We had last one year ago (8th August 2007) :blink: and I was thinking 08.08.’08. would be the perfect date for the next one. It would be Olympic Asian Swap :)
However I’ll be on the trip 22nd July-10th Aug so if we stay with this date someone else should be a host (I already spoke with someone) and I'm not sure I'll be able to play. The other option is to start on the closing day of the Olympics which is I believe 09.09.
Of course we might just play during Olympics (i.e. sometime in August) or not play at all if there aren’t enough interest (10 players is a minimum as always)

oh maybe I should add that I voted for sometimes in August, it would still be Olympic Asian Swap :rolleyes:

oh, if you voting for sometime in Aug can you put some date?

I voted sometime in August (I think I'd like it to start right after you get back from your trip, zzz; maybe on the 11th? the end of August will be harder for me as I'll be away the last week with limited internet access), but I'm also good with September.

I won't be able to play at any of those times. My last day at my current job is August 8, and I'll be taking time off between jobs - starting my next job Sept. 22.

During that time, I'll often be away from the computer, including a drive across the US to leave a car with my sister so she has a suitable car for my new nephew's carseat.

I'll be back in a somewhat more limited capacity at the end of September when I start my new job, but I'll likely be working very long hours, so less time for reading. I'm trying to get all caught up on owed TBRs before then so that nothing gets lost in the shuffle. I expect I'll get some good reading done while I'm travelling.

WOW MsJo lots of things is going on with you (changing job etc is good thing right?)
I doubt I'll be able to play immediately since Aug 11 is my mother's B-Day and I'll probably go there' to spend few days with her and family.
Of course you can play without me :)

I'd like to play. End of August and all of September will be difficult for me, but any other time is okay :)

I'm interested (I even have books appropriate for this swap, YaY!) -- I voted for September, but honestly, if we manage to pull together enough interest, any date ought to be fine for me. I've got some shaking up in the job department going on right now, too, but not the kind that involves moving, and I've already some my cross-borders drive for this year :wink: so I should be able to get to a computer whenever we pull this together.

I'll play.. *goes off to pick out asian books... * and I'm open as to the when since a few folks have time constraints.

now hopefully someone will help me out with this..

ANYTIME!!! is good for me.

Great! I'm happy to see there is enough interest :)
(and who voted for game without me? :whip:)

I haven't swapped in months! I'd like to do this one. Will go read something Asian right now so it's ready to go... :D

Folks maybe it would be smart to play without me considering that I won another trip (I posted in Happy B-Day to me thread) and will shortly after I come back from Finland be on vacation again :rolleyes:

I don't wanna hold you back, that is.

we ever going to do this? *waves books of asian persuasion*

Kiri, I am afraid we have to wait till 09.09.09...

Can we have one maybe next month? I voted Sept. 9th just to be silly. :P

I'm still interested if we can get this underway!

Not sure how but if it needs a hostess I could take a swipe at the job.

I'm sure you'll get help if necessary. I hosted my first swap here earlier this month and it went well.

Ok so if zzz doesn't want to host it.. how do I do this? pick a day and then post a thread?

Edit to add:
Ok I can't seem to make the poll do more than one question. So.. if you'd all be so kind as to let me know the following.

1. Available to Swap?
2. Do you have a book chosen yet? (helps me pick a date)
3. last bit of Sept or first of Oct work better for you?
4. I was thinking of keeping this under 10 players (unless of course a horde turns up at the gate) knowing that smaller swaps move faster, would you prefer to play during the week or start it over a weekend? (I notice people like to enjoy their weekends - as do I) we could make it a "weekday only play" swap. (not sure how that'd work.. Opinions.. Ideas.. Money? *j/k*
5. Anything I'm forgetting to ask before trying to get this off the ground?

I'd be interested, and would prefer to start later rather than sooner. I can always find a book for this one and have one sort of in mind already.

In general, I prefer weekdays, but don't mind checking in on weekends either.

I'd be in too, if this one happens. I even have a book picked out!

I can help you Kiri. :wink:

This would be a good idea.. considering I just proved my insanity over in the VBB.. :lol:

I'll play if at all possible. I'm away for a couple of weeks from 9th October so would need it to start at least a week before then (depending on the number of players).

That means I'm not hosting this anymore? OK, no problem.
I guess I owe explanation (which I gave to the ones who asked me via PM). August and early September was period where I was mostly absent and when I finally came back I was on the 6 months list and as such I can't play in swaps. Of course that's not barrier to host one but I think it would be first time that host doesn't play. Maybe it was selfish but considering this is one of my favourite swaps I did not want to miss it. Beside the fact I like to host it, pick motif, etc. it's one of those swaps with very low frequency which I think it's good thing and that's why I wanted to get myself off the list and start this swap. So now you know the reasons.

zzz has never been asked but I'm sure he would say "Just do it!"

I didn't know that. Now I've gone and theived a swap.. :bash: good one (to myself) Aren't you nearly off the Naughty List though? I only went ahead because it seemed this was languishing (and I'm fond of Asian books) adds in & I'm not known for my patience..

Oooh, can I join?

Yes! I renamed it the Far Eastern Swap due to literary voice, come on over! :D

Sticking up for ZZZ, Why can't you wait for him????? He was the swap host and no one thought to ask him if he didn't want to host again and now you can't wait????

What is going on???????

I've talked to zzz and he declined to host or even help host. We've talked about this, him and I, yes his feelings were hurt but he knows Kiri is new. And it isn't a Asian swap this time around but a Far East swap. So it won't be the same.
When zzz is able to host, he almost caught up with his mailing, he can have a Asian swap any time he wants. The way he likes it.
No hard feelings please. :)

Oh I guess I should say something.

Indeed when I saw sing up thread for Asian Swap I felt as if I’m kicked out of something I believe I was doing very good for so long; I felt quite disappointed mostly because I’ve found out that by browsing through forum. One PM would be enough. Of course I can’t blame anyone for wishing to play in this swap at last. I said above that my decision was probably selfish and I apologize for that hopefully you’ll understand me cause of the reasons I said above.

But as Cheesy said I knew Kiri is new and didn’t have bad intentions. We exchanged few PMs and we are fine.

The reason why I’m not playing (nor (co)hosting) in this swap is cause I strongly disagree with those changes. As much as wanted I still don’t understand why being so persistent in excluding more than a half of the continent with population of hundreds of millions, one of the eldest civilizations in the world and richest cultures? These new changes are completely undermining my idea of what this (or any other themed swap such as “Afrikan Swap” or “Literature in Translation”) should represent: a window to other, less known culture.

As I sad above I was upset more with the way this swap is “taken away from me” than by the fact that I’m not hosting it. OK the host is different but I can’t understand why breaking continuum of one good, really good swap? Why shouldn’t host be the only change? (I truly hope that reading preference is not the reason)

I believe it’s sufficed to say that I’m not aiming to organize Middle East/Central Asian Swap! I’ve been suggested (before Kiri changed name in far Easter Swap) to organize (old) Asian Swap on Chinese New Year but I’m not going to. Not because it’s not good occasion, on the contrary: for those who don’t remember first Asian Swap has been held precisely on Chinese New Year and was hosted by MissyZ on the old site. I will not do that because of the two reasons:
1- Chinese New Year will suggests that books should be by Chinese authors or from Far Eastern countries. We connected this swap with China few times (Double Happiness is also Chinese tradition).
2- Closeness of this swap. Namely, after MissyZ, Sand hosted Asian Swap (and then it was moved on LiveSwap site) and because it was held too often there were less and less participant until it finally died. When I “resurrected” it I was very careful not to make the same mistake and after few circles I asked “How about Afrikan Swap?” and it seems it was good move to every 6 months we have one swap from Passport to the World group: 6 months after Asian comes Afrikan and 6 months later again Asian Swap. That way people are eager to play and they have enough time to read book they want to reveal.
This year I’ve made mess cause I wanted Asian Swap to connect with Olympics but I was absent (… the rest is history).

Anyhow because this, Far Eastern Swap is massively overlapping Asian Swap I’ll organize Afrikan Swap in Dec (if there’s enough interest) and next (Pan)Asian Swap will be held on Persian New Year (which is first day of the Spring and because that IS Asia as well). That is if Far Eastern Swap doesn’t become tradition (I apologize in advance for this but I hope it will not).

So message to all who were waiting me to organize Asian Swap is that if you have book qualified as “Far East + India/Bangladesh” you should play in this one. If not, then you’ll have to wait the end of winter.

Thanks, ZZZ for posting. I was only asking questions and not trying to promote any hard feelings.

For the record, I thought that ZZZ had been asked to host and refused before I orginally signed up.

Will look forward to the African swap

I still want to join the Far Eastern Swap.

If there is an Pan-Asian swap later, I would really like to join that. I have been really interested in Central Asia lately. I live in Korea (the far east) so I am sure I can find another book to cover the swap.

Look forward to anything host by zzz: Asian, African, and especially the best of 2008!!! I got my book picked already!!

zzz

althoug I never played I think that the asian or pan asian and the african swaps really interesting. and was i was reading your opinion on the subject I was ondering if a south american swap or latin swap wouldn't be also a possible idea, on a way to diverse the "around the world" swaps theme.

I like that notion.

Oh don't think I didn't thought about South/Latin American Swap. Actually South/Latin American literature is probably my favourite (ok I said that :rolleyes: ) but to be honest I don't think South/Latin American Swap would be successful one (at least not as two previoulsy mentioned are). And my conclusion is based on South American offer in Passport to the World VBB and in general offer of S/LA literature in all swaps here. From time to time you can see Isabel Allende (once I believe I saw P. Coelho) and that's basically all.

How many South/Latin American authors you see on BO? Maybe I missed something. I didn't even see Marquez who is probably the famoust one! I was even browsing thrugh shelf of people who I supposed would be interested in such swap and didn't found many authors/books that would be qualified. I even thought about Spanish (language) Swap but that idea was bad because it would exclude Brazil, Suriname, Jamaica, Guiana, and some dozen other countries in Antilles (to avoid naming them all) and beside that such swap would overlap Literature in Translation Swap and I didn't want that.
I would be very happy if we have such swap and would surely have what to offer but I can't expect that people will buy books only to participate in a swap, no? So I wouldn't expect many players and when organizing a swap I'm always putting minimum number of players which is usually 10 (sometimes 15).

Therefore after (believe me) lot of thinking I concluded that South/Latin American Swap wouldn't have bright future. Oh and I'd love if I'm wrong (I can try if you wish)! So in the end I left South/Latin American literature to Literature in Translation Swap where, indeed you can see from time to time some offer from the region but in my opinion that's still not enough for establishing one traditional swap.

As you can see I was thinking a lot about the idea :)

yep I thougth about that when I proposed it.

and I expected you too have a better idea on the overrall intesterest ion bo in that type of literarure that me. being responsable for the other ones.

I see what you mean about the overlap with Latin America and literature in translation, but Julia Alvarez' books were all written in English, along with Junot Diaz, Luis Alberto Urrea, Sandra Cisneros, there are more, and there are a lot of great books written about Latin America that were written in English as well.