Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

I know there was one on the forums last year with a couple of frequent members. We can talk about how to structure it, but last year it worked out to a book a month and people generally tried to post at the halfway point and then again once they'd finished the book. Then we'd start putting up submissions for the next book, take a vote, and so on and so forth.

It doesn't have to be a huge committment, people are free to come and go as they like if the book we choose isn't to their liking or things just get too busy. I also know that there were one or two people who would go through just about ALL of the submissions and post mini-reviews here.

Anyways, if people are interested, we can talk about whether or not we want to stick with that format and start collecting submissions for a first book :)

I can do it. In fact it sounds like a lot of fun

Oh, I'd like to join that club. Reading always sounds like fun. ~

I remember that! Lol, I'd totally join in :)

This sounds fun :) I'd join in, too.

Sounds awesome! I love reading new books and having discussions with people. I'm in! :)

Sounds like it could be fun! I'd join =D

Oh wow! I think more people have responded in the last couple hours than we had in our bookclub last year :P

People are always free to jump in whenever so once this gets up and rolling, (if anyone is reading this, some time from when I post it) feel free to check out what we're reading and head out to your local library.

If there are any suggestions as to how we should organize this, please share your ideas! The rest of you, start going through your shelves and looking for a recommendation or two for our first book. (Title, author and a brief description would be great.) Last year we tried to start off with a couple of classics and several people had trouble slugging through them so maybe for now, we can try starting with something simple. Oh and make sure that recommendations are common enough that the rest of the group will be able to find them at a local library :)

I'd love to join! Also, I've been wanting to read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and it looks pretty good, just a recommendation though.

I'd love to join too. I'd recommend the Fault in Our Stars too, but I've already read it. But I could still participate in the conversation afterwards so I guess it doesn't matter :)

Sounds like a good book, and I love John Green. But as lilyv pointed out, it's a newer book, so I'm not sure I'd be able to get it from my library... I could try though if a bunch of other people want to do it.

I have two suggestions--

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer:

National Book Award Winner for Young People's Literature, Newbery Honor Book, Printz Honor Book

Matteo Alacrán was not born; he was harvested.

As Matt struggles to understand his existence, he is threatened by a sinister cast of characters, including El Patrón's power-hungry family, and he is surrounded by a dangerous army of bodyguards. Escape is the only chance Matt has to survive. But escape from the Alacrán Estate is no guarantee of freedom, because Matt is marked by his difference in ways he doesn't even suspect.

Or Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher:

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker - his classmate and crush - who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why. Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah's pain, and learns the truth about himself-a truth he never wanted to face.

This sounds awesome, although I don't think I'll be too consistent with membership due to my busy schedule but I may pop in every once in a while, if I've read the book or am extremely motivated/has more time. But I can recommend.

-The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, this man is a genius and I don't care who you are, you have to read this book. It's so heartbreakingly beautiful. It's won a bunch of awards and it's just wonderful. I could go on and on about this book.

I also agree that it may be a bit early for the Fault in Our Stars, maybe try another John Green book instead for the time being? Also, because less people have read it, it also means a higher chance of someone clicking on this forum and the entire book being spoiled before they've gotten the chance to read it. At least with the older ones they've been in circuit more so there is less of a chance of this happening.

Although I have already read The Book Thief, I'd like to second the suggestion. It is such a beautiful book that I nagged my best friend to read it, too. I have never read anything by John Green, so that would be an interesting choice too.

Mort by Terry Pratchett. Though this is an old book, and fourth Discworld novel, it is still a great read. It is about a boy named Mort who is the apprentice of Death. If I put anything more it would ruin it. This is a great book for anyone wanting to start to read the Discworld novels, because it explains how death works, which most of the jokes in the future about death are explained in this book.

I'd like to second The Book Thief, I've been wanting to read that one :P

Also, The Host by Stephenie Meyer. I've heard REALLY good reviews about it, but I know, Stephenie Meyer... >.> (And for some reason I feel like I'm spelling her name wrong...)

I just checked Faults in Our Stars at my library and there are 22 people with holds on 6 copies. If you guys want, we could put suspended holds on that book now and pick a different one in the meantime, but I think it gets a little bit too complicated and it means anyone who wants to join in for our second book won't be able to get it right away from their library.

If you guys really want to do it, I won't object, but it's something to take into consideration.

I think we can allow another day or two for submissions before voting but so far we have:

Faults in Our Stars John Green

The House of the Scorpion Nancy Farmer

Thirteen Reasons Why Jay Asher

The Book Thief Markus Zusak

Mort Terry Pratchett

The Host Stephenie Meyer

Just to throw my two pennies in, I will say that yes, The Book Thief is an amazing and beautiful book.
I've also read the Host and I'll say that it starts off as a really good sci-fi story but by the end, it's a good romance story. Overall though, it's not half bad and it's miles ahead of Twilight.

I'm still following last year's format but that doesn't mean anything I say is set in stone so feel free to suggest something different if you don't like the system suggested below.

Once we cut off the date for submissions, everyone has two votes for the books they want to read (although you can use one or none of them.) Unless there's a clear winner, we usually edit the list down to a top 2-4 books and then vote again with everyone having just 1 vote. That way, if the books you want don't make it past the first round, you can still have a say in what book we read without any convoluted vote switching.
Oh, and no voting for your own submissions. That just slows things down. If there isn't anything else that you want to read other than what you suggested, you're free to abstain.

I'[d be interested in joining in but not right now as I'm in the middle of a pretty hefty book already and have to reread the Illiad and Aeneid (and probably the Odyssey) for school. Will jump in as and when I can though.

I'd be up for a book club. :D

I've read the majority of the books on the list, and I would say that if we want to have a book with which we can have good discussions, I would say Book Theif, Fault in Our Stars, House of the Scorpion, or 13 Reasons Why. Mort is the only one I haven't read...

Also, something I would suggest (book I am just starting now) is Persepolis. It's a graphic novel memoir or a girl growing up in revolutionary Iran, and from what I've seen so far, it could probably spurn a decent amount of discussion. Plus, I really like good graphic novels, and I would say this counts as one.

Hey, Spag~! You've got it up! :D It's exciting to have a book club again.

Ooh, some good suggestions so far. I've actually been wanting to read Thirteen Reasons Why, and The Host, as you said, is definitely miles ahead of Twilight. It's not the best, of course, but I found it a good one to read more than once.

I'd like to also nominate The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle.

The last unicorn in the world leaves her forest to search for her lost brothers and sisters. On the way, she is joined by a magician and a woman who has searched for unicorns her whole life without seeing one. Together, they go forth to find what has happened to the unicorns.

I've only read the first few pages (and seen the beautiful animated movie), but it's really a beautiful story full of magic and adventure.

I'd love to be a part of a book club. The Book Thief is my top choice. Thirteen Reasons Why sounds intriguing- and also the kind of thing that will keep me up at night. Then again, I've been wanting to actually cry when I'm in Romeo and Juliet later this month. Who knows? Maybe Thirteen Reasons Why will get me to cry. And The Last Unicorn (just noticed the nomination for it right above) sounds awesome!