klarusu's library has got out of hand and needs to be ROOTed in 2020

My name is Claire and I have a book problem. I've been away from Talk for a couple of years doing an MA in Creative Writing and my library has gone crazy. It wasn't my fault. Honest. There were so many books I just HAD to buy to complete my MA ... that's my story and I'm sticking to it. I need to ROOT out some of my acquisitions before they all topple over and I disappear under a pile, never to be seen again.

I'm going to aim for 3 a month that are on my shelves as of midnight tomorrow. I would be naive if I said that I wouldn't be buying more but I hope that if I ROOT 3 a month, I will buy fewer than 3 a month so I'll end the year in deficit. We can but dream.

ROOT Tracking for 2020




January

Welcome back, Claire!

Welcome back and have a great reading year!

Nice to see you again! May I ask which creative writing MA you did? (I've spotted one that is mostly online that I really really really want to do, and I'm not sure whether to talk myself into it or out of it!)

Have a great year!

Wishing you a happy year of ROOTing in 2020! :)

Congratulations on your MA! Hope you enjoy some great reading and writing this year.

Congrats on your MA and good luck with the ROOTing!

>3 connie53: >4 rabbitprincess: >6 Sace: >7 This-n-That: >8 detailmuse: >9 MissWatson: Thank you! Looking forward to ROOTing with you guys this year.

>5 Jackie_K: I did the Open University MA via distance learning. It was a great experience for me. The course was brilliant and I had an amazing tutor who is a well-published author and poet, and was so generous with her knowledge. I’m a pretty independent critter though, and work well in isolation. I know some other students found it harder because they really craved in-person workshopping and face-to-face tutorials. I think it’s about the kind of student and writer you are ... one size doesn’t fit all. PM me if you’d like a more in-detail chat. Happy to share experiences!

Happy ROOTing in 2020, Claire, and good luck with your writing. Your MA course sounds wonderful!

>11 klarusu: Thank you! I am a fellow OU graduate, and also a former tutor, so I have a lot of time for the OU! The course I have spotted is at Bath Spa (specific to nature and travel writing, which is my thing), but is almost entirely remote/online, apart from 3x1 week residentials, which would suit me down to the ground. I've just completed a 12 week online course with the National Centre for Writing (run in conjunction with UEA) which was excellent.

>13 Jackie_K: I did my undergrad at the OU (Natural Sciences), then a lab-based PhD, and I’m academic faculty in STEM now so safe to say I’m a lifer 😂 I saw that Bath Spa one when I was considering what to do. I took a Fiction speciality with Creative Non-Fiction as secondary but I write a lot of nature/travel stuff too (side effect of rural life!). I looked at the Manchester Met distance course as well. It’s like a learning smorgasbord out there 👍

Root Number 1: The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski

Not entirely helping my ROOT issues here as it's a re-read but I need to re-read the early books to complete the later books and the series so it's enabling fresh ROOTage later on.

I really like the world of the Witcher and the characters. It's not perfect, often not the most complexly written, but I still love it and I'm looking forward to completing the whole series this year.

First ROOT down!

(I love this time of year because basically everything's a ROOT and I can convince myself that I'm doing oh-so-well and that the wheels won't come of the ROOTing wagon. TL:DR The wheels will come off the ROOTing wagon by the end of January when I get paid :-D )

ROOT Number 2: Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates



This was an end of year purchase but still 2019 so a ROOT it is! A short book that contained a lot to think about. Definitely glad I moved it from the TBR to the ROOT pile.

However, I seem to have acquired far more books in January than I ROOTed so I'd say that I'm a work in progress 😉

>16 klarusu: I think we all are works in process. I did not buy any books in January and was trilled with that, but I had to be very strong to do so. It's work!

>17 connie53: 😂 Well done! I'm starting afresh in February ... but there are some pre-orders that I can't be blamed for that may well turn up this month 😉

>18 klarusu: Two new ones turned up on my door, so.....