Firstly, thanketh thee oh wise Sage for opening the scrolls for discussion of Gauntlgrym in the book club (albeit too late for me to participate properly ). S'all good though.
And yes, I have been known to clamour at said door, but I usually threaten to huff and puff before blowing it all down.
I wonder, why do some warn of spoilers in these halls? As the intro note says: "Here you will be able to talk in depth about the novel with fellow readers, and also be able to put your questions and comments to the books author."
It's just a matter of courtesy, I suppose. Not every scribe reads the opening post, so it often pays to remind some folk that SPOILERS can and will be discussed.
Well, I can't think of any Book Club that does not discuss a book in depth. By the name of this section itself, scribes should know there will always be spoilers.
Well, again, it just comes back to simple online courtesy, and a tradition of forum etiquette that has long been established here at Candlekeep. It doesn't hurt to remind folk that SPOILERS can and will pop up in discussions about novels.
After all, we can, and do, have novel discussions that talk about non-plot related issues -- like publishers, page-numbers, editorial decisions, marketing strategies and the like. And they'd hardly necessitate the need for SPOILER warnings in most cases. Thus, reminding scribes that a discussion may include SPOILERS, potentially prevents them from being caught unaware.
After all, we can, and do, have novel discussions that talk about non-plot related issues -- like publishers, page-numbers, editorial decisions, marketing strategies and the like.
While those can also be included, it is a fact that a Book Club's purpose is to discuss a book in depth---the story, the characters, the plot, etc... Why wonder if there might be spoilers when one should know that there always will be spoilers.
Eh. That's assuming all folk tend to view the concept of a Book Club in the same fashion. And I know from experiences -- both here and in my personal life -- that some don't.
Seriously? What do they think is the purpose of a Book Club, then? Discussing how wonderful or awful the book COVER is?
Yeah, I've kind of fallen behind in opening some new scrolls. I'll try and attempt such this afternoon.
You can provide a review of a book without providing SPOILERS. You can simply talk about what you like and what you don't like about a particular novel without going in depth about the plot or major developments inside.
That's what I was referring to earlier. Not all folk consider a "review" in the scope that it will definitively include SPOILERS. As I've seen recently with reviews for The Dark Knight Rises, some reviewers simply comment on the casting of characters, directorship, special effects and such, without deliberating on the plot of the film. It's a SPOILER-free review. Surely you've encountered those before, eh Dennis?
I'm well aware of what a spoiler-free review is. I've written a couple myself, and even posted them in the Novels section. A Book Club is different...at least, for me. Well, in the Book Clubs I joined, all of us members DO discuss the content of the books in detail.
Eh. Most Book Clubs I've been a member of, usually have at least one member who is content to put forth their own SPOILER-free reviews on a particular book. Once we start discussing the content or plot of the novel, however, they'll usually either leave, or join another group.
If you were to ask my opinion (which you haven't), I would hazard a suggestion that individual book club sections (i.e. threads on chapters 1-5, chapters 6-10, etc) should be free to put spoilers in, because you should expect to see spoilers there, because what happens in those chapters is what's being discussed. These should always say "Spoiler" in the title. But peeps should also post spoiler-free reviews and posts in a book club.
Speaking of which, when is this getting back on its feet? I think removing all those sticky threads is the first step. I'd be happy to participate in a book club discussion of my most recent FR novel, SHADOWBANE, or its sequel, SHADOWBANE: EYE OF JUSTICE.
Precisely. How can one substantially discuss every chapter of a novel without going into the details?!
Ideally, I would normally agree. But I've received the odd few PMs in the past from readers who want to participate in the non-SPOILER reviews in the Book Club but don't like the idea reading/posting in the appropriate 'Chapter' scroll.
Judging from their complaints, I'm assuming that while they don't want to discuss the actual content of a particular section of a novel, they're happy to discuss the structure and pacing of a chapter as such.
It's a fine line, I know, but I like to strive toward ensuring ALL readers feel welcome here at Candlekeep.
Very true. I'm afraid the dictates of my famed "To-Do" list have often taken precedence over my duties here at Candleekep. That, and the fact that we've seen the number of Realms novels released in the month-by-month schedule, decrease slightly, hasn't helped either. Sometimes I've even forgot there's been a release -- especially when we're talking e-books, because I just haven't been able to purchase/read them. I'm still exploring all legal options that will allow me to read Cordell's latest e-Realms offering.
Anyways, I'll devote the month of August to rejuvenating the Book Club. I'll be contacting those scribes with access to the e-novels for chapter numbers and headings [if and when applicable], to help facilitate the structures of each dedicated chapter scroll.
Some folk are quite happy discussing the structure, pacing, wording, and tone of a particular chapter without discussing that chapter's SPOILER-specific content.
As Moderator, I need to find ways to cater for ALL the interests of Realms readers here at Candlekeep. And the very fact that I've received PMs from scribes who feel they can't participate in non-SPOILER chapter-specific discussions of a novel, tells me that there are groups who can substantially discuss every chapter of a novel without going into the details.
Great , I like the idea behind this forgotten domain. There are specific firms where we get to watch out for the elements that are forgotten and have not come across. I have some of the ideas and creative things that I want to discuss but really do not know about the process, you can tell me the process which I can move further and share some of the facts.
Looks like a few scribes have copies of the Godborn, so hopefully we can get the info you need to open those scrolls.
Much appreciated. The Lady K probably won't get her copy of Godborn until mid-October, so I'll need to rely on those scribes who already have a copy, to provide me with the necessary chapter breakdown. At which point, I'll open the requisite Book Club discussion scrolls.
Speaking of which, she missed her annual August visit to our halls. The Hamster, he were disappointed.
Our friend The Sage needs the number of chapters and if there is a prologue, epilogue, etc.....so he can open scrolls for your book in the bookclub.
I'm going from the last draft I saw (I don't have author copies yet) but I think it's accurate: Prologue, 15 chapters, Epilogue.
The Book Club scrolls for The Godborn will be open tomorrow [Thursday, Australian time]. I've set aside part of my day off tomorrow for getting the Book Club up-to-date.