Constant Reader discussion

Constant Reader has been in existence since about 1994. It was started by Allen Crocker on the old Prodigy Books and Writing Board. When Prodigy closed down their bulletin board service, we moved to the web using various hosting services. Our last hosting service stopped supporting the WebBoard software, so here we are.

We talk about everything, but mostly books. We have two lists going, the Reading List (with discussions starting on the 15th of the month), which is usually literary fiction, but not always, and Classics Corner (with discussions starting on the 1st of the month). There is a nomination and voting process every six months to pick out the books for these two lists.

The book shelves is a good place to keep track of when we are discussing what. Go to "view all" to see all the books on their shelves according to when they will be discussed and whether they are for the Reading List or for Classics Corner.

The Short Story conference is where we discuss a new story every two weeks. Barb compiles the list every six months and accepts all nominations--there is no voting process. Usually we are working from an anthology, and pick one story from that every other time.

The Poetry conference is much the same. There is a poem a week, and Ruth calls for new poems when the list is running low. She accepts all poems as well-- no voting.

We have always been very proud of our tradition of being a safe haven on the web. We have intelligent, thoughtful discussion, without flaming. It's great to disagree about books, that's what makes lively book talk, but keep it about the books.

Our Salon is for all non-book related talk. And we've had some great discussions there. So any time you feel the urge to go off on a tangent, that's the place to do it.

We welcome authors here, but we would prefer not to have our list of members used as a marketing tool. There will be no promotion of any kind on this board. Once you have been a member for a long time, say a year, and you have been very active in the discussions, then you may let us know that you have published a book.

Any time you want to talk about a book not on any of our official lists, the place for that is in the Constant Reader folder.

Once a year on the third weekend of September we have a convention in a city where someone has agreed to host. One and all are invited. Details of the upcoming convention are below.

Welcome to you all and let the talking begin.

Here is a link to some of our old book discussions. Not all the links work properly (sometimes they need more than one try), but at least you can see what we've been up to.

constantreader.com

http://web.archive.org/web/2006120710...

(Edited 12/1/10 to modify Guidelines)
(Edited 2/11/12) to add in our constantreader.com site)

GUIDELINES:

We want everyone to have fun here, so here are a few guidelines that must be followed:

Treat other members courteously, as though you were a guest in their home.

Nobody has the right to abuse anyone verbally, to spam the forum, or make offensive remarks, including but not limited to posts that include racism, sexism, or comments derogatory to another’s sexuality.

Nobody has the right to monopolize the board. Please don't over-post or be repetitive. Try to be thoughtful and let everyone have a chance to post.

Arguments are a part of the forum experience. Opinions on this site are diverse and sometimes directly polarized. We all love reading threads where there are many opposing ideas, but any differences must be addressed with respect.

We will not tolerate when individuals go beyond these boundaries— it’s not fun to read and destroys community atmosphere. Keep the arguments restricted to books and ideas, don’t attack people.

WARNINGS AND REPERCUSSIONS
Abuses to the above guidelines will result in an immediate warning. Continued abuses will result in a second, and final warning. Persistent abuse after the two warnings will result in a ban from Constant Reader.

Thank you very much Sherry for all this information, so clearly and helpfully presented. A great navigation tool for us newbies!

You're very welcome, Philip. I used to email people personally with a welcome and a bit of this information, but we have so many new members! I should have put this up a long time ago, but better late than never.

This is awesome, Sherry, and this from an 'oldtimer.' What a great introduction and 'policy manual' for CR. This will help people like Philip know what we're about (and hopefully stick around). Thanks.

I, too, thank you, Sherry, for providing a compass for navigating this area of goodreads! It is a bit daunting to browse the array of group options and reading selections , let alone to decide when and where to dip my toes into this water...... you have made the process considerably easier!
jodyanna

Glad you joined us Jodyanna, and glad to be of service.

Nice work on the introduction, Sherry. It will help us all, I'm sure. I really enjoy the discussions here at Constant Reader. I've learned many, many things, not all book-related.

Glad to help, and welcome.

Thank you Sherry for this clear and concise explanation of how Constant Reader is organized! I am new to GoodReads and I sometimes feel quite "lost" and fumbling, wondering how things work. The site's jargon can be confusingSo thanks again!

Thank you for the orientation.

Previously I was putting a list together on Librarything, but it was limited. Late in the year I responded to their "50 books challenged" and went through my Amazon purchases and memory and counted over 100. One of the consultants says he reads 200 books a year, and counting the junk, cookbooks, exercise, investing, and other things I might not have counted, that's about right.

I tried to sign up for a local great books reading, but it was full. Have read all of the selections anyway, except for a John Dewey essay. With some discretion, I go to county library book discussions, recently A Moveable Feast; House for Mr. Biswas coming up. Another group is circling around Political Science choices.

Book groups: Once upon a time I led "Humanities in the Professions" seminars, with short works such as "An Enemy of the People," "Ivan Illyich," "Shooting and Elephant," and "Sonny's Blues." Have also done some seminars at work, with "The Goal" and some consulting type books, and while teaching karate, with memoirs of athletic and personal achievement, such as "Staying With It."

Audiobooks: I almost always have one going. Bridge of Sighs just loaded; Yiddis Policmen's just finished. Have gone through many of the Teaching Company courses, and Modern Scholar. So far I havent become an Audible customer.

Poetry: I opened the Yale open syllabus last night, and then went to the library for a Norton Anthology of Contemporary and Modern to follow along. Most of that is big names of the early and mid-century -- Frost, Stevens, Williams. I have read among them, but never in an organized way. MIT Open courses also has a poetry course, with more from the last 20 years, think US poet laureates.

Reading Lists: Thanks for the suggestions. Usually I can find the books at the library or discounted on Amazon. Some I don't like, but I'm not afraid to give them a go.

Movies: I am enjoying movie comments. Used to be I would catch two or three each way on overseas flights; now I wait for DVD on most. Recommend "On a Clear Day" if you're in your 50s and been laid off like me; has now made it to cable. I wish the Australian "Kenny" would be issued in a US format.

Thank you for setting the guidelines so clearly. I am fairly new at this and appreciate your guidance.

I am planning to read a biography...but cant decide which one to start with....is there anyone who can suggest a biography for me?...I am looking for sth that is truly astonishing and would definitely be inspiring one interms of life advocacies and achievements.....

Plz help me find one...

Reiad, maybe if you moved this request into our Constant Reader folder, you might get an answer. This isn't usually a place people go for book talk.

Thanks for the orientation info Sherry!

One question as a newbie here. Does it matter which list we choose to read from, or is this group more lax than that?

You read whatever you want to read. Or read something totally different and start a thread in the Constant Reader folder. We're that lax.

Cool. Thanks Sherry

Ahhh....I should have read this a long time ago.
I guess its true, guys don't like directions.
This is one of the best sites on the web in my humble opinion, I have learned a ton in the short time I have been aware of it. Spelling, however is not one of those things.
I look forward to more of all of this!
Thanks
MW

Your spelling looks fine to me, Mike. Welcome to Constant Reader. I hope you take part in some of our discussions.

Welcome, Mike. I'm not great at reading instructions either, usually because they are so badly written. But, I think these are really helpful. Pat on the back to Sherry.

I guess I'm in touch with my masculine side...I am lousy at following instructions.
Thanks for having this nice, clear explanation for us newbies!

I'm thrilled to see so much activity in this group. The hard part will be tearing myself away from the computer so I can actually go read some of these excellent books and poems (I love poetry, by the way. I haven't found too many good places to discuss it so I'm glad to know it's part of the activity here.)

Constant Reader looks great. I"m glad I found it.

As a reader and a writer, I love to fall down the rabbit hole with others who love stories.

I'm really glad to see a short story section--something not all groups have, but they're addictive in the best sense of the word. I find that I read and "study" them. I've had a few published, but boy are they a challenge to create--tight works of art.

I was really pleased with a recent Short Story Prize going to Jim Shephard. I was in a workshop with him in Russia--and not only was I impressed with his writing, but he was genuinely a nice guy.

~Carol

~Carol

Welcome, Carol. I'm glad you found Constant Reader, too. I hope you take part in the discussions.

Welcome, welcome, Carol! I try to coordinate the short stories topic and I'm a fan of them for exactly the reasons you give. Please join in on the discussions there and just ask if you have any questions about the set-up. If you would like a copy of the last story we read, by Jim Tomlinson, email me and I will send you a copy. We are currently using the anthology You've Got to Read This, edited by Ron Hansen and Jim Shepard, interspersed with stories found elsewhere. However, in June, we are going to need a new anthology and I would love to hear suggestions regarding one we could use.

Welcome to all the latest crop. Happy to have you. Carol, I'm delighted you like poetry. I think poetry and short stories have a lot in common.

R

Thanks for the orientation, Sherry!! This is just brilliant. :)

Why thanks, Cissy.

Thank you so much, Sherry, for the road map. Having guidelines outlined from the start is so very helpful for a newbie like me!

Natasha

Thanks for a most helpful orientation! This will help to navigate the group as well as help with the site in general. This will help guide me to more poetry and essay reading.
Thanks again,
Teresa

You're very welcome, Natasha and Teresa.

0
Hello Sherry,

I'm new to the Constant Reader, everything here looks interesting...

I've seen that thre was a discussion of Russo's " Brige of Sighs".
I've seen threads saying the discussion would begin, and you write to look under the book icon.
There I found reviews, but no discussion.

Can you tell me if the discussion has started, and where to find it?"

Thanks and Regards,

Ophelia.

Welcome, Ophelia. Under the book icon, but before the reviews start there is a section called "discuss this book." Click on the topic "Constant Reader." That's it.

Hi, I'm back! I tried to find you guys at the old site (yes, its been that long) and took me a while to get here. I like the digs, tho its going to take me a bit to get situated and learn the ropes. And it looks like I have some catching up to do in the discussions....

So whats the line up of upcoming book discussions? (or just direct me to where it is)

Cindy, welcome back! I'm glad you managed to find us. I keep worrying about people who look for us at the old site. How did you do it?

Look for the booklists in the top note under the Classics Corner and Reading List folders. The short story schedule is in the first note in that folder. To participate in the actual discussions of the books on the CC and RL lists, scroll down to the bottom and click on the book icon on the "shelf", then click on the constant reader discussion. If you have any more questions, ask away. It took us all a while to get accustomed to the new stuff, but it's actually a great site.

Hi,

I'm kind of embarrassed to admit this, but I have read the orientation a couple of times and still can't figure out what the current reads are. When I go to the bookshelves, there is no "view all" option. I see the "read" and "to read" categorizations, but how do I tell which books are going to be read/discussed when? I just see that date the books were added to the bookshelf.

Sorry everybody, but I'd really like to start participating, so I appreciate your help! :)

Kara

Kara -- check the folders on the group home page -- at the top of the reading list folder is a thread which begins with the schedule which actually shows both the reading list schedule and the Classics Corner sc hedule and I THINK the same schedule is at the top of the Classics Corner folder. Hope that helps. Welcome and we will look forward to your participation.

Hey, thanks! I found the schedule, but it's buried pretty deep. I don't know about how to do these things, but seems like it could be a little easier to find. i'm one of those people who needs a slap in the face. :)

thanks again,

kara

The schedule is about as easy as it can be at this time. There is no way to label books right now, but it would be a good thing to ask to see if they would do it. Also, as Dottie said, the schedule for the Reading List and Classic Corner is the first note in the first thread of both folders. I know it's hard to find now with the way they have the threads set up.

Cindy, you can find the discussion schedules on the first message of the first thread in the folder Reading List and Classics Corner. Also if you've noticed, there are book icons near the end of the home page here. The books on the currently-reading shelf are the two books we are discussing this month (that reminds me; I must go change them; it's a new month), and down on the other bookshelf, pick "view all" to see all the books. In the left side, there should be "shelves" for the 2008 books. Go there and you can find the individual book. Go to the "discuss this book" and there is a thread started that will tell you which month the book is for.

Ohhhhhh duh! I was looking at the bookshelves and hadn't even scrolled down far enough to see the book icons. Thanks so much.

Hi Sherry * Everybody

I CAN POST!!!!

My son, the computer genius, brought a newer model computer & I CAN POST!

Hi Marian,
Glad to see you here at last!

R

Welcome, Marian. Glad you can post now.

Welcome, Marian. We're glad you're here!

Hello, Sherry.

Thank you again for the orientation to help out we newbies :-)

I have a few questions: the Whistling Season was posted on 4/1--does that mean it is up for discussion beginning on 4/15? Just want to make sure I have that clear. If not, would you clarify which book is to be discussed on 4/15 for the Reading List discussion? I am not likely to get to this month's book, but I want to ensure I understand how this process works for the next time. Also, I don't have a "view all" button when I look at the bookshelf--I do see the "read" shelf that lists all books. Is that what you were referring to?

Thank you in advance for helping me to get the process down :-)

Natasha

Yes, we start discussing The Whistling Season on the 15th. I always post a note up here to remind people. The discussion itself will be under the book icon.

You don't see a "view all books" link at the very bottom right corner of the "bookshelf"? It's there on my browser. Once you hit that button, you can see the individual shelves for our books. There is a shelf for "2008-reading-list". That will show you what are the upcoming books. Or you can go to the starred note at the top of the Reading List folder for the schedule.

ginnie:

thanks for posting this - what a list! Some great additions for my to-read list.

Sherry,

What a great group! I wish I had discovered you a bit earlier, as I was reading "The Whistling Season" at about the same time that you all were discussing it.

I love the idea of the convention -- I know I won't be able to make it this year, but will plan on the next.

Thanks a million for being here!

That's great, Kay. Welcome to Constant Reader. I hope you'll find other books here to discuss with us.

Thank you for the history of this site. I did have a question. If we are able to come here and participate only in discussions, that is absolutely fine by me as I wanted to find a book group for that purpose.

However, if we also have our own book review sites, are we allowed to share those, especially if we aren't selling anything there? I ask because I have researched and written about many books and authors and some of the material might (at some time) connect with books discussed here. So I wanted to know about that. My site is NOT one where I get paid for viewers.