Familyhistorian pulls more ROOTs in 2017 2nd page

Spring is a time of increased activity. Hopefully that will mean more active ROOTs reading!

Goal is the same as last year - 50 ROOTs




Acquisitions




Books culled

April was one of my worst months for ROOTs reading. I read a total of 2 ROOTs. I think that is my worst month of ROOTing since I have been a member of the ROOTs group. I do have about 5 ROOTs that I am reading right now. I hope to add those to my May totals.

Ok, now to list the reason why I need to keep up with my ROOTing, my acquisitions for April. The pile looked pretty bad but then I took out the ones that I got from the Little Free Library and it looks much better. My LFL haul for April was:

Heart of the Sea by Nora Roberts
Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer
Saints of the Shadow Bible by Ian Rankin
Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie
A Good Day to Die by Simon Kernick
Uneasy Money by P.G. Wodehouse
The Small Bachelor by P.G. Wodehouse
French Leave by P.G. Wodehouse

These are my purchased books for April:

Pacific: Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators and Fading Empires by Simon Winchester
By Gaslight by Steven Price
The Genetics of Health: Understand Your Genes for Better Health by Sharad P. Paul, MD
Blood's a Rover by James Ellroy
The Borrowed by Chan Ho-Kei
Road Through Time: The Story of Humanity on the Move by Mary Soderstrom
Drawing Basics Made Easy
Getting Out of Hope by James Cadelli
The Secret Loves of Geek Girls by Hope Nicholson
The Coniston Case by Rebecca Tope
Woman in Blue by Elly Griffiths

Great hauls! good luck with the drawing practice, hope it doesn't keep you from your ROOTs. (think I've just taken a Hobby Bullet as you've reminded me I was going to get my paints out....)

Happy new thread! Hope you have a successful few months ROOTing!

I just got a copy of Pacific as well, but from the library. It looks very interesting!

>6 floremolla: Drawing is one of the things that has been keeping me from my ROOTs as I draw pictures when I can't find images to illustrate my blog. It's fun but I would like to improve my technique. I think there should be more hours in the day!

>7 Jackie_K: Thanks Jackie, I hope to be more successful with my ROOTs than I have been in the last couple of months.

>8 rabbitprincess: I like Winchester's books and have read a couple. Atlantic is already a ROOT on my shelf so I will probably get to that one first. I am interested in both oceans as I grew up close to the Atlantic and now live on the coast of the Pacific.

>9 Familyhistorian: that's an impressive use of your drawing skills - what is your blog subject if you don't mind my asking?

I was just thinking the same about not enough hours in the day yesterday - the sun was shining so garden work won the day! This morning will include a brisk walk with an audiobook which at least is multi-tasking.

>12 floremolla: Lucky you with sunshine. We are having our worst, wettest spring in years after the worst winter we have had in years. We haven't had two sunny days to string together yet.

My blog is a history blog. It is very wide ranging because it is the history that I somehow have a connection to - like the history that my own family history has led me to or that I have lived through. I just did a series of posts about Vancouver in the '70s now I am on to fashion and ageing in history.

Here is my blog update from my thread on the '75ers:



My current posts are about Age and Fashion in History. Check out my blog at A Genealogist's Path to History

>13 Familyhistorian: wow, that's fantastic, what a lot of work you must put in between the writing and the illustrating - no wonder your reading time is squeezed! I love local history. My own contribution is to be chairman (actually, woman) of a local society whose purpose is to conserve the built heritage of our town. Hoping to get a website up and running soon...if only there were more hours in the day...sigh.

I just looked at the BBC weather app for Vancouver - it's fluctuating wildly this week but to settle next week, though still not as warm as you'd hope for May. Hope it turns out much better than that!

Happy new thread!
>1 Familyhistorian: I love the pic! :)

>3 Familyhistorian: well, it happens.. at least you have 5 in process!

>4 Familyhistorian: >5 Familyhistorian: fun hauls! ;) I recognize many of the authors but haven't read any of those :)

>9 Familyhistorian: >13 Familyhistorian: that is awesome! Very artistic :)

Happy new thread! That's a lovely picture...

>15 avanders: Thanks, Ava. I actually just finished a ROOT but now to find time to post about it. Very busy week this week with evening meetings three nights in a row and a blog post to write and illustrate. Hope you are doing well. I haven't followed up with your thread lately but I hear that you have some interesting news?

>16 MissWatson: Thanks, I love the flowering trees in the Spring. Just wish there was sunshine to go with them.

>17 Familyhistorian: that does sound like a busy week! Hopefully it's also enjoyable ☺️
News? Baby? He's wonderful! 2 months old and so much personality! He had his first vaccinations this week though- it's been rough ... on me. 😜Pics on my thread and also in profile ☺️

Happy New Thread, Meg. I love the topper, very sunny and colourful.

>13 Familyhistorian: Nice!!!

>19 avanders: It's very busy, Ava. No wonder I can't keep caught up. Last night was a meeting of my women's group and there was much laughter so, yes, very enjoyable. Tonight is a board meeting for the museum I volunteer for so probably not as much laughter. Oh well, I have Friday off this week. I am sure to be able to catch up with your thread then. I am looking forward to baby pics! Congrats, amazing how much life changes after the happy event, isn't it?

>20 connie53: Thanks, Connie. I like to keep my thread colourful.

>21 Familyhistorian: You're doing a great job ROOTing so far, especially since you're so busy! :) Hope you're enjoying your Sunday!

>23 LauraBrook: I lost my stars last month so it doesn't feel that my ROOTing is going that well. Thanks for your encouragement. Have a great Sunday and upcoming week.

Rooting, painting, geneaology, (sp?), I'm impressed!

>25 Tess_W: Thanks, Tess. It is a challenge to keep everything going which is probably why I am having a hard time keeping up with the threads. I guess something has to give.

15. From Here to Paternity by Jill Churchill

I read some ROOTs but haven't been posting right away and by that I mean I haven't even posted within a week of finishing them. I have a few ROOTs on the go and hope to earn back a star this month. I have a week off coming up not this week but the following week so hope to catch up with my reading of both books and threads.

My first May ROOT was From Here to Paternity. It was one of the Jill Churchill books that I picked up at the Little Free Library. It was a fun Jane Jeffrey mystery which delved into Colorado ski resorts and genealogy from a novice's point of view. The murder victims are from both the ski resort and the genealogy group.

16. Brotherhood in Death by J.D. Robb

ROOT two for May was Brotherhood in Death. The In Death series is one I have been following since it started. This was another good entry.

17. A History of Scotland by Neil Oliver

So many of the books on my shelves are nonfiction, which always seem to take me longer to read. In this case the ROOT that I read was A History of Scotland: A look behind the mist and myth of Scottish history by Neil Oliver. Scotland is one of my areas of research because that is where one of my family lines comes from. This was an interesting and comprehensive history.

>29 Familyhistorian: you probably know more about my country's history than I do just now, but it's something I'm planning to rectify as I've plenty of ROOTs on the subject waiting to be tackled!

A history writer whose work I don't have but would like to read is Prof. Tom Devine - he's become the 'go to' academic for the Scottish media on matters historic in recent years - I wish he'd do some tv programmes as I think he'd be very interesting (plus I like history better with pictures :) )

>29 Familyhistorian: The documentary series that Neil Oliver presents based on this book is very good, too! :)

>30 floremolla: Hmm, I didn't know that he was the 'go to' academic for the Scottish media. I have a couple of Prof. Tom Devine's books on the shelf, The Scottish Nation: 1700-2000 and the the Ends of the Earth: Scotland's Global Diaspora, 1750-2010. I'll have to give them a go soon.

It's great knowing the overall history but I tend to concentrate more on the highlands and islands where my family lived at one time. That's why I have a very large section of books about Scotland. Most of them unread ROOTs I'm afraid.

>31 rabbitprincess: I think I saw a few shows in the series on Scotland and some of his other shows as well. I especially like when they go into the archaeological research and finds behind the history.

It was interesting when I read the book. I could hear his voice in some of the passages because I had heard it so many times on TV.

>32 Familyhistorian: he was knighted a couple of years ago for services to the the study of Scottish history so is now Prof. Sir Tom Devine. Probably raised his profile a few notches!

>34 floremolla: No wonder he is the go-to guy for Scottish history!

>21 Familyhistorian: Yes, it is amazing how much life changes so quickly!!
I still have quite a few close friends who don't have kids (my peer group is late-20s to mid-40s), so I try to remember that not everyone has 'em, but it is amazing how all-encompassing it is, at least in the beginning, with a new baby!

>36 avanders: It's like you get a whole new peer group. But it does all sort out in the end as your focus changes as they grow. It's just that it is so all encompassing for the first decade or more.

lol "for the first decade or so" ... is that all? ;)
Yes, my parent-friends who've been doing this for a while all agree with you -- your focus changes and it all sorts out and it becomes the new normal. :)

>38 avanders: Enjoy your parenting, at times it is overwhelming but it has lots of rewards.

18. Pall in the Family by Dawn Eastman

May is a month for reading mysteries so I have been able to clear a few more ROOTs. Pall in the Family was a cute cozy which involves the Family Fortune and focuses on Clyde who is trying to deny her psychic gifts.

19. Mood Swings to Murder by Jane Isenberg

So I was looking in my desk drawer recently and I found a stash of books; all ROOTs of course. Can I finish them before I retire at the end of September? The aim is to bring them home one by one, read them and put them in the Little Free Library. We'll see how far I get with that.

The first one was Mood Swings to Murder, an interesting, if slightly dated, cozy. It is based in Hoboken where Frank Sinatra came from. The murder victim is a Frank Sinatra impersonator. It was cute, light fare.

>41 Familyhistorian: fun - discovering ROOTs in a desk drawer ;)
Sounds like a fun book!

>42 avanders: It was kind of a blast from the past, Ava. There was a very '90s feel to it. I'll have to dig up another of those desk drawer ROOTs for next month.

I was looking at my stack of acquisitions for May. There were even more than usual and then I found three more book in a bag that I didn't include in the stack. Looks like more ROOTs in the making. I did particularly well at the Little Free Library this month and then there was a Friends of the Library Sale *sigh*

From the Little Free Library:
Dorchester Terrace by Anne Perry
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman

From the Friends of the Library sale:
England in the Twentieth Century by David Thomson
Rough Crossings by Simon Schama
Vanishing Canada by Rick Butler
A Country House Companion by Mark Girouard

Then there were the bookstore acquisitions:

The World Encyclopedia of Archaeology
Amazing Fantastic Incredible Stan Lee by Stan Lee
The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson by David P. Silcox
Defiant Spirits: the Modernist Revolution of the Group of Seven by Ross King
White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America by Nancy Isenberg
The Lost Diaries of Susanna Moodie by Cecily Ross
The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
The Last Dead Girl by Harry Dolan
When Falcons Fall by C.S. Harris
The Maltese Falcon by Dashell Hammett
Promises to Keep by Genevieve Graham
Blood, Sweat, and Fear by Eve Lazarus
'Til Death Do Us Part by Amanda Quick
The Ashes of London by Andrew Taylor
The Knife Slipped by Erle Stanley Gardner
Platinum Doll by Anne Girard
Jane Steele by Lindsay Faye

>43 Familyhistorian: I really enjoy that... even though it's "dated," it's nostalgic and, like you say, a blast from the past ;) Some of the earlier cozy mysteries have that charm ..

>44 Familyhistorian: >45 Familyhistorian: nice selection of acquisitions! :) I have a couple of those on my TBR/TBA (acquired ;)) lists

>46 avanders: I am more used to golden age blasts from the past in my cozies, Ava. Revisiting the '90s was good too. The only problem with that list of acquisitions is that I have no where to put them. I will have to increase my ROOTs readings and move the read books along.

I know the feeling -- hope you either find a magical new place to store more books or read ROOTs quickly! ;)

>48 avanders: I'll see what comes first, Ava. Somehow I think I have most of the book storage places here covered. I also found that I forgot to list one of last month acquisitions. The new one to add to the list is:

The Encyclopedia of Drawing Techniques by Hazel Harrison

20. A Groom with a View by Jill Churchill

I'm running into a serious shelf shortage. I need to read some of those ROOTs and move them along which was part of the reason that I picked up A Groom with a View. In this Jane Jeffry mystery our intrepid heroine has taken on a job as a wedding planner. So what could possibly go wrong? Well, it is a murder mystery.

I'm feeling your shelf shortage - just removed a bed from our smallest bedroom to accommodate more shelves. It was a choice between books and occasional overnight visitors and the books won.

>51 floremolla: Now that's serious book dedication LOL. It's nice to have a library room though, isn't it?

>52 Familyhistorian: well it also has to accommodate my out of season clothes so it's kind of a 'half library' but it'll be nice to have most of my books together!

>53 floremolla: Ha, maybe you should skimp on the clothes so you have more room for books.

>54 Familyhistorian: hmm, I think you might be onto something there...

>55 floremolla: Only a book lover would think that. LOL No wonder we are members of the ROOTs group!

>49 Familyhistorian: lol I can only imagine ;) I think I still have some book storage places to exploit, but I try to keep husband from feeling overwhelmed too..... :-o

>51 floremolla: lol we're not quite at that point yet ;)

>57 avanders: I try to keep books off the main floor, well bookshelves any way. But pretty much everywhere else is fair game. With three floors that's quite a bit of space. Wish I could say there are still some places left like you can, Ava.

Oh, well that would definitely make a difference! A whole floor off limits! Though, I suppose, with 2 other floors, maybe it's still rather reasonable ;p

>59 avanders: Well, the main floor has living/dining room/kitchen/bathroom/fireplace and two sets of stairs taking up space so there is very little room to put a bookshelf to tell the truth. There is much more room on the other floors.

>60 Familyhistorian: well, I suppose if you're going to be pragmatic about it... ;)

>61 avanders: LOL, well pragmatic and I guess I have to consider my son who shares the same space. Hmm, maybe that's why there are 4 laptops on the main level though, to be fair, two of them are mine.

lol I guess consideration might be warranted ;)
And 4 laptops! You have us beat... :)

>63 avanders: Just you wait, your computers will multiply over the years too.

>64 Familyhistorian: don't you think at some point we'll all just have a microchip inserted into our heads instead? 😕

>64 Familyhistorian: I have no doubt.. ;)

>65 floremolla: Nope, too many competing companies will be out to control your brain. Maybe some people will want the microchip but there will be others who will opt to be "off the grid."

>66 avanders: It's all good, Ava, well, most of it LOL.

21. No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod

I have been meaning to read No Great Mischief, Alistair MacLeod's tale of Cape Breton Scots, for quite some time. It's a good one. He really captures their character.

>69 Familyhistorian: One of my favourites! Glad you liked it :)

>70 rabbitprincess: It was very good. Have you read anything else by him?

22. Beauvallet by Georgette Heyer

Beauvallet is a Georgette Heyer novel that I have not read before. It was a very slow starter but towards the end of the novel the action picked up. If you like swashbuckling pirates this is the book for you.

>72 Familyhistorian: Do you know Simon the Coldheart? It's about Nick's ancestor who started the family line.

>73 MissWatson: I haven't read Simon the Coldheart and didn't realize it was related to Beauvallet. Interesting. I will have to have a look for it.

She hasn't done that very often, I only recall it from the Alastair novels.

>75 MissWatson: I only realized that These Old Shades and Devil's Cub were related. I think there was a third novel that is also attached to these but I have never read it.

>77 MissWatson: That's An Infamous Army where we also meet Judith Taverner from Regency Buck again. Lots of it is taken up with the battle of Waterloo, so it needs willpower to finish it if you're not interested in military things.

>77 MissWatson: I'll have to dredge up an ancestor or two who fought at Waterloo to make An Infamous Army more relevant before I read it. Hmm, I wonder if any of them did?

>77 MissWatson:, I have heard that An Infamous Army is taught at the British royal military academy at Sandhurst because it is one of the best descriptions of the battle. I kind of love the idea of big gruff army men teaching from a Georgette Heyer :)

>79 Caramellunacy: Heyer must have done outstanding research!

>79 Caramellunacy: I can imagine John Keegan doing that.
>80 Familyhistorian: I think she must have read everything on Wellington available at her time.

ETC

>81 MissWatson:, we read Keegan's WWII book The Second World War for my WWII class and it was a wonderful overview.

>81 MissWatson: >82 Caramellunacy: I have never heard of John Keegan before and tend to read a lot about WWII but from a British and Canadian point of view. Does Keegan concentrate on the US involvement?

>83 Familyhistorian: So far I have only read his The face of battle, so I can't comment on the WWII book.

>83 Familyhistorian:, It has been a *very* long time since that class, so I'm not the most up-to-date reporter, but I don't recall Keegan focusing specifically on US involvement - in fact, I recall feeling like there was a much broader review of the conflict (including Russian involvement and the Far East) than I had previously encountered.

>84 MissWatson: The reviews for The Face of Battle look interesting. I will have to check out Keegan's works.

>83 Familyhistorian: Really, he writes about the Far East? I am always looking for information on that area of the conflict as my father was stationed in Burma.

23. Agony of the Leaves by Laura Childs

Agony of the Leaves was another interesting entry in the tea shop mystery series. I enjoy dipping into these books every once in a while. That is one more ROOT for me for the month.

24. 60 Years Behind the Wheel: The Cars We Drove in Canada 1900-1960 by Bill Sherk

60 Years Behind the Wheel is a celebration of Canadian cars. It contains great photos and interesting stories about the people who owned or used the cars in the photos and was very handy when I was doing research on old cars for a series of posts on my blog.

25. Family Matters: A History of Genealogy by Michael Sharpe

Most of my family history research is in England, so I was interesting in reading this history of genealogy in that country. It was a slow read at first but when it got to the history that I was a part of, it became much more interesting.

Its the start of a new month and time to list my acquisitions for the last month. Unfortunately I brought home more books from the Little Free Library than I left. I better start reading and recycling those ROOTs at a faster pace. New for June are:

Property of a Noblewoman by Danielle Steele
Fleshmarket Close by Ian Rankin
Ice Lake by John Farrow
Friends of the Heart by Barnes & Otto
Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks

And now for the books I spent money on *sigh*. In my defense there was a genealogy conference which increased the number somewhat.

The Golden Age of Murder by Martin Edwards
Bloody History of London by John E. Wright
Fatal Enquiry by Will Thomas
Pierre Berton's War of 1812 by Pierre Berton
The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband by Julia Quinn
Unplug by Suze Yalof Schwartz
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
Discover Scottish Church Records by Chris Paton
Social History: Enhance Your Family Story by Barbara Starmans
Graphic Design: The New Basics by Ellen Lupton and Jennifer Cole Phillips
Blind Justice by Bruce Alexander
Doctor Syn by Russell Thorndyke
The Quick by Lauren Owen
Draw Buildings and Cities in 15 Minutes by Matthew Brehm
March by John Lewis (the 3 volume set)

Hi, Meg! Haven't seen you around for awhile. Figured you were busy reading all those new & shiny!

Hi Tess, no I haven't cracked any of those new covers yet. I am just way behind in the threads and in posting about my ROOTs. I am not sure where all the time goes!

26. Corpse: Nature, Forensics, and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death by Jessica Snyder Sachs

I have read a few ROOTs so far this month and hope to bring my numbers up to gain back a star. I will open this month's posting with a book from my nonfiction shelves. Corpse: Nature, Forensics, and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death. Fascinating but probably not for the squeamish.

Just dropping by to say Hello :)

>96 avanders: Hi Ava, are you getting much time for LTing and reading these days?

27. Trapped at the Altar by Jane Feather

It have been reading ROOTs but it is taking me a while to get around to posting about them. Trapped at the Altar was surprisingly set in the 17th century – I should know better than to judge the time period by the look of the wedding dress on the cover – or perhaps wedding dresses haven't changed much since the 17th century? It was an interesting view of the time when Catholic and Protestant were viing for power in the court of Charles II. I like a bit of history along with my romance.

>97 Familyhistorian: not even a little bit! ... Well, reading is going OK.. but LT'ing has fallen so far away! It has been almost a month, I think, since I last checked in... But I *have* discovered a new bookish app that I recommend -- it's nice bc you can just check in "right quick" and still be engaged... harder for me to do that w/ LT bc I want to respond substantively to everything (even if I can't ;)) It's called Litsy ... http://litsy.com/ if you're interested (i'll post more about it on my thread...)

And hee hee, just looking at your #s, I see you've acquired well over 100 books this year so far too... I'm glad I'm not the only one!

>99 avanders: Litsy!? Come find me! I'm rabbitprincess on there as well :D

oh! Yes, ok I will!

>99 avanders: >100 rabbitprincess: Litsy hmm, I'll have to check that out when I have some time. I am way, way behind on things this year. Researching and writing my blog takes a lot of my time as does all the prepping for retirement. I have some time off coming up in August and hope to do some catching up with LT, reading and life in general.

>102 Familyhistorian: have a great holiday when it comes, Meg - will your retirement free you up or will you be busier than ever? ;)

>103 floremolla: Thanks, I am looking forward to the break. I am hoping that I will have more free time in retirement but I know a lot of retired people and they are busier than ever.

>105 Tess_W: I'm trying to prep for retirement, also. I'm not sure when I'm going to retire, but probably in the next 2-3 years. I always thought I would have lots of free time after my children were grown and gone but that is not the case. I think during my retirement I'm going to pick 2 days per week when I will do nothing--no grocery, no housework, no nothing---just so I can have some me time.

>105 Tess_W: That sounds like a very good plan, Tess.

>105 Tess_W: It's strange how life just seems to get busier and busier. I have heard that it is the same way in retirement. Well, I guess I am going to find out soon. I do have a game plan as I started prepping for retirement I when went back to school to take courses in professional writing in 2009. It just took a little longer than I thought to give up my day job. Good luck with keeping 2 days for yourself, Tess. It seems that men are a lot better at doing that.

>107 Familyhistorian: I had a little chuckle at your wry comment about men being better at keeping time for themselves - that was always my experience! I was never good at extricating myself from daily 'duties' and even on a day off would be frantically stuffing laundry in the machine or prepping a meal before leaving the house. Hubby on the other hand would sail off for a day of self indulgence - hill walking, motorcycling or meeting friends - without a backward glance. Much better at compartmentalising - but then not so good at multi-tasking ;)

>108 floremolla: Much easier for them to sit in an untidy house and not notice too! I have grown a tendency not to clean up the mess as I have gotten busier - all that keeping up with the Fitbit group has definitely eaten into my cleaning time. I still know the mess is there, however, looming in the background.

>109 Familyhistorian: I've grown the same tendency this year - so long as the main sitting room is clean and tidy I don't mind untidiness elsewhere.

On the basis that less stuff = less tidying, I'm decluttering - though not books, heaven forfend! - and am beyond happy that my daughter is soon getting an apartment and I can offload stuff onto her. Lol.

Cooking is therapy for me, so I'm not including that in my "days." I think I might have some disorder--lol-because I need to have things neat and tidy and clean. However, I learned a long time ago that if I spend just 20 minutes in 1 room per day, the entire house has been cleaned in 1 week. Worked when I have kids and still works for me now. I think it's a habit. For example, today, was "kitchen" day and since it's still clean from last week, I decided to wash down the fronts of the cupboards. Took me about 30 minutes--done with that for another year. Tomorrow is parlor day and I will dust and vacuum, but I'm going to take down my teacup collection (25 of them) and wash and dry them and put them back--so about 40 mins in there tomorrow. Will probably take down the curtains and wash and dry-wash windows---not sure---did that at Christmas! Done! I only "deep" (other than dusting and vacuuming) clean in the summer when I'm off school.

>110 floremolla: Unloading stuff on your daughter sounds like a good plan! Good for you for keeping the main sitting room clean and tidy - I can't say that mine is.

That sounds like a good cleaning plan, Tess. I will think about adopting it when I am retired and have that 20 minutes a day to spend. Right now there always seems there is something else I have to do in the few hours I have off from work. Keeping fit on top of everything else takes up much of my time - maybe if I wasn't so competitive I wouldn't spend so much time walking to get my steps. Too bad housecleaning barely registers on the Fitbit.

Hi Meg, Just stopping by to say hi and start keeping up from here. To much new posts to read them all.

>114 connie53: Hi Connie, good to see you here. I know what you mean about too many posts, I am having a hard time keeping up with LT this year.

28. The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths

I have quite a few of the Ruth Galloway series sitting on my shelves. The latest installment for me was The House at Sea's End a good mystery and another ROOT for me. I love Ruth's messy life. She has a lot on her plate as an archaeologist and now, single mother. Must get to the next in the series soon.

29. Falling Backwards by Jann Arden

Why is life so busy lately? I am reading but finding it hard to post about my reads and trying to keep up with the threads is impossible. My latest ROOT that I finished a couple of days ago – how can it be the end of July already – was Jann Arden's memoir Falling Backwards. I knew that she would have an interesting backstory as she is witty on stage and I was right.

>117 Familyhistorian: I'm having the same problem with live and threads, Meg.

>118 connie53: I thought things were supposed to slow down in the summer, Connie. It looks like people have time off and are using it to post on LT *sigh*. Have a great weekend. I hope you get in some relaxation and reading.

>119 Familyhistorian: I'm using my free time to catch up on LT too. It's still early in the morning here and raining! Peet is still sleeping so what else can you do?

>119 Familyhistorian: It's almost midnight here and the lines are starting to blur. We could use some rain. It has been hot and the sun is a big orange ball in the sky from all the smoke from the wildfires. It probably would be hotter without all that smoke.

Sending as much rain as I can your way!

>121 Familyhistorian: You can have lots of my rain, Meg.

>122 rabbitprincess: Thanks for that but I don't think it is working yet.

>123 connie53: You have rain to spare too, Connie? Usually we have way more rain than we can handle, after all it is a rain forest. I just wish that rain would fall where the wildfires are and let all the evacuees go home, if they have homes to go back to.

I am behind on my posting and a lot of other things as well. I am looking forward to my vacation in a few weeks. Not going anywhere so I hope to get caught up on life in general.

Maybe the smoke is slowing me down?

Unfortunately, I haven't slowed down in the book acquisition department. New ones for July are:

A Cafe by the Sea by Jenny Colgan
The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor
The Skeleton Road by Val McDermid
Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
A Dangerous Fiction by Barbara Rogan
Rosie's War by Kay Brelland
Europe Between the Oceans: 9000 BC-Ad 1000 by Barry Cunliffe
The Best American Comics 2016 by Roz Chast
Max Perkins: Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg
The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan
The Dead Woman of Deptford by Ann Granger
The Hidden Thread by Liz Trenow
Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
Empire of Deception by Dean Jobb

And from the Little Free Library for July:

I heart Vegas by Lindsey Kelk
Angels & Demons by Dan Brown
Speaking in Bones by Kathy Reichs

>126 Familyhistorian: That is a beautiful but terrifying picture, Meg. I would be so scared when that would happen around me. We have wildfires but they are small in comparison.

Never been subject to a fire of any kind; but I do not envy you!

Bring up the Bodies was great!

>129 connie53: It has been like that for about a week, Connie. The sun, when we can see it, is a bright orange, so is any sunlight that filters through. It is eerie and looks like the Apocalypse. It would be great for filming a horror story.

>130 Tess_W: The fire is miles away from here, Tess. I think that the smoke has reached as far as Portland. Was there a book before Bring Up the Bodies or is that the first one?

>132 Familyhistorian: Bring up the Bodies is the sequel to Wolf Hall. I can't imagine reading the 2nd one w/o reading the 1st one.

>133 Tess_W: I had a feeling it was the second, Tess, but what could I do, it was only $5. I will have to hunt down Wolf Hall and read it first.

I'm going to try to quit moaning about the rain here now, what a disaster these fires are on so many levels.

Great haul of books, Meg. I've only read Ethan Frome but thought it was a poignant little gem.

>135 floremolla: Rain would be welcome here, well just enough to quell the fires and clean the sky. The forecast shows more sunny days for the next stretch. It would be lovely but for the fires.

Hmm, Ethan Frome looks like a nice slim volume to read soon but then again it won't take up much room on the shelf.

30. Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

I am working on getting my star back so need to up my ROOTs for August. What better way to do that than to read a romance novel? I find that they are some of the fastest reads. Because of Miss Bridgerton was another fun historical romance by Julia Quinn.

31. A Cotswold Ordeal by Rebecca Tope

Another fast read, this time a mystery. A Cotswold Ordeal is the second in Rebecca Tope's Cotswold series. This was a good one. Thea is once housesitting once again and strange people and dead bodies start to appear. Then her favourite investigating officer shows up on the scene as well as her sister fleeing from a domestic crisis. An interesting read all round.

I just wanted to drop by to say hi :)
I couldn't possibly catch up on the threads here (explanation on my own thread), though I wish I could!
I hear that you feel like you have a little more time again at some point after having a kid... here's to hoping ;)

>139 avanders: Hi, Ava. Yes, in a decade or so you will have a bit more free time. Just wait until you get to be mom's taxi and event coordinator.

32. Triangle: The Fire that Changed America by David Von Drehle

Non-fiction ROOTs seem to take longer to read than fiction. Triangle: The Fire that Changed America took me a long time to read. The set up was slow as the author was trying to show the background to the events of the fire but once the fire happened events moved quickly. It was an interesting look at the era and the history of industrialized New York.

>32 Familyhistorian: I teach the Triangle Fire in my American History course. Quite interesting!

>142 Tess_W: The book was interesting and a very good look at New York at the turn of the 20th century from a working class and political perspective, Tess.

33. The King's Grave: The Discovery of Richard III's Lost Burial Place and the Clues It Holds by Phillipa Langley & Michael Jones

Another book from my nonfiction shelves and another ROOT read. The King's Grave: The Discovery of Richard III's Lost Burial Place and the Clues It Holds. It combines my love of history and archeology and has pictures. It you are at all curious about this well publicized find, this is a good account.

>144 Familyhistorian: goes on my wishlist!

>145 Tess_W: It's a good one, Tess. Did you see the TV program The King in the Car Park?

>146 Familyhistorian: No, I haven't. I don't watch TV....but I make exceptions for good programs. I'll watch out for that one!

>147 Tess_W: Google it, that way you can watch it on your computer when it is convenient for you. It's on You-Tube. Once I found it there I had to watch all over again.

It's such a fascinating story, isn't it - we couldn't believe it when they said they'd found him in a Leicester car park! (as you can probably imagine, there were a *lot* of wags making jokes about him dying because he had lost the will to live trying to find his car, or building up £1000s in parking fines).

>140 Familyhistorian: lol... decade or so. Ok ... {processing that..} S'long as there's an end in sight? ;D

>149 Jackie_K: I was pretty amazed when I first heard about it, Jackie. I thought it was some made up gimmick but it was true! The story of how the discovery was made was very interesting. I can imagine the wags were having a good time with that one!

>150 avanders: There is actually an end in sight. They actually become human beings around their mid-twenties. Just hope by then that you are not too worn out to enjoy it!

34. The Celtic World: An Illustrated History 700 B.C. to the Present by Patrick Lavin

My personal library contains a lot of books about history, most of which is related to my family history. Unfortunately, most of the books are unread. I started off with a small one from the Celtic collection, The Celtic World: An Illustrated History. It was a good introduction.

35. Scandal in Skibbereen by Sheila Connolly

I follow a lot of mystery series which, unfortunately, creates a lot of ROOTs. Scandal in Skibbereen is the second in the County Cork mystery series. Maura is settling down into her ancestral Irish village where she is now the proud owner of a pub. What better place to find out about the next mystery in her new home?

36. Tom Thomson: Trees by Joan Murray

To top off my ROOTs reading for the month, I read a book from my Tom Thomson collection. It is the beautifully put together Tom Thomson: Trees. I really enjoyed all the coloured photos of Thomson's works featuring trees.

Well, now that I feel better about reading ROOTs in August, it is time to own up to the potential new ROOTs that came into my home in the month. From the Little Free Library there are:

Whispers at Midnight by Karen Robards
Maximum Bob by Elmore Leonard
Freaky Deaky by Elmore Leonard
A Week from Sunday by Dorothy Garlock
The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
The Peppered Moth by Margaret Drabble
Persuader by Lee Child
The Mary Rose: The Excavation and Raising of Henry VIII's Flagship by Margaret Rule

From the bookstore in August:

The Viking World by James Graham-Campbell
Modern History in Pictures by DK Smithsonian
New York at War: Four Centuries of Combat, Fear, and Intrigue in Gotham by Steven H. Jaffe
How Different It Was: Canadians at the Time of Confederation by Michael J. Goodspeed
Ragtime in Simla by Barbara Cleverly
Dead Ground in Between by Maureen Jennings
Echoes in Death by J.D. Robb
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Shrill by Lindy West
Rare Objects by Kathleen Tessaro
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
The Other Side of Midnight by Simone St. James
The Somme Stations by Andrew Martin

Good haul! I would like to read The Miniaturist too. And I've managed to snag a couple of Madeleine L'Engle books cheaply (via my kobo recommendations) in the last couple of months. I've a few friends who rave about her books, so I thought I'd give them a go.

>158 Jackie_K: Unfortunately that good haul happens every month here, Jackie. Right now I am reorganizing my library to try and find more room. But how could I resist those wonderful books? I've seen a lot of accolades for A Wrinkle in Time on LT so had to pick it up when I saw it in the bookstore. I also saw posts about The Miniaturist and when I saw it just sitting there for the taking I had to take it home. Unfortunately, I picked up more books than I dropped off at the Little Free Library last month.

>158 Jackie_K: >159 Familyhistorian: I enjoyed The Miniaturist, hope you both like it too.

That's a nice eclectic haul you've got there - I finally totted up my acquisitions and added them to my thread. It was a bit galling to realise my reading and acquiring are just about balancing each other out!

>160 floremolla: but if your acquisitions are about the same as your reading then at least the net gain isn't too bad. One day I will reach that blessed day when my acquisitions match but don't exceed reading, but I'm not there yet!

>161 Jackie_K: true, Jackie, but just a few months ago the ratio was 2:1 - 2 read to 1 acquired - so I feel like I'm on a slippery slope! At least I'm reining in the expenditure by acquiring almost entirely from charity shops.

>160 floremolla: It's wonderful that your reading and acquiring are balancing each other out. I wish I could say that. My reading lags far behind.

>161 Jackie_K: >162 floremolla: That 2:1 ratio is very impressive. I don't think that has ever happened to me in my life! What about you, Jackie?

>164 Familyhistorian: Never happened to me either! I am (just about - give or take a book or two) managing this year with a ratio of 1 read:1.5 acquired (I'm currently at 40:62, but have a few books on the go and no obvious acquisitions in sight, so hoping to get back to the right side of the ratio soon). I originally intended to go for 1:1.5 this year and aim for 1:1 next year, but I honestly don't know if I can do it. Maybe I'll aim for 1:1.25 next year instead...

>163 Familyhistorian: >164 Familyhistorian: my reading had been at an all time low till last winter so I hadn't acquired much other than a few bestsellers and some nice coffee table books on art and design - and I don't count the latter as TBR because they're for 'browsing' - now I'm on a runaway train of acquisition that's only going to gather pace unless I get a grip on it. I'm even self-enabling by reorganising rooms around what bookshelves they can accommodate - a spare bed has been ditched and the room will become a library...of course guests may sleep on the floor if they wish ;)

>165 Jackie_K: Baby steps, Jackie. I am hoping to cut way down on the acquisitions soon. I am rapidly running out of shelf space.

>166 floremolla: Ooh, rearranging the house to accommodate more books. Not like that would ever happen here LOL. Well, it doesn't take much rearranging because it was pretty much set up for books in the first place.

I had to get a grip on myself a few years ago. Thankfully I've been pretty successful with only a few relapses! When I joined in 2011 I had about 1100 TBR's. I only catalogued until 2014 when I joined ROOTS. Now I have 500 TBR's.....about 300 paper books and 200 ebooks. I seem to buy now only when I get gift cards or I need an audio or the first book in a series. Going to try to stick with it until I'm down to 2 bookcases of paper books.

>169 Tess_W: That is discipline, Tess. I really should get a handle on my book acquiring habit. I really love having the ready reference sources in my nonfiction library so I don't think I will do anything about those books except maybe weed some out. The fiction does need a concentrated effort to read them and move them out. I don't know that I will be as successful as you have been but I should give it a try.

37. Bell, Book and Scandal by Jill Churchill

My first ROOT for September was one of the Jane Jeffry mysteries, Bell, Book and Scandal. I liked the book because it was set at a writer's conference but felt a bit let down by the ending.

Some interesting books read, Meg.

>172 connie53: Thanks Connie. I am hoping to read through more of my ROOTs once I am retired at the end of September.

38. A Very Unusual Wife by Barbara Cartland

I read a short Barbara Cartland romance, A Very Unusual Wife. It was good and a fast read. This should help my ROOTs numbers.

39. Sick of Shadows by M.C. Beaton

The series and sequels challenge on the 75s thread is helping my ROOTs numbers. Most of my series are mysteries and some of them are fairly quick reads. I read the second book in M.C. Beaton's Edwardian mystery series Sick of Shadows.

Lady Rose Summer has a hard time being a sleuth as the only daughter of an aristocratic couple. She is hemmed in by societies expectations and the limitations placed on a young woman of that era. She doesn't let that stop her and gets up to all sorts of mischief while bringing the mystery to its conclusion.

40. In a Gilded Cage by Rhys Bowen

In a Gilded Cage is a Molly Murphy mystery set at the turn of the 20th century in New York. Molly once again gets into trouble investigating mysterious deaths. This time she was trying to find the truth behind the deaths of a group of young well-to-do women. It was a good mystery and an interesting look at life in New York in that era.

I will be attending the Surrey International Writers Conference in October. Rhys Bowen will be one of the authors in the line up. I hope I get to attend one of her workshops.

The conference sounds like it's right up your alley! I hope you enjoy it and get into Bowen's workshop!

>177 Tess_W: Thanks, Tess. I really enjoy the conference, that's why I keep going back.

40. The Contexts of Acadian History 1686 - 1784 by Naomi E.S. Griffiths

It is helpful when some of the LT challenges get me to read non-fiction books that are part of my collection. The Contexts of Acadian History 1686–1784 is a concise overview of the expulsion of the Acadians and its aftermath.

41. The Silent Boy by Andrew Taylor

Another ROOT for the month, this time it's an historical fiction. The Silent Boy was excellent. It was a well plotted, intriguing book set at the time just before the Reign of Terror.

>180 Familyhistorian: My favorite time period in which to read! On my wish list it goes!

>181 Tess_W: It's a good one, Tess.