"The scholar has lived in many times and is therefore to some degree immune from the great cataract of nonsense that pours from the press of his own age."
- C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, pg. 29
- C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, pg. 29
I don't want it to seem like I'm just posting this willy-nilly. I happen to have quite a bit of time on my hands presently that I would like to devote toward some literary studies, such as a reading/writing group or, well, a literary club of sorts, and figured this would be a good place to start. Since it seems we've got a place for it, but haven't had it take off.
Honestly, I really would like to see this section of the forum and the idea behind it come to fruition. I have tried this sort of thing before on other forums (not NS related) without much success. However, I think you guys are exactly the group that could pull this off. I trust nearly all of you to be able to offer intelligent, lively, thoughtful discussion about any number of topics, and I think we could all really benefit with an even closer sense of community if we take the opportunity here to spend some time with friends in discourse about things non-NationStates related. (Well, not directly related, anyway.)
I'd love to have a bit of a book group, and I think I'm not the only person around here this idea appeals to.
Now, for starters, I've noticed that we've got so many people who'll toss out an idea, have others encourage it, and then we faceplant before it gets into the application of the idea.
SO. I am grabbing the proverbial bull by the horns here. I am starting a book club in this thread, even if I am the only member.
That being said, at the beginning of each month (sometime during the first week or so, hopefully), the group (which will need a name at some point) shall select the month's reading/study material via drawing (out of a real, live hat) from a list of submissions/suggestions provided by each member. No book genre/title/topic/author is off-limits, as one can glean meaningful discussion from even the weakest of material.
Reading of the materials should then commence and, ideally, be completed sometime during the course of the second and third weeks leaving us with at least an entire fourth week as time for discussion before the next book/subject is chosen.
Now, sometime this week, anyone who wants to join me in this project, please register (post) here in this thread explaining your interest, and PM me a list of titles/subjects that you'd be interested in studying and discussing. Please submit no more than three titles/subjects per month.
Meanwhile, we also need a name, and some other ideas for coordination - perhaps a schedule of times we can meet up via IRC, or AIM, or even Skype, for chat discussions.
Group names and other ideas relative to this group should definitely be posted here - let's make this a collaborative effort so we can meet the expectations of each member and include everyone.
Also, I would just like to express my concern that while members are welcome and encouraged to confront and critique ideas and opinions, criticism and confrontations of each other will be vehemently frowned upon and persons choosing to slander or belittle shall be immediately uninvited from their participation with the group.
Also, Flem, I didn't know you went to Oxford! I'm all sorts of jealous. 
