Caroline (craso) Reads 12 Books in 2015

2015 ROOT CHALLENGE

2014 was a bad year for reading. Don't get me wrong I read some great books, but life got in the way and it was hard to find time to read. The main reason was that I was spending more time at the bookstore because my boss was undergoing chemo therapy. I ran the store alone most of the time. I had the weekends off, but that was spent doing chores and spending time with friends and loved ones. Hopefully my boss will be done with the chemo in February and things will get back to normal...cross my fingers and knock on wood. Everything is still up in the air so I have decided to do only one challenge in 2015 and that is the ROOT Challenge. I am very behind in my reading and the idea of working as a team helps me to keep reading because I don't want to let the team down. Even though I am 35 books behind in my reading I am only pledging to read 12 books, 1 book a month. This should be doable no matter what life throws at me. I will beginning reading ROOTs at the beginning of January.

I will read 6 iBooks and 6 paperback or hardcovers. Here are a few possibilities. Of course I always change my mind and switch out books.

iBooks

Old Man's War by John Scalzi (Acquired 12/27/2013)
Nerd Do Well by Simon Pegg (Acquired 12/28/2013)
Doctor Who: Keeping Up With the Joneses by Nick Harkaway (Acquired 03-20-2014)

Paperbacks and Hardbacks

The Silent Land by Graham Joyce (Acquired 12/26/2012)
The Affirmation by Christopher Priest (Acquired 10/13/2013)
A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan (Acquired 11/21/2013)
Queen Victoria's Book of Spells by Ellen Datlow (Acquired 11/30/2013)
Lord of Misrule The Autobiography of Christopher Lee by Christopher Lee (Acquired 05/25/2014)
Stories From The Other Passenger by John Keir Cross (Acquired 03-14-2015)
Space 1999: Shepherd Moon by William Latham (Acquired 12-25-2015)
Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen by Terrance Dicks (05-25-2014)
Dark Shadows The Salem Branch by Lara Parker (2014-12-23)

Here is my ticker:

Glad to see you back! Looking forward to cheering you on :)

Thanks! I have starred your thread and look forward to seeing what you read this year.

It's great that you are here and good luck with that rooting!

Lovely to see you here and good luck with your reading and real life!

>5 Tess_W: >6 MissWatson: Thank you for dropping by and for your support!

Good to see you Caroline! Good luck.

Thank you!

Found you and starred!

glitter-graphics.com

Good luck this year, Caro!!!

Thank you Laura!

Down in bed with a pulled muscle in my back, but at least I've had a good book to read.

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Title The Silent Land by Graham Joyce
Format paperback
Rating 4.5 Stars
Acquired 12/26/2012

Zoe and Jake are on a skiing trip. Both are experienced skiers and are having a great time on the slopes when an avalanche over takes them. Jake pulls Zoe out of the snow and they make their way back to the resort. It is deserted. They go into town and it is deserted too. They panic and fear the area was evacuated because of the potential of more avalanches. When they try to leave the village every road leads back to the same village. Zoe and Jake are stuck in an enchanted snow filled wonderland and they feel as though something or someone is coming for them.

This was quite the page turner. In the back of my mind I was saying "they are dead" but I kept on reading thinking I had already solved the mystery. Then half way through the book they come to the same conclusion so you know there is something more going on.

Even if you figure out the mystery before the conclusion that doesn't matter. What makes this such a great read are the characters and how much they love each other. That's what the real story is in this novel, two people who love each other so much they can't let each other go.

Hello & good luck w/ your ROOTs this year!
*and* congrats on 1 down already! Sounds like a good one :)

Sorry to hear about your pulled muscle.. hope you heal quickly!

Thank you! I am able to get up on my own today. I hope to be able to lay on the couch and watch tv tomorrow.

Get well soon, Caroline! Very painful thing a pulled muscle and even more worse when it's your back that is hurting.

Thank you Connie! I am going back to work today. Going to take it nice and slow.

Very well. How did it go! Are you feeling good now? I hope you do.

I made it through the day, but didn't bend or move to much. Wednesday was even better and today I feel like normal. Thank you for your concern.

Glad you are doing okay now!

Hurray, back to normal! :)

Sorry to read about your pulled back muscle. Glad to see year are feeling normal.

Thank you everyone for your kind words. One good thing came out of being laid up, I read a good book.

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Title Old Man's War by John Scalzi
Format iBook
Rating 4.5 Stars
Acquired 12/27/2013

John Perry is 75 years old. Before his wife died of a stroke they had signed up for the Colonial Defense Force. The CDC enlists only 75 year olds who are wanting a new young body and a new life, but they must serve as soldiers defining the colonies.

The author owes much to fellow writers. I recognized Arthur C. Clarke's space elevator in the "beans stalks" used to take enlisted to an orbital platform. The novel reminded me of Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game" with recruits meeting, becoming close friends and training together. The protagonist, like Ender, excels and moves up the ranks quickly.

This was an entertaining quick read. When you meet the seniors at the beginning of the story they are a fun and sarcastic bunch. The book becomes mores serious as the fighting starts, but the author retains the main characters sense of humor. The Ghost Brigade, a group that was introduced after the half way point of the novel, are my favorite characters. I was thrilled to see that they are the main characters of the next novel in the series. Needless to say, I will be continuing with the series.

Sounds like a great read! I usually don't like series, at all, but may put this one on my list!

>25 Tess_W: If you read science fiction you will really like this book.

>24 craso: >26 craso: sounds fun!

>27 avanders: It was a very entertaining read!

Sorry to be away for so long. A lot of stuff going on right now. I finished reading The Affirmation a couple of weeks ago, but haven't had time to write a review. I've been read an Early Review book and I picked Nerd Do Well as my next ROOT read. Hopefully I will be back soon with a review and another update on my reading.

>29 craso: Glad you are back, Caroline. RL takes over LT sometimes. I hope everything is settling down a bit and you will have time to read.

Hope the stuff going on is good. We'll be here.

>30 connie53:. >31 MissWatson: Thank you. Unfortunately, it isn't good stuff. I read a chapter of Nerd Do Well last night and it was just what I needed, a little bit of silliness.

I'm sorry to hear that. Here's wishing it won't last.

>32 craso: That's sad, Caroline. I hope it will pass soon or get better.

A little bit of silliness is al one needs in bad times! Wishing you all the luck of the world!

>32 craso: Caroline, I'm so sorry. ((hugs)) Hang in there, we're here for you whenever you can drop in.

I hope Nerd Do Well continues to hit the spot for you. Sending good thoughts.

I am overwhelmed by everyone's concern. Thank you very much.

>32 craso: oh :( So hard when RL kicks your butt... Hope your rainbow pokes its head out of the rain soon!

Hello everyone! I just realized I didn't write a review for The Affirmation. I liked it and gave it 4 stars. It's a typical Christopher Priest novel; duality, reality questioning, unreliable narrator, and no real ending. After I finished reading it I sat in bed and thought about it for a while. I love books that make me think. It also took me back to the Dream Archipelago from a ROOT read last year, The Islanders.

I just finished an ER read, The Gracekeepers. Sorry, it's not a ROOT read. I am still reading Nerd Do Well and hoping to finish it this month.

Hey! Not every book can be a ROOT! The important thing is you enjoyed it!

I just finished read Nerd Do Well by Simon Pegg. I really don't feel like writing formal reviews anymore unless I get and ER book so here are a few thoughts about the book.

Pegg starts each chapter with a fictitious story about Simon Pegg, the suave adventurer, and his side kick robot Canterbury. This started out cute and at times laugh out loud funny. Pegg did it because he was insecure about writing an autobiography. By the end of the book the story was much less interesting that the thoughts and true life anecdotes that Pegg presents. I think at one point near the end of the book he realized this but had to continue with the story until the end. That is why I gave this book 3 1/2 stars instead of 4 stars which is what I give a book I consider a "good" read.

I enjoyed the book because Pegg is a nerd and so am I. I understood all of the pop culture references that impacted his life as a comedian, writer, and actor. It's fun to find someone who is of a similar mind.

My next read will be A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan.

>42 craso: heh, I've been kind of in the same boat -- not particularly into writing formal reviews "just 'cause"...
Hmm, the book sounds... disappointing.

>43 avanders: It could have been better. I still enjoy Pegg's work as an actor and he seems like a very likable guy.

When I first started on LibraryThing many years ago I vowed to write a review for every book in my library. Now it doesn't seem as important.

Still working on A Natural History of Dragons and hope to finish it this weekend. In a bit of a reading slump. Just reading on the weekends right now.

>44 craso: oh yes, I really enjoy his movies :) But just because someone can act......

oh my gosh, every book in your library! Yeah, seems like days get shorter as time goes on... ;)

I have just finished reading A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan.

The book is written as if it were the memoirs of a Victorian lady naturalist and adventurer. The setting is an alternate Earth with the same morals and conventions of the Victorian Age, but the place names have been changed and Dragons are a natural part of the environment. I enjoyed the narrative structure complete with phrases and words at the beginning of each chapter as if you were reading a 19th Century book.

I will have to reread this book at another time. It's the type of book that you should read within 2 or 3 days. I took a whole month and read for an hour or more each Saturday. I would have enjoyed it more. I felt like giving it 3 1/2 Stars, but it really is a 4 Star book and my reading slump made me enjoy it less. I hope that is as clear as mud. Ha!

I am a big fan of this author and will be picking up the next book in the series.

On to my ER book Tales of Time and Space by Allen Steele. It's a group of short stories so it should be easier to read.

>46 craso: hmm. It sounds like you had similar feelings about that book as I've had with other books and.. maybe it's only a 3 1/2 star book? Maybe if it were better, your slump would've been less pronounced? Or maybe it is just you... I'm just saying, maybe it's the book ;) But if you do re-read it, I'll definitely be curious to see how you feel about it the 2nd time around!

>47 avanders: You do have a point advanders. I started this year with some books I really enjoyed. Did I enjoy the books because they were above average or because I was in a better state of mind? We will see what happens with the next books I read.

>48 craso: yeah, it can definitely go either way.... I was particularly harsh on Da Vinci Code... but I was in a terrible mood the day that I read it ;)

Hi everyone! Still around just reading slowly. I finished an Early Reviewer book Tales of Time and Space. It was a great read.

I'm thinking short story collections maybe the way to go for now so my next ROOT read will be Queen Victoria's Book of Spells an Anthology of Gaslamp Fantasy.

Well...I am now one book behind. My apologies to all ROOTers. I will try to catch up by the end of the year.

I finished reading Queen Victoria's Book of Spells yesterday. This was one of the best short story anthologies I have ever read. Most of the stories were outstanding. Only a few were just good. Not a bad apple in the bunch. A very even set of stories. The editors provide a list of similar Gaslamp Fantasy titles to read. Needless to say, I have already read some of the books by the authors listed; Jonathan Barnes, James P. Blaylock, Susanna Clarke, Leanna Renee Hieber, Christopher Priest. If you are a fan of books set in the Victorian era with fantasy elements then you are a fan of Gaslamp Fantasy and should take a look at this anthology.

Last night I started to read Lord of Misrule: The Autobiography of Chrstopher Lee in honor of the great British actors passing.

>51 craso: no worries - you have plenty of time!
Sounds like a wonderful book!

Take your time, Caroline! No apologies needed. You can determine your one pace!

Thank you, Connie!

I finished Lord of Misrule: the Autobiography of Christopher Lee and gave it 4 stars. Besides being an actor we was an avid golfer and lover of opera. He had many interesting adventures as a RAF intelligence officer during World War II. He was a working actor whose longest time away from acting was 4 months. Very well written autobiography with a lot if dry British wit.

It seems that the books I can get through right now are short stories and non- fiction so I'm going to change my original list off books to read this year to reflect that mood. I will fix my list at the beginning of this thread and post what my next read will be after I give it a think.

Only 5 more books to go.

I have decided on Stories from The Other Passenger by John Keir Cross. This book is a little paperback of horror short stories that I found at Half Price books. I picked it up because one of the stories was featured on the half hour Alfred Hitchcock Presents TV show I watch on Netflix.

>55 craso: Yay, Christopher Lee! He was such a fascinating man!

>55 craso: That seems like a good plan, Caroline. Going to check out your new list now.

>57 rabbitprincess: Another fan! Yes I agree, very fascinating.

>58 connie53: Well Connie, then I better revise my list. Here are the short story books I will be reading:

Stories From The Other Passenger by John Keir Cross
Space 1999: Shepherd Moon by William Latham
Out of Tune by Jonathan Maberry

I still have to decide on the non-fiction books. I could go with another autobiography or maybe a biography.

I already started Stories From The Other Passenger. So far it's a great read. I hope to finish it next weekend. If I do finish it then I will be back on schedule.

Yesterday I finished Stories From The Other Passenger. Finishing this little paperback brings me back in line with my goal.

Like I have said before, I bought this book because of a story used on Alfred Hitchcock Presents titled "The Glass Eye". It was a good story and so were most of the others. The best and most haunting is "The Other Passenger".

This book is a vintage paperback from 1962 so I was lucky to find it at Half Price Books. It has a beautiful cover illustration.

I am starting Space 1999: Shepherd Moon. My husband just bought me the complete 2 seasons on Space 1999 on iTunes so this book will go along well with watch the tv show.

I finished reading Space: 1999 Shepherd Moon. I gave is 3 1/2 stars. Some of the stories were spot on and reflected the spirit of the TV show. Others were a complete disaster. Some authors wrote stories about individual Aphans and how they coped or didn't cope with breakaway. These were too deep and emotional, not what I wanted to read. The better stories were action packed and had the fans favorite characters.

Received an ER book from the April batch. It's the longest I have ever had to wait for an ER book. I finished reading it last night and wrote a review this morning. The book is The League of Regrettable Superheroes. It was a lot of fun to read.

Now back to my ROOT read Doctor Who and The Abominable Snowmen.

>62 craso: That is really a long time, Caroline!

>63 connie53: Yes, I agree. I think there was a problem with communication with the publisher. I noticed a lot of people complaining about not getting other books from this publisher. I always ask for books from publishers I know and trust. I won't try to get ER books from this publisher again. That's too bad because they sell some fun books.

>64 craso: Well, If they are worth waiting for you might consider to try again.

>65 connie53:. You may have a point. We will see.

I finished reading Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen. I gave it 3 1/2 stars. I read some of the Doctor Who books published for the 50th anniversary of the show, but this is the first Terrance Dicks novelization I have read. It wasn't bad. It read like a second Doctor episode with the thoughts and motivations of the characters added.

Still not reading very much. The only short story book I have left is too morbid for me at the moment. I decided to read this Doctor Who book because it looked like a quick read. It took me three weekends. Just to much going on this year. I will have to think about what my next book will be.

I agree with your assessment of Dr Who and the Abominable Snowmen. Which of the 50th anniversary books have you read? I've read Players and have Festival of Death on the TBR pile.

Sending good reading vibes your way!

Thank you for the good reading vibes. I need them.

I read Shada and The Wheel of Ice. I have Harvest of Time sitting on a shelf. I guess thy come under the heading of "event" books because they are all written by Sci Fi authors and were all published during the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who.

By-the-way, have you been watching the new season? I really like the rock n' roll Doctor.

Trying another novel Dark Shadows The Salem Branch. My husband and I just finished watching every episode of Dark Shadows from episode 210 through 1200. Episode 210 is when Barnabus shows up. We've been watching 2 or 3 a night since my hubby got me the set for Christmas. He says it's the best Christmas present he ever gave me.

Harvest of Time is on my shelf too, as an audiobook because that's what the library had. (Every time the library orders a Doctor Who book, I feel duty-bound to place a hold on it to encourage them to buy more.) Really liked Shada, liked Wheel of Ice although it could probably have been a bit shorter.

I haven't watched any of the new season yet, but I've seen pictures of the rock and roll Doctor and nearly burst with cartoony hearts when I heard the rock version of the theme (played over "Before the Flood"). Peter Capaldi himself played those power chords! Swoon! :D

When I saw Peter Capaldi playing I just knew he had to have been in a band when he was younger and low and behold he was in a band with none other than Craig Ferguson! How great is that!

Happy Halloween everyone! I just finished an appropriate book for today Dark Shadows The Salem Branch. I gave it 4 stars. I thought it was going to be more a book about Angelique but it turned out to be mostly about Barnabas. I enjoyed it more than Lara Parker's first Dark Shadows book. I think I will go straight to the last book in the series. I can't really read it as a ROOT read since my husband gave it to me as an anniversary present a few weeks ago. I will need to choose another book for my last ROOT.

There is enough time for a last ROOT, Caroline. So just go and read the Dark shadows book and enjoy it.

Well, I made it! I just finished a short Doctor Who novel call Keeping up with the Joneses by Nick Harkaway. This book completes my promised ROOT reads for the year. Whew! I didn't think I was going to make it! Now I can read an extra ROOT to help with our overall count.

Keeping up with the Joneses was a fun read. The author knew the way the tenth doctor thinks and talks. Great characterization. Felt like I was watching an episode of the show. I gave the book 4 stars.

Congrats!!!!!!

>75 craso: Hurray, congrats!

That was a good Dr Who story. I read it as part of a collection called Time Trips.

>76 Tess_W: Thanks!

>77 rabbitprincess: Thanks for the link to Time Trips. I didn't know Joanne Harris wrote a Doctor Who story. She is one of my favorite authors so I have to look for this one on iBooks. I picked Keeping up with the Joneses because of Nick Harkaway.

Well done on reaching your goal!

Good job, Caroline!

woo hoo congrats!!

Wow! Thank you everyone!

Congratulations on reaching your goal!

Thank you Lori!

Well, I had planned to read another ROOT before the end of the year, but it doesn't look like I'm going to make it. I've decided to shut down and head over to the 2016 group. Thank you to everyone who visited my humble thread. I hope to see you guys over at the new thread.

Well , you have reached your goal. Going to the 2016 group and star your new thread, Caroline.

Congratulations!!! See you in next year's group!