So, I'm restarting this since the rest of the attempts here seem to have died...

[Arania]

...and I realize this attempt might die, too. but I am tweaking this a bit.

 

Each month, there will be 3 books to chose from. Always with varied topics.

 

Each book will get its own thread and you can read that book at any time and comment on it, although it would be best if those who sign up for a book read it within 3 months so we can discuss. It will be one book a month per topic, suggestions always welcome, but the 3 month time frame is there to allow people with less time to take part, and to avoid anyone stressing out about it. It is also perfectly ok to skim over a book first, and read deeper into it depending on the discussion. Some topics may not allow for that, but many will.

 

I would use the following topics:

 

Tarot and other cartomancy

Spiritual and/or magic

Pop culture books on "mystical" topics, being well aware that a lot of it will fall in the conspiracy theorist and scam corner. Debunking is fun.

Science widely related to these topics.

Ocassionally, a fiction book relating to those topics

 

 

Discussions of specific spreads, spells or whatever would be in the respective other forums linked from here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Saule]

This is so cool! Count me in! It sounds like a great way to learn, especially for us newbies that struggle to differentiate between all the good and bad advice out there :)

[gregory]

I saw this idea the last time it was mooted - and I didn't sign up then either. Because - I am in an IRL book group, and I have enough issues keeping up with that. I was briefly in an online one on another forum - and I think it fizzled in the same way that a lot of things on line do - people signed up and forgot about it till the day before discussion was to start, and then hid in shame....

 

Maybe a better way would be simply to start threads on individual books and simply - discuss them for as long as the thread is active. It worked that way for a guy on carto who used to announce new books he found. Just a thought.

[DanielJUK]

I think that is a great idea from @gregory. It's wonderful you are trying to bring this back @Arania, it's a lot of organising and wrangling the members.

These things always fail on the forum because it becomes a lot of work for one person and also doing it timed. Read this chapter and then this. It's a much better idea to make threads with no timings. Chapter 1 discussion, etc. Then members can do it in their own time and also maybe comeback to it in future.

 

If you need any assistance from the staff just let us know. You can create a poll, to vote on which book or whatever but it needs a new thread and has to be the start of the thread.

[gregory]

And another thing - doing it that way means nobody has to commit to a group, nor are the posts limited to group members - you might not intend that, but it would happen; even in open threads I've started at random here, I see people coming and saying "I hope it's OK to post in this thread, but..." If there's an established group - that will happen even more. 

 

This way, I might see you'd started a thread on Sepulchre and want to post how very much I LOATHED that book and why - but if you posted one about (thinks fast... Oh yes: Into Te Void (another book I hated but there's nothing I would ever want to say about it) I wouldn't bother dropping by. You'd get a much wider range of opinions, and probably more participation.

 

Heads up, BTW - much use of the spoiler tag is useful !

[Arania]

Ah, I should have mentioned that I do not look for a closed group. No they don't work, but I've been in an open one for SciFi for years and it went fine until the forum closed and everyone scattered. And I already said every book would get its own thread.

 

The reason why I could not just start posting on books regularly is that I need some motivation to start reading more, and without a deadline i don't remember. I am sure I am not the only one. Hence book suggestions and a lose time frame.

 

I can of course start with some books I've already read.

 

Maybe change the name of the forum section to "reader's lounge?"

[DanielJUK]

There is a clever way I think we could do this with the forum's features, let me discuss it with my staff colleagues 🙂

 

@joy hosted a wonderful Lenormand study along a while ago and many people signed up and were enthusiastic, you can still view the threads here - https://www.thetarotforum.com/forums/forum/193-treppner-course/

What happened was people drifted off during it. I know that I started well but then the next month was exhausting with real life and I dropped out. It needs to have structure and motivation but also a little freedom when people fall behind.

 

I wonder if there is a way to do it both ways. Please read "this part" by "this date", but leave the discussions open for people who fall behind and do it at their own speed or maybe who find it later

Also it's possible to do one thread per book but also we can do one thread per part. If you want to divide them in in learning / discussion parts or chapters, that can be done.

[gregory]

See also the 78 card study. Very few make it to the end, she said smugly ! (I confess I fell out of that \Lenormand one too.... I THINK before I even posted...)

[Arania]

4 hours ago, DanielJUK said:

Please read "this part" by "this date", but leave the discussions open for people who fall behind and do it at their own speed or maybe who find it later

Yes exactly. The way some need dealines others get driven away by them.

 

3 hours ago, gregory said:

See also the 78 card study. Very few make it to the end

Yeah, I ran a tarot and oracle study on a German magic forum some years back and the way the admins wanted it was one card in 2 weeks and of course it fizzled out rather early before we even got through the greaters. Not only due to time restraints but the pace was too slow for many.