qebo’s 2013 ROOT challenge
KeskusteluROOT - 2013 Read Our Own Tomes
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1qebo
Two years in the 75 books challenge suggest consistent numbers. I barely make it to 75 when my “books” include magazines. I can read 2 magazine subscriptions and 4+ books per month. Seems not an unreasonable goal for half those books to be off the shelves. I don’t have specific books in mind at the moment, so numbers and details may change with time.
In related news, it’d be nice to actually reduce the problem. Or at least achieve equilibrium. Anyone entering my house would laugh. But the first step is awareness of books acquired. I’ll be counting non-reference books (yes, it’s a loophole).
Other Threads:
75 Books Challenge
Non-Fiction Challenge/Journal
Old Books Read:
#01: Needle by Hal Clement -- (Jan 1)
#02: Through the Eye of a Needle by Hal Clement -- (Jan 4)
#03: No Impact Man by Colin Beavan -- (Jan 8)
#04: The Social Conquest of Earth by E. O. Wilson -- (Jan 10)
#05: Tulipomania by Mike Dash -- (Jan 17)
#06: Them by Jon Ronson -- (Jan 25)
#07: Hiero's Journey by Sterling E. Lanier -- (Jan 28)
#08: Desperately Seeking Snoozin' by John Weidman -- (Apr 29)
#09: Chrysalis by Kim Todd -- (Jun 9)
#10: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick -- (Jul 5)
#11: Only a Theory by Kenneth Miller -- (Jul 18)
#12: Columbine by Dave Cullen -- read (Aug 9)
#13: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon -- (Sep 4)
#14: The Pine Barrens by John McPhee -- (Sep 30)
#15: Radioactive by Lauren Redniss -- (Oct 5)
#16: Nim Chimpsky by Elizabeth Hess -- (Nov 5)
#17: Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand -- (Nov 15)
#18: A Thread Across the Ocean by John Steele Gordon -- (Dec 4)
#19: Logavina Street by Barbara Demick -- (Dec 6)
#20: Why Evolution is True by Jerry Coyne -- (Dec 12)
Old e-Books Read:
#01: Darwinia by Robert Charles Wilson -- (Mar 11)
#02: The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly -- (Aug 16)
#03: Settled in the Wild by Susan Shetterly -- (Oct 22)
#04: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum -- (Nov 29)
New Books Acquired and Read:
#01: Ghost Map by Steven Johnson -- acquired (Jan 15) read (Feb 1)
#02: Among the Creationists by Jason Rosenhouse -- acquired (Jan 15) read (Feb 3)
#03: Wild by Cheryl Strayed -- acquired (May 18) read (May 25)
#04: Chasing Monarchs by Robert Michael Pyle -- acquired (Jun 5) read (Jul 6)
#05: Paradise Lot by Eric Toensmeier -- acquired (Jul ?) read (Jul 13)
#06: Belshazzar's Daughter by Barbara Nadel -- acquired (Aug 31) read (Sep 9)
#07: The Wildlife Gardener's Guide by Janet Marinelli -- acquired (Aug 31) read (Sep 12)
#08: Natural Insect Control by Warren Schultz -- read (Oct 8)
New Books Acquired and Not Read:
#01: Dune by Frank Herbert -- acquired (Feb ?)
#02: Darwin's Ghost by Steve Jones -- acquired (Apr 26)
#03: Life Cycles by John Tyler Bonner -- acquired (Apr 27)
#04: The Mold in Dr. Florey's Coat by Eric Lax -- acquired (May 2)
#05: Lonely Planet Istanbul by Virginia Maxwell -- acquired (May ?)
#06: Lonely Planet Turkey by James Bainbridge -- acquired (May ?)
#07: The Paper Garden by Molly Peacock -- acquired (May 18)
#08: Shrinking the Cat by Sue Hubbell -- acquired (Jun 30)
#09: Designing Gardens with Flora of the American East by Carolyn Summers -- acquired (Jul 15)
#10: Native Plants of the Northeast by Donald Leopold -- acquired (Jul 15)
#11: Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard by Nicholas Money -- acquired (Jul 18)
#12: The Information by James Gleick -- acquired (Jul ?)
#13: How Bad are Bananas by Mike Berners-Lee -- acquired (Aug 31)
#14: Perennial Vegetables by Eric Toensmeier -- acquired (Aug 31)
#15: Quantum by Manjit Kumar -- acquired (Aug 31)
#16: The City and The City by China Mieville -- acquired (Aug 31)
#17: Tinkering with Eden by Kim Todd -- acquired (Aug 31)
#18: The Butterfly Gardener's Guide by Claire Hagen Dole -- acquired (Sep 8)
#19: Great Natives for Tough Places by Niall Dunne -- acquired (Sep 8)
#20: Healthy Soils for Sustainable Gardens by Niall Dunne -- acquired (Sep 8)
#21: Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants by C. Colston Burrell -- acquired (Sep 8)
#22: 1493 by Charles Mann -- acquired (Sep 22)
#23: Empire of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gwynne -- acquired (Sep 22)
#24: Handbook for Butterfly Watchers by Robert Michael Pyle -- acquired (Nov 17)
#25: On Growth, Form and Computers by Sanjeev Kumar -- acquired (Nov 18)
#26: Birdology by Sy Montgomery -- acquired (Nov 24) - free
#27: Catch Me a Colobus by Gerald Durrell -- acquired (Nov 24) - free
#28: Nim by Herbert Terrace-- acquired (Nov 24) - free
#29: Oil & Honey by Bill McKibben -- acquired (Nov 24) - free
#30: Silent Spring by Rachel Carson -- acquired (Nov 24) - free
#31: The View from Lazy Point by Carl Safina -- acquired (Nov 24) - free
#32: The World Until Yesterday by Jared Diamond -- acquired (Nov 24)
New e-Books Acquired and Read
#01: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline -- acquired (Feb 13) read (Feb 16)
#02: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan -- acquired (Feb 13) read (Feb 20)
#03: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn -- acquired (Mar 20) read (Mar 22)
#04: In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming -- acquired (Mar 23) read (Mar 24)
#05: Dark Places by Gillian Flynn -- acquired (Mar 23) read (Mar 28)
#06: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld -- acquired (Apr 6) read (May 4)
#07: Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld -- acquired (May 4) read (May 11)
#08: Goliath by Scott Westerfeld -- acquired (May 12) read (May 18)
#09: Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver -- acquired (Jul 8) read (Aug 3)
#10: Odds Against Tomorrow by Nathaniel Rich -- acquired (Jul 25) read (Aug 11)
#11: The Dervish House by Ian McDonald -- acquired (Aug 18) read (Sep 2)
#12: W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton -- acquired (Sep 14) read (Sep 19)
#13: Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton -- acquired (Apr 6) read (Sep 24)
#14: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte -- acquired (Oct 4) read (Oct 11)
#15: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte -- acquired (Oct 4) read (Oct 18)
#16: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs -- acquired (Oct 19) read (Oct 26)
#17: The Circle by Dave Eggers -- acquired (Oct 31) read (Nov 3)
#18: 1984 by George Orwell -- acquired (Nov 5) read (Nov 23)
New e-Books Acquired and Not Read
#01: River of Gods by Ian McDonald -- acquired (Aug 18)
#02: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith -- acquired Sep 28)
#03: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall -- acquired (Oct 19)
#04: We by Jevgeni Zamjatin -- acquired (Nov 5)
#05: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke -- acquired (Nov 5)
#06: Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver -- acquired (Nov 5)
Borrowed and Read
#01: In the Mind's Eye by Arnold Lazarus -- read (Jun 30)
#02: We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler -- read (Oct 28)
Borrowed from Library and Read
#01: Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys -- read (Nov 7)
#02: Bellwether by Connie Willis -- read (Nov 8)
#03: Remake by Connie Willis -- read (Nov 16)
#04: Sarah Canary by Karen Joy Fowler -- read (Nov 27)
#05: New Earth by Ben Bova -- read (Dec 9)
#06: Passage by Connie Willis -- read (Dec 17)
In related news, it’d be nice to actually reduce the problem. Or at least achieve equilibrium. Anyone entering my house would laugh. But the first step is awareness of books acquired. I’ll be counting non-reference books (yes, it’s a loophole).
Other Threads:
75 Books Challenge
Non-Fiction Challenge/Journal
Old Books Read:
#01: Needle by Hal Clement -- (Jan 1)
#02: Through the Eye of a Needle by Hal Clement -- (Jan 4)
#03: No Impact Man by Colin Beavan -- (Jan 8)
#04: The Social Conquest of Earth by E. O. Wilson -- (Jan 10)
#05: Tulipomania by Mike Dash -- (Jan 17)
#06: Them by Jon Ronson -- (Jan 25)
#07: Hiero's Journey by Sterling E. Lanier -- (Jan 28)
#08: Desperately Seeking Snoozin' by John Weidman -- (Apr 29)
#09: Chrysalis by Kim Todd -- (Jun 9)
#10: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick -- (Jul 5)
#11: Only a Theory by Kenneth Miller -- (Jul 18)
#12: Columbine by Dave Cullen -- read (Aug 9)
#13: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon -- (Sep 4)
#14: The Pine Barrens by John McPhee -- (Sep 30)
#15: Radioactive by Lauren Redniss -- (Oct 5)
#16: Nim Chimpsky by Elizabeth Hess -- (Nov 5)
#17: Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand -- (Nov 15)
#18: A Thread Across the Ocean by John Steele Gordon -- (Dec 4)
#19: Logavina Street by Barbara Demick -- (Dec 6)
#20: Why Evolution is True by Jerry Coyne -- (Dec 12)
Old e-Books Read:
#01: Darwinia by Robert Charles Wilson -- (Mar 11)
#02: The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly -- (Aug 16)
#03: Settled in the Wild by Susan Shetterly -- (Oct 22)
#04: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum -- (Nov 29)
New Books Acquired and Read:
#01: Ghost Map by Steven Johnson -- acquired (Jan 15) read (Feb 1)
#02: Among the Creationists by Jason Rosenhouse -- acquired (Jan 15) read (Feb 3)
#03: Wild by Cheryl Strayed -- acquired (May 18) read (May 25)
#04: Chasing Monarchs by Robert Michael Pyle -- acquired (Jun 5) read (Jul 6)
#05: Paradise Lot by Eric Toensmeier -- acquired (Jul ?) read (Jul 13)
#06: Belshazzar's Daughter by Barbara Nadel -- acquired (Aug 31) read (Sep 9)
#07: The Wildlife Gardener's Guide by Janet Marinelli -- acquired (Aug 31) read (Sep 12)
#08: Natural Insect Control by Warren Schultz -- read (Oct 8)
New Books Acquired and Not Read:
#01: Dune by Frank Herbert -- acquired (Feb ?)
#02: Darwin's Ghost by Steve Jones -- acquired (Apr 26)
#03: Life Cycles by John Tyler Bonner -- acquired (Apr 27)
#04: The Mold in Dr. Florey's Coat by Eric Lax -- acquired (May 2)
#05: Lonely Planet Istanbul by Virginia Maxwell -- acquired (May ?)
#06: Lonely Planet Turkey by James Bainbridge -- acquired (May ?)
#07: The Paper Garden by Molly Peacock -- acquired (May 18)
#08: Shrinking the Cat by Sue Hubbell -- acquired (Jun 30)
#09: Designing Gardens with Flora of the American East by Carolyn Summers -- acquired (Jul 15)
#10: Native Plants of the Northeast by Donald Leopold -- acquired (Jul 15)
#11: Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard by Nicholas Money -- acquired (Jul 18)
#12: The Information by James Gleick -- acquired (Jul ?)
#13: How Bad are Bananas by Mike Berners-Lee -- acquired (Aug 31)
#14: Perennial Vegetables by Eric Toensmeier -- acquired (Aug 31)
#15: Quantum by Manjit Kumar -- acquired (Aug 31)
#16: The City and The City by China Mieville -- acquired (Aug 31)
#17: Tinkering with Eden by Kim Todd -- acquired (Aug 31)
#18: The Butterfly Gardener's Guide by Claire Hagen Dole -- acquired (Sep 8)
#19: Great Natives for Tough Places by Niall Dunne -- acquired (Sep 8)
#20: Healthy Soils for Sustainable Gardens by Niall Dunne -- acquired (Sep 8)
#21: Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants by C. Colston Burrell -- acquired (Sep 8)
#22: 1493 by Charles Mann -- acquired (Sep 22)
#23: Empire of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gwynne -- acquired (Sep 22)
#24: Handbook for Butterfly Watchers by Robert Michael Pyle -- acquired (Nov 17)
#25: On Growth, Form and Computers by Sanjeev Kumar -- acquired (Nov 18)
#26: Birdology by Sy Montgomery -- acquired (Nov 24) - free
#27: Catch Me a Colobus by Gerald Durrell -- acquired (Nov 24) - free
#28: Nim by Herbert Terrace-- acquired (Nov 24) - free
#29: Oil & Honey by Bill McKibben -- acquired (Nov 24) - free
#30: Silent Spring by Rachel Carson -- acquired (Nov 24) - free
#31: The View from Lazy Point by Carl Safina -- acquired (Nov 24) - free
#32: The World Until Yesterday by Jared Diamond -- acquired (Nov 24)
New e-Books Acquired and Read
#01: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline -- acquired (Feb 13) read (Feb 16)
#02: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan -- acquired (Feb 13) read (Feb 20)
#03: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn -- acquired (Mar 20) read (Mar 22)
#04: In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming -- acquired (Mar 23) read (Mar 24)
#05: Dark Places by Gillian Flynn -- acquired (Mar 23) read (Mar 28)
#06: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld -- acquired (Apr 6) read (May 4)
#07: Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld -- acquired (May 4) read (May 11)
#08: Goliath by Scott Westerfeld -- acquired (May 12) read (May 18)
#09: Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver -- acquired (Jul 8) read (Aug 3)
#10: Odds Against Tomorrow by Nathaniel Rich -- acquired (Jul 25) read (Aug 11)
#11: The Dervish House by Ian McDonald -- acquired (Aug 18) read (Sep 2)
#12: W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton -- acquired (Sep 14) read (Sep 19)
#13: Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton -- acquired (Apr 6) read (Sep 24)
#14: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte -- acquired (Oct 4) read (Oct 11)
#15: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte -- acquired (Oct 4) read (Oct 18)
#16: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs -- acquired (Oct 19) read (Oct 26)
#17: The Circle by Dave Eggers -- acquired (Oct 31) read (Nov 3)
#18: 1984 by George Orwell -- acquired (Nov 5) read (Nov 23)
New e-Books Acquired and Not Read
#01: River of Gods by Ian McDonald -- acquired (Aug 18)
#02: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith -- acquired Sep 28)
#03: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall -- acquired (Oct 19)
#04: We by Jevgeni Zamjatin -- acquired (Nov 5)
#05: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke -- acquired (Nov 5)
#06: Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver -- acquired (Nov 5)
Borrowed and Read
#01: In the Mind's Eye by Arnold Lazarus -- read (Jun 30)
#02: We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler -- read (Oct 28)
Borrowed from Library and Read
#01: Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys -- read (Nov 7)
#02: Bellwether by Connie Willis -- read (Nov 8)
#03: Remake by Connie Willis -- read (Nov 16)
#04: Sarah Canary by Karen Joy Fowler -- read (Nov 27)
#05: New Earth by Ben Bova -- read (Dec 9)
#06: Passage by Connie Willis -- read (Dec 17)
4qebo
3: My books, my rules. :-) Reference books don’t bother me; I’m not concerned about $ or space (at this level anyway), and I do put them to use. I am concerned about my attraction to bright and shiny narrative books when last month’s or last year’s are gathering dust on the shelves.
5qebo
This evening I entered all the books stacked on the floor into LibraryThing in preparation. I may have missed a few strays, but essentially this is it. I haven't kept track of acquisition dates, and I'm not sure where to draw the line anyway, so I'm decreeing anything in LT as of this moment ROOTable.
6qebo
#1: Needle by Hal Clement -- (Jan 1)
75er review here.
Starting the year right with one old book read. It's actually a fairly new old book, but per the previous message, it counts.
75er review here.
Starting the year right with one old book read. It's actually a fairly new old book, but per the previous message, it counts.
8qebo
#2: Through the Eye of a Needle by Hal Clement -- (Jan 2)
75er review here.
Another that counts though I got it mere weeks ago. And I'm in the process of reading two others similarly recent. Things will become more difficult after this month; thread rounds are adding to the wishlist and increasing temptation...
75er review here.
Another that counts though I got it mere weeks ago. And I'm in the process of reading two others similarly recent. Things will become more difficult after this month; thread rounds are adding to the wishlist and increasing temptation...
10qebo
#3: No Impact Man by Colin Beavan -- (Jan 8)
75er review here.
Pretty sure I got this midway through 2012, so still not old but moving back in time.
75er review here.
Pretty sure I got this midway through 2012, so still not old but moving back in time.
11qebo
#4: The Social Conquest of Earth by E. O. Wilson -- (Jan 10)
75er review here.
Another fairly recent 2012 acquisition.
75er review here.
Another fairly recent 2012 acquisition.
12qebo
#5: Tulipomania by Mike Dash -- (Jan 17)
75er review here.
A real honest to goodness ROOT that has been sitting on a shelf for a couple years.
75er review here.
A real honest to goodness ROOT that has been sitting on a shelf for a couple years.
14qebo
#7: Hiero's Journey by Sterling E. Lanier -- (Jan 28)
75er review here.
An electronic book acquired in mid 2012.
I've been sick with an evil virus, just getting back to normal, hope to catch up with reviews this weekend...
75er review here.
An electronic book acquired in mid 2012.
I've been sick with an evil virus, just getting back to normal, hope to catch up with reviews this weekend...
16konallis
Your review makes me want to reread Hiero's Journey. I'd forgotten half the details you describe.
Hope you feel better soon!
Hope you feel better soon!
17qebo
Hmm, well, it’s been awhile. I was actually sick for several months, and when I emerged, the book backlog was not among my higher priorities. However, it is useful to assess at the end of the year. I’ve updated post 1 with the accounting. Anyone interested in reviews can click the link to my 75 books thread. The essence:
24 paper and e-books acquired before this year and read this year, which achieves the (admittedly unambitious) ROOT goal.
26 paper and e-books both acquired and read this year, i.e. breaking even.
5 library books borrowed and read this year, reestablishing a habit that I’d let lapse.
38 paper and e-books acquired this year and not read; some of these qualify as reference, but most don’t, and this is where I need to monitor more carefully next year.
These numbers will change slightly over the next few weeks.
24 paper and e-books acquired before this year and read this year, which achieves the (admittedly unambitious) ROOT goal.
26 paper and e-books both acquired and read this year, i.e. breaking even.
5 library books borrowed and read this year, reestablishing a habit that I’d let lapse.
38 paper and e-books acquired this year and not read; some of these qualify as reference, but most don’t, and this is where I need to monitor more carefully next year.
These numbers will change slightly over the next few weeks.
19rabbitprincess
Sorry to hear you were sick! Hope you're feeling much better. And congratulations on meeting your ROOT goal!