(open) 📚 interest check

[recluserose]

Username/Display Name: steinbeck
Server Channel: #book-club-wip
Time: October 17th, Afternoon/evening

Greetings,

This is Amelia Steinbeck, a guest at the Hotel Caelum, and resident of Room 700.

It appears that books are a universal constant and so I am bestowing an open invitation to other guests who are interested in discussing fiction and nonfiction so that we can bridge cultural gaps and gain further understanding of other cultures and customs through the medium of literature.

Here is a sample of what we'll be reading to discuss as a group. I am open to other suggestions and the structure will be loose; you need not read these if you have a book you'd like to read silently during and after discussions.

Book Title	Author	Genre
Pride and Predjudice	Jane Austen	Romance
Emma	Jane Austen	Romance, Comedy, Historical
Andersen Fairy Tales (Various)	Hans Christian Andersen	Fairy Tales

A time and date will be settled on and pinned so please keep an eye out for notifications. More details to follow. Thank you.

Comments

username: weavewizard

[netherese]

You already know you have my interest, but if there is anything I can do to assist, I would be happy to help in any way I can. My time is yours, Ms. Steinbeck.

Additionally, I have some suggested reading from Faerun of both the fictional and non-fictional variety that others may find interesting.

Murder in Cormyr - A thrilling mystery tale for those who enjoy a good whodunnit.
Fables of Faerun - A collection of morality stories and fairy tales meant to both entertain and educate.
Magic of the Weave: An Introduction - An exceptionally thorough introduction to the Weave and its workings, including practical spellcasting exercises and extensive magic theory accessible even to those just starting out, or those who are curious about the history of magic and how it came to our world. I can admit some bias, here.

On an unrelated note, you seem to have quite a handle on how to use these devices of ours. If it's not too much trouble, could I ask for your assistance when you have a few free moments? I have not yet sorted how to capitalize letters on their own, and switching it on and off has been painstakingly slow.

[It took him an hour of agonizingly slow and particular hunting and pecking, in addition to toggling caps lock on and off, to write all of this. He is dedicated.]

[recluserose]

[What the hell, she wants to read all of those titles right now. Since she's texting though, she'll mask her excitement because she hardly keysmashes and is in fact quite formal even when sending instantaneous messages.

... Though not that formal compared to Gale apparently.]

All of those titles sound excellent. I appreciate your contributions, Gale. I'm especially intrigued by Magic of the Weave.
I'll add them to the list and we can alternate books so it isn't just my selections.

As for the devices I am happy to assist and answer questions about them. I understand how difficult they can be to acclimate to but I've had to adapt quickly for my job since we've incorporated new teaching methodology using the newly developed tools.

[netherese]

[When it comes to the written word, he doesn't know any other way! Besides, he may go by his first name and a Title, but he doesn't know if they're yet friendly enough for him to simply call her Amelia.]

I was hoping that one would catch your eye! I had a good feeling it might, given the subject matter, and I am always and ever ready and eager to discuss magic in all its forms. It is poetry in its own right.

I knew there would be no one better to ask than someone who teaches as a profession. I do really prefer handwritten missives, or a simple Message when appropriate, although I confess to often being far too wordy for the latter. I will say, learning to erase a letter or unintentional space did a great deal to help my frustration.

[Thanks, Minato!]

[recluserose]

[Minato, the honor student...]

In my case, magic is literally executed through the knowledge of many types of languages. But we'll put a pin on that discussion for another time.

Once you get the hang of it, you'll be glad you've gained the skill to type. You'd be amazed at how many documents you can produce without having to touch a piece of paper. I do confess, for on-the-fly notes, I still keep a pocket notebook and pen. You can be relieved that those remain as needed as ever.

[nerds]

[astarion]

[HOW DID YOU GET SO GOOD AT TYPING SO QUICKLY

BACKSPACE BE DAMNED]

un: hachimonjigiri

[reinherits]

[no one needs to know how long it takes hikari to type out anything on the phone.]

Greetings,

I cannot say if I am particularly skilled in discussion, but I would be interested in joining. You're certainly right that books seem to be a universal constant.

- Hikari

[recluserose]

[Amelia will never hold anything against people's long response time especially if they don't come from a world with tech she's been living with every day.]

Hello, Hikari.

You're more than welcome to join and listen. Some book club circles have more adamant structures but seeing as how this is a new concept or experience for individuals from other worlds, I wouldn't want to apply any pressure to speak up when listening is just as important.

[reinherits]

[bless you amelia because this next response also takes forever to come in.]

Then, I would gladly accept the opportunity. I admit I have not had much chance in life to read fiction over nonfiction, but I certainly wouldn't be averse to broadening my horizons.

[recluserose]

Good. I hope to see you there once we announce the meeting place, time, and date.

Also, for quick reference, do you prefer coffee or tea? Salty or sweet snacks? Another guest is helping me with this discussion and we want it to be as inviting as possible. That's why we're including refreshments.

un: elderflower

[airdnd]

Dear Ms. Steinbeck,

This is a terrific idea! What a great way to bring guests together.

Shall we scout some potential meeting places together? I suppose the library would be most ideal, but I feel that food and drink would really make these discussions much more welcoming, too. I am happy to handle that part of it. What do you think?

Sincerely,
SH.

[recluserose]

[Sumina is so sweet... But Amelia will subtly try to make sure Sumina is involved but not taking on anything that could be considered a workload.]

Sumina, I'd be happy if we could find a floor to accommodate our book discussions. If you could ask some of the staff members to provide some light refreshments, that would make it even more inviting.

A. Steinbeck

[Do NOT serve the refreshments Sumina!!]

[airdnd]

That is certainly the plan, Ms. Steinbeck!

[ Like, she's not going to go and prepare everything herself, surely, but there's the matter of which of the many dining establishments here to get catering from, and would be the ideal selection for book discussion... ]

Do you have any initial thoughts? Should we go for a cozier coffee and pastries feeling, or perhaps... Because we might be discussing a romantic book, some wine and charcuterie?

[ She's getting amped! Up!!! So many considerations! ]

[recluserose]

I think wine and charcuterie would be nice.

But on the other hand, I think something nonalcoholic would be better. A sweetened tea perhaps or a sparkling drink such as cranberry juice plus lemon soda.



I just don't trust the other guests with alcohol yet so I'm trying to be preventative in case the book club gets rowdy.

[Amelia what are you imagining]

un: astarion

[astarion]

[Time to give Amelia psychic damage via Astarion's typing.]

a book club
of corse you've gotten GAle to join

[recluserose]

[The psychic damage may be caused by Astarion being himself and not necessarily his typing. Lord knows Amelia's high school pupils struggle with grammar and spelling and they grew up with the technology. Astarion, you're doing Fine Sweetie,,, ]

Hello, Astarion.
Would you like to join us in reading Pride and Predjudice?

[The other good thing about text is that she can take a breath and form a reasonable response instead of giving in to the urge to snark.]

[astarion]

[Hm. Despite his comment, he is not all that allergic to books, actually.]

and what is it about?
what mannr of "roimance' is it supposed to be?

torrid or unspoilt?

[recluserose]

I think it depends on what romances you have read. The genre itself is broad and you've only focused on one aspect of it, it would understandably color your perception of what to expect.

This particular work, on the surface, is about whether our main character and others are able to secure good marriages. Sounds mundane, doesn't it? The author, Jane Austen, however, is able to take an everyday occurrence and write a fascinating web of character relationships, motivations, and how social conventions and personal failings can prevent one from finding happiness.

[... Okay, she got verbose there but Amelia isn't a literature teacher just because; she truly is passionate about stories.

She hits 'Send.']

un: sole of the deep

[warmaid]

What a wonderful idea! I will happily join.

If you're amenable to a book series rather than a single novel as a suggestion, I would like to put forward A Legend of Sword by Zhenyu. The story is quite engaging, and Calx's illustrations are quite beautiful.

[recluserose]

Illustrations are a plus. It can be part of interpreting the text as it were.

I appreciate the suggestion. It's kind of daunting to think of all the books I've yet to read and I've read a lot in my lifetime so far.

[warmaid]

I feel very much the same. The possibilities of books for us to read are limitless, and I'm not even entirely sure where to start.

Having the book club will be helpful in that regard.

[recluserose]

What other genres would you like to explore? We're starting with romance but there's so much more such as mystery, biographies, historical fiction (this is where it might get confusing but it's worth discussing our world's exclusive historical contexts and how it has affected narratives in the past and future), etc.

[nerd]

un: paradisaea

[ohthehumanities]

A book club? That sounds delightful. I'm not familiar with these titles; can they be found here in the hotel?

I'll put some thought into my own suggestions; I'm afraid my usual reading material likely wouldn't appeal to a broader crowd.

[recluserose]

I checked to see if the titles were available and they were, surprisingly enough. Or perhaps not. This hotel is so vast in all aspects of its accommodations and types of rooms that I probably shouldn't be surprised it had a library that had my world's most popular literature.

And what kind of reading material do you usually partake in if you don't mind me asking?

[ohthehumanities]

Interesting. I'll have to track it down and take a look to see if there's anything I recognize.

[Technically he probably would recognize A Legend of Sword like Kokomi suggested but--]

Mostly academic papers relevant to my field or those related to it, to be honest with you. Architecture, engineering, technology, that sort of thing. I do enjoy a good novel or poetry collection, but it's a headache to discuss them with Alhaitham, and he'd never keep his opinions to himself if he was familiar with the book in question.

[But Alhaitham isn't here so HE IS FREE!!!]

[recluserose]

Thank you for the explanation.

I do peruse texts about architecture and design but my main focus has mostly been on fiction since that's what I teach back in my world. This book club will include the sharing of opinions but I trust everyone can remain civil and respectful towards one another.

We all come from different worlds so I hope it comes with the understanding that some of our viewpoints may diverge in some aspects when we engage with the works.