The weird fiction genre particularly, perhaps even peculiarly, lends itself to stories that are less than novel length. That is one reason Weird Tales, a magazine full of stories of shorter length, had such a legendary 30-year run from 1923-1953. Perhaps it is also why (in part) Lovecraft never wrote more than one novel, but did write 104 stories (by my count) during his 46 years of existence.
That's also why more than half the time our group read for the month is a short story collection or an anthology rather than a full-length novel. There's simply more of the former available to choose from.
Occasionally we have a lull in the group's schedule. Sometimes we finish a group read early, or there is not much interest in reading the current month's group read by most of the members despite the fact it garnered the most votes in the poll. Sometimes in a discussion a particular short work by some author or another comes up. It is for occasions like these, or maybe because I just feel like running one, that I want to start a type of group read I am calling a moderator short take.
These will always be a single, spotlighted work of less than novel length. Sometimes one will be used to fill up a time space when we have no other group read scheduled. The first one here will be used to take up the last half of October, for example, and be the only work scheduled for then. But more often, I think, these moderator short takes will run concurrently with another group read.
The works selected in this category (by me, or by any other brave soul who one day volunteers to co-moderate) should be highly accessible (available for e-readers) and relatively inexpensive, free, for example, or under $4. I will try to make a point of running one of these when we have months when the group read is a work that is obtainable only through book purchase, since I know, some members will only read works available for e-readers.
The first Moderator Short Take is The Willows by Algernon Blackwood. You can read more on how that came to be the selection in the first message of that book's topic.
I invite comments about this idea as well as suggestions for future moderator short takes here at this topic. I don't guarantee to take up a suggestion for a future short take group read, but I'll certainly consider it.
That's also why more than half the time our group read for the month is a short story collection or an anthology rather than a full-length novel. There's simply more of the former available to choose from.
Occasionally we have a lull in the group's schedule. Sometimes we finish a group read early, or there is not much interest in reading the current month's group read by most of the members despite the fact it garnered the most votes in the poll. Sometimes in a discussion a particular short work by some author or another comes up. It is for occasions like these, or maybe because I just feel like running one, that I want to start a type of group read I am calling a moderator short take.
These will always be a single, spotlighted work of less than novel length. Sometimes one will be used to fill up a time space when we have no other group read scheduled. The first one here will be used to take up the last half of October, for example, and be the only work scheduled for then. But more often, I think, these moderator short takes will run concurrently with another group read.
The works selected in this category (by me, or by any other brave soul who one day volunteers to co-moderate) should be highly accessible (available for e-readers) and relatively inexpensive, free, for example, or under $4. I will try to make a point of running one of these when we have months when the group read is a work that is obtainable only through book purchase, since I know, some members will only read works available for e-readers.
The first Moderator Short Take is The Willows by Algernon Blackwood. You can read more on how that came to be the selection in the first message of that book's topic.
I invite comments about this idea as well as suggestions for future moderator short takes here at this topic. I don't guarantee to take up a suggestion for a future short take group read, but I'll certainly consider it.