Kale ROOTs around in 2017

Forum2017 ROOT (READ OUR OWN TOMES)

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Kale ROOTs around in 2017

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1brakketh
Bearbeitet: Dez. 18, 2017, 3:35 am




As with all of us in this group I still have a number of books living on my shelves that remain unread. I got through 38 ROOTs in 2016 so feel that a goal of 40 is motivating and realistic for this year.

I will be focussed on ROOTing books I purchased before 1st January 2017 and the older the better. I include books acquired in 2017 to try and keep my shelves from growing.

Looking forward to everyone reading through 2017.

ROOTS
1. Shadow of a Dark Queen by Raymond E. Feist
2. Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
3. Candide by Voltaire
4. Rise of a Merchant Prince by Raymond E. Feist
5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
6. Rage of a Demon King by Raymond E. Feist
7. Shards of a Broken Crown by Raymond E. Feist
8. The Undivided by Jennifer Fallon
9. Death Masks by Jim Butcher
10. Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak

11. Blood Rites by Jim Butcher
12. The Zap Gun by Philip K Dick
13. A True History of the Hula Hoop by Judith Lanigan
14. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
15. Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
16. The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
17. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
18. On Liberty and Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill
19. Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell
20. Tales from the Dark Continent by Charles Allen

21. Colours in the Steel by K. J. Parker
22. The Belly of the Bow by K. J. Parker
23. Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes
24. Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre
25. The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
26. The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx
27. First Experiments in Psychology by Gardiner & Kaminska
28. Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami
29. The First World War in Posters by Joseph Darracott
30. Fairyland by Paul J. McAuley

31. The Architecture of Happiness by Alain de Botton
32. The Proof House by K.J. Parker
33. Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
34. Enduring Love by Ian McEwan
35. Faust: Part 1 by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
36. Faust: Part 2 by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
37. The Gold Coast by Kim Stanley Robinson
38. King of Foxes by Raymond E. Feist
39. The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh
40. Breakdowns: Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@&*! by Art Spiegelman

41. Pacific Edge by Kim Stanley Robinson

2Tess_W
Dez. 31, 2016, 8:30 pm

Welcome to 2017 rooting and Happy New Year!

3rabbitprincess
Dez. 31, 2016, 9:23 pm

That sounds like a good goal :) Good luck!

4Familyhistorian
Jan. 1, 2017, 4:59 pm

Good luck with your ROOTing.

5cyderry
Jan. 2, 2017, 12:34 pm

Glad you're back!

6MissWatson
Jan. 2, 2017, 4:51 pm

Nice to see you!

7avanders
Jan. 2, 2017, 7:42 pm

Welcome back & Happy 2017 ROOTing!

8Jackie_K
Jan. 3, 2017, 6:51 am

Good luck! and Happy new year!

9readingtangent
Jan. 3, 2017, 6:29 pm

Best of luck with your 2017 goal!

10connie53
Jan. 5, 2017, 5:45 am

Good to see you back, Kale. Happy ROOTing this year!

11brakketh
Jan. 13, 2017, 10:00 pm

Thanks for the welcome all glad to be back rooting around my bookshelf for another year.

ROOT 1. Shadow of a Dark Queen by Raymond E. Feist.

Had this one on the shelf for a while and it turned out that I had read this book when I was in secondary school. Enjoyable epic fantasy but nothing special.

12brakketh
Jan. 13, 2017, 10:03 pm

Thanks for the warm welcome all, happy to be back for another year.

ROOT 1. Shadow of a Dark Queen finished 14 January.

First root for the year. Had this one sitting on my book shelf for a while and upon reading discovered that I had read the book before, probably in high school though I am not quite sure. Enjoyable epic fantasy but not really pushing any boundaries.

13brakketh
Jan. 14, 2017, 6:36 pm

ROOT 2. Notes from the Underground finished 15 January.

I do love it when my lists align, it makes me feel like I am reading efficiently (if that makes sense). This ROOT had been on my shelves for a while and was also a part of the 1001 books to read before you die that I am making my way through.

An entertaining at times critique of philosophy such as rationalism among others, overall not my cup of tea.

14rabbitprincess
Jan. 14, 2017, 6:42 pm

>13 brakketh: Reading efficiently is so satisfying, especially when it is a coincidence!

15brakketh
Jan. 15, 2017, 12:54 am

>14 rabbitprincess: Agreed, and it has been a great weekend of it for me.

ROOT 3. Candide finished 15 January.

Tragedy and comedy presented in sharp contrast satirising the optimism of certain philosophies. Another book meeting the 1001 list and ROOT.

16Jackie_K
Jan. 15, 2017, 8:33 am

I read Candide, was it last year or the year before? Year before I think. I remember reading it in my late teens and loving it, and I was so looking forward to the reread. And then reading it with a few decades more life experience and cynicism I think ruined it for me! I wonder if I leave it till I'm ancient and read it again whether it will be fresh and new again?!

17brakketh
Jan. 18, 2017, 5:20 am

ROOT 4. Rise of a Merchant Prince finished 18th January.

This novel seemed almost in a rush to get to the later parts of the story. I do enjoy the focus on the merchant trader side of the world though did miss the more epic aspects of the usual Feist novel.

18connie53
Jan. 20, 2017, 3:02 pm

I've read that one (and more in that series). I gave it ***1/2

19brakketh
Jan. 20, 2017, 8:41 pm

ROOT 5. Jane Eyre finished 21st January.

Loved this, the psychological aspects of Jane's character being so thoroughly explored and the unconventional romance.

20Tess_W
Jan. 21, 2017, 4:37 am

>19 brakketh: One of my all time favs!

21Jackie_K
Jan. 21, 2017, 2:30 pm

>19 brakketh: I read that over Christmas! I liked it, although I found the way Bertha was treated and discussed quite difficult. I want to read Wide Sargasso Sea which I understand is an imagining of her story.

22brakketh
Jan. 21, 2017, 9:40 pm

>20 Tess_W: It is certainly up there for me.

>21 Jackie_K: Thanks for the recommend, agree that would be a very interesting story and have added to my to be read list.

23brakketh
Jan. 21, 2017, 9:42 pm

ROOT 6. Rage of a Demon King finished 22nd January.

Preparation for, and then a giant battle of attrition across Krondor while they try and resolve the larger problems amongst their gods. I didn't enjoy the discussions of the nature of reality but other than that found it a solid addition to the series.

24avanders
Jan. 23, 2017, 12:08 pm

>13 brakketh: >14 rabbitprincess: I agree - reading efficiently is lovely - I love it when a RL book group book is also a ROOT :)

>19 brakketh: >20 Tess_W: me too -- one of my favorites :)

& congrats on all your progress already!

25brakketh
Feb. 4, 2017, 12:30 am

ROOT 7. Shards of a Broken Crown finished 4th February.

Further developments in the grand battle between good and evil in Feist's world.

26brakketh
Feb. 12, 2017, 5:17 am

ROOT 8. The Undivided finished 12th February.

Very readable fantasy about psychically linked twin brothers separated soon after birth. A bit of political intrigue and interactions with faery who are of the more terrifying variety.

27brakketh
Mrz. 10, 2017, 3:58 pm

ROOT 9. Death Masks finished 10th March.

Managed to get through another ROOT just in time to avoid not having read anything from my shelves for a month.

I don't know what it is about the Dresden files books but I really enjoy them despite not really liking the main character and some real clangers in Butcher's writing.

28brakketh
Mrz. 11, 2017, 11:36 pm

ROOT 10. Doctor Zhivago finished 12th March.

A double ROOT and 1001 list read, enjoyable tragedy and romance though hard to follow at times.

29brakketh
Mrz. 13, 2017, 5:23 pm

ROOT 11. Blood Rites finished 13th March.

More Dresden files reading, just delicious though the gender politics makes me flinch.

30Tess_W
Mrz. 14, 2017, 1:16 pm

>28 brakketh: Read Doctor Zhivago about 20 years ago and liked it. I agree that at times it was difficult to follow. I'm going to put it back on my to re-read list.

31brakketh
Mrz. 19, 2017, 5:05 pm

ROOT 12. The Zap Gun finished 20th March.

PKD usual fare in terms of style. Weaponised empathy.

32brakketh
Mrz. 24, 2017, 9:23 pm

ROOT 13. The True History of the Hula Hoop finished 24th March.

Not really to my taste. A story about circus folk with a couple of parallel stories.

33brakketh
Mrz. 30, 2017, 3:47 pm

ROOT 14. Alice's Adventure in Wonderland finished 30th March.

Delightfully surreal. My copy included Through the Looking Glass as well and I thoroughly enjoyed both of them.

34brakketh
Apr. 6, 2017, 6:50 pm

ROOT 15. Jude the Obscure finished 7th April.

A criticism of the institution of marriage, education and religion in England. Unflinching and brutal in places. Enjoyed this much more than expected.

35brakketh
Apr. 6, 2017, 9:39 pm

ROOT 16. The Portrait of a Lady finished 7th April.

Wonderfully thorough psychological novel, the thoroughness can drag at times.

36Tess_W
Apr. 7, 2017, 8:17 am

YOu've done some heavy reading there. Glad you enjoyed them!

37Jackie_K
Apr. 7, 2017, 1:08 pm

>34 brakketh: Jude the Obscure is on my TBR too. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it, Hardy is great but can be very bleak!

38connie53
Apr. 14, 2017, 1:59 pm

Hi Kale. Just stopping by to say 'Hi' and see what you are reading. I was away from LT for some weeks, so now I'm trying to catch up on threads.

39brakketh
Apr. 15, 2017, 12:28 am

Hey Connie,

Nice to have you back. No ROOTs surrently being read though am looking forward to getting to my next one The Catcher in the Rye, which I have never read. Currently finishing off the Scalzi Old Man's War science fiction series.

Cheers,
Kale.

40brakketh
Apr. 30, 2017, 4:04 am

ROOT 17. The Catcher in the Rye finished 30th April.

First time reading this for me as it is not a curriculum read in Australia.

Great novel written from subjective perspective of Holden Caulfield who is disengaged from the world around him. I feel like this novel still holds up brilliantly well as a presentation of adolescent feelings of alienation from society and peers.

41brakketh
Jun. 6, 2017, 4:24 am

ROOT 18. On Liberty and Utilitarianism finished 6th June.

Long time on the shelf for this one and glad to have finally read such an influential set of essays.

Hard to read documents like these without seeing how these sorts of ideas have been partially applied and how political philosophy has built upon these ideas. My opinions are of course informed by my own personal distaste for a lot of current day 'libertarians'.

42brakketh
Jul. 9, 2017, 4:31 am

ROOT 19. Ruth finished 9th July.

Another old one to be finished. A 'fallen' woman showing how ridiculous that classification was.

43brakketh
Jul. 17, 2017, 4:54 pm

ROOT 20. Tales from the Dark Continent finished 17th July.

Surprisingly enjoyable read from the perspective of the colonial service workers from pre-WWI to the 1960s.

44connie53
Jul. 20, 2017, 1:56 pm

Congrats on reaching half way, Kale!

45brakketh
Jul. 21, 2017, 7:19 pm

Thanks connie53 a little behind schedule but am confident I can make up the difference.

ROOT 21. Colours in the Steel finished 21st July.

A page-turner with an interesting initial idea for me. Trial by combat means that you can hire lawyers (fencers-at-law) to argue your case for you. Parker moved too quickly from this interesting idea to revenge and siege for me.

46brakketh
Jul. 26, 2017, 5:15 pm

ROOT 22. The Belly of the Bow finished 26th July.

Second book in the Fencer series describes the continued disturbing relationship of the Loredan family. In Parker's usual fashion cities fall and warfare is described in detail.

47brakketh
Aug. 3, 2017, 5:10 am

ROOT 23. Leviathan finished 3rd August.

Listened to this in audio form and found it a little hard to follow in places.

48brakketh
Okt. 7, 2017, 4:24 am

ROOT 24. Vernon God Little finished 7th October.

A long ROOT drought but getting back on track with the first for October.

Amazing and creative language in a setting that reflects many of America's worst facets.

49floremolla
Okt. 7, 2017, 5:59 am

Good luck with meeting your goal! I read VGL as a ROOT this year too and was surprised how much I liked it - it's really very clever, language-wise, and the satire is brilliant. :)

50brakketh
Okt. 19, 2017, 3:25 pm

ROOT 25. The Chrysalids finished 19th October.

Post-apocalyptic world where deviation is pushed to the fringes. A small group of people deviate in an invisible way and must escape.

51brakketh
Okt. 20, 2017, 6:19 am

ROOT 26. The Communist Manifesto finished 20th October.

Compelling propaganda pamphlet, much shorter than I thought.

52brakketh
Okt. 20, 2017, 6:22 am

ROOT 27. First Experiments in Psychology discarded 20th October.

No need to panic, donated to charity. An old text I had to help explain research design and statistics that I have decided to clear out this year.

53brakketh
Okt. 27, 2017, 1:44 am

ROOT 28. Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World finished 27th October.

Fascinating and a real page-turner with some awful descriptions of women that were very jarring.

54floremolla
Okt. 27, 2017, 4:11 pm

>53 brakketh: wouldn't be Murakami if he didn't make you feel uncomfortable - grossed out or just plain weird - but ultimately glad to have read his novel!

55brakketh
Okt. 28, 2017, 7:11 pm

>54 floremolla: agreed, always very enjoyable and uncomfortable with Murakami. My approach has been to space my reading of his books widely as otherwise the frustration tends to trump the pleasure.

ROOT 29. The First World War in Posters finished 29th October.

Amazing posters collected, not a great deal of analysis just a brief introduction.

56brakketh
Okt. 30, 2017, 4:26 pm

ROOT 30. Fairyland finished 31st October.

Wonderful biopunk with a bleak view of our near future.

57brakketh
Nov. 7, 2017, 6:25 am

ROOT 31. The Architecture of Happiness finished 7th November.

Surprised by how much I enjoyed these musings on architecture and what it can tell us about societies.

58brakketh
Nov. 10, 2017, 7:05 am

ROOT 32. The Proof House finished 10th November.

A fitting end to the series with similar humour and pragmatic realism throughout the novel.

59brakketh
Nov. 12, 2017, 2:03 pm

ROOT 33. Far from the Madding Crowd finished 13th November.

Another rural story with tangled romantic relationships from Hardy. I continue to enjoy his writing greatly.

60floremolla
Nov. 12, 2017, 3:42 pm

>59 brakketh: got this one on my TBR pile for December - supposed to be Hardy's 'happiest' novel. I like his descriptions of life at the time but not his tendency to heap misery on his characters!

61Tess_W
Nov. 12, 2017, 4:33 pm

>59 brakketh: Loved that book. I would say Hardy is one of my top 5 authors.

62Jackie_K
Nov. 12, 2017, 4:39 pm

>59 brakketh: I studied it for O'level English in the mid-1980s, and really don't think I appreciated it at the time (although once I'd seen the film starring Julie Christie that did help me get into the story a bit better). I will reread it at some point.

63brakketh
Nov. 13, 2017, 3:07 pm

>60 floremolla: Of the Hardy I have read thus far I would definitely agree this is his 'happiest', still a great deal of tragedy threaded throughout the novel though.

>61 Tess_W: Certainly not my favourite Hardy though that is still high praise as I am so happy to have 'discovered' Hardy in 2017.

>62 Jackie_K: Have added the film adaption to my to watch list as I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and could see a translation to the screen being very enjoyable.

ROOT 34. Enduring Love finished 13th November.
One relationship grows and endures while another slowly disintegrates. Of course it is well written and the use of imagery was an aspect I really enjoyed. My first McEwan and I look forward to many more.

64Jackie_K
Nov. 13, 2017, 4:32 pm

>63 brakketh: There was a more recent film adaptation just a few years ago (starring Carey Mulligan as Bathsheba). The Julie Christie film is from the 1960s I believe.

65rabbitprincess
Nov. 13, 2017, 4:53 pm

The Carey Mulligan adaptation of Far from the Madding Crowd is great!

66floremolla
Bearbeitet: Nov. 14, 2017, 11:07 am

>65 rabbitprincess: I loved the Carey Mulligan adaptation - wept buckets at the end, even second time around!

>63 brakketh: Also enjoyed Enduring Love - which has such a clever beginning - there's an adaptation of that too but I remember thinking it wasn't great (despite starring Daniel Craig!).

67brakketh
Nov. 15, 2017, 7:28 am

Thank you all for so many recommendations, think I might need to give Enduring Love with Mr Craig a go as well. Cheers.

ROOT 35. Faust: Part 1 finished 15th November.

Holding off on further review until finished Part II. Currently finding it a little challenging to read but sticking with it as a seminal work (see for example the use of Faustian as a tag).

68brakketh
Nov. 17, 2017, 11:30 pm

ROOT 36. Faust: Part 2 finished 18th November.

The play/poetic structure didn't really engage me. I think I needed a version with more critical notes throughout as many of the allusions, etc. went right past me.

69brakketh
Nov. 18, 2017, 10:08 pm

ROOT 37. The Gold Coast finished 19th November.

Echoes of the beat poets in a cyberpunk setting. Very enjoyable and tragic at the same time.

70Tess_W
Nov. 19, 2017, 7:45 pm

So very close to your goal!

71brakketh
Nov. 26, 2017, 2:40 am

...and one step closer.

38. King of Foxes finished 25th November.

Elements of a Monte Cristo-esque revenge plot that loses a little steam in places.

72brakketh
Bearbeitet: Dez. 9, 2017, 10:26 pm

Nearly there now:

39. The Loved One finished 10th December.

Very amusing satire with tragic and merciless twists.

73Tess_W
Dez. 10, 2017, 6:05 am

You can do it!

74brakketh
Dez. 10, 2017, 3:24 pm

40. Breakdowns: Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@&*! finished 11th December.

Interesting glimpse into Spiegelman's creative journey.

Chose a nice short one to ensure that I finished before leaving for my annual holiday (usually have to read eBooks due to luggage constraints). Challenging for me to get to 40 this year but very happy to have cleared a little more shelf space.

75connie53
Dez. 11, 2017, 6:44 am

You did it, Kale!



76MissWatson
Dez. 11, 2017, 7:07 am

Well done!

77floremolla
Dez. 11, 2017, 5:06 pm

Yay, good work! Enjoy your holiday!

78Jackie_K
Dez. 12, 2017, 5:46 am

Good job, well done! Have a great holiday!

79Tess_W
Dez. 16, 2017, 7:53 am

Congrats!

80rabbitprincess
Dez. 16, 2017, 9:13 am

Woo hoo, congrats!

81brakketh
Dez. 18, 2017, 3:34 am

Thanks all, was really concerned that I wouldn't get there this year but managed to pull a couple of shorter volumes off the shelves and stay away from the library (mostly) for the final two months of the year. I have even managed to add one to the communal target.

ROOT 41. Pacific Edge finished 17th December.

Really enjoyed each iteration of this series, this borderline utopia was interesting and thoroughly Californian (I assume) in feel.