Hello Everyone!
I know there's a lot of fantasy readers on this site, whether you've read the Harry Potter books, the Chronicles of Narnia or Lord of the Rings set or other countless others. I was wondering if anyone would be interested in being part of an Amaranthian Fantasy Book Club.
I was thinking that we could choose a book and then give everyone a day they have to have it read by and then we could discuss it within the book club thread. And of course the book club would be open to anyone who wanted to participate. Would anyone be interested? Or does anyone have any other ideas to elaborate on mine?




Edit:
Amaranthian Fantasy Book Club
Interested in Joining the Amaranthian Book Club? Simply read the book or short story listed for the month and join in on the discussions. Feel free to come and go as you please.
Past Reads:
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
Check out the Discussion for The Last Unicorn HERE
Read about the Last Unicorn HERE

Hazel Squirrel by Howard B. Famous
Read it for free online HERE.

Over Sea, Under Stone (The Dark Is Rising Sequence Book 1) by Susan Cooper
Check out the Discussion for Over Sea, Under Stone HERE
Read about Over Sea, Under Stone HERE

The Hobbit:There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien
Check out the Discussion for The Hobbit HERE.
Read about the Hobbit here.

Eragon (the Inheritance Series book 1) by Christopher Paolini
Check out the Discussion for Eragon HERE.
Read about Eragon here.

Twilight (Twilight Quartet book 1) by Stephenie Meyer
Check out the discussion for Twilight HERE.
Read about Twilight here.

Inkheart (Inkworld trilogy book 1) by Cornelia Funke
Check out the discussion for Inkheart HERE
Read about Inkheart HERE

Lord Foul’s Bane (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the unbeliever book 1) by Stephen R. Donaldson
Check out the discussion for Lord Foul's Bane HERE
Read about Lord Foul’s Bane HERE.

The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy book 1) by Jonathan Stroud
Check out the discussion for the Amulet of Samarkand HERE
Read more about the Amulet of Samarkand HERE

AM Book Club Reading List:
This list consists of the book clubs future reads which include books and short stories. Links to short stories will be included. All short stories are free to read online and have either been found on the internet or are written by one of our own here at AM.


The Ninth book will be:
Dragonflight (Dragon Riders of Pern Series book 1) by Anne McCaffrey
Discussion for Dragonflight will begin on December 1st 2009
Read about Dragonflight HERE


The Tenth book will be:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone/Harry Potter and the Philosophers’ Stone (Harry Potter Series Book 1) by J.K. Rowling
Discussion for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone will begin on January 1st 2010.
Read about Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone HERE

The Eleventh book will be:
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Book 1 in the Chronicles of Narnia) by C.S. Lewis
Discussion for the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe will begin on Febuary 1st 2010.
Read about the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe HERE

The Twelfth book will be:
New Moon (book 2 in the Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer
Discussion for New Moon will begin on March 1st 2010
Read about New Moon HERE

The Thirteenth book will be:
The Fellowship of the Ring (Lord of the Rings book 1) by J.R.R. Tolkien
Discussion for the Fellowship of the Ring will begin on April 1st 2010
Read about the Fellowship of the Ring HERE

The Fourteenth book will be:
The Golden Compass/Northern Lights (His Dark Materials Book 1) by Philip Pullman
Discussion for the Golden Compass will begin on May 1st 2010
Read about the Golden Compass HERE

The Fifteenth book will be:
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians book 1) by Rick RiordanDiscussion for the Lightning Thief will begin on June 1st 2010.
Read about the Lightning Thief HERE

The Sixteenth book will be:
Eldest (The Inheritance Cycle book 2) by Christopher Paolini
Discussion for Eldest will begin on July 1st 2010.
Read about Eldest HERE

The Seventeenth book will be:
Inkspell (Inkworld Trilogy book 2) by Cornelia Funke
Discussion for Inkspell will begin on August 1st 2010
Read about Inkspell HERE

The Eightteenth book will be:
The Dark is Rising (the Dark is Rising Sequence book 2) by Susan Cooper
Discussion for the Dark is Rising will begin on September 1st 2010
Read about the Dark is Rising HERE

The Nineteenth book will be:
A Great and Terrible Beauty (the Gemma Doyle Trilogy book 1) by Libba BrayDiscussion for a Great and Terrible Beauty will begin on November 1st 2010
Read about a Great and Terrible Beauty HERE



If you have any questions, comments or concerns please send me a PM, or post them here. We want everyone to be able to participate so please don’t feel shy about voicing your opinions.

Welcome to the Amaranthia’s Fantasy Book Club!
In order to maximize everyone’s enjoyment and reduce frustration, here are a few guidelines we’ve created:

1.) Books are selected on a monthly basis – you choose which ones you would like to read – you can opt out of any discussion if the book up for discussion is not one you wish to read, or if you simply don’t have time to read every book on the list.
2.) Book selections will be posted at least 1 – 2 months in advance. The book list is subject to change.
3.) Discussion threads will be opened in the Village Square by Lady Twilight at the beginning of each month pertaining to that month’s book choice.
4.) Only one book discussion will be open at any given time – if you have read the book feel free to jump in and offer your thoughts. Please do not discuss past book club reads, or future book club reads, focus on the book the discussion is for.
5.) If you read ahead of other book club members please do not post spoilers, wait for that books discussion to begin.
6.) Discussion dates posted above are subject the change. If you feel the date is too soon, please say something. We want everyone to be able to participate.
7.) All posts must remain on topic – this is a discussion group about books and needs to remain as such.
8.) Keep discussions respectful of the other members – be mindful of what you say and how you say it.
9.)Please pay attention to the age suggestions we’ve listed for book club reads. If you are under the suggested age please ask your parents/guardians for permission to read the novel. Also keep in mind that these are rough suggestions of ages, regarding violence, reading level, adult language or situations etc. The age suggestions may not be dead on.
10.)All of Amaranthia’s rules apply here – please read the Hall of Rule if you are unfamiliar with the guidelines as set by Amaranth.
11.)If you ever have any Questions/Ideas/Concerns please PM to Lady Twilight- I'm glad to have you as a member and I'm here to help!


Happy Reading Everyone!





BOOKCLUB MEMBER LINK LIST

LadyTwilight**

serendipity

Addicted Emma

Aeternus

Basset

Chimera

Classy

DarkAngel

Elm

elonah

Kirikat

LaraCroft21

ljspence

KawaiiSerenity

Lord Maeglin

lrcy333

Mae

MarianFrae

mopiece

Oracle

Rena

shade

SilverMist

s_tyong

WhiteRose

lady_Selena

Browneyedpixie

puppis

crazyvamp

Jayshe

I like the idea LadyT. If the book choice seems interesting I'll try to keep up.

how interesting...who would choose the books and would it be like an actual book club where the person who chooses the book comes up with a few questions to start the conversation? (i have a book club with some friends - been going on for a couple of years now)

s

I was thinking that once there's some people interested, they could throw out some ideas for a book to read and then we could create a poll or something to choose the book. And then upon everyone finishing the book any one could make any statements or ask any questions they want.
I haven't really planned everything out or thought everything through. I just love reading and I don't really have anyone in RL that I can talk to about the types of books I love to read.
If you any ideas on how to run the book club smoothly please feel free to share them.

@ladyT - how about this: since it was your idea, you can suggest a book...that way people have a better idea of what this will be about...you can choose something you've already read to get things rolling and consider a time frame - depending on the length will depend on the time frame...

so that people dont lose interest, you could select something that will fit within a two week timeframe...that may seem short, but online time moves differently...

we have it once a month, which is great and we rotate who will host/choose the book...that person then picks a few questions to ask throughout the discussion...

here, i bet three or four questions would suffice to give room for others to express their opinions...

does anyone else have any other thoughts?

s

Like the idea, but, I,really, like books that deal with reality more than fantasy books...
Sooo, all the best, but without me

I would suggest having two choices, light reading and serious reading. It would take me two weeks just to get a copy of a book to begin with, let alone reading. (I can only do light reading anymore. My Meniers Disease makes it very difficult to concentrate.) Another problem might be the accessability of books in different countries.

@oracle - to address the concern of timing and acessibility of books, a list could be prepared in advance with the dates, etc...then, if someone chooses, they could participate...heavier reading could be listed well in advance to give ample notice...

all we can do is offer the option and those who wish to participate are more than welcome to join!

s

Excellent, an advance list would work great for me. Problem solved.

I'm part of a book club. We have one book per month. And we generally do give advanced notice of books and times. I really like this idea.

fantabulous...i will get with LadyTwilight (since it was her idea) and see what her thoughts are on book titles and the like so we can get a list generated for everyone...

s

Ooh, I want to be in this too... Nothing better than a good book. ^.^

Very good ideas! I’m trying to think of a list of books right now. I do think that a list being prepared in advance is a smart way to go. Not only will it give people more time and notice of what books the club would be reading, but people could also choose which books they want to read and which ones don’t really appeal to them.

Does anyone have any ideas of some books we could put on the list? If so, please post them or PM them to me when you get the chance.

The Bartimaeus Trilogy and anything by Tamora Pierce. (Good books that I've read...)

Scott Westerfeld is a really good author, too.

@Rena I actually just bought book one of the Bartimaeus trilogy the Amulet of Samarkand. So that's intersting that you mentioned it.
Are there any specific books by Pierce or Westerfeld that you would suggest?

I would love to do the Stephen R Donaldson book The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the unbeliever "Lord Fouls Bane". It has been since the book first came out that I read them. I would love to read it again. There is much to debate about in it also, since we don't know if he really travels to the alternate world or if he is just suffering from leprosy delusions. He is definately a love/hate character with many problems to overcome.
(Miki you might like this one since half of it takes place in this world and his RL problems here.)
Check out the site:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Covenant

stephen lawhead is another great author...his song of albion trilogy is excellent...

s

I think Oracle's suggestion sounds intersting. It's the only one i've heard of from the suggestions so far, but I'm going to look up every one else's suggestions as well.

Some books I’ve read this year and would suggest: The His Dark Materials set by Philip Pullman. Book one is the Golden Compass. As well as Eragon and Eldest by Christopher Paolini which started out slow for me but I loved them all.

Some other books I’ve had to suggested to me in RL are Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin, The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audret Niffenegger, A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray, Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey, and Wicked by Gregory Maguire

So I’m just putting those out there. If you want to look them up on amazon or Wikipedia you can. And if anyone has any more suggestions for books or for the book club in general please continue to share them.

Well, Pierce has two main worlds that have a bunch of recurring characters: Tortall and Emelan. The Tortall books have three quartets (Song of the Lioness, Immortals, Protector of the Small) and the Trickster books (Trickster's Choice and Trickster's Queen), all of which are good. I like the Emelan books more, though. Two quartets (The Circle of Magic and The Circle Opens) and two standalones (The Will of the Empress and Melting Stones). The thing about all of the Pierce books is that you can read any one of them without reading any of the others, but characters keep making appearances in multiple books. Tamora Pierce also mentions a lot of events and items from other books (they tend to be important) that you may want to look into.

My explanations are long. o_O

I've only read one book by Westerfeld (Peeps), but my friends have read others... The Uglies Series is supposed to be really good, and Crystal thought the Midnighters series was good too. The Last Day is a companion to Peeps.
I think the Uglies books are the longest (individual books, I mean).

Wicked Lovely and ink Exchange by Melissa Marr are also really good. Oh, and the Books of Ember (City of Ember, People of Sparks, Prophet of Yonwood) by Jeanne DuPrau are good too... Not as good as some of my favorites, but definitely shorter. <--I love long books...

Garth Nix is another really good author. I've only read his Abhorsen Trilogy, but I've heard good things about the Keys to the Kingdom series.

(I'll probably keep coming up with other random books...)

The Dragonriders of Pern is and awesome series. I could read it over and over, in fact I have. I gave my set to my daughter-in-law. I'll have to see if she still has them.