Cecilturtle's true roots

Happy New Year, Everyone!

I'm so happy be back with a new year of ROOTs! This time I've decided to really count only my ROOTs whereas before I counted all my reads in a year. I was short by a couple of books last year so this time, I'm making it a real 50 ROOTs!

Wishing you all a terrific reading year,
Cécile

Shallow ROOTS (2020-2022)

1. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (2022)
2. Moms who Drink and Swear by Nicole Knepper (2022)
3. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin (2022)
4. La fille de papier by Guillaume Musso (2022)
5. Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs (2022)
6. Killer Pancake by Diane Mott Davidson (2022)
7. The Cat Who Saw Red by Lilian Jackson Braun (2022)
8. The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare by Lilian Jackson Braun (2022)
9. La Vérité sur l'Affaire Harry Quebert by Joël Dicker (2022)
10. Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy (2022)
11. Les Imposteurs by John Grisham (2022)
12. Le Cahier bleu by Michel Tremblay (2022)
13. Le Guerrier solitaire by Henning Mankell (2022)
14. Un café avec Marie by Serge Bouchard (2022)
15. Monday Mourning by Kathy Reichs (2022)
16. Bain de sang by Jean-Jacques Pelletier (2021)
17. Mémoires d'un tricheur by Sacha Guitry (2021)

Sturdy ROOTS (2015-2019)
1. Crocodiles by Philippe Dijan (2019)
2. Mind your Manners by Claire Wallace (2019)
3. Aimez-vous Brahms by Françoise Sagan (2019)
4. Fanfan par Alexandre Jardin
5. La Soif by Jo Nesbø (2018)
6. Subdivided by Jay Pitter and John Lorinc, eds (2018)
7. Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown (2018)

Deep ROOTS (2014 and earlier)

1. No and Me by Delphine de Vigan (2012)
2. This is not a Book by Michael Picard (2012)
3. La civilisation, ma Mère!... by Driss Chraïbi (2010)
4. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Relin (2009)
5. The Wildfire Season by Andrew Pyper (2009)
6. Les Années by Annie Ernaux (2009)
7. Dial M for Merde by Stephen Clarke (2008)
8. The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing (2008)
9. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Jazz Age Stories by 10. Scott Fitzgerald (2008)
11. The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde (2008)
12. Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier (2006)

Bon retour, Cécile! I love the classification of ROOTs as shallow, sturdy, or deep!

Good luck with this year's reading!

I just saw your question on the January thread - this is short and focused on authors and other creative industries, but it might be helpful: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Artificial-Intelligence-Blockchain-Virtual-Worlds-ebook...

>6 Jackie_K: Oooh! Thanks, Jackie!

I've finished my first January ROOT with Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell which I acquired in September 2022.

The cases are really interesting to read about, but the conclusion is a bit weak and the main theme was not always clearly outlined so that I sometimes forgot why I was reading this book...

WELCOME BACK! Good start!

Welcome back and what a nice start! I think there is a typo in you classification system btw.

Have a great reading year, Cécile!

Happy New Year, Cécile. Welcome back to the ROOTers!

>10 Henrik_Madsen: It took me forever to figure it out... but I found it ;P thanks!!

>13 Cecilturtle: Sorry - I should have specified what I meant.

Greetings! I'm looking forward to following along with your reading this year. Cheers.

>15 rocketjk: Thanks, Rocketjk!

I've finished a very old ROOT from 2010, La civilisation, ma Mère!... by Driss Chraïbi. It's an absolutely marvellous book, a real homage to women and the importance of their emancipation. Far from preachy, it's generous, optimistic, courageous where both men and women are radiant without being naive.

English title: Mother Comes of Age - I highly recommend it.

It is even translated into Dutch!

>17 connie53: Awesome! It's a short book and a quick read - but I found it very rewarding!

>18 Cecilturtle: I asked my brother to find it for me.

I've been slow with my ROOTs so far, but still focussed! I finished Moms who Drink and Swear which was gifted to me last year. Not really my cup of tea, but an occasional good laugh.

ROOT 4 is Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin which I picked up in my building's library in January of last year. After reading a disappointing first Giffin, I found this one better, peppered with some humour, sentimentality and lots of self-pitying (which always kind of ruins it for me).

First February ROOT with La fille de papier by Guillaume Musso, a book acquired in late December last year.

A second February ROOT with Crocodiles by Philippe Dijan.
I'm not sure how long I've had this, so it must be from that weird period in 2017-2019 where I almost abandoned books (gasp!).

I enjoyed this collection of short stories which sets out to explore human relationships in its many forms.

ROOT 3 for February Dial M for Merde by Stephen Clarke which I've had since 2008. A light fun read, reminiscent of Atkinson's Johnny English.

Ringing in a baby ROOT with Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs, a great read in which she returns to her anthropology roots (pun intended) with old bones and mysterious discoveries in Masada, Israel. The story is based on actual findings making this book a great piece of historical fiction.

>25 Cecilturtle: That sounds really interesting, Cécil. And I found a digital copy in my own home-library. I will put it on my e-reader later this day!

>26 connie53: I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

I've finished Mind your Manners by Claire Wallace, a 1953 Canadian etiquette dictionary. It is sometimes useful (how to call a waiter), sometimes interesting (how to eat bacon) and sometimes downright comical (how NOT to clean your fingers from lipstick by dragging them on the bathroom wall - that one sounded personal).

I rediscovered my local library and it has not been good for my ROOTs! I'm going to have to find a balance...
Anyway, here's a first for March Killer Pancake by Diane Mott Davidson, on my shelves since last year.

A second for March, Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Relin, which I thoroughly enjoyed and was a bit dismayed to find out that some of it is outright fiction. At least it's for a good cause!

I'm catching up a bit for this month with ROOT 3 for March. I finished The Wildfire Season by Andrew Pyper which I really enjoyed as a unique plot, beautifully written. It's been on my shelves since 2009.

>30 Cecilturtle: It's always so disappointing when you believe something about a book and then it turns out to have been something else entirely!

>32 Jackie_K: definitely - especially considering the book is about humanitarian aid :(

I managed to get one last title in before we turn to April. The Cat Who Saw Red by Lilian Jackson Braun is a delightful, fun, easy read.

I've not been kind to my ROOTs. The library keeps calling me back. I've still finished The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare by Lilian Jackson Braun, my first for April.

First ROOT for May: the lengthy La Soif by Jo Nesbø, a Harry Hole mystery. It was pretty gory but entertaining. I believe I got this book in 2018 from a used bookstore.

A true ROOT. I've had The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing since 2008!
It was a tough but rewarding read, surprisingly modern!

No and Me by Delphine de Vigan is a heart-breaking story about the unlikely friendship between two teenage girls, one homeless and one precocious straight A student. It's a simple, fast read but one that looks at all the societal barriers that we create in our complicated hierarchies.

I had found this book on the street in November 2012.

I finished this long but very exciting novel during my travels to Denmark, La Vérité sur l'Affaire Harry Quebert by Joël Dicker. I bought this book last year in Montreal.

Subdivided by Jay Pitter and John Lorinc, eds was an interesting look at diversity in Toronto and all the aspects to consider when bringing together so many different people.

Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy was trite and bland. It's rare I give bad reviews, but this was just too dull.

Les Imposteurs by John Grisham is profoundly amoral with law students committing crimes to expose a corrupt financier... but it's entertaining. Not my favourite Grisham, but a good read.

I've got a few books on the go and I'm trying to catch up!
Le Cahier bleu by Michel Tremblay is my favourite from his Cahier trilogy: touching, tough and profoundly human, this book is a very rewarding read. It definitely helps to have read the previous two tomes.

A first ROOT for July ! Le Guerrier solitaire by Henning Mankell

I deep ROOT finished with Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier which I've had since 2006! I enjoyed it although I found some passages a bit lengthy.

One last deep root for July with Les Années by Annie Ernaux, a wonderful, unique and touching memoir.

My first August ROOT with This is not a Book by Michael Picard, which I have had on my shelves since 2012.

ROOT 2 for August: Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown, a great reminder to be kind, civil and curious to cultivate healthy relationships.

Nothing like a little rain to pick up a book or two again. I've finished Un café avec Marie by Serge Bouchard, bought on a roadtrip to Montréal.

Another shallow ROOT with Bain de sang by Jean-Jacques Pelletier which I picked from my building library in 2021.

I finished Monday Mourning by Kathy Reichs on my shelves since last year.

Hi Cécil. Catching up on threads (again). I hope you have a great summer and are not effected by the fires.

>52 connie53: Thanks, Connie! I'm one of the luck ones... I had a great summer, but I'm very sad that it is officially coming to a close. I'm not super looking forward to going back to work, although I am grateful to have a job to go back to!

Yes, autumn is coming soon.

I finished The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Jazz Age Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald which I started back in April. I've had this book on my shelves since 2008!

August is proving to be a success. I've finished Mémoires d'un tricheur by Sacha Guitry, on my shelves since 2021.

Sneaked one under the August wire, Aimez-vous Brahms by the delightful Françoise Sagan; on my shelves since 2019.

I sorted out my ROOTs last night and I'll admit I'm a little discouraged at the huge pile - I thought I was making headway... ah well, I won't be bored for a few years yet.

First ROOT for September and 34 overall: Fanfan par Alexandre Jardin.
This has not aged well. The so-called romantic gestures of the protagonist are often illegal, including stalking, peeping, and kidnapping. It would be an interesting read in school on the topic of consent.

I have an old 2008 ROOT down: The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde.
It was one of those that I was saving as a special treat and well, 15 years later, I thought: it's now or never! And frankly, I was a bit disappointed. It's definitely original but flimsy on the plot (ironically) and zero character development. Oh well... (see what I did there? :D)

>59 Cecilturtle: I love this series, but I definitely think the first one was the best.

>60 Jackie_K: yes, I've heard it's really helpful to read them in order and the first two were better.