Laytonwoman3rd's ROOT'em out and READ'em Project 2014

Here is my 2014 ticker for ROOT Reading. I am sticking with 35 as my goal. In 2013, I made it to 39, and I'd be thrilled with 40 or more, but we'll see. As I intend to concentrate on American authors this year, and I have an enormous supply of unread works by Americans on my shelves, it is possible I may surprise myself.

I am changing my criteria slightly for this challenge this year. In the past I counted any book that had been on my shelf for at least a year, unread. I will continue with that, but will add that any book I read and remove from my library will also count toward this total, no matter how long I've had it. The ultimate goal for me is to buy fewer books, and eliminate some of my backlog of TBR's. But if I can actually reduce the number of books in the house too, that's an extra bonus.

Welcome, Laytonwoman. Good to see you here.

Hi Linda. Good luck with your challenge. Let's ROCK those ROOTs!~!

Hello Linda, I found you here. I wonder where else you are?

Welcome back and good luck! :)

>4 wildbill: Well, you've found my 75 Book Challenge thread, and my American Authors Challenge thread; I also hang out sometimes in the Virago Group, but I'm not sure that's your kind of reading! You're welcome to stop in and see for yourself, though...there's no "NO BOYS ALLOWED" sign on the door.

>Thanks, Rabbit!

Finished my first 2014 ROOT... Alexander's Bridge by Willa Cather. The link is to my 75 Book Challenge thread, where I make comments on my reading.

My second ROOT for the year is also a Willa Cather novel, My Antonia. Again, I link to my thread, not to the book page here. I've updated my own ticker. I don't fiddle with the main group ticker.

You are doing just fine, Linda!!

You are a Willa Cather fan? I've tried, but I can't!

My Antonia is on my list too. My sister warned me off of it after I bought it, so we'll see :-) What did you think of it?

I loved My Antonia...couldn't believe I'd waited so long to read her. I'm doing the American Authors Challenge in the 75 Book Challenge Group, and Cather was the author for January. I'd read a couple of hers before. I really enjoyed Death Comes for the Archbishop too.

I'm glad you enjoyed Cather. I've tried, but she is definitely not for me!

I haven't kept this thread up to date very well. I've now read a total of 7 ROOTS. In addition to the two Cathers, these:

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
Mosquitoes by William Faulkner
Flags in the Dust by William Faulkner
The Pearl by John Steinbeck
Robert B. Parker's Bull River by Robert Knott (This one is going to the library book sale)

That's great progress with your reading!

You are well on your way to your goal. Congratulations! :)

No. 8: The Foolish Gentlewoman by Margery Sharp

No. 9 Codex by Lev Grossman

No. 10 Suttree by Cormac McCarthy

Great progress! Congratulations!

Yeah for Linda!!

No. 11 Mozart and Leadbelly by Ernest J. Gaines

No. 12 Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson Not thrilled with this one, and will donate it to the library sale.

Oh, Bill Bryson is a favorite of mine. I've always enjoyed his humor.

No. 13. Heartstones by Ruth Rendell

No. 14. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

I have a few of Mrs. Morrisons books on the shelves too. But they don't seem to call that loud.

This one was very good, Connie. Here's what I said about it on my thread.

No. 15 The Reserve by Russell Banks

No. 16. Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley

No. 17. Plainsong by Kent Haruf
No. 18. Delta Wedding by Eudora Welty

Half way! Very good.

Yeah! Halfway in 5 months, Congrats!

No. 19. The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler

No. 20. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
No. 21. The Bloodiest Day The Battle of Antietam, by Ronald H. Bailey and the editors of Time-Life Books

How did you like Birdsong?

>34 Tess_W: "Like" isn't the word I'd use, but I found Birdsong brilliant, powerful, and very difficult to set aside, despite being harrowing to read. It made me understand the whole "lost generation" phenomenon.

Oh wow, I'm glad you "received" it well...for lack of a better word! It took me months to read because I thought it was soooooooooooo boring! I can not even think of reading another by the same author!

No. 22. Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain
No. 23. Twenty Years A-Growing by Maurice O'Sullivan

No. 24. Mr. Lincoln's Wars by Adam Braver
No. 25. The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway

No. 26. Madman's Drum by Lynd Ward

You are one happy ROOTer!!!

No. 27. William Faulkner and the Tangible Past by Thomas S. Hines

No. 28. From Doon With Death by Ruth Rendell

29. The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
30. Go Tell It On the Mountain by James Baldwin

Always wanted to read Go Tell It on the Mountain!

>44 Tess_W: You should, Tess...it's powerful.

31. Jonah's Gourd Vine by Zora Neale Hurston

32. The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton