>0 pnppl @ 2026/06/23 22:17
Would anyone be interested in a low-key, but sort of unusual, sci-fi book club? The unusual part is it would be a small Signal group. Why Signal? - You don't have to install anything new on your phone in order to participate AFK. - A group chat is cozy and casual. You don't need to go out of your way to participate. - It supports usernames now, so you don't need to give out your phone number. - It supports spoiler tags, so we can discuss stuff not everyone's read yet. - The government can't read our thoughts on spaceships and laserguns. I think it would be cool to have the option to "live-post" books --- funny excerpts (with spoiler tags!), thoughts they spark, etc. --- as you're reading. A club with a scheduled discussion time feels like an obligation. (If the group generates excess notifications, you can mute them forever and just check on the group whenever you open Signal for another reason.) As for the book of the month, anything is fair game, but I'd prefer to lean more on the science-y side of speculative fiction than the fantasy side. The misogyny/reaction common in certain veins of scifi is tiresome, so let's favor more recent titles, ones with queer themes, authors who aren't old white men, etc. Right now I'm reading Ann Leckie's short story collection. If this sounds interesting at all, leave a comment, message me on IRC, or email books@pnppl.cc. You don't have to make a commitment to join --- I haven't even made the group yet!