Launch of Mumsnet Book Club

[Freddiecat]

Hello all

I've volunteered to co-ordinate the Mumsnet Book Club and have had a chat with Carrie about how we go about it.

We definitely want this to be a democratic selection process. I don't think anyone wants a book forced upon us. However a complete free-for-all will be a little unwieldy so I shall start by nominating 4 books for selection. (I am starting a separate thread for this shortly).

So the general process for the next couple of sessions will be as follows:

1. I shall nominate a shortlist of books on a new thread. All will be linked somehow rather than a random selection.
2. Anyone interested can post their preferred choice onto that thread by a closing date (eventually about a week but probably 3 or 4 days to start with).
3. The book with the highest number of votes will be announced on a Friday morning - giving people enough time to get the book from the library, bookshop or online.
4. Discussion to start probably from about Monday onwards on a new thread started by me. You can of course start reading sooner (it's not a race) but we won't start discussing until people have had a reasonable chance to get hold of the book.
5. About 1 month to be spent on each book to allow time to actually read - and to reflect afterwards - before reading the next book.

If people are interested we can organise a weekly "online meeting" where interested people can actually chat real-time about the book. We can specify an approximate place in the book we'll be discussing up to (to prevent discussion ruining the anticipation of the slow readers). Other than that I suggest a free-for-all discussion any time is best. However one of the most important - and indeed only - rule is: NO PLOT SPOILERS!

The plan is that the selection process for subsequent books begins whilst we are still reading the previous book so we can choose and buy/borrow at leisure.

Hopefully in the future we'd like to organise some sort of sponsorship. This may result in a few free copies and/or a more coherent selection list. Newly published books will probably not feature particularly highly as they come out in hardback and for financial reasons we'll try to stick to books available in paperback.

If anyone has any ideas for future books, topics (e.g. books set in Asia, detective novels, works of a particular author) or any sponsorship ideas (including personal connections!) then please post here - or contact me direct using Contact Another Talker.

Happy Reading!

Sounds good!

One more thing I forgot to add:

We anticipate that there will probably end up being more than one discussion group running simultaneously to cater for different interest groups. So please also post here if you are interested in any of these. The first discussion will be contemporary fiction. Other ideas include:

Classics
Science Fiction
Other genres (to be nominated)
Children's books
Summer holiday "beach reading"
GCSE / A Level reading lists
This last one could have two strands to it - firstly enabling parents of older children to read some of the books their children are reading for school - and discuss them. Secondly an online way for the children to discuss the books themselves. Might encourage some reluctant readers (although Mumsnet might not be the place for this to be honest)?

Any other ideas let me know.

Freddiecat thanks for organising this. Looks like a lot of thought has gone into it.
I'd be interested in the classics and also the beach reading stuff. Don't think I've read a classic since leaving school so really should broaden my reading spectrum.

Can't wait to start.

Really looking forward to this, Freddiecat, thanks. I've been indulging in not-too-much-thought crime (which I do love) but would like a push into something else!

I'd like to see a group for biographies and autobiogs and also travel books.

suedonim - travel writing or travel guides?

actually presume you meant travel writing since a discussion on the Lonely Planet guide to Timbuktu might be a little tedious...

This sounds great freddiecat

I would definitely be interested in contemporary and classics. Like the idea of a biog/autobiog group as well.

Lol, Freddiecat! Yes, I was thinking of Colin Thubron, William Dalrymple style writing, that sort of thing.

Sounds great!
Just going to the other thread now to see whats on offer this month.

Fantastic idea, classics will be interesting and so will the holiday/beach reading I think. How often do we need to check the noticeboard though, I don't get to use the computer every night so hope this won't be a problem?

Freddiecat, this looks brilliant! You've obviously put a lot of trouble in to it.
Here are some more suggestions for themed selections:
Granta 20 Young Novelists
Literature in Translation
Novels that have been filmed

Also (no personal connection here, just enthusiastic, and my enthusiasm is shared by hoxtonchick at least!) there is a wonderful women's publishing house called Persephone Books who specialise in reissuing 20th century women's writing, in gorgeous, affordable paperback. Mumsnet could approach them to see if they are interested in a sponsored read or some other mutually advantageous deal! I've used their mail-order and it is very prompt and helpful.

Freddiecat this sounds brilliant - thanks for taking the time and trouble over it - will look on other thread now! (Oooh, I'm excited about this!)

My vote would go to crime/det4ective books or beach readng as those are the subjects I enjoy most.
Author wise I enjoy Patricia Cornwell, Ian Rankin and Penny Vincenzi

Marina - already had a look at Persephone and wondered if they might be a possibility. The plan is to get the club going for a couple of months or so then to approach potential sponsors. That way we can tell them we have a thriving online book community with x number of members etc.

OK I think the beach reading is something we'll definitely do. I was thinking of doing this one in the summer holidays - but as a discussion group with a difference. I.e. - you go on holiday, read the book and then come back and discuss it rather than discuss-as-you-read like all the rest.

Will also do biog/autobiog as well. Possibly soon but staggered a few weeks with the other one.

Also - CP especially, I don't anticipate you needing to log on every night. Once we've chosen the book we'll give everyone a few days to get hold of it then we'll start a new thread for the main discussion. I also suggest that we have a couple of "live chat" sessions scheduled weekly or so where people who have read up to a certain point can chat in real time. These live chats will have a new thread started every time.

For this month I suggest Thursday evenings 9pm to 10pm?

All of this is of course on a trial basis and if we come up with a better suggestion between us all then we'll do something different!

sounds good. Count me in too, please.

I'm in too please.

Me too please

Love to be part of this...

I would love to join!

Great idea, can I join?
No preferences, just an avid reader of everything from lit fiction to travelogues to crappy sagas!!

Count me in - interested in contemp fiction and classics.
What about something around the various lit prizes too - 'prizewinners' or something?

jimmychoos - check out the March shortlist!

As far as up and coming prizes go then we may well do something on this in the future (although many of the literary prizes are a little way off yet). However since the books tend to come out in hardback we might not have many takers unless we get some sort of deal.

By the way - you don't have to formally "join" - just join in the discussion as you would any other chat. In future if we get sponsorship we might need to get a few names down but that's a way off and you'll all have plenty of notice!

I think this is a lovely idea, and would love to join in about three months when I've finished my degree (in literature, so hopefully I'll have some suggestions!). Well done for getting it off the ground, I will be eagerly following the threads till I can join in!

Love to do this, will read anything