brewergirl's ROOT list for 2014

My goal is to read 35 books that I acquired prior to 1/1/14 but haven't yet read.

Also see my thread in the 75 Book Challenge for 2014 group.

January ... 5 books (plus 2 abandoned) ... see message 5
February ... 4 books ... see message 21
March ... 1 book ... see message 28
April ... 0 books ... see message 30
May ... 2 books ... see message 31
June ... 1 book ... see message 34
July ... 1 book ... see message 36
August ... 0 books ... see message 37
September ... 5 books ... see message 38
October ... 1 book ... see message 40

Welcome back!!!

Welcome back and good luck!

Hi brewer. Good luck with your challenge.

January progress

#1: The First Man in Rome by Colleen McCullough ... This is the first in a series and was highly recommended by my nephew. Very good.

#2: Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman ... I picked this up after binge-watching the Netflix series.

#3: Riotous Assembly by Tom Sharpe ... I had forgotten how much I enjoyed his humor! Funny but unbelievable farce set in 1970s South Africa.

ABANDONED: Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian ... This was my 3rd attempt to read this book ... I tried the audiobook as well. I got further this time but it just didn't capture my attention, so I've moved on.

#4: Shroder by Amity Gaige ... I heard her speak at the Boston Book Festival last fall. The book was okay. It is supposed to be a letter/explanation by a man to his estranged wife after he takes their daughter for 6 days without telling her, but the format didn't ring true for me. (I can't get the touchstone for the book title to work.)

#5: Queen's Own Fool: A Novel of Mary Queen of Scots by Jane Yolen ... A charming historical fiction about Mary Queen of Scots told from the perspective of her fool. Very enjoyable.

ABANDONED: The Accursed by Joyce Carol Oates ... I just couldn't finish it. Read over 500 pages of it, though.

Isn't it nice to have a whole new series to look forward to now? Congratulations on your first ROOT of the year!

Just checked out the touchstone. This appears to be a rarely trodden era in Roman historical fiction. I need to check this out!

I updated message #5 with my reading so far this month.

Wow. Mostly for all that reading, but also for the strength to put a book down and walk away from it when you've tried and it's just no good for you. I know that sometimes you just have to, but you certainly deserve a congratulations for that to, 'cause it's never easy, is it?

I tried hard with Master and Commander because people had said how good it was. It was good but just didn't "catch" for me. I used to read books through no matter how much I didn't like them (case in point, Middlesex!) but I've decided life is too short ... and there are so many other books to try!

I am going to re-try The Poisonwood Bible again, too. That is another one I gave up on in the past, but I keep hearing good things about it.

That's what I decided too! So many books, so little time!

I tried to read Master and Commander a few years ago and just couldn't finish.

Curious now, I looked up the description of Master and Commander. This gave me a pretty good laugh, as I am currently reading Commodore Hornblower, also set in the Navy during the Napoleonic War.

I don't always understand some of the technical stuff, but overall I'm enjoying my book very well. :)

I believe Hornblower is considered the granddaddy of them all, but there's a whole fleet of authors sailing in his wake, writing about the French Wars. The interesting thing about Patrick O'Brian is that thanks to Maturin there's so much more than just Royal Navy stuff. I always liked the Delancey series by C. Northcote Parkinson, the plots are often influenced by his research interests.

It kills me to say I have "abandoned" The Accursed because I read 510 pages (!) of this 667 page novel and just couldn't finish it. I enjoyed the first half but it lost me ... or I lost it ... who knows. Maybe I'll finish up the 100 pages at some point and put this squarely in the "read" category but I need to walk away from it.

Ahhhowww! 510 down! But if it's not reading well, I know it seems like forever to get over a hundred more pages read. Good for you, for firmly knowing that reading should be enjoyable and walking away.

Good for you for putting it down if you need to! I suffer from excessive feelings of duty to finish books and will attempt to emulate your fortitude and turn to something I get along with better!

Ow! That is a tough slog. Maybe put a Post-it note in where you left off, not visible from the outside of the book, in case you do decide to read it again? That way you'll know where you were but won't have the bookmark sticking out to nag you about not finishing.

Hope your next book is lighter!

Good for you for setting it aside. It's tough to do when you've read that far but I'm getting better at not letting books hold me hostage just because I started reading them but stopped liking them.

Message 5 is up-to-date for January. Thought I might sneak another one in before the end of month, but it doesn't look like it.

February progress

#6: One of Ours by Willa Cather ... Had this on the shelf and saw it referenced on one of the World War I reading links. I loved O Pioneers and My Antonia. This one was excellent as well.

#7: Reunion at Red Paint Bay by George Harrar ... I heard him speak at the Boston Book Festival and so picked up his book. Nice suspenseful story set in Maine about your past coming back to haunt you.

#8: Taft 2012 by Jason Heller ... Entertaining book about President William Howard Taft appearing in 2012 and getting back into politics.

#9: The Dinner by Herman Koch ... I'm not sure what to say about it. Well written but disturbing.

You are doing great, Martha!

Updated my February reading in message 21.

Hi Martha, I thought the same thing about the book by Herman Koch

>21 brewergirl: I just picked up The Dinner from the library...I'm eager but also a little nervous to start reading it.

>25 kaylaraeintheway: just start, Kayla. It's worth your time, i think!

>25 kaylaraeintheway: The Dinner is worth the read.

March progress

#10: The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World Before the War, 1890-1914 by Barbara Tuchman ... Very interesting. Each chapter has a different focus on a different country/area. Some were more interesting than others. I really loved the chapter on the US, partly because it focused on a Congressman from Maine!

Wow 10 books, You are doing fine, Martha!!

April progress

Did not finish a ROOT in April.

May progress

#11: The Good House by Ann Leary ... Heard her at the Boston Book Festival and picked up the book. Interesting story of woman struggling with alcohol.

#12: The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty ... Picked this up ages ago and never read it. A man deals with his grief by riding his bike from Rhode Island to California.

Just keep on going, Martha!!

I updated message 31 with my May ROOT reading. Don't think I'll get any more in before end of month.

June progress

#13: Joyland by Stephen King ... I found a few Stephen King books on my shelf that I haven't read yet.

I'm a King fan, also. Haven't heard of that one! I will add it to my TBR list!

July progress

#14: Doctor Sleep by Stephen King ... Another that was on my shelf that I hadn't read yet. This is the sequel to The Shining.

August progress

Sadly ... no ROOT books in August.

September progress

#15: The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde ... First in a series aimed at younger readers. Perfect primer for future readers of The Eyre Affair et al.

#16: Life Among Giants by Bill Roorbach ... Not sure why I happened to pick this up, but it was just alright. Not a favorite.

#17: The Dog Stars by Peter Heller ... Pretty good story about a post-flu apocalyptic US.

#18: The Treble Wore Trouble by Mark Schweitzer ... Another in the Liturgical Mystery series. Great fun!

#19: America's Prophet: Moses and the American Story by Bruce Feiler ... Very good look at the Moses/Exodus story as it relates to the Pilgrims, the American Revolution, the Civil War, etc.

I've heard lots of good things about Mr. Fforde, Martha. Keep up the reading!

October progress

#20: A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel Pink ... Very good look at left- and right-brain thinking.

Last quarter of the year was a bit of a bust as far as reading goes. On to 2015!