Greetings, readers!
We’ve been discussing book lengths and meeting numbers over the past several weeks. Most recently, we’ve been taking it a lot more casually than we did in the past, and I’ve been checking in with the group a few days before meetings to see if everyone’s prepared to meet for the whole book or if they need more time. This was the plan after some discussion in the Telegram chat group.
I am planning, as of now, to reinstate the <=120,000 words for 1 meeting and the >120,000 words for 2 meetings. This general structure has worked for us in the past, and it gives clarity to each of you as to when we will be meeting for what part of the book.
Right now, I worry that there is too much confusion and expectation to read by a certain date. A common argument is that 130,000 words is not difficult to read in two weeks, and while this may be the case for some of us, it is not the case for everyone. I don’t think we need to be the kind of book club that reads as many books as possible; I’d rather us be the kind that is encouraging of reading and good conversation in general, regardless of the number of books. There are several people (close to half of the respondent’s) who have said they will not finish our current book by tomorrow evening, and that is absolutely okay. It creates difficulty on my end in terms of planning how the meetings should be arranged, though, and I think it will be best if we discuss only the first half of the book tomorrow and the full book in two weeks, as we ordinarily would have done prior to the changes. This seems like the fairest option to all readers, so that nobody is excluded due to not reading fast or frequently enough. It also creates an easier planning process for me.
Below this post you will find a form. If you have thoughts on how the structure should be for meetings, if you liked the way it was, or if you want something different, please put it there. I want to take everyone’s thoughts into account when deciding how this should go. You are always free to disagree with me and share alternative perspectives.
I sincerely apologize for any confusion these last few weeks have caused. I am always grateful to every single one of you for being part of this adventure. Please share your thoughts with me! Otherwise, we will continue with the 120,000-word plan. There is often some obvious aspect that I have not considered that one of you brings up, so don’t hesitate to throw ideas out there.
For now, please plan on reading/discussing half of The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet for tomorrow’s meeting. This means up to (but not including) the chapter entitled The Last War.