My dear blogger friends, I invite you to join me for a bloggers' book club. My idea is a bit different from the standard offline affair. Rather than everyone reading the same book, I will host a monthly blog hop for which all participants will post about the best (or, as is likely in my own case, only) book they've read over the past month. In this way, everyone gets to read the books they like and also regularly exchange thoughts with other enthusiastic readers.
I propose the last Friday of each month as blog hop/meeting day, beginning in May. For this first month, I'd like to keep things simple - any book is fine. Perhaps it need never be more complicated than that, but I am open to suggestions for future months: common themes, common questions to answer, etc.
If you'd like to add an extra twist to this venture, you might give my 12 Books in 12 Months challenge a try in conjunction. The basic idea is explained here. The books I read for my own challenge are listed here.
First "meeting" shall be Friday, May 31st. If you're interested, please add your link to the list below. I hope you will join me!
I have no idea what book I'll choose, but I love the idea.
ReplyDeleteI've known about your 12 books in 12 months thing, but it's only now that I've looked at the categories. Not sure if I'm ready to commit to that, but I wonder if a future iteration of this could be done for movies?
Hmm... I'm intrigued. What do you have in mind?
DeleteThank you for signing up.
Movies! Yes. Or old-school TV shows. :)
DeleteThe movie thing was just a stray thought. When I saw your 12 categories, the first things that popped into my mind (for some of them) were movies.
DeleteLater, maybe. I'm excited about the book club. I wouldn't mind shopping or stack-browsing, but maybe I'll try to make a pile of unread books that come just from my shelves! :-)
I don't mind running several projects at once!
DeleteLet's explore the film idea first. 12 Films in 12 Months would be easy enough. Mock and I did a 30 Songs in 30 Days project a couple of years ago. That could easily be adapted for films. Or, we could work our way through (for instance) the AFI 100 together as a monthly/weekly/biweekly blog hop.
Thoughts?
TV Shows - I love that idea, too. 30 in 30 could probably be done. I'm already tentatively planning a Star Trek thing for myself. Perhaps a TV society to watch a series together posting monthly/weekly. M*A*S*H, perhaps? Cheers? Dr. Who?
DeleteThe TV idea sounds of cool.
Delete'30 Songs in 30 Days' sound like fun posts to explore. Link?
Forget the 'kind' between the 'sounds' and 'of' ...
DeleteSuze, I've already shared some of the 30 Songs posts with you. Try this link: http://armchairsquid.blogspot.com/search/label/30%20Songs
DeleteOr just click on "30 Songs" on my label list on the right.
I will participate.
ReplyDeleteWonderful! Huzzah!
DeleteI love this idea. I am so excited to join. An excuse to read more.
ReplyDeleteWelcome!
DeleteI love this idea! And if we know what book people will be blogging about in advance, maybe we'll be able to participate in a conversation about it.
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting idea. I enjoy the element of surprise myself but I can see how others might like to plan ahead. Of course, there's nothing to stop people from giving everyone a heads-up on their own blogs but perhaps there's a way I could do so communally, too. I'll think over that one.
DeleteI guess what I'm trying to understand is whether it's a book review group (taking turns individually reviewing books) or a book club. In my mind, a book club involves everyone having read the same book so you can discuss it together. A book review is individual. I like both things!
DeleteIt is my intention to combine the freedom to choose one's own books with the social component of a book club. Perhaps it might be more accurately described as a book review club.
DeleteTo put it most simply: setting aside one day of each month to share our love of books with one another. Each of us will pick a book recently finished and (hopefully) enjoyed and tell everyone else about it.
I'm interested, but I'll probably only be reading things I'm already reading. I don't have time to squeeze extra themed stuff in at the moment.
ReplyDeleteWell it's good that for the club, you can read whatever you want. Great idea, Scoots. I'm in.
DeleteAndrew, that's more or less what I'm planning to do myself. I've got a pretty big stack (3 of them, actually) to work through at the moment. It may take some planning to be sure I finish at least one book each month, though.
DeleteWell, I'm just gonna go ahead and throw out my favorite book of all of last year: Demetri and the Banana Flavored Rocketship.
DeleteHere's the link to my review:
http://strangepegs.blogspot.com/2012/10/unexpected-applause-demetri-and-banana.html
Thanks, Suze! I knew I could count on you. ;^)
DeleteAre you on goodreads? That might not be a bad place to coordinate through.
DeleteDemitri and the BFR - great title, if nothing else!
DeleteI am on goodreads as Armchair Squid.
I'm in. I've always kinda wanted to be in a book club, but have never really wanted to read something en masse. Perfect.
ReplyDeleteThat's my wife's issue with book clubs, too - the initial inspiration for this idea, in fact. I don't know if she'll do it, though. She's not much of a joiner...
DeleteWish I could join you, but my list of to-do has grown too large. Good idea, though!
ReplyDeleteWe're off to a good start here. You're always welcome to join up later, Susan!
DeleteI know a bunch of folks doing various reading challenges this year, so I will let them know about this if you don't mind. :O) Oh, following from A to Z.
ReplyDeleteSounds great! Cross-pollination is what blogging is all about, as far as I'm concerned.
DeleteCount me in. I tried starting a book club but none of my girlfriends wanted to actually read the books. They only came over for the food and wine, lol!
ReplyDeleteNot that there's anything wrong with food and wine. If I could manage that via the blogosphere, I certainly would.
DeleteDelighted to have you join us!
I think it can be tough if there's an assigned book, but this idea is great - pick your own book :)
DeleteI figure this is the simplest way to start. If others have ideas for future months, I'm open to suggestions.
DeleteYup - like I said, I thought I'd stop by & sign up! Great idea, and I do read a fair bit. I even have a goal to post a book review each month (decided to let myself off the hook with all other goals during April though ;)), so this would tie in well! :)
ReplyDeleteDelighted you're joining us, Trisha! I, too, have simplified my blogging schedule for A-Z. Can't believe we're already on X.
DeleteThanks for running this worthy project.
ReplyDeleteThank you for joining us!
Delete:)
DeleteThis shaping up to be a very nice gathering.
DeleteI agree.
DeleteI am more than 100 pages into the novel Laoch might be profiling so I think I may actually review it for 12 Books in 12 Months. I have until November to still try and get through it, right? :)
Look, if you actually finish the 12 Books, who am I to quibble about the 12 Months!
DeleteAll right, so long as we're bending the rules, this author has my same last initial but not first. Can I still use it for the initials category?
DeleteHey, Lady, I'm not the blogger police!
Delete("I don't know how he knew I was a Lady!")
As I see it, the list is intended as inspiration. My tear jerker, after all, did not make me cry. That doesn't mean I was going to keep reading books until I found one that did.
There is also the matter that you would be the first to complete the challenge other than myself. Even my own wife, who burns through reading material like nobody's business, lost interest in the 12/12 concept after a while. So, interpret away.
Don't be silly. I know you're not the blogger police, but it is your 12 books in 12 months format. I'd like to finish it and if you let me bend without snapping the rules here and again, I will. I'll be posting my review of the novel I am halfway through by the end of the weekend to the initials category.
DeleteAs a light aside, from everything you write, your wife sounds like a sharp, principled person very nicely suited to her Squid.
Wife's a genius - no doubt about it.
DeleteYou are preserving the spirit of the exercise. Go for it.
What a fabulous idea.
ReplyDeleteI will be dropping in to see what everyone is reading and talking about. I am so interested.
One of the meds I am on now makes concentration hard so book reading has become almost impossible.
Suze and I have been trading movies reviews lately and that has been very fun, exciting and because of Suze a hoot.
So no books reviews for me but I will be stopping by. Loach's book sounded interesting.
Love this idea !
cheers, parsnip
Meds that don't let you read - that's no small sacrifice.
DeleteI appreciate your participation, whatever form it may take. Plenty of chairs at The Coffeehouse.
Wow, wonderful idea! I cannot seem to join the linky list, but count me in! www.morgankatz505.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteThe list for May is closed but June is open: http://armchairsquid.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-cephalopod-coffeehouse-june-blog.html. I'll leave a note at your blog, too.
Delete