Our Shared Shelf discussion

Yes, I would love some indication too~.

(Although it's giving me some time to finish My Life on the Road, which is awesome!)

Also, running a book club is hard, so I feel like I should certainly cut her some slack, but I just love this group so much and I'm excited to start the next book. <3

Kodak wrote: "II think I speak on behalf of all the Mods when I say that this is a book club that hopefully will stand out from the rest... "

I knew and felt that from day1.

We finally know what the new book we'll be reading is called! Unfortunately we didn't find out a week in advance like I suggested but I hope we do for the next book. X

Hey, what about next month ? Still able to know right on time so everybody can buy/borrow it for March, nope ? =)

Yes! Knowing the books in advance, would be outstanding.

It would be wonderful if we could know the next book at the start of the final week of the month.. It will make planning easier so that we can read the book in a timely way and participate in as many discussions as possible. Thanks!

Hello everyone! We moderators are trying to keep things organized and such, all the while working around busy schedules IRL (in real life). Emma has also been very busy lately with her work, meaning we have not had much time to all talk together about the book for next month. I hope you can all stay patient with us moderators and with Emma as we try and get on top of things! We will let you know the book as soon as it has been decided. <3

I am infinitely patient. I am only reading 'My Life On the Road' now and plan to start 'The Color Purple' tomorrow. I have nothing but respect and admiration for Emma and ALL the moderators. As we continue on all together, it would be wonderful if we could announce the BOTM during the last week of the month especially for all the library patrons and folks who need to order books for whatever reason. Just saying...

Of course, we will be patient. I was just thinking that's something I don't want to lose sight of (don't know if it's right to say that in English, I'm a little bit mixing the languages right now), so just wanted to put a reminder.

But if it annoys you, because I know you probably work your best to give us the name of the book as soon as possible, I'll stop to remind it here & on twitter :)

I really didn't want to sound impatient, just wanted to remind it could be great if it was sooner and sooner.

We are all learning to deal with that big bookclub here, you as moderators do a big big big and incredible job so we can enjoy our talks here, and I really know that. I will now try to learn how to not be this little person who asks the same thing each week :P

Thanks for your work & your patience, your investment into making this Shared Shelf a well-organized place to discuss and debate very interesting threads !

-Julie.

I would like to read 'I am Malala'! Since I watched a documentation in TV about her I'm very interested in her story. She is so young, but fighting for the right to education, altough it is incredibly dangerous. I know this story has long been known, but the problem is pervasive. I also think that we can never talk enough about a courageous woman like her.


What do you think? :)

Btw I'm sorry for my English;)

I have to say : I was secretly hoping that Emma was waiting yesterday's event to make the big announcement :D So wrong.

I would have been so jealous if all of you guys would have known the next book "live" and we, poor little strangers at home, have to wait until someone posted it :)

Hope all of you who attended it had a great time with Emma and Gloria, it must have been so interesting !

xx

Julie

Stephanie wrote: "I agree with figuring out books on a quarterly basis. It is hard to get these books in small towns to begin with and I already fear that I am not going to be able to get the next book in time. Plus..."

I love this idea. Come up with a few months at a time, like maybe 4 months of books, and then you have 4 months to pick 4 more books. It also gives people a chance to find the books.

Lisa wrote: "I would like to read 'I am Malala'! Since I watched a documentation in TV about her I'm very interested in her story. She is so young, but fighting for the right to education, altough it is incredi..."

Hi Lisa, you can make book suggestions by following the instructions here: How to Suggest a Book

The topic of revealing the books is actively being discussed, and once it has been worked out, we will let you know when to expect the announcements.

Thank you all for your reminders of this issue. We understand that it is important and hope that you understand that we are working as quickly as possible given the rapid growth of this group so early in its development!

Finding out which books are coming continues to be a thing I need in my life <3

I love the idea of getting several at once. I'm in two other book clubs that give a list for all year, and participation is still excellent.

I may be getting March's book on Kindle, as I'm having surgery on Thursday and won't be able to make it to the library for awhile after that.

There are a lot of good suggestions here...

And yet for the 2nd month in a row we don't know our book when the month starts. I know the mods are all working really hard, but it's also hard to have a book club without time to get the books. :\

The intention, partially, is not to abandon book discussions when the month is up. With that in mind, there is not really as much of a rush to get the next month's book. We're planning to continue discussion of My Life On The Road (especially with the interview video just having been posted and a transcription on the way), and the intention is to continue discussing The Color Purple as well. Furthermore, it is Emma's hope to have similar events related to the books and their authors in the future, but given busy schedules and whatnot, they may not always happen in proximity to the month when the book was chosen to be read. Therefore, the approach to book discussions is meant to be loose and fluid, without a strict timeline one when to begin and conclude. Members are free to continue discussions and create new topics as they see fit, regardless of what month it is.

I know last month I complained about not having the new book told right at the beginning of the month, but I think we should be more understanding, and not necessarily worry about the books being told at any specific time. We don't have to constrain our expectations to a strict month to month book, just be patient and wait for a new one to be posted. We do not need to limit our time or even expect ourselves to finish a book in a month. As long as we keep getting new titles, I am happy, regardless of when they are announced. Plus, the discussions aren't being closed, so no need to worry about being off track. When you can acquire a title, that is when you start.

I'm not sure how wanting to continue the conversations on the previous two books prevents the announcement of the third. The My Life on the Road discussion continues to be lively even though we've now read The Color Purple. In fact, I would expect those conversations to get more lively with the addition of other books to the line up. If, for example, there's another autobiography, we're certainly going to have a conversation comparing it with January's book.

I guess I'm just a bit frustrated about what seems like poor planning or disinterest. We understand, certainly, that the people in charge are busy, but it's beginning to look as though they don't realize that we are also busy.

We have work, school, kids that we have to fit reading around, and when you add in the time it takes to announce and then procure the book—the B&N I work for, for example, only had 6 copies of the Color Purple, and it took a week to order the others. It takes a week to get the book from Amazon, as well, not to mention that it could take three, four weeks for your turn at the library—if the local library even has the book. Ours did not that My Life on the Road.

It seems to me that if the aim was really continuous, lively conversation, there would be some sort of announcement about which books are coming.

I don't mean to be negative, or to sound like I don't enjoy the book club. I just think it's a weak excuse to assume that we would be less interested in watching Emma chat with Alice Walker because we're elbow deep in another book.

Amanda wrote: "I'm not sure how wanting to continue the conversations on the previous two books prevents the announcement of the third. The My Life on the Road discussion continues to be lively even though we've ..."

Definitely not what I meant at all. My point is that people need not be worried about missing out on conversations if they do not have the month's book in their hands on the first of the month. With a global club of this size, procuring books is going to be a challenge to some extent for many members, whether it be library access, affordability, translations, etc.. This is another thing that we are working on behind the scenes.

We understand everyone's frustration, but I can assure you that the delay in announcing the next title has nothing to do with Emma or the rest of the team's level of interest in the club. Emma is working hard to find books that add productively to the discussion, while also looking for ways to supplement the discussion, for example, the interview from last week.

Our goal is to make sure discussion is continuous and fruitful, regardless of which book is currently up on the roster. Keep in mind that the club is only two months old and has grown exponentially in that time. We are doing our best to provide a positive experience for members and we hope that you stay with us while we work to improve the logistics.