We have recently seen a lot of in-thread queries about when book discussion needs to be spoilered in Book Club. Below are some loose guidelines intended to reinforce the common sense self regulation that seems to be working well:
1. All plot details for unreleased and newly released books (whether in a series or standalone) should be spoilered.
2. Plot details for books more than a year old - including early books in a series - do not need to be spoilered (so, Harry Potter or A Song of Ice and Fire details including, say, key character deaths, are fair game).
3. General information about a book never needs to be spoilered (e.g. release dates, author interviews, etc), nor does personal speculation about future plot points, although if such speculation involves the discussion of key plot points in a new release, spoilers are nice.
Generally speaking, if you are just starting book 1 of a 10 book series or are getting into a series via TV or movies and are not caught up on the books, know that you may see plot spoilers if you decide to read a thread about the books. Likewise, if you have an advance copy of an eagerly anticipated book with a lot of interesting plot twists, try not to ruin it for those who want to be surprised when they finally get a copy from the library. And please, don't stress about these guidelines. They are just that - not hard and fast rules and certainly not something that anyone is going to get warned for, unless they are just spoiling to be mean. So, go read, y'all!