Terri (tymfos) trims the bookshelves! Thread 2

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Terri (tymfos) trims the bookshelves! Thread 2

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1tymfos
Editado: Ago 26, 2014, 8:03 am


glitter-graphics.com

This is my second thread of ROOTs for 2014, trimming the bookshelves of some of those untouched volumes.

I had a hard time deciding on a goal for this year. I had no trouble making my goal of 60 last year. However, the rules I used last year allowed me to use newer books for half of that total, as long as I owned them. I abused that leeway and wound up adding books to my shelves! So I'm re-thinking my strategy and thus the number of ROOTs I can expect to trim.

I initially set a goal of 50 ROOTs this year, but I've changed it to 48 in order to be divisible evenly by 12 months. The books can be real or virtual (e-books) but I must have owned them before January 1 of this year. Two exceptions: books borrowed from friends more than a year ago that I need to return, or ER/ARC books that must be read. (I don't want to neglect those in favor of books I own, so I make those exceptions.)

I tried to do a moratorium on book-buying -- that way anything I read off my own TBR shelf would have counted as a ROOT. Ha, ha, ha; I was a fool to think that kind of book-buying embargo would last long! But I have cut back on my book buying.

ROOT Books in 2014:




FIRST QUARTER ROOTs:

ROOTs finished in January

1. Blood Land by R. S. Guthrie (1/2/14) e-book ROOT
2. A Comedy of Heirs by Rett MacPherson (1/3/14)
3. 58 Degrees North: The Mysterious Sinking of the Arctic Rose by Hugo Kugiya (1/6/14)
4. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (1/13/14)
5. Southern Lady, Yankee Spy by Elizabeth Varon (1/26/14)

ROOTs finished in February
6. The Risk of Darkness by Susan Hill (2/3/14)
7. Blood is the Sky by Steve Hamilton (2/10/14)
8. Faith Under Fire by Roger Benimoff with Eve Conant (2/17/14)
9. Real Men Work in the Pits: A Life in NASCAR Racing by Jeff Hammond

ROOTs finished in March
10. Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear
11. I Was Right on Time by Buck O'Neil
12. The Summer Camp Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner

SECOND QUARTER BOOKS

ROOTs finished in April
13. Not Even Wrong: Adventures in Autism by Paul Collins
14. Where's Your Jesus Now? Examining How Fear Erodes Our Faith by Karen Spears Zacharias
15. Jazz by Toni Morrison
16. Not Flesh Nor Feathers by Cheri Priest (4/24/14)

ROOTs finished in May
17. Dead Wood by Dani Amore (5-3-14) e-book ROOT
18. Foolish Undertaking by Mark de Castrique (5-5-14)
19. Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott
20. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller (5/21/14)
21. The Stranger You Seek by Amanda Kyle Williams e-book ROOT (5-28-14)

ROOTs finished in June
22. Q Road by Bonnie Jo Campbell (6-8-14)
23. The Vows of Silence by Susan Hill (6-18-14)
24. A Day in the Death of Dorothea Cassidy (6-20-14)
25. Safe from the Sea by Peter Geye (6-26-14)
26. Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood (6-27-14)

2tymfos
Editado: Dic 31, 2014, 9:12 pm

THIRD QUARTER BOOKS:

ROOTs finished in July

27. Dead Angler by Victoria Houston
28. Anarchy & Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill (7-27-14)

ROOTS finished in August
29. The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman (8-7-14)
30. Darkside by Belinda Bauer (8-10-14)
31. Free Fall by Chris Grabenstein e-book (8-12-14)
32. The Man in the Queue by Josephine Tey (8-14-14)
33. Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks (8-16-14)
34. The Ghost Writer by Philip Roth (8-19-14)
35. Triple Witch by Sarah Graves (8-26-14)
36. Dr. Mutter's Marvels by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz -- ER Book (despite newness, I count these as ROOTs because they must be read)

ROOTS finished in September
37. An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison (9-3-14)

FOURTH QUARTER BOOKS:

ROOTs finished in October

38. On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle (10-3-14) via AUDIO and paperback from tbr shelf
39. Come Closer by Sara Gran (10-3-14)
40. Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon (10-20-14)
41. Scare Stories: Strange and Spooky Tales from Somerset County, Pennsylvania and Beyond by Beth Hutchinson
42. The Cure of Souls by Phil Rickman (10-27-14)

ROOTs Finished in November:
43. A Prayer for the Dying by Stewart O'Nan (11-22-14)
44. The Crowd Sounds Happy by Nicholas Dawidoff (11-25-14)
45. The Blue Hour by T. Jefferson Parker -- e-book/virtual ROOT (11-27-14)

ROOTs finished in December
46. Savage Run by C.J. Box (12-14-14)
47. Buffalo West Wing by Julie Hyzy (12-18-14)
48. Circle of Hope: An Inspiring NASCAR Journey by Deann Alford (virtual ROOT/e-book) (12-21-14)

CHALLENGE COMPLETED

extras:
49. Dan Rooney: My 75 Years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL by Dan Rooney (12-29-14)
50. The Shadows in the Street by Susan Hill (12-31-14, early a.m.)
51. The Chicago Way by Michael Harvey (12-31-14)

3mabith
Jul 12, 2014, 4:15 pm

Commenting so the thread will pop up on my page!

4tymfos
Jul 12, 2014, 4:32 pm

Hi, Meredith! Glad to know you're keeping an eye on my thread.

5tymfos
Editado: Jul 12, 2014, 4:42 pm

ROOT book #27
Title: Dead Angler
(read part e-book and part paperback)
Author: Victoria Houston
Genre or subject information: cozy mystery
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2000
Series?: Loon Lake Fishing Mysteries
Date finished: 7/8/14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) Yes (the paperback version)
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: The River
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): a river was where murder took place
Alternate category any mystery category
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Notes:

This was a nice little cozy. (I needed something a bit on the light side to counter-balance with my noir read of Ellroy's Blood on the Moon.) The book had a nice feel for small-town life. (But did they really still have party lines in the Wisconsin woods in 2000?) The cast was fun and easy to like (except for the folks you weren't supposed to like) and the sense of place was strong. I even learned a little about fishing.

6dudes22
Jul 12, 2014, 4:50 pm

Happy new thread! You seem to be moving right along.

7rabbitprincess
Jul 12, 2014, 7:56 pm

Happy new thread! :)

8tymfos
Jul 12, 2014, 11:04 pm

>6 dudes22: >7 rabbitprincess: Thanks, Betty & rabbitprincess!

9MissWatson
Jul 13, 2014, 6:15 am

Shiny new thread, yay. And you are well past the halfway mark already, congratulations!

10tymfos
Jul 13, 2014, 6:52 pm

Thanks, Birgit!

11avanders
Jul 15, 2014, 2:33 pm

Whew, new thread!
And congrats on all your progress!

12tymfos
Jul 18, 2014, 5:35 pm

>11 avanders: Thanks, Ava!

13tymfos
Jul 25, 2014, 8:10 pm

I've still only finished 1 ROOT this month. I thought my e-book was a ROOT, but then I looked at the copyright on my edition and figured NOT. Thank heavens I'm a little ahead of schedule. If I finish one of the two ROOTs I have started (and one is going quickly) I'll still be on pace for the year.

14Merryann
Jul 27, 2014, 11:02 pm

Ha ha ha hahhaha...I sat staring at that CAT for a good two minutes before I realized the page wasn't going to 'jump to the bottom' because it's a new thread.

I'm glad you brought the cat with you. :)

15tymfos
Jul 28, 2014, 12:27 am

>14 Merryann: Hi, Merryann! Couldn't leave the cat behind, could I?

I finally finished another ROOT.

ROOT # 28
Title: Anarchy & Old Dogs
Author:
Colin Cotterill
Genre or subject information: mystery
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2007
Series?: Dr. Siri #4
Date finished: 7-27-14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) Yes
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

A blind dentist is hit by a truck, and a strange message is found among his personal effects. Dr. Siri is on the case, one which may have major political ramifications.

I enjoyed this outing with the good doctor and his friends.

16dudes22
Jul 30, 2014, 8:30 am

>14 Merryann: - don't worry Merryann. I usually hit the "jump" button at least twice before I remember I'm on a new thread.

17Merryann
Jul 30, 2014, 4:00 pm

I'm glad it's not just me. At least it's always fun to look at the cat. :)

18tymfos
Editado: Ago 10, 2014, 10:09 pm

>16 dudes22:, 17 We all have moments like that!

ROOT #29
Title: The Lake of Dead Languages
Author:
Carol Goodman
Genre or subject information: literary mystery/neo-Gothic
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2002
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 8-7-14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) Yes
My Rating: 3.4 stars
Notes:

Newly-separated Jane Hudson returns, as a Latin teacher, to the girls' boarding school she attended as a teen. Her time there wasn't all pleasant -- her two roommates drowned during her senior year, presumed to be suicides and superstitiously attributed by some to a curse upon the lake. Now there are signs that the past may be repeating itself.

OK, this was an odd one. It had a sort of Gothic atmosphere, set at an old boarding school on a lake with many spooky old legends. It had some mystery and suspense. It was also something of a coming-of-age story. I found it a bit tedious at times, and I frankly thought some of the customs of the girls at the school were positively bizarre. Well, I guess they were supposed to be, but it put me off a bit. I thought the final pages of the ending made it all turn out a little too pat and tidy for the mess that preceded it.

My edition came with a readers' / book discussion guide at the back.

19connie53
Ago 10, 2014, 3:28 pm

Happy New Thread, Terri!!

20tymfos
Editado: Ago 10, 2014, 10:09 pm

Thanks, Connie!

ROOT #30
Title: Darkside
Author:
Belinda Bauer
Genre or subject information: police procedural / psychological suspense thriller
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2011
Series?: Holly/Lamb #2
Date finished: 8/10/14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) Yes!
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

A disabled woman is murdered in her bed. The local constable, Jonas Holly, is quickly pushed aside by an obnoxious senior detective. Then Jonas stars finding notes addressed to him -- from the killer?

Oh, what to say about this one? It kept me reading steadily, and toward the end it kept me reading compulsively. The ending was not at all what I would have expected as I was reading the early part of the book. This one left me with a lot to think about -- quite unsettling, actually.

21avanders
Ago 11, 2014, 11:21 am

>20 tymfos: hmmm intriguing!

22tymfos
Editado: Ago 12, 2014, 11:21 pm

>21 avanders: I may have lost a little sleep thinking about that one, Ava!

ROOT #31
Title: Free Fall e-book
Author:
Chris Grabenstein
Genre or subject information: mystery / quirky police procedural
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2013
Series?: John Ceepak #8
Date finished: 8-12-14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) Yes (virtual)
My Rating: 4.3 stars
Notes:

The latest Ceepak mystery is possibly the best so far. Arnold Rosen, an elderly retired dentist, dies -- or is it murder? If so, whodunit? There is strife in the victim's family, and turmoil as John Ceepak's father shows up again to complicate life. There's also a nurse, a friend of Danny's, who has had a few patients die on her watch.

I really liked this one. And the ending, well, it was probably more realistic than a lot of mysteries, acknowledging the dilemmas and split-second decisions police officers face in tense situations. (I think that says enough without a real spoiler.)

ETA to add I can't get the ticker to update. I saw earlier in the day that people said they were having trouble with them.

23tymfos
Ago 14, 2014, 11:24 am

ROOT Book #32
Title: The Man in the Queue
Author:
Josephine Tey
Genre or subject information: police procedural
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1929
Series?: Inspector Alan Grant #1
Date finished: 8-14-14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) Yes!
My Rating: 3 stars
Notes:

In this first-in-a-series book, a man is stabbed in the queue for the final night of a popular London theater production. Inspector Alan Grant of Scotland Yard is on the case. Before he can figure out who did it, he must identify the victim, whose pockets contain no identification and a loaded gun. The case eventually takes Grant from London to the highlands of Scotland.

I was enjoying this book quite nicely until it got to the very end, which was quite implausible and came out of left field. The writing was good enough that I won't give up on the series. I've been told that this is, by far, not Tey's best book. Given the promise that much of the book showed, I look forward to reading some of Tey's more mature work.

24tymfos
Ago 16, 2014, 11:52 am

ROOT book #33
Title: Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain
Author:
Oliver Sacks
Genre or subject information: non-fiction, about music and the brain
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2007
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 8/16/14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) Yes
My Rating: 3.7 stars
Notes:

I learned a lot about music and the brain in this book by neurologist Oliver Sacks. There were fascinating stories of people and their experiences with music. Some were distinctly odd -- the man who was struck by lightning and suddenly became obsessed with music. Some were promising, as in the stories of Alzheimers patients who respond to music and people stricken with aphasia who learn to talk again via music therapy when nothing else works.

There were times when the medical explanations got a wee bit technical for me and made it slower going, but even then the stories of the people were there to draw me along.

25tymfos
Editado: Ago 16, 2014, 11:55 am

Yay! I was able to update my ticker today!

Last month was bad for me for ROOTs -- only two -- but I've already finished five this month!

26Tess_W
Ago 16, 2014, 12:22 pm

#24 Sounds like a great book, going on my Wish List! As a teacher, there have been many studies done, including one which posited that students who listened to classical music were overall, better students. Then another one which concluded that if there is classical music playing softly in the background during times of testing, students, on the average score 1-2 points better than when there is not. The second test was "iffy", because you can't test the same students on the same material twice and compare the results. However, just in case, I play classical music softly as background during my tests.

27tymfos
Ago 18, 2014, 9:21 am

I've heard about those studies. I really can't recall if Sacks did anything with those. He seemed more focused on the kinds of folks with actual medical issues.

28avanders
Ago 18, 2014, 9:45 am

Congrats on your ROOT success this month!

29tymfos
Ago 18, 2014, 10:18 am

Thanks, Ava!

30tymfos
Editado: Ago 25, 2014, 8:42 pm

ROOT book #34
Title: The Ghost Writer
Author:
Philip Roth
Genre or subject information: literary fiction
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1979
Series?: Zuckerman Bound #1
Date finished: 8-19-14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) Yes
My Rating: no comment
Notes:

I’m sure this was well done, but it wasn't my cup of tea. It was divided into parts. The first part I found a bit tedious; the second started to draw my interest. Then the third part was weird and confusing. The final section made clearer what the third part had really been about, but the whole thing was odd. Too clever, and odd.

31avanders
Ago 25, 2014, 9:46 am

Hmm... I've been wanting to read that one for a while (and yes, it's a ROOT :)).. because I loved Plot Against America and this one is ... sort of part of a series, right? Perhaps it will take me a little longer to get around to reading it...

32tymfos
Editado: Ago 25, 2014, 8:43 pm

Hmm . . . I hadn't realized that there was a series to this, but you're right. The books are labeled as series "Zuckerman Bound," and there are five in all. I'm not sure it's a series I'd pursue. But don't let me dissuade you. I see a lot of people really liked this book, and it was clearly well-written.

33avanders
Ago 25, 2014, 9:09 pm

Hmm well if I do get around to it, I'll add my thoughts to the mix :)

34tymfos
Ago 26, 2014, 7:59 am

ROOT book #35
Title: Triple Witch
Author:
Sarah Graves
Genre or subject information: cozy set in Maine
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1999
Series?: Home Repair is Homicide (or Mainely Murder) #2
Date finished: 8-26-14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) Yes!
My Rating: 3.8 stars
Notes:

First, be advised that there is NO witchcraft in Triple Witch, just as there were no deceased felines in the preceding volume in the series, Dead Cat Bounce. Both titles are actually financial terms. Triple Witch is defined on the back cover as "The expiration of three different kinds of stock options, all on the same day." And in the story, it's the name of a fancy boat.

Jacobia Tiptree was a Wall Street hotshot who got sick of that life and moved to an antique house in Eastport, Maine, which she is perpetually fixing up. Somehow, she manages to get involved in local crime fighting along the way. I like that she doesn't do too many Really Stupid Things in the process, though she does a few. She actually gets along well with the local law enforcement officer. The characters -- even minor ones -- are deftly portrayed, and the setting shines brilliantly through. (The author actually resides -- or resided at time of publication anyway -- in Eastport.)

In this installment, the town "bad boy" is found murdered, and he's only the first in the body count. It's a crime wave the likes of which Eastport has never seen before, and Jacobia and her friend Ellie are determined to help get to the bottom of it all.

When I read the first book in the series, I wasn't all that impressed, and wasn't sure I'd continue. But this book inexpensively fell into my possession a while back, and I'm glad I finally got to it. I really enjoyed this one. Oh, sure, it's not "great literature," but it was a fun, well-written cozy that had me smiling and occasionally laughing out loud with its wry humor while still gently touching on some serious issues.

35tymfos
Editado: Ago 29, 2014, 12:56 am

ROOT book #36
Title: Dr. Mutter's Marvels
Author:
Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz
Genre or subject information: biography of pioneering surgeon
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2014
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 8/28/14
ROOT? (owned before 2014 or ER book) YES (ER book)
My Rating: 4.5 stars
Notes:

I need to write a real review of this one, but right now I just have time to say that this was a fascinating book.

36Merryann
Ago 29, 2014, 2:40 am

>35 tymfos: I saw that book in the ER and wondered about it! Fascinating, huh? Great!

37dudes22
Ago 29, 2014, 7:30 am

I think the cover is great!

38avanders
Ago 29, 2014, 10:21 am

>35 tymfos: yes! I considered that one for ER but chose Horrorstor instead... glad to hear it's as interesting as it sounds! Will have to add to my library list :)

39tymfos
Ago 30, 2014, 10:22 am

Hi Mary, Betty, and Ava! I really liked it a lot. And the cover is great!

40tymfos
Sep 3, 2014, 4:06 pm

ROOT Book #37
Title: An Unquiet Mind
Author:
Kay Redfield Jamison
Genre or subject information: memoir of a Professor of Psychiatry who has manic/depression (she prefers that term to "bipolar")
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1995
Series?: na/
Date finished: 9/2/14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) YES
My Rating: 4.8 stars
Notes:

Wow, what a powerful book! I haven't been doing very well with reading non-fiction this year, but I sailed through this one. Jamison recounts her struggle with full-fledged manic depression (she feels that term is more accurate than "bipolar"). After milder bouts in her youth, it hit full-force to the point of psychosis as she was beginning her career as an assistant professor of psychiatry at UCLA. Largely as a result of her illness, she has made moods her field of expert study. She boldly wrote this memoir at a time when people in her kind of position almost universally kept such disorders very hush-hush, for fear of losing medical practicing privileges, so this was a ground-breaking memoir.

She honestly recounts her struggle in accepting the need for medication (and her lack of compliance early in her illness, along with its disastrous results). She also tells the tragic tales of several patients who never reconciled to their need for lithium, with eventually fatal results. Compliance with medication is one of the areas on which she has especially focused in her research and practice. She believes both medication AND psychotherapy are absolutely essential to deal with the disorder and its effects on the lives of those who have it.

Honestly, reading what she's accomplished, I get tired thinking about the amount of work she's managed to do. I have a little hard time understanding how she pulled it all off while battling such a severe case of manic depression, which actually sparked a suicide attempt. But apparently she did, as she's considered an authority and still teaches and practices medicine, now at Johns Hopkins -- a pretty respectable place to work. She's obviously a very intelligent and motivated woman, and I'm very glad she was willing to pen her perspective into a riveting book.

41Ameise1
Sep 6, 2014, 7:25 am

Hi Terri, I wish you a fabulous weekend.

42tymfos
Sep 6, 2014, 5:12 pm

Thank you! I wish you a great weekend, too.

And I love lighthouses! Thanks for the picture!

43connie53
Sep 14, 2014, 4:01 pm

Hi Terri, You have been reading a lot! Yeah!!!

44tymfos
Sep 14, 2014, 10:13 pm

Hi, Connie! This month is a little slower, especially for Roots.

45connie53
Sep 29, 2014, 2:32 pm

There are three more months, Terri!

46tymfos
Editado: Oct 3, 2014, 8:22 pm

>45 connie53: Here's one for this month, Connie!

ROOT Book #38
Title: On What Grounds read via AUDIO plus my own old paperback copy
Author:
Cleo Coyle
Genre or subject information: cozy mystery
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2003
Series?: Coffeehouse Mystery #1
Date finished: 10-3-14
Off the Shelf? Yes, for the paperback book
My Rating: 2.9
Why am I reading this now?: my favorite coffeehouse may be closing soon
Notes:

The mystery: Claire, returning as shop manager after ten years away, finds the assistant manager near-dead from a fall down the stairs. It appears she slipped in coffee grounds that were spilled from the trash can, but there was no reason for the trash can to be where it was. Was it an accident or was she pushed? (The reader pretty much knows due to the prologue.) And if she was pushed, who did it?

This had all the weaknesses of a first-in-series cozy book. A lot of time was spent establishing the back story, too much of it via information dump at what felt like inappropriate times. And while I'd expect a coffeehouse mystery to include some information about coffee, this also came off too much like an information dump, rather than feeling a natural part of the story. I wanted a mystery with some coffee -- for much of the book, I felt like I had a main course of coffee with a small side order of mystery. Also, I had a hard time tolerating the coffee snobbishness of the main character. Of course she'd be opinionated about her coffee, but she didn't have to be so grating about it. And there were a few of the usual "main character does stupid things" moments that usually crop up in cozies.

That said, toward the end the story started to move a bit and I got more drawn in. I think the series might have some potential, and I have another installment on my shelf, so I may try that one eventually and see if things improve

47tymfos
Oct 3, 2014, 11:53 pm

ROOT book #39
Title: Come Closer
Author:
Sara Gran
Genre or subject information: Horror and/or psychological thriller. Demonic possession? Insanity?
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2003
Series?: n/a
Date finished:10-3-14
Off the Shelf? Yes
Why I read it now: Halloween month, reading horror novels. I'm in a reading funk, and this one was short.
My Rating: 2.6 stars
Notes:

Ick. Well, I guess maybe this was well done. I really didn't care for it, but it was short so I didn't waste much time with it and now it's off my TBR shelf.

The story is narrated by the main character -- a woman who tells how she slowly became demon possessed. Or is she really just describing a descent into insanity which she thinks is demonic? Whichever interpretation the reader chooses, there are some aspects of the story that don't quite seem to fit, IMO. And if she's really been taken over, how can she tell this story, anyway?

I think I've learned by now that I don't like horror rooted in ancient Jewish mysticism, the Kabbalah.

48dudes22
Oct 4, 2014, 7:36 am

>46 tymfos: - Terri - I had some of the same problems with that book and decided not to keep going with the series.

>47 tymfos: - I hope this is not the only type book she writes as I have one of hers in my TBR pile.

49tymfos
Oct 4, 2014, 10:38 am

>48 dudes22: I've been told the coffee series gets better, though not remarkable.

I read another by Gran that was ok. Weird, but I liked it, very different from this one, Betty.

50dudes22
Oct 4, 2014, 7:01 pm

Ok - still might sit on my TBR for a while.

51avanders
Oct 6, 2014, 11:37 pm

>46 tymfos: >48 dudes22: >49 tymfos: Hmm.. I have a couple Cleo Coyles in my shelves... Haven't read any yet! They just *look* so fun..

52connie53
Oct 12, 2014, 2:13 pm

I liked Kom dichterbij by Sara Gran a lot. This is the translation of Come Closer.

53tymfos
Oct 12, 2014, 3:34 pm

>51 avanders: Yes, they do. I will try the next one, as I already own it.

>52 connie53: If we all liked the same books, wouldn't LT -- not to mention libraries and bookstores -- be a lot more boring?

54avanders
Oct 14, 2014, 12:34 pm

>53 tymfos: lol good point .... it WOULD be boring if we all had the same tastes!

55tymfos
Oct 22, 2014, 6:05 pm

ROOT #40
Title: Harvest Home
Author:
Thomas Tryon
Genre or subject information: horror
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1973
Series?: no
Date finished: 10-20-14
Off the Shelf? yes

This started off just dandy. It's one of those stories where things start out almost too good to be true, which means they ARE too good to be true, and evil awaits. Tryon created interesting characters, and a strong setting, and displayed some strong writing in general. I loved this description of the local minister's wife, as she dealt with a bit of controversy: "It was Mrs. Buxley's habit not only to mince words but to make hash of them as well."

But when it got to the horror part, when things started to go wrong, the whole thing wasn't my cup of tea. I'm sure it was well done, but not what I expected or wanted.

56tymfos
Editado: Oct 25, 2014, 10:56 pm

ROOT #41
Title: Scare Stories: Strange and spooky tales from Somerset County, Pennsylvania and Beyond
Author:
Beth Hutchinson
Genre or subject information: "true" ghost stories
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2013
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 10-25-14
Off the Shelf? yes
My Rating: 2 stars
Notes:

This is one of the many self-published regional ghost story books that seem to be available for almost any region. It is one of the more amateurish ones that I've read. The font on the introduction was almost microscopic, the numerous grammar errors annoyed me, and I didn't find most of the stories particularly creepy. Many of them were vague as to location (some intentionally so) and even regarding the events themselves. The more personal accounts rambled quite a bit. The final section contained memorial tributes to deceased loved ones.

The writer is part of a paranormal investigation group. Since such work is generally done in confidence, she relied on family stories and those told to her by various people she's encountered who know she's interested in ghosts.

My favorite was "Hitchhiker of North Center Avenue." Ghostly hitchhiker legend are common, but this story had a different twist.

57saraslibrary
Oct 25, 2014, 11:03 pm

>55 tymfos: I have that one, but haven't read it yet. Thanks for your honest review. :)

58tymfos
Editado: Oct 25, 2014, 11:10 pm

>57 saraslibrary: It was hard to know quite what to say about what I didn't enjoy without giving spoilers. I certainly had no complaints about Tryon's general writing ability. He has a way with words, and a real flair for atmosphere and creating memorable characters.

59saraslibrary
Oct 26, 2014, 4:50 pm

>58 tymfos: Well, that's a plus. But it probably won't be one I'll read before Halloween; let's put it that way. ;)

60tymfos
Oct 29, 2014, 4:25 pm

>59 saraslibrary: OK. But I will say again, it was more a matter of personal taste than quality of book that was the issue.

ROOT #42
Title: The Cure of Souls
Author:
Phil Rickman
Genre or subject information: Church of England priest dealing with the paranormal
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2001
Series?: Merrily Watkins #4
Date finished: 10-27-14
Off the Shelf? Yes!
My Rating: 3.9 stars
Notes:

I generally like this series about The Reverend Merrily Watkins, of the Hereford Diocese's Deliverance Ministry. Deliverance ministry apparently is the modern-day Church of England terminology for a priest designated to help folks who fear that they are experiencing the paranormal -- possession, haunting, etc. She's a marvelous character, struggling with single parenthood of a teenage girl while trying to sort out what of her church charge's problems are the result of the supernatural, mental illness, or common human evil -- and what to do about them when she's not sure. It's a job that comes with a lot of public relations and (ecclesiastical) political fallout if she makes a mistake. This time around, she's even got to deal with the police when the "cleansing" (blessing) of a reputedly haunted home goes terribly wrong. There's also a girl whose parents claim that she's possessed, and some strange goings-on in a hop yard. Yes, apparently they grow hops in rural parts of Herefordshire, and I learned a bit about the plant that gives beer its flavor.

In these books, Merrily often find herself dealing with folks who have what might be termed "alternate" spiritual beliefs from the common C of E dogma. This time, she's working with a Romany gypsy.

I found some aspects of the story a bit icky, but overall it was a good entry in the series.

61tymfos
Editado: Oct 29, 2014, 4:27 pm

Well, I didn't have a very good month for overall reading quantity, but most of what I did read were ROOTs, so it was a good ROOT month. After a September where only one of the books I read was a ROOT, I finished FIVE ROOTs in October.

62avanders
Oct 30, 2014, 9:58 am

Five ROOTs sounds great to me! And you're only 6 away from your goal! So Woot!!

63tymfos
Nov 15, 2014, 10:17 pm

>62 avanders: Thanks, Ava!

No ROOTs done so far this month, though I have one in progress.

64tymfos
Nov 19, 2014, 9:03 pm

I'm working on three ROOTs now:
The Crowd Sounds Happy by Nicholas Dawidoff
A Prayer for the Dying by Stewart O'Nan
And an e-book, The Blue Hour by T. Jefferson Parker

65saraslibrary
Nov 19, 2014, 10:27 pm

Best of luck with finishing your ROOTS! :)

66tymfos
Editado: Nov 21, 2014, 5:09 pm

>65 saraslibrary: Thanks, Sara! Here's one more:

ROOT #43
Title: A Prayer for the Dying
Author:
Stewart O'Nan
Genre or subject information: literary fiction about a town facing an epidemic and a fire
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1999
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 11/21/14
Off the Shelf? Yes
My Rating: 4.4 stars
Notes:

Wow. This one packed a punch. I'm keeping this one, as it's worth a re-read someday.

This book is a rarity -- a book written in second person, present tense, that actually works. In fact, it flowed so naturally, I was halfway through the first chapter before I noticed, and even after that it didn't distract me. It was appropriate, as it eventually wasn't evident whether anyone would survive to tell the story past-tense.

Jacob is the constable of Friendship, Wisconsin, shortly after the Civil War. He is also the local undertaker, as well as the town preacher. All these callings will come into play, for better or for worse, after a dead soldier and a severely ill woman from a religious commune are found. Doc's verdict is that they are victims of diphtheria. Soon, the disease is spreading. To make matters worse, a forest fire is raging nearby -- and headed their way.

We experience Jacob's life as the town and his mind gracually descend into chaos. It is a disturbing, and sometimes confusing, picture. Jacob and Doc make a number of questionable decisions early on that lead to even more tragic decisions later.

At 195 pages (at least, for my trade paperback edition) this is not a long book, but it is intense and not for the faint-hearted. It is an amazing journey into a hellish situation.

67tymfos
Nov 25, 2014, 12:57 am

ROOT #44
Title: The Crowd Sounds Happy: a story of love, madness, and baseball
Author:
Nicholas Dawidoff
Genre or subject information: memoir
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2008
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 11-25-14
Off the Shelf? Yes
My Rating: 3 stars
Notes:

The author of this memoir was the son of divorced parents. He lived with his hard-working mother in New Haven. He dreaded visits to his mentally-ill father in New York. He worried that he'd inherit his father's instability. His love of baseball got him through some rough times.

I'm not sure why I bought this; nor am I sure why I read this (except that I'd bought it and I needed another book for the "Play Ball" category of my category challenge). It was well constructed and well written. But I found myself questioning why I should care about this fellow's youth. At times the book held my interest, while at other times it felt like a chore to read

68dudes22
Nov 25, 2014, 5:11 am

I know what you mean, Terri. Some memoir style books are interesting and then there are others I've read that I wonder why they were written and also whatever possessed a publisher to want to publish it. I vaguely remember reading one about a lady and her dog a few years ago and your reaction was mine - why do I care? Oh well - at least it's one more off the TBR.

69tymfos
Editado: Dic 6, 2014, 10:47 pm

>68 dudes22: There were parts that were really interesting. This book had its origins in a magazine feature that was probably quite fascinating. I think it was a mistake to stretch it into a book.

ROOT #45
Title: The Blue Hour e-book
Author:
T. Jefferson Parker
Genre or subject information: police procedural; pursuing a very bizarre serial killer
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2000
Series?: #1 Merci Rayborn
Date finished: 11-27-14
Off the Shelf? Yes, off the Virtual Shelf
My Rating: 4.2 stars
Notes:

Tim Hess is a retired homicide detective who returns to the police force as a "consultant" to help chase a particulary awful serial killer, and to regain medical benefits needed in his battle against lung cancer. He's a tough old bird, even with part of a lung missing and dealing with chemo and then radiation. Merci Rayborn is a young homicide detective, distrusted by her peers after filing a sexual harassment lawsuit against her former partner -- a suit which opened the floodgates as other women abused by the same detective rush to file their own legal complaints. Hess and Rayborn are chasing a killer who leaves them no bodies, but unmistakable evidence that missing women are dead. They must learn to trust one another and work together to stop a demented killer.

I'd never read anything by this author before, but I'm sure I'll read more. He drew me into the book so that I kept reading it at times when I normally drop any e-book for whatever paper volume I'm into. There were plenty of twists and turns in the narrative. Parker has a way of handling sensitive, even truly gross and disturbing, material in a way that tells enough to make the point but doesn't drown the reader in graphic detail. The book dealt with sex offenders, sex offender registries, chemical castration, enbalming, necrophilia, and also the myriad side-effects of chemo and radiation -- but not in a way that was too graphic for me to stomach. Parker's deft touch avoided offering TMI, while providing enough background the serve the narrative and even be rather informative.

This was the first in a trio of Merci Rayborn novels, and I look forward to reading the next volume soon.

70tymfos
Editado: Dic 15, 2014, 9:17 pm

ROOT #46
Title: Savage Run
Author:
C. J. Box
Genre or subject information: mystery about game warden in Wyoming
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2002
Series?: yes, Joe Pickett #2
Date finished: 12/14/14
Off the Shelf? Yes!
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Notes:

Animal lovers beware, this story begins with an exploding cow, and that unfortunate bovine was not the only critter casualty in this book set in the wilds of Wyoming. Joe Pickett is a game warden, and finds himself dealing with an explosion involving a famous environmentalist/saboteur. There are other sudden deaths of people in the environmental movement. What is going on? And what does Joe's wife have to do with it? There is evil afoot. This story had plenty of suspense, especially near the end.

71tymfos
Dic 18, 2014, 3:17 pm

ROOT book #47
Title: Buffalo West Wing
Author:
Julie Hyzy
Genre or subject information: cozy set in The White House
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2011
Series?: #4, White House Chef series
Date finished: 12-18-14
Off the Shelf? Yes
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Notes:

I found parts of this book very aggravating, but it kept me wanting to know what came next, and the ending had a lot of suspense. Mystery chicken wings appear in the White House Kitchen as a new (fictional) President and his family take up residence. Protocol says food of unknown origin is never consumed by the First Family (duh!) but the new First Lady doesn't seem to understand the logic of this, no matter how many times the Chef and the Secret Service try to explain it to her. (duh?) Misunderstandings ensue that threaten Olivia's job as Executive Chef, in the midst of a terrorist plot aganst the new administration. A three-star beginning and a four-star ending average out to 3.5 stars, IMO.

72tymfos
Dic 18, 2014, 3:29 pm

One more to go! Either my current non-fiction book or my current e-book will qualify as a ROOT. The e-book will finish my category challenge, too.

73tymfos
Editado: Dic 21, 2014, 8:46 pm

Here it is!

ROOT BOOK #48 (of 48!)
Title: Circle of Hope: An Inspiring NASCAR Journey e-book
Author:
Deann Alford
Genre or subject information: non-fiction sports-related Christian inspirational
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2013
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 12/21/14
Off the Shelf? Yes (the virtual shelf)
My Rating: 3.3 stars
Notes:

This is a book about the side of NASCAR most people don't see -- the drivers who struggle just to qualify for the race, or to have a car to race at all. We meet folks on some of the under-funded little teams who often can't afford enough tires to run the entire race -- racing in "start and park" mode for last-place prize money. The writer focuses mostly on the 2nd-tier NASCAR Nationwide series, though we see a bit behind the scenes of the top-tier Sprint cup series, too. We learn about the lives of these drivers, and a quite a bit about their outlook on life and faith. We meet one driver whose whole reason for continuing to race is to witness to his faith. I did enjoy reading about these folks.

The author's usual beat is writing articles for publications like Christianity Today magazine, often about issues of social justice and poverty. This is apperently the first time she's written a book, and it shows. Her style of present-tense writing might work well in presenting the immediacy of a current events story in a magazine, but for a book that covers events over half a decade, I find it a bit grating. She's saying, "It's such-and-such a way" and I'm thinking, "That hasn't been the case for several years." I understand the literary reasons for sometimes writing in present tense (I'm doing it for this review) but for a non-fiction book covering matters going back a number of years (during which time much change has occurred) I think a straightforward past-tense approach would be less distracting.

74Ameise1
Dic 22, 2014, 3:09 am

Congrats, Terri. Well done. :-)

75saraslibrary
Dic 22, 2014, 3:32 am

You did it! Awesome job. :)

76dudes22
Dic 22, 2014, 5:11 am

Congratulations!

77MissWatson
Dic 22, 2014, 5:38 am

Well done!

78majkia
Dic 22, 2014, 8:01 am

Conga Rats!

79avanders
Dic 22, 2014, 10:31 am

Congrats!! Also

80connie53
Dic 23, 2014, 2:27 pm

Congrats Terri! Good job!

81saraslibrary
Dic 23, 2014, 10:29 pm

82tymfos
Dic 29, 2014, 8:54 pm

Thank you to everyone who has stopped by with congratulations and holiday greetings!

ROOT book #49
Title: My 75 Years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL
Author:
Dan Rooney
Genre or subject information: sports autobiography
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2007
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 12-29-14
Off the Shelf? yes
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Notes:

I enjoyed many parts of this book. The Rooney's of Pittsburgh are a fascinating sports family, and the Steelers are an interesting team. Dan Rooney's memoiries go beyond the Steelers to much of the nuts-and-bolts business of the development of the National Football League. I also enjoyed his accounts of family visits to Ireland; however, it was written prior to his term as US Ambassador to that country.

There was a bit of bragging going on, but not so much about himself as about the people around him and the Steelers organization as a whole. Rooney comes across as the thoughtful, decent, principled man who loves his faith, family, football and his city of Pittsburgh. He may have been less than candid about some family squabbles which have since become public, perhaps putting a bit of "spin" onto events such as the firing of one of his brothers.

This account, published in 2007, pretty much ends with the hiring of Mike Tomlin as coach. I don't think, as he wrote this, Rooney could have anticipated some of the controversies that have arisen in the years since.

Then end of the book includes brief interviews with some famed members of the Steelers organization over the years, and also a thumbnail background sketch of each NFL club (as it stood at the time of publication).

83tymfos
Editado: Dic 31, 2014, 1:50 am

This book puts me two books over my "official" goal of 48, and equals my original goal of 50, before I altered it to make it evenly divisible by 12 months.

ROOT book #50
Title: The Shadows in the Street
Author:
Susan Hill
Genre or subject information: literary mystery (police procedural and so much more)
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2010
Series?: Simon Serrailler #5
Date finished: 1:30 a.m. 12-31-14
Off the Shelf? yes
My Rating: 4.3 stars
Notes:

Here I am again, staying up late to finish one of Susan Hill's books, and too wound up after finishing to go to sleep.

Two prostitutes go missing, bodies are found, more women (not just prostitues) go missing, the public then gets alarmed. Inspector Serrailler is called back from sabatical to head the investigation.

Meanwhile, life goes on in Lafferton. Cat continues to mourn the death of her husband and ponders changes in her work situation and going back to school. A new Dean of the Cathedral is appointed, and begins making radical changes in worship and program that create massive conflict; meanwhile, his home life begins to unravel.

The books in this series always start out rather slow, as Hill sets the scene and immerses us in the enviorns of Lafferton. But at some point the book becomes absolutely un-put-down-able (at least for me). This one tackles a couple of tough issues -- prostitution and mental illness.

84mabith
Dic 31, 2014, 10:35 am

Congrats on meeting the official and original goals! I'm also glad it's not just me who sometimes gets hung up on evenly divisible numbers for book goals.

85avanders
Dic 31, 2014, 11:00 am

Yay! Congrats on meeting both goals!

86rabbitprincess
Dic 31, 2014, 4:37 pm

Hurrah for meeting both goals! Just in the nick of time too :)

87tymfos
Dic 31, 2014, 6:36 pm

Thanks, folks! I may finish one more this evening.

88tymfos
Dic 31, 2014, 9:10 pm

ROOT Book #51
Title: The Chicago Way
Author:
Michael Harvey
Genre or subject information: mystery (hard-boiled contemporary PI)
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2007
Series?: Michael Kelly #1
Date finished: 12-31-14
Off the Shelf? YES
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

This is another book I found hard to put down. This on is a contemporary hard-boiled PI tale set in Chicago. Kelly's former partner approaches him about a rape case from almost a decade before. But there's more to this than initially meets the eye. This one is complex and I did not see the ending coming.

89tymfos
Dic 31, 2014, 9:14 pm

OK, that's it for this year -- 51 books.

I really don't think I'm going to do the ROOT challenge next year. I'm cutting back on LT and I'm determined to just read what I want, when I want. I've seriously cut back on buying books and feel less of a need to ROOT out things from my own shelves.

And then again, I may jump back in at some point in 2015. We shall see.

90mabith
Ene 1, 2015, 12:09 am

I'm questioning whether I'll participate in the ROOT challenge this year too. Out of my 830 books only 38 are ROOTs, and most were just dumped on me by my dad, not things I chose. All in all, that ratio seems pretty under control.

91avanders
Ene 1, 2015, 12:47 am

>88 tymfos: ooh I really enjoyed that one :)

>89 tymfos: I can understand that! Just reading w no obligations definitely has its appeals...

92avanders
Ene 1, 2015, 12:48 am

>90 mabith: sounds like it to me!

93tymfos
Ene 5, 2015, 12:16 am

Best wishes to everyone, ROOTing or not, in 2015!