Everything You Need to Vote

Women of Literatae,

Thank you so much for getting your title recommendations in!  We wound up with 15 titles to choose from, which is actually a pretty good number: enough to actually get to choose, but not so many as to be overwhelming.

Here's what I've put together for you.  Votes are due by online ballot by midnight on July 12.  Fill in the Volunteer Grid as you see fit.  If you have any problems with any of the links, please let me know so I can adjust settings.

The Slideshow:  See all the titles, book jackets, publisher summaries, comments from nominators, and Fayetteville Public Library and Amazon availability.  They are divided into a Fiction and a Biography, Memoir, & Nonfiction section.  In an attempt to present them objectively, I arranged them by author.
You may need to click the present button in the upper right corner to view the presentation.  Then use the enter key or click your mouse to step through the slides.  If you want to return to an earlier slide, use the left arrow key to go back.  The escape key will get you out of the presentation at any time.

Scratch Paper Ballot:  If you're like me, you need to decide on paper before voting on an electronic ballot.  Print this ballot for a list of titles in the same order as the slideshow.  To fill out the online ballot, you will need to rank your six choices 1-6, with 1 being your top pick and 6 your bottom pick.

Online Ballot:  Once you have decided on your six choices and ranked them 1-6, use this online ballot to vote.  Remember that you will not rank titles other than the six you have selected.  I've included ranking of the titles so that in the event of a tie, we will not have to have a run-off.

Volunteer Grid:  Sign up for house, reviewer, and dessert.  Of course, all of this is subject to the course of Covid19.

July 2020

Tuesday, July 14  -- 7:30pm.

Due to social distancing guidelines, this year's July party will go online.  We will attempt to have our annual summer party in the fall.

The Girl with Seven Names: Escape from North Korea by Hyeonseo Lee

Review:  LeAynne

House: Barbara

Preliminary Title List

Preliminary Title List

See the rough form of the list here.

Nomination Time

Women of Literatae, it's (past) time to choose our next round of books.  In order to have another title in the pipeline by the time we "meet" in July, we need to get started.  This semester (is there a proper term for 6 months?), we will conduct our book selection entirely online.  At our June meeting earlier this week, I volunteered to facilitate the process.

Step 1 - now through June 30:
Send me your titles: by email to sakroberson@gmail.com.  Titles and authors, reviews if you've got 'em, your own personal comments.  If you're technologically gifted and want to submit a Flipgrid or some such, go for it.  A selfie of yourself with the book. As much or as little as you want.  But just title & author is fine.  I can pull reviews.

It was mentioned at this week's meeting that we should probably carefully consider our submissions this semester and avoid books that may be difficult to obtain.  With so many things shut down or operating at limited capacity, we need to take Quarantine Life into consideration.  Also, it was mentioned that we might also consider that now may not be the time to dig into super-serious titles.  These are stressful times.

Step 2 - I'll get this done by July 3: 
I'll put together a document (and/or slide show) with all titles submitted.  I'll create a paper ballot that you can  mark to sort out your thoughts.  Then I'll make a Google form that you will be able to vote on.

Step 3 - by July 12 :  
Ponder your options & vote using the Google form.

Step 4 - I'll send out results by July 14, but I'll put the grid up on July 3, if  you want to volunteer before seeing the titles.  I'll tally the votes and send out the results, along with a grid that everybody can edit to create a schedule of hosts, dessert, and reviews (keeping in mind that we aren't at all sure when we'll be meeting in person again).

My part of this is easy, as long as you send titles by June 30.  Please do.

June 2020

Tuesday, June 9

Combination Backyard 6-Foot & Zoom gathering.

The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars by Dava Sobel

Review:  Sarah

House: Nancy

Dessert: Mim

May 2020

Tuesday, May 12

Another Zoom meeting.

Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

Review:  Paula

House: Tonia

Dessert: Tonia

April 2020

Tuesday, April 14

Our first ever virtual book club.  We Zoomed due to Covid19.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

Review:  Nancy

House: Lynette

Dessert: Pam

March 2020

Tuesday, March 10

Eleanor Opiphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Historical note: This meeting happened three days before the world shut down for Covid. We carpooled and crammed into Judy's living room, as the meeting was well attended. I remember sitting on the couch with three other people.  Thankfully, no one contracted Covid.  -- Sarah

Review:  Judy

House: Judy

Dessert: Judy

February 2020

Tuesday, February 11

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Review:  Rita

House: Talya

Dessert: Paula

January 2020

Tuesday, January 14

White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo

review:  Connie

House:  Connie (or Rita)

Dessert:  Crystal

November Long List

November 2019 Long List

See all the books nominated for the first half of 2020 here.

November 2019

Tuesday, November 12 -- Cancelled for weather.  White Fragility postponed until January.

We will choose our next round of books.  See the list here.

White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo

review:  Connie

House & dessert:  Lynette