and all the comics I get ( ) it generally takes me a lot longer than a month to read a book. The one I'm reading at the moment, The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier And Clay, has 656 pages so will likely take me 3 months.

Edited December 5, 2012 by JD!