When we started, the goal was pretty simple: No Rules. Just Fun. We hoped to make reading feel a little less like a checklist and a little more like an adventure. I wanted us to challenge some of our usual reading habits, try books we might not otherwise pick up, and most of all, have fun talking about books with other readers.
So, before we close the Lounge for the summer, I'd love to hear what you thought!
Did you enjoy the Read With Us Lounge?
A few questions to get the conversation started:
What did you enjoy most about the Lounge?
Did you discover a book, author, or type of book you wouldn't have tried otherwise?
Did any of our prompts change the way you thought about your reading?
Was there a particular discussion or post that stayed with you?
Did you enjoy having the freedom to read whatever you wanted, rather than following a traditional book-club reading list (and no Book Bingo cards)?
Was there anything you would change if/when we do this again?
Would you participate in another Read With Us Lounge?
And, maybe most importantly, did the Lounge help make your summer reading more enjoyable?
I’ve loved seeing what everyone has been reading and hearing your thoughts along the way. One of my favorite things about this group has been discovering how differently we can respond to the same book, and how much we can learn from someone whose reading tastes or life experiences are completely different from our own.
Thank you for making the Lounge such a welcoming place for readers. I hope you've maybe found a few new favorites, reconsidered a few old reading rules, and added some books to your ever-growing TBR pile.
Now it's your turn: tell me what you thought! And if you have ideas for what a future Read With Us Lounge might look like, I'd love to hear those, too.
Happy reading, and thank you for spending part of your summer with us!
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One last chance! As a small token of our appreciation, we'd love to send you a thank-you gift for participating in the Read With Us Lounge. If you're comfortable sharing your mailing address, please send it to me via email (highlyreasonableATgmailDOTcom) and we'll get your parting gift on its way in a bit. Thanks again; we really appreciate your commitment to our "No Rules. Just Fun!" philosophy.
I have only one regret: that our reading lounge was virtual only. I would love to spend a day reading in person with everyone! Although, I suspect not a lot of reading would get done!
ReplyDeleteAs I said on Carole's post... I thought the Lounge was "fun, engaging, and thought-provoking." I especially enjoyed circling back and reading comments. I think that was the best... and it was the bit that was the most thought-provoking. I am nodding along with Carole about it only being virtual. It would have been fun to have a "morning coffee klatch" or an afternoon chat with a glass of something!
ReplyDeleteHI Bonny, I read along with all the posts but didn't always comment.
ReplyDeleteFirst I want you to know that all of your posts were incredibly thoughtful and thought provoking.
Thank you for the effort that you put into them.
I don't think I'm a person who has a lot of rules or "shoulds" about my reading, though I have definite dislikes (not a fan of sci-fi and fantasy in general) so I didn't need to be freed from constraints.
I agree with Carole that it would have been fun to just gather with our books to read and converse.
Thanks for hosting this.
Nodding along with everyone else. Like Valerie, I am not one with rules for my reading, so no constraints. Like Kat, I enjoyed circling back to read others' comments and, like Carole, I think an in-person lounge would be so fun (but I agree little reading would be done). Thanks for co-hosting with Carole and Kym. It's been fun and enjoyable to read the posts.
ReplyDeleteI thought the reading lounge was ingenious, Bonny. My favorite part was no rules! It was great to have such diversity of topics, posts, comments. I found your questions to be very thought-provoking. I discovered books that I wanted to read, an viewpoints I had not previously considered. I certainly hope you do it again next year. The only thing that would make it better is if it could be virtual. As I said on Kym's blog, I don't particularly like to read many books chosen for me in book club format, but I love to talk with other readers and hear what's going on in their reading life. I don't know if that is possible, but I would certainly hop in whenever possible for a general reading discussion. Thank you for all the effort and thought you put into these posts. I really enjoyed them so much.
ReplyDeleteI love chatting about books and the Reading Lounge was an opportunity to chat with others about what we were reading, how we read, and how we think about books and reading. Although I didn't always comment, I have enjoyed reading these posts every week. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed writing my posts and reading all the thoughtful comments, and I'm really glad to hear that you have enjoyed them also. Thank you for reading and contributing!
DeleteI enjoyed the conversations here in the lounge -- I think it unlikely that I would have altered my reading for something more structured, so it was fun to be part of something that didn't demand that.
ReplyDeleteI've looked forward to these posts all summer in spite of having very little to say. I'm not a deep thinker when it comes to reading. I either like something or I don't.
ReplyDeleteWe appreciate people who read the posts, even if you don't have much to say. Thanks!
DeleteI thoroughly enjoyed it and hope it comes back next summer. It was great to just talk about books and reading without having to all read the same book or do any sort of challenges.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the lounge. I didn't always comment but I read every one.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading.
DeleteI enjoyed the lounge and all of the thoughtful prompts. Reading everyone's ideas is so interesting. It's wonderful to be part of a group of intelligent women and read perspectives different from mine. I also enjoyed the fact that the three of you posted differently in the Reading Lounge and that it wasn't terribly structured. Thank you.
ReplyDelete