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Hi fellow dads, I wondered if anyone here would like to join the book group I've started at work:
The plan is to read Great Books, the ones that are "over everyone's heads, all the time"... the idea is something along these lines: http://www.greatbooks.org/about/history/
First meeting: 28th January 2013, 1pm - obviously I don't expect you to come to the office but we can discuss online, right? And it's good to have a "deadline"...
First selection: "The Prince" by Nicolo Machiavelli (short, and controversial... suggested by a book club member)
Next selection: Please suggest a title from the list - see http://www.greatconversation.com/10-year-reading-plan - if no-one suggests something, we will just go along with the suggested order
Frequency: last Monday of each month (but 2 months per book) at 1pm
Rules of Book Club:
1. you do not talk about Book Club (actually, it's OK to bring your friends)
2. what happens at book club, stays at book club
3. expect the leader to only ask questions
4. listen to other participants and respond to them directly
5. discuss the ideas in the selection and try to understand them fully before exploring issues that go beyond the selection
6. support your ideas with evidence from the text
7. read the selection carefully before participating in the discussion
More details on the "rules": http://www.greatbooks.org/programs-for-all-ages/gb/gbphilosophy/ and http://www.unshelved.com/2005-4-5
Where to get the selection:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1232 (free text for your e-reader)
http://librivox.org/the-prince-by-niccolo-machiavelli/ (free audio)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Prince-Penguin-Classics-Niccolo-Machiavelli/dp/0140449159 (from 1p!)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Prince-Oxford-Worlds-Classics/dp/0199535698 (from £1)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Prince-Dover-Thrift-8/dp/0486272745 (from 1p!)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Prince-Unabridged-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140861092 (audio CD)
THink a book club is a great idea and it is good to read books that are chosen for you
Monday 1pm is a problem though - many of us work and don't have flexible lunches - could we not do in the evenings?
I cannot commit to that time but wish you the best.
Thanks Mario!
But... you don't need to comitt to the time... sorry, I left it in, it was only for the "real world" group at my office...
Of course, this being a forum we can "meet" any time! 😀
In which case I may join - enjoy reading and sometimes its good to reads books that you havent chosen
I will finish my latest Jack Reacher then start reading - I have got a whole load of classics on my hard drive so will put it on my kindle
Look forward to the discussion
Cool!
Which Kindle do you have? I got the super cheap black and white ereader (kobo mini) as a pre-Christmas present 😉 and i find it pretty nice, in a no-frills sort of way...
I'm finding it sort of slow going but still enjoying it when i get a minute... here are the questions I came up with so far to aid reading...
1. Is Machiavelli’s view of human nature in “The Prince” on balance pessimistic or optimistic?
2. Are the parts of “The Prince” dealing with ecclesiastical affairs positive or negative towards the Church? Is “The Prince” a “pious” book?
3. Does Machiavelli consistently apply his dictum, “you cannot have good laws without good arms, and where there are good arms, good laws inevitably follow” in the book as a whole?
I'll jump in on this - I have Kindle on my Desire HD. I've been using my phone to read books for around 10 years now (started with eReader on Palm phones) and I find having a book with me wherever I am brilliant, plus the ability to buy a new book as soon as I finish what I'm reading equally brilliant. Worth checking amazon regularly for their cheap books. The last 6 books I've bought have cost me less than a fiver for all of them - some were only 20p and very good reads.
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