Bragan's Tenth Thingaversary ROOTing

Hello, all! It's good to be here again for a shiny new year of reading books off my shelves. (And then, knowing me, putting still more books on the shelves, but I'm going to at least try to practice a little restraint this year. We'll see how that goes.)

Anyway, as the thread title indicates, 2017 marks my tenth year on LibraryThing, hard as that is to believe. (My Thingaversary is Feb. 28.) In honor of that, I thought I'd add a little something to my usual ROOTing goal. I'm going to do my usual goal of 100 total ROOTs. But in addition to that, I'm going to make a point of reading at least ten books that have been on the TBR shelves since the day I joined LT in 2007. There are a ridiculous number of those -- 156, at current count, and that's after culling a couple I finally decided I was never going to read -- so that's not going to get me very far through them, but it's better than neglecting them entirely.

So, a couple of tickers:







And that's me all set, I think. Here's wishing you all a very happy New Year, and a great new year of reading!

Welcome back and have a great reading year! Happy tenth Thingaversary when it comes!

>2 rabbitprincess: Thanks!

Happy to see names I recognize! Good ROOTing and very Happy New Year.

Great idea, I'll try it next year !

Welcome back and good ROOTing!
I try to blend in a few of the very old ones as well. Usually they are good reads. There was a reason I bought them, and even if the reason escapes me, the books are the same.

That's a good idea to get to those books that have been sitting around for a long time. I will be coming up to my 9th year on LT and, I am sure, I have many of those original books on the shelves still unread. Good luck with your plan and happy ROOTing.

Thanks, all, and happy ROOTing!

>4 enemyanniemae: Glad to be recognized! *waves* :)

>5 cyderry: I'm vaguely wondering if I shouldn't continue it into next year, myself. Or maybe do something similar. I did do a points system for a couple of years, where I gave myself more points for older books. That helped get the really old ones read, too, but was maybe a little too elaborate. I like the simplicity of just deciding I'm going to read through some of the oldest stuff.

>6 Henrik_Madsen: I fear some of them may have been sitting there so long that my tastes have changed to the point where I no longer enjoy them as much as I would have when I bought them. But, then, I've often been surprised by how good books I've had for ages are when I finally get to them, and then kick myself for not doing it sooner.

>7 Familyhistorian: Really, the number of books I have that qualify for this is just ridiculous. It really is time I at least made some effort towards doing something about that.

Hope you find some good ones among the ancient tomes! Happy ROOTing!

>9 MissWatson: Thanks! I have no doubt that I will.

Welcome back & Happy 2017 ROOTing!

OK, first book of the year is in the bag.

1. Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood.

One down, 99 to go!

Good luck for 2017 - I hope you meet your goals, and find some pearls among the deep ROOTs!

>13 Jackie_K: Thanks! I'm sure there are some real gems down there.

Congrats on your first ROOT!

And a 4-star read to kick it off! Good to know that reading the Tempest first is helpful to enjoying Hag-Seed! I'll need to brush up on my Shakespeare before getting around to the Atwood ;)

>15 MissWatson: Thanks! I'm thinking the next one might take a little while, but I can already tell it's going to be worth it.

>16 avanders: The Tempest is pretty cool, though, so it shouldn't be too painful. :)

>17 bragan: good to know.. I tend to like Shakespeare, but it has been a while.. ;)

Hi, Bragan. So good to see you hear again. Good luck with your extra challenge. I'm sure you will do it!

>19 connie53: Thanks! It shouldn't be too difficult, I think. I hope!

Good luck with your 2017 rooting!

Moving right along!

2. The Country of Ice Cream Star by Sandra Newman.

That one took me a little while, but it was worth it.

those are the best... satisfying, "worth it," longer reads... :)

>23 avanders: Yep! The long reads that aren't satisfying and worth it are just annoying. :)

3. What Philosophy Can Tell You About Your Cat edited by Seven D. Hales.

>24 bragan: yep - those are "the worst"! ;)

>26 avanders: Especially as I am a compulsive finisher.

>24 bragan: I took me some years (let's say 30) to get to the conclusion that I have to stop reading such a book.

>28 connie53: I think I am hopeless when it comes to that lesson. :)

>27 bragan: ew me too! My husband's been trying to get me to be better ;)

Skipping past my first non-ROOT of the year (a re-read).

4. Good as Gone by Amy Gentry.

This one's so short I almost feel bad about including it in my total. Almost.

5. We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

>32 bragan: Even the short ones are eager to be read.

>32 bragan: I agree with Birgit. The short ones count too.

> 33, >34 connie53: Yeah, I figure, they counted going onto the TBR, so they count coming off!

If it fits between a cover or on an e-reader, it counts!

>32 bragan: lol I know that feeling... almost... ;)
& Oh! I've been curious about that book - glad to see you enjoyed it!

>35 bragan: excellent point :)

>37 avanders: I do recommend it, especially as it's such a very quick read.

6. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi.

>38 bragan: ok. wishlisted :)

>39 bragan: that's a TOB book that's on its way to me!
what did you think of it? (your touchstone takes you to the wrong book ...)

>40 avanders: Aargh, every time I've tried to touchstone that book, it's come up wrong, and I thought I had changed it there, like I did everywhere else, but apparently not. I'll fix it!

And I can really only add my voice to the chorus of people saying how good it is. It really is good. Painful in its subject matter. But good.

And I've also edited because I had that listed as ROOT number 7, when it's actually number 6. Whoops! Getting ahead of myself.

>41 bragan: looks like you've figured it out! Great review - I look forward to getting to it! Hopefully this year.....
>42 bragan: hee hee ;)

>43 avanders: I hope you like it as much as I did.

And here I thought I was making more progress... :)

7. The Time Quartet by Madeleine L'Engle.

This is actually an omnibus volume with four novels in it, but it still only gets counted as one ROOT. More importantly, though, it's also the first of my "decadal tomes" to be read this year! I really don't know quite how long this one's been sitting on the TBR pile, but I suspect it's likely much longer than a decade. One down, nine to go!

How very satisfying to have finished such an old ROOT!

>46 MissWatson: It really, really is! Took me a while to finish, but I feel I've accomplished something now. :)

8. My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout.

>45 bragan: woo hoo congrats on finishing such a deep ROOT!

>48 bragan: nice review - as a TOB book, it's on my shortlist for this year.. hope to get to it before too long!

>49 avanders: Thanks! It feels good.

And, yeah, the reason I read Lucy Barton now is also because it's a TOB book. I figured that since it's pretty short, it'd be very easy to finish in time for the tournament.

>50 bragan: And it sounds like it was easy to get through too, which is nice :)

>51 avanders: Yes, it was a very fast read.

I'm probably going to make a point of getting to some of the other TOB books I have soon, too. I'm thinking I might go for Version Control after I finish the (non-ROOT) ER book I'm currently reading. We'll see.

And with that, it's time to see where we stand at the end of January:

January 2017

Books read: 10
Books acquired: 12
ROOT books read: 8
ROOT booksYTD total: 8/100
"Decadal tomes" read: 1
"Decadal tomes" YTD total: 1/10
Current TBR total: 983

Man, I really thought I was likely to start the year off by actually reading more than I acquired. And I would have, too, if it weren't for the fact that I literally had someone walk up to me and go, "Here, I have some books for you." Enablers! The entire world consists of enablers!

>52 bragan: That's another one I'm also really looking forward to :)

>53 bragan: "Man, I really thought I was likely to start the year off by actually reading more than I acquired." lol me too.. but then I made the "buy all the TOB books" decision.... :P
yep, enablers abound! esp. book enablers... speaking of which: I have some books I'm getting rid of....... ;D

Congrats on reading 8 ROOTs in January!

>54 avanders: Careful, I could totally show up on your doorstep holding my hand out for books. :)

>55 bragan: lol well, that would at the very least be good for laughter ;)

>56 avanders: I could look very sad and pitiful. :)

9. Version Control by Dexter Palmer.

10. Plum Lovin' by Janet Evanovich.

>57 bragan: lol there would be no need ;)

>58 bragan: another TOB book (though the touchstone takes you to the wrong book...)
looking forward to reading it myself!

>59 bragan: a fair assessment!

>58 bragan: Version Control is an odd and interesting book. I'm still not 100% sure what to make of it.

I've still got two more TOB books on the TBR to read. I'm hoping to get to those pretty soon.

And, aargh. I swear the touchstones have been particularly weird lately. All kinds of bizarre, irrelevant things keep coming up, and even when I think I'm paying attention to what comes up, sometimes I forget. Well, the link in this post is right, anyway. Unless LT is just messing with me now.

>61 bragan: I agree.. the touchstones seem... touchy.... ;D (hee hee, sorry ;))
I am excited about the concept discussed in Version Control :)

11. Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell.

>63 bragan: Yay, that was one of my Christmas gift card books! I will probably read it at home instead of on the bus to make sure I am paying enough attention.

>64 rabbitprincess: I think there were probably times when I wasn't paying as much attention to it as I should have been to get everything out of it, myself. But I liked it, anyway.

Catching up and loving your idea to make 10% of your goal as pre-LT acquisitions. Think I'll do that too, thanks!

I have to say, even though I haven't exactly made much progress on it yet, I am really happy with the idea. Enough so that I'm vaguely thinking I might do it, or a variant on it, again next year. But that's probably getting way ahead of myself.

12. The Vegetarian by Han Kang.

>63 bragan: Great title. (I don't know the book, though)

>63 bragan: Isn't it? I think Sarah Vowell has kind of a way with titles.

>68 bragan: I agree completely w/ your review!

& Congrats on 12 ROOTs pulled already!

>71 avanders: It's nice to know it's not just me who felt that way about that one.

And thanks! The current ROOT is going a lot more slowly, though, for various reasons.

>72 bragan: no I think a lot of people felt that way... a good book, an important book, a disturbing book.... :-}

And that happens -- hope your various reasons are good ones!

>73 avanders: Well, I think the reasons mostly involve poor time management on my part, but it could be worse. :)

13. The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson.

14. Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson.

15. The Mothers by Brit Bennett.

>77 bragan: I wanted to check out The Mothers but the link is going to a different book - tried The Mothers: A Novel and that seems to work.

>78 floremolla: OK, the touchstone issues are really starting to bug me. I'm going to try to fix the one in the post. Thanks for giving me the heads-up.

Happy Thingaversary to me!!!

Yes, that's right, today is my 10th Thingaversary. Which is kind of crazy because it does not remotely seem that long. I think that's a sign that I'm getting old. Sigh.

But never mind that! It is a time to celebrate! The traditional celebration apparently involves buying books, specifically a number of books equal to your current Thingaversary number, plus one to grow on. I haven't actually observed this tradition before now, due to really not needing any more excuses to buy books. But since this is a big one, and since I made enough of a big deal about it to put it in my title thread, I figured, well, I had to. Right?

So today I went to Thriftbooks.com and placed an eleven-book Thingaversary order.

If you're curious which books I bought, they are:

The Forest Unseen: A Year's Watch in Nature by David George Haskell
The Pirates! In an Adventure with Communists by Gideon Defoe
Mr. Splitfoot by Samantha Hunt
The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst
A Life in Parts by Bryan Cranston
This Census-Taker by China Miéville
Nova by Samuel R. Delany
Halting State by Charles Stross
The View from the Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
Evicted by Matthew Desmond

*throws confetti*

Now, I really need to get back to reading, because I don't actually think all of those are going to fit onto my already overburdened TBR shelves...

Congrats on your Thingaversary and also your new books!

>81 Tess_W: Thank you!

congrats from a newbie - 10 years is pretty impressive!

>80 bragan: *releases balloons*
congratulations!

Nice haul there! Happy Thingaversary!

>80 bragan: Happy Thingaversary! Excellent choices for your haul.

Thanks everyone! Here's to looking forward to another decade of reading. :)

Happy belated thingaversary!

>88 MissWatson: Only a tiny bit belated! Thanks. :)

OK, time for the February totals. Sigh. Even for a short month, this was a pretty low number of books read for me. My brain just does not seem to be in the reading game lately. Still, it was a respectable number of ROOTS.

February 2017

Books read: 8
Books acquired: 9
ROOT books read: 7
ROOT booksYTD total: 15/100
"Decadal tomes" read: 1
"Decadal tomes" YTD total: 1/10
Current TBR total: 984

16. Mostly Void, Partially Stars: Welcome to Night Vale Episodes, Volume 1 by Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor

17. Why I Read: The Serious Pleasure of Books by Wendy Lesser.

18. Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave.

19. A Sea of Words: A Lexicon and Companion for Patrick O'Brian's Seafaring Tales by Dean King. Which I've been reading or skimming through a few pages at a time since sometime last year. But I'm done doing that now, so now it counts as read!

>94 bragan: Woo hoo! Congrats on finishing such a long-standing ROOT!

>94 bragan: Well, in terms of how long I've owned it, it's not that deep a ROOT. In terms of how long it took me to finish it, though... :)

20. The Book of Taltos by Steven Brust.

21. Gila Descending: A Southwestern Journey by M. H. Salmon.

And this is the second of my Decadal Tomes! I'm not at all sure exactly how long I've had this one sitting on the TBR shelves, but it's definitely over a decade, so it counts for the ticker.

22. Religion: Ruining Everything Since 4004 B.C. by Zach Weinersmith.

23. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.

... I will definitely not be able to "catch up" on threads.. so I'm just dropping in to say Hi!! :)

>101 avanders: Hi! Good to see that you're back. I hope all is well!

>102 bragan: yes! after a period of adjustment.... ;)

>103 avanders: Yes, I'm sure that was just a teeny, tiny minor adjustment to make. :)

24. Doctor Who: Sands of Time by Justin Richards.

25. How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World by Steven Johnson.

26. Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller.

And here we are at the end of March!

March 2017

Books read: 13
Books acquired: 21
ROOT books read: 11
ROOT booksYTD total: 26/100
"Decadal tomes" read: 1
"Decadal tomes" YTD total: 2/10
Current TBR total: 994

OK, that's a lot of books acquired, but it was my Thingaversary.

With luck, maybe I'll make some better progress through the TBR in April. But at least I'm on track with the ROOTs!

>108 bragan: 26/100 ROOTs is great progress - I'm not judging on the acquisitions, it seems just reward for your efforts!

>109 floremolla: Reward or not, it's straining my bookshelf space! :)

>106 bragan: Added How We Got to Now to my TBR, and also noticed there is a documentary by the same name on Netflix!

Yes, after I wrote my review of that, I saw somewhere that there was a TV companion to it. Or that the book is a companion to the TV thing, one or the other. Might be worth watching!

Hmmm. I find myself seriously thinking of using this method of working one's way through an out-of-control TBR. Or at least, I find myself wondering if it'll look so brilliantly doable after I've actually had some sleep. There's got to be a catch to it, right?

>113 bragan: that does sound worth considering....reviewing my first quarter of 2017 I can see a trend towards new acquisitions outnumbering ROOTs read.

If I ask 'what do I want to achieve out of this ROOTing exercise?" I know two things (i) I want to actually read what I've acquired over the past few years, and (ii) I want to hone my bookshelves to be the best of what I've read because I don't want to be hoarding loads of books just for the sake of it.

So I'd add a rating for each book and anything falling below average goes to the charity shop. I think all of the tools for that are here on LT so maybe a journal is unnecessary?...though I confess I'm uncommonly fond of squared paper and good pens.

>114 floremolla: I myself am absolutely fine with hoarding books just for the sake of it. :) Well, until I run completely out of space that is. Which will probably happen eventually. Mostly, though, I just want to not let the TBR get too out of hand. It's starting to feel a bit overwhelming, and I am just about out of space on the shelves I've set aside for the unread books. And my new acquisitions have been outnumbering my books read for a while now.

I was wondering if there might be a better, more high-tech way of keeping track than the journal, but, you know, that might actually be the best way of doing it.

>115 bragan: I've never worried about hoarding books before but the more life throws at me the more I feel driven to get things in my life under control. Plus there's the dreaded issue of having to downsize one day!

If I spent a lot of time at a desk I'd be tempted to try the journal but I'm often on the move - I use my iPad a lot and like to put everything on there for portableness (if that's a word!)

>113 bragan: I really like that, and think it's what I'm working towards by checking my ROOTs:acquisitions ratio. So far the ins are still more than the outs, but at a smaller rate than last year, which was a smaller rate than the year before. Next year I'm hoping for equilibrium - I will still have X number of TBRs, but hopefully the new books I buy won't outnumber the ROOTs I read. Then the year after maybe I can implement this method (or, knowing me, maybe not. Sigh).

>16 avanders: An iPad seems like a good way to do it, too.

>117 Jackie_K: My acquisitions have gotten way out of control in the last few years. Right now, I'm just desperately trying to avoid a four-digit TBR list, and it's looking kind of dubious. I may need all the help I can get!

27. California by Edan Lepucki.

28. Places No One Knows by Brenna Yovanoff.

>104 bragan: miniscule.... ;)

& unsurprisingly, you're still kicking ROOT butt!

>121 avanders: Yeah, I'm not doing too badly! Although I'm not making quite as much progress on the "decadal tomes" books as I'd like at this point. Hopefully I should get a couple more of those read soonish.

29. Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich.

>122 bragan: I know that internal push - but your progress really is great :)

30. Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris.

31. The Great Glowing Coils of the Universe: Welcome to Night Vale Episodes, Volume 2 by Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor

Hi Bragan, just stopping by to see what you were reading in the past months. I was away from LT for a few weeks and now I'm slowly catching up on threads, just skimming through them.

>127 connie53: Hello! And welcome back to LT. It's good to see you.

>125 bragan: I thought your review was ... generous ;) I was not a fan of that book. I am in general, however, a big fan of David Sedaris!

>129 avanders: I thought maybe I'd just read it at the wrong time or in the wrong mood or something... I did quite enjoy parts of it, but not nearly as much as I usually do his stuff, and some of it did feel a bit off-putting. Well, it's kind of nice to know it's not just me.

>130 bragan: not at all.... my whole RL book group felt the same way! :)

32. The Lifebox, The Seashell, and the Soul by Rudy Rucker.

Well, that one took me a while. But it counts as another of my Decadal Tomes, which means I get to move my second ticker again!

33. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith.

34. Jack of Shadows by Roger Zelazny.

Still doing great! Looks like you're right on target to make your (very large) goal :)

>135 avanders: Yes, I'm doing pretty good for the moment, I think!

35. The Wright Brothers by David McCullough.

And I guess that's it for April!

April 2017

Books read: 11
Books acquired: 4
ROOT books read: 9
ROOT booksYTD total: 35/100
"Decadal tomes" read: 1
"Decadal tomes" YTD total: 3/10
Current TBR total: 988

Looks like I'm on pretty good track with the ROOTs. And, hey, the TBR total is even going in the right direction. For now.

>138 bragan: great progress! Those decadal tomes are satisfying, are they not? I've just finished one my husband was given in 1977 but trying not to feel too smug because there are many more on the shelves - might have to adopt your methodical approach next year!

>139 floremolla: They are! Although I do worry about meeting my goal on those. Especially as the reason a lot of them have been sitting around that long is because they're long.

At least I don't have any that have been around since 1977! I think my oldest ones go back to about 1989 or 1990.

>138 bragan: yep you're doing great w/ your ROOTs!

36. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Watcher's Guide, Volume 1 by Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder. And that would be another of my decadal tomes! Whoo-hoo!

>142 bragan: Yeah!!

37. When the People Fell by Cordwainer Smith.

38. The End or Something Like That by Ann Dee Ellis.

39. Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West.

Can't catch up, but will start anew here! Happy reading!

>147 Tess_W: Thank you! And happy reading to you, too.

40. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch.

41. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine.

You are really reading a lot of books, Bragan.

>151 connie53: Yes, I'm having a nice little reading surge at the moment! We'll see how long it lasts. :)

42. Stairways to the Stars: Skywatching in Three Great Ancient Cultures by Anthony Aveni. And that's another of the Decadal Tomes, meaning I'm halfway to my goal on my second ticker now!

43. Tinkers by Paul Harding.

>149 bragan: interesting -- good review. I reallllly enjoyed the book, but it was one of the first books I was able to stay focused on in a while, so I'm sure part of my joy with the book was due to that :) I don't disagree w/ what you've said ... it just didn't seem to bother me ;) And I loved the premise. You say not particularly original.... Do you have recommendations of books that did this better? That's how I found the Otherland series -- someone said that it was a much better / more involved version of Ready Player One (which I also loved) :)

>154 bragan: interesting (again ;)). I did not enjoy that book much, but your review makes me want to go back to it and give it another go! Perhaps a little slower / less impatiently... sometimes my reading-impatience lessens my enjoyment of a book that perhaps warranted a slower read...
(and I think sometimes my reading-impatience increases my enjoyment of a book that is probably best read quickly... like, maybe, Dark Matter? ;))

>155 avanders: You know, while I'm sure I've seen at least similar ideas done a zillion times in SF, in one fashion or another, it's remarkably difficult to bring specific examples to mind... Maybe because if feels so nearly cliche to me that no one instance really stands out.

I will say that while reading it I kept finding myself thinking of Dexter Palmer's Version Control, probably because I'd read that so recently. Very different plot, but some vaguely similar SF elements. I believe you've already read that one, though, right?

And I know all about books whose appeal seems to depend crucially on what mental state you're able to approach them in. It often makes me wonder how many books I would have liked better if I'd had more sleep when I read them!

I can understand not liking Tinkers, because I'm not entirely sure why I loved it so much, myself. I do absolutely think it's not a book one can rush through, though. In fact, I ended up reading quite a few pages more than once so I could get more out of them, and that isn't something I do, normally. At all.

>156 bragan: oh, no worries, I completely know the feeling. I felt the same way about Avatar -- it's not original or ground-breaking, but I certainly couldn't give you an example ;)

Oh, Version Control! Yes, it's on my bedside stand. Need to read it still ;)

Makes sense re Tinkers -- I've wondered why it won the Pulitzer.. maybe those readers read certain pages more than once too ... where I never gave it that chance ;)

>157 avanders: Oh, you haven't read it yet! Well, I thought I'd remembered you mentioning it. Although that might have been someone else. It all blurs together. :)

>158 bragan: yep, I think I said I was starting it. Then I think I read a page or two and then, life. Will get back to it one of these days ;)

>159 avanders: Ah, yes, life. It does sometimes have an annoying habit of interfering with one's very important book-reading!

>160 bragan: lol that it does..

44. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer.

>162 bragan: great review! I haven't read the book but saw the movie - very poignant - the book sounds like it offers more insights.

Edited to remove spoiler!

>163 floremolla: I haven't seen the movie, but it seems to me that it would have to have a very different feel to it than the book, because the way the book portrays events is more thoughtful than dramatic.

45. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 1: Squirrel Power by Ryan North and Erica Henderson.

46. The Death of Bees by Lisa O'Donnell.

>166 bragan: your touchstone is linking to the wrong book, but I found it here The Death of Bees together with your review - sounds like you were in the right frame of mind to enjoy it!

>167 floremolla: Grrr, stupid touchstones! I really, really do not understand their choices sometimes. I will fix it.

And, yes, I think it was the right book at the right time.

MAY 2017

Books read: 15 (although that includes one borrowed from a friend, which didn't come off the TBR)
Books acquired: 9
ROOT books read: 11
ROOT books YTD total: 46/100
"Decadal tomes" read: 2
"Decadal tomes" YTD total: 5/10
Current TBR total: 983

So, a very productive month, reading-wise! (Even if several of those fifteen books were very short.) And I think the TBR-control method I mentioned a while back may actually be working!

I may consider using the "buy one for every two read" method as well. It looks straightforward and might help with my more grabby impulse purchases at library sales.

>170 rabbitprincess: It's very straightforward, which I think is one of its biggest selling points. And I think it's actually helped keep me away from the library sales, too. Although my crazy work schedule has also helped with that lately, so maybe it hasn't really been put to the test yet.

>171 bragan: There's a huge book sale here in November that would test the system very well. I think I'll go ahead and do it! I might even *gulp* backdate it to the haul of 12 books I bought at a big book sale last week.

>172 rabbitprincess: Well, I wish you good luck! Let me know how it goes.

>169 bragan: yes it was a very productive month for you! You continue to stay ahead of your game :)

>170 rabbitprincess: a lofty goal.. ;)

>174 avanders: Well, I doubt this month will be nearly as good, but I guess we'll see. :)

47. I Wear the Black Hat: Grappling with Villains (Real and Imagined) by Chuck Klosterman.

48. Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer.

49. Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast

50. The Singles Game by Lauren Weisberger.

And that puts me halfway to both my goals for the year!

Congrats for hitting the 50% mark!

>180 Tess_W: Thanks. Looks like I'm on track!

>179 bragan: awesome progress given your ambitious goal! Very well done! :)

>177 bragan: oh yeah, I liked that one okay... a little more than you did ;)
Have you read Bell Jar? I hadn't...

>180 Tess_W: yee haw! Congrats! :)

>183 avanders: I read The Bell Jar for the first time just a few months ago, so it was pretty fresh in my mind. I actually kind of think that diminished my appreciation for Belzhar, rather than enhanced it. I think I expected it to resonate a lot more with the Plath than it actually did.

51. On the Beach by Nevil Shute.

>184 bragan: Oh, I bet... Especially if Belzhar wasn't really all that great, then it would be highlighted by a recent reading of Bell Jar! I do mean to read it one of these days...

>186 avanders: It's good, but incredibly depressing.

I've heard that a lot about Plath in general.... I may wait on when I read it... :)

>185 bragan: Great review of On the Beach. I read it a few years ago and felt like I had an Eeyore-style black cloud over my head as I got closer to the end of the book. It was a powerful reading experience but perhaps not one I'm inclined to repeat. (I have read and liked other Shutes, though.)

>185 bragan: excellent review of On The Beach - made me want to read it even knowing it would wreck me too! I have a vague recollection of the movie. I shall file this BB away under 'books to be read when in the mood for annihilation'.

>189 rabbitprincess: That is an excellent description of how that book makes one feel! Undoubtedly it was a black cloud of nuclear fallout.

>190 floremolla: I think it's worth it, but, yeah, do not read it when you're looking for a happy time.

I've been wondering if maybe I should brave the movie version, as well. I've heard some good things about it. But I fear that either it wouldn't quite live up to the book, which would be disappointing, or it would, and that would just be too much.

>185 bragan:--Love On the Beach...have read it twice and also watched the movie--both good. Also like Shute's, A Town Like Alice; a totally different type of book!

>185 bragan: Great review. I too read it as a teenager in the 1980s and it scared the s... out of me. The cold war and the fear of nuclear annihilation is thankfully one of the elements of my choldhood that just cannot be explained to my chlidren.

But now we can share the fear of climate change, so there's that.

>193 Henrik_Madsen: Climate change is seriously scary, but at least it doesn't give me literal nightmares the way the possibility of nuclear armageddon did.

52. Brainchildren: Essays on Designing Minds by Daniel C. Dennett.

And that one also counts on the Decadal Tomes ticker!

53. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 2: Squirrel You Know It's True by Ryan North & Erica Henderson

54. Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home from the Moon by Buzz Aldrin, with Ken Abraham

JUNE 2017

Books read: 12 (including one re-read)
Books acquired: 8
ROOT books read: 8
ROOT books YTD total: 54/100
"Decadal tomes" read: 1
"Decadal tomes" YTD total: 6/10
Current TBR total: 980

Not bad! It probably would be even better if a friend of mine hadn't given me a small stack of books as an early birthday present, but I am not exactly complaining.

Woo hoo, more than half your decadal tomes read!

Great progress!

>199 rabbitprincess:, >200 MissWatson: Yep, looks like I'm on track!

55. The Twelve by Justin Cronin.

>202 bragan: link seems to be to the wrong book - don't mean to sound like the touchstone police, it's just that I like to read your reviews!

>203 floremolla: Grrr, stupid touchstones! (Although they have gotten better recently. Now I think authors just need to come up with more distinctive titles so they don't get confused. :))

It came up as the wrong one the first time, and I thought I changed it to the right one, but maybe I accidentally clicked on another wrong one. Anyway, thanks for pointing it out. Fixing it.

56. Ascent of the A-Word by Geoffrey Nunberg.

57. The Miracle at Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith.

58. Mastodonia by Clifford D. Simak.

59. Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich

Just dropping by to say hello & great progress!

>209 avanders: Thanks!

Mind you, I did do a little too much book shopping this week, so despite the progress, my TBR is going in the wrong direction again. But it was my birthday, so that justifies it, right? :)

Birthdays, half-birthdays, anniversaries, long weekends, Wednesdays, 2nd Tuesday of every month, National Goose Day, Ice Cream for Breakfast Day, Festivus, days when the temps are over 50 and under 30, and DNA Day are all justified book shopping days as far as I am concerned!

>210 bragan: oh me too, me too. And yes, you're justified!! (but I'm not... ;))

>211 Tess_W: lol agreed!

>211 Tess_W: That sort of thinking is probably why my TBR is so out of control. :)

>211 Tess_W: lol - so true.

>213 bragan: ditto!

Hi Bragan, just stopping by to say Hi. I've been away from LT due to RL things, but I'm trying to be better about keeping up.

>215 connie53: Hi, Connie!

60. Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan.

>217 bragan: I liked your review! I'd be worried about feeding my over-fertile imagination with possible health conditions but this sounds a fascinating case.

>218 floremolla: This is always a worry for me with this kind of account, but I do think it's worth the risk.

61. The Automatic Detective by A. Lee Martinez.

62. Places of the Heart: The Psychogeography of Everyday Life by Colin Ellard.

>221 bragan: another good review - a pity it was a disappointing read - I'm aware of psychogeography but only in very simplistic terms, about mapping existing character rather than being used pro-actively in design. I'd like to know more about the practicalities of that, but perhaps not from this book.

>222 floremolla: I think I knew a little about the concept, not from having read about it in any organized way, just picking things about it up here and there. Between that and having read quite a bit about psychology or nueroscience experiments, I actually knew more of the actual science that was covered than I expected to.

I wouldn't recommend against reading it for anybody interested in the subject, but I also wouldn't suggest going in with particularly high expectations when it comes to covering the practicalities.

And now that we're about done with July...

JULY 2017

Books read: 13 (including one re-read)
Books acquired: 22
ROOT books read: 8
ROOT books YTD total: 62/100
"Decadal tomes" read: 0
"Decadal tomes" YTD total: 6/10
Current TBR total: 990

Oh dear, I'm going the wrong direction again. Mostly due to the birthday book shopping. I'll do better next month. Surely.

63. The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer.

>224 bragan: Everyone's allowed a little self-indulgence for their birthday. Happy reading!

>226 MissWatson: It does at least make for a very good-sounding excuse. :) And thanks!

64. Aunt Dimity Takes a Holiday by Nancy Atherton.

>228 bragan: I read a lot of mystery series out of order, for that exact reason. What I want when starting a new series is an interesting main plot. I'm not about to read five less-interesting-sounding books just to get to the one that I'm *really* interested in.

Granted, once I'm into a series, I may go back to the beginning and read in order to catch up to where I started, then read the rest in order. I did that with the Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny. Book 6, Bury Your Dead, had the most interesting main story, so I read that, then went back to #1 and caught up.

Your review has also confirmed that I shall skip the Aunt Dimity series. Cozy mysteries and I don't often get along.

>229 rabbitprincess: If the series itself held any particular interest for me, I would probably have made a point of starting at the beginning, anyway. But this was a case of a friend basically handing me a stack of books and saying, "I don't want to keep these; maybe you'll like them," with this being one of them. And there was no way I was reading seven other books as preparation for that.

It did occur to me that maybe the ghost conceit -- which I think is what my friend thought I might be interested in about the series -- might have started out a lot more interesting in the first book or two, when it was initially established, and it's just that by book 8 the author was either running out of things to do with it or had let it sort of fade into the background. But I'm not remotely interested enough to go back to the beginning and see.

65. Getting Stoned with Savages by J. Maarten Troost.

67. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.

68. The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2013 edited by Siddhartha Mukherjee.

I just wanted to drop by to say hi :)
I couldn't possibly catch up on the threads here (explanation on my own thread), though I wish I could!
I hear that you feel like you have a little more time again at some point after having a kid... here's to hoping ;)

>237 rabbitprincess: Hi!

And, honestly, I'm almost impressed you have time for that much. But, yes, hopefully that won't last forever. :)

69. Summer Falls and Other Stories by Amelia Williams, Melody Malone, and Justin Richards

>239 bragan: The audiobook version of the story The Angel's Kiss is delightful, because Alex Kingston narrates it :)

>240 bragan: That sounds very cool. Although, I swear, she was basically narrating it in my head, anyway. :)

And, since it somehow seems to be September now:

AUGUST 2017

Books read: 11
Books acquired: 2
ROOT books read: 7
ROOT books YTD total: 69/100
"Decadal tomes" read: 1
"Decadal tomes" YTD total: 7/10
Current TBR total: 981

Well, the TBR is going in the right direction this time, at least!

70. What Language Is (And What It Isn't and What It Could Be) by John McWhorter.

>243 Jackie_K: Thumb! Great review. The book is on my list. Will have to get it soon.

>244 bragan: I definitely recommend it, if you're willing to get a bit into the nitty-gritty details of how languages work.

>243 Jackie_K: I've added that to my wishlist.

>246 bragan: Yay!

I need to read more of McWhorter's books. I have really liked the ones I've read so far.

71. Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith.

72. Résumé with Monsters by William Browning Spencer.

73. F in Exams: Pop Quiz: All New Awesomely Wrong Test Answers by Richard Benson.

>236 bragan: I also thought that edition of The Best Science and Nature Writing... was particularly good. Maybe the guest editor does make a noticeable difference!

>251 bragan: I think it probably does make a difference, although I'm sure the sheer random chance of what is or isn't available each year is a factor, too.

Hi Bragan, Just catching up on threads. I see you read a lot of interesting books. Good job.

>253 bragan: Thanks, Connie.

>250 connie53: What did you think of this one? I enjoy such lists on the interwebs, but doesn't it get a bit repetitive in a book?

>250 connie53: It's a very short book. Basically I found it mildly amusing, but that's about all I can say about it. Well, more or less. I did write a review of it here, because I write reviews of everything.

>256 bragan: Thanks - I missed that before.

74. Natural Lives, Modern Times: People and Places of the Delaware River by Bruce Stutz. And this also counts as one of my "decadal tomes." Only two more of those to go, now!

75. Cosmic Engineers by Clifford D. Simak.

76. Dad Is Fat by Jim Gaffigan.

Only 24 to go, Bragan!

>260 Jackie_K: sounds like an ideal book for my brother who's similarly afflicted - birthday gift dilemma solved! :)

I keep getting Dad is Fat appearing in my kobo recommendations, and it's had some good reviews. I'll keep it on the list for now, till Mt TBR goes down a bit (*hollow laughter*).

>261 bragan: I have been slowing down with the ROOTs as I find myself reading more acquired-this-year books, but I should be able to manage another 24 before the year is out. Surely!

>262 floremolla:, >263 bragan: I don't necessarily recommend anybody rushing out in great excitement to read Dad Is Fat, because "mildly amusing" does pretty well sum up my assessment of it. But I do think that people with kids -- especially people with lots of kids! -- are likely to find much in it to relate to. Certainly more than blissfully childless me. :)

>264 floremolla: mildly amusing is good enough - have you ever tried buying gifts for a middle aged man? Especially one who has no hobbies because he has no time!

I have a few friends who've chosen not to have children - mainly colleagues who were seriously career orientated and/or had specific lifestyle aims. It's great that they exercise those choices!!

>265 bragan: Oh, man, yes, I hear you on the difficult-to-buy-for folks. Whenever I can come up with something to give my dad that he might actually be entertained by for a few minutes rather than actively hating, I count it as a win.

In my case, I didn't choose to forgo kids to concentrate on something else. I just didn't want kids. I'm not sure I understand why anybody does want kids, to be honest, but I guess it's probably a good thing someone does. :)

Even better that you don't need an excuse! My daughter (28) has told me she'd quite like to have a baby but not keen on looking after it. That's all good, just don't look at me cos I don't want to be a grandma. :)

>267 floremolla: Ha! Yes, having raised one doesn't mean automatically being willing to keep doing it forever.

>267 floremolla: Don't want to be a grandma? Awwwww, it's all good stuff. I have six ranging in ages from 1-17 and number seven is on the way!

>269 floremolla: I totally get that I'd be head over heels in love with a grandchild, but I'm thinking along self-preservation lines - looking after my husband is a full time job and it would feel like another demand on my attentions. If it happens, it happens but I'd like to feel she and her man were in control of the situation and not relying on me for support! In the meantime I love seeing my four nieces - 2-6 year olds - knowing I have no responsibilities whatsoever ;)

>270 Tess_W: You can choose to be a mother, but there is no choice about being a grandmother. You don't have to be a babysitting grandmother though. You can be the grandmother who spoils the kid now and then.

>271 floremolla: you're right of course, it's out of my hands whether I become one, but I can choose how I handle it ;)

>271 floremolla:
>272 Tess_W:

I'm both......my youngest son was divorced when the boys were 1 and newborn. I watched them from 3-11pm each day while he worked and I loved it. They also went on vacations with us--and I loved it. I miss those days. Now, with the other 4 I only spoil them about once a week or every two weeks--and while I enjoy it, I'm not as close to them as I am to the oldest two. In fact, the oldest, will be coming to live with me next year after he graduates high school. Both he and myself and husband want this.

>273 bragan: You sound like Supergran, Tess - lucky grandchildren! :))

>274 bragan: No super gran; just love them to the moon and back!

77. Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich.

And I guess that's it for September. So:

SEPTEMBER 2017

Books read: 12 (counting one re-read)
Books acquired: 4
ROOT books read: 8
ROOT books YTD total: 77/100
"Decadal tomes" read: 1
"Decadal tomes" YTD total: 8/10
Current TBR total: 973

Not bad! Not bad at all!

And on to October's reading:

78. Eavesdropping: An Intimate History by John L. Locke.

Great September!

This system of keeping track of books in vs. books out I've been using lately actually does seem to be helping!

>280 bragan: The two-for-one system is great -- and sobering. I am sooooooooo in the red after my trip to Hay-on-Wye (where I bought 20 books).

>281 bragan: I think if you're not in the red on your book ledgers after a trip to Hay-on-Wye, you've done it wong!

I actually am struggling to get all the way out of the red, myself, but I'm really not too far behind, and am making progress.

79. The World's Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne.

80. Desolation Island by Patrick O'Brian.

81. You Are Here: Around the World in 92 Minutes: Photographs from the International Space Station by Chris Hadfield

82. Long Division by Kiese Laymon.

>286 bragan: great review! I know what you mean about Murakami, having read Norwegian Wood and IQ84 and feeling bemused but ultimately glad I'd read them. At least you go into them knowing the writer's reputation for weirdness - but weirdness coming out of nowhere is much more discombobulating :)

>287 bragan: I think I might done lot better with that one actually, if known anything at all about it going in.

I'm travelling, so don't have time write review yet, but:

83. Cujo by Stephen King.

I'm back now, and still catching up, but let's see how I've done for the last month:

OCTOBER 2017

Books read: 9
Books acquired: 2
ROOT books read: 6
ROOT books YTD total: 83/100
"Decadal tomes" read: 0
"Decadal tomes" YTD total: 8/10
Current TBR total: 967

I am still amazed at how well the current system is doing at curbing my book-buying!

(Note: Edited because I accidentally included a couple of books from November in the totals.)

And, to start off November, a couple of books I finished on the trip back:

84. Naked and Marooned by Ed Stafford.

85. Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich.

86. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut.

87. Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior by Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman.

88. The Big Lebowski by Ethan Coen & Joel Coen.

89. Fish Whistle by Daniel Pinkwater.

90. Ethan Frome & Other Stories by Edith Wharton.

I'm getting there! Only ten more to go!

Go, go, go!

>296 bragan:. You can do it, Bragan!.

Thank you both! I think I can do it. :)

91. The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman.

92. Phantoms in the Brain by V.S. Ramachandran and Sandra Blakeslee.

This was also one of my "decadal tomes," meaning I have only one more of those to go!

You're doing great!

>302 bragan: Thanks! I was a little worried there for a moment, but it's been a very productive month, ROOT-wise.

93. The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith.

94. The Plague Dogs by Richard Adams.

And, since I've had this one sitting on the TBR pile for at least twenty years, that also makes it the last book I needed to reach my goal of ten Decadal Tomes read this year. Yayyyy! One goal down, one to go!

Go, go, go!

Good work! Very satisfying to get those decadal times read - are they worth keeping, or being passed on?

Thank you both!

>307 rabbitprincess: It is, indeed, satisfying, although perhaps slightly less so when I consider how many of them I still have! I think I'm probably going to continue a lesser version of that particular side challenge next year.

And I tend to keep everything, regardless of whether it's worth it or not, which, I admit, is perhaps becoming something of a problem in terms of shelf space.

I'm definitely not going to finish another book today, so:

NOVEMBER 2017

Books read: 12
Books acquired: 4
ROOT books read: 11
ROOT books YTD total: 94/100
"Decadal tomes" read: 2
"Decadal tomes" YTD total: 10/10 (Yay, I did it!)
Current TBR total: 960

So, an excellent month of ROOTing, in addition to meeting the "Decadal Tomes" secondary goal. And I'm still doing really, really well with curbing my book-buying using the two-out/one-in system. I had no idea it would be this effective!

This leaves only six ROOTs to get through in December to make my goal. Which seems really easy, except that I do have a couple of non-ROOTs I also really want to read before the end of the year, as well as one particular ROOT that's a bit long and may take me a while. So we'll see!

Yay for reading all of your Decadal Tomes! Good luck with your final push in December for the regular ROOTs!

Congrats on reaching your goal for the Decadal Tomes. And even more congrats on sticking with the 2 for 1 book-buying system! I failed miserably at that.

>311 bragan: Yes, I think I'm going to end the year pretty close to a 2 for 1 book-acquiring system. Oh well, there's always next year.

>310 bragan: Thanks!

>311 bragan: I can't say I've stuck with it strictly, as I'm still a few books in the red on my in-vs-out ledger. But it's helped immensely.

>312 Henrik_Madsen: That sounds like a much more typical year for me. :)

95. Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera.

>305 bragan: Congratulations - it is a bit special to finally get some of the really old ones out of the way. Funny thing is, mostly they turn out to be pretty good and you remember why you bought them in the first place.

>315 Jackie_K: Some of them, I fear their time came and went while they were sitting on the shelves, but others I end up kicking myself for not getting to them earlier.

>316 bragan: I fear their time came and went while they were sitting on the shelves
I hesitate to atta-girl Marie Kondo (The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up), but do agree with her that the best time to read a book is soon after acquiring it.

>316 bragan: >317 connie53: I think I've a few on my shelves that I may regret not reading at the time, but having just gone through all my book titles I'm pleasantly surprised with how many I still thought "yeah, I'd still like to read that". And I've been actively trying over the last couple of years, when acquiring, to think about quality as well as just "ooh shiny!"

>317 connie53: Well, once you've got a 900-book backlog, I fear it is entirely too late to start taking that particular piece of advice. :)

>318 bragan: There are a few books I've culled from the TBR shelves over the years because it was clear I no long actually wanted to read them, but in general I still feel like I want to get to each and every one of them. Even if there are a few that turn out not to feel worth it once I do.

>305 bragan: Hooray for reaching that goal, Bragan. I might try that challenge next year. I think I've lots of books that qualify for that.

>320 bragan: It is kind of a useful goal. I think I'm going to keep a slightly lesser version of it for next year, just to make sure I don't completely forget about those very old books again.

96. Where I'm Reading From: The Changing World of Books by Tim Parks.

97. Cemetery World by Clifford D. Simak.

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

>324 bragan: It's amazing how quickly that number can pile up, isn't it? But fear not! You can stop by any time, with or without reading everything. And, anyway, I think you've got a pretty good excuse for being busy.

Anyway, hello! And, since it's that time of year, Happy Holidays!

98. Possession by A.S. Byatt.

Well, that one took a while. But, only two more to go! I can do that by the end of the year, I am certain.

99. Santa vs Satan: The Official Compendium of Imaginary Fights by Jake Kalish. A very quick read, if not a very good one.

One more to go!

You go, Bragan! You can do it!

>328 rabbitprincess: I can!

Thanks for the encouragement. :)

100. Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich.

Yay! I did it! That's both of my goals for the year reached, with about a week to spare. Whoo-hoo!

I should probably finish at least one more ROOT after this, too, but at this point, that's just gravy.

Congrats!

Good job, Bragan.

Thanks, guys!

And a very merry holiday season to everyone, too. :)

Congratulations on meeting your goal, and merry Christmas!

Congratulations!!

>334 floremolla:, >335 bragan: Thank you to you, too!

I'm already getting excited about a whole new year of reading...

Well done on reaching your goal! I'm excited about 2018 reading too as the 2017 acquisitions become ROOTs overnight!

>337 bragan: I know! It's the best time of year, when suddenly every book qualifies as a ROOT. :)

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


Ooooh and Congrats!!

>339 Henrik_Madsen: Thank you, and a very happy holiday season to you, and to everyone else reading this!

Now, the gravy:

101. The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2015 edited by Joe Hill.

Which I suspect will likely be my last ROOT of the year, but I'm not at all certain about that. We will see!

Congratulations on reaching your impressive goal. And happy new year.

>342 rabbitprincess: Thanks, Happy New Year to you, too!

And that's it for me for 2017! Overall, I'd say it was a successful year of ROOTing. Not only did I meet both my goals, but my TBR total was less at the end of the year than at the beginning by a small but significant number of books, which I am counting as a definite win for the two-out-one-in system I adopted this year.

Here's the stats for the last month:

December 2017

Books read: 11 (counting one borrowed book)
Books acquired: 8
ROOT books read: 7
ROOT books YTD total: 101/100
"Decadal tomes" read: 0
"Decadal tomes" YTD total: 10/10
Current TBR total: 958

And with that, I wish you all a happy new year! I'll see you in the 2018 group, just as soon as I get around to setting up my new thread there.

Congrats on your success with the 2-for-1 challenge!

>345 Thanks! I'm very optimistic about it continuing in the next year. :)