Kristel's ROOTs in 2023

Hello, welcome back! Happy new year!

> Thank you and happy New Year, Jackie, I was looking for the new group and didn't find it until yesterday. Glad to be back.

Welcome back!

>4 cyderry:, thanks, Chèli

Great to see you're back!

1.
Book In a Glass Darkly
Format: audio
Original publication date: 1872
Acquisition date/place: 12/24/22
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.2
Book description/summary: short gothic stories
Challenge(s): tbr takedown, Reading 1001, ROOT
American:
British:
List book: 1001
Genre Gothic horror
Liked: liked the novellas
Disliked: shorter stories had a difficulty holding my attention.

>6 MissWatson: Thanks Birgit, good to be back.

Happy New Year, Kristel and welcome to a new year of ROOTing

>9 connie53:, Thank you Connie, so happy for another year of ROOTing.

Welcome back and have a great reading year! Off to a good start :)

>11 rabbitprincess:, thanks, rabbit princess, so happy to continue ROOTing.

2.
Book The White Rose: Munich 1942 - 1943
Format: audio
Original publication date: 1947
Acquisition date/place: 7/30/22, AudioFile Sync
Decimal/ Star rating: 3 stars
Book description/summary: resist!
Challenge(s): alpha IS, ROOT
American:
British:
List book:
Genre nonfiction, young adult
Liked: liked the message; don't be passive, resist
Disliked: the structure

3.
Book Extraordinary Means - Robyn Schneider
Format: audio
Original publication date: May 26, 2015
Acquisition date/place: AudioFile Sync
Decimal/ Star rating: 3 stars
Book description/summary: finding what's important in life
Challenge(s): ROOT, Alpha
American: yes
British:
List book: no
Genre
Liked: story was good
Disliked: I don't believe the premise that young people are sent away to sanitariums in this day and age. Sanitariums not used since the 50s.

4.
Book H(A)PPY - Nicola Barker
Format: book
Original publication date: 2017
Acquisition date/place: 12/2/22
Decimal/ Star rating: 4 stars
Book description/summary: is Happy constrained or chaotic?
Challenge(s): Reading 1001, ROOT
American:
British: yes
List book: 1001
Genre dystopia, SF
Liked: structure
Disliked: not knowing more

5.
Book Alive (The Generations Trilogy - Scott Sigler
Format: audio
Original publication date: 2015
Acquisition date/place: AudioFile Sync program (Sora) 5/20/2021
Decimal/ Star rating:
Book description/summary: awake to a new start
Challenge(s): ROOT, alpha
American: yes
British:
List book: no
Genre science fiction, dystopia, YA
Liked:the story was action packed and examined issues of leadership and survival
Disliked: critical of religion

>13 Kristelh: That looks very interesting, indeed. German author Hans Fallada, who lived through the war years in Berlin, produced an excellent but very dark novel loosely based on the Scholls called Every Man Dies Alone. I believe the original title translates from the German as Alone in Berlin. Good to know there's a non-fiction account.

>17 rocketjk: Jerry, I've read Every Man Dies Alone and I liked The White Rose better.

>18 Kristelh: Thanks. Good to know. Now I really do have to seek out The White Rose.

>19 rocketjk:, Jerry, enjoy.

6.
Book The Thief and the Dogs Naguib Mahfouz
Format: book
Original publication date: 1961
Acquisition date/place: 11/22/22
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.8 stars
Book description/summary: narcissistic victim
Challenge(s): North Africa; African Novel Challenge
American:
British:
List book: no
Genre fiction
Liked: I like the atmosphere; dark, cemetery, the heart of an antisocial, narcissistic young man
Disliked: nothing to dislike

7.
Book As A Man Grows Older
Format: book
Original publication date: 1892
Acquisition date/place: 11/2/22
Decimal/ Star rating: 3 stars
Book description/summary: middle aged man falls for gorgeous cheat
Challenge(s): Reading 1001, ROOT alpha IS
American:
British:
List book: 1001
Genre psychological literature
Liked: it wasn't too long
Disliked: did not care for characters

8.
Book little gods by Meng Jin
Format: audio (own book)
Original publication date: 2020
Acquisition date/place: 2020
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.2 stars
Book description/summary: identity, moving, conflict
Challenge(s): TIOLI
American:
British:
List book: The Millions 2020
Genre fiction
Liked: mother-daughter relationship
Disliked: not sure where the title ties in

9.
Book Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda
Format: audio
Original publication date: 2022
Acquisition date/place: 4/29/22, this was a free book from AudioFile Sync summer program
Decimal/ Star rating: 3 stars
Book description/summary: anthology of African tales/marvel black panther
Challenge(s): TIOLI, "black"
American:
British:
List book:
Genre
Liked: mildly entertaining
Disliked: not a fan of short stories and found it hard to stay engaged.

10.
Book Angle of Repose - Wallace Stegner
Format: audio/book
Original publication date: 1971
Acquisition date/place: 10/29/2016
Decimal/ Star rating: 4 stars
Book description/summary: ancestral faults, historical fiction based on real events/person
Challenge(s): group read, Pulitzer 1972, ROOT, TIOLI #18 Read a Western
American: yes
British:
List book: Pulitzer
Genre historical fiction, American West
Liked: great character development
Disliked: did the author steal?

50% of my reads in 2023 have been ROOTs.

11.
Book Saturday - Ian McEwan
Format: audio/book
Original publication date: 2005
Acquisition date/place: borrowed from Karen Oswood
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.2
Book description/summary: A neurosurgeon's Saturday
Challenge(s): TBR Takedown, ROOT, Reading 1001
American:
British: yes
List book: 1001
Genre fiction, contemporary
Liked: contemplative
Disliked: okay, but not necessary 1001 worthy

Hi Kristel. Just popping in to see what you've been reading. >25 Kristelh: sounds really interesting.

>27 connie53:, hi, Connie. Yes it was a good one. I was happy to finally read it.

12.
Book The Overrstory
Format: audio
Original publication date: 2018
Acquisition date/place: 9/30/18
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.6
Book description/summary: as tangled as roots
Challenge(s): AAC
American: yes
British:
List book: Pulitzer
Genre fiction
Liked: the story of the trees
Disliked: tangled story, increased violence as protest

13.
Book The Hand of Ethelberta - Thomas Hardy
Format: audio
Original publication date: 1876
Acquisition date/place: 12/20/22
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.2 stars
Book description/summary: marriage is serious business
Challenge(s): ROOT, Reading 1001, TIOLI #1
American:
British: yes, 19th century
List book: 1001
Genre novel, comedy
Liked: strong woman character
Disliked: The audio reader was so so

14.
Book Heat and Dust - Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
Format: audio
Original publication date: 1975
Acquisition date/place: 9/19/22
Decimal/ Star rating: 3 stars
Book description/summary: in the footsteps of grandmother
Challenge(s): Booker Prize, ROOT, TIOLI
American:
British: yes
List book: Booker
Genre fiction
Liked: the picture of India
Disliked: the mirroring of granddaughter/grandmother (step at that).

15.
Book Secret Soldiers: How the U.S. Twenty-Third Special Troops Fooled the Nazis - Paul B. Janeczko
Format: audio
Original publication date: 2019
Acquisition date/place: 5/7/2020
Decimal/ Star rating: 3 stars
Book description/summary: art as war
Challenge(s): ROOT, TIOLI #12 alpha J
American: Yes
British:
List book: no
Genre nonfiction
Liked: interesting how creative talent was used to win the war
Disliked: it was a bit boring

16.
Book Serpent & Dove - Shelby Mahurin Format: audio
Original publication date: 2019
Acquisition date/place: 5/28/20, AudioFileSync
Decimal/ Star rating: 2 stars and that is generous IMO
Book description/summary: witches, magic, romance, sexual content, vulgarity
Challenge(s): ROOT
American: yes
British:
List book: no
Genre YA, Fantasy, Series
Liked: I didn't like much
Disliked: nothing new with the battle of church and witch, sexual content, proud of bad language. I couldn't recommend this to anyone.

17.
Book Parade's End - Ford Madox Ford
Format: audio, read by Stephen Crossley
Original publication date: 1925
Acquisition date/place: 11/29/2022, audible
Decimal/ Star rating: 4 stars
Book description/summary: love with no passion, trenches with no battles, tragedy without denouement
Challenge(s): Reading 1001, Q1 read, ROOT
American:
British: yes
List book: 1001
Genre fiction
Liked: I liked the exploration of the end of Edwardian culture
Disliked: I really disliked Sylvia!!!!

18.
Book Mexican WhiteBoy - Matt de la Peña
Format: audio
Original publication date: 2008
Acquisition date/place: 2020, June
Decimal/ Star rating: 3 stars
Book description/summary: boys, baseball, fathers
Challenge(s): TIOLI #4
American: yes
British:
List book: no
Genre young adult fiction
Liked: story of young people search for identity
Disliked: some swearing, some sexual content but mild, self injury

19.
Book Decline and Fall - Evelyn Waugh
Format: audio
Original publication date: 1928
Acquisition date/place: 11/27/22, audible
Decimal/ Star rating: 3 stars
Book description/summary: "its meant to be funny"
Challenge(s): reading 1001, tbr take down, TIOLI #6
American:
British: yes
List book: yes, 1001
Genre fiction, satire
Liked: humor
Disliked: unlikely

20.

Book Into White by Randi Pink
Format: audio
Original publication date: 2016
Acquisition date/place: 2020, Summer AudioFile Sync program, free
Decimal/ Star rating: 2.5 (c-)
Book description/summary: struggle with identity, white privilege
Challenge(s): ROOT, TIOLI
American: yes
British:
List book: no
Genre young adult
Liked: it had good values, and what teen doesn't struggle with their identity
Disliked: nothing really new here

21.
Book Picture Us in the Light - Kelly Loy Gilbert
Format: audiobook
Original publication date: 2019,
Acquisition date/place: 5/2020. AudioSync File, Summer Program
Decimal/ Star rating: 2 stars
Book description/summary: trying to hit all the political talking points
Challenge(s): read a book with Happy or a synonym of Happy in title, ROOT
American: yes
British:
List book: no
Genre YA
Liked: the reader did a good job
Disliked: trying to cover too much

22.
Book Foundation and Empire Isaac Asimov
Format: audiobook
Original publication date: 1952
Acquisition date/place: 1/26/2021
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.25
Book description/summary: politics, control
Challenge(s): TIOLI, read a book by author that you rated 4.0 or above
American:
British: yes
List book: npr 100
Genre SF
Liked: Magnifico and Mule best characters in series
Disliked: disconnected flow, characters thin

23.
Book The Keepers of the House - Shirley Ann Grau
Format: K & A
Original publication date: 1964
Acquisition date/place: 3/15/17
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.2 stars
Book description/summary: be careful, there be consequences
Challenge(s): ROOT, Pullitzer
American: yes
British:
List book: Pulitzer Prize 1965
Genre fiction
Liked: liked the ending
Disliked: a little hard to keep track of generations but most of the book takes place after WWII and during the Klu Klux Klan.

24.
Book Tevye the Milkman - Sholom Aleichem
Format: audiobook
Original publication date: 1894
Acquisition date/place: Summer reading program, AudioFile Sync 2022
Decimal/ Star rating: 4 stars
Book description/summary: short stories written by Sholom Aleichem (pen name) on which the play and movie are based on.
Challenge(s): ROOT, Alpha
American: no
British: no
Other Yiddish (Russia and the US)
List book: no
Genre short stories, Jewish
Liked: I liked the stories because I love the musical and the movie even more. Nice to read what they were based on.
Disliked: that I couldn't here the music except in my head.

25.
Book As Fast As Her - Kendall Coyne
Format: audiobook
Original publication date: 2022
Acquisition date/place: 2022 AudioFile Sync Summer program
Decimal/ Star rating: 3 stars
Book description/summary: what it takes
Challenge(s): TIOLI (#8), ROOT
American: yes
British:
List book: no
Genre autobiography, nonfiction, memoir, inspirational, sport
Liked: positive attitude against all odds
Disliked: inspirational statements could come across as trite.

26.
Book Theodore and Woodrow - Andrew P. Napolitano
Format: audiobook
Original publication date: 2012
Acquisition date/place: 11/20/2013, audible
Decimal/ Star rating: it started out strong but then it didn't hold so I will give it 4 stars I think
Book description/summary: It don't matter who you vote for
Challenge(s): read a nonfiction book about a person you want to know more, ROOT
American: yes
British:
List book: Libertarian Books
Genre nonfiction, politics, history
Liked: I found it very informative
Disliked: I wished I had the actual book

27.
Book The First Circle - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Format: book and audio
Original publication date: 1968, (was censored)
Acquisition date/place: 10/22/18
Decimal/ Star rating: 5 stars
Book description/summary: Dumas did not know what prison is like
Challenge(s): Reading 1001 Quarterly
American:
British:
Other Russian
List book: 1001
Genre fiction, semi autobiographical
Liked: this should be mandatory reading, it plainly explains why progressive agendas do not work and do not help people.
Disliked: nothing, sad that this is not mandatory reading in our curriculum.

28.
Book Mississippi Trial, 1955 - Chris Crowe
Format: audiobook
Original publication date: 2003
Acquisition date/place: July 2022
Decimal/ Star rating: 5 star
Book description/summary: Jim Crow power over lives white and black
Challenge(s): alpha, ROOT
American: yes
British:
List book:
Genre historical fiction
Liked: showed how difficult it could be to grow up white under Jim Crow laws
Disliked: written by white so its going to get flack

29.
Book The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing
Format: book/audio
Original publication date: 1962
Acquisition date/place: 11/16/2013 Goodwill used book
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.5 stars
Book description/summary: Fragmentation
Challenge(s): read African Nobel Prize winner.
American:
British: Rhodesia/British author
List book: 1001
Genre fiction
Liked: many of the comments on communism
Disliked: the female/male relationships

30. 74. Book Dinner at the Homesick Restuarant - Anne Tyler
Format: book and audio
Original publication date: 1982
Acquisition date/place: 9/28/2014
Decimal/ Star rating: 2.5 stars, C+
Book description/summary: Pure dysfunction
Challenge(s): Pulitzer Prize reading group
American: yes
British:
List book: not really, like a bridemaid, never a bride
Genre fiction
Liked: struggling to find anything
Disliked: these are a bunch of sorry characters and probably my least favorite Tyler book.

31.
Book The Vor Game
Format: book and audio
Original publication date: 1990
Acquisition date/place: 3/25/2022
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.4 or B+
Book description/summary: Ensign, Admiral, Lieutenant.
Challenge(s): TIOLI #3
American: yes
British:
List book: NPR top 100 SFF
Genre SF, Military, Space Operra
Liked: cover art
Disliked: very mild sexual content, so not much to dislike

32.

Book The Lacuna - Barbara Kingsolver
Format: kindle/audio
Original publication date: 2009
Acquisition date/place: 10/2/2012
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.5 stars A-
Book description/summary: ask no questions
Challenge(s): alpha BK, ROOT
American: yes
British:
List book: Winner of Orange Prize
Genre historical fiction
Liked: I liked the parts about Mexico, Frida, Trotsky
Disliked: Sprawling story

33.
Book The Voyage of the Morning Light by Marina Endicott
Format: audio/book
Original publication date: 2020
Acquisition date/place: May 2020
Decimal/ Star rating: 3 stars
Book description/summary: Micronesia event becomes major.
Challenge(s): TIOLI #6 ROOT
American:
British:
Other Canadian
List book: no
Genre historical fiction, maybe ???
Liked: I liked the idea of the story
Disliked: the execution

34.
Book The Famished Road by Ben Okri
Format: audiobook read by Hugh Quarshie
Original publication date: 1991
Acquisition date/place: July 2022
Decimal/ Star rating: 2.6 of C+
Book description/summary: the road is certainly famished
Challenge(s): ANC
American:
British: Nigerian/UK author
List book: Booker winner, 1991
Genre genre bending
Liked: I liked it a little but not much
Disliked: overwhelming use of mythology and too much action, lack of any plot. The road was certainly famished.

35.
Book Bookends: collected intros and outros by Michael Chabon
Format: book (ER)
Original publication date: January 2019
Acquisition date/place: Oct 2018
Decimal/ Star rating: 3 stars
Book description/summary: intros, outros, oneliners, next read?
Challenge(s): read a nonfiction/fiction combo. ROOT
American: yes
British:
List book: no
Genre nonfiction
Liked: I liked finding more books worthy of "TBR" mountain
Disliked: heavy on comics which I don't plan to take up but when you consider it's Chabon, it's only right

36.
Book Magic Barrel by Bernard Malamud
Format: audio by LATW
Original publication date: 1950
Acquisition date/place: 5/27/2021
Decimal/ Star rating: 4 stars
Book description/summary: a reach into the barrel
Challenge(s): ROOT, TIOLI #1 2023
American: Jewish American author
British:
List book: National Book Award
Genre short story
Liked: Jewish culture
Disliked: short stories always seem "short" but the ending is ambiguous.

37.
Book The Body Snatchers and other short stories by Robert Louis Stevenson
Format: audiobook
Original publication date: 1896
Acquisition date/place: 7/8/2021, AudioFile Sync Summer Program
Decimal/ Star rating: 4 stars
Book description/summary: Body Snatchers, poor thing, Bottle Imp.
Challenge(s): ROOT, TIOLI #6 Atheist author
American:
British:
Other Scotland
List book: no
Genre short stories, horror
Liked: I liked the bottle imp best, body snatchers is too true. Imp reminds me of the Monkey Paw
Disliked: the Poor Thing didn't stick in my mind but it did involve a "spirit" (horseshoe) that wanted to "born" as the man's son.

38.
Book Anil's Ghost = Michael Ondaatje
Format: book/audio
Original publication date: 2000
Acquisition date/place: 4/15/2022
Decimal/ Star rating: C+ to B-
Book description/summary: skeleton tells all
Challenge(s): Alpha O.P. ROOT, Canadian author (TIOLI)
American:
British:
Other Canadian/Sri Lanka
List book: no
Genre Fiction
Liked: forensic pathologist/Anthropologist
Disliked: it is slow moving with a feeling of fragmentation.

39.

Book Manhattan Beach - Jennifer Egan
Format: Book and audiobook
Original publication date: 2017
Acquisition date/place: 12/19/2017
Decimal/ Star rating: 2.4 stars
Book description/summary: in and out of water
Challenge(s): ROOT and TIOLI#3
American: yes
British:
List book: no
Genre historical fiction
Liked: interesting, strong female character
Disliked: too many characters and plot line all over the place

40.
Book Altered Carbon - Richard K. Morgan
Format: book/audio
Original publication date:
2002
Aquisitions 4/17/2018, Barnes and Nobles
Decimal/ Star rating: 2.2
Book description/summary: Would you choose to live forever?
Challenge(s): ROOT, Alpha M, TIOLI #2
American:
British: yes
List book: no
Genre Cyberpunk, crime, noir
Liked: it begs the question of what it will mean if man could "live forever" by his own creation
Disliked: graphic sexual content, a lot of violence

41.
Book Empire of Wild - Cherie Dimaline
Format: book, audiobook
Original publication date: 2019, Canada
Acquisition date/place: 1-17-20, Indiespensable Box.
Decimal/ Star rating: 3 stars, C
Book description/summary: Joan loses Victor, finds rogarou
Challenge(s): TIOLI #1, Blurb by favorite author. ROOT
Author: Canadian, Metiz
List book: no
Genre speculative fiction, horror, indigenous
Liked: learning about the rogarou
Disliked: violence to a little gerbil could have been skipped, it is violent, bloody, lots of cussing and sexual content.

42.
Book Singled Out, the true story of Glenn Burke by Andrew Maraniss
Format: audiobook
Original publication date: 2021
Acquisition date/place: 6/2022, AudioSync Summer Program
Decimal/ Star rating: 2 stars, I simply didn't care about the main character
Book description/summary: a good resource for historical data and to study more about Gay Rights Movement
Challenge(s): ROOT, TIOLI, Alpha
Author: Andrew Maraniss, a sports writer, American
List book: no
Genre nonfiction, biography, history
Liked: I liked the overview of history and I learned
Disliked: I just did not care about Glenn Burke

43. Book
Format: Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson.
Original publication date: 2018
Acquisition date/place: 4/30/20, AudioSync summer reading program
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.5 stars
Book description/summary: YA book with some tough subjects
Challenge(s): TIOLI; read a book about with a medical condition affecting yourself or family
Author: USA
List book: no
Genre YA, Realistic
Liked: I liked the mystery
Disliked: I found the time line confusing.

Hi Kristel, I hope you are doing fine. The ROOTing goes well I see.

>61 connie53: Hope you are doing fine too, Connie. This has been a good year for ROOts.

44.
Book West With the Night - Beryl Markham
Format: audiobook/kindle
Original publication date: 1942
Acquisition date/place: 2019, March
Decimal/ Star rating: 4 stars
Book description/summary: she has a wonderful way with words and quite the story for a woman
Challenge(s): TIOLI - Adventure, ROOT, alpha
Author: England/Kenya
List book: no
Genre memoir
Liked: she is an interesting woman
Disliked: sad about killing of elephants but glad they're smart

45.
Book A Time of Fear: America in the Era of Red Scares and Cold War -Albert Marrin
Format: audiobook
Original publication date: March 2021
Acquisition date/place: Audio Sync File summer program, free download
Decimal/ Star rating: 3 stars
Book description/summary: what it says, hx of communism and cold war in the US
Challenge(s): read a book about cold war/espionage, ROOT, Alpha
Author: US
List book: no
Genre nonfiction
Liked: I liked learning about hx but also how it is still present today
Disliked: it was okay, I can't think of anything to dislike. I was glad it did not appear to be taking a left or right stand, it seemed to be reporting accurately

46.
Book The Child in Time - Ian McEwan
Format: kindle/audio
Original publication date: 1987
Acquisition date/place: August 2023
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.2
Book description/summary: parenthood in Thatcher's England
Challenge(s): Reading 1001, ROOT, TIOLI
Author: British
List book: 1001
Awards Whitbread Novel Award
Genre fiction
Liked: I liked the themes of loss, parenthood
Disliked: I like books about time but I don't think this book did a good job of exploring time.

47.
Book The Grip of It - Jac Jeme
Format: book
Original publication date: 2017
Acquisition date/place: Indiespensible box 8/1/17
Decimal/ Star rating: 2.6 or D+
Book description/summary:
Challenge(s): haunted house trope
Author: US
List book: Unbound Worlds 100 Best Horror Books of All-Time
100 Best Horror Books of All Time (2017)
Genre horror
Liked: it was no too scary
Disliked: it never made a lot of sense to me

48.
Book The Book of Daniel - E.L. Doctorow
Format: book/audiobook
Original publication date: 1971
Acquisition date/place: 7/5/2016, ?
Decimal/ Star rating: 3 stars
Book description/summary: trauma in leftist politics vs capitalism
Challenge(s): 1001, botm 2023, Sept
Author: US
List book: 1001, Guardian 1000
Genre postmodern, literary, political, historical
Liked: liked the Disney section
Disliked: sexual explicit sadism

49.
Book The Personal History of Rachel DuPree - Ann Weisgarber
Format: audiobook
Original publication date: 2008
Acquisition date/place: 2/2022
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.6
Book description/summary: Hard life in the Badlands
Challenge(s): read Western, read a book with a person's name, ROOT
Author: US
List book: no
Genre historical fiction
Liked: I liked learning about black homesteaders
Disliked: I didn't like the ending