Carmenere's ROOTS are showing.......and they're getting pulled out!

I'm back for my second year of working on reducing the amount of TBR's on my bookshelves.
My goal for 2013 is 26. 26 because I'll be attempting to read my author's in alpha order and plying through the alphabet, at least once, sounds very doable.

Planned ROOTS for January

Speak Anderson, Laurie Halse
A Theft Bellow, Saul
The Stranger Camus, Albert

Cute thread title. :)

Thanks, fuzzi!

laughing at the thread title and Tshirt

Good luck! I'm curious to know your author beginning with X.

Oh! Cool. I want to do this too! The author thing I mean.
Love your title above ;-)

6 :D

7 I checked my shelves, konallis, and I do not have an X author. Perhaps when I get to that point I'll do an Xtra liked letter :0}

8 I'm happy you stopped in to visit, Cee! I think this is the only way I'll give all the authors on my shelves a fair shake :)

Inspired by you, Lynda, I started a ROOT thread too. I stole your author idea - many thanks to you for thinking of it!

Now I have to check out my shelves and see what looks irresistable ;-)

Lynda - What a great way to make tackling the books on your shelves fun! Like Cee, I am tempted to steal it, too!!

Hi Lynda, great to see you back and with such an interesting idea. You're making pulling those roots out sound like fun!

#10 I'm so glad you're joining me on this fun endeavor, Cee. I hope you won't consider me too geeky because I actually had a blast choosing authors from the first three letters in the alphabet. I chose author's I hadn't read before, so hopefully the others left behind won't be too jealous :0}

#11 ...and as with Cee I'd really enjoy having you along for this challenge, Mamie. Go ahead steal the idea or modify it like Cee did.

#13 I think it will be fun, Judy. The first three books I selected have short roots (under 200 pages) so it will give me time in January to catch up on the books I've started in November and December, even October and get them out of the way in the new year.

19 days till ROOT pulling begins!

I love your idea of reading 26 books in alphabetical order by author. I have a thing about alphabetizing stuff--I really like to do it. Probably the reason why I was such a good library page in junior high!

Sandy K

There is a series of Inspector Chen novels by a St. Louis author, Qiu Xiaolong.....

#15 hi sandy. Well, I hope it works for me. Some of these books are dying to be read and set free.

#16 thanks for the X author, Terri. However if Xiaolong does not sit on my bookshelf by 12-31-12 that author would not qualify for plucking :o(

17> There's still time to buy a book by Xiaolong to put on your shelf before that time ;).

#18 LOL you guys are such temptresses!

Another X author is Xinran. I have read several of her books. She is a Chinese woman who has made it her mission in life to tell the stories of other Chinese women. These are very moving. Go out and buy if you don't have an X.

Okay, Lynda, I did commit to joining the challenge, but not to the alphabet strategy - I think I would have too many holes in my alphabet! Anyway, we'll see if I can put a dent in my stacks that are feeling so neglected in the bookshelves here.

X is a problem - but I think I will just substitute a 'Wild Card' for any letter that I am missing on my shelf.

Of course, that doesn't mean I can't buy Xinran or Xiaolong anyway lol

>22 -Cee-: Message from a Chinese Mother and The Good Woman of China were good, but difficult, reads. I own China Witness, if you want me to read it for you and count it as coming off your shelf...

Great way to get through the TBR stack! I look forward to seeing what books you'll be reading this year.

#20 Hi Helen, I've read Sky Burial by Xinran and I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to give her writing a try. No, no, no I will not go out to buy any books to fit this challenge. I'll just substitute somehow, perhaps a title with a X in it or an author with an X somewhere in their name. Thanks for the suggestion just the same. :0)

#21 Great Mamie! Doesn't matter how you do it as long as we can put a dent in those TBR's. I'll be looking for your thread to cheer you on.

#22 You're right Cee. I'll keep a look out for more Xinran and try Xiaolong, just not right now.

#23 lol @ alphaorder

#24 I'll be looking for your thread too, Samantha. The more rooters the better! We can conquer mount TBR!

1-3-13 First ROOT zapped Speak

woohoo!
One down, 25 to go!

It feels good to get that first one done, doesn't it. Way to go, Lynda!

Hi Cee and Judy. Thanks for stopping in are cheering me on!

1-6-13 Second ROOT plucked A Theft

Excellent work, Lynda!

Thanks Mamie!

Just zapped my third root the Stranger.

My next four planned reads for ROOTS are.......
D unn, Mark Ella Minnow Pea
E vans , Ricard Paul The Christmas Box
F ord, Jamie Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Excellent progress, Lynda! I loved Ella Minnow Pea so I hope you do too.

Oh I loved both Ella Minnow Pea and Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. You are cruising! Will you start over from the beginning of the alphabet when you finish?

Yet more Ella Minnow Pea love from me! Such a clever book.

Hi Susan, Nancy and Christina, thanks for stopping by and encouraging me! I'm so looking forward to Ella Minnow Pea. I'm going to begin it in February after I catch up on a few other books.

Here's my latest update. ROOT #4 plucked. Out of alpha order but off the shelf just the same. A November ER at that.

Go you! Every ROOT counts :D

Yes, indeedy, Samantha. That's why I'm including my ROOT #5 a book I rec'd from Mark's Christmas Swap so it qualifies! That's going to be all the ROOTS for January.

Well done, Carmenere!

Thanks Connie and thanks for visiting :0)

I've completed two ROOTS in February (so far). They come from the planned reads I posted about on January 10th, Dunn - Ella Minnow Pea and Evans - The Christmas Box.

I loved Ella Minnow Pea! what about you?

I thought it was terrific, Cheli. I'd like to read more from Dunn.

Alpha ROOTS planned for March

Golding, William - Lord of the Flies
Hillerman, Tony - Skeleton Man
Ishiguro, Kazuo - Nocturnes

Whoop, whoop, I completed my 8th ROOT @ 1 am this morning - an I loved it! Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

I've heard lots of good things about that book!

Hi Connie, I would highly recommend it. Charming, entertaining and enlightening story, although just a wee bit too coincidental conclusion.

#9 Root is completed. An ER from December, 2012 called The Eleven

Woohoo! #9 - DONE!
Keep up the good work! Yay, Lynda!!!

Although I haven't posted my last 4 ROOTS I have kept my ticker up to date which is now at 13 ROOTS for 2013. That's my half way point, yeah!

Halfway by April is very, very good, Lynda. Looks like you will have no trouble reaching your goal.

I've just posted my last ROOT for April to my ticker. 14 ROOTS zzzzzapped thus far!

#49 Hey Judy, yeah half way to my ROOT goal is pretty good. Wish I were half way to my 75 book challenge as well.

First May ROOT is finished. Yeah!

Good work here, Lynda!
I'm not so organized. You are going in alpha order - I'm all over the alphabet. Sometimes I forget to even do this... so easily distracted by new books on my, the store, or the library's shelves. I need more discipline - lol
The roots are still growing wild :{

Hi Cee! Yes, those nasty ole roots are sending off shoots and growing, growing, growing. If I even out my purchases with what I've read this year, I will be a happy camper.

Finished the final ROOTS for May Suite Francaise and Utopia.

I need to choose my next three alpha order books P, Q (I know I don't have any authors for Q), R and S.

54 > For Q you could pick an author that has a Q in his/her name, if you don't want to skip it.

That's not a bad idea, Samantha! I'll check my shelf and if I do have an author with a Q in his/her last name, I'll use it.

Thanks to Samantha, I've chosen my next three alpha reads off the shelf. In the absence of an author with a surname beginning with Q, I've chosen Marquez, an author with a Q in the last name. It's his autobio which I've been wanting to read for along time. He is my favorite author :0)

Pynchon, Thomas - The Crying of Lot 49

MarQuez, Gabriel Garcia - Living to Tell the Tale

Russell, Mary Doria - The Sparrow

56/57 > I'm an expert at bending the rules, so it seemed like an obvious solution to me :D. Glad I could be of help.

Oh, Samantha. I will no doubt be thanking you for that brilliant idea too - when I get to Q... or Z?

My alpha rooting plan is getting messed up. I am reading Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley which I have had for a long time. It's almost 900 pages and taking a lot of my time - but I'm loving it. Since I already read a B author, I'm thinking this might be good for Z!
This is wonderful...
Thank You, Samantha!!!!

Hi there, Lynda! Hope you like The Sparrow. I did!

#58 I'm liking bent rules more and more, Samantha. Using your method I've already chosen my X author, NiXon.

#59 Hi, Cee. Glad you found your Z author 'cause a 900 page book is a huge time investment to waste.

I've completed two ROOTS while on vacation The Crying of Lot 49 and The Shadowy Horses. Off to update tickers :0)

One more ROOT zapped in June, The Devil's Highway. It's out of order but will be used for my U author. ticker updated

Finished my 22nd ROOT. MarQuez. I'm really excited because now I can throw myself into The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

Love your thread Lynda. Love the 'header' & graphic. Love your reading plan for 2013. I may steal that for next year. Good job and you are really kicking it!~!

#63 Thanks for your kind words! I feel like I'm accomplishing something whenever I pluck one of my ROOTS off the shelf. I just wish I were able to read faster - there's so much that's dying to be read.

23rd ROOT is in the books....and ticker. Russell

I'm skipping S for now and moving on to the T's because I want to read the Booker long listed The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin.

Excellent job on your ROOTs Carm. Proud of you!

Thanks for you kind and encouraging words, rainpebble. I just finished The Testament of Mary by Toibin but since it's a library book, I can not count it as a ROOT.

My next ROOT is very much out of ABC order but an ER from, ack, 2011! and since the birth of
HRH Prince George of Cambridge I've been keen on reading something British. So my next read will be The Confession of Katherine Howard by Suzannah Dunn.

Finished my 24 ROOT TCoKH. Not a bad book. Still need to post a review but tickers updated :0)

Next another, not so old ER/ROOT and now a Booker Longlister Transatlantic.

Finished my 25 ROOT this year and an excellent book it was. One more ROOT to pluck to reach my goal!

Hey, one more ROOT is doable! You go!!

Doable it is, Connie. I just racked up my 26 ROOT and met my goal. I'll continue to read thru the alphabet as I had added a few reads that were out of order.
So, I'll continue with my T read, My House in Umbria by William Trevor.

Congrats! You have met your challenge. Job very wel done. Yeah, yeah, yeah!

Woo hoo! Congratulations! :D

YAY! You did it! Congrats!!!!

I don't think I will make my goal this year as I have fallen behind too much. But at least I got some books read - and I'll see how far I get.

Well done!!!

Thanks, connie, rabbit princess, cee and Ameise1. I appreciate the high fives and I'm sorry I do not have the time to visit your threads so please accept my cheering you on's here.
I finished my T read weeks ago and I'm now working on my V author, Susan Vreeland's The Passion of Artemisia.
Also finished Revelation by CJ Sansom. A ROOT but nothing to do with the alpha challenge.
I guess that brings me up to 28 ROOTS for the year. Yeah me! I definitely cleared more off my shelf than I purchased this year.

Hey, hey, hey! Finished Vreeland this weekend as well as Dissolution. Happy dancing my way to the ticker!

Good job, Carmenere.