EN World Book Club

[Mark]

Thanks. I'd like to do some non-fiction and thought that On Writing by Stephen King (Amazon) would be of interest to many of us. A peek behind the scenes, and a very frank look at the mechanics by one of the most successful authors of our times.

If everyone is absolutely dead set against a non-fiction entry, I think something like Byzantium by Stephen R. Lawhead (Amazon) might be easy enough to get ahold of for everyone. I just happned on this at the library and it looks like it might be a good read for a gamer.

Thoughts?

 

[Berandor]

On writing is excellent. Really. I also think it could lead to a very interesting discussion. It's just so long ago that I read it

Oh, well, I'll have to read it again.

I'm not going to read Lawhead, however. I tried one of his books (Talislanta?) and it was boring. And if someone else wrote Talislanta, then I still mean Lawhead.

 

[The Other Librarian]

I second On Writing as a good choice. Hopefully a different type of discussion, and it will be interesting to see how people relate it to Rpg/scenario writing.

 

[Mark]

Okie doke. I think that the emphatic nature of Whyspyrfyyt's response (and TOL's second) is enough to convince me.We'll go with -

On Writing by Stephen King.

Does it seem like there are not enough books being chosen? Can the discussion of one overlap the reading of the next?

How about if On Writing gets read from October 15 (when The Club Dumas discussion begins) through November 15 (with discussion to follow at that time)? This gets us into the beginning of the holiday season (which we might wish to have a longer reading period?)

And the selector to follow me for the next book will be either MarauderX or The Other Librarian. If one of you would like to step up and claim the November 15 book slot and immediately choose the other as the next selector after you that would probably gives us some nice continuity and lots of time to get our future selctions purchased.

Is this all fine with everyone?

 

[The Other Librarian]

My two top picks are non-fiction as well, so maybe people would want a break from that?

Anyway, my choices are:

The Thieves' Opera by Lucy Moore, an account of criminal life in 18th C. London.

Magic in the Middle Ages by Richard Kieckhefer, a social history of how magic and magical thought funtioned in the middel ages.

Both of these, I think, would give lots of adventure seeds/campaign ideas.

I also wouldn't mind looking at Moorcock's Elric of Melnibone, if people are really opposed to more non-fiction.

 

[nikolai]

Mark;

I think On Writing will be an excellent choice and will lead to some very interesting discussion. I've no problems with your timetabling suggestions (though don't just go on my word). It gives the club a book a month, with a month of reading with nothing else on the reading list, and a couple of weeks to get the book. That sounds great.

 

[JoeBlank]

I'm cool with the timetable too. Maybe picking up the pace will get things going a little better than in the past. At the least, if a book does not interest you it will be a shorter wait for the next one.

Read On Writing a few years back, but will gladly read it again. Nice choice for our first non-fiction.

 

[Mark]

Cool. Hey, TOL? Would you mind letting MarauderX go next (November to December) and then you taking your turn (December to January) picking this one - ?

Magic in the Middle Ages by Richard Kieckhefer, a social history of how magic and magical thought funtioned in the middel ages.

That's got me intrigued already but I think you're probably right about the "two non-fiction picks in a row" thing.

btw, I managed to get a copy of The Club Dumas but won't be able to dive into it until October begins (probably), so I'll be staying scarce from the other thread.

 

[nikolai]

The Club Dumas discussion has begun, here:

http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?p=1805558

 

[Mark]

Just a brief reminder that the next selection is On Writing by Stephen King (Amazon). Hopefully, those of you who are interested will have picked it up by now, but I'll wait to hear from a few of you before setting the target discussion date. Thanks.