SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Hi friends!

The new VBC Thread is here:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Historical post:

I know some folks have been home for quite some time now. Would there be any interest in a virtual chat? Perhaps one on a European time and one on a US time? You wouldn't need a camera if you didn't want, and we would just discuss the books of the month and other things we're individually reading (besides the f***ing news!!)

Just thought I'd offer! I'm going to try Zoom this week and see how it works :)

Note: Meeting: DECEMBER 15 at 3:00 pm London/10:00 Am ET to discuss IMPERIAL RADCH as well as other non-news related reading we've been doing! I will post a Zoom invite an hour before the meeting. Check back for updates, let us know if you're intending to come or if this time doesn't work for you!

Follow the SFFBC calendar to have future dates automatically added to your event list!

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/...

Id be interested in that, Alison. Zoom works really well. And no, you don’t have to use the video function. Would we discuss a specific book or just random book chat?

That would be cool and a good way to keep socializing and minimize the isolation. How would we choose the book and yes please a rule of not talking about what's in the news...

My brother told me he and his wife's family did a zoom happy hour. Next time they will be playing apples to apples or something. Go technology!!!

I’m in! Depending on the time. I am currently working from home and acting teacher to my seven year old while we figure out “distance learning”.

I'd be interested. Having a chat to look forward to might help motivate my reading a bit.

Great! The books would be the SFFBC books of the month (and I guess we'd pick a book of the two when we settle on a time, if that's a concern?), but of course if people wanted to chat about books we'd all read, or non-spoilery impressions of other books, that might also happen.

Can you please share the times that would work for you, including time zone so we can see what this looks like?

Sandy, yes!! Thanks for technology and the ability to socialize with it!

I’m in the UK and we are currently an hour closer than usual to the States, but not for long. We go to daylight savings time next week I think. Aside from that, I’d prefer a daytime meet-up.

Well- I guess I’ll just eliminate weekdays. I’m available anytime on the weekends. I’m in the Eastern Time Zone.

I can make myself available for any time of the day for the next couple of weeks so long as there's no less than a couple of days notice. Although I can't guarantee that I'll contribute (much) if it happens.

I'm in. My life is fairly flexible, but I'm on Pacific Time at the moment and I don't really like mornings.

Okay, so there isn't a way to do day time in the UK and not the morning in Pacific, so we're already looking at two I'd say.

I think I can dedicate a Sunday to this? So maybe something like 3 pm London time and 7 pm Eastern?

If I'm the only reason we need two, I can make coffee and join y'all in the morning.

Meh. I might be making bread or something, but it's not like I'm going anywhere right now haha! If this makes folks happy, you're all worth a little extra time to me :)

I would love to join! I’m on Eastern Standard Time. I can pick up one of the books at my local bookstore. They are doing phone orders with back door delivery!

Just a notice that I used Zoom this morning for the first time to do virtual breakfast with the family and the free version cuts off after 40 minutes.

Yes, good point, thanks Bill! I am...exploring options on that front :)

Just a heads up, if I can get things figured out, how is this coming Sunday, the 29 for me? We'd discuss Sword of Kaigen and/or Many-Colored Land.

Sunday, I'm in for either or both times.

I can do Sunday. I should manage to finish Many-Colored Land by then.

I’ll see if I can make any magic happen between now and Sunday. Otherwise I might just have to see if we can set up a virtual book club for next months reads.

If I'm not reading both books, can I just lurk? :D

I can do either or both times. (Allison, I have to admit that my offer was also motivated by selfish reasoning - I'd rather have more people to chat with!)

it's a last minute virtual club, y'all! we can mute if want to avoid spoilers for a minute :)

Also, a thought I had now that I've had coffee...

Would it be better if we discussed 10K Doors and Collapsing Empire?

I'm not super fussed about WHAT is on the discussion table, if that's got more folks who've read one or both. I realize this month kind of went to hell so maybe plans to read the month's books got sidelined.

Ooh! Just now seeing this. I could be interested to come lurk around, even though I haven't read this month's books <:D Just to meet people, as it were ^^'

Well. Unfortunately I just realized I don’t have access to The Many Colored Land- not available as an ebook at my library. And I don’t really have an interest in Sword of Kaigan.

I also just realized it looks like the license on The Just City expired with my library so I’m really kind of out. I might still log in and lurk. I’ve at least read TJC before, it’s just it was a year ago so I don’t know how well I remember it to discuss. Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me.

I am fairly certain most of the people who've responded so far have read one or both of Collapsing Empire and Ten Thousand Doors, yes?

I'm thinking that will be the way to go :)

I seem to have put a wrench in things (or a spanner (?!?) as they say in the UK). It doesn’t have to be daytime for me, just that I’d prefer it. After all, I am spending 24/7 with my boys, so I don’t really need to reserve evening for them. If it makes things easier, especially for one meeting, I could do anytime of the day or evening until a start of 9pm. But Sunday at 3pm also works for me.

My experience of book clubs offline is that even if you haven't read a book you can participate by talking about ideas mentioned that are explored in other books or merely offering an opinion on someone else's opinion

Diane, not at all!

11 am and 7 pm for me is a nice bookend to my day, and it seems like it'll allow some wiggle room for other folks

Yes, definitely join in even if you haven't read the books for "discussion!"

While I'd love it if we could really deep dive on a book or two, I'm also not opposed to this being a time where instead we share with each other our favorite recipes and blends of caffeine or whatever. As long as it's fun and not about the news, we'll figure it out!

FYI Zoom doesn't seem to work on either Firefox or Safari; we had to download Chrome onto an old laptop so my son could do his online Zoom classes. We could get everything working EXCEPT hearing them.

But perhaps it has something to do with being a Mac, not sure.

This sounds fun, and if I have time to download Chrome onto another user, I'd like to try this, but might just use a mic because we haven't set up our new webcam yet. This monitor doesn't have a camera in it. But I am actually going out to teach a couple of students piano (all of us symptom free and the parents left it up to my choice--going stir crazy here) and my daughter has to do a bunch of college research. We are a 2 computer family and it's too late in the college year for her to have money to buy a laptop if stores were open.

Starting tomorrow, all non-essential businesses have to close for 2 weeks, though.

Okay re-read the thread more carefully and saw its for Sunday, I’ll plan to join one of the times

Christopher wrote: "Okay re-read the thread more carefully and saw its for Sunday, I’ll plan to join one of the times"

Oh, so I missed it! I'll have to keep an eye out for the next one.

Sunday the 29th

I updated the first post! We'll see if I can get my ish together, but it should be doable :)

Karin, if you download the zoom app it works just fine on a Mac, also an iPhone or iPad too.

@Sarah: Are the librarians at your library still working? If so, my library has been super responsive to purchase requests for ebooks the last few days. They might be willing to re-purchase the license for Just City if you asked.

@Kaa - I can’t tell. I was expecting them to sort of auto purchase it when I put it on hold digitally yesterday but they haven’t yet. I’ll try writing them in the morning when I can see straight. lol

I am going to try and join in.

Woohoo! Very excited to chat with you all :)

so on the 29th - 11am Est or 7pm Est - anyway to post that on the home page for reference with maybe different time zones mentioned?

Hmm...not...really? The only announcement space is the group info space, which is limited, and I'd rather not have people outside the group aware of the call (to keep spammers out etc)

11 am Eastern Time is 3 pm GMT, 8 am Pacific, and I think 2 am in Sydney?

7 pm Eastern is 4 pm Pacific, 12 am GMT and 10 am in Sydney

I hope I don't miss it. We (in the UK) go into Daylight Savings Time on Sunday, so yes, I think it's 5 hours from EST! At the moment we're 4. I think.

Oh, shoot, so 10 am EST and 7 pm EST. Thanks, I thought it was the week after!

I'll post here an hour before each with the meeting link so folks have time to get things working and a memory jog :)

very good points - excellent - thanks - that works too.

I have just officially been put on furlough, and I am not handling it at all well. lol. So I'll probably join one or both. I haven't read the books, but I could use something to look forward to. :)

That sucks, Kristin! I hope you at least get many nature walks! And I look forward to talking with you :)

Allison wrote: "Hi friends!

I know some folks have been home for quite some time now. Would there be any interest in a virtual chat? Perhaps one on a European time and one on a US time? You wouldn't need a camer..."

Oooh, this sounds cool! I'd be down, too.

Can you clarify which book/books you will be discussing

Sure! it's in the first post: Collapsing Empire by Scalzi and Ten Thousand Doors of January by Harrow