DECEMBER ROOT - Progress Thread

FLOWER OF THE MONTH = HOLLY








Password is ROOTS
Holly – more specifically the European holly, Ilex aquifolium – is commonly referenced at Christmas time, and is often referred to by the name Christ's thorn. In many Western Christian cultures, holly is a traditional Christmas decoration, used especially in wreaths and illustrations, for instance on Christmas cards. Since medieval times the plant has carried a Christian symbolism, as expressed in the traditional Christmas carol "The Holly and the Ivy", in which the holly represents Jesus and the ivy represents the Virgin Mary. Christians have identified a wealth of symbolism in its form. The sharpness of the leaves help to recall the crown of thorns worn by Jesus; the red berries serve as a reminder of the drops of blood that were shed for salvation; and the shape of the leaves, which resemble flames, can serve to reveal God's burning love for His people. Combined with the fact that holly maintains its bright colors during the Christmas season, it naturally came to be associated with the Christian holiday.

The Druids held that "leaves of holly offered protection against evil spirits" and thus "wore holly in their hair". In the Harry Potter novels, holly is used as the wood in Harry's wand.

WE DID IT!! WE DID IT! We have reached our Goal!!!

GREAT JOB, EVERYONE!



Below is the current list of members who have been active for 2020 and how many books they read by the end of September. The percentages are calculated and a star awarded for those on target to reach their goals. More stars for farther toward their goal. If anyone's number is incorrect, please let me know and I will make the necessary adjustments.

alexa_d 87 / 100 87.0%
Ameise1★ 12 / 12 100.0%
Bcteagirl 7 / 20 35.0%
benitastrnad★ 101 / 60 168.3%
bragan★ 55 / 50 110.0%
brakketh 18 / 30 60.0%
ca_dmv★ 15 / 12 125.0%
clue★ 56 / 50 112.0%
connie53★ 58 / 42 138.1%
crazy4reading 15 / 38 39.5%
curioussquared★ 64 / 50 128.0%
CurrerBell 20 / 40 50.0%
cyderry★ 98 / 84 116.7%
detailmuse 36 / 40 90.0%
DissamblyOfReason 31 / 100 31.0%
enemyanniemae★ 86 / 50 172.0%
Erratic_Charmer★ 52 / 40 130.0%
Familyhistorian★ 70 / 65 107.7%
FAMeulstee★ 30 / 24 125.0%
floremolla 35 / 50 70.0%
fuzzi 56 / 100 56.0%
HelenBaker 44 / 48 ★ 91.7%
Henrik_Madsen★ 51 / 50 102.0%
H-mb 12 / 20 60.0%
humouress 37 / 40 ★ 92.5%
Jackie_K★ 77 / 60 128.3%
kac522★ 49 / 45 108.9%
karenmarie★ 32 / 30 106.7%
Kristelh★ 52 / 45 115.6%
Kwharton 7 / 12 58.3%
LadyBookworth★ 30 / 30 100.0%
lindapanzo 43 / 48 89.6%
lilisin★ 75 / 50 150.0%
LoraShouse★ 15 / 15 100.0%
leslie.98★ 138 / 75 184.0%
madhatter22 25 / 50 50.0%
majkia★ 106 / 60 176.7%
mandymarie20★ 50 / 25 200.0%
martencat 25 / 30 83.3%
Merryann 78 / 100 78.0%
Miss_Moneypenny★ 82 / 50 164.0%
MissSos 13 / 25 52.0%
MissWatson★ 78 / 50 156.0%
nebula21 31 / 48 64.6%
Nickelini★ 25 / 15 166.7%
rabbitprincess★ 93 / 60 155.0%
rainpebble 29 / 36 80.6%
readergirliz 12 / 32 37.5%
readingtangent★ 46 / 24 191.7%
Rebeki★ 24 / 24 100.0%
ritacate 20 / 24 83.3%
Robertgreaves★ 115 / 90 127.8%
rocketjk 25 / 27 ★ 92.6%
rosalita★ 52 / 36 144.4%
Sace★ 32 / 18 177.8%
sallylou61★ 36 / 30 120.0%
si★ 21 / 20 105.0%
sibylline 18 / 30 60.0%
This-n-That 8 / 10 80.0%
torontoc★ 37 / 30 123.3%
vestafan★ 73 / 60 121.7%
wandaly 17 / 18 ★ 94.4%




Of the 62 active participants, 37 have reached their goal!

We had some avid readers that reached their goals this month - cyderry, Henrik_Madsen, LadyBookworth, LoraShouse, si, Rebeki, and Quaisior!

They joined Ameise1, mandymarie20, Miss_Moneypenny, readingtangent, leslie.98 benitastrnad, FAMeulstee, majkia, MissWatson, Nickelini, connie53, rabbitprincess, Saceby, sallylou61, rosalita, enemyanniemae, Kristelh, curioussquared,Erratic_Charmer, Robertgreaves, Erratic_Charmer, bragan, vestafan, Jackie_K,ca_dmv, clue, torontoc, and lilisin reaching their goal!

One more month to reach your goal!

Wishing all of you a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season!

Just checking - is everybody in for next year? Any suggestions for a theme?

Congrats everyone for reaching our combined goal! Thanks once again to >2 cyderry: for all her hard work in crunching the numbers and setting up these threads!

And I have finished my first ROOT of December :) My thread and ticker have been updated but I haven't touched the group tickers.

>3 cyderry: I am definitely in! No ideas for the theme at the moment, sorry.

>3 cyderry: I'm definitely in for next year!

Maybe for a theme, something that we've not been able to do this year because of covid, that we can do each month from our computer instead. Different places around the world? Or different museums/galleries?

I am also in for next year! I'm delighted to have met my goal and then some, and I'm looking forward to stretching it a bit more next year.

>5 Jackie_K: I like the idea of different museums and galleries, maybe in different capitol cities? Washington DC, London, Vienna, Paris etc. That would combine your two suggestions.

>3 cyderry: Yes! I am in again! Thank you for all your hard work this year, Chèli! :)

>3 cyderry: Yes, I will be participating next year since I still have some ROOTS :-)

>5 Jackie_K: >8 rabbitprincess: love that suggestion! but there are so many!

Should I take a vote on which ones we want to "visit" or do I get to choose the ones I want to see?

>10 cyderry: I'd say you should get the perk of choosing since you do all the work. You can always ask for suggestions if you need them.

>10 cyderry: You choose but with the proviso that the place has to be connected with the month somehow. For example Rio for January, somewhere with a Louisa Alcott museum for March, Easter Island for April etc. etc.

>12 Robertgreaves: Not sure I understand how museums are connected to a month. Could you explain more?

Cyderry, I'm in for 2021 -still have ,ahem, a "few"roots to read. ROFL.

Also you can choose theme and make it as easy as you like.Every theme you have done has always been great!

Congratulations to all of you who made their goal! Insert shaking pompoms icon here, You all Rock!!!Way to go!!

And to those of you still chugging along- "You've got this!"

>14 LadyBookworth: Is this what you wanted?

Definitely in for next year. Museums or international locations sound good for a theme.

>13 cyderry: I was thinking more of places in general than museums in particular. But a Louisa Alcott museum would be relevant to March because she wrote about the March family.

There is a (small) museum at the Alcott's home, Orchard House, in Concord MA (U.S.A.):

https://louisamayalcott.org/visit

When I sit down to finalize my thoughts for the new year and decide on a theme, museums and places in general will figure prominently. Maybe a combination of both.


If anyone else has suggestions, please let me know.

I am definitely a starter for next year as I have way to many books unread. Maybe different libraries or bookshops from around the world...just a thought.

Since I've had such a good reading year I have decided to close off my year with a Japanese language only reading month. I haven't read anything in Japanese all year as I wanted to keep up my reading pace but now I really want to go into the new year with a good reading pace in Japanese.

I'm warming up with the easy to read 静かな雨 which is just one of those feel-good boy likes girl, girl is in accident and loses her short term memory, boy helps her create a new life, type story. Nothing literary and nothing that needs to get translated into any other language but easy to read which will help me transition into some more difficult books.

>20 HelenBaker: Ooh that's a brilliant suggestion! May I humbly suggest if we go for bookshops, that we include the magnificent Barter Books in Alnwick, UK?

Well, congrats to all of us! And many thanks to Chèli for the doing the numbers and the loving work that goes into the monthly thread. Museums, libraries or bookshops are a great idea.
Also reporting my first December ROOT: Die Geschichte der 1002. Nacht.

I am not super active on this discussion thread but am definitely in for the challenge next year!

I like the idea of museums for a monthly header. I really enjoyed the flowers so was thinking that trees would be a good follow-up, but museums will do nicely.

>15 cyderry: This is perfect!!!

Museums will be an awesome theme! One more month to go. You guys can do it!! Knock it out of the ballpark! I am definitely in for next year and look forward to seeing everyone again in 2021. I might even have to increase my numbers. yikes?

I'm in for next year. I need incentive to read my own books before the stacks take over more spaces in my home.

Museums or libraries around the world would be good themes for next year.

I forgot to say that I will be around next year, too. Of course!

Greetings, all! Sorry to say, that while I've been keeping my own Off the Shelf thread here up to date, I've been remiss about checking on these monthly progress threads for a while, now. Just a note to say that I've read several books "off the shelf" over the past few weeks. Yesterday I posted Book 27, which put me right at my goal, and today I included Book 28, so I'm an official Goal Surpassor! I may get to one or two more during December, but I will definitely be joining the group again for lots more fun in 2021. Cheers!

>31 rocketjk: Hurray, congratulations!

Added my first ROOT of December to my personal ticker: Amorality Tale, a Doctor Who novel by David Bishop.

Can't believe I've read 8 books this week already and 4 were ROOTS!

I've updated my November reading lists and updated my personal Root tickers. I've now achieved (and surpassed) my Roots goal for the year and my Roots goal for my physical books for the year. I still have time to read the one e-book I need to make my e-book Roots goal.

I'm not going anywhere near the group tickers - just now when I went to update my own tickers, the site kept flashing between pages, not to mention still having the problem of replacing the backgrounds with the one from the first ticker you edit - so I'd rather not muck it up.

>3 cyderry: Yes, I'll be here for next year. But I think I'll have to rein in my ambition - this was a good reading year for me and I've just made my ROOTS goal at the end of November. Plus I now have access to an Overdrive library in the US so I can more easily get a hold of a lot of books recommended by other LTers so I may be reading less off my own shelves.

>5 Jackie_K: Your covid/ museum suggestion reminds me that a lot of museums around the world started offering free virtual tours during the lockdown. Maybe we could do a ROOTS group field trip every month ;0)

I'm in too!

I'm missing Quaisior in the list above.

I’ll be back too - this group is helping me achieve great things!

I'm looking forward to next year, ROOTS is a great motivator for me. I read more ROOTS than ever this year and guess what, bought almost as many books. So far all of the bookstores in my area are still in business and filling orders in some way.

I've just added my first ROOT for December (#78 for the year) to my own ticker. Still avoiding the group tickers for now!

I'm in for 2021, though I've struggled this year to meet my goal of 100.

Today I've removed 26 books from my shelves, for a total of 82 ROOTs in 2020. My personal ticker has been updated.

Now, let's see how many more ROOTs I can complete before the 31st...

I finished my first ROOT for December. I listened to The Toll by Neal Shusterman. This is the third book in the Arc of the Scythe series and this book proves that there are YA authors who know how to end a series. This one ends two essentials. The first being a plausible plot and the second being a just right wrap-up. Neither too long or too short.

I've just added #2 for December (#79 for the year) to my ticker.

Creeping towards my goal. I have read two more, Towards Another Summer by Janet Frame and The Lost Man by Jane Harper but now I am reading a library book. Only 2 to go to reach target so doable.

I finished my first December ROOT 静かな雨 and I'm now reading 夏と花火と私の死体 as I continue my Japanese December.

They say that books are like traveling without leaving your chair. Here are books to help you "explore" your own home! LOL

>46 cyderry: gag books, or real?

>46 cyderry: Before I explore the inner wardrobe, what is the covid situation in Narnia?

>47 fuzzi: not sure - I just thought it was amusing.

>48 Robertgreaves: I've heard that Narnia did not allow any travelers through the wardrobe until they were cleared so it should be safe. Be sure to wear a mask and be sure to take your temperature and that's normal before you go.

Reporting ROOT # 59 for the year, # 1 for December

Draken van een gevallen zon - Margaret Weis & Tracey Hickman

Own tickers updated!

>46 cyderry: The Recycling Bin - I need that one.

I knocked out another one from my TBR list. A Conspiracy of Kings is book 4 in the Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner. It was just as enjoyable of a book as the previous three novels. I only have two more to read and then will be done with this series. I am sure that I have other series to start even as I have made a concerted effort to finish series this year.

I've been on track for my ROOT goal all year but, after last month, I fell one ROOT behind. So far this month, I've read two ROOTS with three more needed to reach my goal for the year.

My reading is way, way down this year.

>53 lindapanzo: I understand about reading totals being off this year. I had 4 HORRIBLE months when I read only 4-5 books instead of my usual 10-12 books. Between COVID and my Mom's death, my reading totals are all out of whack. Just hope that 2021 is a better year.

>54 cyderry: Most of my year has been like that, 5 or 6 books a month instead of 10 to 12. I think I've mentioned that I've kept track of my reading, including what I read, since 1976. This'll be the first time since 1992 that I haven't reached 100 books read for the year. I'll probably end up in the 80 to 85 range.

I've managed slightly more books this year than last (so far, including non-ROOTs, I'm at 91, which I would never have believed if you'd told me a few years ago I'd be reading that many in a year). But I'm thinking about reading slightly fewer next year - I've found the race to finish another one for month end every month quite stressful. I'm going to keep the same goal - 60 ROOTs - but not go so all out to exceed that.

>56 Jackie_K: My first year here at LT I was part of the 999 challenge which was 9 books in 9 categories - that year I did the challenge twice for 162 books - most I've ever done in one year - but at the end it was stressful so I swore to myself that I would never do that to myself again. Reading is supposed to relaxing and enjoyable. Which probably why my President's challenge is not getting a lot of attention lately.

>57 cyderry: Been there - and agree with your conclusion as well! It is much better to overshoot your goal than to struggle & worry about making it imo. But I think I may have overdone it in the opposite direction with my ROOT goal this year :/

I finished another ROOT this morning. This time it was the YA mystery/historical fiction These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly.

I am the opposite of you guys. I read more books than ever this year. In April, May, and June I was cranking them out. I read 14 in May! I couldn't believe how much I was reading. Then when the public library reopened at the end of May I had access to more books, but somehow started reading less. When I went back to work at the end of June I was back to more normal reading levels. I am way above last year. I have 127 total books read this year.

Like Benita, I've read way more books this year than in previous years. Although I'm on 80% salary, the workload is more like 40% so lots of extra time for reading.

>60 benitastrnad: I’ve probably read more this year but I don’t count newspapers/websites/magazines on COVID to my total. Actual books? Far, far lower.

>60 benitastrnad: Yeah, me too. Many more books that usual for me. Well, although in what is now my second full year of retirement, I'm not sure what "usual" actually means. Plus Covid, of course. I blew past my overall 50-Book goal (I'm at 76, now) and have inched past my Books off the Shelf goal, too, now at 29 (original goal of 27) and closing in on finishing my 30th.

Added my second ROOT of December to my personal ticker: Stalking Point, by Duncan Kyle.

I finished a couple of ROOTs in the past few days. I hope to get a couple more done before the end of the year, fingers crossed!

I met my total ROOTs goal in November and my physical books goal, too; I'm still one short of my e-books goal. This year was a good reading year for me as I had more time to relax at home without having to chauffeur the kids from pillar to post - I met the 75 book challenge for the first time ever, despite having tried for eleven years.

I may keep my ROOTs goals the same for next year or revise them slightly downwards, given that I only met my goals this year towards the end of the year in spite of reading more. Well, I added another library/ country to my Overdrive list and I've noticed that there seem to be more books that I want to read available in my other Overdrive libraries. I suspect they kicked into action because of the lockdowns.

Reporting ROOT # 60 for the year, # 2 for December

Het Huis met de Raven - Geoffrey Huntington

Own tickers updated!

I knocked out another ROOT while driving 19 hours to Kansas this weekend. Born to Run by The Boss Bruce Springsteen was a great book to listen to while driving and he was a great narrator.

I finished the horror book 夏と花火と私の死体 (Summer, Fireworks, and My Corpse) this past weekend, and have now started 万引き家族 (Shoplifters), which was a movie that did well at Cannes and that I've been wanting to watch but was waiting until I read this. (Although a friend told me this was written based off the movie and not vice versa. Oh well.)

I should add that the horror book was a ROOT from 2011. I bought it in Japan, brought it back to the US, carried it to France to read over vacation, and it came back to me in Japan unread so I'm happy that I can finally stop carrying it around with me.

I just added ROOT #3 for December (#80 for the year) to my own ticker.

It looks like I will be moving sooner than I thought if the deal for our townhouse complex goes through. There will be books to move but maybe fewer if I read and release more ROOTs. I'm just not sure if I should up my ROOTs goal or keep it the same and see how far I can exceed it.

Third ROOT for December added to my personal ticker: An Overdose of Death, by Agatha Christie.

I took another ROOT off my list. I finished Last of the Light: About Twilight by Peter Davidson earlier tonight. This was a very poetic book about twilight - the not quite dark time of day. It was an exploration of that period of the day in representational art, such as painting and photography, literature, and music. Very interesting, but it demanded more concentration than I wanted to put in at this point of time.

Another root for this month, The Rainbow and the Rose by Nevil Shute. Only one to go to reach my target. Alas I came home with 3 library books the other day but two were on my wishlist and about to be culled from the library, so I will effectively save their lives. I will read the shorter one before reading a final root for the year.

>3 cyderry: Definitely in for next year. I'm always greatful for the work you do keeping this group running and crunching numbers. I know my personal theme for next year will be "simplicity" :)

Reporting 2 books completed for December and with that I have reached my 2020 reading goal. Personal ticker updated. Wishing everyone a safe holiday season and New Year.

>76 This-n-That: YEAH! GOOD JOB!

Well done, This-n-That. Congratulations.

I've just added my 4th ROOT for December (#81 for the year) to my ticker.

>76 This-n-That: Hurray! Congratulations!

>77 cyderry: >78 Robertgreaves: >80 rabbitprincess: Thanks so much. :-)

Btw, I am in for ROOTing during 2021. Plus, I really need some extra motivation to help whittle down my 'books I own' pile.

I'm putting 万引き家族 (Shoplifters - which became the movie that got success in Cannes) to the side (not that I was getting very far with it) because yesterday I found X'mas Stories: 一年でいちばん奇跡が起きる日, a Christmas stories anthology by Japanese authors so I thought it'd be a great seasonal read and an interesting look at a Japanese literary interpretation of Christmas. I technically have the reading level to read this in time for Christmas on Friday but we'll see where my motivation/laziness falls. :)

Reporting ROOT # 61 for the year, # 3 for December

Draken van een verloren ster by Margaret Weis & Tracey Hickman

Own tickers updated!

I finished ROOT #47 late last night. One ROOT to go!!

Alright, everybody, next week I'm going to be working on the new year group and wanted to finalize the theme, but I can't decide.
I want you to vote. So I'm going to set up a message for each possibility.

Please vote only once as Yes for your favorite - Use Undecided for your second choice but again only once.

The choices are:
Ancient, Modern, and Natural Wonders of the World
Great Capitals of the world
Museums and libraries
Nature (this could be weather, places like deserts or tundras, etc.)
12 animals in the Chinese cycle of years

Please remember only vote once YES and once undecided.

I have finally reached my goal with, Missus by Ruth Park. 48/48. I will stay with this for my goal again next year and hope I don't get too distracted by my kindle my husband is buying me for Christmas.

Voted! Thanks, Chèli, for setting that up. Looking forward to seeing the new group! :D

>91 HelenBaker: Great job! I was worried when I got my first e-reader that my book acquisitions would get out of control. I found that I was able to still get books from the library when I wanted. However, as we all know here, you can never have enough books and fortunately, e-readers (Kindle, Nook, etc.) can easily carry a bunch more books than my arms! W@hat a great gift from your husband!

>85 cyderry: I've voted Yes and Undecided for my first and second choices respectively. Are we supposed to vote No for all the others?

I have voted and I am looking forward to 2021. Counting down the days to this year now.

ETA: Thanks for setting us up again, Chèli!

I voted accordingly but I have to say that I think all the themes are good, so I'll be happy with whatever wins!

Thank you so much for doing all the admin work, Chèli. Groups don't run themselves and you keep everything running to smoothly it's easy to take for granted. I'm looking forward to my second year in the group next year!

Number 38 Root for the year and first for Dec!

Thank you, Chèli, for your hard work running this group. It's hard to find things to look forward to at the moment, but the prospect of a new year of ROOTing is keeping my spirits up. I hope you have a safe and happy Christmas.

Fourth ROOT of December added to my personal ticker: The Answer Is...: Reflections on My Life, by Alex Trebek. I listened to the audio edition read by Ken Jennings and Alex Trebek.

Reporting ROOT # 62 for the year, # 4 for December

De Demonenkoningin by Geoffrey Huntington

Own tickers updated!

I sneaked in a very short ROOT, #5 for December (#82 for the year). Still hopeful of getting a few more read before year end. I've updated my ticker only.

Mission accomplished. I met my goal today, 48 ROOTS.

Wishing you and yours the very best of the season.

Happy Christmas from the Netherlands

I have finished 7 ROOTs in December, my own ticker is updated, and I am now leaving to spend time with my sister. See you all in January!

>106 MissWatson: Have a good time with your sister. Keep safe and well till we see you again.

I've added 3 more ROOTs for December and updated my personal tickers.

I met my overall goal in November (although the thread topper still has me at 92%) but I still need to read one more e-book to meet that sub-goal.

Looks like the voting has Museums and libraries in the lead clearly. Do you think I need to leave the voting open , or can we declare a winner?

I finished reading Martyr by Rorary Clements. This is book one in a series and I just couldn't connect with this book. That means that I won't be reading any more in this series, but will keep the remaining titles in my library - for awhile.

>109 cyderry:
I would close it and declare a winner.

>109 cyderry: I think you want to wait until Monday, because people are maybe not that active here because of Christmas.

Thank you for everything, Cheli! I've read a couple dozen fewer books this year than usual, but it's the new acquisitions I haven't kept up with -- this group kept me motivated to meet my ROOT goal. Already looking forward to next year!

>111 connie53: You have a good point. I'll wait.

>46 cyderry: Lol. Cobweb Removal is the one I need. Although they all look interesting.

Haven't been on in a while; I definitely want to join next year's group, whatever the theme winds up being.

I just finished #39 for the year and the second ROOT for Dec.- I have gone beyond my 30 book goal for the year. Next year I still have books that have languished on my shelves for over 6 months so I have a lot to tackle in the new year!

Added another ROOT for December to my personal ticker: Shockwave, by James Swallow, a Doctor Who audio read by Sophie Aldred and Ian Brooker. Hoping to get one more in before the end of the year.

I don't check in here that often and was happy the voting was still up. Thanks for making this so democratic, Cheli!

I've just added an e-book to my list and updated all my personal tickers. So now all my ROOT goals for this year have been met (or exceeded).

>85 cyderry: thank you for your work to set up and maintain this group. 🥰

Running out of year to read another three books to hit my target.

Looking forward to more ROOTing next year whatever the theme. Thank you Chèli

I finished another ROOT this morning over my morning coffee. Golden Egg by Donna Leon was a book I started late in the afternoon on Christmas Day and enjoyed very minute of reading it. I really like the Guido Brunetti series by this author.

I probably will not meet my challenge of 100 this year, but I just hit #90.

Personal ticker updated, OP needs to be updated when convenient. 😊

I've added #6 for December (#83 for the year) to my own ticker.

>122 fuzzi: what do you mean?

I don't think I'll finish another ROOT this month, as I'm currently working on a couple of library books. So that makes 3 for December, and a 2020 total of 55 — 19 above my goal. Yay, me! I've updated my post in the ticker thread.

Looking forward to what 2021 brings — I think I might raise my goal now that I know what I'm capable of. :-)

>124 cyderry: I have 90 ROOTs on my ticker, but 56 listed on the OP.

I have read 3 roots in December, making a total of 33, 9 above my goal.

Looking forward to ROOTing again next year :-)

>126 fuzzi: Similarly, I have 45 ROOTs on my ticker but 37 listed on the OP.

These totals in the OP are as of the end of November.

Would everyone please make sure that your tickers in the ticker thread are working and update for the year end totals.

>130 cyderry: ticker updated as of 29 December. I was hoping to squeeze one more in, but maybe not.

My ticker is up to date. I probably won't finish my current ROOT. Too many pages and only 2,5 days in the year to go.

My ticker is up to date, but I should finish another one today and I'm still hopeful that I could squeeze another one in before 2021.

looks like museums and libraries for next year!

I just updated my ticker to 60 ROOTs for the year. It's ten more than my goal, and I am obviously very pleased with that.

I haven't decided on my next book yet, but don't expect to finish another ROOT this year.

>130 cyderry: My ticker is up to date. Last week I noticed it wasn't working. I guess because the ticker factory updated their site? Anyhoodle, my ticker is correct and working.

My ticker is up to date; I declared a long-standing ROOT finished. Now at 99 ROOTs read.

>137 rabbitprincess: Oh my goodness - you can surely hit the big 1-0-0 before the end of the year!

Right that's #7 for December (#84 for the year) added to my ticker. Let's see if I can get my last book read by Thursday!

My ticker is up to date as well! Looking forward to next year's ROOTing and the museum/library theme!

>138 Jackie_K: Yep, I'm going to have to get to it! :)

I finish the year on #49, one past my goal with The Road to Urbino by Roma Tearne. Looks like I have my new kindle set up with first two purchases. Undecided whether to include these in my roots for next year as the purpose for me being in this group is to reduce the stacks of physical books.

Libraries and Museums seem to be the overwhelming favorite for our theme for next year.
I've started some research and made my selections for each of the months. I tried to tie the selection to the month in some way if I could.

Hope you all will be happy with what will pop up each month.

>143 cyderry: I'm sure you've chosen some great options. I'm looking forward to seeing them!

>143 cyderry: I'm sure it will be lovely!

The 2021 ROOT Group is up!

https://www.librarything.com/groups/2021rootchallenge

>146 cyderry: Hooray - thank you for sorting the group out for another year!

>143 cyderry: I'm sure it will be perfect! Thank you for everything you do to get us organized; I'm sure it must be like herding cats some days!

>148 Miss_Moneypenny: LOL Yes, sometimes it is. There were people in 2020 who just couldn't grasp the idea of "joining" the group

>146 cyderry: Have joined but haven't decided on my goal yet:

90 (same as this year)
96 (increase by 1/2 a book a month)
100 (nice round number but doesn't divide satisfactorily by 12)

>146 cyderry: I've joined and will stick to my same goal as last year :)

I have joined but not decided on my goal for 2021. I will be setting up my thread in the next day or so as well.

I found this challenge when I was researching libraries and museums. Thought I'd give it a try with my ROOTs.

I'm excited to be joining again in 2021. I really love this group and the enthusiasm that comes from all its members. I'll set up my thread in January probably as I consider what I want my goal to be. It's always been 50 and I've been passing that now but should I try for something a little different? I'm going to think about it.

For now I'm still fitting in a few more volumes of manga read in December, so I'm not ready yet to declare 2020 over.

cyderry, thank you so much for setting up the new challenge. Yep,I've joined!!
Wishing you a happy new year!
And lots of happy reading! :+}

Awesome - off to join the 2021 group.

I have said this before, but this group has really made me appreciate the books in my own library on a new level. And read them, too! See you all next year.

>153 cyderry: That looks like a fun challenge!

>146 cyderry: thank you!!!!

We appreciate all you do for the ROOT CAUSE!!!! 😁😁😁

>153 cyderry: Ooh, I might have to try this. Thanks, Chèli.

>153 cyderry: I'm also going to give this a go -- a fun way to triage which book to read next.

My ticker is up to date with 100 ROOTs read for the year. I will probably not finish any more in the next day or two (the ones I have ongoing are ones I would be picking at rather than reading straight through).

Reporting 1 additional ROOT, which makes 3 total for December. My personal ticker has been updated.

>146 cyderry:
Thanks for setting up the new group. The 2021 Reading Challenge in >153 cyderry: looks fun, so I'll add that to my thread when I set it up.

I won't finish any more books in 2020, so here is my total for December 2020. No tickers updated.

I read 5 ROOT's in December 2020.

Nonfiction
Last of the Light: About Twilight by Peter Davidson

Fiction
Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner
Golden Egg by Donna Leon

I listened to 2 books.
The Toll by Neal Shusterman - YA Fiction
Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen - Autobiography/Memoir

Even though I read Born to Run on the way back to Kansas for Christmas in 2020 it will go into my Personal Best of the Year list for 2021. It was really a good memoir. I try to read one "celebrity" memoir each year and in 2020 it was this one. Anybody who is into Rock Music should read it. It was narrated by Springsteen and it was well done. Sometimes it was more honest than I wanted with too much detail, but I liked it and I recommend it.

My goal for this year was 60 ROOT's. I read 106 ROOT's. It was an extraordinary reading year. I don't think I will ever do that well again. But it was fun reading all those books.

I have not decided on a number for next year but I don't think I will have as much reading time as I did this last year, so I will probably keep my expectations low with a modest increase. I have to think about it but will decide at the beginning of the new year.

Here is my report for December 2020:

UpROOTED books: 14
ROOTless books: 11
Added to the treebook TBR shelves: 4

The ROOTs were:

The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder
The Night Listener by Armistead Maupin
Newton by Peter Ackroyd
Neutron Star by Larry Niven
An Elderly Lady Is Up To No Good by Helene Tursten
Ruso and the Root of All Evils by Ruth Downie
The Ancient Paths by Graham Robb
The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen
The Woman in Blue by Elly Griffiths
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
A Song for Nero by Thomas Holt
The Countertenor Wore Garlic by Mark Schweizer
The Christmas Cantata by Mark Schweizer
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

Total ROOTs for 2020: 129 as shown by my own ticker

Could I ask a favor, please?

Would someone be kind enough to create a thread in the new group explaining how to create a ticker so anyone new to the group understands.

I had an inquiry, and tried to explain it, but I'm sure that someone else would do a better job.

Yes, I will copy paste from the 2019 or 2020 group. And of course I adapted it to the new style.

>168 connie53: Thanks Connie!

I said up thread in >125 rosalita: that I was done ROOTing for this year, but I ended up finishing one more just in time. My ticker in the ticker thread is up to date.

Happy New Year! See you all in 2021!

I've managed to add not one but two final ROOTs to my December ticker - nos 8 and 9 for December (nos 85 and 86 for the year). See you in 2021!

Sorry to report that I fell short of my goal and only managed 46/50 for 2020. But onward and upward in 2021!

All tickers updated, and my sincere thanks, Chèli, for your ongoing management of the Group, during this year.

Best wishes to all for a Happy New Year - look forward to seeing old friends, and making new ones in the 2021 ROOTs Group!

I finished what I expect to be my last ROOT of the year, though I have one more in progress. Happy New Year's eve, all & see you in 2021!

>153 cyderry: Thank you Cheli for organizing the new thread and for this challenge. I will adopt it also, to give a bit of structure to my reading choices. I am considering doing another alphabet challenge as well.
I have joined the new group, but my thread will have to wait, as I have picked plums to make jam.
Happy New Year and Happy Reading in 2021 to you all.

I had such high hopes for ROOTing this year, but it turns out that teacher-in-the-time-of-covid is not conducive to a lot of spare reading time. 16 out of 25. Oh well, on to next year!

>175 MissSos: Oh, as a parent of a school aged child, thank you so much - you teachers are amazing!

>175 MissSos: I can understand you were getting behind on ROOTing. I's such an important job you are doing especially in Covid-times. Better ROOTing next year!

Finished on 26 out of my target of 30. Disappointed to have missed my target for the year but loved discovering some great reads on my shelves. Looking forward to joining the 2021 challenge.

Of the 62 active participants, 47 have reached their goal!

We had 10 readers that reached their goals in the final stretch! - detailmuse, This-n-That, HelenBaker, Kwharton, lindapanzo, wandaly, rocketjk, humouress,ritacate, Merryann

They joined cyderry, Henrik_Madsen, LadyBookworth, LoraShouse, si, Rebeki, Quaisior, Ameise1, mandymarie20, Miss_Moneypenny, readingtangent, leslie.98 benitastrnad, FAMeulstee, majkia, MissWatson, Nickelini, connie53, rabbitprincess, Saceby, sallylou61, rosalita, enemyanniemae, Kristelh, curioussquared,Erratic_Charmer, Robertgreaves, Erratic_Charmer, bragan, vestafan, Jackie_K,ca_dmv, clue, torontoc, and lilisin reaching their goal!

So Here is how we finished....

alexa_d 87 / 100 87.0%
Ameise1★ 12 / 12 100.0%
Bcteagirl 7 / 20 35.0%
benitastrnad★ 106 / 60 176.7%
bragan★ 59 / 50 118.0%
brakketh 26 / 30 86.7%
ca_dmv★ 18 / 12 150.0%
clue★ 56 / 50 112.0%
connie53★ 62 / 42 147.6%
crazy4reading 18 / 38 47.4%
curioussquared★ 72 / 50 144.0%
CurrerBell 20 / 40 50.0%
cyderry★ 106 / 84 126.2%
detailmuse★ 40 / 40 100.0%
DissamblyOfReason 34 / 100 34.0%
enemyanniemae★ 98 / 50 196.0%
Erratic_Charmer★ 53 / 40 132.5%
Familyhistorian★ 73 / 65 112.3%
FAMeulstee★ 33 / 24 137.5%
floremolla 46 / 50 92.0%
fuzzi 90 / 100 90.0%
HelenBaker★ 49 / 48 102.1%
Henrik_Madsen★ 60 / 50 120.0%
H-mb 15 / 20 75.0%
humouress★ 48 / 40 120%
Jackie_K★ 86 / 60 143.3%
kac522★ 56 / 45 124.4%
karenmarie★ 38 / 30 126.7%
Kristelh★ 61 / 45 135.6%
Kwharton★ 12 / 12 100.0%
LadyBookworth★ 30 / 30 100.0%
lindapanzo★ 50 / 48 104.2%
lilisin★ 81 / 50 162.0%
LoraShouse★ 19 / 15 126.7%
leslie.98★ 148 / 75 197.3%
madhatter22 25 / 30 83.3%
majkia★ 113 / 60 188.3%
mandymarie20★ 50 / 25 200.0%
martencat 27 / 30 90.0%
Merryann★ 100 / 100 100.0%
Miss_Moneypenny★ 82 / 50 164.0%
MissSos 16 / 25 64.0%
MissWatson★ 85 / 50 170.0%
nebula21 33 / 48 68.8%
Nickelini★ 30 / 15 200.0%
rabbitprincess★ 100 / 60 166.7%
rainpebble 29 / 36 80.6%
readergirliz 12 / 32 37.5%
readingtangent★ 51 / 24 212.5%
Rebeki★ 25 / 24 104.2%
ritacate★ 24 / 24 100.0%
Robertgreaves★ 129 / 90 143.3%
rocketjk★ 31 / 27 114.8%
rosalita★ 56 / 36 155.6%
Sace★ 32 / 18 177.8%
sallylou61★ 37 / 30 123.3%
si★ 21 / 20 105.0%
sibylline 18 / 30 60.0%
This-n-That★ 11 / 10 110.0%
torontoc★ 39 / 30 130.0%
vestafan★ 80 / 60 133.3%
wandaly★ 19 / 18 105.6%

If your numbers are incorrect please send me a message and I will adjustthem.

Now on to 2021!

Nice to see the final numbers. Thanks Chèli!

Wonderful wrap up, Chèli! Congratulations to each and every person who met their goal, and also to those who didn't get all the way there but still made the effort. That's pretty special, in 2020 even more than most years.

>179 cyderry: Thanks Chèli. Could you please add 3 more books to my total? I squeezed them in at the end of the year and have now updated my ticker.

I haven't set up a thread yet for the new year - I will get around to doing that soon.

I finished with 90, not 56, could you update it? I worked hard for those 34 ROOTs! :)

Thanks for all you do, it's appreciated.