Roberta's (luvamystery65) attempt to ROOT again

Last year I surpassed my goal so I am going to be more ambitious this year. Woo!

January

The Whale: A Love Story by Mark Beauregard COMPLETED
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell COMPLETED
Evicted by Matthew Desmond COMPLETED
Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold COMPLETED
Wild Seed Octavia Butler COMPLETED
Swing Time by Zadie Smith COMPLETED
The Warden by Anthony Trollope COMPLETED
Final Boarding by A.J. Mayers COMPLETED

Total: 8

February

Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine COMPLETED
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers COMPLETED
The Mothers by Brit Bennett COMPLETED
A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf COMPLETED
Old Man's War by John Scalzi COMPLETED

Total: 5

March

Black Like Me by Howard Griffin
The Secret Place by Tana French
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
The Expats by Chris Pavone

Total: 4

April

The Color Purple by Alice Walker
A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit
The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs
Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
The Complete Maus by Art Spiegleman

Total: 7

May
The Trespasser by Tana French
Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
Call of the Wild by Jack London

Total: 3

June

Dr. Thorne by Anthony Trollope
The Things We Don't Do by Andrés Neuman

Total: 2

July
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
The Sinister Pig by Tony Hillerman
Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell

Total: 3

August

Framley Parsonage by Anthony Trollope
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Siddartha by Herman Hesse

Total: 3

September

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff
The Small House at Allington by Anthony Trollope

Total: 3

October

The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

Total: 2

November

While I worked on ROOT books this month, I did not complete any.

Total: 0

December

Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin
A Country Doctor by Franz Kafka

Total: 3

Good luck with your ROOTing, Roberta.

January sure seems to start out strong! ;-)

Good luck ROOTing.

Welcome back, Roberta! Good luck with your goal!

Good luck with your goal, Roberta!

Welcome back & Happy 2017 ROOTing!

Good luck on your goal and happy ROOTing!

Good luck on meeting your goal! North and South is one of my possibilities for this month's CATWoman over in the Category Challenge, but I'm also very very tempted by a much shorter book (I'm so shallow!).

>14 Familyhistorian: Thank you!

>15 Henrik_Madsen: I did very well the first few months of last year and then got distracted by the shiny new.

>16 rabbitprincess: Thank you! You have been very encouraging.

>17 MissWatson: I appreciate it.

>18 avanders: It's good to be back and bit more ambitious.

>19 enemyanniemae: Thanks!

>20 Jackie_K: Thank you! I am listening to North and South for the CATWoman and AlphaKIT challenges. It's of course one of my ROOT. The audio is narrated by Juliet Stevenson and she is fantastic with the classics. The story has just sucked me right in. I plan on watching the BBC miniseris with Richard Armitage after I finish. *swoon* That is prompting me to forge ahead.

It's not shallow to pick a shorter book. It's the King family (Stephen) month in the Horror! group. I picked one of his novellas precisely because it was short and I have a lot of reading plans this month.

Happy ROOTing, Roberta!

Hi Roberta! Starred. Happy ROOTing.

Happy rooting, 2017! I love Octavia Butler. I read Kindred, but will add Wild Seed to my wish list!

>22 connie53: >23 karenmarie: >24 Tess_W: Thank you!

Happy ROOTing, Roberta! So glad to see you here again.

Did you watch "North & South" yet? *Swoon* is right! I may have to watch it on your behalf this afternoon. ;)

>26 LauraBrook: I've only watched the first episode so far! The characters are way more passionate in the TV version than the book. I mean more outwardly so, which is appropriate for TV. It was just a little off putting coming straight from the book. I stopped watching halfway through the first episode but then went back. I will continue on soon.

*Swoon* is so right! You are too kind to watch it on my behalf! ;-)

How are you doing, Roberta?

>28 connie53: Connie I am doing well, just very busy with work and at home. I am not as active on LT as I was in the past. Hopefully by the summer I can come play here more often. Good news is that my reading has not suffered. It's my happy place, so I try not to let that drop off too much.

How are you?

>29 luvamystery65: Same here, Roberta. I would be very unhappy without my books.

Hi Roberta! Books are my solace and joy, too!

>30 connie53: Thank goodness for our books.

>31 karenmarie: Exactly! I wish I still had a private space to read that was not my bedroom, but with my aunt, my cousin and five dogs, it's not meant to be right now.

Currently at 24 ROOT books. Almost half my goal!

Yeah!!! Good job, Roberta.

Congrats!

Woo hoo - great progress!

Way to go, Roberta!

That's good going, well done!

Hi Roberta! I hope this find you well and happy.

Congrats on doing so well on your ROOTs.

>34 connie53: >35 MissWatson: >36 avanders: >37 Tess_W: >38 floremolla: & >39 karenmarie: Thank you so much for the encouragement!

I only completed 2 ROOT in June, but I am still working on Mary Barton and Moby-Dick along with The Mysteries of Udolpho which isn't a ROOT. Lots of big books. I should finish Mary Barton this month, July and Moby-Dick I'm hoping this month but I've given myself through August to complete it. I don't want to rush it. I'm enjoying it.

>40 luvamystery65: I am glad you are enjoying Moby Dick as I thought it was dreadful!

>40 luvamystery65: I was supposed to read Moby Dick for a book group - got about a third into it then did some skimming and read the end as I was running out of time. I thought I wouldn't rush back to it but it's encouraging that you're enjoying it so much!

>41 Tess_W: I'm sorry you had such a bad experience with MD.

>42 floremolla: I started at the beginning of the year and just dropped it. I recently picked it back up with an open frame of mind as to not rush it.

There is a lot of humor in it, but the humor is definitely not to everyone's taste. I'm also very glad I studied the Old Testament in high school and university. There are so many references. Also, shout out to my Grandmother Violeta and my sophomore year English teacher, Linda Mitchell. They both had/have for Mrs. Mitchell, a passion for Shakespeare. There are many references as well.

I've decided that next year my big read will be The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy. I'll start in January but keep a year long thread. I may push myself to read it faster, but I have a couple of people joining me. It's always nice to read these books with others.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hi Roberta!

I've had The Forsythe Saga sitting on my shelves since 2009. Keep me in mind for next year's group read - I may join you.

Please keep me in mind for that group read too as I've got The Forsyte Saga (plus sequels) in my TBR list and would like to tackle it at some point next year - all the better if others are up for a group effort!

I've got the Forsyte Saga (3 books) on my TBR pile. Keep me in mind, if I don't read it first--I also have the audible which means I will probably listen to and from school in the fall.

>44 karenmarie: >45 floremolla: >46 Tess_W: I'll be starting a thread in January over in the Category Challenge group but I'll post a link here, so you can be notified.

>46 Tess_W: I am going to look into the audios. I love to read and listen with these longer works.

Great, thanks, Roberta! I might follow suit with the audio.

Thanks, Roberta!

Good luck with your next years challenge, ladies.

I've done dismal lately. Zero completed for November. I've got one done for December and working on one more! I'll fall short of my goal, but I still did better than last year.

>51 luvamystery65: Hi Roberta. 'Better than last year' is an accomplishment too.

>52 connie53: well said, Connie!

Thank you for the encouragement!

>51 luvamystery65: >52 connie53: I'd take 'better than last year' too - well done!

Hi Roberta!



Peace, Health, and Happiness in 2018

Thank you and Happy New Year to all!

I ended up sneaking in a Kafka I've had on the shelves forever.

Total: 43