Welcome back, Janalyn! I would love to think I would participate through the year with the book club but, knowing me, I will get bogged down with my volunteer activities and other things and the book club will slide away. However, I do like the idea and will give it my best shot if others are interested.

Hello Frances! Nice to see you are still here too :)
Yes, I am a little worried about an internet book club sliding away - if I don't get a minimum of ten people interested then I think it will be a "no go."

I will leave this up for a week and we will see what happens in that time.

Janalyn I would like to say YES! However I will admit it would depend on the books chosen-sad to say I have been involved in some book clubs over the years where the chosen books bored me to tears....

Pat

Ditto what Pat wrote.

Janalyn, It's a good idea but I do wonder if a) you would get a minimum of ten 'players' and b) as Pat says, it might be difficult to get everyone to be interested or even be able to buy/borrow the chosen book. I know from experience that often I couldn't join a discussion here because the chosen book wasn't available in the UK.
May I suggest that a book every three months might be more practical, or would that give too much time for everyone to forget what they were meant to be reading?
I must admit that I have never been part of a book club. The first local one met in the library where they locked themselves in, in case they were 'disturbed' by undesirables, which didn't appeal to me and the next one I heard about nearer home was run by a group of women who didn't bother to choose a book and used the time to bad-mouth the members who were absent.

I am interested too, but I agree that it can be challenging because in the past I was unable to get some books until long after the discussion ended. I recently joined a local book club. Members come and go depending upon whether the individual book interests them. The person coordinating it says that as long as one or two others show up, we can have a lively but short discussion. I don't think she has had less than 6, and usually a core of 8 or 10 show up (due to the small meeting space, a large group isn't possible). Just another suggestion to add to the mix.

Yes, I iniitally said ten because I figured half probably wouldnt make it for a discussion due to some of the problems you all have described above. So that would have left at least five.

I have a great real life book club. At our yearly meeting in June we have a potluck and everyone brings book suggestions for the next year. At that time the next year's books are chosen - we do have some input into it - but most of the books chosen are critically acclaimed or written by an author who is well respected. Also, how available the book is and where you can find it.

The list is drawn up and we all know what we will be reading for the full year well in advance. We go from September to June. One person is the hostess who provides he house, wine and cheese and coffee and dessert at the end. And the time is set from 8 pm to 10 pm. The person who chose the book arrives with a bio of the author, critical reviews and topics for discussion, and they essentially lead the group.
The best discussions are those where we are divided on whether we like the book :). These are all well-educated women with thoughtful opinions but also a good sense of humor.

We did have some lively discussions in RP here years ago but times have changed and there are many more options to people now. The casual discussions that are taking place here now, probably is best for this format.

Anyway, it was worth testing the waters, thanks for the feedback!!

I woud be up for the quarterly discussions that Vee suggested -- one each for spring, summer, winter, and fall. Since I belong to a book club and also read on my own, I don't think I can commit more deeply.

Also - I suggest this with trepidation - could we restrain ourselves on the length of the novels selected? Many of my favorite books are very long indeed. However I have observed that the books that don't get completed by most of the members of my real-life book club tend to be 500+ pages in length, and often 700-900 pages long. I realize that this would rule out some truly excellent books on which we have had lively and satisfying discussions (Kristin Lavransdattar for one), but it might mean more participation. Perhaps it could be an advisory, and not a rule. I'm not wedded to the length issue.

In any case, if we go for quarterly discussions, count me in.

Rosefolly

I agree with quarterly discussions, or at least every other month. Monthly would be too often for me, but I do enjoy our discussions.

I should be able to commit to quarterly discussions, too.

I've never been to a real life book club but probably would have liked one. I'd be glad to see a book discussion group here. Unfortunately, I wouldn't get around to reading the books in time for the discussion.

I think this is a great idea and you can count me in. I would also like to put a word in for books that are on the shorter side if possible - 300-350 pages. And I think it is vital to choose books that readily available in most libraries.

When I first joined here (can't remember the year) I saw a lot of discussion regarding prior book discussions based on a theme. I don't think it has happened since I joined. As I understood it, everyone read books relating to the theme to add to the discussion. Does that sort of discussion interest anyone? If so, any theme suggestions?

I'd be up for quarterly book discussions, either a specific book or a general theme.

Kathleen, we recently had a discussion related to Charles Dickens where people read a biography of Dickens and/or books written by Dickens and it made for a very interesting discussion. In the past we had a similar discussion based on the Crusades. There may have been others that I don't remember now.