Tess is Tilling her Tomes Part 4

Dies ist die Fortführung des Themas Tess is Tilling her Tomes Part 3.

Forum2017 ROOT (READ OUR OWN TOMES)

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Tess is Tilling her Tomes Part 4

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1Tess_W
Bearbeitet: Dez. 16, 2017, 7:05 pm




1. Shogun by James Clavell 1192 pages 5 stars
2. Learning from Shogun/Japanese History and Western Fantasy, 90 pages, 5 stars. (USC/UCLA PDF)
3. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell 193 pages 5 stars
4. The Warden by Anthony Trollope 206 pages 3 stars
5. An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon 896 pages 5 stars
6. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee 296 pages 2 stars
7. The Witch of Napoli by Michael Schmicker 250 pages 2 1/2 stars
8. Moby Dick by Herman Melville 396 pages 1 1/2 stars
9. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson 170 pages 2 1/2 stars
10. The Woman on the Orient Express by Lyndsay Jayne Ashford 332 pages 3 stars
11. The Eight by Katherine Neville 610 pages 4 stars
12. Blood Pressure Down byJanet Bond Brill 303 pages 5 stars
13. Barchester Towers b7 Anthony Trollope 791 pages 4 stars
14. Written in my Own Heart's Blood Diana Gabaldon 842 pages 4 1/2 stars
15. Villette by Charlotte Bronte read onlly 207/739 pages so bad 1 star
16. Most Dangerous Place: A Jack Swyteck Novel by James Grippando 368 pages 3 stars
17. The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro 384 pages 5 stars
18. 1929: Book One (The 1929 Series) by M.L. Gardner 465 pages 4 1/2 stars
19. The Life we Bury by Allen Eskens 305 pages 3 stars
20. Take my With you by Catherine Hyde. 363 pages, 2 1/2 stars
21. Margaret I: A Novel by Danielle Dutton 176 pages, 2 stars
22. The Great Bicycle Experiment by Kay Moore 72 pages, 5 stars
23. Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger 302 pages 5 stars
24. The 7th Canon by Robert Dugoni 352 pages 3 stars
25. Various- Dark Side of Thomas Jefferson, a 10 page article written by Henry Wiencek for The Smithsonian Magazine (Oct. 2012), Jefferson’s Inaugural Address of 1801, Notes on the State of Virginia (1785), Thomas Jefferson on Politics, The Personal Papers (University of Virginia) and Thomas Jefferson, “Letter to William Short” (Jan 3, 1793), Thomas Jefferson Papers at the Library of Congress, Series 1, Reel 17, about 65 pages, 5 stars!
26. The Bees by Laline Paull 352 pages 3 1/2 stars
27. He Knew He Was Right Anthony Trollope 872 pages 4 1/2 stars
28. The Living Reed by Pearl S. Buck, 472 pages 2 1/2 stars
29. The Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin 276 pages 2 stars
30. Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger by Ronald Sider. 225 pages, 4 stars
31. Not A Drop to Drink 325 pages, 4 stars
32. Federalist Papers written by James Madison only 265 pages, 4 1/2 stars
33. Orphan Train Rider by Andrea Warren 74 pages, 4 stars
34. The Lake House by Marci Nault 376 pages, 3 stars
35. The Obituary Writer by Ann Hood 294 pages 3 1/2 stars
36. The Bullet by Mary Louise Kelly 396 pages, 5 stars
37. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift 240 pages 2 1/2 stars
38. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins 326 pages 2 1/2 stars
39. Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine 362 pages 3 1/2 stars
40. Year of Wonders: The Plague by Geraldine Brooks 323 pages 3 stars
41. The Geometry of Sisters by Luanne Rice 402 pages 2 stars
42. The Corpse Reader by Antonio Garrido 494 pages 3 stars
43. Daily Truth: A 365-Day Devotiona by John Hagee 424 pages 3 stars
44. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards 401 pages 4 stars
45. ! Will It Skillet?: 53 Irresistible and Unexpected Recipes to Make in a Cast-Iron Skillet (Will It...? 217 pages 3 stars
46. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein 401 pages 2 1/2 stars
47. Dawn Girl by Leslie Wolf 225 pages 4 stars
48. We Were The Mulvaneys Joyce Carol Oates 468 pages 4 stars
49. The Green Bay Tree by Louis Bromfield 352 pages 4 1/2 stars
50. The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hamishi 452 pages 5 stars
51. Auschwitz: True Tales from a Grotesque Land by Sara Nomberg-Pryzytyk 180 pages 5 stars
52. Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel 566 pages 5 stars
53. Bring up the Bodies by Hillary Mantel 436 pages 5 stars
54. The Adventure of the Cardboard Box, The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans, The Adventure of the Red Circle, The Adventure of the Dying Detective by Arthur Conan Doyle. 60 pages 2 1/2 stars
55. The Devil's Work by Mark Edwards 376 pages 5 stars
56. The Rains Came by Louis Bromfield 425 pages 5 stars
57. The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo 577 pages 3 stars
58. Maigret and the Black Sheep by Georges Simenon. 158 pages 3 stars
59. Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson 450 pages 5 stars
60. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic by Betty MacDonald 126 pages 3 stars
61. I Am A Star by Inge Auerbacher 86 pages 4 stars
62. The First Four Years Laura Ingalls Wilder 134 pages 5 stars
63. Dissolution: A Matthew Shardlake Mystery by C.J. Sansom 456 pages 3 1/2 stars
64. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orzcy 306 pages 5 stars
65. The Story of Passover by Frank Finamore 38 pages 3 stars
66. The True Saint Nicholas: Why He Matters to Christmas by William J. Bennett 114 pages 2 1/2 stars
67. Herbert Hoover's Hideaway by Darwin Lambert 143 pages 5 stars
68. Faultlines by Barbara Taylor Sissel 305 pages 2 1/2 stars
69. Ships and Stings and Wedding Rings by Jody Taylor 51 pages 2 1/2 stars
70. the Girl Who Came Home: A Novel of the Titanic by Hazel Gaynor 384 pages 2 1/2 stars
71. Gone with the Wind The Great American Movie 75 Years Later by Time-Life
110 pages 5 stars
72. Don Quixote by Cervanza 405 pages in book, did NOT finish, read 12 chapters, 96 pages. 2 stars
73. Nagasaki Journey The Photographs of Yosuke Yamahata August 10, 1945 121 pages 5 stars
74. Dubliners by James Joyce did NOT finish, read 4/20 short stories, 20 pages 2 stars
75. The Treasures of the Uffizi by Luisa Bechrucci 64 pages 5 stars
76. The Tempest by William Shakespeare 30 pages 3 stars
77. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill 388 pages 3 stars
78. The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington 180 pages 3 1/2 stars
79. A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare 23 pages 3 1/2 stars
80. Trail of Broken Wings by Sejal Badani 370 pages 3 stars
81. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks 368 pages 3 stars
82. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson 256 pages 2 1/2 stars
83. Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth 89 pages 2 1/2 stars
84. The Winter's Tale by Shakespeare. 36 pages 3 stars
85. The Year of Counting Souls by Michael Wallace 334 pages 2 1/2 stars
86. The Life and Work of Gustav Klimt by Nathaniel Harris 79 pages 4 stars
87. Much Ado About Nothing Shakespeare 34 pages 3 stars
88. The Bridges at Toko-Ri by James Michener 123 pages 3 stars
89. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton 128 pages 5 stars
90. A Stranger in My Grave by Margaret Millar 312 pages 2 1/2 stars
91. The Neon Lawyer 178 pages 4 stars
92. Mighty and Strong by Michael Wallace 341 pages 4 1/2 stars.
93. A Walk in the Woods Bill Bryson 397 pages 3 stars
94. The Mutual Admiration Society by Leslie Kagan 284 pages 2 stars
95. His Kidnapper's Shoes by Maggie James 334 pages 2 stars
96. The Twelfth Physician by Willa Gibbs 278 pages 4 stars
97. Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan 526 pages 4 1/2 stars
98. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen 560 pages 3 stars
99. Hammerhead Six: How Green Berets Waged an Unconventional War Against the Taliban to Win in Afghanistan's Deadly Pech Valley Ron Fry 382 pages 2 1/2 stars
100. The Demon in the Freezer by Robert Preson 240 pages 4 stars
101. Lamentation over the Destruction of Sumer and Ur (Mesopotamian Civilizations Vol 1 219 pages
102. The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope 800 pages 3 1/2 stars
103. The House of 7 Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne 276 pages 4 stars
104. Two Gentlemen From Verona William Shakespeare 29 pages
105. Another Day Gone by Eliza Graham 320 pages 3 stars
106. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell 521 pages 3 1/2 stars
107. A Perfect Poison by Lydia Kang 350 pages 3 stars
108. Blood on the Tracks by Barbara Nickless 386 pages 3 stars
109. Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley 470 pages 4 1/2 stars
110. The Suspect: A true story of love, betrayal, marriage and murder by Jenny Friel 288 pages 3 stars
111. The Bookshop on Rosemary Lane 370 pages 5 stars
112. Evelyn After: A Novel 256 pages 3 stars
113. The Children of Hamelin byTheresa Dawn Sinclair 228 pgs. 2 1/2 stars
114. From a Paris Balcony by Ella Carey 298 pages 3 1/2 stars
115. Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant by Shrabani Basu 226 pages 4 stars
116. The Gentleman from Moscow by Amor Towles 454 pages 4 1/2 stars
117. Roman Fever by Edith Wharton 25 pages 5 stars
118. The Fifth Knight by E.M. Powell 391 pages 4 1/2 stars
119. Glass House: The 1% Economy and the shattering of the All-American Town by Brian Alexander 320 pages 4 stars
120. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen 216 pages 3 1/2 stars
121. My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier 352 pages 3 1/2 stars
122. The Merchant of Venice Shakespeare 36 pages
123. Cymbeline Shakespeare 41 pages
124. Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels 304 pages 4 stars
125. Tigers are Better Looking by Jean Rhys 220 pages (I read 100), 2 stars
126. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte 542 pages 3 1/2 stars
127. Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller 258 pages 4 stars
128. The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy 736 pages 3 1/2 stars

Collective Stars This Year
1 star-1
1 1/2 stars-1
2 stars-8
2 1/2 stars-19
3 stars-28
3 1/2 stars-13
4 stars-18
4 1/2 stars-11
5 stars-29

My ratings:
1 star--waste of paper and ink
2 stars-Is this literature? -major flaws or mind numbing boring
2 1/2 stars-not so bad I had to stop reading
3 stars-average, but may still be quite enjoyable
3 1/2 fun, informative, thought provoking
4 stars-excellent read
4 1/2 exceptionally good, among my favorites
5 stars-in all ways a superior read

Just for my info (at an easy glance)...for my Reading Through Time Group
Individual Months:
January-First Encounters-Shogun by James Clavell COMPLETED
February-Storico Italia The Witch of Napoli by Michael Schmicker COMPLETED
March-Asst writings and Papers, original documents concerning Thomas Jefferson COMPLETED
April-The Living Reed COMPLETED
May The Green Bay Tree by Louis Bromfield COMPLETED
June Auschwitz: Tales From a Grotesque Land COMPLETED
July The Scarlet Pimpernel COMPLETED
August The Life and Works of Gustav Klimt COMPLETED
September Hammerhead Six: How Green Berets Fought the Taliban in Afghanistan in the Pech Valley COMPLETED
October-Gothic The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne COMPLETED
November-Noir or Dark The Suspect: A true story of love, betrayal, marriage and murder by Jenny Friel COMPLETED
December Twisted Fairy Tales--Children of Hamelin COMPLETED

Quarterly reads
January-16th Century-Shogun by James Clavell COMPLETED
Apr-Jun - 17th Century Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks COMPLETED
Jul-Sep - 18th Century Castle Rackrent COMPLETED
Oct-Dec - Napoleonic Era The 12th Physician COMPLETED

CHUNKSTERS to read 2017 (physically or mentally!)
Moby Dick COMPLETED
The Hunchback of Notre Dame COMPLETED
Don Quixote DID NOT FINISH

2Tess_W
Bearbeitet: Okt. 2, 2017, 12:26 pm

Diese Nachricht wurde vom Autor gelöscht.

3floremolla
Okt. 2, 2017, 6:58 pm

Oh, hello, new thread - happy reading, Tess!

4Robertgreaves
Okt. 2, 2017, 7:52 pm

OTOH, Elizabeth Is Missing was one of my RL bookclub's highlights of 2015 (and 2015 was a very good year).

5Jackie_K
Okt. 3, 2017, 4:52 am

Happy new thread Tess! It looks like it's been a bumper year of reading for you!

6Tess_W
Okt. 3, 2017, 6:04 pm

>5 Jackie_K: Yes it has! I must admit that I read a plethora of front shelf (smaller) books that I've had for years. Next year though it's the paper chunksters.

7MissWatson
Okt. 4, 2017, 2:22 pm

Happy new thread, Tess. I hope you're feeling better?

8Tess_W
Bearbeitet: Okt. 4, 2017, 5:55 pm

>7 MissWatson: TY Birgit, I'm feeling much better. Been off antibiotics for 3 days but I'm still very tired and also have this dry hacking cough, but I went back to work and I come home at night and fall into bed! Hopefully I will be fully recovered really soon!

9MissWatson
Okt. 5, 2017, 4:51 am

Best wishes for a full and speedy recovery, Tess!

10Jackie_K
Okt. 5, 2017, 5:44 am

Same from me too, Tess! Those constant coughs are so wearing.

11karenmarie
Okt. 5, 2017, 5:48 am

Hi Tess! I hope your energy level improves soon and that the cough goes away sooner.

12Tess_W
Bearbeitet: Okt. 8, 2017, 8:47 pm

Root # 111 was The Bookshop on Rosemary Lane by Ellen Berry. This was a totally delightful, quirky read. It is the story of a 50-something Della whose only child goes off to college and her husband leaves her all in the same month. She is left with cleaning out her mother's cottage and making it suitable for resale. What to do with her mother's 972 cookbooks? She finds something of a "mystery" note in one of the cookbooks and that sets her off in a new direction that she never had dreamed of. She finally opens her cookbook bookstore in spite of the objections of most that it couldn't possibly succeed. This is a light read but one of the few times that I have laughed out loud when reading a book in a long time. I hear there is going to be a sequel that I will definitely read. 370 pages 5 stars

13Tess_W
Okt. 7, 2017, 1:53 pm

Thanks to all the well wishers for recovery from bronchitis. I am feeling 75% better.....it always takes a couple of weeks to recover fully! But as the norm, now that I've had it this school year, I probably will not get it again!

14floremolla
Okt. 7, 2017, 2:09 pm

Glad to hear you're on the mend - and here's hoping that's the last of the student-borne infections for the school year. What an occupational hazard!

15Henrik_Madsen
Okt. 8, 2017, 1:48 am

>12 Tess_W: Sounds like a great read. I always thought it was so much harder to find a truly funny book than a thrilling or tragic one.

And good to hear you are past the worst with the bronchitis.

16karenmarie
Okt. 9, 2017, 6:14 pm

I'm glad to hear that you're on the upside of the bronchitis. I spent 3 days at a Friends of the Library book sale, and I think someone shared their germs - I'm feeling 'cold'ish this afternoon. Sigh. And whenever daughter started a new school year, even if she didn't get sick, she brought germs home to me.

17Tess_W
Bearbeitet: Okt. 9, 2017, 6:39 pm

>16 karenmarie: I get bronchitis once during the school year and it's like a vaccination--lasts a year! Hope you don't come down with anything serious!

18Tess_W
Okt. 10, 2017, 11:15 am

Root # 112 was Evelyn After: A Novel, by Victoria Helen Stone. While billed as a psychological thriller, it really isn’t. I found this book to be in between a bad domestic situation and the story of a pathetic stalker. The book is annoyingly written with “before” and “after” chapters. Sometimes I had to ask myself before and after WHAT? That question was not really ever answered. The story was interesting in some parts but failed to satisfy thoroughly. 256 pages 3 stars

19Tess_W
Okt. 10, 2017, 8:07 pm

So far this year, here are my star ratings: (rounded off, hence 102%)

1--0.9%
1 1/2 -- .09%
2-- 6%
2 1/2-- 16%
3-- 25%
3 1/2 --9%
4--13%
4 1/2--8%
5--25%

I'm of the opinion that there are way too many 1-3 stars-49% That is way too much mediocrity. One reason is that in years past I got a bunch of free ebooks on Kindle, just because I could. If they sounded the least bit interesting, I got them! I have read a lot of them this year and hence I do believe, for the most part, I got what I paid for! That being said, I want the majority (at least 75%) of my books in the 4-5 stars area. Other than taking hints from respected LT'ers, and following my heart, how can I do that? I know there is no guarantee.

How do you read the "good" ones and sort out the stinkers?

20clue
Bearbeitet: Okt. 10, 2017, 10:00 pm

One of the things you can do is begin to take a look at "best" lists if you don't already. I usually like to take a look at Kirkus Review from time to time and see what they're choosing as best. I also check out the NY Times lists. It would probably be a good idea if I just read from those suggestions but of course I don't. I've got plenty on my TBR that sort of drifted in like your early Kindle purchases. I've been concentrating on trying to get them out of the way too but don't think I've made much progress.

When it comes to history, which I know you love to read too, I like to read "best" authors. And that reminds me that Ron Chernow has a new biography out on Grant if you are interested in Civil War or presidents. It's over 1000 pages so I'll have to "schedule" it or I'll never get it read! It's getting fantastic reviews.

21floremolla
Bearbeitet: Okt. 11, 2017, 4:31 am

>19 Tess_W: that's a good question! And I agree with >20 clue:.

I didn't read much for several years and didn't acquire much - just some random bestsellers and books my mother gave me when she'd finished them. So there was no 'method' involved. Though fortunately I didn't get involved in Kindle freebies!

At the end of last year I culled as I catalogued my books on LT so eliminated the worst (which was only one bag to the charity shop) - most of my reads are now 4-5*. To maintain that standard my acquisitions are:

- by authors I already like and admire
- on the 1001 BYMRBYD list that appeal to me (I use the app)
- recommendations that really stand out (like SPQR!)

To encourage my forays into non-fiction I'm picking themes such as history or philosophy, of which there are a few on our shelves already but need eking out to fill gaps and I'll be looking for 'best' authors as Clue suggests.

These days, I'm more conscious of using my precious reading time on things I get deep satisfaction from and/or learn from - though that said, there's always a place for the odd bit of fluff! ;)

22Jackie_K
Okt. 11, 2017, 4:33 pm

>19 Tess_W: That's a great question! I remember when I first got an eReader (a Sony, before the Sony ebooks business was bought out by kobo) going to the Sony ebook store and actively looking out the freebies. After I'd read a few of them I realised why they were free, so I don't do that so much any more!

The last two or three years, I've found keeping track of my acquisitions has been really interesting, not just from the numbers point of view (which is why I first started keeping track) or the cost (though that's been really helpful), but also looking back it's been more obvious to me that although I'm not actively seeking out the freebie regardless of quality, my head can still be turned by what looks like a bargain. I've read a few of these more recent acquisitions, some of them have been outstanding and others really have been quite indifferent or even disappointing. So this year I have tried to be more honest with myself about whether I would be prepared to take a punt on a bargain or not. I've utilised amazon reviews to get a rough idea of how other readers felt about a book, which has helped winnow some of the guff out, and I've also created an extra amazon wishlist, so the main list has the books I know I would really like to own (and is the one I tell people about if they want to get me a gift), and the other is books that sound interesting but I am more likely to not be so bothered about keeping them, so I call that my library wishlist. I'm wanting to support my local library more, so I think that from next year I'm going to maybe request some of those books (maybe just one a month) and then they can go off the list (unless they're amazing, in which case I'd buy myself a copy, but at least it wouldn't be a new ROOT as I'd already read it!).

I suppose the short answer to the question is I'm trying to be stricter with myself, whilst not wanting to cut out the taking a punt on an unknown author sometimes. Reviews from people I trust (or, as floremolla notes above, standout reviews on LT) also help a lot.

23Jackie_K
Okt. 11, 2017, 4:39 pm

Having said all that though, I have to say that sometimes there's just no feeling quite like getting a bargain! So I do still succumb sometimes!

It also occurs to me that I'm starting to notice certain publishers too will likely have something that I will enjoy. Verso is an obvious one for me (and I know that every so often they have a 90% off sale, so if I see a new book of theirs I want I put it on my wishlist and wait. However hard the wait is, it's worth it!). I've also read three books this year, all of which have been 4* or above, by a Scottish publisher called Birlinn, so now I think if I see something catch my eye and know it's been published by them, that that will be a point in the book's favour.

24Tess_W
Okt. 11, 2017, 5:33 pm

Thanks for all the advice! Those things are pretty much what I do. I guess I just have to clear out all those old free Kindle books.....I did find a few that were phenomenal, but I'd say less than 25%. Sadly, Donna, that 1001 BYMRBYD is only for Apple devices right now, but to access a copy online is very easy. I have read a good number on that list but want to read more. I mostly look at others reviews on LT and go from there. Am just a bit disappointed that I've read so many this year that were not bad, but meh.

25karenmarie
Okt. 11, 2017, 5:45 pm

I've gotten lots of good suggestions from fellow LTers, and over the years I've learned which ones fit in with my preferences and which to disregard. If a book is on my radar I never read anybody's reviews of it.

I also abandon books once I figure out that they aren't going to get any better and/or I don't care for the storyline/characters. That way I don't rate them. I get them out of my mind, out of my catalog, and out of my house. I did finish Louise Penny's latest, Glass Houses because I was curious about the mystery but was irritated the entire time.

26Tess_W
Okt. 11, 2017, 6:13 pm

>25 karenmarie: I try to abandon books, but 90% of the time I don't, I keep thinking that they will get better or I will "get it." I have only abandoned 3/112 this year, one of them being Don Quixote. (But I might try again in the future because I got the audio for $1.29)

It's funny about Glass Houses because I have a book on my wish list Glass House: The 1% Economy and the Shattering of the All-American Town, which is about the town in which I teach.

27floremolla
Okt. 11, 2017, 6:54 pm

>24 Tess_W: if you have an iPad, you can download the 1001 BYMRBYD list app onto that. I have it on my iPad and my phone, but it only works properly on one at a time and on the other it reverts to just a list. The working version is on my phone, which is handy for when I'm in a shop and want to check if something's on the list. I get some geeky satisfaction from marking books as 'read' and checking my stats, which are progressing at snail's pace.

Every so often I look at the 1001 BYMRBYD Group threads and see what's being discussed but I've no intention of trying to read them all - as I mentioned, just the ones that appeal to me.

From what everyone's saying it looks like I was lucky in a way to miss out on the kindle freebies! As it happens my husband uses my kindle account so it's already got quite enough books I'm never likely to read.

28Tess_W
Okt. 11, 2017, 7:09 pm

>27 floremolla: Nope, no Ipad...I'm a droid user only as that is compatible with everything I use at school. (Samsung phone and tablet). I read on the site that a droid version is coming in 2018, so they hope.

29Tess_W
Okt. 15, 2017, 8:42 pm

Took an hour out of my reading time today to clean/dust a bookshelf--the one in my bedroom. I like doing this because then I can hold the books, dust them, remember why I got them, etc. I am making great progress. There are 152 books in this bookcase, only 10 of which I've read and am going to keep. It will take me probably 2 years to read the rest of this bookcase, and that's not reading anything else. Most of these are chunksters and that's probably why they are still there. It probably won't happen! But hey, at least it's clean and neatly arranged.

My goal for 2018 is to read 25 of them.

30karenmarie
Okt. 15, 2017, 9:31 pm

Admirable goal, Tess, especially as they are chunksters!

Looking at and holding books is a joy, so I'm glad you got some quality time with them today.

31Henrik_Madsen
Okt. 18, 2017, 2:11 am

>28 Tess_W: There is also a spreadsheet you can buy and run on your computer. That's what I have done, and it's very useful. I believe the android version project is dead - there wasn't much interest shown in the fundraiser.

32Tess_W
Bearbeitet: Okt. 28, 2017, 4:04 am

>31 Henrik_Madsen: TY, Henrik!

Root #113, was a real dud, The Children of Hamelin (can't get the correct touchstone to work) by Theresa Sinclair. (Sorry girlfriend!) I purchased this book sometime ago because I played euchre with the author who is from Brighton, England. I knew when I purchased it that it was not my genre of reading, fantasy. I read it now because in the Reading Through Time group the theme for December is "Fractured Fairytales." This was the closest I had that would fit that category. I'm not sure if The Pied Piper is a fairy tale or a folk tale. This is the story of what happened to the children after they were lead out of Hamelin by the Pied Piper. It is told from the view of two different individuals: Sam Pullit, who was well educated and Jessop who was not. Either way, it was the same story and I could barely distinguish the two. If one word could describe this book it is: fornication! The entire plot of the book is the girls wanted to be mothers and they hijacked or captured young men to make that happen. The young men (boys) soon became tired of this (really?) and went back to live in nature, wild-like. I never knew the term "brindie boy" until I read this book. Sorry, Theresa, I just couldn't get into this book at all! 231 pages 2 1/2 stars.

33MissWatson
Okt. 18, 2017, 5:35 am

>32 Tess_W: The Grimm Brothers put the Children of Hamelin in their folk tales collection, but I'm not entirely sure what their criteria for the distinction were. I haven't got round to that book yet.

34Tess_W
Bearbeitet: Okt. 18, 2017, 12:39 pm

Yee Haw! I was just notified that I received $12.07 from Apple in a lawsuit concerning ebooks on Amazon. It's been deposited in my Amazon account. That's about 1 ebook....I must select very carefully!

35clue
Okt. 18, 2017, 9:43 pm

>34 Tess_W: I received a similar message and have been driving myself nuts about what to spend it on!

36MissWatson
Okt. 19, 2017, 3:46 am

>34 Tess_W: >35 clue: Congrats on the windfall! Do let us know what you decide on!

37floremolla
Okt. 19, 2017, 7:07 pm

>34 Tess_W: yay! you deserve a book treat for your epic abstemiousness!

38Tess_W
Okt. 19, 2017, 8:00 pm

Woo hoo! I purchased A Gentleman in Moscow AND the audio (since I got the book for free)!

39clue
Bearbeitet: Okt. 20, 2017, 7:38 am

>38 Tess_W: I thought it was so good, hope you do to.

40MissWatson
Okt. 20, 2017, 3:39 am

>38 Tess_W: I keep hearing good things about this. On my ever-increasing list it is...

41Tess_W
Bearbeitet: Okt. 20, 2017, 8:08 pm

Root #114 was From a Paris Balcony by Ella Carey. This was the story of Sarah (2015) and Louisa (1895) and how their lives would intersect. Sarah lost her parents within a month of each other and her husband left her a year later. While cleaning out her father's things she finds an old letter from a famous Parisian courtesan, Marte de Florian, to a long-dead English relative. Sarah decides to find her roots and that is the basis for this story. This is more a love story than historical fiction; but I still liked it. The only downside was that I had to read the last chapter 3 times to make the familial connection and others have said the same thing; a bit of a downer. Because of this I'm giving the book 3 1/2 stars. 298 pages.

42karenmarie
Okt. 21, 2017, 9:47 am

>38 Tess_W: I hope you find AGiM as rich an satisfying a read as I did, Tess.

43Tess_W
Bearbeitet: Okt. 22, 2017, 5:28 am

I acquired 3 new books today. I visited with my mother and she bought these for me, just because. I wasn't with her, so I hope they're good!

The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan
The Visionist by Rachel Urquhart
The Mozart Leaves at Nine by Harris Greene

44Tess_W
Bearbeitet: Okt. 22, 2017, 8:04 am

Root #115 wasn't a very large root, only about 2 months old, Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant by Shrabani Basu. I bought this book to read because my mother heard there was a movie coming out about this and I wanted to read the book before we went to the movies to see it. The book is based on a true story. It is poignant and funny at the same time. While I was reading it I could just see Dame Judith Dench as Queen Victoria. The book tells of the relationship of an Indian to the Queen ( purely platonic) and the fierce opposition to it from the Queen's staff and family; I always knew Bertie (Edward VII) was a bad seed! The book is a bit too long as it is repetitive in some places. Also, if you know a lot about Queen Victoria, there will be a lot of repetition. However, all in all this was a great biographical read. Now the book is off to my mother's house. 226 pages 4 stars

45detailmuse
Okt. 24, 2017, 4:46 pm

>19 Tess_W: It's weird but I just don't enjoy ebooks as much as paper books. Nor audiobooks, though their versatility overcomes some of that.

I'm trying to recognize when I'm not enjoying a book and just stop reading it ... still easier said than done. I also notice I've been reading books that seem easy to clear off the shelves, rather than ones that really call to me, and am trying to stop that. Anything I rate 3.5 stars or higher is generally a book I'm glad to have read.

46Tess_W
Bearbeitet: Okt. 28, 2017, 1:40 pm

>45 detailmuse: I'm just the opposite in my "old age!" I struggle to read paper books because usually the light is not sufficient, the font is too small, etc. I can whiz through an ebook. But I do have about 200 print books I need to read and clear off my shelves! And not every book I want to read is an ebook.

As far as ratings go, I'm with you. 3 is an average good read for me. I'm trying to raise the level of the quality of book I read or enjoy. Have gotten too many stinkers this year that I probably purchased 4-5 years ago when I got my first e-reader, a Kindle, and got the free Kindle daily deal (free) just because I could. I've also been know to haunt bookstores for bargains and pick them up if they sound good. I'm not doing that anymore; trying to buy with purpose and make thoughtful purchases.

47Tess_W
Bearbeitet: Okt. 30, 2017, 4:17 am

Not a root, but one of the best reads this year, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov has been sentenced to house arrest for the duration of his life to the Metropol Luxury Hotel in Moscow, across from the Kremlin. The story is his life in the hotel; lived with dignity and purpose. This is a book to savor. The language is exquisite. This book is charming, sophisticated, and deeply moving. 462 pages 4 1/2 stars

48Tess_W
Okt. 30, 2017, 4:16 am

Root # 116, Roman Fever by Edith Wharton. In general, I'm not a Wharton fan; however, on the recommendation of Karen, I gave her another try and it was well worth it. This is the story of once friends, reunited after a long separation when their daughters meet in Rome. One of the friends holds a hateful grudge and just won't let it go. Of course, in the end, it would have been better to let the grudge go. Great short read! 25 pages 5 stars

49Jackie_K
Okt. 30, 2017, 6:10 am

>47 Tess_W: I finally relented and added that to my wishlist. The paperback is being released here later this week, apparently.

50Tess_W
Okt. 30, 2017, 7:53 am

>49 Jackie_K: I think you will love it, Jackie. Khrushchev, Molotov, Baria, and Menshikov all make very brief appearances.

51karenmarie
Okt. 30, 2017, 9:06 am

Hi Tess!

>47 Tess_W: I'm so glad you liked it, Tess.

>48 Tess_W: Which Karen? Me? (I miss my mind!) Because if I did, it's because I absolutely adore this short story, and if it wasn't me, brava to Karen because it's one of my favorite short stories of all time.

It turns out that there are so many Karens on LT!

52Tess_W
Okt. 30, 2017, 10:12 am

>51 karenmarie: yes, it was YOU, karenmarie! Sorry, I only know 1 Karen!

53karenmarie
Bearbeitet: Okt. 30, 2017, 11:03 am

I surely do miss my mind!!!

I know a few others here - klobrien2, witchyrichy, maggie1944, and littlegeek. Those are the ones who come to mind offhand. And what are the odds - of my book club's 12 members, two of us are Karens!

54Jackie_K
Okt. 30, 2017, 11:12 am

At one point in my last book group we were down to 6-8 people, and had 2 Jackies and 2 Lindas. Mind you, when I was in infant school (aged about 6, I think) we had 4 Jacquelines in the class - that's the main reason I became a Jackie, to try and differentiate myself! (this was in the mid-70s). Jacqueline seems to have really declined in favour as a name, I come across it in adults, and think it is probably a bit more common in Scotland than England still, but haven't come across a new baby called Jackie/Jacqueline since I was a kid myself!

>48 Tess_W: I might give this one a try if I find it as a freebie, but my only experience of Wharton wasn't favourable, so I must admit I wouldn't rush to try another.

55Tess_W
Okt. 30, 2017, 11:13 am

>52 Tess_W: That was a popular name for our generation!

56karenmarie
Okt. 30, 2017, 11:38 am

>54 Jackie_K: I know one Jacqui and one Jacque, and you, Jackie. All from Jacqueline.

57Jackie_K
Okt. 30, 2017, 12:32 pm

>56 karenmarie: I must say, for all that I'm not mad on it as a name, it is pretty versatile!

58Tess_W
Nov. 3, 2017, 9:58 am

>54 Jackie_K: I do not, in general, like Wharton, either. She is very much like F. S. Fitzgerald, who I also don't like! However, I adored Wharton's Ethan Fromme and now Roman Holiday, which is not like her The Age of Innocence, which I abhorred.

59floremolla
Nov. 3, 2017, 8:17 pm

>58 Tess_W: strong language against Edith Wharton! I can't think of anyone whose novel-writing I abhor though I've taken a dislike to the two novels I've read by Carol Shields. I liked Ethan Frome enough to give Wharton a whirl again next year. Maybe The Age of Innocence to see if I agree with you ;)

60Tess_W
Bearbeitet: Nov. 11, 2017, 5:34 pm

>59 floremolla: Some good (2 books) some bad (1 book)...meh!

Root # 118 was a very good Medieval read about knighthood and such, The Fifth Knight. It was part history, part mystery, and part thriller. It included such characters as Henry II, Eleanor of Aquataine, actual knights such as Sir Fitzurse, and Thomas Beckett. This was your typical knight book, get caught, escape, get caught, escape, etc. However, it was still very enjoyable and readable. I really liked how the Church was interwoven into the storyline. I learned what an anchoress was and about their lifestyle and duties. There are 2 more books in this series that I will probably read after a short break. I mean a girl can only take so much swashbuckling at one time! 391 pages 4 1/2 stars


61connie53
Nov. 11, 2017, 1:54 pm

hi Tess, I hope you are all right now. 54 unread posts, to much for me to read right now. Waving at you from the Netherlands!

62Tess_W
Bearbeitet: Nov. 11, 2017, 5:33 pm

Hi Connie! Been busy myself: new granddaughter, Evelyn Kaye (Evie) born Nov. 8. She is my 7th grandchild and my 4th granddaughter.

63floremolla
Nov. 11, 2017, 6:25 pm

Oh, lovely, Tess, she's gorgeous!

64connie53
Nov. 12, 2017, 3:55 am

Such a lovely little girl! Congrats!

65Jackie_K
Nov. 12, 2017, 5:07 am

>62 Tess_W: Oh she's beautiful, congratulations to you all!

66MissWatson
Nov. 12, 2017, 7:21 am

What a lovely little girl, Tess. Congratulations to you, the happy parents and all the family.

67rabbitprincess
Nov. 12, 2017, 8:46 am

Congratulations on lucky number 7! :)

68karenmarie
Nov. 12, 2017, 9:35 am

Congratulations to all, Tess! What a lovely name.

69Jackie_K
Nov. 12, 2017, 10:25 am

I think Evelyn might be making a comeback - last weekend a schoolfriend of mine had her first granddaughter, also called Evelyn. It is a lovely name.

70Tess_W
Nov. 12, 2017, 12:58 pm

>68 karenmarie:
>69 Jackie_K:

Evelyn is the middle name of her maternal grandmother and my middle name is Kaye, so named after both of us!

71connie53
Bearbeitet: Nov. 12, 2017, 1:19 pm

LOL, My daughter is called Eveline. The Dutch version! We call her Pien for short. Very handy since she is the mother of Fiene. ;-))

72Tess_W
Bearbeitet: Nov. 13, 2017, 11:21 am

Root # 119 was Glass House: The 1% Economy and the shattering of the All-American Town by Brian Alexander. I was drawn to this book because I teach in Lancaster, Ohio, the book's namesake. I don't live there, but I have noticed how this town is different than where I live. The author of the book is a hometown boy and interviewed literally hundreds of residents and executives to get his story. It's not much different than I surmised.

In the 1940's Forbes Magazine listed Lancaster, Ohio, as an up and coming industrial town; a bedroom community about 30 miles south of Columbus, Ohio. There were some major industrial players at that time, such as Anchor-Hocking, maker of all types of glassware from beer bottles to wine goblets, to dinner plates. Local schools were good, a hospital was built, and people were generally happy. However in the 1980's venture (vulture) capitalism hit Lancaster and several businesses closed and Anchor Hocking was sold to venture capitalists. That will happen about 11 times in the next 30 years. Each group of "investors" would only have one thing on their mind: how to extract capital from the company to pay off shareholders. There were two ways to do this: step up production or demand union concessions. The equipment at the plant was so old that production could not be stepped up. Also, cheap glass from China was available to Anchor customers. Concessions were to come from the unions. In 1980, the average glassworker made $16.00 per hour with health and retirement paid for by the company. Today, the average worker makes $9.45 per hour with no retirement and healthcare which costs the employee $300 per month; which most can't afford. Before 1980 there were 1500+ employees, today there are less than 500, and some of them temps.

Along with the devastating financial losses, comes the usual 80's crimes of the poor and unemployed: drugs, guns, children who can't perform in school. This could be the story of any American town who has been crippled by vulture capitalists. Those equity firms that controlled Anchor Hocking were brutal. For example, the advised the executives NOT to live in Lancaster, to live 30 miles away in Columbus and commute. The reason: so they would not be asked to attend and contribute to community functions.

"Corporate elites said they needed free-trade agreements, so they got them. Manufacturers said that they needed tax breaks and public-money incentives in order to keep their plants operating in the United States, so they got them. Banks and financiers needed looser regulations, so they got them. Employers said they needed weaker unions–or no unions at all–so they got them. Private equity firms said they needed carried interest and secrecy, so they got them. Everybody, including Lancastrians themselves, said they needed lower taxes, so they got them. What did Lancaster and a hundred other towns like it get? Job losses, slashed wages, poor civic leadership, social dysfunction, drugs." 320 pages, 4 stars.

73floremolla
Nov. 13, 2017, 5:05 am

How depressing, it's a scenario played out in countries across the world. I think we have a bit more protection of workers rights etc in the UK and we have our national health service (for the time being anyway) but we may be more at risk of companies and jobs being lured away to other countries with lower costs and thus higher margins for investors. This is what's kept the stock markets high for the wealthy while Joe Public's bank savings interest rates are at an all time low. The poor seem to pay again and again.

Sounds like a good book, though!

74Jackie_K
Nov. 13, 2017, 5:41 am

>72 Tess_W: That sounds like the kind of book I, well enjoy's not the right word because it will make me angry probably, but you know what I mean! BB taken.

75Henrik_Madsen
Nov. 13, 2017, 4:09 pm

>62 Tess_W: Congratulations - what a gorgeous baby!

>72 Tess_W: Interesting review. Most reforms intend to increase wealth but politics should also be about what we do with that wealth.

76Familyhistorian
Nov. 14, 2017, 2:08 am

>72 Tess_W: Congratulations, Tess. Evie is a cutie!

77Tess_W
Nov. 14, 2017, 10:45 am

TY all for your congratulations! Evie is certainly a keeper. Already at 2 days old she is eating and sleeping---no crying!

78Robertgreaves
Nov. 14, 2017, 6:03 pm

>77 Tess_W: Just as well, I'm told they're non returnable, like ebooks.

79floremolla
Nov. 14, 2017, 6:26 pm

80detailmuse
Nov. 15, 2017, 10:44 am

>72 Tess_W: sounds like an important book. I'll have to look upthread -- was it here that I saw Hillbilly Elegy being in TBRs? They sound similar, altho Elegy has quite a bit of memoir to it; I liked it but wanted more of the reporting that it sounds like Glass House has.

>62 Tess_W: sweet baby and sweet names!

81Tess_W
Nov. 15, 2017, 10:55 am

>80 detailmuse: I have heard that Hillbilly Elegy (which is on my TBR shelf) is more memoir than facts. I guess it would be in the same vein. I've also had people tell me that they read Glass House first and Elegy 2nd and were disappointed by the 2nd read.

TY!

82Tess_W
Nov. 15, 2017, 7:07 pm

Started reading the Forsyte Saga. I'm having a tough time as there are multiple characters that I can't keep track of. Here is just a list of the main characters:

MAIN CHARACTERS

The Old Forsytes

Ann, the eldest of the family
Old Jolyon, the patriarch of the family, having made a fortune in tea
James, a solicitor, married to Emily, the most tranquil woman
Swithin, James's twin brother with aristocratic pretensions
Julia (Juley), a fluttery dowager
Hester, an old maid
Nicholas, the wealthiest in the family
Roger, "the original Forsyte"
Susan, married sister
Timothy, the most cautious man in England
The Young Forsytes

Young Jolyon, Old Jolyon's artistic and free-thinking son, married three times
Soames, James and Emily's son, a brutal and possessive solicitor, married to the unhappy Irene, who later marries Young Jolyon
Winifred, Soames's sister, one of the three daughters of James and Emily, married to the foppish and lethargic Montague Dartie
George, Roger's son, a dyed-in-the-wool mocker
Francie, George's sister and Roger's daughter, emancipated from God
Their Children

June, Young Jolyon's defiant daughter from his first marriage, engaged to an architect, Philip Bosinney, who becomes Irene's lover
Jolly, Young Jolyon's son from his second marriage, dies during the Boer War
Holly, Young Jolyon's daughter from his second marriage
Jon, Young Jolyon's son from his third marriage to Irene
Fleur, Soames's daughter from his second marriage to a French Soho shopgirl Annette, Jon's lover, later marries a baronet, Michael Mont
Val, Winifred and Montague's son, fights in the Boer War, marries his cousin Holly
Imogen, Winifred and Montague's daughter
Others

Parfitt, Old Jolyon's butler
Smither, Aunts Ann, Juley and Hester's housekeeper
Warmson, James and Emily's butler
Bilson, Soames's housemaid
Prosper Profond, Winifred's admirer and Annette's lover

Sigh....I'm on chapter 6 and know who 3 people are by the text. I'm going to give it another 100 pages and then decide if I continue or not. I'm not going to waste time by reading 612 pages of relationships I don't get!

83floremolla
Nov. 16, 2017, 3:57 am

Oh dear, I was planning TFS for 2018 - we inherited the three books from my in-laws 25 years ago so their deep roots have been calling me. I hope it picks up once you've got the main characters pinned down. Look forward to hearing more....

84MissWatson
Nov. 16, 2017, 5:33 am

>82 Tess_W: My copy has an elaborate family tree at the front. But I think it helped that I watched the TV version first and could put faces to the names. The 1967 version with Eric Porter and the fabulous Nyree Dawn Porter. Although I'm told Rupert Graves makes a decent Young Jolyon in the new version.

85Tess_W
Nov. 16, 2017, 9:28 am

>84 MissWatson: I usually only watch the movie version after the book, but I might have to relent on this one. I'll look both versions up.
>83 floremolla: The writing is delightful.....I'm on chapter 10 and have about 4 characters solidified in my mind, but it's difficult for me! Odd that I didn't have this trouble with War and Peace because that was a complaint from some of the readers.

86Robertgreaves
Nov. 16, 2017, 9:34 am

>84 MissWatson: I remember the 1960s TV Forsyth Saga being on, though I wasn't allowed to watch it. I don't know at this distance whether it was because my parents thought the subject matter was unsuitable, it was on too late, or my mother just wanted to watch it uninterrupted.

87MissWatson
Nov. 17, 2017, 3:12 am

>86 Robertgreaves: It was all done so decorously that I barely noticed.

88Tess_W
Bearbeitet: Nov. 22, 2017, 3:38 pm

Next year's plans, I've been pondering and planning. I don't want to set my goal too low; as I did this year. I am planning on reading the Bible from front to back, 66 books, some short some longer. I will be taking copious notes. Should I count the Bible as 1 book or multiple books? What say you my LT reader friends? Also will be reading it in 3 side-by-side versions (KJ, NIV, and ESV).

89clue
Nov. 22, 2017, 2:56 pm

>88 Tess_W: I think I'd count each version.

90Tess_W
Nov. 22, 2017, 3:43 pm

>89 clue: Not really reading it 3 times though....if I don't understand a passage in one version I can quickly look in the next column in another version.

91Tess_W
Bearbeitet: Nov. 22, 2017, 4:30 pm

Root # 120 was Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. I am not an Austen fan having read Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility previously. That being said, I found this Austen read a bit better than the aforementioned ones. Firstly, it was shorter and secondly I found it more humorous. The novel is a satire on Gothic novels (which I love). Catherine, the heroine of the book is a voracious reader with a good imagination. As in all the Austen novels I've read, class and money play a big part in the story. 217 pages 3 1/2 stars (almost a 4!)



92Jackie_K
Nov. 22, 2017, 5:26 pm

>88 Tess_W: I think the Bible is one book that I wouldn't count as a ROOT at all (but I appreciate that others' mileage varies on that!). It's something to dip into (in more or less depth, depending on where you're at) and savour. In some senses, if this isn't too heretical, I think of it in similar terms to my recipe books - you don't do it all at once, but some days there is just one recipe/book/passage/verse that is just perfect for the moment.

>91 Tess_W: I have enjoyed all the Jane Austen books I've read (P&P, S&S and Persuasion) although they're basically all different versions of a very similar story, as far as I could tell! I haven't tried Northanger Abbey yet, but I think I might have a Project Gutenberg copy on my ancient ereader, so hopefully I will get to it eventually.

93Robertgreaves
Nov. 22, 2017, 6:52 pm

I wouldn't count the Bible either, but if I was going to I'd follow the divisions in my Annotated Bible:

The Pentateuch (Genesis to Deuteronomy)
The Histories (Joshua to Esther)
Poetry and Wisdom (Job to Song of Solomon)
Prophets (Isaiah to Malachi)

The Gospels + Acts
Letters
Revelation

94floremolla
Nov. 22, 2017, 7:25 pm

Sounds like a big undertaking - can't offer any practical suggestions, but I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it!

95Tess_W
Nov. 22, 2017, 8:16 pm

>93 Robertgreaves: That's a great idea, Robert! I think I will borrow that suggestion from you.

96Tess_W
Bearbeitet: Nov. 24, 2017, 1:05 pm



Evie 14 days old tomorrow!

97Tess_W
Nov. 22, 2017, 8:26 pm

98Tess_W
Nov. 22, 2017, 10:55 pm

My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier was root # 121. This work is both multi-layered and complex and yet as simple as unrequited puppy love. I found this book leaps and bounds better than the author's Jamaica Inn and somewhat better than Rebecca. Count me the odd man (!) out, but I find du Maurier a bit tame. 352 pages 3 1/2 stars

99Jackie_K
Nov. 23, 2017, 5:36 am

>96 Tess_W: Oh my goodness what a cute baby! And look at that head of hair! She's adorable.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Tess!

100floremolla
Nov. 23, 2017, 7:13 am

>96 Tess_W: cutie - love the headband!

Happy Thanksgiving, hope you have a lovely day with your family!

101karenmarie
Nov. 23, 2017, 7:22 am

Happy Thanksgiving, Tess!

>88 Tess_W: I'm reading the Bible this year as part of the mostly-defunct-and-abandoned-by-the-group-leader Bible As Literature Group Read. I've never read the Bible completely before, am not a Christian, but joined the group read because it seemed like the right time to read it. I'm as far as Acts and will handily be done by year's end.

I personally am counting it as one book, all 1894 pages of it. I'm using the The Literary Study Bible as that was the book the group leader was going to use. It's the ESV with some good comments and insights and some really stupid comments and insights by the authors. I've been tracking pages read monthly. Year end, I'll have another book read and, more importantly for this group, one more ROOT.

>98 Tess_W: I think du Maurier is tame, too, now, but not when I was reading her when I was in high school in the 1968-1971 time frame (high school).

102Tess_W
Nov. 23, 2017, 10:43 am

>101 karenmarie: I think Karen, that's what I will do. I'm not reading it as literature, but as the Word of God. I will just plug away and sometime next year I will have completed a BFB. I've read many many parts time and again, but can't ever say that I've ever read through the entire Bible purposefully. I will be keeping a 4 column notebook: Scripture, Main Point, Historiocity, Life Application.

Sadly, I never read du Maurier in school so now it's just not really satisfying.

103karenmarie
Nov. 24, 2017, 7:00 am

>102 Tess_W: i think everybody who started out in the group and those who are continuing to read the Bible are Christians. I was always the odd-woman out.

104connie53
Nov. 24, 2017, 10:52 am

>96 Tess_W: Oh my, she is so gorgeous!

105Tess_W
Bearbeitet: Nov. 24, 2017, 3:17 pm

>99 Jackie_K:
>100 floremolla:
>104 connie53:

ty Ty TY She is a living dollbaby! And so good, never cries a bit!

root # 122 was The Merchant of Venice by Willy. Again, we have the cross dressing to fool others of sex identity. I believe this play has a bit more meat than the other comedies that I have read. It also portrays Jews in a very bad light--but Jews were occupying the ghetto in Venice at the time this play was written; so for its time, it would not be anything out of the ordinary. This play is where the "pound of flesh" saying originated. I like my anthology because it has some nice pencil or ink (I can't tell) drawings contained within.



106Tess_W
Nov. 24, 2017, 3:32 pm

I'm thinking about my 2018 reading. I need a fresh, new approach! I'm thinking of doing something like Jackie's Jar of Fate with a computer random generator. Any good ideas out there?

107Tess_W
Nov. 24, 2017, 8:15 pm

Made it a Shakespeare weekend! Root #123 was Cymbeline, a tale I had never even heard of before. It is again the tale of a banished prince and the princess who loved him who dressed as a man to test his love. The story takes place when Caesar Augustus is on the throne in Rome. I had to do a little historical research on this and it appears that this play is based loosely off the reign of the early Celtic British King Cunobeline. 41 pages

108connie53
Nov. 25, 2017, 3:31 am

>106 Tess_W: I'm thinking about that too, Tess. I really can't wait until the 2018 group is up and starting my new thread there. I want to do it like I did it this year. That worked fine for me.

109Tess_W
Nov. 25, 2017, 4:15 am

>108 connie53: Do you have a particular way you choose from all your TBRs?

110Tess_W
Bearbeitet: Nov. 25, 2017, 4:30 am

Since I'm not working this week (Wed-Sunday) I've been having a reading marathon except for 3 hours with my family on Thursday. My husband brought both Christmas trees up from the basement and in between reading hours when I need to stretch my legs, I go and decorate the tree for a few minutes. I stayed up until 4:15 am this morning to finish Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels, my 124th root. This book is hauntingly beautiful. The story is obscured by the gorgeous sentence structures and words that flow like a babbling brook. The main character, Jakob, was a child in Poland when the Nazi's took his parents and sister while he hid in a closet. He was later rescued by a Greek writer and raised as his son in Greece. Jakob's entire life is influenced by what he had seen as a child; every minute of every day, his dreams and even his relationships. Writing seemed to be a catharsis for Jakob, albeit a temporary one. This reader wanted to get to know Jakob better, but was prevented from doing so and the reason is unknown. It was if the reader were only permitted to "see" the entire story through a fog. This was a better than average read, although not a great one and the reason for that is unclear to me. 304 pages 4 stars Now back to Galsworthy!



111floremolla
Nov. 25, 2017, 4:43 am

>106 Tess_W: I'm thinking about having a structured approach but much looser than a jar of fate! I'll first review what's still on my TBR list, bearing in mind I've added new ROOTs with this year's purchases.

I'm going to have themes - haven't decided which yet, but in an effort to get to some of the non-fiction I'll develop themes along what I've got....so, philosophy and history will be in there for 2018, plus some deep-rooted classic fiction. I'll also weave in some of the newer ROOTs which are on the BYMRBYD list. And some occasional 'fluff', because, well, everyone needs some light relief.

>107 Tess_W: I might add some Shakespeare to my 2018 reading as I've only read Julius Caesar and MacBeth and popular sonnets and Hamlet is languishing on the shelves...
I know you don't watch much tv but wonder if you'd like this https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upstart_Crow

112floremolla
Nov. 25, 2017, 4:51 am

>110 Tess_W: I loved Fugitive Pieces - hadn't thought about viewing Jakob through a fog, but I know what you mean - he wasn't presented as a fully rounded character, more like a troubled ghost. I wept several times and felt wrung out by the end and in need of light reading.

Enjoy putting up your trees! Its getting festive here too. It's been snowing overnight, the sun's shining, and I'm off to the Clyde Valley to my favourite garden centre which, during the winter, turns into a massive Christmas shop. They also do good coffee and scones ;)

113connie53
Nov. 25, 2017, 10:55 am

>109 Tess_W: No, I don't. I have my books tagged on LT with 'Te lezen' (to be read). And I can choose any book from that list that has been on my shelves for more then 6 months (my rules). So I can pretty much choose whatever I fancy at that moment.

114Tess_W
Nov. 25, 2017, 2:34 pm

>111 floremolla: I can't get BBC2, Donna, but that looks like something I might like to watch!

115Familyhistorian
Bearbeitet: Dez. 1, 2017, 2:58 am

I enjoyed Fugitive Pieces a lot more than I thought I was going to. I read it for the CAC, Canadian Authors Challenge on the 75s. I want to read more of my own books next year as well. I usually do a lot of the challenges on the 75ers thread but this year I am going to mix it up a little. One of the things I have done is to join the 2018 MysteryCat as so many of my books are mysteries so you could do things like find categories that will cause you to pick books from your library, kind of like Reading Through Time.

>96 Tess_W: She is a cutie!

116Tess_W
Dez. 1, 2017, 10:42 am

>115 Familyhistorian: TY, Meg! I am going to mix it up for 2018!

117Tess_W
Dez. 2, 2017, 5:59 am

Trying to make reading plans for next year and "counting the books"....324 ebooks to read and 255 tree books. Oh my!

118Jackie_K
Dez. 2, 2017, 6:01 am

One of the things I want to do is count my TBRs in the Jar (this is the point where I wonder why I didn't put them into Excel instead of writing them down on paper - although the physical drawing the bit of paper out of the Jar is fun). I'm estimating somewhere between 300-400 total. Argh.

119floremolla
Dez. 2, 2017, 9:32 am

>117 Tess_W: >118 Jackie_K: I'm a lightweight then! 173 paper TBR, a handful of ebooks and audiobooks. Almost exclusively fiction.

I don't tend to include non-fiction at present - need to go through those and see what I actually want to read. I don't include reference books.

Looking forward to seeing your reading plans, Tess - and as always yours will be a rolling surprise, Jackie!

120Tess_W
Dez. 2, 2017, 11:15 am

......And I've been on a book diet for 2 years; no major purchases except for 2x per year for my RL bookclub and if I get gift cards, etc. However, when I started on here I had well over 1000 TBR.

121floremolla
Dez. 2, 2017, 1:29 pm

you've done incredibly well, Tess - there should be a prize for most ROOTS/least acquisitions!

122Tess_W
Dez. 2, 2017, 4:56 pm

>121 floremolla: Well, if only my real life diet went to so---I lost 39 pounds in 2016 and have gained 41 this year.

123clue
Dez. 2, 2017, 7:02 pm

>122 Tess_W: Oh Tess, ain't it so! I've kept that yoyo in motion all year!

124Tess_W
Dez. 3, 2017, 9:15 am

Root # 125 was such a loser! Tigers are Better Looking by Jean Rhys. This book is better than a sleeping pill. It is a book of short stories wherein each protagonist in each story is a sad, confused, almost suicidal woman. Rhys wrote this in what I consider to be stream of consciousness. I normally don't like, and hence don't read short stories, but my friend insisted this one was different. Well, it was, it was worse than most--thank you very much Janet! There was one redeeming paragraph in the entire book from the story Till September Petronella :

"....one of those long, romantic novels, six hundred and fifty pages of small print, translated from French or German or Hungarian or something -- because few of the English ones have the exact feeling I mean. And you read one page of it or even one phrase of it, and then you gobble up all the rest and go about in a dream for weeks afterwards, for months afterwards -- perhaps all your life, who knows? -- surrounded by those six hundred and fifty pages, the houses, the streets, the snow, the river, the roses, the girls, the sun, the ladies' dresses and the gentlemen's voices, the old, wicked, hard-hearted women and the old, sad women, the waltz music -- everything. " 220 pages (I probably read 100) 2 stars just awful! I have taken Wide Sargasso Sea off my wish list!



125karenmarie
Dez. 3, 2017, 9:53 am

>124 Tess_W: I'm not a fan of short stories either, Tess, and that sounds like a painful read. I have Wide Sargasso Sea on my shelves, but I'll probably take it to the thrift shop now. (I didn't even understand the premise of WSS, and having just read it wonder why on earth I even bought it.)

126Jackie_K
Dez. 3, 2017, 10:06 am

I've got Wide Sargasso Sea on my library wishlist, after reading Jane Eyre last year and getting cross with how Bertha was portrayed (WSS is the story of the first Mrs Rochester - the mad wife in the attic). I think I'll keep it there, and get it out of the library if I see it, but not rush to own it.

127detailmuse
Dez. 3, 2017, 1:41 pm

125 ROOTs!!! I bow!

For 2018, I want some part of my goal to be dealing with ROOTs I have low interest in ... read 'em or get rid of 'em. I've already purged some that I have no interest in.

128floremolla
Bearbeitet: Dez. 3, 2017, 3:09 pm

>124 Tess_W: Jean Rhys's editor, Diana Athill said in an interview that later in her career Rhys was an alcoholic recluse who stayed in bed and wrote sporadically - it was her job to sift through the papers on the floor around Rhys's bed and put them together! Rhys seems to have been a chaotic writer - perhaps calling it 'stream of consciousness' is being kind/creative with the truth. It worked though and Wide Sargasso Sea relaunched Rhys's career.

Athill is an interesting character in her own right - she'll be 100 this month. I wonder if she'll climb out of a window....?

129Tess_W
Dez. 3, 2017, 3:40 pm

>128 floremolla: Interesting, Donna. Alcoholism could explain those short stories.

130Tess_W
Bearbeitet: Dez. 3, 2017, 3:53 pm

My two sons, their spouses, and my 7 grandchildren had Thanksgiving at my youngest son's home (6 kids) because my daughterinlaw wanted to try her hand at cooking.....good thing I went to see my babies and not really to eat! That being said, Christmas is at my house this year 1 week early, as my husband is flying to Florida to be with his invalid father. Today I'm going shopping for all the pantry ingredients to make: peanut butter fudge, chocolate fudge, brown sugar applesauce cookies, orange drop cookies, and molasses bars.....for desserts! The main course will consist of a honey-baked ham, scalloped potatoes (Oh I don't want to peel 20 lbs!), at least 2 vegetable dishes, a ham/cheese ball, homemade yeast rolls, and baked beans. So following the 21st (when my husband leaves), I will collapse on my bed and sofa and read uninterrupted for hourssssssssssssssssssssssssss! Hopefully I will then finish The Forsyte Saga and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, both hefty tomes and not fast reads, either.

P.S. And I'm in the process of baking 48 scones today as we have been studying The Victorian Age in freshmen World History and what better way to wrap up the unit (post-test)???? Scones, clotted cream, and tea tis for Monday!

131Jackie_K
Dez. 3, 2017, 4:40 pm

>130 Tess_W: Oh my goodness Tess, that sounds like an incredible Christmas meal! I hope you're going to get some help with the preparation though, otherwise you'd better start the peeling a week earlier!

Our Christmas is just going to be the three of us here. Normally we'd go down south to England first to my in-laws, and later on in the week to my parents, but my husband has used up all of his holidays from work, so it's too far for us to travel for just a couple of days with the bank holidays. As usual our Christmas dinner will be vegetarian haggis as the meat substitute, plus roast veg and brussels sprouts, and then some of the usual puddings - Christmas pudding, and hopefully Christmas cake. I'd love a Yule log too, but I'd probably be the only one who ate it (not that I mind that, but my waistline really can't take much more!). But the main thing is it's all fairly low-maintenance food - the haggis goes in the microwave, and the veg is easy!

We were doing some Christmas shopping yesterday and went to our local Waterstones, and I directed my husband to the book that I want as a gift, so I know I'm getting at least one! (bless him, he even let me thrust my points card on him when he was paying for it, so I get extra points for money off later as well as the actual book!). I've also asked my parents for a kobo store voucher, and my in-laws usually get me a book or two from my wishlist, so I'm going to have to try and be restrained throughout December (although that reminds me I haven't checked the kobo daily deal yet today...!).

132floremolla
Bearbeitet: Dez. 3, 2017, 5:23 pm

>130 Tess_W: wow, Tess, that's an amazing menu - you'll really need a quiet reading break afterwards! Sounds fun, though and I'm sure all the family will appreciate it.

>131 Jackie_K: sounds lovely, Jackie, but I'd miss the turkey!

I hope to get a couple of books for Christmas but I've got plenty of ROOTs already for 2018 so will be careful to choose some that fit with my reading goals...which I'm trying to pin down now...

133MissWatson
Dez. 4, 2017, 7:58 am

>130 Tess_W: Oh my, such a meal requires strategic planning, doesn't it? Good luck with the campaign and may you have all the time you want for reading afterwards!

134Tess_W
Dez. 8, 2017, 11:09 am

Root # 126 was Anne Bronte's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I have mixed emotions about this book. This is really my favorite time period and genre of book, but there is just something missing here, or perhaps too much moralizing and sermonizing. The story is told in epistolary form by Gilbert Markham, the love struck, unlucky suitor of Helen Graham, who when the story begins has run away from her abusive husband and is in "hiding" with her 5 year son. The town gives her a hard time because she is not one of their own and has a mysterious past. She returns to her husband to nurse him unto his death. In the end Gilbert and Helen reconcile. A good portion of the book centers around the debate of what is moral and righteous; which isn't bad, but ad nauseum makes the book a bit droll. 542 pages, 3 1/2 stars



135Tess_W
Dez. 9, 2017, 11:53 am

>131 Jackie_K: The ONLY thing I will get help with is the peeling of those potatoes. That is always the husband's job!

136karenmarie
Dez. 10, 2017, 8:40 am

Hi Tess!

>130 Tess_W: It all sounds wonderful. I love scalloped potatoes but for some reason just don't ever make them. Good luck with all the food/dessert prep.

Our family is doing the same thing - husband's step-MiL's sister hosts a Christmas gathering with 2 of her sons/families and us. She took over after my husband's father passed away. There will be a total of 11. This year it will be on the 16th as she's flying to FL to be with her daughter/family at Christmas itself. We always have lots of fun and I'll bake and take pumpkin and pecan pie. It will be just husband, daughter, and me at Christmas, but we always manage to have fun together.

137Tess_W
Bearbeitet: Dez. 10, 2017, 3:53 pm

Root # 127 was Zoe Heller's Notes on a Scandal. This is definitely a psychological thriller. This was a very cleverly written novel. What should be the most shocking aspect of the book, teacher Bathesheba's sexual relationship with a 15 year old boy is not as shocking as the friendship betrayal by Barbara, the narrator of the book. 258 pages 4 stars

138floremolla
Dez. 11, 2017, 4:19 am

>137 Tess_W: pretty much my feelings too about 'Notes on a Scandal'. There was a movie version - with Judi Dench as Barbara - I don't think it really caught the subtleties of the novel but worth a look.

139connie53
Dez. 11, 2017, 7:18 am

Hi Tess. The dinner sounds delicious and you got the potatoes peeling off your schedule. that's a good thing.

We celebrate Christmas here on the 26th of December, Just the 7 of us. We plan to have some light food, something between lunch and dinner. With games and talking around the dinner table.

140Tess_W
Dez. 11, 2017, 7:53 am

>139 connie53: I have two sons, two daughter in laws, 7 grandchildren, 1 husband, 1 mother, and myself in immediate family, that's 14! We also try to play a few games after lunch, take a walk if it's nice, and we sure do talk! I prefer the summer get togethers as we can do that outside on the deck around the pool where there is a lot more room!

141Tess_W
Bearbeitet: Dez. 11, 2017, 7:54 am

>138 floremolla: I sure do love Dame Judith...I will have to look for this movie!

142avanders
Dez. 15, 2017, 9:40 am

Hello... sorry for such a long absence! I kept seeing that "unread" number get higher and higher and was completely intimidated... Finally, I figured it's better to just stop by and say HI. :)
I wish I had time to go through these threads and read all about what you've all been doing and reading! But, alas, I very much do not. But I think of you often!! And my "hello" is heartfelt and repeated often in my own head ;)

I'm not sure how I will remain involved next year, but I will be around in some fashion!
xo

143Tess_W
Bearbeitet: Dez. 16, 2017, 8:24 am

On planning for next year...I think I will have 2 tickers, one for roots and one for non-roots (which I'm not currently keeping track of). I'm going to declare anything older than 60 days on the shelf a root; which will be 99% of them! I only buy new books as needed for challenges, RL book club, etc.

My heart, her 1st Christmas, 4 weeks old! Stealing Santa's cookies is tiring work@

144Jackie_K
Dez. 16, 2017, 9:00 am

>143 Tess_W: Oh my goodness, that photo is adorable! And I can't believe what a great head of hair she has!

I'm planning on 3 tickers next year. ROOTs and acquisitions (same as this year), plus total TBRs. My aim will be for the third one to be smaller at the end of the year than the beginning, but I will really have to reign in the acquisitions for that to happen, realistically!

145Tess_W
Dez. 16, 2017, 9:02 am

>144 Jackie_K: And Evie has lost 50% of it since she was born and it's getting much lighter. Love her to death!

146Jackie_K
Dez. 16, 2017, 9:10 am

>145 Tess_W: Whilst I am really enjoying having a great big grown up 4 year old round the house now, and don't think I'd want to go back to the whole newborn thing, there really is something special about having a baby around at Christmas. My daughter was born at the end of November, so was a similar age for her first Christmas. We have a "Baby's First Christmas" tree decoration with a photo of her taken on Christmas Day 2013, it makes me laugh every year as she used to do this hilarious facial expression - as though she was saying "who are these people, what am I doing here, how do I get out of here?" and we managed to capture it perfectly in that photo. She's fascinated at the moment with the fact that she used to be a baby, and loves looking at that picture.

147detailmuse
Dez. 16, 2017, 10:33 am

148floremolla
Dez. 16, 2017, 11:15 am

>143 Tess_W: what a sweet photo! It's true there's something special about having a baby around at Christmas - I may be a bit biased as our son is 31 today!

149MissWatson
Dez. 16, 2017, 12:16 pm

>143 Tess_W: She looks adorable! I'm sure Santa will forgive her.

150Tess_W
Dez. 16, 2017, 12:33 pm

>148 floremolla: my "baby" is 37 today!

151Tess_W
Dez. 16, 2017, 5:49 pm

Root # 128 was a big tome, The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy. This is certainly a classic. It is the story of specifically a country, a class, and an era, which if they are not clear at the beginning of the novel they will be by the end. The characters in the book are very well developed and dissected. This novel was probably on the cutting edge when written, because one major theme of the novel is that women are not the property of men. Another theme of the novel is that you can't take it with you and love should be the most important thing in this life. If you want a book that is action packed, don't read this one! It is more a development of personalities rather than action. The story is great. My one BIG complaint is the copious number of characters that I just couldn't keep straight and had to keep looking back at a chart that I downloaded from the net to make sense of things. 736 pages 3 1/2 stars

152floremolla
Dez. 16, 2017, 7:24 pm

>150 Tess_W: oh there's a coincidence!

>151 Tess_W: sounds like it's worth a read and onto the list for 2018 it goes...

153MissWatson
Dez. 17, 2017, 8:16 am

>151 Tess_W: I have rather fond memories of this, having read it long after watching the TV version as a teenager. It certainly helped to keep the characters straight.

154avidmom
Dez. 20, 2017, 8:57 pm

>143 Tess_W: That picture is just too cute!
I'd make Christmas cards out of that one. :)

155clue
Dez. 21, 2017, 4:44 pm

>154 avidmom: It makes me want to lie down under the Christmas tree. I don't think a darn soul would bring me cookies though. Much less make me a comfy bed.

156Tess_W
Dez. 22, 2017, 3:59 pm

>154 avidmom:
>155 clue:

TYTY

Since I'm already more than doubled the number of roots I thought I could read, I'm signing off on this year. I've upped my 2018 by 5 books, which is what I think I will read between now and the New Year, so I'll count them in the new year.

Hope your Holidays are blessed and your New Year happy!

157connie53
Bearbeitet: Dez. 24, 2017, 3:31 am

>143 Tess_W: Such a cute picture. I love the way that cookie hangs there.

Happy holidays, Tess!

158karenmarie
Dez. 24, 2017, 8:30 am

Hi Tess!



Stopping by to wish you and yours all good things this holiday season.

159Jackie_K
Dez. 26, 2017, 2:01 pm

How was your epic Christmas meal, Tess? I hope you had a good time, and have managed to find some rest amongst the busy-ness of it all!

160floremolla
Dez. 27, 2017, 7:34 am

Belated season's greetings, Tess!

161avanders
Dez. 28, 2017, 1:07 am

Hi Tess! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas & Happy New Year!

162Tess_W
Bearbeitet: Dez. 29, 2017, 10:40 pm

Well, I've been a bit of a stinker! Firstly, my father in law passed away on Dec. 24, not making for a very merry Christmas for the adults, anyway. I've had lots of time just sitting and traveling to read. Secondly, since I more than doubled my 2017 root goal, I started about 7 books, read one each day, so I wouldn't finish anymore till 2018. I'm bad! See you in 2018!

163Robertgreaves
Dez. 30, 2017, 3:00 am

Sorry to hear that news, Tess.

164connie53
Dez. 30, 2017, 3:42 am

>162 Tess_W: So sorry to hear about your father in law passing away. Give my condolences to your husband too.

165floremolla
Dez. 30, 2017, 9:53 am

That's sad news about your father-in-law, Tess, my condolences.

166detailmuse
Dez. 30, 2017, 10:29 am

Condolences to you and your family, Tess.

And LOL excellent strategizing for 2018!

167rabbitprincess
Dez. 30, 2017, 10:55 am

I'm so sorry to hear about your father-in-law. There's never a "right" time, but it is especially awful during the holiday season.

168karenmarie
Dez. 30, 2017, 5:59 pm

Sorry, Tess, about your FiL.

See you in 2018 for sure.

169avanders
Dez. 30, 2017, 10:14 pm

Sorry about your sad news re your FIL!