(Archived) Evernote Book Club Challenge!

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

Evernote Book Club Challenge

What do we do?

1. Read together for one month starting Monday, April 9.

- The first week we'll read a book.

- The second one we'll read a newspaper/magazine article each day.

- The third one we'll read three academic journal articles.

- The fourth one we'll read a "classic" book.

2. Take notes on the reading(s) and write our thoughts/reviews in a shared notebook.

What do you all think? I have started a poll for our first book, which will be Science Fiction. Which one shall we read? Of course, we can start polls for the other weeks as well.

[peterfmartin 221]

Wow. I'd like to participate, but I know this will be too much reading in a month (to do on top of what I already read and otherwise do). I'm happy to participate selectively, but you may want to cut the total reading a bit to attract more people.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

Wow. I'd like to participate, but I know this will be too much reading in a month (to do on top of what I already read and otherwise do). I'm happy to participate selectively, but you may want to cut the total reading a bit to attract more people.

hi. thanks for the comments!

yeah. good point. maybe too much reading. let's see what people say, but selective participation sounds good to me

[gbarry 2,658]

Nothing like a 5-way tie to keep things interesting.

[GHall 12]

I'd participate. And I agree that cutting the reading by 25-50% would help, especially with the note taking option. I've never taken notes in a shared folder. Thinking most others have not as well.

Also, I voted for Anathem by Neal Stephenson for the first week's reading.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

I'd participate. And I agree that cutting the reading by 25-50% would help, especially with the note taking option. I've never taken notes in a shared folder. Thinking most others have not as well.

Also, I voted for Anathem by Neal Stephenson for the first week's reading.

Well, it might be a bit much. Perhaps we could arrange it differently. We could just keep it simple for now. How about a chapter per day until we finish the first book (assuming the chapters are not absurdly long), and then we pick another book after that, and so on, and so forth?

[gbarry 2,658]

I think it makes sense to scale to a single book and a few articles a month. Start slow, and if the volume is too low for readers, then we can up it.

In my experience, less is more, because you're also talking about interacting/discussing the content, rather than burning through it.

Now I just need to share a notebook and we need to pick a month and give due notice to pick up the eventual book.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

I think it makes sense to scale to a single book and a few articles a month. Start slow, and if the volume is too low for readers, then we can up it.

In my experience, less is more, because you're also talking about interacting/discussing the content, rather than burning through it.

Now I just need to share a notebook and we need to pick a month and give due notice to pick up the eventual book.

Sounds good. Anathem by Neal Stephenson has broken away from the pack! Maybe that one? We can just do one book this month and see how things go. That's 981 pages, so it would work out to something like 30 pages or so a day. That sounds like a nice challenge to me. Shall we get started Monday (March 9)? We can start posting a day or two later about the first 30 pages.

[GHall 12]

I think it makes sense to scale to a single book and a few articles a month. Start slow, and if the volume is too low for readers, then we can up it.

In my experience, less is more, because you're also talking about interacting/discussing the content, rather than burning through it.

Now I just need to share a notebook and we need to pick a month and give due notice to pick up the eventual book.

Sounds good. Anathem by Neal Stephenson has broken away from the pack! Maybe that one? We can just do one book this month and see how things go. That's 981 pages, so it would work out to something like 30 pages or so a day. That sounds like a nice challenge to me. Shall we get started Monday (March 9)? We can start posting a day or two later about the first 30 pages.

This is exciting. I'm looking forward it. We've settled on Anathem? I'm clarifying because I'm going to order the book.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

I think it makes sense to scale to a single book and a few articles a month. Start slow, and if the volume is too low for readers, then we can up it.

In my experience, less is more, because you're also talking about interacting/discussing the content, rather than burning through it.

Now I just need to share a notebook and we need to pick a month and give due notice to pick up the eventual book.

Sounds good. Anathem by Neal Stephenson has broken away from the pack! Maybe that one? We can just do one book this month and see how things go. That's 981 pages, so it would work out to something like 30 pages or so a day. That sounds like a nice challenge to me. Shall we get started Monday (March 9)? We can start posting a day or two later about the first 30 pages.

This is exciting. I'm looking forward it. We've settled on Anathem? I'm clarifying because I'm going to order the book.

Good point. I forgot about the ordering part. OK. Let's go ahead with Anathem!

@Geoff

Fire up the shared notebook

@Everyone

Just to clarify. One book this month. We'll plan on thirty pages a day. We can start talking about the first 30 on Tuesday (April 10). Of course, feel free to start reading anytime before then. No harm in getting a head start on the challenge. Please note that this is not only a Kindle book (shocking inexpensive at $1.99), but also an Audible one (32hours)!

[gbarry 2,658]

This is exciting. I'm looking forward it. We've settled on Anathem? I'm clarifying because I'm going to order the book.

Yup, I think that's what we're going for.

It's going to be interesting to see how the shared notebook plays into this. Discussion would probably happen here, with resources and info lodged there? No clue. Experimentation should be the name of the game.

[gbarry 2,658]

Public link to the shared notebook is here. If you responded to the survey above, you received an edit access link from me as well.

https://www.evernote.com/pub/gbarry/evernotebookclubchallenge#b=1bb99b63-6bde-4254-a4b0-d6a75ca1dbae&n=6805f3ea-0024-4969-8b11-0d4fe5d71ba1

[GHall 12]

I checked my local library for Anathem and pleasantly surprised to find it available through regional library loan. I placed the request two days ago and picked up a copy from my neighborhood branch today. It even contains a glossary!

[GHall 12]

Has anyone else started Anathem? I read 5 or 6 pages to begin to get the flavor of the work. Mixed feelings I have.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

Has anyone else started Anathem? I read 5 or 6 pages to begin to get the flavor of the work. Mixed feelings I have.

I've started it. I will say that it is a little slow going at the moment (language barrier), but I trust that Stephenson will make it worth our while. It's like peeking into the mind of an eccentric genius.

[gbarry 2,658]

Picking it up this weekend, so I'll have to let you know then

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

so, how did the challenge go

today? how far did everyone get?

i have an ebook version, so i am not sure where page 30 would be, but maybe we can see where everyone is and just discuss it up to there.

once we decide the cutoff point, we can post our thoughts for the day in the shared notebook. as

a suggestion, how about writing a short paragraph (just a few sentences) about our impressions so far up to "Mystagogue" (location 510 on the kindle). if you aren't there yet, just about what you have read so far.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

ok. it looks like we need to make a tiny adjustment

how about this: one chapter each week, and we write our thoughts about it in the shared notebook?

so, for this week, let's read "provener". next week "apert". and so on. and so forth.

[GHall 12]

ok. it looks like we need to make a tiny adjustment

how about this: one chapter each week, and we write our thoughts about it in the shared notebook?

so, for this week, let's read "provener". next week "apert". and so on. and so forth.

I'm fine either way. Funny thing is that I don't have the book anymore. It was inadvertently returned to the library. Reordered so should be back on track tomorrow. Slow start but interesting. I'll post my thoughts or post some questions.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

ok. it looks like we need to make a tiny adjustment

how about this: one chapter each week, and we write our thoughts about it in the shared notebook?

so, for this week, let's read "provener". next week "apert". and so on. and so forth.

I'm fine either way. Funny thing is that I don't have the book anymore. It was inadvertently returned to the library. Reordered so should be back on track tomorrow. Slow start but interesting. I'll post my thoughts or post some questions.

OK. I know our book club seems to have petered out. The last note seems to have been an article mistakenly clipped to the shared notebook (was that you GB?). How are you all doing with the book? You'll be pleased to know that the author is doing some fascinating stuff with swords. For nerds who read Snow Crash, this will come as no surprise

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2405585,00.asp

[gbarry 2,658]

Article wasn't me.

The Book Club is just dormant at the moment Personally, it ended up being a bad time for me to be reading--and I also just couldn't get into reading the e-book, for whatever reason. I think I'll stick to paper for now. I think it's probably a good idea to resurrect this in a little while, and make a more concerted effort to publish the opportunity on the forum or in some other book club sites. We can turn it into an announcement and try to build momentum for the next book.

[jefito 5,589]

I did wind up reading "Ready Player One" e-book at some point in the interim. Liked it, though it wasn't a great piece of literature by any stretch, just a fun, geeky read. Having trouble going back to "real" p-books, though I just did read a couple recently "Independence Day" by Richard Ford (Pulitzer winner, and a great read) and "The Devil" by Ken Bruen (heavily noir Irish crime, a fantastic clipped prose style).

[gbarry 2,658]

I was interested in Ready Player One. May have to go back and tackle that one at some. I've hit a small drought of personal reading lately, much to my chagrin. I think I'll blame the interns

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

I am thinking now that an entire book like that was a little too ambitious. It was big, dense, and not terribly accessible. In retrospect, maybe it would have been better to have read some Philip K. ***** pieces. There are still a lot of his stories that I haven't read, or want to read again. I guess his ex-wife just put out a memoir, and that has reminded that I know pitifully little about his work.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

AGGHHH! The forum censor got me. OK. This one was fair: Philip K. D-I-C-K. But, that's the guy's name for goodness sake

[gbarry 2,658]

I've been lightly modifying the censor, so we'll go ahead and lift that one as well.

Science fiction short stories (or really, any short stories) would work great in this format, actually. I'm thinkin of some anthologies I have, some Vonnegut, some Kafka. Something you can pick up and read in less than an hour, roll around in your brain, and discuss.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

I've been lightly modifying the censor, so we'll go ahead and lift that one as well.

Science fiction short stories (or really, any short stories) would work great in this format, actually. I'm thinkin of some anthologies I have, some Vonnegut, some Kafka. Something you can pick up and read in less than an hour, roll around in your brain, and discuss.

Yep. That is the way to go for sure. If you have anything in mind, let's throw it into the mix! Now that we have all of these improvements to the Activity feature, it will probably work out a lot better.

[jefito 5,589]

I broke down and bought the first installment of the Game of Thrones series; will be reading that soon. We've watched a few episodes of the TV show; it's pretty good, so now I am backing into the book...

Here's a Ready Player One related link: http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/07/building-an-atari-game-from-scratch-ready-player-one-reveals-the-stacks/

[Metrodon 2,184]

I started reading the first GoT after watching about half of the first season of the TV show and was surprised at how closely the show followed the book - so much so that I actually gave up on the book as I knew what was going to happen. Season 2 departed from the 2nd book a fair bit I believe but I don't really have time for both and so I'm going to stick with the TV.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

I started reading the first GoT after watching about half of the first season of the TV show and was surprised at how closely the show followed the book - so much so that I actually gave up on the book as I knew what was going to happen. Season 2 departed from the 2nd book a fair bit I believe but I don't really have time for both and so I'm going to stick with the TV.

The TV series is surprisingly well-done, and I especially like the opening sequence (story about it here http://www.artofthet...ame-of-thrones/ and parodies here http://theclicker.to...e-sequence?lite). The books are naturally much more richly textured and interesting, but the actors bring the characters to life, and I enjoy them both a lot. I suppose I have to both watch and read. I cannot do one or the other for stories that are this well written.

[Metrodon 2,184]

FWIW, I'm reading Small Wars Permitting by Christina Lamb (http://www.amazon.com/Small-Wars-Permitting-Christina-Lamb/dp/0007256892/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341758478&sr=8-1&keywords=Small+Wars+Permitting+-+Christina+Lamb) as you'd expect it's extremely well written and very interesting.