LittleTaiko 2013 ROOTS

So looking forward to this challenge!! I'll set my official goal at the end of the year once I have a good handle on the number of books in my TBR pile. I will be counting both regular and e-books.

Okay - now that Christmas is over I have my official count of TBR and a reasonable goal. I've been torn between only counting the books on the shelf as of 12/31 or to also include books I purchase next year. I think this year I'll just go with trying to reduce what I already own and just try not to buy too many books (insert hysterical laughing here!).

anybody on LT probably needs this challenge! welcome!

All set and ready to go - counting down the days until 2013!

January

1. Did Not Finish by Simon Wood ebook I've had for at least a year
2. The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry have had for several years
3. Thank You, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse bought last year
4. Death in the Floating City by Tasha Alexander ebook purchased last year
5. Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller ebook purchased last year

For a second there I interpreted "Did Not Finish" as "I did not finish this book" and wondered why it had a hyperlink/touchstone :) Must be Friday!

Ha! Yes, I loved the irony of the title. However, finish it I did. Not a bad read. Good luck with your goals!

January Recap

Finished five books this month! Very promising start. One sixth of the way to my goal of 30!

February

6. Miguel Street by V.S. Naipaul have had this book for several years; glad I finally read it
7. Pulse by Julian Barnes bought last spring
8. Building Stories by Chris Ware bought as a 2012 Christmas gift for myself
9. A Killing Frost by Patricia Wynn 2011 purchase
10. A Crafty Killing by Lorraine Bartlett 2012 purchase (I think)
11. Franklin Pierce by Michael F. Holt had for a couple of years

you are just rolling along!

Thanks! I've been trying really hard to make most of my 2013 Challenge books be ones that I already own. Won't always work but it helps. Of course, I've also purchased a few books already this year...

February Recap

Finsihed 6 more books - Yea!!! However, added five more to my TBR pile. Sigh. Oh well, at least I'm outpacing the additions.

March

12. Open by Andre Agassi bought as a 2012 Christmas gift for myself
13. If On a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino Christmas gift 2013
14. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy Easton Press
15. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi had for several years

Yeah, you're doing great LT.

March Recap

Four more books down - halfway to my total goal! Not sure if April will be very productive as I have lots of library books that are due back which aren't on my list.

April

16. Death, Taxes, and a French Manicure by Diane Kelly e-book purchased last year
17. Candide by Voltaire Easton Press book that I've had for several years.

April Recap

As I feared, April was a slower month than the rest due to the increase in books from the library that I ended up reading. Still on track to meet my goals for the year though!

May

What a sad showing this month - no ROOT's. Ah well, looking at what I plan to read in June and there are several books that will qualify. Looking forward to knocking a few more off of the list!

You can do it! You're already over halfway to your goal :)

Thanks! It's all those darn library books that keep showing up that distract me. I'm trying to do a better job of managing my queue.

June

18. Love Anthony by Lisa Genova ebook I've had for over a year
19. Fire Watch by Connie Willis ebook I bought last year
20. The Private Lives of the Impressionists by Sue Roe received as a Christmas gift about three years ago;
21. The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle had for several years

June Recap

Yea! June was much better. Only 9 more to go to meet my goal for the year. Really hoping to exceed that but not sure if that will happen.

July

22. Murder a Mile High by Elizabeth Dean had for several years
23. Arthur & George by Julian Barnes Christmas gift from 2012
24. The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruis Zafon ebook that I bought at some point

Looks like you're close to your goal. Good for you!

July Recap

Much better this month! Only six more books to go to reach my goal.

Woo hoo! Great work! :)

almost there!

August

25. Gillespie & I by Jane Harris - Christmas gift from 2012
26. The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas - had several years
27. Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indriaason e-book that I've had for at least a year.

August Recap

Yea! Three more down and three to go!

September

28. Bellwether by Connie Willis - ebook that I bought last year
29. A Season for the Dead by David Hewson - mother in law loaned it to me a few years ago; believe she bought it at the Chicago Bouchercon in 2008.
30. The Village of Mysteries by David Hewson - another book from my mother in law that she bought at Bouchercon 2008.

How did you enjoy The Three Musketeers? I read that two years ago and am now reading the third book in the d'Artagnan series.

Overall I enjoyed The Three Musketeers though it was a bit different than I thought - more schoolboy hijinks and less heroism. I'm intrigued to find out there are more in the series - how are you enjoying them?

One more book to go! Should meet my goal this month, however I'll keep on reading more ROOT's to help the overall numbers as well as continue to clear my shelves!

Yaeh for Taiko!!!

31 -
That was the same thing I thought when I read The Three Musketeers. I thought it was almost too fast-paced and that the characters were very un-admirable, compared to the portrayals I was familiar with.

I skipped the second of the series (since I didn't have it on hand but wanted to read Dumas) and started reading the last one, Le Vicomte de Bragelonne which stands at 2700 pages. And may I tell you, it's fantastic. The characters are much more fascinating as they've aged (this is I believe 20 years after the original Three Musketeers) and so they've matured and have really developed their own personalities. It's really fascinating so I highly suggest continuing with the series and reading the other books.

Good to know - I'll add them to my wishlist. I can definitely see how they might be more intriguing characters as they mature.

Yippee!!!! Officially reached my goal of 30 books. Will keep reading more to help the overall group numbers.

Congratulations! And thanks for the continuing support. Looks like we need it, I'm reading less than I would like to myself.

Congrats, Little Taiko! Great job.

Woo hoo congratulations!

Well done!!!

September recap

Reached my goal of 30 this month but plan on reading more. It's not like I've stopped buying books so definitely need to continue trying to whittle down the books to be read!

October

31. Woman in the Dark by Dashiell Hammett have had on the shelf for quite a while; not necessarily worth the wait
32. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri had for a few years

October Recap

Two more books down! Think I'll have a few more off the shelf next month too.

November

33. Don't Quit Your Day Job by Sonny Brewer Christmas gift from a couple of years ago; sorry that I waited so long to read it as I loved it!
34. Watership Down by Richard Adams 2012 Christmas gift
35. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood 2012 Christmas gift
36. First Family: Abigail and John Adams by Joseph J. Ellis have had for a couple of years

November Recap

Yea! Four more books down this month. Should definitely have a couple more completed in December. Looking forward to doing this challenge again next year.

December

37. Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow picked this up a couple of years ago at a library sale
38. Life Itself by Roger Ebert either bought in 2011 or 2013
39. Christmas at the Mysterious Bookshop by Otto Penzler Christmas 2012 gift