"As one small candle may light a thousand so the light kindled here hath shone unto many, yes, in some sort to our whole nation."

William Bradford

I have started this book group, but it is my hope that everybody here will contribute to making this book group an interesting and exciting environment. I do not want to run this group, I want anybody who has read a good book recently and shares a love of literature to get involved. I have always been startled when I talk to other teens on the internet about reading. They tell me that nobody else reads at their school, and that they have no opportunity to share books with the people around them. Everybody in my group of friends reads. One book may be passed around to twelve or so people and then we all discuss it over the lunch table in excited voices. I know I'm lucky to be in an environment that encourages reading.

Requirements for being a member:

1. You have be able to read

2. You must be able to find the time to read one book a month

3. You have to be able to form an opinion on the book other than "it was okay"

4. You must put up with my sarcasm

5. You have to take on the responsibility of choosing a book and leading a discussion at the end of the month in chat at least once while you are here

6. You must be honest, caring, respectful and insightful (or at least opinionated)

7. You do not have to read every book, but please try your very hardest to read as many as you can. I understand that you are busy and that sometimes things just get in the way so that you cannot meet all the pressures that are put on you. Also I understand that not everybody has a library that carries these books and cannot afford to buy books whenever (s)he feels like it.

8. You must be thirteen or older to be in this group. Some of the topics that will be covered here will be mature topics and I will not let myself worry about whether it is acceptable to be discussing these topics. If you are 13 or above and you do not feel right discussing some topics that are present in today's society with an open mind, please talk to me or refrain from joining. There are many other book groups out there and I would be glad to help you find one.

Lit Leader

A lit leader is a person who volunteers to share a book for the month and leads a discussion on the book that (s)he chose. You may be shaking in your boots at the sound of this, but really it is very simple. First you must email me so that I know that you are interested. In this email you must tell me: what month you wish to take responsibilty of, what book you want to read and you must say something witty. There will be a calendar of when people have already volunteered for, so all you have to do is check that out before you try to sign up for a month. When you choose a book, choose something that is meaningful to you. It can be anything you want, as long as it is appropriate and is old enough for this audience. I encourage you to challenge readers with different types of books. If the past three books have been YA general fiction, try a mystery or a non-fiction book. The second thing that you must do is that you must lead a discussion. This discussion should include one or more questions/comments on the message board, along with leading a brief discussion in the chatroom at the end of the month. The chat discussion will always be the last Saturday of the month unless something has otherwise been posted on the mb. If you have any other questions then please write to me or IM me @ Maddy36351.

Membership:

This is a very relaxed club and there really aren't any rules. I encourage you to risk saying what is on your mind, and taking a deeper step into finding out more about the people around you. To become a member, all you have to do is post a quote that is meaningful to you on the mb (have to make you jump through at least some hoops) and make some sort of introduction. Each month's book and who is the lit leader will be posted near the top of The Farthest Finger of the Universe. Have a good time with this group!

Questions? Comments? Write me!

Everything here is copyrighted to Madeleine C.

© November 2000