Brendon and I forgot exactly when we decided this should start, so we got there as early as we could (about 6:05) and wandered around Barnes and Noble a while. We found a table in the back with three empty chairs, so we took the table and piled it high with books on various topics such as C#, Design Patterns in C#, Refactoring to Design Patterns, .Net Compact Framework, etc. We just sat there reading and talking about how expensive books in a bookstore are for a while when I decided to wander around again to see if anyone I recognized was there. I found Keith Rome in the programming section and dragged him over to the table.
Once I got Keith over to the table we pretty much stopped being a book club and Brendon and I just sat there picking Keith's brain about reporting services, remoting, web services, SOA, WSE, messaging pipes, and more. It was kind of like the Keith Rome show, and I say that in a good way. I think I could learn a great deal just by sitting around him making him tell me stories about programming. He's usually pretty quiet in the larger User Groups, but he's got quite a vast array of knowledge. I'm very impressed! I only regret having to take off before story time was over.
Lessons learned about the book club itself:
- pick a larger bookstore - this one barely had any tables to sit at
- identify ahead of time which part of the bookstore the club will be meeting at, and specify an exact time. If someone came by who I didn't recognize, I apologize for not including you in the afore mentioned Pick-Keith's-Brain-athon.
- read the book ahead of time and come with some prepared discussion topics - maybe post these on the website
Alternatively, if we can get Keith to keep showing up, we can just make him tell us more stories!
-- Matt Ranlett