MobileRead Administration: New years reading categories

[pilotbob]

OK... so from all the feed back it seems genre rather than source is the most popular way to build the categories. Also, it seems that there are a lot of fringe categories that rather than try to cover we could have a month of free-for-all / anything goes.

So, here is what I am thinking so far:

January 2010
Science Fiction (rivets/science)
February 2010
Romance
March 2010
Nonfiction
April 2010
Humor
May 2010
Classic
June 2010
Historical Fiction
July 2010
Autobiography/Biography
August 2010
Any eBook
September 2010
Mystery/Thriller/Crime
October 2010
Horror
November 2010
Fantasy (Trees/Magic)
December 2010
Classic (still needs to be defined)

Is there enough to pick from in June? Historical Fiction is not really something I have read a lot about.

I did some looking around online and also here to try to find some other genre's. Like

Fables, Western (as was mentioned here), Myths, Alternative Histories (what it the Nazi's won the war), Poetry, Plays, Young Adult.

I wonder if most of those could just be nominated in the Any eBook month.

Also, should "thriller" go with Mystery/Crime or with Horror? I'm not really sure about what a thriller is compared to a horror.

BOb

[HarryT]

"Thriller" is, to my mind, an entirely distinct category - a thriller is an adventure story. It is not necessarily connected with a crime or mystery, and nor is it generally horrific. "King Solomon's Mines" is a good example of a "thriller".

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by HarryT

"Thriller" is, to my mind, an entirely distinct category - a thriller is an adventure story. It is not necessarily connected with a crime or mystery, and nor is it generally horrific. "King Solomon's Mines" is a good example of a "thriller".

I see. Should it goes in the Mystery Month or the Horror month? Or, should it have a month of it's own and drop something else. Or, should we just leave it as a possible genre for the "Any month".

Also, should the "Any" month be Any or should it be Miscellaneous ie Doesn't fit in other months categories?

BOb

(Did I use ie wrong there? I think I did.)

[HarryT]

I'm happy to leave it as you've suggested with crime and mystery. It's certainly more closely "related" to "mystery" than to "horror", to my mind. I'm very happy with your proposal.

EDIT: actually, I've just noticed something which may or may not be a minor issue. "SF" and "Fantasy" are only two months apart. Given the pretty close relation of these genres, perhaps they should be further separated?

[pilotbob]

Also, notice I have two "classic" months. That is the only one that is repeating. I think there there are thousands of books that would fit into this category and know that I think I should read more of them.

However, one other idea would be to replace the May "classic" month with New York Times best seller (within the last 3 years.)

BOb

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

However, one other idea would be to replace the May "classic" month with New York Times best seller (within the last 3 years.)

BOb

I'd prefer to leave the two classics months, but I am biased .

[Elfwreck]

I'd prefer to drop one of the Classics months, especially as many of them overlap to other genres. Would also like Classic to be defined so we know what's eligible. Dickens/Shakespeare/Bronte: sure, no question. Poe? Probably. What about more obscure authors? (If I could name them off the top of my head, they wouldn't be obscure.) Or more recent authors--is Rand a "classic" author? Orwell?

Perhaps Fantasy could be moved to July, and swapped to put Biography/Autobiography in November. That's got a nice resonance for me; I can easily tie in the Thanksgiving holiday season with reading about real people's lives. That also moves Fantasy from being back-to-back with Horror, and avoids two months of closely related genres.

Could almost replace December's "Classics" with "holiday-themed" ebooks--for any holiday, not just winter ones. Or put it at "any free ebook" on the theory that December is hard enough on the pocketbook for a lot of us. (I'd define "free" as "available for free from the time the book is selected, through the month of December," if it mattered.)

[pilotbob]

I agree... defining what "classic" means is an open issue.

Of course, most all classics are probably going to be free. So, having that for December fits well. I'm sure there are plenty of holiday topic books that are considered classics. No?

I would be ok switching Fantasy and Biography... Although I don't think Fantasy and Horror are anything alike at all.

Anyone else? How should we define classic? Is there a definitive list of "classics" anywhere?

BOb

[JSWolf]

I don't care for historical fiction as a topic. Most historical fiction that I've read has been SF or fantasy. So that's no better then having another month of SF/Fantasy.

If we leave Romance to books outside MR, we will get the mushy Mills & Boon type stuff and that I won't read. I'm willing to give a go to a book posted to MR, but not one not at MR.

There are good reasons to have specified books at MR or not at MR just so we can have a variety.

And I do like my yearly list best (so far).

[CharlieBird]

I agree w/AnemicOak that a bigger window to get/read the selection is a good idea.
For example, during this month's selection process I started and finished the nominated Dorothy Sayers' Murder Must Advertise and am just now only about a third of the way through the selected The Mysterious Affair at Styles (which I had previously read but wanted to refresh on details) which is currently open for discussion.

I also think w/just one "any ebook" month it would be nice to specify a month for drama/poetry. Or maybe there just wouldn't be enough interest.

I tend to lump SF and Fantasy together, reinforced by Harry's note about them be only two months apart.

The Harvard Classics?
d

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I would be ok switching Fantasy and Biography... Although I don't think Fantasy and Horror are anything alike at all.

Depends on the Fantasy and the Horror.

Tolkein and Clive Barker = definitely different; no mixing those up. And nobody's going to feel books were "too much alike" if one month reads Terry Pratchett, and the next reads Stephen King.

Neil Gaiman often straddles both genres. And a lot of "vampire" books could fit in either.

Not particularly important, just an area where the same book or same type of book, could be nominated two months in a row.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by CharlieBird

I agree w/AnemicOak that a bigger window to get/read the selection is a good idea.
For example, during this month's selection process I started and finished the nominated Dorothy Sayers' Murder Must Advertise and am just now only about a third of the way through the selected The Mysterious Affair at Styles (which I had previously read but wanted to refresh on details) which is currently open for discussion.

I also think w/just one "any ebook" month it would be nice to specify a month for drama/poetry. Or maybe there just wouldn't be enough interest.

I tend to lump SF and Fantasy together, reinforced by Harry's note about them be only two months apart.

The Harvard Classics?
d

See the list I made in the 3rd set of pages in this thread. I changed it so SF/Fantasy are not so close together.

[pilotbob]

Well, I looked in Wikipedia because it is the source of all knowlegde in the universe (or at least on the intertubes)

In the traditional sense, a Classic Book is one written in ancient Greek or latin (see classics).

(Um... I can't read ancient Greek)

The phrase 'classic book' or 'classic literature' has taken on new meaning - many view any pre-1900 book still in print as a classic, or titles that is hundred years or older and still in print, and many books are classed as modern classics because of their contemporary significance or perceived future significance...

Ah that's a bit better. How do you know if a book is still in print? If there is an ebook for it, does that mean it is still in print.

BOb

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I don't care for historical fiction as a topic. Most historical fiction that I've read has been SF or fantasy. So that's no better then having another month of SF/Fantasy.

Well, then you would be happy cause you wanted two months of SF/Fantasy, right?

What do others think of the Historical Fiction genre? I admit I don't think I have really read anything in the genre... except maybe the Wagon's West series I read as a teen which had Sam Huston and some other historical persons in it as it followed pioneers expanding out to the western states. BUt, it was really pretty pulp stuff if I recall correctly.

BOb

[lilac_jive]

Maybe it got overlooked, but my idea for the Classics could be pulling one of the 1001 list and narrow it down to books on MR. At last count I think there were at least 100, and I have that data on my spreadsheet (not on the one in my sig but my personal one).