With our new rules going into effect as of June 1 about taking care of obligations older than 6 months before adding any new ones, I thought I would feel the group out to see what you thought, if you'd like to take a month off to let people catch up, and maybe read up for a new round on Aug 1, or if you want to just keep going. :)

I'm fine either way, and I think the activity in the box speaks for the continued enthusiasm of the players, but I also want to do what I can to help people work out from under their TBR/TB Mailed without making them feel like they're being left out of the fun.

We will go with the group decision.

If we decide to take a break, I will likely ask everyone to reconfirm their books before we start again just in case, as I know how easy it is to forget you've earmarked something for the box and then use it for something else if it's too long in between.

Please only vote if you are in the Paranormal box, but if you can't restrain yourself, I've provided a button for you too! ;)

Thank you!!! My 'button clicking' need has been satisfied. You think of everything.

LMAO! :whip: :hug:

I voted yes to take the month off because it will give ME time to read some books and not play with TBRs. :)

I'm caught up in my mailings, only owe one from 2 months and 1 from this month.
(both of which are from swaps, not VBBs)

I personally don't like the idea of changing boxes or swaps due to the new rules. If people can't keep up, it's their responsibility to skip for themselves (which many of us have done in the past). If they feel like they're missing out on the fun, then maybe that will motivate them to get and stay caught up.

I don't think it's fair to those of us who are caught up and want to play to force us to skip a month because other people will have to skip a month.

Sorry if that makes me sound like a bitch.

Maybe this is a better way to put it.

This is a virtual book box. If you skip, there's no postage involved like there would be for a physical book box. No one is forcing you to go into the thread... you can even just PM the moderator and say "I'm skipping this month." and not have to peek in AT ALL. Then you won't even know what, if anything, you're missing.

So if even just a couple of us want to play, why shouldn't we? Having the box go doesn't hurt the people who skip in any way. If you want or need to skip... skip. There's no reason not to.

The only thing that happens is your book counts the round, if you have one in. So if you skip 2 months, you need to replace on the third, whether you play or not.

I actually don't owe anything in this box, but I won't have a book to replace mine with when it's time, because I won't have read enough. Since it's summer and many people are not reading as much, there are less available books to put into the box without using TBRs. That was my thinking when I voted.

I think we need to take a month off. I have my reasons. And no I'm not behind on mailings or don't have TBRs due to anyone.

Sure, sure, I find a ton of paranormals at the library sale and then the poll pops up about skipping a month. :lol:

Actually, I voted that either way would be fine with me. I don't do a whole lot in this box & am totally neutral.

Can someone please explain to me why people read less during the summer? I'm asking here because Lexie mentioned it in her reply. It just... doesn't make sense to me. I understand people reading less during the school year, particularly teachers and students, but reading less during the summer just doesn't compute. I read the same amount year-round. :unsure:

I actually read more during the summer because I don't have to work. More reading time!!! But I guess alot of people have other things that they do instead of reading, like working outside in the yard or garden.

Lots of people are out and about more in summer - participating in more activities like swimming and gardening and such with time they spend reading during the winter months when they don't do those things. At least that's the reason for most folks I know! :)

Would you mind explaining them?

Obviously my opinion isn't the popular one and I'm curious as to why people think that the whole box should stop for a month.

:shrug:

If you say so.

Then again, I don't garden and wouldn't even if I had one, and I went to the water park the other day and am done swimming for the summer. :rofl:

My reasoning for voting yes is the same as Lemonitsa's - skipping for a month gives us one more month before we have to replace any books. I do understand your point as well though and I really wouldn't mind if we don't skip a month, I'm fine with whichever way it goes! :)

My days are shot now with the kids home from school. Hubby's been laid off of work, going on a month now. So they are sucking up my reading time. :erm: I LOVE them, I do, I do. I remind myself I'm blessed to have them but I think I'm going stir crazy with them up my butt 24/7. :blink: :wacko:

I get to read at night before I sleep. :D

Okay truthfully, what's in the box right now is not up to standards they once were. Most of the good books get used for Swaps now. I'm not saying anyone in particular is at fault but it's just gone down hill to me. And that's MY OPINION. :wink:
So if we skip a month maybe we can get some better books in there. :shrug:

I agree with Pepper.

I also agree with this (the part about the books in the box). I'm wondering if that's not part of the reason why so many people skip.

But I'm not sure that extra time is a solution.

And in my case, the extra time won't help. I've got two really good books that I've earmarked to place in this box (I'll let you decide if you think they're good - the newest Sookie book and the newest book by Shanna Swendson in her Enchanted, Inc. series). But I'm trying to clear out books as fast as I can. So if these books have to sit around until August before I can even put them in the box, I'm not going to wait. I'm going to post them on PaperBackSwap because I know they'll go out the door immediately. But maybe that's just me.

Speaking to the standard of items in the box, I'm starting to keep track at the beginning of each round what is to be replaced, and also how many of those get chosen during the round, in order to determine if we are merely replacing the same titles over and over, so that we can come up with a list of "killers" to stay away from. I went back several rounds, I think to about 17 or so was what I could get to easily. so far it's not really been any one thing that stood out, but I'll analyze it a bit more.

One thing you might look at in your analysis is the copyright date. If there is a pattern that the things not getting taken out are old, then we might consider doing something different.

Maybe limiting the copyright date to newer than a certain year or it might be that we need to start with a new box with everyone throwing in newer books. Personally, I don't think it hurts to completely start over by taking out everything in the box and asking everyone interested to donate 2 books to get it going.

There seems to be a lot of skipping in all the VBBs that I'm in right now. I'm not sure about why so many people are skipping, but it is frustrating to see so many skip. Maybe KathyB's idea about 'cleansing' the VBBs would work, I don't know. If people are saving their good books for the swaps or for PBS or Bookmooch, then really, nothing will work.

I don't use PBS or Bookmooch . All my books eventually end up going to someone here, to my mom or to my 'real life' friends.

I haven't played in any swaps in a year or more so I'm not familiar with the books that are being played there. I use to love playing in swaps, but I'm not always able to be around when they are happening and so weaned myself away from them.

I haven't looked at the owed books database to see if it's easier to keep up with what is owed to who. I don't really care either way.

Hmmm... while we do have some people skipping, this box does also still have what I consider quite a bit of movement during the round that is not just replacing books, so I'm not sure if starting over is really necessary, and I'm afraid it might cause more headaches than it would solve as issues of who has how many books left and how to make that right would surely come up. I am not adverse to imposing a few constraints along the copyright date lines, but I'm not convinced that is really an issue, as I know there are a lot of other paranormals out there that we never see, and it seems like we get fixated on a few of the more popular series. That was why I thought maybe reviewing the items that get replaced might give me some info, and we could say for example only, stay away from Laurell K Hamilton 1-8 of Anita Blake, and Queen Betsy 1-3 or some such, then maybe that will help. But, if people continue to take them out, then that's not really a fair thing to do either if they are still wanted.

My idea of skipping a month wasn't due to lack of activity in the box, it was just testing to waters to see how people felt, if they needed a break to catch up (since I agree that activity is generally slower of the summer it seems like). I see a lot of things being put in that I would like, but they're usually gone by the time my turn rolls around again! :P But I still seem to find something to take out most times! :lol:

Unfortunately some of us just get to the newer stuff faster than others, and I think that will always be a semi-problem, but we don't want to just keep replacing the same things over and over, we want a good selection, so I'll keep track of that as we continue to go and see if that needs to be addressed.

:)

I find it confusing as well. I can't tell you how many hours I spend sitting in a lounge chair on my deck enjoy a book and the weather! :shrug: :D

I've tried to keep a mental list as well and pull books from my tbr pile that I have not seen in the box. They may get picked they may not, but I am trying to put in books that are not the norm.... :wink:

Well I am one of the ones who reads a whole lot more in the summer, but that is due to my job. I am a Parapro at the elementary school, so I am off from 6/1 till 8/18. I have read more books in the last 2 weeks than I did in the last 2 months, probably. :giggle:


As for the VBB and taking a break. I currently am not participating because I am one of those who got behind. :shock: I am currently working on getting all of my owed TBRs out and to be honest I am looking forward to being out of book debt. So it really does not matter to me one way or the other. I am fine with just skipping when my turn comes up, or I am content to take a month off.

I have noticed a huge decline in participation of the VBBS since the 6 month rule was brought up and put into effect, probably because it caused a lot of use to reign ourselves in. That is not a bad thing, but it does affect the books taken out of the boxes, therefore affecting the books being put in. I don't know about this particular VBB but I know for a fact that on others the number of books actually being taken out has dropped drastically. An example would be the Mystery VBB. I think there have only been 3 books actually taken out of the box this round so far. That is a huge drop compared to other months. If books are not being taken out then new ones are not being put in. :shrug: I don't know if taking a month off will make a difference or not. I personally think it is just another growing pain of the site and will work itself out eventually.

Yep. I've noticed this too, in both the Everybook VBB and the Historical Fiction VBB.

It's a bit of a vicious cycle, though. If no one takes my books out, I can't take more books out because I have to keep replacing the ones that are there. So if I don't take any new ones out, other people end up with the same problem -- can't take out because they have to replace their own.

I'm hoping that it will work itself out over the next few months as everyone gets caught up and figures out the right pace.

I hope it works itself out also.

Another idea??? Maybe we could ask if anyone would like to throw in an extra book or 2 before the next round begins. This might kick start things and get some new stuff into the box?? Of course, this would be completely voluntary.

:nod:

gardening, picnics, festivals, sports, trips, anything to get out of the house and enjoy the three months of summer we get before the cold and the snow set in for another winter.

Same thing in the Romance VBB. Only 4-5 books were taken out last round, and in the new round there are so many that must be replaced, I'm pretty sure that most people will only replace.

Vicious circle is absolutely right.

Eww. Only if I MUST. Maybe possibly one or two but really not my thing. EWWWWWWW. Why do I have to only take trips during the summer? There are these really cool things called patio chairs where you can curl up with a book OUTSIDE.

:giggle:

I guess you can see why I don't read less over the summer.

(All opinions expressed are my personal opinion of me doing said things... if they're your cup of tea, more power to you.)

:wub: Oh shaunie darling, I love it when you talk analysis to me..... :drool: :giggle:

*bump*

I want a little more feedback before deciding... we've only gotten votes from a little over half the participants so far.

I can vote twice if you want. :giggle:

Ah, there's that evil giraffe spark coming through :whip: :giggle:

I will say that a lot of the reason I don't take many of the books from the box is that they're a series book and I haven't read number 1. I've read Queen Betsy, Southern Vampire, Rachel Morgan, Dark/Dream Hunter, Kitty Norville, and Argenau, but for the most part, I haven't read a lot of the early books in series, as I came to paranormal books within the last couple of years.

So I'm probably opposite of most people, and don't get excited when I see the new #8 or whatever, because I haven't read 1-7! A lot of the books look interesting, but I don't want to have to track down the others and leave these sit for years, so I don't take them out.

Of the series that are currently in the box, I do not have/have not read enough in the series to take out the books in:

Black Dagger Brotherhood (read 1)
Dead End Dating (read none)
Drake Sisters (read none)
Katie Chandler (read none)
Love at the Stake (read none)
Saint-Germain (read 1)
Noble Dead (read 1)
Triplet Witch Trilogy (read none)

I voted to skip a month.

With regards to the quality of books put in the box, I find that most of my paranormals are keepers, so I have to troll charity shops for duplicates and it is very difficult to find up-to-date books. I do try and only add books that I enjoy to the box (apart from christine feehan dark books) in the hopes that others would enjoy them too.

Gailcm.

I voted either way. I have two reading challenges that I participate in as well as playing in this VBB. The problem I'm having is that I'm either using the same books that weren't selected a couple of months ago, or I'm offering TBR's. A month off will give me the chance to read a couple more (if work and school allow) for this VBB so I have a few more books that I can offer. I really hate offering TBR's. Yes I know I can skip, but there are times where I need to replace a book, or there's a book that I really need for a series that I'm reading. I do not deny that I have a book/reading addiction! I'm just fueling it vice seeking help.

we've got about 3/4 of the total people in the box having voted, but I'll leave it open for a bit longer.

I voted either way. I am quite new to paranormal so the books I am putting in may all have been read by everyone else already, although I hope not!