Schedule Change 05/24/08

Due to a scheduling conflict the next meeting will be on May 24th. We will be discussing RINGWORLD and should be well into THE EUDAEMONIC PIE.

The HMTP has undergone a major revision. Note that two long books have been rescheduled unilizing the Floating Holoday method. Also note that I have moved down Wolfe"S SOLDIER sequence by five years. I felt that it was important to read them sooner since Wolfe has put out another installment recently, after a long hiatus.

Wolfe SOLDIER OF SIDON

I learned from the Fly-cover of PIRATE that Wolfe has written "over two dozen novels." I count twenty-five. I have read all but one, SOLDIER OF SIDON, the third Latro novel. Now I must decide if I should re-read the other two SOLDIER books first (ideal) or read it soon to complete my Wolfe list (worthy goal). The Latro books are not scheduled on the HMTP until 2015. That decides it. I think I will be reading SIDON before Wolfe's new novel comes out in September. That way I will not fall too far behind.

Reading Systems

The last post caused me to remember a musing I had about the different reading methods employed by various members: 1) Read exactly the minimum page-per-day count and finish on the last day. 2) Read more than the minimum. Finish two weeks early and squeeze in another book with the extra time. 3) Don't read anything until the last day and spend all Saturday reading so the book will be fresh on your mind. 4) Never start the book and try turn the discussion to something else. 5) Wait until after the meeting to determine from the discussion whether the book is worth your time. 6) Start the book early but also start reading four other books and get so side-tracked that you never finish the book for the club.

Floating Holiday Reading system

Members note: The HMTP will be revised after the meeting this week. We will be adding the sequel to THE EUDAMONIC PIE titled THE PREDICTORS. Also Manchester's THE GLORY AND THE DREAM will find a place. This, and another weighty tome, Shirrer's THE RISE AND FALL OF THE THIRD REICH, will require some creative project management skills to avoid schedule slippage. We have learned that the 800+ page books present schedule problems that are not seen in the shorter books. Rick's 'system' claims to be a strict minimum page-per-day method, but in reality relies on weekends to catch up. And with the long books there just aren't enough weekends to ever recover the lost time. The new method will break the book into at least two months, with a short book inserted in the middle as a buffer. The long book can then borrow some weekends from the shorter one as a Floating Holiday.

This concept needs a better name. Ideas:
Pay Paul (Borrow from Peter to Pay Paul)
Skip Read

Wolfe PIRATE FREEDOM

Gene Wolfe PIRATE FREEDOM. I just read this short novel and enjoyed it completely. Wolfe has the ability to seem like a different writer for each book. For this first person story, he comes off as a priest giving his fantastic confession knowing that the reader will never believe it. It is a tale of fancifull time-travel where a young novitiate is transported back to the days of Wooden Ships and Iron Men. Chris reluctantly becomes a pirate, falls in love, and has more excitement that Walter Mitty ever hoped for. This book is a kinder-gentler-Wolfe that readers of the '*Sun' books will not recognize. This book reads lightning fast. You will not stop to ponder how or why Chris is dropped into another world, for you will be having so much fun just following the story. This novel can be placed next to one of Wolfe's other light fantasies: PANDORA. Recommended. OPTCS 88698