raidergirl3: ROOT record

I hope to read 25 books that I already owned as of Christmas 2013. Last year I just managed to get to 25, one over, and as I'm not the most ambitious person, I'll try to do the same again. A side goal is to stay on top of the new books that come into the house.

My ROOTs are tagged as such in my library.

New data to track: books bought in 2014/those books read in 2014:
13/9

msg 23 has the list

Books I hope to read:

(I'm making a list of 8 books that I really want to get read. Last year I got through 1.5 of these lists. I do like to cross things off lists)

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Microserf by Douglas Coupland
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
A Carrion Death by Michael Stanley
Citizen Vince by Jess Walter
An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear
Strange Shores - Arnaldur Indridason
The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R King

ROOT Books Read:
1. Strange Shores - Arnaldur Indridason
2. The Long Song - Andrea Levy
3. An Incomplete Revenge - Jacqueline Winspear
4. Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman
5. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy - Helen Fielding
6. Angelica's Smile - Andrea Camilleri
7. The Bear by Claire Cameron
8. Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen
9. Longbourn by Jo Baker
10. One More Thing by BJ Novak (new)
11. Not the End of the World by Kate Atkinson (new)
12. Highly Inappropriate Tales for Young People by Douglas Coupland
13. Road Ends by Mary Lawson
14. The Table of Less Valued Knights by Marie Phillips
15. Death in August - Marco Vichi
16. The House of Stairs - Barbara Vine
17. Federal Bureau of Physics - Simon Oliver
18.

Welcome back - and good luck 8-)

Welcome back and good luck! I hope you like Microserfs. It was my first Coupland and one of my favourites :)

Yay! You're the reason I found this group. Looking forward to cheering each other on in 2914.

Happy reading in 2014, Raidergirl!

Thanks everyone!
I've loved a lot of Coupland, but still have someoldet books to read. Good to hear that micro serfs is a good one as well. Hey Nostradamus and Eleanor Rigby are two of my favorites. Plus the Terry Fox book.
SuziQ, you'll have a great time here. There's also a mystery group that gives tons of more books to read.

Christmas Books! I wasn't going to count them as 2013 books, because it barely feels like they've been in the house, but I decided they will, mostly so when I hopefully get them read soon, they count as ROOTS. I can even manage to cheat on my own rules.

I asked for Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy because I love Bridget and must have it. On one of my many Indigo/Chapter orders I added Rush Home Road to get the free shipping, and so passed it to my husband to wrap up. It is one of the colour books that Chapters has sold - this one is probably indigo or dark blue.

My surprise book is S by Doug Dorst from my sister, who managed to find a book that I've never heard about. Coolest book ever, and will take me forever to get read - so many details. It's an 'old' book, that two students are reading, and writing notes back and forth, about the book, and each other. There are tons of inserts, and papers in the book. Very meta.

Any one get new cool books for Christmas?

One of my coolest is Let Us Now Praise Famous Men from my Library Thing Secret Santa. I don't know when I've been so excited about a book!

What is Indigo/Chapter?

Surprise books are the best.

Indigo/ Chapters is our Canadian book store. It's the only big one we have that is still a physical store as well.

Ah. Somewhere for me to shop if I get to visit Canada. Thanks. :)

#8 by raidergirl3> Rules. "They're just guidelines really..."

Hi raider. Good luck with your challenge.

Woo hoo! First one done. Strange Shores by Arnaldur Indridason, which appears to be the last in the Iceland mystery series. I bought this in November of last year, but I have bought all of these books. I usually borrow mystery books from the library but this series was excellent.

Ooooo I have that one as a ROOT as well. Still have to read Black Skies first though. I hope they decide to translate the two books that preceded Jar City in Icelandic, if Strange Shores is indeed the last in the series.

Black Skies was good, but didn't have Erlunder either. I preferred the one with the girl detective - Sigunder Oli is a bit of a lump. Strange Shores feels like it could be the last one. I'm glad it was the first book of my year.

For a long time, when I'd look at the series list, there were always a few left to be translated, but now it ends. I never understand why they don't start translating at the first book in the series. Harry Hole was like that as well. The writing and characters develop so much over time, that going back to the start isn't as satisfying.

As a person that likes order I know what you mean about not translating series from volume one. I guess many translation are actually a test of the market. If it sells well you go on, if it doesn't you stop. So the publisher plays his best card from the start and hopes he will be allowed to continue.

Okay, I can sort of understand publishers stopping if the books don't sell. That happens all the time in Holland with translations. I have many unfinished series in my bookcases and frustrations to go with that. But I don't understand why one would start with a part 2 or 3.

Because like Henrik said, they're testing it by starting with what they think is the strongest work. Plenty of times the first one of anything isn't the best because they're just getting started and haven't found their footing yet. It sucks, but from the money perspective, it makes a kind of sense.

Yes that's true, of course. You can do that with thriller series like Erlunder. But you can not do that with fantasy! Imagine starting with HP 2 ;-))

>20 connie53: It only works with series of relatively independent works, of course. I have mostly noticed it with mysteries where charachters doesn't develop much from volume to volume.

Just my thoughts, Henrik!

Here is my list of books that enter the house (other than library). Essentially, future ROOT books, unless I stay on top of things.

review copy:
The Bear by Claire Cameron
Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen
Longbourn by Jo Baker
Road Ends by Mary Lawson
Angelica's Smile by Andrea Camilleri
The Table of Less Valued Knights by Marie Phillips

books bought:
One More Thing by BJ Novak (new)
Not the End of the World by Kate Atkinson (new)
The House of Stairs by Barbara Vine
Triptych by Karin Slaughter
Highly Inappropriate Tales for Young People - Douglas Coupland
Federal Bureau of Physics - Simon Oliver
Canada and Other Matters - Rex Murphy
Death in August (new) - Marco Vichi
Beautiful Ruins - Jess Walter
Teacher Man - Frank McCourt
Half Broke Horses - Jeannette Walls
Strange Heaven - Lynn Coady
A Cursed Inheritance - Kate Ellis

I've read 3 ROOTs so far, and have started a fourth. The keeps me right on schedule of 2 ROOTs a month (with one for good luck!).

3. An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear
I don't often buy series book, but I must have picked this one up on sale at Indigo. I liked this book and how Maisie is getting over her past a bit. I especially like how Maurice is fading into the background - he gives me the creeps. I'll read one more from the library, then the next two are available on audiobook from the library.

My next ROOT is Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman. I've started it while reading another borrowed book, and I was comforted by Gaiman's great writing even only 20 pages in. I was immersed in Fat Charlie's life and the character. Quality storytelling already.

I'm glad to hear you're enjoying Anansi Boys. I bought it a long time ago, started it, then stopped. I think it was just a 'not the right mood' thing, because I do like Gaiman's writing. Now, I'll look more forward to starting it again.

I think I got Anansi Boys after I read American Gods and loved it. My favorite of Gaiman's however is Neverwhere. I just loved that book.

I don't think I've read that yet. Another for the TBR/wishlist!

When 'wishlist' becomes 'wishlit' due to a type, but I'm talking about books, have I just invented 'wished for literature'? Now I wish I'd left it on the 'wishlit'!

I like that : wishlit. Good one!
Neverwhere is set in the underground of London - it's very cool. Glad I could help your TBR.

The London Underground...I think...yes! I have that on dvd and didn't even remember. Should probably read the book first, though.

I'm glad you like 'wishlit'. It's pathetic though that I made a typo on the word typo, in the post in which I talk about the typO, not the typE. Sheesh. :)

(I noticed that but didn't want to say anything:)

I think Neverwhere was a tv show in England.

I love "Wishlit" perfect and better than the generic wishlist.

Why, thank you. :)

>30 Merryann: The London Underground...I think...yes! I have that on dvd and didn't even remember. Should probably read the book first, though.

Is it the BBC miniseries you have? If so, it came out before the book, the book was actually an adaptation of the miniseries. Personally I though the series was somewhat disappointing, so I think it may benefit from watching before reading, as then you get the better thing after, so you're not disappointed.

I see you've got The Beekeeper's Apprentice on your list of books to read. I absolutely loved that series when I read it a few years ago! Laurie R. King is such a good writer!

>35 johanna414: It's a series I"ve been wanting to try, and I picked up the book at a book sale somewhere along the way. Hence, a ROOT. I usually read mysteries from the library, but getting started on a series when I own other books is harder. Once a get going though, then I'll use the library.

>34 .Monkey.:, That will be a refreshing change from my usual 'read the book before watching the movie' rule. :)

It's always exciting to try out a new mystery series. Hope you like it! :)

I made my ticker more spring like in defiance of the weather bombs that have hit the Maritimes in the past week. Schools were closed for 5 straight days; we had 54 and then 27 cm of snow in two storms, plus a pile of freezing rain one night; blizzard strength winds; RCMP pleading with people to stay off the roads. I was so glad to get to school today. (This all happened two days after getting back to school after the March Break!)

Whew!

Tomorrow we are moving houses. My parents moved to an apartment in November, and we are buying their (newer and larger with more bathrooms!) home. It took a while to sell our little bungalow, but the move is on now! The move is actually just a couple of blocks from our present home, but we love this neighbourhood. Busy day tomorrow!

I managed to get one ROOT done, mostly in March, but completed late last night of April 1st. I loved Bridget Jones' Mad About the Boy book and I won't apologize. I'm a huge Bridget fan, and knowing about Mark Darcy gave me time to deal with the loss, much like Bridget. I thought she was true to character - still flighty and absurd, but has matured, and made much improved decisions. The only thing I found weird was picturing Bridget as a 50 year old, but then, I'm coming on 50, and it is hard to picture that as well.

Wow! That sounds like a busy second half of March! Good luck with the move :)

The move is done and I hope all went wel!!

I'm changing my rules - if I bought it this year, it counts as a ROOT. It seems that part of the reason why I'm not reading my old books is that I am trying to get the new ones read as well. So, since they are ROOTS, I'm counting them.

I'm all settled in my new house, school is ' ' this close to being done. Just one more exam to give, a little bit left to correct, and then summer, and the living is easy.

Good call! That's what I do too. :)

Also good luck with that last little bit of the school year!

I doubled the number I've read now - 5 to 10. I feel so accomplished today!

Well done. Enjoy the summer reading!

>42 raidergirl3: Good idea! I changed the same rule too. As long as it is from my collection and not from the library then I count it. Roll on summer...

>45 MissWatson: thanks! I just submitted my final marks so correcting is done! I've got some books already lined up for summer reading. Can't wait!

>46 VivienneR: It just seemed to make sense, when I was trying to read these newer books so they don't become old ROOTS. They are all my books. It's been too many library books that is causing me trouble. But, if I read library books, that is also books I'm not buying, so I hate to avoid the library!

I approve of your rule change ;-)

Hope summer reading has gone well!

How are you doing on the book thing?

>47 raidergirl3: When I was in library school I was told "never leave the library without borrowing a book" as funding is often related to usage. I follow that advice religiously (even though funding in many public libraries is tied to population served).

tess_i_am, connie, and Vivienne,

thanks for stopping by and reminding to visit my own thead!
I"ve been reading, and listening, to books, but not so many Roots. I've been keeping on top of new review copies, but also library books and borrowed books. I've read some great books though:

Longbourn, Road Ends, The Rosie Project, The Table of Less Valued Knights, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, were all great reads. And now I'm reading a Maisie Dobbs, getting close to the end of the series.

Summer is great and I am enjoying my break. Only two weeks til school starts here, (lalalalalalalala, I can't hear me) We've had a wedding, a family reunion, a 50th anniversary celebration, and beautiful weather. There is no place like PEI in the summer.

Glad you enjoyed your busy summer. I, too, teach, and I went back to school on Aug 18, Aug 20 for students. Let me know how your first day back went.

>51 VivienneR: That's very interesting. I shall have to find out how my favorite local library is funded now.

Oh my goodness. I am waiting for a couple audiobooks to come in to read so I didn't want to start anything too big. I have a bunch of books from the YA Sync Summer giveaway, but there seemed to be a real ww2/holocaust theme and I've read a few of those recently. Too many in a row is really too much. I'm getting ready for RIP challenge that I like (reader's imbibing peril) so I really wanted something mysterious, but have none.

So instead I put on Anne of Green Gables. I've read the whole series multiple times, seen the plays, have the music but it's been a number of years since I read the original flavour. It's so good!! Really, even though I know the story inside out, I am delighted.

hmm. I can't get a plain ole Anne of GG touchstone. Plenty of abridged versions tho.

back to school tomorrow. sigh.

Hope school and reading going well!

Thanks, Tess.

Survived the first week of school! I knew once I got back I'd get in the swing of things, it's just hard getting back. Classes look fine, but holy Hannah! it's been hot. Much hotter in the class room (with 34 sweating teenagers, ugh) than it was in spring.

Got a ROOT read, Death in August and started another one, before some library books arrive.

Don't envy your class size, my largest class size this year is 22 students. What do you teach?

I teach grade 12 math (31), grade 11 physics (29), and grade 12 physics (33). I've had bigger classes but these are all a little more than I'd like. Although with physics classes, I get pretty good students overall so I am lucky that way.

I'm jealous of a class of 22, but you must have elementary age?

No, I have high school: 9th Grade World History (2 sections), 10th Grade American History (3 sections) 1 semester of Western Civ (11th & 12th graders) and 1 semester of The Holocaust (11th & 12th graders). Both Western Civ and Holocaust are electives, so I get pretty good students, also. ALthough, it is a miracle that this year's larget class of 10th graders (70), over 80% of them have a 3. average or higher!