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Grex Scifi Item 111: Barnes & Noble starting new SF book group 7/20/99.
Entered by gjharb on Sat Jun 26 16:36:07 UTC 1999:

Barnes & Noble (Washtenaw & Huron Pkwy) is starting up a new science
fiction book group which will meet the third Tuesday of every month
at 7:30 pm beginning July 20th.  The first selection is Forever Peace
by Joe Haldeman.  This book has won the Hugo and John W. Campbell
awards but even so, fans give it mixed reviews.  Also, in spite of the
title, Haldeman claims it is not a sequel to his classic The Forever
War which he wrote in 1974.

6 responses total.

#1 of 6 by janc on Sun Jun 27 02:00:39 1999:

Three years ago the same Barnes & Noble tried to start a SF reading
group.  I thought it might be fun and went to their first meeting. 
Turnout was poor.  What I thought was a bit sleezy was that the store
wanted us to select only hardcover books (which they would then offer a
small discount on).  This way the club serves to encourage people to buy
hardcovers (which they make more profit on) and the discount encourages
them to buy them at B&N.  It was a bit too mercenary an approach for my
taste, but mostly I just dislike hardcovers so I don't want to buy them.
I haven't heard much about their reading groups since.  Interesting that
they are trying again.

I haven't read any Haldeman for years.  He seems mostly to write war
stories, which I'm not all that fond of.

#2 of 6 by gjharb on Sun Jun 27 22:23:20 1999:

Well, you are right about these groups being a ploy to generate revenue for
the store.  For the past year I have been attending an American History 
Book Group at this same store.  The selections have always been in paper-
back with the store giving us 30% off plus free cookies when we meet.
There are two or three Eastern Michigan history professers who take turns
facilitating the group and there are usually between 8 to 12 people who 
show up.  I find it very worthwhile and don't mind the store trying to make
a buck.  

Regarding the new SF group, I may not be in town for its first meeting,
but if I am, I will drop by and check it out.  Joe Haldeman is an ex-Viet
Nam vet and drew from his war experiences to write The Forever War which
I read over 20 years ago and never never forgot. (Sort of like the shower
scene in Psycho).  Anyway, over the past few years, I have been moving
away from science fiction because it seemed whatever I picked up seemed
lacking in . . .  in what?  Not sure.  I still like to know the award
winners, etc. but I am not the fan I used to be.

#3 of 6 by scott on Sun Jun 27 23:48:49 1999:

Paperback is better.  I'd kinda hope that management is smart enough to do
these groups so that people think of the store as "that cool place that has
the groups", rather than try to pry some immediate profit out of sale of the
books in question.

#4 of 6 by gjharb on Wed Jul 21 22:52:42 1999:

Went to the first meeting of the new scifi book group last night - only
four people showed up.  The facilitator is a young man named Matt who is
very well-read in the classcis and wants to steer the group into reading
books published within the past ten years only.  Also, the group decided to
focus on scifi only and put fantasy aside for now.  The selection for next
month is Slow River by Nicola Griffith.  Meetings are the third Tuesday of
every month.  
o

#5 of 6 by anderyn on Thu Jul 22 02:31:21 1999:

Slow River is cool. Problem is that I've read the classics AND
most of the good new stuff.

#6 of 6 by janc on Thu Aug 12 12:46:26 1999:

I like Nicola Griffith.  I'll have to look for Slow River.

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