OutReaders:2001-2015
These book club minutes are culled from the regular business meeting minutes of the OutWorlders Board of Directors found on the OutWorlders wiki.
September 2001
The reading group is going well.
October 2001
Book Group: Next meeting will be 15 November 2001 at OutWrite. This is a special meeting, since Keith Hartman will be there for Q&A, a reading, and book signing. [Part of his promotional tour for Gumshoe Gorilla.}
January 2002
Book Group—Alan Siler
The Book Group restarted last Thursday, after a break for the holidays.
The books for the coming 4 months have already been picked out, and posted on the Discussion list.
OutWrite will give a 20% discount on these selected books.
July 2002
Readers Group—Edward deGruy
Group has been reformed to meet for the first time Saturday July 27, 2002 at Outwrite Bookstore at 1pm till about 2pm.
The book discussed will be Storm Constantine’s Burying the Shadow.
Next book and time will be discussed at that meeting.
September 2002
Ed deGruy reported that the group did have a book to be reading (Witchhunt), but a meeting had not been scheduled.
March 2003
The Readers' Group will be meeting on Sunday, 23 March 2002, to continue discussion of Storm Constantine's Sign for the Sacred. The subsequent meeting is scheduled for 13 April 2003, and the book for discussion will be Bending the Landscape: Science Fiction edited by Stephen Pagel and Nicola Griffith. Stephen Pagel has been invited to attend the meeting.
April 2003
03-04-02. Readers' Group SIG
Resolved THAT the readers' group be an official special interest group, whose purpose is to discuss books that fit the focus of OutWorlders. (Author: Chris Coppeans)
May 2003
03-05-02. Making the Book Discussion Group a Special Interest Group
Resolved, THAT the readers' group be an official special interest group, whose purpose is to discuss books that fit the focus of the OutWorlders. (Author: Chris Coppeans)
The proposal was adopted by a vote of 9 in favor, 0 opposed, and 1 present. (Absentee ballots from Chris Coppeans and Zoe King were included in the voting.) The next meeting of the readers' group was scheduled for 08June03. The book for discussion was Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling.
June 2003
Chris Coppeans announced that the readers' group would not be meeting in July and that the group had decided to set its meetings as the first Sunday after the second Saturday of each month. The book for discussion at the August meeting is China Mountain Zhang.
July 2003
Chris Coppeans reminded the members that the book discussion group was meeting on 10 August to discuss China Mountain Zhang by Maureen McHugh.
August 2003
Bil Boozer reminded the members that the book discussion group was meeting on 14 September August to discuss Vampire Vow by Michael Schleifelbein. The book selected for the October meeting is Mistress of Dragons by Margaret Weis.
September 2003
The next meeting of the OutWorldReaders is Sunday, 12 October 2003, at Pete's place. Up for discussion is Mistress of Dragons' by Margaret Weis.
October 2003
The book discussion group's meeting for October was cancelled because only two members had had time to finish the book. The next meeting of the OutWorldReaders is Sunday, 23 November 2003, at Pete's place, and still up for discussion is Mistress of Dragons by Margaret Weis. The group has selected Ursula K. LeGuin's Left Hand of Darkness for its December meeting.
February 2004
Bil Boozer reported that a new member had joined the book discussion group (which met immediately prior to the business meeting). The book selected for the March discussion is Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey.
April 2004
Bil Boozer reported that the book discussion group had met on 18 April 2004 to discuss Shadow Man by Melissa Scott. The May meeting was scheduled for 09 May 2004.
July 2004
Bil Boozer reported that the book discussion group was continuing to meet monthly. At their August meeting, the members will discuss Nadya: The Wolf Chronicles by Pat Murphy. At their July meeting, the members discussed some ideas for revitalizing the Books section of the OurWorlders website.
August 2004
Bil Boozer reported that the readers’ group currently has 9 active members after a recent growth spurt. The next meeting was scheduled for Sunday, 15 August 2004, and the book for discussion was A Business of Ferrets by Beth Hilgartner.
September 2004
Bil Boozer reported that the readers’ group had met on 12 September 2004 to discuss A Business of Ferrets by Beth Hilgartner and that it would be meeting on Sunday, 10 October 2004, to discuss Science Fiction Culture by Camille Bacon-Smith.
October 2004
Bil Boozer reported that the readers’ group had met on 10 October 2004 to discuss Science Fiction Culture by Camille Bacon-Smith and that it would be meeting on Sunday, 14 November 2004, to discuss Lilith’s Brood by Octavia Butler.
November 2004
Bil Boozer reported that the readers’ group had met and that it would meet again.
December 2004
Bil Boozer reported that the readers’ group had met and that it would meet again in January to discuss Magic’s Pawn by Mercedes Lackey.
January 2005
Bil Boozer reported that the readers’ group had met on 09 January to discuss Magic’s Pawn (which had received decidedly mixed, extreme reviews) and that it would meet again on 13 February to discuss Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold.
February 2005
Bil Boozer reported that the readers’ group had met on 13 February to discuss Ethan of Athos (which everyone had enjoyed) and that it would meet again on 13 March to discuss Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite.
March 2005
Bil Boozer reported that the readers’ group had met on 13 March to discuss Lost Souls (which more disliked than liked) and that it would meet again on 10 April to discuss Grunts by Mary Gentle. The group is currently considering changing the genre rotation to make horror books occur less frequently because the members have had such difficulty finding horror books that contain queer elements and that are worth reading.
May 2005
Bil Boozer reported that the readers’ group had met earlier in the day to discuss Sexual Generations: Star Trek, the Next Generation and Gender by Robin Roberts. Several members felt arguments in the book were exaggerated to the point of silliness, while others found it an intriguing piece of scholarship, and some agreed with both perspectives. For their 12 June meeting, the group is reading Venus Plux X by Theodore Sturgeon.
June 2005
Bil Boozer reported that the readers’ group had met on 12 June to discuss Venus Plux X by Theodore Sturgeon. This novel is about a man transported to a future where everyone is hermaphroditic. Or is it? ☺ Most (not all) readers liked the book, but a few found it interesting as an intellectual inquiry but not very engaging in terms of character. For our 10 July meeting, we will be reading The Persian Boy by Mary Renault.
July 2005
Bil Boozer reported that the readers’ group had canceled its July meeting. Our plan is to spend the first part of our August meeting discussing The Persian Boy (July’s book) and then the remainder discussing our August book, The Wanderer by Cherry Wilder and Katya Reimann.
August 2005
Bil Boozer reported that the readers’ group had met in August to discuss The Persian Boy (which was generally liked by those who read it). For September, the group will read A Grave Talent by Laurie R. King.
September 2005
Wm S Boozer reported that the readers’ group had met in September to discuss A Grave Talent (which was generally liked by those who read it). For October, the group will read Ammonite by Nicola Griffith.
October 2005
Wm S Boozer reported that the readers’ group had canceled its October meeting because members had scheduling problems. On 13 November 2005, the group will meet to discuss both Ammonite by Nicola Griffith and The Blood of Kings by Michael J. Curlovich.
November 2005
Wm S Boozer reported that the readers’ group had met 13 November 2005 to discuss Ammonite by Nicola Griffith and The Blood of Kings by Michael J. Curlovich. Members decided to cancel the December meeting, so our next meeting will be on Sunday, 15 January 2005 at 1 p.m. where we will discuss Fire Logic by Laurie K. Marks and The Motion of Light in Water by Samuel R. Delany.
December 2005
Wm S Boozer reported that the readers’ group was not meeting in December. Its next meeting is set for Sunday, 15 January 2005 at noon, where members will discuss Fire Logic by Laurie K. Marks and The Motion of Light in Water by Samuel R. Delany.
January 2006
Readers’ Group: Wm S Boozer reported that the readers’ group met earlier in the day.
February 2006
Bill reported that That the Readers group met Feb 12 to discuss Glory Season, but no one had read the entire book. Next month the readers group is reading Middlesex.
March 2006
Bill reported that that the Readers group enjoyed Middlesex, but that having read so many bad books in the last few months, they are considering opening up their selections to include books without GLBT themes.
July 2006
Bill reported for the Readers Group that on July 9th they discussed Dance of Knives by Donna McMahon. Four people were present. On August 13 they will meet to discuss A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick.
August 2006
The Readers’ group will be reading The Salt Roads.
September 2006
Wm reported that the readers group met on the 10th to discuss The Salt Roads, and its next meeting will be 15 October, where the group will discuss The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold. The October meeting will begin at noon because it's on the same day as the business meeting.
October 2006
Wm reported that the Readers Group met on the 15th to discuss The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold and its next meeting will be November 12, where the group will discuss Strang Robby by Selina Rosen.
November 2006
Wm reported that the Readers’ Group met on Sunday, the 12th of November with three members in attendance. The book for discussion was Strange Robby by Selina Rosen, which all disliked. While the book h ad some interesting ideas and a few twists on some old ideas, the characters were not particularly likable, some of their decisions were unbelievable, and the denouement was unsatisfactory. Next month, the group meets on December 10 to discuss Laura Underwood’s Ard Magister.
December 2006
The readers’ group read Ard Magister, by Laura Underwood, for our December meeting. We found it disappointing. For our January meeting, we are reading The Merro Tree by Katie Waitman.
January 2007
The readers' group read met to discuss The Merro Tree by Katie Waitman. The next meeting is Feb. 11 to discuss Love in Relief by Guy Hocquenghem.
February 2007
The Readers group met February 11 at Pete’s house. No one finished reading Guy Hocquenghem’s Love in Relief, and will discuss the book at the next meeting on Mar. 11, along with the next book, The Man Who Folded Himself by David Gerrold.
March 2007
The readers’ group met Sunday, 11 March 2007, to discuss David Gerrold’s The Man Who Folded Himself. Our next meeting is scheduled for Sunday, 15 April 2007, at noon, where we’ll discuss Jim Grimsley’s The Ordinary.
April 2007
The book discussion group met at noon today, April 15, to discuss The Ordinary by Jim Grimsley. Its next meeting is scheduled for May 13, 2007 and May’s book is Elantris by Brian Sanderson.
June 2007
Bil reported that the Reader’s group met at Pete’s and had a good discussion.
July 2007
Reader’s Group read Carnivale. Next month’s book is Never Let Me Go.
August 2007
The readers group met Sunday, 12 August 2007, at Pete’s. We discussed Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, and had six members present. Its next meeting is set for 09 September 2007 and September’s book is Vintage by Steve Berman.
October 2007
The readers group met Sunday, 14 October 2007 to discuss Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison. One member had read the book years ago and she loved it, but none of the rest of us could make it through more than a few chapters. Its next meeting is set for 11 November 2007, where they will discuss The God Eaters by Jesse Hajicek.
February 2008
For February, the readers’ group read HERO by Perry Moore. This is a young adult book about a boy discovering his super-powered abilities while trying to hide his sexual orientation from his father and the rest of the world. Several of us found the book interesting, even though it was filled with cliches and thought the plot was not original. The protagonist was frequently annoying whiny, a common characteristic among young adult literature. We found the book more entertaining than not, and it was a quick read.
Our next meeting is Sunday, 09 March 2008, and our book for March is Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet.
Our April book is Death’s Master by Tanith Lee. (This book is out of print, so start your searching early. It is the 2nd book in the Flat Earth series, but Wendy tells us the books are independent of each other.)
Our May book is As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann
March 2008
We met this month to discuss Born on a Blue Day bu Daniel Tammet. Tammet is a British autistic savant, and this was his autobiography. We found it interesting even as we saw how his condition (Asperger’s Syndrome) led to a methodical, terse writing style. Next month, we’re discussing Death’s Master by Tanith Lee.
April 2008
The book discussion group met Sunday, 13 April 2007, to discuss DEATH’S MASTER by Tanith Lee. It was not well received. In May, we are discussing AS MEAT LOVES SALT by Maria McCann. The group’s web page has been extensively revised.
May 2008
The reader’s group met earlier today, 18 May, 2008 at 12pm. The book discussed was As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann. Everyone enjoyed this historical novel set in 1640s Britain. The protagonist was well drawn and the plot, although it did slow down in parts, was interesting and involving. We recommend it.
The book for June is On Azrael’s Wings by D. Jordan Redhawk.
June 2008
The reader’s group met Sunday, 8 June 2008 to discuss On Azrael’s Wings by D. Jordan Redhawk. None of the group enjoyed the book enough to read more than half of it. There was some lesbian erotica, which wavered from titillating to silly, but we couldn’t find a plot or dimensional characters. Our next meeting is set for Sunday, 13 July, 2008 where we’ll discuss The Dust of Wonderland by Thomas Lee.
July 2008
The readers group met on 13 July to discuss The Dust of Wonderland by Thomas Lee. Generally, we enjoyed the book. In particular, we liked that the author used the somewhat tired New Orleans setting in new and intriguing ways. We enjoyed the characterizations, and we liked that it wasn't another horror book about vampires. Next month, our read is The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault.
August 2008
The Reader’s Group met on 10 August to discuss The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault. Most people did not finish the book. Next months our read is Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan.
September 2008
The Reader’s Group met Sunday, 14 September, to discuss Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan. Set in the future where digitized copies of individuals can be transferred from body to body (at a price), the story is a detective-noir thriller with copious amounts of sex, drugs, and graphic violence. We recommend it. Next month, we meet on 12 October to discuss Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale.
October 2008
The reader’s group met Sunday, 12 October 2008, to discuss Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale. We enjoyed the story and found the characters interesting, but we wanted the author to have spent more time describing the setting, in which the descendants of repentant demons are residing as second-class citizens in a Londonesque city. Our next read is On Wings of Song by Thomas Disch.
November 2008
The reader’s group met Sunday, 09 November, 2008 to discuss On Wings of Song by Thomas M. Disch. We saw some interesting ideas, but in general we were disappointed with it. For December, we’re reading Without Reservations by J. D. Langley.
February 2009
The Readers’ Group met February 8th to discuss Sacrament, by Clive Barker. Next month’s meeting will discuss a book titled Sebastian’s Tangibles, by .
March 2009
The Readers Group met last Sunday (March 8th) at 1 p.m. to discuss Sebastian’s Tangibles by Anthea Ingram. It was not a genre book, but did have gay content.
The next meeting will be April 19th. Wicked by Gregory Maguire will be discussed.
April 2009
According to Wm. S. Boozer, the Readers Group has not met since the March business meeting. It was to meet on April 19th at 1 pm to discuss Wicked by Gregory Maguire.
In May the group will discuss The Snow Garden by Christopher Rice.
May 2009
The Readers Group, under the leadership of Wm Boozer, met in April and discussed Wicked by Gregory Maguire. It was widely disliked by the group; it was felt the characters were not well-developed.
This month the group will read The Snow Garden by Christopher Rice. Next month’s selection will be Mind Fuck, by Manna Francis.
June 2009
The Readers Group read Mind Fuck by Manna Francis. It is a police procedural set in a world with holodeck-like technology. The group liked it.
Next month: World Without Winter by Steve Pierce.
July 2009
The Readers Group met on July 12 to discuss World Without Winter by Steve Pierce. This was a first novel by a porn actor.
Three people discussed the book in person and others emailed in their comments. It was not a favorite. Wm read a fourth of the book, saw no evidence yet of the plot, and put it down.
Next month’s selection is Undertow by Elizabeth Bear. The group will meet August 9.
August 2009
The Readers Group met on Sunday, August 9, and discussed Undertow by Elizabeth Bear. Wm Boozer enjoyed it and thought it had “funky twists.” The rest of the group did not receive it as enthusiastically.
Next month’s book is The Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose. The meeting will be on September 13.
September 2009
This month’s book was The Unlikely Disciple, which everyone enjoyed. Next month’s book is Running Dry by.
October 2009
The Readers Group read Running Dry by M. Christian. No one liked it, and only one managed to finish reading it.
Next month, the group will read Titan by John Varley.
November 2009
This month the Readers Group read Titan by John Varley. Bil really enjoyed it.
Next month’s book is City of Bones by Cassandra Clare.
December 2009
This month the Readers Group read City of Bones, by Cassandra Clare. Bil found it to be better than he expected, and he has gone on to read the sequel.
The usual hosts of the Readers Group are moving to Chicago, and a new host has not yet been found. Their departure leaves the Readers Group with a membership of three.
The group will not meet in January.
January 2010
The group will not meet in January or in February. The group may be disbanded due to low interest and involvement.
February 2010
Did not meet, and will not meet in March, April, or May.
March 2014
Jamie will post on the Facebook page to gauge the members’ interest in re-starting Readers’ Group.
June 2014
The first meeting of the Reader’s Group will take place on June 28th at Jamie’s Condo. The book is The Steel Remains by Richard K. Morgan.
December 2014
Jamie will create a Facebook Post regarding selection of a new book for the Book Club. We hope collectively to choose the next book by early January and host the next meeting at a date TBD in early February. Jamie has offered to host the next meeting of the Book Club.
February 2015
Jamie will create a Facebook Post regarding the next meeting of the Book Club.
July 2015
The Reader’s Group is scheduled to meet at Jamie’s Condo on August 8th. This event has been added to the official website calendar, and a Facebook event has been created.
August 2015
Reader’s Group had 3 attendees at the Aug. 8 meeting, which is 200% more than last time. We had a good discussion about Death By Silver. Jamie will create and post on Facebook a poll for the selection of the next book. The group’s next meeting Oct. 4, 2015 at 2PM because the meeting will be on the day after October Game Night. Tentatively, the group plans to meet at Jamie’s condo again.
September 2015
The next Reader’s Group meeting will take place on Sunday, October 4, 2015, at Amelie’s French Bakery. As a result of the poll posted on Facebook, the group is reading The Gumshoe, the Witch, and the Virtual Corpse by Keith Hartman.
