Book Chain idea

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Ok I couldn't sleep last night and I had this idea for a book chain/train/connected thing as a way to share favorite books and get to read other people's faves.

People who are interested would become part of a list, and everyone would mail a book to the next person on the list! And then when you'd read the book that was mailed to you, you'd mail it on to the next person on the list. And so on and so forth.

I was thinking that each book should be accompanied by a journal, something that the people who read the book can write in their thoughts about the book, etc. And then eventually your book will come back to you! And when that happens you can mail out a new book.

Whaddya say? Anyone up for it? I would think that we'd arrange the list in geographical order...

[Ilias Nytrau]

That would be...

... TOTALLY awesome. Interesting idea... never done something like that before...

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I would say paperbacks only - no need to break the bank trying to mail hardcover editions all over tarnation.

[Ilias Nytrau]

Trade paperback or mass market? ... Some of my favourite paperbacks that I own are trade.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Trade or mass market - I think either would be acceptable. Trade are a little heavier, but still lighter than hardbound.

[Nya Halcyon]

I'm all for it!

[Dasquian Belargic]

Sounds like a funky idea. I scribble notes inside my books anyway, so it would be neat having other peoples notes in there too :mneh

[Park Kraken]

What if we -

A) Get a book we already read?

B) Are a slow reader and would take about one to two weeks to finish a book, whereas books are flowing around three to four days for most other people?

It sounds like a very interesting idea, and one that I would be welcome to participate in.

[Droo]

I think this is a great idea however, I've been told that every time I have to send a book to America or somwhere similar, it would cost me about £15 and I simply can't afford that on top of everything else each week.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Well maybe you'd just have to send it to somewhere else in England.

I doubt people would be sending them on every week, though I suppose if you're a very fast reader you might. Maybe just forward on the books once a month?

If its a book you've already read I say read it again. You might find something else you missed, or upon reading other people's notes about the book you may find more that way. Rereading books is great.

And if you're a particularly SLOW reader then books would pile up around you and you'd have to try to read faster I guess. Hmmm... I guess if you can't read a book a month then you shouldn't take part in this.

How about... once you get a book you have up to a month to get it out to the next person, but if you read it faster you can send it along sooner if you want?

[Vega Van-Derveld]

I can read a book in a week or two, and I guess it would then take another week or so for that book to make it to the US. Seems.. fair.

Alternatively we could just start a book club, so we'd all be reading the same book in one month.

[Mandy with an I]

I like the idea, but I would be worried about my books getting lost in the mail. I like the book club idea, since people could just check the book out of the library and not have to spend money

[Nya Halcyon]

Yeah... I just found out it would be over 15 $ to send a book in the mail to the US.... and even if asll we Europeans just sent it to each other - one of us would have to pass it along the chain back to the US again.... So the book club idea is a bit more practicable.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Alright, book club it is, yes?

How do we pick books? Maybe we take turns at recommending something? I'm thinking we should try and read stuff that none of us have ever read before, ja?

[Droo]

I'm definately up for that. I'd love to do the book chain idea because it's more personal and exciting and I thought the reader's journal idea was excellent but unfortunately, I can't afford it. I'm content to roll with any book suggestions so let's get this baby off the ground!

[Droo]

I'm thinking we should try and read stuff that none of us have ever read before, ja?

And yes, I think this is the best way of doing it so perhaps we'll be selecting new releases to ensure noone has read it before, of course, all suggestions and recommendations would be welcome, regardless of who has and hasn't read it already.

[Ilias Nytrau]

Book club - great. We can set a sort of reading schedule, so everyone can stay on pace, and we can discuss along the way.... if that sounds good to you.

It'll prod me to go to the library more often, I think. Or give me an excuse to buy a book.

[Dasquian Belargic]

It would be nice, I think, to start with something fairly easy-going for January (assuming we are reading a book per month). How about something that was considered one of the best books of 2008? For instance:

Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks - this is the latest James Bond novel!
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga - the Man Booker Prize 2008 winner
Nation by Terry Pratchett - it's not Discworld, so no need to have read those

^ Those are just a couple that Amazon suggested to me as 'Bests of 2008'. I'm guessing that Pratchett would go down well here :mneh

[Droo]

I was thinking of buying Devil May Care recently so I'd like that.

[Ilias Nytrau]

Devil May Care or Nation would be my best bet for getting them out of the public library. The White Tiger has 116 holds on the first copy returned of 23 copies.... meaning I'd be lucky to get it before next summer, probably.

I've never actually read any Pratchett (please don't shoot me), so I'd probably be keen on that.

The first month should be laid back, I agree.

Vlad: The Last Confession by C.C. Humphreys
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
Antony and Cleopatra by Colleen McCullough
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

The books above are for later months. Most of these are Canadian-Born authors, with the exception of McCullough. I didn't do it on purpose, these books just come to mind for me. And I have read all of them at one point or another and would not be against reading them again, since I do enjoy them. A warning, though: most of McCullough's books, for those of you that don't know, tend to be long. I wouldn't suggest a month-long read for slow readers if you pick up one of her books.