How do they work exactly? I want to know as I want to get friends who
are into the same stuff as me. Starting a bookgroup would be one. But
how does one do it and how does it work? I mean do you all read the
same book and discuss it? Or do you read individual books and
recommended it to wach other? If it were to start one, I would like it
to be in SF in nature with also the mundane thrown in for those who
are not to in to SF, I'm not picky.

Bookgroups how do they work? Enlightenment please.

I'm thinking of trying to start something here in Durban, South
Africa. Maybe I would increase my circle of friends as I have just
emmigrated here and it's just what I need.

Advice please, thank you.

"ChrisC"  wrote in message
news:1176820569.899030.175540@y5g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...

> How do they work exactly? I want to know as I want to get friends who
> are into the same stuff as me. Starting a bookgroup would be one. But
> how does one do it and how does it work?

Ask an experienced librarian.  If there are any groups
where you live the librarian can put you in touch.   If
not, he can tell you how the successful groups run.

-- 
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

On Apr 17, 5:32 pm, "Don Phillipson" 
wrote:
> "ChrisC"  wrote in message
>
> news:1176820569.899030.175540@y5g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
>
> > How do they work exactly? I want to know as I want to get friends who
> > are into the same stuff as me. Starting a bookgroup would be one. But
> > how does one do it and how does it work?
>
> Ask an experienced librarian.  If there are any groups
> where you live the librarian can put you in touch.   If
> not, he can tell you how the successful groups run.
>
> --
> Don Phillipson
> Carlsbad Springs
> (Ottawa, Canada)

Actually I did. She didn't have a clue. Strange for a librarian. Yes!
I'm still in the dark.

We all read the same book (two on a related subject or in a genre,
such as mystery novels, if they're short) and get together to discuss,
once a month.

People volunteer their homes for the evening. We potluck (since we're
all guys, a few cook, most buy stuff), and the sessions typically go
from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.

Several acquaintances started the group five years ago, and various
people have brought in a new person as folks stop coming and the
turnout gets small. Only one of the founders turns out regularly,
these days, although the last meeting had two of us who joined the
second meeting.

We've found that roughly 8 or 9 present makes for a good discussion.
With highly active and busy members, it pays to have an "active"
membership of 15 or more in order to get a decent turnout for any
particular meeting.

But you'll likely have to start out smaller.


David Loftus
Portland, Oregon

In article ,
ChrisC   wrote:
>How do they work exactly? I want to know as I want to get friends who
>are into the same stuff as me. Starting a bookgroup would be one. But
>how does one do it and how does it work? I mean do you all read the
>same book and discuss it? Or do you read individual books and
>recommended it to wach other? If it were to start one, I would like it
>to be in SF in nature with also the mundane thrown in for those who
>are not to in to SF, I'm not picky.
>
>Bookgroups how do they work? Enlightenment please.

The book group that I'm in sets up a schedule of one book (or 2-3 short 
stories) a month.  We come up with the list of books at the end of the 
year, and if they exceed twelve, we vote (using an "approval voting" 
process), and the top ten or eleven vote-getters are put in a hat and 
drawn out randomly.  This makes the next year's list.  We reserve one or 
two months for the short stories, which are discussed and selected 
separately.

One of the most important things we learned is to avoid very lengthy 
books.  They don't get finished, because people tend to start books late, 
and have jobs and lives that interrupt.

I wasn't part of the founding members, but I'm told that they started it 
up by picking a few books to start with, inviting people that they 
knew, and letting people join in as they could get them.  It's an open 
group.

We used to have designated moderators for each month, but gave that up as 
unnecessary.  We do have a tradition of starting a discussion by having 
each person introduce themselves and give a brief summary of what they 
liked or didn't like about the book.   That way everyone speaks at the 
beginning and we get a sense of what was important to the readers.

We meet in a book store, and we have flyers letting people know about the 
group <http://www.thinkgalactic.org/faq.htm>.

>
>I'm thinking of trying to start something here in Durban, South
>Africa. Maybe I would increase my circle of friends as I have just
>emmigrated here and it's just what I need.
>

Hope this helps,

-- 
	-john

February 28 1997: Last day libraries could order catalogue cards
from the Library of Congress.

Of course different groups work in different ways.  I raise and address
some questions based on my experience. I ran a book discussion group for
over 10 years.

Some key questions:

1. What kind of books do you want to read?  You indicated primarily
SF with some non-SF thrown in.  The group that I ran was by design the
opposite, primarily non-fiction with some occasional SF.  Typical books
were history, philosophy, science, etc.  I have temporary put up a
temporary copy of an almost complete list at:
http://www.moulton.com/tmp/cumulative_9710.txt
This is temporary so do not link to it.

2. Do you eat during the meeting?  The group that I ran did not, everyone
ate ahead of time.  I was for a while in another group that served finger
food so it can work either way.

3. When and how long to meet?  With everyone having a busy schedule it is
difficult find the best day and time.  The group that I ran meet on Friday
evenings.  I recommend having a set time such as 7:30PM-9:30PM and then if
the discussion is great you can continue longer.  It is important for
some people to have a end point even if you decide to continue past it; it
just makes them more comfortable.

4. Where to meet?  Best place is at the home of someone who has sufficient
space.  Some bookstores and libraries provide space for groups.  However
if it is a public or semi-public space you need to be aware of how you
will handle bystanders.  Also discussing controversial topics in a public
or semi-public space is sometimes difficult.

5. How to select what books to read?  Different groups use various voting
methods; some try to keep three or four books selected ahead; some more.
The group the I ran would typically hold what we called a Meta-Group
meeting to decide on the next 9 to 12 books.  Each person would bring the
books they wanted to propose and after long discussion and voting and
bargaining the next set would be selected.

7. Who can attend?  This is a bigger issue that it first appears.  The
group that I ran was "open"; anyone could tell some one else and that
person could get added to the email announcement list.  This was a major
mistake.  Eventually a couple of people started coming who just were
not that pleasant to be around.  At the same time I was also running a
dinner group that meet at a different restaurant periodically.  There
was a big overlap and the "unpleasant" persons wound up attending both.
Well I was under a lot of work pressure so I decided rather than deal with
the personality issues I would just wind both groups down since I was
getting very burned out.  So I after the last book which had been already
selected was finished I announced the end of the book group and the dinner
group.  What was interesting was that within a short while one of members
of the book group asked if he could revive it and run it himself. I said
yes of course.  So he started it back up with a different name (and with
a more restrictive membership policy) and it is been going for over six
years under his guidance.  After some of my work load slowed down I was
able to start attending again.  It is a real intellectual feast.

I hope this information is helpful.

Fred

On Apr 18, 5:15 am, "Fred C. Moulton" 
wrote:
> Of course different groups work in different ways.  I raise and address
> some questions based on my experience. I ran a book discussion group for
> over 10 years.
>
> Some key questions:
>
> 1. What kind of books do you want to read?  You indicated primarily
> SF with some non-SF thrown in.  The group that I ran was by design the
> opposite, primarily non-fiction with some occasional SF.  Typical books
> were history, philosophy, science, etc.  I have temporary put up a
> temporary copy of an almost complete list at:http://www.moulton.com/tmp/cumulative_9710.txt
> This is temporary so do not link to it.
>
> 2. Do you eat during the meeting?  The group that I ran did not, everyone
> ate ahead of time.  I was for a while in another group that served finger
> food so it can work either way.
>
> 3. When and how long to meet?  With everyone having a busy schedule it is
> difficult find the best day and time.  The group that I ran meet on Friday
> evenings.  I recommend having a set time such as 7:30PM-9:30PM and then if
> the discussion is great you can continue longer.  It is important for
> some people to have a end point even if you decide to continue past it; it
> just makes them more comfortable.
>
> 4. Where to meet?  Best place is at the home of someone who has sufficient
> space.  Some bookstores and libraries provide space for groups.  However
> if it is a public or semi-public space you need to be aware of how you
> will handle bystanders.  Also discussing controversial topics in a public
> or semi-public space is sometimes difficult.
>
> 5. How to select what books to read?  Different groups use various voting
> methods; some try to keep three or four books selected ahead; some more.
> The group the I ran would typically hold what we called a Meta-Group
> meeting to decide on the next 9 to 12 books.  Each person would bring the
> books they wanted to propose and after long discussion and voting and
> bargaining the next set would be selected.
>
> 7. Who can attend?  This is a bigger issue that it first appears.  The
> group that I ran was "open"; anyone could tell some one else and that
> person could get added to the email announcement list.  This was a major
> mistake.  Eventually a couple of people started coming who just were
> not that pleasant to be around.  At the same time I was also running a
> dinner group that meet at a different restaurant periodically.  There
> was a big overlap and the "unpleasant" persons wound up attending both.
> Well I was under a lot of work pressure so I decided rather than deal with
> the personality issues I would just wind both groups down since I was
> getting very burned out.  So I after the last book which had been already
> selected was finished I announced the end of the book group and the dinner
> group.  What was interesting was that within a short while one of members
> of the book group asked if he could revive it and run it himself. I said
> yes of course.  So he started it back up with a different name (and with
> a more restrictive membership policy) and it is been going for over six
> years under his guidance.  After some of my work load slowed down I was
> able to start attending again.  It is a real intellectual feast.
>
> I hope this information is helpful.
>
> Fred

Yes very helpful thanks. I think I might advertise at my local library
or something.

On 19 Apr 2007 09:07:42 -0700, ChrisC 
wrote:

>Yes very helpful thanks. I think I might advertise at my local library
>or something.

My library system runs a dozen book groups -- our science fiction
group meets tomorrow to discuss _The Last Hot Time_.
-- 
Fabulous jewelry and art at auction right now at eBay:
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZbeadingforacureQQhtZ-1QQfrppZ50QQfsopZ1QQfsooZ1QQrdZ0
All winning bids to charity!

Marilee J. Layman     http://mjlayman.livejournal.com

O/H Marilee J. Layman Ýãñáøå:
> On 19 Apr 2007 09:07:42 -0700, ChrisC 
> wrote:
> 
>> Yes very helpful thanks. I think I might advertise at my local library
>> or something.
> 
> My library system runs a dozen book groups -- our science fiction
> group meets tomorrow to discuss _The Last Hot Time_.

These days we started an online book reading group, in a sf forum I 
participate some time now (www.sff.gr/forums -- sorry everything there 
is in greek).
Some q+a:

How do we discuss the selected books?
Have not decided yet, as we start May 1st. We are between reading a 
chapter every two or three days and then come to discuss it and continue 
reading -- or finish the whole book within 20 days and then discuss it. 
The difference from a common group of course is that we are not in the 
same room physically. We have to do the reading ourselves.

How do we select books?
We named the topic The Hugo / Nebula awards remembrance and we select 
books that won awards 40, 30, 20 years ago etc. We start with Einstein 
Intersection, which won the Nebula 40 years ago (and Hugo next year). 
This is also a good way to read some good old books we wouldn't otherwise.

How do we choose the members of the group?
Easy, these are members from the  forum who volunteered. Good guys, as 
you already know them from the forum.

Any comment would be useful. Has anybody tried the online group method? 
How it worked? What should we do to make it work better?

It varies depending on the group, where you meet, and whether or not you get
any kind of official / financial involvement.
The basic principle is that you each read the same book at the same time and
then get together and talk about it. Even this rule isn't fixed. I've seen
one advertised that says you just talk about a book you've read and if the
others want to read it after that, it's up to them.

There are things you will have to think about first.
1. Where are you going to meet?
Each other's homes will work if you're all friends or if you know enough
people to deal with the odd stranger should anything happen. There are all
kinds of other pitfalls there. Do you provide refreshments? Who pays?
Public places are a good idea but you usually need a degree of co-operation
from the place. Best options are usually bookshops - possible discounts - or
coffee shops within bookshops.
2. How do you get the book?
If it's something that just come out, you can probably buy it off the shelf.
If it's older, you might be able to get copies online or, if you've got an
arrangement with a bookshop, order up copies in advance.
3. Who chooses the book?
It's nice to have members involved in choosing the book but if you want
copies you're going to have to deal with availbility. You also have to
decide whether you allow something that one or more members might have read.
There's always going to be prejudice. If there's an outside involvement,
there might be pressure to read one particular book.

I've been in a couple of library readers' groups for a while. They are a
special case. Because it's a library, you don't have to pay for the book and
the meeting space is provided. On the other hand you have little or no
involvement in the selection of the book and the choice is often very
limited. I live in a city of 1 million people. Although the library system
has a lot of books, very few have multiple copies. The computerised library
system usually over-estimates the number of copies available. You will find
100+ copies listed for the real best-sellers (Tolkien, Harry Potter, some
classics). Recent books by big or reasonably well-known names will have 20+
copies. Other books less than 5 years old may have 5-10 copies listed.

Unless you've got serious contacts in the library system, I doubt you'll get
anywhere with them.

I think you're best choice is to go to a large (or just your favourite)
bookshop that has either a lot of room or an internal coffeeshop. Ask them
if they have a book group there. If they haven't ask about arranging one.
They might want to control it. They might let you put up notices. They might
offer discounts. They might say no. If they agree, either they will print
flyers or they'll let you do it. Arrange an initial meeting date - not too
soon - and see who turns up. It's worth having recommendations at the first
meetings and asking those people who are coming to recommend something for a
future meeting.

There might be something you could start at work, depending on what sort of
place you work at.
"ChrisC"  wrote in message
news:1176820569.899030.175540@y5g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
> How do they work exactly? I want to know as I want to get friends who
> are into the same stuff as me. Starting a bookgroup would be one. But
> how does one do it and how does it work? I mean do you all read the
> same book and discuss it? Or do you read individual books and
> recommended it to wach other? If it were to start one, I would like it
> to be in SF in nature with also the mundane thrown in for those who
> are not to in to SF, I'm not picky.
>
> Bookgroups how do they work? Enlightenment please.
>
> I'm thinking of trying to start something here in Durban, South
> Africa. Maybe I would increase my circle of friends as I have just
> emmigrated here and it's just what I need.
>
> Advice please, thank you.
>

"Nikos Almpanopoulos"  wrote in message
news:1177143744.837976@athprx04...

> How do we discuss the selected books?
> Have not decided yet, as we start May 1st. We are between reading a
> chapter every two or three days and then come to discuss it and continue
> reading -- or finish the whole book within 20 days and then discuss it.
> The difference from a common group of course is that we are not in the
> same room physically. We have to do the reading ourselves.
>
> How do we select books?
> We named the topic The Hugo / Nebula awards remembrance and we select
> books that won awards 40, 30, 20 years ago etc. We start with Einstein
> Intersection, which won the Nebula 40 years ago (and Hugo next year).
> This is also a good way to read some good old books we wouldn't otherwise.

> Any comment would be useful. Has anybody tried the online group method?
> How it worked? What should we do to make it work better?

You're going to need to expand your reading list. That looks like you've
only got 8 at most per year and, if you reckon on a book in 20 days, you'd
want 18. You'll also lose some that are out of print. How many of your group
are likely to be able to read english versions? How much of the list has
been translated? Are there any greek awards? Most likely idea is to let
contributors suggest future titles but you'd need more than one
recommendation before you take it up. Remember that a translated novel is
partly down to the translator.

If the forum is threaded, you don't need a time limit on contributions or to
say how often people should comment on a book. Its probably best to leave
comment until the end of the book rather than every few chapters.

> Hey, thanks for the answer and the opinion. Yes, we are down to a few books every year, maybe not even eight, 
perhaps 5-6. We read alot, we do alot of other things (like organizing a 
3days SF Festival for third year this May, it included 19 events last 
year, perhaps so many this year as well), so we don't have the time to 
add more books. The good thing is we all read in english, so we actually 
read the prototypes (as long as the writers are writing in english of 
course). The other good thing with the older books awarded hugos etc. is 
that these years people used to write 150-250 pages books, not the huge 
600+ books of our days...


> You're going to need to expand your reading list. That looks like you've
> only got 8 at most per year and, if you reckon on a book in 20 days, you'd
> want 18. You'll also lose some that are out of print. How many of your group
> are likely to be able to read english versions? How much of the list has
> been translated? Are there any greek awards? Most likely idea is to let
> contributors suggest future titles but you'd need more than one
> recommendation before you take it up. Remember that a translated novel is
> partly down to the translator.
> 
> If the forum is threaded, you don't need a time limit on contributions or to
> say how often people should comment on a book. Its probably best to leave
> comment until the end of the book rather than every few chapters.
> 
>

Fred brought up an important point: Who can attend?

An occasional guest is welcome, once, but our group is essentially
"closed" until -- every six months or so -- we decide to invite a
couple new members in because attendance has dropped.

I did not address how and when we choose books.

We discuss at the end of a meeting -- and sometimes by email after --
our choice(s) for the next one to three months. Often, the choice two
or three months out gets changed at the next meeting because of
enthusiastic discussion and lobbying. So we're relaxed about that. We
almost never choose a brand-new book, however: we try to go for
choices that will be available in paperback, used, or remaindered form
(and since I'm cheap, I've managed to secure a library copy in almost
every case).

Most of the choices tend to be one to three years old, though every
three to five months we go after a classic such as (in the past two
years) Zola's _Germinal_, _Don Quixote_, and Dante's _Inferno_.


David Loftus

"ChrisC"  wrote in message
news:1176820569.899030.175540@y5g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...

> How do they work exactly? I want to know as I want to get friends who
> are into the same stuff as me. Starting a bookgroup would be one. But
> how does one do it and how does it work?

Ask an experienced librarian.  If there are any groups
where you live the librarian can put you in touch.   If
not, he can tell you how the successful groups run.

-- 
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

On Apr 17, 5:32 pm, "Don Phillipson" 
wrote:
> "ChrisC"  wrote in message
>
> news:1176820569.899030.175540@y5g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
>
> > How do they work exactly? I want to know as I want to get friends who
> > are into the same stuff as me. Starting a bookgroup would be one. But
> > how does one do it and how does it work?
>
> Ask an experienced librarian.  If there are any groups
> where you live the librarian can put you in touch.   If
> not, he can tell you how the successful groups run.
>
> --
> Don Phillipson
> Carlsbad Springs
> (Ottawa, Canada)

Actually I did. She didn't have a clue. Strange for a librarian. Yes!
I'm still in the dark.

We all read the same book (two on a related subject or in a genre,
such as mystery novels, if they're short) and get together to discuss,
once a month.

People volunteer their homes for the evening. We potluck (since we're
all guys, a few cook, most buy stuff), and the sessions typically go
from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.

Several acquaintances started the group five years ago, and various
people have brought in a new person as folks stop coming and the
turnout gets small. Only one of the founders turns out regularly,
these days, although the last meeting had two of us who joined the
second meeting.

We've found that roughly 8 or 9 present makes for a good discussion.
With highly active and busy members, it pays to have an "active"
membership of 15 or more in order to get a decent turnout for any
particular meeting.

But you'll likely have to start out smaller.


David Loftus
Portland, Oregon

In article ,
ChrisC   wrote:
>How do they work exactly? I want to know as I want to get friends who
>are into the same stuff as me. Starting a bookgroup would be one. But
>how does one do it and how does it work? I mean do you all read the
>same book and discuss it? Or do you read individual books and
>recommended it to wach other? If it were to start one, I would like it
>to be in SF in nature with also the mundane thrown in for those who
>are not to in to SF, I'm not picky.
>
>Bookgroups how do they work? Enlightenment please.

The book group that I'm in sets up a schedule of one book (or 2-3 short 
stories) a month.  We come up with the list of books at the end of the 
year, and if they exceed twelve, we vote (using an "approval voting" 
process), and the top ten or eleven vote-getters are put in a hat and 
drawn out randomly.  This makes the next year's list.  We reserve one or 
two months for the short stories, which are discussed and selected 
separately.

One of the most important things we learned is to avoid very lengthy 
books.  They don't get finished, because people tend to start books late, 
and have jobs and lives that interrupt.

I wasn't part of the founding members, but I'm told that they started it 
up by picking a few books to start with, inviting people that they 
knew, and letting people join in as they could get them.  It's an open 
group.

We used to have designated moderators for each month, but gave that up as 
unnecessary.  We do have a tradition of starting a discussion by having 
each person introduce themselves and give a brief summary of what they 
liked or didn't like about the book.   That way everyone speaks at the 
beginning and we get a sense of what was important to the readers.

We meet in a book store, and we have flyers letting people know about the 
group <http://www.thinkgalactic.org/faq.htm>.

>
>I'm thinking of trying to start something here in Durban, South
>Africa. Maybe I would increase my circle of friends as I have just
>emmigrated here and it's just what I need.
>

Hope this helps,

-- 
	-john

February 28 1997: Last day libraries could order catalogue cards
from the Library of Congress.

Of course different groups work in different ways.  I raise and address
some questions based on my experience. I ran a book discussion group for
over 10 years.

Some key questions:

1. What kind of books do you want to read?  You indicated primarily
SF with some non-SF thrown in.  The group that I ran was by design the
opposite, primarily non-fiction with some occasional SF.  Typical books
were history, philosophy, science, etc.  I have temporary put up a
temporary copy of an almost complete list at:
http://www.moulton.com/tmp/cumulative_9710.txt
This is temporary so do not link to it.

2. Do you eat during the meeting?  The group that I ran did not, everyone
ate ahead of time.  I was for a while in another group that served finger
food so it can work either way.

3. When and how long to meet?  With everyone having a busy schedule it is
difficult find the best day and time.  The group that I ran meet on Friday
evenings.  I recommend having a set time such as 7:30PM-9:30PM and then if
the discussion is great you can continue longer.  It is important for
some people to have a end point even if you decide to continue past it; it
just makes them more comfortable.

4. Where to meet?  Best place is at the home of someone who has sufficient
space.  Some bookstores and libraries provide space for groups.  However
if it is a public or semi-public space you need to be aware of how you
will handle bystanders.  Also discussing controversial topics in a public
or semi-public space is sometimes difficult.

5. How to select what books to read?  Different groups use various voting
methods; some try to keep three or four books selected ahead; some more.
The group the I ran would typically hold what we called a Meta-Group
meeting to decide on the next 9 to 12 books.  Each person would bring the
books they wanted to propose and after long discussion and voting and
bargaining the next set would be selected.

7. Who can attend?  This is a bigger issue that it first appears.  The
group that I ran was "open"; anyone could tell some one else and that
person could get added to the email announcement list.  This was a major
mistake.  Eventually a couple of people started coming who just were
not that pleasant to be around.  At the same time I was also running a
dinner group that meet at a different restaurant periodically.  There
was a big overlap and the "unpleasant" persons wound up attending both.
Well I was under a lot of work pressure so I decided rather than deal with
the personality issues I would just wind both groups down since I was
getting very burned out.  So I after the last book which had been already
selected was finished I announced the end of the book group and the dinner
group.  What was interesting was that within a short while one of members
of the book group asked if he could revive it and run it himself. I said
yes of course.  So he started it back up with a different name (and with
a more restrictive membership policy) and it is been going for over six
years under his guidance.  After some of my work load slowed down I was
able to start attending again.  It is a real intellectual feast.

I hope this information is helpful.

Fred

On Apr 18, 5:15 am, "Fred C. Moulton" 
wrote:
> Of course different groups work in different ways.  I raise and address
> some questions based on my experience. I ran a book discussion group for
> over 10 years.
>
> Some key questions:
>
> 1. What kind of books do you want to read?  You indicated primarily
> SF with some non-SF thrown in.  The group that I ran was by design the
> opposite, primarily non-fiction with some occasional SF.  Typical books
> were history, philosophy, science, etc.  I have temporary put up a
> temporary copy of an almost complete list at:http://www.moulton.com/tmp/cumulative_9710.txt
> This is temporary so do not link to it.
>
> 2. Do you eat during the meeting?  The group that I ran did not, everyone
> ate ahead of time.  I was for a while in another group that served finger
> food so it can work either way.
>
> 3. When and how long to meet?  With everyone having a busy schedule it is
> difficult find the best day and time.  The group that I ran meet on Friday
> evenings.  I recommend having a set time such as 7:30PM-9:30PM and then if
> the discussion is great you can continue longer.  It is important for
> some people to have a end point even if you decide to continue past it; it
> just makes them more comfortable.
>
> 4. Where to meet?  Best place is at the home of someone who has sufficient
> space.  Some bookstores and libraries provide space for groups.  However
> if it is a public or semi-public space you need to be aware of how you
> will handle bystanders.  Also discussing controversial topics in a public
> or semi-public space is sometimes difficult.
>
> 5. How to select what books to read?  Different groups use various voting
> methods; some try to keep three or four books selected ahead; some more.
> The group the I ran would typically hold what we called a Meta-Group
> meeting to decide on the next 9 to 12 books.  Each person would bring the
> books they wanted to propose and after long discussion and voting and
> bargaining the next set would be selected.
>
> 7. Who can attend?  This is a bigger issue that it first appears.  The
> group that I ran was "open"; anyone could tell some one else and that
> person could get added to the email announcement list.  This was a major
> mistake.  Eventually a couple of people started coming who just were
> not that pleasant to be around.  At the same time I was also running a
> dinner group that meet at a different restaurant periodically.  There
> was a big overlap and the "unpleasant" persons wound up attending both.
> Well I was under a lot of work pressure so I decided rather than deal with
> the personality issues I would just wind both groups down since I was
> getting very burned out.  So I after the last book which had been already
> selected was finished I announced the end of the book group and the dinner
> group.  What was interesting was that within a short while one of members
> of the book group asked if he could revive it and run it himself. I said
> yes of course.  So he started it back up with a different name (and with
> a more restrictive membership policy) and it is been going for over six
> years under his guidance.  After some of my work load slowed down I was
> able to start attending again.  It is a real intellectual feast.
>
> I hope this information is helpful.
>
> Fred

Yes very helpful thanks. I think I might advertise at my local library
or something.

On 19 Apr 2007 09:07:42 -0700, ChrisC 
wrote:

>Yes very helpful thanks. I think I might advertise at my local library
>or something.

My library system runs a dozen book groups -- our science fiction
group meets tomorrow to discuss _The Last Hot Time_.
-- 
Fabulous jewelry and art at auction right now at eBay:
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All winning bids to charity!

Marilee J. Layman     http://mjlayman.livejournal.com

O/H Marilee J. Layman Ýãñáøå:
> On 19 Apr 2007 09:07:42 -0700, ChrisC 
> wrote:
> 
>> Yes very helpful thanks. I think I might advertise at my local library
>> or something.
> 
> My library system runs a dozen book groups -- our science fiction
> group meets tomorrow to discuss _The Last Hot Time_.

These days we started an online book reading group, in a sf forum I 
participate some time now (www.sff.gr/forums -- sorry everything there 
is in greek).
Some q+a:

How do we discuss the selected books?
Have not decided yet, as we start May 1st. We are between reading a 
chapter every two or three days and then come to discuss it and continue 
reading -- or finish the whole book within 20 days and then discuss it. 
The difference from a common group of course is that we are not in the 
same room physically. We have to do the reading ourselves.

How do we select books?
We named the topic The Hugo / Nebula awards remembrance and we select 
books that won awards 40, 30, 20 years ago etc. We start with Einstein 
Intersection, which won the Nebula 40 years ago (and Hugo next year). 
This is also a good way to read some good old books we wouldn't otherwise.

How do we choose the members of the group?
Easy, these are members from the  forum who volunteered. Good guys, as 
you already know them from the forum.

Any comment would be useful. Has anybody tried the online group method? 
How it worked? What should we do to make it work better?

It varies depending on the group, where you meet, and whether or not you get
any kind of official / financial involvement.
The basic principle is that you each read the same book at the same time and
then get together and talk about it. Even this rule isn't fixed. I've seen
one advertised that says you just talk about a book you've read and if the
others want to read it after that, it's up to them.

There are things you will have to think about first.
1. Where are you going to meet?
Each other's homes will work if you're all friends or if you know enough
people to deal with the odd stranger should anything happen. There are all
kinds of other pitfalls there. Do you provide refreshments? Who pays?
Public places are a good idea but you usually need a degree of co-operation
from the place. Best options are usually bookshops - possible discounts - or
coffee shops within bookshops.
2. How do you get the book?
If it's something that just come out, you can probably buy it off the shelf.
If it's older, you might be able to get copies online or, if you've got an
arrangement with a bookshop, order up copies in advance.
3. Who chooses the book?
It's nice to have members involved in choosing the book but if you want
copies you're going to have to deal with availbility. You also have to
decide whether you allow something that one or more members might have read.
There's always going to be prejudice. If there's an outside involvement,
there might be pressure to read one particular book.

I've been in a couple of library readers' groups for a while. They are a
special case. Because it's a library, you don't have to pay for the book and
the meeting space is provided. On the other hand you have little or no
involvement in the selection of the book and the choice is often very
limited. I live in a city of 1 million people. Although the library system
has a lot of books, very few have multiple copies. The computerised library
system usually over-estimates the number of copies available. You will find
100+ copies listed for the real best-sellers (Tolkien, Harry Potter, some
classics). Recent books by big or reasonably well-known names will have 20+
copies. Other books less than 5 years old may have 5-10 copies listed.

Unless you've got serious contacts in the library system, I doubt you'll get
anywhere with them.

I think you're best choice is to go to a large (or just your favourite)
bookshop that has either a lot of room or an internal coffeeshop. Ask them
if they have a book group there. If they haven't ask about arranging one.
They might want to control it. They might let you put up notices. They might
offer discounts. They might say no. If they agree, either they will print
flyers or they'll let you do it. Arrange an initial meeting date - not too
soon - and see who turns up. It's worth having recommendations at the first
meetings and asking those people who are coming to recommend something for a
future meeting.

There might be something you could start at work, depending on what sort of
place you work at.
"ChrisC"  wrote in message
news:1176820569.899030.175540@y5g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
> How do they work exactly? I want to know as I want to get friends who
> are into the same stuff as me. Starting a bookgroup would be one. But
> how does one do it and how does it work? I mean do you all read the
> same book and discuss it? Or do you read individual books and
> recommended it to wach other? If it were to start one, I would like it
> to be in SF in nature with also the mundane thrown in for those who
> are not to in to SF, I'm not picky.
>
> Bookgroups how do they work? Enlightenment please.
>
> I'm thinking of trying to start something here in Durban, South
> Africa. Maybe I would increase my circle of friends as I have just
> emmigrated here and it's just what I need.
>
> Advice please, thank you.
>

"Nikos Almpanopoulos"  wrote in message
news:1177143744.837976@athprx04...

> How do we discuss the selected books?
> Have not decided yet, as we start May 1st. We are between reading a
> chapter every two or three days and then come to discuss it and continue
> reading -- or finish the whole book within 20 days and then discuss it.
> The difference from a common group of course is that we are not in the
> same room physically. We have to do the reading ourselves.
>
> How do we select books?
> We named the topic The Hugo / Nebula awards remembrance and we select
> books that won awards 40, 30, 20 years ago etc. We start with Einstein
> Intersection, which won the Nebula 40 years ago (and Hugo next year).
> This is also a good way to read some good old books we wouldn't otherwise.

> Any comment would be useful. Has anybody tried the online group method?
> How it worked? What should we do to make it work better?

You're going to need to expand your reading list. That looks like you've
only got 8 at most per year and, if you reckon on a book in 20 days, you'd
want 18. You'll also lose some that are out of print. How many of your group
are likely to be able to read english versions? How much of the list has
been translated? Are there any greek awards? Most likely idea is to let
contributors suggest future titles but you'd need more than one
recommendation before you take it up. Remember that a translated novel is
partly down to the translator.

If the forum is threaded, you don't need a time limit on contributions or to
say how often people should comment on a book. Its probably best to leave
comment until the end of the book rather than every few chapters.

> Hey, thanks for the answer and the opinion. Yes, we are down to a few books every year, maybe not even eight, 
perhaps 5-6. We read alot, we do alot of other things (like organizing a 
3days SF Festival for third year this May, it included 19 events last 
year, perhaps so many this year as well), so we don't have the time to 
add more books. The good thing is we all read in english, so we actually 
read the prototypes (as long as the writers are writing in english of 
course). The other good thing with the older books awarded hugos etc. is 
that these years people used to write 150-250 pages books, not the huge 
600+ books of our days...


> You're going to need to expand your reading list. That looks like you've
> only got 8 at most per year and, if you reckon on a book in 20 days, you'd
> want 18. You'll also lose some that are out of print. How many of your group
> are likely to be able to read english versions? How much of the list has
> been translated? Are there any greek awards? Most likely idea is to let
> contributors suggest future titles but you'd need more than one
> recommendation before you take it up. Remember that a translated novel is
> partly down to the translator.
> 
> If the forum is threaded, you don't need a time limit on contributions or to
> say how often people should comment on a book. Its probably best to leave
> comment until the end of the book rather than every few chapters.
> 
>

Fred brought up an important point: Who can attend?

An occasional guest is welcome, once, but our group is essentially
"closed" until -- every six months or so -- we decide to invite a
couple new members in because attendance has dropped.

I did not address how and when we choose books.

We discuss at the end of a meeting -- and sometimes by email after --
our choice(s) for the next one to three months. Often, the choice two
or three months out gets changed at the next meeting because of
enthusiastic discussion and lobbying. So we're relaxed about that. We
almost never choose a brand-new book, however: we try to go for
choices that will be available in paperback, used, or remaindered form
(and since I'm cheap, I've managed to secure a library copy in almost
every case).

Most of the choices tend to be one to three years old, though every
three to five months we go after a classic such as (in the past two
years) Zola's _Germinal_, _Don Quixote_, and Dante's _Inferno_.


David Loftus

"ChrisC"  wrote in message
news:1176820569.899030.175540@y5g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...

> How do they work exactly? I want to know as I want to get friends who
> are into the same stuff as me. Starting a bookgroup would be one. But
> how does one do it and how does it work?

Ask an experienced librarian.  If there are any groups
where you live the librarian can put you in touch.   If
not, he can tell you how the successful groups run.

-- 
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

On Apr 17, 5:32 pm, "Don Phillipson" 
wrote:
> "ChrisC"  wrote in message
>
> news:1176820569.899030.175540@y5g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
>
> > How do they work exactly? I want to know as I want to get friends who
> > are into the same stuff as me. Starting a bookgroup would be one. But
> > how does one do it and how does it work?
>
> Ask an experienced librarian.  If there are any groups
> where you live the librarian can put you in touch.   If
> not, he can tell you how the successful groups run.
>
> --
> Don Phillipson
> Carlsbad Springs
> (Ottawa, Canada)

Actually I did. She didn't have a clue. Strange for a librarian. Yes!
I'm still in the dark.

We all read the same book (two on a related subject or in a genre,
such as mystery novels, if they're short) and get together to discuss,
once a month.

People volunteer their homes for the evening. We potluck (since we're
all guys, a few cook, most buy stuff), and the sessions typically go
from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.

Several acquaintances started the group five years ago, and various
people have brought in a new person as folks stop coming and the
turnout gets small. Only one of the founders turns out regularly,
these days, although the last meeting had two of us who joined the
second meeting.

We've found that roughly 8 or 9 present makes for a good discussion.
With highly active and busy members, it pays to have an "active"
membership of 15 or more in order to get a decent turnout for any
particular meeting.

But you'll likely have to start out smaller.


David Loftus
Portland, Oregon

In article ,
ChrisC   wrote:
>How do they work exactly? I want to know as I want to get friends who
>are into the same stuff as me. Starting a bookgroup would be one. But
>how does one do it and how does it work? I mean do you all read the
>same book and discuss it? Or do you read individual books and
>recommended it to wach other? If it were to start one, I would like it
>to be in SF in nature with also the mundane thrown in for those who
>are not to in to SF, I'm not picky.
>
>Bookgroups how do they work? Enlightenment please.

The book group that I'm in sets up a schedule of one book (or 2-3 short 
stories) a month.  We come up with the list of books at the end of the 
year, and if they exceed twelve, we vote (using an "approval voting" 
process), and the top ten or eleven vote-getters are put in a hat and 
drawn out randomly.  This makes the next year's list.  We reserve one or 
two months for the short stories, which are discussed and selected 
separately.

One of the most important things we learned is to avoid very lengthy 
books.  They don't get finished, because people tend to start books late, 
and have jobs and lives that interrupt.

I wasn't part of the founding members, but I'm told that they started it 
up by picking a few books to start with, inviting people that they 
knew, and letting people join in as they could get them.  It's an open 
group.

We used to have designated moderators for each month, but gave that up as 
unnecessary.  We do have a tradition of starting a discussion by having 
each person introduce themselves and give a brief summary of what they 
liked or didn't like about the book.   That way everyone speaks at the 
beginning and we get a sense of what was important to the readers.

We meet in a book store, and we have flyers letting people know about the 
group <http://www.thinkgalactic.org/faq.htm>.

>
>I'm thinking of trying to start something here in Durban, South
>Africa. Maybe I would increase my circle of friends as I have just
>emmigrated here and it's just what I need.
>

Hope this helps,

-- 
	-john

February 28 1997: Last day libraries could order catalogue cards
from the Library of Congress.

Of course different groups work in different ways.  I raise and address
some questions based on my experience. I ran a book discussion group for
over 10 years.

Some key questions:

1. What kind of books do you want to read?  You indicated primarily
SF with some non-SF thrown in.  The group that I ran was by design the
opposite, primarily non-fiction with some occasional SF.  Typical books
were history, philosophy, science, etc.  I have temporary put up a
temporary copy of an almost complete list at:
http://www.moulton.com/tmp/cumulative_9710.txt
This is temporary so do not link to it.

2. Do you eat during the meeting?  The group that I ran did not, everyone
ate ahead of time.  I was for a while in another group that served finger
food so it can work either way.

3. When and how long to meet?  With everyone having a busy schedule it is
difficult find the best day and time.  The group that I ran meet on Friday
evenings.  I recommend having a set time such as 7:30PM-9:30PM and then if
the discussion is great you can continue longer.  It is important for
some people to have a end point even if you decide to continue past it; it
just makes them more comfortable.

4. Where to meet?  Best place is at the home of someone who has sufficient
space.  Some bookstores and libraries provide space for groups.  However
if it is a public or semi-public space you need to be aware of how you
will handle bystanders.  Also discussing controversial topics in a public
or semi-public space is sometimes difficult.

5. How to select what books to read?  Different groups use various voting
methods; some try to keep three or four books selected ahead; some more.
The group the I ran would typically hold what we called a Meta-Group
meeting to decide on the next 9 to 12 books.  Each person would bring the
books they wanted to propose and after long discussion and voting and
bargaining the next set would be selected.

7. Who can attend?  This is a bigger issue that it first appears.  The
group that I ran was "open"; anyone could tell some one else and that
person could get added to the email announcement list.  This was a major
mistake.  Eventually a couple of people started coming who just were
not that pleasant to be around.  At the same time I was also running a
dinner group that meet at a different restaurant periodically.  There
was a big overlap and the "unpleasant" persons wound up attending both.
Well I was under a lot of work pressure so I decided rather than deal with
the personality issues I would just wind both groups down since I was
getting very burned out.  So I after the last book which had been already
selected was finished I announced the end of the book group and the dinner
group.  What was interesting was that within a short while one of members
of the book group asked if he could revive it and run it himself. I said
yes of course.  So he started it back up with a different name (and with
a more restrictive membership policy) and it is been going for over six
years under his guidance.  After some of my work load slowed down I was
able to start attending again.  It is a real intellectual feast.

I hope this information is helpful.

Fred

On Apr 18, 5:15 am, "Fred C. Moulton" 
wrote:
> Of course different groups work in different ways.  I raise and address
> some questions based on my experience. I ran a book discussion group for
> over 10 years.
>
> Some key questions:
>
> 1. What kind of books do you want to read?  You indicated primarily
> SF with some non-SF thrown in.  The group that I ran was by design the
> opposite, primarily non-fiction with some occasional SF.  Typical books
> were history, philosophy, science, etc.  I have temporary put up a
> temporary copy of an almost complete list at:http://www.moulton.com/tmp/cumulative_9710.txt
> This is temporary so do not link to it.
>
> 2. Do you eat during the meeting?  The group that I ran did not, everyone
> ate ahead of time.  I was for a while in another group that served finger
> food so it can work either way.
>
> 3. When and how long to meet?  With everyone having a busy schedule it is
> difficult find the best day and time.  The group that I ran meet on Friday
> evenings.  I recommend having a set time such as 7:30PM-9:30PM and then if
> the discussion is great you can continue longer.  It is important for
> some people to have a end point even if you decide to continue past it; it
> just makes them more comfortable.
>
> 4. Where to meet?  Best place is at the home of someone who has sufficient
> space.  Some bookstores and libraries provide space for groups.  However
> if it is a public or semi-public space you need to be aware of how you
> will handle bystanders.  Also discussing controversial topics in a public
> or semi-public space is sometimes difficult.
>
> 5. How to select what books to read?  Different groups use various voting
> methods; some try to keep three or four books selected ahead; some more.
> The group the I ran would typically hold what we called a Meta-Group
> meeting to decide on the next 9 to 12 books.  Each person would bring the
> books they wanted to propose and after long discussion and voting and
> bargaining the next set would be selected.
>
> 7. Who can attend?  This is a bigger issue that it first appears.  The
> group that I ran was "open"; anyone could tell some one else and that
> person could get added to the email announcement list.  This was a major
> mistake.  Eventually a couple of people started coming who just were
> not that pleasant to be around.  At the same time I was also running a
> dinner group that meet at a different restaurant periodically.  There
> was a big overlap and the "unpleasant" persons wound up attending both.
> Well I was under a lot of work pressure so I decided rather than deal with
> the personality issues I would just wind both groups down since I was
> getting very burned out.  So I after the last book which had been already
> selected was finished I announced the end of the book group and the dinner
> group.  What was interesting was that within a short while one of members
> of the book group asked if he could revive it and run it himself. I said
> yes of course.  So he started it back up with a different name (and with
> a more restrictive membership policy) and it is been going for over six
> years under his guidance.  After some of my work load slowed down I was
> able to start attending again.  It is a real intellectual feast.
>
> I hope this information is helpful.
>
> Fred

Yes very helpful thanks. I think I might advertise at my local library
or something.

On 19 Apr 2007 09:07:42 -0700, ChrisC 
wrote:

>Yes very helpful thanks. I think I might advertise at my local library
>or something.

My library system runs a dozen book groups -- our science fiction
group meets tomorrow to discuss _The Last Hot Time_.
-- 
Fabulous jewelry and art at auction right now at eBay:
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZbeadingforacureQQhtZ-1QQfrppZ50QQfsopZ1QQfsooZ1QQrdZ0
All winning bids to charity!

Marilee J. Layman     http://mjlayman.livejournal.com

O/H Marilee J. Layman Ýãñáøå:
> On 19 Apr 2007 09:07:42 -0700, ChrisC 
> wrote:
> 
>> Yes very helpful thanks. I think I might advertise at my local library
>> or something.
> 
> My library system runs a dozen book groups -- our science fiction
> group meets tomorrow to discuss _The Last Hot Time_.

These days we started an online book reading group, in a sf forum I 
participate some time now (www.sff.gr/forums -- sorry everything there 
is in greek).
Some q+a:

How do we discuss the selected books?
Have not decided yet, as we start May 1st. We are between reading a 
chapter every two or three days and then come to discuss it and continue 
reading -- or finish the whole book within 20 days and then discuss it. 
The difference from a common group of course is that we are not in the 
same room physically. We have to do the reading ourselves.

How do we select books?
We named the topic The Hugo / Nebula awards remembrance and we select 
books that won awards 40, 30, 20 years ago etc. We start with Einstein 
Intersection, which won the Nebula 40 years ago (and Hugo next year). 
This is also a good way to read some good old books we wouldn't otherwise.

How do we choose the members of the group?
Easy, these are members from the  forum who volunteered. Good guys, as 
you already know them from the forum.

Any comment would be useful. Has anybody tried the online group method? 
How it worked? What should we do to make it work better?

It varies depending on the group, where you meet, and whether or not you get
any kind of official / financial involvement.
The basic principle is that you each read the same book at the same time and
then get together and talk about it. Even this rule isn't fixed. I've seen
one advertised that says you just talk about a book you've read and if the
others want to read it after that, it's up to them.

There are things you will have to think about first.
1. Where are you going to meet?
Each other's homes will work if you're all friends or if you know enough
people to deal with the odd stranger should anything happen. There are all
kinds of other pitfalls there. Do you provide refreshments? Who pays?
Public places are a good idea but you usually need a degree of co-operation
from the place. Best options are usually bookshops - possible discounts - or
coffee shops within bookshops.
2. How do you get the book?
If it's something that just come out, you can probably buy it off the shelf.
If it's older, you might be able to get copies online or, if you've got an
arrangement with a bookshop, order up copies in advance.
3. Who chooses the book?
It's nice to have members involved in choosing the book but if you want
copies you're going to have to deal with availbility. You also have to
decide whether you allow something that one or more members might have read.
There's always going to be prejudice. If there's an outside involvement,
there might be pressure to read one particular book.

I've been in a couple of library readers' groups for a while. They are a
special case. Because it's a library, you don't have to pay for the book and
the meeting space is provided. On the other hand you have little or no
involvement in the selection of the book and the choice is often very
limited. I live in a city of 1 million people. Although the library system
has a lot of books, very few have multiple copies. The computerised library
system usually over-estimates the number of copies available. You will find
100+ copies listed for the real best-sellers (Tolkien, Harry Potter, some
classics). Recent books by big or reasonably well-known names will have 20+
copies. Other books less than 5 years old may have 5-10 copies listed.

Unless you've got serious contacts in the library system, I doubt you'll get
anywhere with them.

I think you're best choice is to go to a large (or just your favourite)
bookshop that has either a lot of room or an internal coffeeshop. Ask them
if they have a book group there. If they haven't ask about arranging one.
They might want to control it. They might let you put up notices. They might
offer discounts. They might say no. If they agree, either they will print
flyers or they'll let you do it. Arrange an initial meeting date - not too
soon - and see who turns up. It's worth having recommendations at the first
meetings and asking those people who are coming to recommend something for a
future meeting.

There might be something you could start at work, depending on what sort of
place you work at.
"ChrisC"  wrote in message
news:1176820569.899030.175540@y5g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
> How do they work exactly? I want to know as I want to get friends who
> are into the same stuff as me. Starting a bookgroup would be one. But
> how does one do it and how does it work? I mean do you all read the
> same book and discuss it? Or do you read individual books and
> recommended it to wach other? If it were to start one, I would like it
> to be in SF in nature with also the mundane thrown in for those who
> are not to in to SF, I'm not picky.
>
> Bookgroups how do they work? Enlightenment please.
>
> I'm thinking of trying to start something here in Durban, South
> Africa. Maybe I would increase my circle of friends as I have just
> emmigrated here and it's just what I need.
>
> Advice please, thank you.
>

"Nikos Almpanopoulos"  wrote in message
news:1177143744.837976@athprx04...

> How do we discuss the selected books?
> Have not decided yet, as we start May 1st. We are between reading a
> chapter every two or three days and then come to discuss it and continue
> reading -- or finish the whole book within 20 days and then discuss it.
> The difference from a common group of course is that we are not in the
> same room physically. We have to do the reading ourselves.
>
> How do we select books?
> We named the topic The Hugo / Nebula awards remembrance and we select
> books that won awards 40, 30, 20 years ago etc. We start with Einstein
> Intersection, which won the Nebula 40 years ago (and Hugo next year).
> This is also a good way to read some good old books we wouldn't otherwise.

> Any comment would be useful. Has anybody tried the online group method?
> How it worked? What should we do to make it work better?

You're going to need to expand your reading list. That looks like you've
only got 8 at most per year and, if you reckon on a book in 20 days, you'd
want 18. You'll also lose some that are out of print. How many of your group
are likely to be able to read english versions? How much of the list has
been translated? Are there any greek awards? Most likely idea is to let
contributors suggest future titles but you'd need more than one
recommendation before you take it up. Remember that a translated novel is
partly down to the translator.

If the forum is threaded, you don't need a time limit on contributions or to
say how often people should comment on a book. Its probably best to leave
comment until the end of the book rather than every few chapters.

> Hey, thanks for the answer and the opinion. Yes, we are down to a few books every year, maybe not even eight, 
perhaps 5-6. We read alot, we do alot of other things (like organizing a 
3days SF Festival for third year this May, it included 19 events last 
year, perhaps so many this year as well), so we don't have the time to 
add more books. The good thing is we all read in english, so we actually 
read the prototypes (as long as the writers are writing in english of 
course). The other good thing with the older books awarded hugos etc. is 
that these years people used to write 150-250 pages books, not the huge 
600+ books of our days...


> You're going to need to expand your reading list. That looks like you've
> only got 8 at most per year and, if you reckon on a book in 20 days, you'd
> want 18. You'll also lose some that are out of print. How many of your group
> are likely to be able to read english versions? How much of the list has
> been translated? Are there any greek awards? Most likely idea is to let
> contributors suggest future titles but you'd need more than one
> recommendation before you take it up. Remember that a translated novel is
> partly down to the translator.
> 
> If the forum is threaded, you don't need a time limit on contributions or to
> say how often people should comment on a book. Its probably best to leave
> comment until the end of the book rather than every few chapters.
> 
>

Fred brought up an important point: Who can attend?

An occasional guest is welcome, once, but our group is essentially
"closed" until -- every six months or so -- we decide to invite a
couple new members in because attendance has dropped.

I did not address how and when we choose books.

We discuss at the end of a meeting -- and sometimes by email after --
our choice(s) for the next one to three months. Often, the choice two
or three months out gets changed at the next meeting because of
enthusiastic discussion and lobbying. So we're relaxed about that. We
almost never choose a brand-new book, however: we try to go for
choices that will be available in paperback, used, or remaindered form
(and since I'm cheap, I've managed to secure a library copy in almost
every case).

Most of the choices tend to be one to three years old, though every
three to five months we go after a classic such as (in the past two
years) Zola's _Germinal_, _Don Quixote_, and Dante's _Inferno_.


David Loftus

"ChrisC"  wrote in message
news:1176820569.899030.175540@y5g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...

> How do they work exactly? I want to know as I want to get friends who
> are into the same stuff as me. Starting a bookgroup would be one. But
> how does one do it and how does it work?

Ask an experienced librarian.  If there are any groups
where you live the librarian can put you in touch.   If
not, he can tell you how the successful groups run.

-- 
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

On Apr 17, 5:32 pm, "Don Phillipson" 
wrote:
> "ChrisC"  wrote in message
>
> news:1176820569.899030.175540@y5g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
>
> > How do they work exactly? I want to know as I want to get friends who
> > are into the same stuff as me. Starting a bookgroup would be one. But
> > how does one do it and how does it work?
>
> Ask an experienced librarian.  If there are any groups
> where you live the librarian can put you in touch.   If
> not, he can tell you how the successful groups run.
>
> --
> Don Phillipson
> Carlsbad Springs
> (Ottawa, Canada)

Actually I did. She didn't have a clue. Strange for a librarian. Yes!
I'm still in the dark.

We all read the same book (two on a related subject or in a genre,
such as mystery novels, if they're short) and get together to discuss,
once a month.

People volunteer their homes for the evening. We potluck (since we're
all guys, a few cook, most buy stuff), and the sessions typically go
from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.

Several acquaintances started the group five years ago, and various
people have brought in a new person as folks stop coming and the
turnout gets small. Only one of the founders turns out regularly,
these days, although the last meeting had two of us who joined the
second meeting.

We've found that roughly 8 or 9 present makes for a good discussion.
With highly active and busy members, it pays to have an "active"
membership of 15 or more in order to get a decent turnout for any
particular meeting.

But you'll likely have to start out smaller.


David Loftus
Portland, Oregon

In article ,
ChrisC   wrote:
>How do they work exactly? I want to know as I want to get friends who
>are into the same stuff as me. Starting a bookgroup would be one. But
>how does one do it and how does it work? I mean do you all read the
>same book and discuss it? Or do you read individual books and
>recommended it to wach other? If it were to start one, I would like it
>to be in SF in nature with also the mundane thrown in for those who
>are not to in to SF, I'm not picky.
>
>Bookgroups how do they work? Enlightenment please.

The book group that I'm in sets up a schedule of one book (or 2-3 short 
stories) a month.  We come up with the list of books at the end of the 
year, and if they exceed twelve, we vote (using an "approval voting" 
process), and the top ten or eleven vote-getters are put in a hat and 
drawn out randomly.  This makes the next year's list.  We reserve one or 
two months for the short stories, which are discussed and selected 
separately.

One of the most important things we learned is to avoid very lengthy 
books.  They don't get finished, because people tend to start books late, 
and have jobs and lives that interrupt.

I wasn't part of the founding members, but I'm told that they started it 
up by picking a few books to start with, inviting people that they 
knew, and letting people join in as they could get them.  It's an open 
group.

We used to have designated moderators for each month, but gave that up as 
unnecessary.  We do have a tradition of starting a discussion by having 
each person introduce themselves and give a brief summary of what they 
liked or didn't like about the book.   That way everyone speaks at the 
beginning and we get a sense of what was important to the readers.

We meet in a book store, and we have flyers letting people know about the 
group <http://www.thinkgalactic.org/faq.htm>.

>
>I'm thinking of trying to start something here in Durban, South
>Africa. Maybe I would increase my circle of friends as I have just
>emmigrated here and it's just what I need.
>

Hope this helps,

-- 
	-john

February 28 1997: Last day libraries could order catalogue cards
from the Library of Congress.

Of course different groups work in different ways.  I raise and address
some questions based on my experience. I ran a book discussion group for
over 10 years.

Some key questions:

1. What kind of books do you want to read?  You indicated primarily
SF with some non-SF thrown in.  The group that I ran was by design the
opposite, primarily non-fiction with some occasional SF.  Typical books
were history, philosophy, science, etc.  I have temporary put up a
temporary copy of an almost complete list at:
http://www.moulton.com/tmp/cumulative_9710.txt
This is temporary so do not link to it.

2. Do you eat during the meeting?  The group that I ran did not, everyone
ate ahead of time.  I was for a while in another group that served finger
food so it can work either way.

3. When and how long to meet?  With everyone having a busy schedule it is
difficult find the best day and time.  The group that I ran meet on Friday
evenings.  I recommend having a set time such as 7:30PM-9:30PM and then if
the discussion is great you can continue longer.  It is important for
some people to have a end point even if you decide to continue past it; it
just makes them more comfortable.

4. Where to meet?  Best place is at the home of someone who has sufficient
space.  Some bookstores and libraries provide space for groups.  However
if it is a public or semi-public space you need to be aware of how you
will handle bystanders.  Also discussing controversial topics in a public
or semi-public space is sometimes difficult.

5. How to select what books to read?  Different groups use various voting
methods; some try to keep three or four books selected ahead; some more.
The group the I ran would typically hold what we called a Meta-Group
meeting to decide on the next 9 to 12 books.  Each person would bring the
books they wanted to propose and after long discussion and voting and
bargaining the next set would be selected.

7. Who can attend?  This is a bigger issue that it first appears.  The
group that I ran was "open"; anyone could tell some one else and that
person could get added to the email announcement list.  This was a major
mistake.  Eventually a couple of people started coming who just were
not that pleasant to be around.  At the same time I was also running a
dinner group that meet at a different restaurant periodically.  There
was a big overlap and the "unpleasant" persons wound up attending both.
Well I was under a lot of work pressure so I decided rather than deal with
the personality issues I would just wind both groups down since I was
getting very burned out.  So I after the last book which had been already
selected was finished I announced the end of the book group and the dinner
group.  What was interesting was that within a short while one of members
of the book group asked if he could revive it and run it himself. I said
yes of course.  So he started it back up with a different name (and with
a more restrictive membership policy) and it is been going for over six
years under his guidance.  After some of my work load slowed down I was
able to start attending again.  It is a real intellectual feast.

I hope this information is helpful.

Fred

On Apr 18, 5:15 am, "Fred C. Moulton" 
wrote:
> Of course different groups work in different ways.  I raise and address
> some questions based on my experience. I ran a book discussion group for
> over 10 years.
>
> Some key questions:
>
> 1. What kind of books do you want to read?  You indicated primarily
> SF with some non-SF thrown in.  The group that I ran was by design the
> opposite, primarily non-fiction with some occasional SF.  Typical books
> were history, philosophy, science, etc.  I have temporary put up a
> temporary copy of an almost complete list at:http://www.moulton.com/tmp/cumulative_9710.txt
> This is temporary so do not link to it.
>
> 2. Do you eat during the meeting?  The group that I ran did not, everyone
> ate ahead of time.  I was for a while in another group that served finger
> food so it can work either way.
>
> 3. When and how long to meet?  With everyone having a busy schedule it is
> difficult find the best day and time.  The group that I ran meet on Friday
> evenings.  I recommend having a set time such as 7:30PM-9:30PM and then if
> the discussion is great you can continue longer.  It is important for
> some people to have a end point even if you decide to continue past it; it
> just makes them more comfortable.
>
> 4. Where to meet?  Best place is at the home of someone who has sufficient
> space.  Some bookstores and libraries provide space for groups.  However
> if it is a public or semi-public space you need to be aware of how you
> will handle bystanders.  Also discussing controversial topics in a public
> or semi-public space is sometimes difficult.
>
> 5. How to select what books to read?  Different groups use various voting
> methods; some try to keep three or four books selected ahead; some more.
> The group the I ran would typically hold what we called a Meta-Group
> meeting to decide on the next 9 to 12 books.  Each person would bring the
> books they wanted to propose and after long discussion and voting and
> bargaining the next set would be selected.
>
> 7. Who can attend?  This is a bigger issue that it first appears.  The
> group that I ran was "open"; anyone could tell some one else and that
> person could get added to the email announcement list.  This was a major
> mistake.  Eventually a couple of people started coming who just were
> not that pleasant to be around.  At the same time I was also running a
> dinner group that meet at a different restaurant periodically.  There
> was a big overlap and the "unpleasant" persons wound up attending both.
> Well I was under a lot of work pressure so I decided rather than deal with
> the personality issues I would just wind both groups down since I was
> getting very burned out.  So I after the last book which had been already
> selected was finished I announced the end of the book group and the dinner
> group.  What was interesting was that within a short while one of members
> of the book group asked if he could revive it and run it himself. I said
> yes of course.  So he started it back up with a different name (and with
> a more restrictive membership policy) and it is been going for over six
> years under his guidance.  After some of my work load slowed down I was
> able to start attending again.  It is a real intellectual feast.
>
> I hope this information is helpful.
>
> Fred

Yes very helpful thanks. I think I might advertise at my local library
or something.

On 19 Apr 2007 09:07:42 -0700, ChrisC 
wrote:

>Yes very helpful thanks. I think I might advertise at my local library
>or something.

My library system runs a dozen book groups -- our science fiction
group meets tomorrow to discuss _The Last Hot Time_.
-- 
Fabulous jewelry and art at auction right now at eBay:
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All winning bids to charity!

Marilee J. Layman     http://mjlayman.livejournal.com

O/H Marilee J. Layman Ýãñáøå:
> On 19 Apr 2007 09:07:42 -0700, ChrisC 
> wrote:
> 
>> Yes very helpful thanks. I think I might advertise at my local library
>> or something.
> 
> My library system runs a dozen book groups -- our science fiction
> group meets tomorrow to discuss _The Last Hot Time_.

These days we started an online book reading group, in a sf forum I 
participate some time now (www.sff.gr/forums -- sorry everything there 
is in greek).
Some q+a:

How do we discuss the selected books?
Have not decided yet, as we start May 1st. We are between reading a 
chapter every two or three days and then come to discuss it and continue 
reading -- or finish the whole book within 20 days and then discuss it. 
The difference from a common group of course is that we are not in the 
same room physically. We have to do the reading ourselves.

How do we select books?
We named the topic The Hugo / Nebula awards remembrance and we select 
books that won awards 40, 30, 20 years ago etc. We start with Einstein 
Intersection, which won the Nebula 40 years ago (and Hugo next year). 
This is also a good way to read some good old books we wouldn't otherwise.

How do we choose the members of the group?
Easy, these are members from the  forum who volunteered. Good guys, as 
you already know them from the forum.

Any comment would be useful. Has anybody tried the online group method? 
How it worked? What should we do to make it work better?

It varies depending on the group, where you meet, and whether or not you get
any kind of official / financial involvement.
The basic principle is that you each read the same book at the same time and
then get together and talk about it. Even this rule isn't fixed. I've seen
one advertised that says you just talk about a book you've read and if the
others want to read it after that, it's up to them.

There are things you will have to think about first.
1. Where are you going to meet?
Each other's homes will work if you're all friends or if you know enough
people to deal with the odd stranger should anything happen. There are all
kinds of other pitfalls there. Do you provide refreshments? Who pays?
Public places are a good idea but you usually need a degree of co-operation
from the place. Best options are usually bookshops - possible discounts - or
coffee shops within bookshops.
2. How do you get the book?
If it's something that just come out, you can probably buy it off the shelf.
If it's older, you might be able to get copies online or, if you've got an
arrangement with a bookshop, order up copies in advance.
3. Who chooses the book?
It's nice to have members involved in choosing the book but if you want
copies you're going to have to deal with availbility. You also have to
decide whether you allow something that one or more members might have read.
There's always going to be prejudice. If there's an outside involvement,
there might be pressure to read one particular book.

I've been in a couple of library readers' groups for a while. They are a
special case. Because it's a library, you don't have to pay for the book and
the meeting space is provided. On the other hand you have little or no
involvement in the selection of the book and the choice is often very
limited. I live in a city of 1 million people. Although the library system
has a lot of books, very few have multiple copies. The computerised library
system usually over-estimates the number of copies available. You will find
100+ copies listed for the real best-sellers (Tolkien, Harry Potter, some
classics). Recent books by big or reasonably well-known names will have 20+
copies. Other books less than 5 years old may have 5-10 copies listed.

Unless you've got serious contacts in the library system, I doubt you'll get
anywhere with them.

I think you're best choice is to go to a large (or just your favourite)
bookshop that has either a lot of room or an internal coffeeshop. Ask them
if they have a book group there. If they haven't ask about arranging one.
They might want to control it. They might let you put up notices. They might
offer discounts. They might say no. If they agree, either they will print
flyers or they'll let you do it. Arrange an initial meeting date - not too
soon - and see who turns up. It's worth having recommendations at the first
meetings and asking those people who are coming to recommend something for a
future meeting.

There might be something you could start at work, depending on what sort of
place you work at.
"ChrisC"  wrote in message
news:1176820569.899030.175540@y5g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
> How do they work exactly? I want to know as I want to get friends who
> are into the same stuff as me. Starting a bookgroup would be one. But
> how does one do it and how does it work? I mean do you all read the
> same book and discuss it? Or do you read individual books and
> recommended it to wach other? If it were to start one, I would like it
> to be in SF in nature with also the mundane thrown in for those who
> are not to in to SF, I'm not picky.
>
> Bookgroups how do they work? Enlightenment please.
>
> I'm thinking of trying to start something here in Durban, South
> Africa. Maybe I would increase my circle of friends as I have just
> emmigrated here and it's just what I need.
>
> Advice please, thank you.
>

"Nikos Almpanopoulos"  wrote in message
news:1177143744.837976@athprx04...

> How do we discuss the selected books?
> Have not decided yet, as we start May 1st. We are between reading a
> chapter every two or three days and then come to discuss it and continue
> reading -- or finish the whole book within 20 days and then discuss it.
> The difference from a common group of course is that we are not in the
> same room physically. We have to do the reading ourselves.
>
> How do we select books?
> We named the topic The Hugo / Nebula awards remembrance and we select
> books that won awards 40, 30, 20 years ago etc. We start with Einstein
> Intersection, which won the Nebula 40 years ago (and Hugo next year).
> This is also a good way to read some good old books we wouldn't otherwise.

> Any comment would be useful. Has anybody tried the online group method?
> How it worked? What should we do to make it work better?

You're going to need to expand your reading list. That looks like you've
only got 8 at most per year and, if you reckon on a book in 20 days, you'd
want 18. You'll also lose some that are out of print. How many of your group
are likely to be able to read english versions? How much of the list has
been translated? Are there any greek awards? Most likely idea is to let
contributors suggest future titles but you'd need more than one
recommendation before you take it up. Remember that a translated novel is
partly down to the translator.

If the forum is threaded, you don't need a time limit on contributions or to
say how often people should comment on a book. Its probably best to leave
comment until the end of the book rather than every few chapters.

> Hey, thanks for the answer and the opinion. Yes, we are down to a few books every year, maybe not even eight, 
perhaps 5-6. We read alot, we do alot of other things (like organizing a 
3days SF Festival for third year this May, it included 19 events last 
year, perhaps so many this year as well), so we don't have the time to 
add more books. The good thing is we all read in english, so we actually 
read the prototypes (as long as the writers are writing in english of 
course). The other good thing with the older books awarded hugos etc. is 
that these years people used to write 150-250 pages books, not the huge 
600+ books of our days...


> You're going to need to expand your reading list. That looks like you've
> only got 8 at most per year and, if you reckon on a book in 20 days, you'd
> want 18. You'll also lose some that are out of print. How many of your group
> are likely to be able to read english versions? How much of the list has
> been translated? Are there any greek awards? Most likely idea is to let
> contributors suggest future titles but you'd need more than one
> recommendation before you take it up. Remember that a translated novel is
> partly down to the translator.
> 
> If the forum is threaded, you don't need a time limit on contributions or to
> say how often people should comment on a book. Its probably best to leave
> comment until the end of the book rather than every few chapters.
> 
>

Fred brought up an important point: Who can attend?

An occasional guest is welcome, once, but our group is essentially
"closed" until -- every six months or so -- we decide to invite a
couple new members in because attendance has dropped.

I did not address how and when we choose books.

We discuss at the end of a meeting -- and sometimes by email after --
our choice(s) for the next one to three months. Often, the choice two
or three months out gets changed at the next meeting because of
enthusiastic discussion and lobbying. So we're relaxed about that. We
almost never choose a brand-new book, however: we try to go for
choices that will be available in paperback, used, or remaindered form
(and since I'm cheap, I've managed to secure a library copy in almost
every case).

Most of the choices tend to be one to three years old, though every
three to five months we go after a classic such as (in the past two
years) Zola's _Germinal_, _Don Quixote_, and Dante's _Inferno_.


David Loftus

"ChrisC"  wrote in message
news:1176820569.899030.175540@y5g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...

> How do they work exactly? I want to know as I want to get friends who
> are into the same stuff as me. Starting a bookgroup would be one. But
> how does one do it and how does it work?

Ask an experienced librarian.  If there are any groups
where you live the librarian can put you in touch.   If
not, he can tell you how the successful groups run.

-- 
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

On Apr 17, 5:32 pm, "Don Phillipson" 
wrote:
> "ChrisC"  wrote in message
>
> news:1176820569.899030.175540@y5g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
>
> > How do they work exactly? I want to know as I want to get friends who
> > are into the same stuff as me. Starting a bookgroup would be one. But
> > how does one do it and how does it work?
>
> Ask an experienced librarian.  If there are any groups
> where you live the librarian can put you in touch.   If
> not, he can tell you how the successful groups run.
>
> --
> Don Phillipson
> Carlsbad Springs
> (Ottawa, Canada)

Actually I did. She didn't have a clue. Strange for a librarian. Yes!
I'm still in the dark.

We all read the same book (two on a related subject or in a genre,
such as mystery novels, if they're short) and get together to discuss,
once a month.

People volunteer their homes for the evening. We potluck (since we're
all guys, a few cook, most buy stuff), and the sessions typically go
from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.

Several acquaintances started the group five yea