Bragan Keeps It Simple in '16

Keskustelu2016 ROOT Challenge - (Read Our Own Tomes)

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Bragan Keeps It Simple in '16

Tämä viestiketju on "uinuva" —viimeisin viesti on vanhempi kuin 90 päivää. Ryhmä "virkoaa", kun lähetät vastauksen.

1bragan
joulukuu 31, 2015, 8:33 pm

Hello all. Here I am, back again and looking forward to a shiny new year of reading!

The last couple of years, I used an elaborate points system, where the longer a book had been sitting on the shelves unread, the more points it was worth. That was kind of fun, and did help to motivate me to read a few of my oldest books. (And, believe me, I have some on the TBR shelves that are old enough to legally drink. In the US.) But that also took a little extra work, and exerted a little extra pressure, and I think it's time for a break from it this year.

So, my goal this year is a straightforward 100 ROOT books, where any book I already own as of Jan 1, 2016 qualifies as a ROOT. Thus:




I'd also like to wish a Happy New Year, and a very happy year of reading to all! Ah, there's nothing like that feeling when suddenly every book on your TBR qualifies as a ROOT, and you feel suffused with optimism about all the books you're going to read in the coming year.

2rabbitprincess
joulukuu 31, 2015, 8:38 pm

Welcome back! Here's to keeping it simple (although I did like your points ticker). Have a great reading year!

3bragan
joulukuu 31, 2015, 8:39 pm

>2 rabbitprincess: I might re-institute the points ticker again in the future.

A very happy new year and a great year of reading to you!

4craso
joulukuu 31, 2015, 10:41 pm

Have a Happy New Year and good luck reading your ROOTs!

5bragan
joulukuu 31, 2015, 11:02 pm

>4 craso: Thanks! I certainly have a lot of them to get to.

6connie53
tammikuu 1, 2016, 3:20 am

Hi, Bragan. Good to see you again! I think it's very relaxing to not have to think about points for a year or so.

7bragan
tammikuu 1, 2016, 3:23 am

>6 connie53: Yes, I expect it to be a little bit of a nice break, really.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

8Tess_W
tammikuu 1, 2016, 5:24 am

9lkernagh
tammikuu 1, 2016, 4:41 pm

Good luck with your ROOT reading!

10avanders
tammikuu 3, 2016, 4:35 pm

Welcome back, good luck with your 100 ROOTs and

11MissWatson
tammikuu 4, 2016, 6:14 am

Welcome back and have a wonderful year reading and ROOTing!

12bragan
tammikuu 6, 2016, 2:58 pm

Hello, all! Thank you for stopping by, and here's wishing you a wonderful new year full of excellent books!

My first book of the year took longer than I'd hoped, but it was well worth it. And it also has the distinction of not being a ROOT when I started it, but having become one by the time I finished it.

1. Skippy Dies by Paul Murray.

And, wow, it feels weird to only be updating one ticker counter! Much easier, though. It's kind of liberating. :)

13avanders
tammikuu 6, 2016, 4:39 pm

>12 bragan: I own that! It's one of those ones I discovered browsing and I've never heard anyone else mention it! Glad you liked it so much... I'll have to put it back on my shorter list ;)

Congrats on your first ROOT!

Funny how our tickers change over time... I've added 1 this year rather than removing 1... ;)

14bragan
tammikuu 6, 2016, 5:01 pm

>13 avanders: I'd heard a lot of praise for it, myself, and I'd definitely say it's warranted, although I don't think anything I had heard about it prepared me for the actual book.

Maybe there's a law of conservation of tickers. :)

15bragan
tammikuu 7, 2016, 10:57 pm

Moving right along with a little bit of local history:

2. Elfego Baca in Life and Legend by Larry D. Ball.

16bragan
tammikuu 10, 2016, 3:17 pm

3. The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett.

17bragan
tammikuu 11, 2016, 12:22 am

Two in one day! We're really rollin' now! Even if this one was mostly pictures.

4. The Art of Mad Max: Fury Road by Abbie Bernstein.

18avanders
tammikuu 11, 2016, 11:35 am

>17 bragan: yeah you are! 4 pulled already!

19bragan
tammikuu 11, 2016, 12:10 pm

>18 avanders: We'll see if I can keep it up!

(I also haven't bought any books yet this year. Go, me!)

20connie53
tammikuu 11, 2016, 2:16 pm

Go go go go go go on both occasions. You are doing better than me. Bought two, read non!

21bragan
tammikuu 11, 2016, 3:38 pm

>20 connie53: Well, the year is young yet, with plenty of scope for me to stumble and you to overtake me. :) But, hey, so far so good!

22avanders
tammikuu 12, 2016, 3:48 pm

>19 bragan: woot!
>20 connie53: lol yeah I've ... bought a few. :-|

23bragan
tammikuu 13, 2016, 9:41 pm

5. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.

24connie53
tammikuu 15, 2016, 8:11 am

I'm curious to hear what you about that book, Bragan.

25bragan
tammikuu 15, 2016, 2:24 pm

>24 connie53: You can read my review of it here, but the short version is I thought it was decent -- better than I thought it was going to be at the beginning, in fact -- but not terrific.

26bragan
tammikuu 15, 2016, 2:41 pm

6. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi.

27avanders
tammikuu 15, 2016, 4:49 pm

>26 bragan: weird... I was just talking to my friend at work about this -- she went to high school w/ the author! I understand he was brilliant - glad you enjoyed the book!

28bragan
tammikuu 15, 2016, 5:14 pm

>27 avanders: He certainly seems, based on the book and the details of his career, to have been quite brilliant, so I'm not surprised someone who actually knew him agrees. Which just makes it sadder, somehow. He seems like a person who would have had a lot more to give to the world, if he'd had more time.

29bragan
tammikuu 15, 2016, 9:00 pm

7. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson.

I'm just pulling those ROOTS like crazy now! :)

30connie53
tammikuu 16, 2016, 2:55 am

>29 bragan: So I noticed, Bragan! Good job.

31bragan
tammikuu 17, 2016, 2:14 pm

8. Dryland by Sara Jaffe.

32avanders
tammikuu 17, 2016, 10:07 pm

>29 bragan: yeah you are! Way to go! :)

33bragan
tammikuu 17, 2016, 11:44 pm

>32 avanders: Whoo-hoo!

34bragan
Muokkaaja: tammikuu 19, 2016, 7:50 am

9. How to Build a Dinosaur: Extinction Doesn't Have to Be Forever by Jack Horner.

For whatever it's worth, this is the first 2016 ROOT so far that goes back further than last year, since I've had it since 2013.

35bragan
tammikuu 20, 2016, 5:10 am

10. Doctor Who: Tales of Trenzalore by Justin Richards, et al.

I think I'm mostly making this much progress only because I keep reading short books, but what the heck. I'll take it.

36rabbitprincess
tammikuu 20, 2016, 5:40 pm

>35 bragan: Sounds like one I can safely move down the priority list of Dr Whos to request from the library.

37bragan
tammikuu 20, 2016, 7:04 pm

>36 rabbitprincess: Yeah, it's definitely not essential Whovian reading.

38bragan
Muokkaaja: tammikuu 20, 2016, 7:38 pm

11. The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss. Which is another very short one. But, hey, it counts!

39bragan
tammikuu 22, 2016, 4:29 am

40avanders
tammikuu 23, 2016, 10:54 am

>38 bragan: yeah it does! I really want to read that, but I'm waiting bc I haven't even read the 1st book in the series yet! It's on my list for this year... :)

Congrats on so many ROOTs pulled!

41bragan
tammikuu 23, 2016, 6:19 pm

>38 bragan: Yes, you definitely want to wait and read that one after you've read the other books in the series.

And thanks! I'm off to a very good start. We'll see how long I can keep it up for.

42bragan
tammikuu 25, 2016, 7:08 pm

43avanders
tammikuu 26, 2016, 4:31 pm

>42 bragan: I read that.. I think last year, might have been the year before. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the Home movie, that came out last year, was a cartoon take on the book :) I enjoyed both.

44bragan
tammikuu 26, 2016, 9:10 pm

>43 avanders: My copy of the book has "now a major motion picture" on the cover, and, I must confess, my reaction to that was, "It can't be all that major, because I've never heard of it." But then, I guess I don't necessarily keep track of current movies all that well.

45avanders
tammikuu 27, 2016, 8:30 am

>44 bragan: lol well... If you don't pay attention to cartoon movies... But I believe Home was pretty major... ;)

46Caramellunacy
tammikuu 27, 2016, 9:12 am

>45 avanders: (Can I come into the out now?!)

47bragan
tammikuu 27, 2016, 10:12 am

>45 avanders: I think maybe I only pay attention to them if they're from Pixar. :)

48lkernagh
tammikuu 28, 2016, 2:44 pm

Wow... great job reading your ROOTs!

49bragan
tammikuu 28, 2016, 3:39 pm

>48 lkernagh: Thanks! Although I think the pace might be slowing down a bit now.

50bragan
Muokkaaja: tammikuu 31, 2016, 7:50 pm

And so we come to the end of January, and, I must say, I am very pleased with my ROOTing progress so far.

My summary for the month:

JANUARY 2016

Books read: 13
ROOT books read: 13
Books acquired: 0
Total TBR books: 873

Yes, that's right I bought ZERO books this month! You have no idea how amazing that is for me! It did take a lot of will power, and I doubt I'll be able to keep it up for long. But I was running out of space on the TBR shelves, and I started to really like seeing those little gaps opening up as books got pulled off and not getting immediately filled again.

51rabbitprincess
tammikuu 31, 2016, 7:56 pm

>50 bragan: Wow! Zero books bought and all ROOTs read! This month needs to be framed and hung on the wall as an inspiration to us all :)

52bragan
tammikuu 31, 2016, 8:27 pm

>51 rabbitprincess: I know! I will probably never see another one like it. :)

53connie53
helmikuu 1, 2016, 2:05 am

Very good job, Bragan! Keep it up!

54Jackie_K
helmikuu 1, 2016, 5:10 am

>50 bragan: I am very very very impressed!

55bragan
helmikuu 1, 2016, 10:47 am

>53 connie53: Thank you! I'll see what I can do, but I wouldn't count on me keeping this level of ROOTing/non-book-buying willpower up forever. :)

>54 Jackie_K: Me, too! I'm not sure how I did it.

56readingtangent
helmikuu 2, 2016, 12:32 pm

>50 bragan: Great job! I would love to have a month like that :).

57avanders
helmikuu 2, 2016, 4:53 pm

>46 Caramellunacy: lol yes! :)

>47 bragan: well, that's fair.... ;)

>50 bragan: yeah, you should be pleased! Congrats! Esp. on that 0 books acquired bit!

58bragan
helmikuu 3, 2016, 5:02 pm

>56 readingtangent: I'd give you advice on how to do it, if I knew any. :)

>57 avanders: None acquired for February yet, either, but somehow I don't think that will last very long. :)

59bragan
Muokkaaja: helmikuu 4, 2016, 12:30 pm

And, on to February's ROOTing:

14. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

60readingtangent
helmikuu 6, 2016, 6:30 pm

>59 bragan: Probably my favorite book! Or at least one of them :).

61bragan
helmikuu 6, 2016, 10:02 pm

>60 readingtangent: I wouldn't list it among my own favorites, but I will say that I liked it a lot better than I was kind of expecting to.

62bragan
helmikuu 7, 2016, 5:28 am

15. The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean. This one's been on the TBR Shelves since 2010! Really, I don't know where the time goes.

63connie53
helmikuu 7, 2016, 5:42 am

>62 bragan: Out the window, Bragan! It just disappears.

64Caramellunacy
helmikuu 7, 2016, 2:12 pm

>62 bragan:, I just picked that one up over the holidays at the Natural History Museum in DC. What did you think?

65bragan
Muokkaaja: helmikuu 7, 2016, 10:47 pm

>63 connie53: *waves goodbye to the time as it flies away* :)

>64 Caramellunacy: I thought it was good. Definitely well worth a read if you're at all interested in that kind of sciencey topic. You can see the full review I wrote of it here.

66avanders
helmikuu 8, 2016, 10:15 am

>59 bragan: >60 readingtangent: My sister loved that book - I haven't yet found the time, but it's another on my long list... maybe this year?

>62 bragan: Oh I've been curious about that one! Good review - I may have to check that one (from the library) one of these days.... :)

>63 connie53: hee hee, so true...

67bragan
helmikuu 8, 2016, 2:13 pm

>66 avanders: Both worth a read, I think. In their own very different ways.

68bragan
helmikuu 8, 2016, 2:39 pm

16. 21st Century Dead: A Zombie Anthology edited by Christopher Golden.

69bragan
Muokkaaja: helmikuu 10, 2016, 3:33 pm

17. Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich.

(Hmm, the touchstones don't seem to be working at the moment.)

70connie53
helmikuu 10, 2016, 3:36 pm

>69 bragan: No, they were down all day.

71bragan
helmikuu 10, 2016, 5:30 pm

>70 connie53: Very annoying. Looks like they're not back up yet, either.

72bragan
helmikuu 13, 2016, 10:51 am

18. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates.

73Tess_W
helmikuu 14, 2016, 8:04 am

>62 bragan: I like those type of books--a BB for me! If you liked that one, you might like A History of the World in 100 Objects. There is a pod cast from the author on the BBC on each object.

74bragan
helmikuu 14, 2016, 2:35 pm

>73 Tess_W: I've seen that one mentioned, and had been idly wondering if it'd be worth looking at. I may add it to the wishlist. (I'd consider the podcast, too, but considering how backed up I am on all the podcasts I'm subscribed to already...)

75bragan
helmikuu 14, 2016, 7:45 pm

19. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell.

76bragan
helmikuu 16, 2016, 12:23 pm

20. Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith.

77avanders
helmikuu 16, 2016, 12:29 pm

Nice review! And good to know about the series in general... it helps to know, going in, that there's more character and world creation than there is plot development ;)

78avanders
helmikuu 16, 2016, 12:30 pm

And re >72 bragan: - I thought I already owned that, but apparently not.... on the list it goes!

79bragan
helmikuu 16, 2016, 2:25 pm

>77 avanders: Oh, yes. If you go into that series expecting it to be a traditional plot-based mystery, you're either going to be very disappointed, or pleasantly startled. (Fortunately for me it was that second one.)

And Between the World and Me is definitely one that should be on the list.

80bragan
helmikuu 18, 2016, 10:58 pm

81bragan
helmikuu 19, 2016, 12:54 am

22. British English A to Zed: A Definitive Guide to the Queen's English by Norman W. Schur. I'd been reading through this a page or two at a time since sometime last year, and I finally finished it.

82avanders
helmikuu 19, 2016, 9:53 am

So many books... Congrats on already reading 22 ROOTs!!

83bragan
helmikuu 19, 2016, 2:49 pm

>82 avanders: Thank you! So far, it is shaping up to be a really great year for ROOTS! And for books in general.

84rabbitprincess
helmikuu 19, 2016, 7:26 pm

>81 bragan: Adding to the TBR! Both my mum and I would enjoy this book.

85bragan
helmikuu 19, 2016, 7:45 pm

>81 bragan: It is a potentially useful book, and quite entertaining to look through, although I doubt most people would want to do what I did and read (or at least skim) through the whole thing.

86bragan
helmikuu 21, 2016, 2:30 pm

23. The Awakening by Kate Chopin.

87Tess_W
helmikuu 21, 2016, 11:52 pm

>86 bragan: is in my TBR pile!

88bragan
helmikuu 22, 2016, 12:44 am

>87 Tess_W: That's one of the books I got through SantaThing last year, and it was a really good pick.

89bragan
helmikuu 22, 2016, 2:19 am

24. Images of America: Socorro by Baldwin J. Burr. OK, this one's very short and consists mostly of pictures, so it almost feels like it shouldn't count. But it does, anyway!

90bragan
helmikuu 23, 2016, 8:36 am

25. A Slight Trick of the Mind by Mitch Cullin.

And I am now about to embark on my very first non-ROOT book of the year, an Early Reviewers book I need to read and review.

I have to say, it's amazing how much easier it is to read ROOTS when you're not buying very many new books to compete with them!

(Also, have touchstones stopped working again?)

91avanders
helmikuu 25, 2016, 10:06 am

>90 bragan: SO TRUE! Or even.. just reading some of the ROOTs and realizing what GEMS you have on your shelves! :)
What's the ER?

92bragan
helmikuu 25, 2016, 6:18 pm

>91 avanders: I know! And, boy, do I have some gems coming off lately. Some of the books I've been reading so far this year are definitely better than others, but overall? In terms of both quality and quantity, it's shaping up to be an amazing year of reading.

The ER book is Algorithms to Live By by Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths. And I'm loving it, giant nerd that I am.

93avanders
helmikuu 26, 2016, 10:27 am

>92 bragan: I love it when that happens! It's nice being re-excited about the books you already own... They almost become "shiny and sparkly" - like new books - when I'm otherwise-focused... then I revisit the shelves and get invigorated about the books all over again ;)

V cool that you're loving the ER! I also love it when that happens -- getting an ER that's just your speed... :)
That sounds like a very interesting book... I'll look forward to your review when you're done!

94bragan
helmikuu 26, 2016, 7:03 pm

I know! There seem to be so many shiny, sparkly roots waving at me from the shelves right now.

I'm thinking it was probably a really great idea to drop the points system I'd been using this year. I was really glad of the way it encouraged me to finally get to some of the dustiest old books on the shelves, and there were some wonderful gems among those, too. But right now, especially with so few non-ROOTS to distract me, it feels like I'm reading exactly the way I want to read, and it's exciting and satisfying.

I have finished and reviewed the ER book now, by they way. Two thumbs up on that one!

95connie53
helmikuu 27, 2016, 2:29 am

>94 bragan: So glad you feel that way, Bragan!

Here you go

96bragan
helmikuu 27, 2016, 2:33 am

>95 connie53: Thank you Connie, you've put a big grin on my face. :)

97avanders
helmikuu 28, 2016, 8:58 pm

>94 bragan: that's wonderful! :)

>95 connie53: hee hee, nice :)

98bragan
helmikuu 29, 2016, 8:31 pm

26. Railsea by China Miéville. This one's been on the TBR shelves since 2012, and I'm hating myself a little right now for having deprived myself of it that long.

99connie53
maaliskuu 2, 2016, 4:50 am

China Méville is an excellent writer. Did you read Armada and Station Perdido too? Those are the only ones translated.

100bragan
maaliskuu 2, 2016, 10:02 am

I have! (Under the English titles, Perdido Street Station and The Scar). It seems a shame those have been the only ones translated, as all his books are well worth reading. I would think they'd at least do the third book in that particular series (Iron Council).

101connie53
maaliskuu 2, 2016, 10:34 am

>100 bragan: You would think so, Bragan, but there are lots of series where they stopped translating halfway. Fantasy is not a widely read genre in Holland. And the countries where people speak Dutch are limited. So if a series does not sell, publishers stop halfway. I have several unfinished series on my shelves.

102bragan
maaliskuu 2, 2016, 11:09 am

>101 connie53: That is deeply annoying and unfair!

103connie53
maaliskuu 2, 2016, 11:34 am

>102 bragan: I's a big thing for me and my friends in my RL bookclub. We mostly read Fantasy and we all think it's very annoying and very, very unfair.

104bragan
maaliskuu 2, 2016, 4:28 pm

Nearly forgot to do my February round-up!

FEBRUARY 2016

Books read: 14
ROOT books read: 13
Books acquired: 5
Total TBR books: 865

So, another very productive month! As predicted, I did not pull a repeat of January and fail to buy any books at all, but my acquisitions were ridiculously reasonable: three books purchased at my (semi) local indie bookstore, plus two ER volumes.

And I'm super-happy with both the quality and quantity of ROOTS read this year so far, and am expecting still more good stuff in March. It feels good!

105connie53
maaliskuu 3, 2016, 11:12 am

>104 bragan: Congrats, Bragan!

106avanders
maaliskuu 3, 2016, 12:19 pm

>101 connie53: very interesting.. I wonder why fantasy is more read in some countries than others...
And a real shame :(

>104 bragan: looks great!

107bragan
maaliskuu 4, 2016, 12:10 am

Thanks, guys!

108bragan
maaliskuu 4, 2016, 12:10 am

27. The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison.

109bragan
maaliskuu 5, 2016, 11:04 am

28. Visions of Sugar Plums by Janet Evanovich.

110bragan
maaliskuu 11, 2016, 1:43 pm

29. On Beauty by Zadie Smith.

111avanders
maaliskuu 11, 2016, 2:14 pm

>110 bragan: ok, fine, maybe I'll consider it.... ;p
(I read a chunk of NW and did not like it, so I've been Zadie Smith shy, but I've heard that her other books, particularly On Beauty and White Teeth are much better....)

112bragan
maaliskuu 11, 2016, 2:56 pm

>111 avanders: On Beauty is the first of hers I've read, and I was a little unsure about it going in, but ended up liking it quite a bit. Although I can see how it might not be to everyone's taste. It seems to have gotten a lot of mixed reviews here on LT, which just makes me feel very glad to have fallen on the positive side of the experience.

113bragan
maaliskuu 20, 2016, 1:21 pm

Skipping another ER book, we come to:

30. The Boy Who Lost Fairyland by Catherynne M. Valente.

Sigh. My reading frenzy of the last couple of months has slowed to a pathetic trickle lately. It took me five days just to read this short, fast, pleasant little 200-page kids' book. I'm really, really wishing Real Life would just leave me alone for a while now and let me read!

114avanders
maaliskuu 21, 2016, 1:39 pm

>113 bragan: I know the feeling! Glad you got through one though... & glad it was one you enjoyed!

115Tess_W
maaliskuu 21, 2016, 3:23 pm

>113 bragan: That's the problem with "RL"...it never leaves you alone!

116bragan
maaliskuu 21, 2016, 4:08 pm

>114 avanders: I knew I would enjoy it... Which, of course, just made it more frustrating that I kept being taken away from it!

>115 Tess_W: So true. Sigh. I suppose, really, I ought to be grateful that it held off long enough to give me a couple of months of great reading before this.

117bragan
maaliskuu 25, 2016, 6:28 pm

And skipping over another ER book...

31. Bright Lines by Tanwi Nandini Islam.

118bragan
maaliskuu 27, 2016, 2:47 am

32. Thing Explainer by Randall Munroe.

119rabbitprincess
maaliskuu 27, 2016, 9:45 am

>118 bragan: Yay! Now I have to steal borrow this one from my dad. I got him the book for Christmas as well as a ticket to see Munroe in conversation with Ryan North in Toronto last November. That would have been an awesome evening (and it was, apparently).

120bragan
maaliskuu 27, 2016, 2:34 pm

>119 rabbitprincess: Ooh, that does sound like an awesome evening! I'm rather jealous of him.

121rabbitprincess
maaliskuu 27, 2016, 2:35 pm

>120 bragan: If it hadn't been the middle of the week, I would have gone with him!

122bragan
maaliskuu 27, 2016, 2:37 pm

>121 rabbitprincess: Stupid weekdays ruin all kinds of things. :)

123bragan
maaliskuu 30, 2016, 4:27 am

33. Beautiful Chaos by Gary Russell.

124bragan
maaliskuu 30, 2016, 8:25 am

34. The Rights of the Reader by Daniel Pennac.

125bragan
Muokkaaja: maaliskuu 31, 2016, 10:53 pm

I read fewer books in March than in the previous two months, and acquired more, but, hey, I'm still coming out ahead on both counts. For now.

MARCH 2016

Books read: 10
ROOT books read: 8
Year-to-date ROOT books read: 34/100
Books acquired: 7
Total TBR books: 862

126bragan
huhtikuu 4, 2016, 3:31 pm

35. The Shadowed Sun by N. K. Jemison.

128bragan
huhtikuu 10, 2016, 5:15 pm

37. Lives of Girls and Women by Alice Munro.

129avanders
huhtikuu 11, 2016, 10:35 am

You've already read 37 ROOTs this year! That is awesome!

>126 bragan: I have The Killing Moon on my shelves... your review of the sequel is making me want to read it!

130bragan
huhtikuu 11, 2016, 11:07 am

>129 avanders: Yes, I got off to a great start! Which is probably good, as I'm slowing down a bit now.

I very much recommend The Killing Moon.

131connie53
huhtikuu 11, 2016, 2:44 pm

Hi Bragan, just passing and waving! I hope RL is slowing down so you will get all the reading done you want to get done!

132bragan
Muokkaaja: huhtikuu 11, 2016, 4:22 pm

>131 connie53: Hi, Connie! RL is still being kind of annoying, but I'm at least managing to get some reading done, despite it.

133bragan
huhtikuu 13, 2016, 6:49 pm

38. Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction by Jeff Prucher. OK, I sort of skimmed this, rather than actually reading all of. But it still counts!

134bragan
huhtikuu 15, 2016, 11:48 pm

39. The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman.

135connie53
huhtikuu 17, 2016, 1:56 pm

>132 bragan: I can see that! 2 books down!

136bragan
huhtikuu 17, 2016, 10:32 pm

>135 connie53: Well, one of those two books took me about two months to skim-read, in small snatches. :) But, yes, I am still doing well, even if the pace isn't as fast as it was at the beginning of the year. I have been doing not quite as well on the not-buying-too-many books front, alas, but I"m trying.

137bragan
huhtikuu 18, 2016, 1:30 am

40. The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert.

138avanders
huhtikuu 20, 2016, 9:42 am

>133 bragan: totally counts! :)

>137 bragan: ooooooooh that's on my wishlist!! Glad to see you enjoyed it :) I keep hoping to stumble upon it at the library book sales or in a used book store... not yet, not yet...

139bragan
huhtikuu 20, 2016, 11:25 am

>137 bragan: I think I found it cheap (or cheap-ish) in a discount book catalog. I do recommend it.

140bragan
huhtikuu 20, 2016, 11:39 am

41. To the Nines by Janet Evanovich.

141connie53
huhtikuu 23, 2016, 2:04 pm

>140 bragan: I've read that one a few weeks ago. Always good for a big smile!

142bragan
huhtikuu 23, 2016, 6:31 pm

>141 connie53: Evanovich is fun candy for the brain, but I'm not sure I was in entirely the right mood for that one, because I didn't enjoy it quite as much as most of them. Oh, well! I've still got a whole bunch more of them to read...

143bragan
huhtikuu 26, 2016, 11:23 pm

42. Destroyer by C. J. Cherryh.

144bragan
huhtikuu 28, 2016, 10:51 pm

145avanders
huhtikuu 29, 2016, 8:21 am

>144 bragan: BB. I need that.

146Jackie_K
huhtikuu 29, 2016, 9:47 am

>144 bragan: I got that for my birthday last year, I'm really looking forward to getting round to it eventually!

147bragan
huhtikuu 29, 2016, 1:05 pm

>145 avanders: Yes. Yes, you do. :)

>146 Jackie_K: It is very much worth getting around to, if you're a fan of the movie at all. It was just completely warm and lovely, and may have made me appreciate the movie even more.

148bragan
huhtikuu 30, 2016, 9:45 pm

44. Mark Twain: Wit and Wisecracks.

A very, very short book, but it counts, anyway!

149bragan
toukokuu 1, 2016, 1:16 am

And sliding one more in before the end of April:

45. The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith.

150bragan
toukokuu 1, 2016, 2:55 pm

Did pretty well for April, I think! Well, as far as reading goes, anyway. My book-buying is getting less and less controlled as the year goes on.

APRIL 2016

Books read: 14 (counting two borrowed from a friend, which don't count against the TBR)
ROOT books read: 11 (woo-hoo!)
Year-to-date ROOT books read: 45/100
Books acquired: 15 (I mostly blame the library sale.)
Total TBR books: 865

151connie53
toukokuu 2, 2016, 3:09 am

>150 bragan: Now I feel I'm not that bad with my TBR! I only have 535!

152bragan
toukokuu 2, 2016, 6:03 am

>151 connie53: Yes, I am here to make others feel better by contrast! :)

153connie53
toukokuu 3, 2016, 2:41 am

>152 bragan: Thank you for being here!

154Tess_W
toukokuu 3, 2016, 8:54 am

I'm going to show off and say that I have ****only**** 400 TBR!

155bragan
toukokuu 3, 2016, 9:13 am

>154 Tess_W: I got down to 400 once. And I celebrated, and swore I would never go over that number again. Look where that got me! :)

156bragan
toukokuu 3, 2016, 5:54 pm

46. Reality Boy by A. S. King.

157avanders
toukokuu 4, 2016, 9:54 am

>150 bragan: lol it's bound to happen sooner or later ;)

And for all y'all... My official count for 5/1/16 is 885 TBR :-o
So hopefully that makes you feel better too, Ms. Bragan!

158bragan
toukokuu 4, 2016, 6:11 pm

>157 avanders: That does make me feel slightly better, thank you. :)

159avanders
toukokuu 5, 2016, 10:52 am

>158 bragan: here to help... ;)

160Britt84
toukokuu 5, 2016, 2:58 pm

>157 avanders: You know this is one of those things I like about librarything: In real life, people always think I own an incredible number of books and am completely insane for wanting more - and wanting to read them all! And then I come here, and there are people who own/read way more books than I do, and who have way more unread books. So now I can claim that I am really not that insane ;)

161avanders
toukokuu 5, 2016, 3:14 pm

>160 Britt84: lol I know, so true ;)

162bragan
toukokuu 5, 2016, 9:42 pm

>160 Britt84: Yes, even I have that experience! It is strangely reassuring.

163bragan
toukokuu 11, 2016, 8:44 pm

47. Pretender by C. J. Cherryh.

164bragan
toukokuu 14, 2016, 4:26 pm

48. Don't Breathe a Word by Jennifer McMahon.

165connie53
toukokuu 17, 2016, 2:13 pm

You are almost halfway, Bragan!

166bragan
toukokuu 17, 2016, 3:57 pm

>165 connie53: Yep! Although at this point having gotten so far ahead is probably a good thing, as I am reading a lot of non-ROOTs this month.

167bragan
toukokuu 21, 2016, 5:24 pm

49. The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers.

168avanders
toukokuu 23, 2016, 10:41 am

Woot! You're almost a full month ahead of schedule!

169bragan
toukokuu 23, 2016, 5:03 pm

>168 avanders: I may need that lead. :)

170bragan
toukokuu 25, 2016, 1:57 pm

50. Sally Ride: America's First Woman in Space by Lynn Sherr.

And now I have, indeed, reached the halfway point!

171MissWatson
toukokuu 26, 2016, 3:41 am

>170 bragan: Congratulations!

172bragan
toukokuu 26, 2016, 12:16 pm

>171 MissWatson: Thank you! We'll see how I do on the second half. :)

173avanders
toukokuu 26, 2016, 2:30 pm

woo hoo, congrats on hitting the halfway mark!

174Tess_W
Muokkaaja: toukokuu 26, 2016, 7:22 pm

>170 bragan: Congrats! And a bit ahead of schedule, also!

175bragan
toukokuu 26, 2016, 8:04 pm

>173 avanders: Thanks!

>174 Tess_W: Like I said above, I really do think I'm going to need the lead! I've started having trouble resisting the call of the newer books, plus I've been doing some re-reading, so my ROOT rate is dropping a bit...

176bragan
toukokuu 30, 2016, 7:26 pm

51. Deliverer by C. J. Cherryh.

177bragan
Muokkaaja: toukokuu 31, 2016, 10:47 pm

OK, I don't think I'm going to buy or read any books in the next few hours, so I guess it's time for the May wrap-up.

MAY 2016

Books read: 10 (including 2 re-reads that don't come off the TBR)
ROOT books read: 6
Year-to-date ROOT books read: 51/100
Books acquired: 5 (including one that replaced a different edition already on the TBR pile, and thus doesn't add to the total)
Total TBR books: 861

As remarked in some of the comments above, I've hit the halfway mark a month ahead of schedule. Which is awesome, but since I seem to be reading more and more non-ROOTS, including recently acquired books and some re-reads, I may well find myself eating up that lead in the months to come. We'll see, I guess! In the meantime, at least my TBR total is going in the right direction, even if not by much.

178bragan
kesäkuu 3, 2016, 4:00 am

179avanders
kesäkuu 3, 2016, 10:30 am

>178 bragan: interesting.. which one would you say is your favorite?

180bragan
kesäkuu 3, 2016, 4:19 pm

>179 avanders: Which of the Nonrequired Reading volumes? Well, I've only read three, but of those three I rated the 2012 one the highest, because it had some really stunning fiction in it.

181avanders
kesäkuu 6, 2016, 12:18 pm

>180 bragan: yes .. ok good, thanks :) I wouldn't mind checking the series out, but I'd like to start w/ the best ;)

182bragan
kesäkuu 6, 2016, 4:57 pm

>181 avanders: While I haven't read enough of them to pinpoint the best, but I can say that I thought both the 2011 and 2012 ones were great. The former was better for non-fiction, the latter for fiction.

I say, just don't start with 2005. :)

183avanders
kesäkuu 6, 2016, 9:06 pm

>182 bragan: okay sweet... I put 2012 on my Amazon wishlist :)
I'll stay away form 2005 for at least a while!

184bragan
kesäkuu 6, 2016, 10:54 pm

>183 avanders: Yes, until you get the completist impulse! :)

185avanders
kesäkuu 7, 2016, 9:02 am

>184 bragan: lol it's a real problem.... ;)

186bragan
kesäkuu 9, 2016, 9:13 am

53. The Girl with All the Gifts by M. R. Carey.

187avanders
kesäkuu 10, 2016, 1:21 pm

>186 bragan: that one has been on my radar for "a minute" (which is a long time ;))... glad to see you enjoyed it so much!

188bragan
kesäkuu 10, 2016, 6:29 pm

>187 avanders: It is worth keeping on the radar, I think! :)

189bragan
kesäkuu 13, 2016, 3:09 pm

190Caramellunacy
kesäkuu 14, 2016, 6:06 am

I have been eyeing the Oregon Trail book - how did you like it?

191bragan
kesäkuu 14, 2016, 12:50 pm

>189 bragan: I liked it. It worked surprisingly well as a blend of travelog, memoir, and history lesson, with a bit of snark mixed in.

192bragan
kesäkuu 15, 2016, 8:58 pm

55. Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich.

193bragan
kesäkuu 20, 2016, 11:17 am

194connie53
kesäkuu 20, 2016, 2:26 pm

Past the halfway point! Good job, Bragan!

195bragan
kesäkuu 20, 2016, 2:29 pm

>194 connie53: I am fighting uphill against all those shiny new books and re-reads now, but I am continuing to make progress. :)

196avanders
kesäkuu 21, 2016, 9:53 am

>195 bragan: you certainly are making progress... great progress!
I, on the other hand, am not doing so great... ;p So I appreciate your picking up my slack ;D

197bragan
kesäkuu 21, 2016, 10:20 am

>196 avanders: We will see how long it lasts! You might have to carry me, come the end of the year. :)

198avanders
kesäkuu 21, 2016, 5:12 pm

>197 bragan: lol well hopefully by then I can!

199bragan
kesäkuu 21, 2016, 5:23 pm

>198 avanders: I have faith in you!

200bragan
kesäkuu 24, 2016, 2:06 pm

57. The Bollywood Bride by Sonali Dev.

201bragan
kesäkuu 26, 2016, 7:44 pm

58. Doctor Who: The Complete Visual Collection by Jason Loborik et al.

202bragan
kesäkuu 27, 2016, 3:20 am

59. The Last Testament: A Memoir by "God" (with David Javerbaum).

203bragan
heinäkuu 1, 2016, 10:10 am

Well, here we are in July!

JUNE 2016

Books read: 13
ROOT books read: 8
Year-to-date ROOT books read: 59/100
Books acquired: 24
Total TBR books: 867

So, as I've remarked before, I was expecting to lose a lot of the ROOTing lead I built up over the previous months, since I've started reading more new-this-year books and a few re-reads. But so far, I've managed to retain my lead, or at least most of it. Yay!

The TBR is moving in the wrong direction again, though. Well, hey, not only did my local library have their usual bimonthly book sale, but they have so many books on their hands that they've started adding mini-sales, for an hour every Friday. How could I avoid that? I know the pain of having too many books so well that I felt compelled to help them out with that. And then I, um, also may have had an accident or two with an online bookseller. We all know how these things go, right?

204MissWatson
heinäkuu 1, 2016, 11:07 am

>203 bragan: We know. All too well.

205Jackie_K
heinäkuu 1, 2016, 11:19 am

>203 bragan: I've no idea what you're talking about. ;)

206bragan
heinäkuu 1, 2016, 12:39 pm

>204 MissWatson:, >205 Jackie_K: Some admit to it, some don't. ;)

207rabbitprincess
heinäkuu 1, 2016, 5:48 pm

>203 bragan: Story of my life!

208bragan
heinäkuu 1, 2016, 6:42 pm

And, moving right on into July...

60. The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith.

209bragan
heinäkuu 6, 2016, 9:05 pm

210bragan
heinäkuu 9, 2016, 8:44 pm

62. Man in the Empty Suit by Sean Ferrell.

212bragan
heinäkuu 14, 2016, 11:16 pm

64. Wizard's Holiday by Diane Duane.

213bragan
heinäkuu 21, 2016, 12:43 am

65. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison.

214bragan
heinäkuu 24, 2016, 11:59 am

66. Dataclysm by Christian Rudder.

215ipsoivan
heinäkuu 25, 2016, 8:02 pm

Wow, you've been busy.

216bragan
heinäkuu 25, 2016, 8:17 pm

>215 ipsoivan: It's actually not going quite as fast as I would like this month, but I am continuing to get things read!

217bragan
heinäkuu 29, 2016, 11:57 am

67. The Mammoth Book of Extreme Fantasy edited by Mike Ashley.

218bragan
heinäkuu 30, 2016, 10:59 pm

68. Silhouette by Justin Richards.

219rabbitprincess
heinäkuu 31, 2016, 9:42 am

>218 bragan: THANK YOU for the review of this! I too was skeptical about how quickly it went to print. If it doesn't sound like Capaldi, I won't bother. But I am glad that Strax is good. He is hilarious.

220bragan
heinäkuu 31, 2016, 10:14 pm

>219 rabbitprincess: Strax is great. Admittedly, he's kind of a one-joke character, but it's a really funny joke, and it's executed so well that it's impossible to mind. (I think the actor who plays him is just fantastic. He's hilarious in interviews and things, too, and seems to enjoy dropping into character at any excuse.)

So it's nice to see him captured well in print, but, yeah, I really can't recommend this one just for Strax.

221rabbitprincess
heinäkuu 31, 2016, 10:38 pm

>220 bragan: My favourite Strax dialogue is from "Deep Breath":

"And we will... MELT HIM WITH ACID!!"
"Um, try that bit again?"
"And we will NOT... melt him with acid!!"

The gesture he makes both times he says "melt him with acid" cracks me up every single time I watch the episode.

222bragan
heinäkuu 31, 2016, 11:44 pm

>221 rabbitprincess: Heh, that just made me laugh all over again. :)

223bragan
Muokkaaja: heinäkuu 31, 2016, 11:54 pm

And we have made it through July! Let's see...

JULY 2016

Books read: 11
ROOT books read: 9
Year-to-date ROOT books read: 68/100
Books acquired: 22
Total TBR books: 885

I... sort of went on a bit of a book-buying binge this month. I haven't even received all the results of it yet, either. But... But things were on sale! And stuff! And it was my birthday! And there were so many shiny books!

224MissWatson
elokuu 1, 2016, 3:39 am

>223 bragan: Book-buying binge? That sounds so familiar....

225bragan
elokuu 1, 2016, 4:33 am

>224 MissWatson: There really ought to be a support group.

Or, wait... is this it? :)

226Jackie_K
elokuu 1, 2016, 1:17 pm

>225 bragan: Only if 'support' means the same as 'enabling' ;)

227connie53
elokuu 3, 2016, 1:50 pm

I love this discussion! So very recognizable!

228bragan
elokuu 3, 2016, 7:03 pm

>227 connie53: Yes, it's nice to know that at least we're in good company with our book-buying addictions! :)

229bragan
elokuu 5, 2016, 10:54 pm

I fear this isn't going to be a great month for ROOTs, but here's one, at least:

69. Silas Marner by George Eliot.

230Tess_W
elokuu 5, 2016, 11:15 pm

>229 bragan: One of my favorite authors and books!

231bragan
Muokkaaja: elokuu 6, 2016, 12:12 am

>230 Tess_W: It's the first thing of hers that I've read, but I did enjoy it.

232connie53
elokuu 7, 2016, 3:07 am

>229 bragan: The month is still young, Bragan!

233bragan
elokuu 7, 2016, 11:17 am

>232 connie53: Yes, but I've got a re-read and a lot of brand new books loudly calling my name! We will have to see how many ROOTs I can manage along with them...

234connie53
elokuu 7, 2016, 4:37 pm

>233 bragan: Those brand new books do it all the time. I count re-reads too, but those are my rules. Not necessarily yours ;-))

235bragan
elokuu 7, 2016, 7:28 pm

>234 connie53: Yes, I am definitely not counting re-reads for ROOT purposes, as they're not coming off the TBR.

Fortunately, I am still well ahead of where I need to be, so I can afford some shiny non-ROOTS!

236bragan
elokuu 11, 2016, 11:23 pm

OK, I have read another ROOT:

70. The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz.

237bragan
elokuu 20, 2016, 5:52 am

71. Lightless by C. A. Higgins.

238bragan
elokuu 21, 2016, 7:48 pm

72. Naked by David Sedaris.

239craso
elokuu 22, 2016, 11:59 am

>236 bragan: I read The House of Silk this month as well. I thought it was one of the better Sherlock Holmes novels.

240bragan
elokuu 22, 2016, 2:53 pm

>239 craso: I was surprised by how much I enjoyed that one, honestly.

241bragan
elokuu 26, 2016, 8:25 pm

73. Kiss Me First by Lottie Moggach.

242connie53
elokuu 28, 2016, 3:48 pm

Good job on the ROOTs, Bragan!

243bragan
elokuu 28, 2016, 6:15 pm

244bragan
elokuu 29, 2016, 10:53 am

245avanders
elokuu 29, 2016, 12:08 pm

Hi! I couldn't possibly catch up on the threads after my crazy-long absence, but I just wanted to drop by and say hi!

246bragan
elokuu 29, 2016, 12:19 pm

Hi, good to see you again!

247avanders
elokuu 29, 2016, 12:30 pm

:)
Likewise & Nice to be back!

248avanders
Muokkaaja: elokuu 30, 2016, 1:58 pm

Also wanted to say you're doing a great job w/ your ROOTing goal!
It seems weird to say "only 26 more to go!" because that's very close to my goal for the whole year... but with YOUR reading pace, it's an "only"!
Way to go!

249bragan
elokuu 30, 2016, 2:23 pm

>248 avanders: Thanks! I am slowing down as the year goes on, so I do still need to keep an eye on my totals, but I've managed more ROOTS this month than I thought I would, and I'm still comfortably ahead of things. So it is going well!

250bragan
syyskuu 1, 2016, 6:38 pm

And that's August down! I honestly do not know where the time goes. Anyway:

AUGUST 2016

Books read: 12
ROOT books read: 6
Year-to-date ROOT books read: 74/100
Books acquired: 44 (Yes, I have a book-buying problem. Please send help.)
Total TBR books: 918 (Well, at least I haven't hit quadruple digits yet, right?)

251avanders
syyskuu 2, 2016, 3:25 pm

>249 bragan: yeah! that's awesome :)
I want another one of those months... September would be great... {she says firmly to herself..}

>250 bragan: woot!
& yes, time: so fast!
& yes x2, books acquired: also have that problem! If you find help..... ;)
& yes x3, total TBR: my figure looks remarkably similar to yours! :)

252bragan
Muokkaaja: syyskuu 2, 2016, 10:24 pm

That is a lot of yes!

Sigh. If I ever encounter any useful help, I will let you know. So far, nothing has worked for very long... :)

253bragan
syyskuu 3, 2016, 10:48 pm

75. Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami.

Well, there's the 3/4 mark!

254bragan
syyskuu 5, 2016, 12:55 am

76. Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich.

255bragan
syyskuu 6, 2016, 8:43 am

256bragan
syyskuu 9, 2016, 10:06 am

78. In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith.

I am doing very well with the ROOTS so far this month!

257ipsoivan
syyskuu 9, 2016, 11:12 pm

Wow, you really are! Well done.

258bragan
Muokkaaja: syyskuu 10, 2016, 10:17 am

Of course, as soon as I said that, I immediately started in on a book that's probably going to take a while. :)

259bragan
syyskuu 12, 2016, 11:09 pm

79. Welcome to Braggsville by T. Geronimo Johnson.

260bragan
syyskuu 16, 2016, 10:56 pm

80. The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver.

261Jackie_K
syyskuu 17, 2016, 7:06 am

>260 bragan: Was that any good? It keeps coming up in my 'recommended reads' at the kobo store and I'm very tempted.

262bragan
syyskuu 17, 2016, 2:11 pm

>261 Jackie_K: It was good, yes. Lots of complicated, important concepts explained in pretty clear ways. My one complaint is that there's a bit much of it -- he goes into lots and lots and lots of examples, some of them much more interesting to me than others, and by the time I finished it, my brain was definitely feeling a little bit tired. But if you're at all interested in making a fairly deep (but not equation-laden) dive into the subject of prediction-making, I recommend it.

263Jackie_K
syyskuu 17, 2016, 4:01 pm

>262 bragan: Thank you - I'm even more tempted now!

264connie53
syyskuu 18, 2016, 4:37 am

>251 avanders: I do second that!

265bragan
syyskuu 18, 2016, 3:25 pm

81. A Heritage of Stars by Clifford D. Simak.

266avanders
syyskuu 22, 2016, 10:39 am

>252 bragan: lol! yes... it was a lot of yes ;)

>253 bragan: ooooooh... I really want to read that one... The only Murakami I've read so far is The Strange Library, which I loved (and it's teeny tiny), but I have a bunch of his other books and can't wait to read them!

>255 bragan: another book on my "watch list" -- glad you enjoyed it so much! It may have to make it onto my actual "wishlist".... ;)

>256 bragan: yes you are!!
>258 bragan: well, it happens ;)

>259 bragan: >260 bragan: ... doesn't look like you've really slowed down ;)

267bragan
syyskuu 22, 2016, 7:54 pm

>266 avanders: Oh, what I've heard about The Strange Library sounded very interesting. Then again, I'm kind of a sucker for any book with a library in it. (Which Kafka on the Shore also has, for what it's worth. I gather libraries are one of Murakami's things.)

And, ah, the multiple stages of wanting books! I definitely recommend bumping Let's Pretend This Never happened up to the actual wishlist. And then to the TBR. And then to your list of books read. :)

And Welcome to Braggsville did take me a little while, but not too long, and I quickly made up for it. Mind you, now I'm in the middle of a small string of non-ROOTs.

268bragan
syyskuu 26, 2016, 5:14 am

Skipping past a small run of non-ROOTs...

82. Doctor Who: Dead of Winter by James Goss.

269bragan
lokakuu 1, 2016, 11:57 am

And that, somehow, is the end of September. Time to see where I stand again.

SEPTEMBER 2016

Books read: 12
ROOT books read: 8
Year-to-date ROOT books read: 82/100
Books acquired: 22
Total TBR books: 927

Yeah, not a whole lot to say about that. I'm still on track with the ROOTs, but still buying way too many new books. (Well, at least I bought fewer this month than last month. That's progress, right?)

270bragan
lokakuu 1, 2016, 10:20 pm

And on into October:

83. The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie.

271MissWatson
lokakuu 4, 2016, 5:43 am

>270 bragan: What did you think of it? I saw it at a used bookstore the other day and I was wondering...

272bragan
lokakuu 4, 2016, 10:06 am

>271 MissWatson: I enjoyed it. The writing was great, really funny and witty and delightful. The plot was pretty ridiculous, which was fine, but also kind of dated in a "Wow, this is very, very pre-9/11" kind of way that sometimes felt a little uncomfortable to me in ways it wouldn't have when it was published.

273MissWatson
lokakuu 4, 2016, 1:12 pm

>272 bragan: Thanks! I think I'll give it a try.

274bragan
Muokkaaja: lokakuu 15, 2016, 7:16 pm

84. The Passage by Justin Cronin. And that one certainly took me long enough!

275bragan
Muokkaaja: lokakuu 12, 2016, 12:07 pm

85. H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald.

276bragan
lokakuu 14, 2016, 8:06 pm

86. Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman.

277bragan
lokakuu 15, 2016, 7:15 pm

87. Roadside Picnic by Arkady & Boris Strugatsky.

278bragan
lokakuu 20, 2016, 8:20 pm

88. The Doldrums by Nicholas Gannon.

279bragan
lokakuu 25, 2016, 6:00 am

89. The Red Market by Scott Carney.

280bragan
lokakuu 28, 2016, 5:38 am

90. The Dark Half by Stephen King.

Only ten more to go!

281bragan
lokakuu 29, 2016, 5:11 am

282bragan
lokakuu 31, 2016, 10:55 pm

I don't know where October went, but here we are.

OCTOBER 2016

Books read: 12
ROOT books read: 9
Year-to-date ROOT books read: 91/100
Books acquired: 28 (OK, I'm not even sure how that happened.)
Total TBR books: 944

283avanders
marraskuu 2, 2016, 10:29 am

>267 bragan: interesting.. I think "libraries" being one of an author's things makes a lot of sense... ;)

>270 bragan: >271 MissWatson: >272 bragan: oh yeah, I was curious about The Gun Seller too! Very cool that his writing was great.... and ridiculous plots can be fun :)
Interesting about the pre-9/11 perspective! Now I'll have to go check it out again....

>274 bragan: Oooh, I really enjoyed The Passage, but I completely understand your comments too. I found that it was a sort of polarizing book... my sister couldn't get into the parts that I thought were the best, and a lot of people most enjoyed the parts that I thought were the least interesting... I still have to read the 2nd and 3rd though...

>276 bragan: ok, now I will have to read Trigger Warning for sure...... :)

>280 bragan: The Dark Half was one of my favorites! Of course, I read it when I was still in High School, and I'm sure my current perspective would change things.... ;)
In retrospect, and given some of his other writing since then, you're probably right that it's more middle-of-the-road King ....

>282 bragan: I KNOW Right?!?! HOW is it November already!!
Congrats on your progress by the way -- only 9 more!!

284bragan
marraskuu 2, 2016, 12:18 pm

>283 avanders: I do recommend The Gun Seller if you have the right kind of sense of humor and enjoy a bit of a takeoff on the spy genre. Even it it does feel dated in ways the author could never have anticipated.

I think I might have liked The Passage better if I hadn't read a zillion similar post-apocalyptic-type novels. I liked some of the twists it put on things, but I can't help feeling that maybe the author thought he was being a lot more original than he really was. We'll see what I think about the rest of the series when I get to it, though.

The Dark Half, while not bad, didn't really hold a candle to The Shining, in my opinion. (Um, so to speak!)

And thanks! Pretty sure I'm going to overshoot the goal for this year, which is nice.

285avanders
marraskuu 2, 2016, 4:24 pm

>284 bragan: I think I would enjoy The Gun Seller :)

oooooh, sure, that makes sense re The Passage -- I think I read it before a lot of the others - so, for me, I've had the opposite reaction.. I think others have done the not-as-well version ;P

Mmmm interesting re The Dark Half vs. The Shining... will definitely have to read it soon!!

You'll surely overshoot :)

286bragan
marraskuu 9, 2016, 8:22 pm

92. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.

287bragan
marraskuu 16, 2016, 10:52 am

The reading is going kind of slow this month, for various reasons, but I finally finished another ROOT.

93. Excession by Iain M. Banks.

288bragan
marraskuu 18, 2016, 7:36 pm

94. Raising Demons by Shirley Jackson.

289avanders
marraskuu 20, 2016, 10:18 am

No worries if your reading is a little slow... steady progress wins the race!
only 6 more!!

290bragan
marraskuu 20, 2016, 11:41 am

>289 avanders: Yes, I am getting there!

291bragan
marraskuu 21, 2016, 11:48 am

95. The Nobodies Album by Carolyn Parkhurst.

292bragan
marraskuu 23, 2016, 8:47 pm

96. The Rapture of the Nerds by Cory Doctorow and Charles Stross.

293bragan
marraskuu 26, 2016, 2:57 pm

97. Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell.

294bragan
Muokkaaja: joulukuu 1, 2016, 5:15 am

Oh, hey, it's December! Which I suppose means that soon the year's reading will be drawing to a close..

Let's see where I stand for November:

NOVEMBER 2016

Books read: 11
ROOT books read: 6
Year-to-date ROOT books read: 97/100
Books acquired: 45 (Yeah, there were, uh, library sales and things.)
Total TBR books: 978 (Oh dear. I think one of my goals for 2017 is going to have to be avoiding quadruple digits.)

Well, at least I should make my ROOT goal easily enough.

295bragan
joulukuu 1, 2016, 8:18 am

And, forging right on into December:

98. Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone by Eric Klinenberg.

296avanders
joulukuu 1, 2016, 4:30 pm

>294 bragan: looks like a great November!
And now you're down to only 2 to go....

297bragan
joulukuu 1, 2016, 5:00 pm

>296 avanders: I know! Exciting! :)

298bragan
joulukuu 3, 2016, 6:38 am

99. Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich.

299bragan
joulukuu 7, 2016, 1:37 pm

Here we go!

100. Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier by Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Wheee! I did it! *releases confetti*

My next book on deck also counts as a ROOT (although one I expect might take me a while to finish), so I am definitely going to exceed my goal by at least one, probably more. We'll see what the final tally is come the end of the month, but, hey, everything from now on is gravy!

300Jackie_K
joulukuu 7, 2016, 4:26 pm

Hooray! Well done!

301bragan
joulukuu 7, 2016, 4:34 pm

>300 Jackie_K: Thank you! It's nice to be done with this much time to spare.

302rabbitprincess
joulukuu 7, 2016, 5:52 pm

>299 bragan: Congratulations! Also, glad you reviewed that one, as my BF owns it and I'd considered borrowing it. Very good to know that it is more of a miscellany.

303bragan
joulukuu 7, 2016, 9:53 pm

>302 rabbitprincess: I wouldn't necessarily argue against borrowing it, but you should definitely know what you're getting with it.

And thank you!

304MissWatson
joulukuu 8, 2016, 4:39 am

Congratulations on reaching your goal!

305bragan
joulukuu 8, 2016, 10:59 am

>304 MissWatson: Thank you, too!

306craso
joulukuu 10, 2016, 9:58 pm

Congratulations! Reading 100 books is very impressive!

307Tess_W
joulukuu 10, 2016, 10:02 pm

Congrats!

308auntmarge64
joulukuu 11, 2016, 8:52 am

WOW!

309bragan
joulukuu 11, 2016, 10:19 am

Thank you all!

>306 craso: I've actually read 137 so far this year, counting the non-ROOTs, which is fairly typical for me. Not having much of a life helps. ;)

310bragan
joulukuu 11, 2016, 7:15 pm

Chugging right along past my goal:

101. Four Comedies by William Shakespeare. This includes A Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It, Twelfth Night and The Tempest, but although it's got four plays in it, it's all one book, so it still only counts as one.

311bragan
joulukuu 15, 2016, 12:35 pm

102. Clockwork Angels by Kevin J. Anderson.

312avanders
joulukuu 15, 2016, 1:49 pm

Woooo hoo congratulations!!

313bragan
joulukuu 15, 2016, 3:59 pm

Yay, I got a balloon! :)

Thank you!

314Tess_W
joulukuu 23, 2016, 10:38 pm

315bragan
joulukuu 23, 2016, 11:40 pm

>314 Tess_W: And to you, too!

316avanders
joulukuu 27, 2016, 12:34 pm

Oh no I missed your page too! A belated wish:

317bragan
joulukuu 27, 2016, 12:37 pm

>316 avanders: Thank you! And, hey, only half of it is belated! And all of it is appreciated. :)

Happy everything to you!

318avanders
Muokkaaja: joulukuu 27, 2016, 12:40 pm

>317 bragan: lol true! :)
& thanks!

319bragan
joulukuu 27, 2016, 11:42 pm

103. The Tastemakers: Why We're Crazy for Cupcakes but Fed Up with Fondue by David Sax.

I suspect I'll finish just one more before the year ends, but we'll see.

320bragan
joulukuu 29, 2016, 2:04 pm

104. Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith.

321bragan
joulukuu 31, 2016, 3:43 pm

Well, I am definitely not going to finish any more ROOTs before the day ends and takes the entire year with it, so I guess it's time for the final wrap-up of 2016. I finished the year with 104 ROOTs on my ticker, four past my goal, so yay for me! And I read a respectable grand total of 146 books, new and old.

Here's the stats for the month:

DECEMBER 2016

Books read: 14
ROOT books read: 8
Year-to-date ROOT books read: 104/100
Books acquired: 19
Total TBR books: 984

Yeah, I'm really going to have to make some kind of effort to keep that TBR total from going up too much next year. Quadruple digits is just too much. Um... right?

Speaking of next year, I see the 2017 ROOT group is up and running now! I haven't posted a thread there yet, but I am definitely planning to be on board for another year of ROOTing. See you all in 2017!

322rabbitprincess
joulukuu 31, 2016, 3:47 pm

Hurray, see you there!

323avanders
tammikuu 2, 2017, 7:07 pm

Happy New Year & see you in the new 2017 group!

324bragan
tammikuu 2, 2017, 7:21 pm