Tess is Tilling her Tomes Part 3

1. Shogun by James Clavell 1192 pages 5 stars
2. Learning from Shogun/Japanese History and Western Fantasy, 90 pages, 5 stars. (USC/UCLA PDF)
3. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell 193 pages 5 stars
4. The Warden by Anthony Trollope 206 pages 3 stars
5. An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon 896 pages 5 stars
6. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee 296 pages 2 stars
7. The Witch of Napoli by Michael Schmicker 250 pages 2 1/2 stars
8. Moby Dick by Herman Melville 396 pages 1 1/2 stars
9. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson 170 pages 2 1/2 stars
10. The Woman on the Orient Express by Lyndsay Jayne Ashford 332 pages 3 stars
11. The Eight by Katherine Neville 610 pages 4 stars
12. Blood Pressure Down byJanet Bond Brill 303 pages 5 stars
13. Barchester Towers b7 Anthony Trollope 791 pages 4 stars
14. Written in my Own Heart's Blood Diana Gabaldon 842 pages 4 1/2 stars
15. Villette by Charlotte Bronte read onlly 207/739 pages so bad 1 star
16. Most Dangerous Place: A Jack Swyteck Novel by James Grippando 368 pages 3 stars
17. The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro 384 pages 5 stars
18. 1929: Book One (The 1929 Series) by M.L. Gardner 465 pages 4 1/2 stars
19. The Life we Bury by Allen Eskens 305 pages 3 stars
20. Take my With you by Catherine Hyde. 363 pages, 2 1/2 stars
21. Margaret I: A Novel by Danielle Dutton 176 pages, 2 stars
22. The Great Bicycle Experiment by Kay Moore 72 pages, 5 stars
23. Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger 302 pages 5 stars
24. The 7th Canon by Robert Dugoni 352 pages 3 stars
25. Various- Dark Side of Thomas Jefferson, a 10 page article written by Henry Wiencek for The Smithsonian Magazine (Oct. 2012), Jefferson’s Inaugural Address of 1801, Notes on the State of Virginia (1785), Thomas Jefferson on Politics, The Personal Papers (University of Virginia) and Thomas Jefferson, “Letter to William Short” (Jan 3, 1793), Thomas Jefferson Papers at the Library of Congress, Series 1, Reel 17, about 65 pages, 5 stars!
26. The Bees by Laline Paull 352 pages 3 1/2 stars
27. He Knew He Was Right Anthony Trollope 872 pages 4 1/2 stars
28. The Living Reed by Pearl S. Buck, 472 pages 2 1/2 stars
29. The Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin 276 pages 2 stars
30. Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger by Ronald Sider. 225 pages, 4 stars
31. Not A Drop to Drink 325 pages, 4 stars
32. Federalist Papers written by James Madison only 265 pages, 4 1/2 stars
33. Orphan Train Rider by Andrea Warren 74 pages, 4 stars
34. The Lake House by Marci Nault 376 pages, 3 stars
35. The Obituary Writer by Ann Hood 294 pages 3 1/2 stars
36. The Bullet by Mary Louise Kelly 396 pages, 5 stars
37. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift 240 pages 2 1/2 stars
38. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins 326 pages 2 1/2 stars
39. Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine 362 pages 3 1/2 stars
40. Year of Wonders: The Plague by Geraldine Brooks 323 pages 3 stars
41. The Geometry of Sisters by Luanne Rice 402 pages 2 stars
42. The Corpse Reader by Antonio Garrido 494 pages 3 stars
43. Daily Truth: A 365-Day Devotiona by John Hagee 424 pages 3 stars
44. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards 401 pages 4 stars
45. ! Will It Skillet?: 53 Irresistible and Unexpected Recipes to Make in a Cast-Iron Skillet (Will It...? 217 pages 3 stars
46. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein 401 pages 2 1/2 stars
47. Dawn Girl by Leslie Wolf 225 pages 4 stars
48. We Were The Mulvaneys Joyce Carol Oates 468 pages 4 stars
49. The Green Bay Tree by Louis Bromfield 352 pages 4 1/2 stars
50. The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hamishi 452 pages 5 stars
51. Auschwitz: True Tales from a Grotesque Land by Sara Nomberg-Pryzytyk 180 pages 5 stars
52. Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel 566 pages 5 stars
53. Bring up the Bodies by Hillary Mantel 436 pages 5 stars
54. The Adventure of the Cardboard Box, The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans, The Adventure of the Red Circle, The Adventure of the Dying Detective by Arthur Conan Doyle. 60 pages 2 1/2 stars
55. The Devil's Work by Mark Edwards 376 pages 5 stars
56. The Rains Came by Louis Bromfield 425 pages 5 stars
57. The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo 577 pages 3 stars
58. Maigret and the Black Sheep by Georges Simenon. 158 pages 3 stars
59. Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson 450 pages 5 stars
60. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic by Betty MacDonald 126 pages 3 stars
61. I Am A Star by Inge Auerbacher 86 pages 4 stars
62. The First Four Years Laura Ingalls Wilder 134 pages 5 stars
63. Dissolution: A Matthew Shardlake Mystery by C.J. Sansom 456 pages 3 1/2 stars
64. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orzcy 306 pages 5 stars
65. The Story of Passover by Frank Finamore 38 pages 3 stars
66. The True Saint Nicholas: Why He Matters to Christmas by William J. Bennett 114 pages 2 1/2 stars
67. Herbert Hoover's Hideaway by Darwin Lambert 143 pages 5 stars
68. Faultlines by Barbara Taylor Sissel 305 pages 2 1/2 stars
69. Ships and Stings and Wedding Rings by Jody Taylor 51 pages 2 1/2 stars
70. the Girl Who Came Home: A Novel of the Titanic by Hazel Gaynor 384 pages 2 1/2 stars
71. Gone with the Wind The Great American Movie 75 Years Later by Time-Life
110 pages 5 stars
72. Don Quixote by Cervanza 405 pages in book, did NOT finish, read 12 chapters, 96 pages. 2 stars
73. Nagasaki Journey The Photographs of Yosuke Yamahata August 10, 1945 121 pages 5 stars
74. Dubliners by James Joyce did NOT finish, read 4/20 short stories, 20 pages 2 stars
75. The Treasures of the Uffizi by Luisa Bechrucci 64 pages 5 stars
76. The Tempest by William Shakespeare 30 pages 3 stars
77. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill 388 pages 3 stars
78. The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington 180 pages 3 1/2 stars
79. A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare 23 pages 3 1/2 stars
80. Trail of Broken Wings by Sejal Badani 370 pages 3 stars
81. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks 368 pages 3 stars
82. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson 256 pages 2 1/2 stars
83. Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth 89 pages 2 1/2 stars
84. The Winter's Tale by Shakespeare. 36 pages 3 stars
85. The Year of Counting Souls by Michael Wallace 334 pages 2 1/2 stars
86. The Life and Work of Gustav Klimt by Nathaniel Harris 79 pages 4 stars
87. Much Ado About Nothing Shakespeare 34 pages 3 stars
88. The Bridges at Toko-Ri by James Michener 123 pages 3 stars
89. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton 128 pages 5 stars
90. A Stranger in My Grave by Margaret Millar 312 pages 2 1/2 stars
91. The Neon Lawyer 178 pages 4 stars
92. Mighty and Strong by Michael Wallace 341 pages 4 1/2 stars.
93. A Walk in the Woods Bill Bryson 397 pages 3 stars
94. The Mutual Admiration Society by Leslie Kagan 284 pages 2 stars
95. His Kidnapper's Shoes by Maggie James 334 pages 2 stars
96. The Twelfth Physician by Willa Gibbs 278 pages 4 stars
97. Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan 526 pages 4 1/2 stars
98. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen 560 pages 3 stars
99. Hammerhead Six: How Green Berets Waged an Unconventional War Against the Taliban to Win in Afghanistan's Deadly Pech Valley Ron Fry 382 pages 2 1/2 stars
100. The Demon in the Freezer by Robert Preson 240 pages 4 stars
101. Lamentation over the Destruction of Sumer and Ur (Mesopotamian Civilizations Vol 1 219 pages
102. The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope 800 pages 3 1/2 stars
103. The House of 7 Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne 276 pages 4 stars
104. Two Gentlemen From Verona William Shakespeare 29 pages
105. Another Day Gone by Eliza Graham 320 pages 3 stars
106. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell 521 pages 3 1/2 stars
107. A Perfect Poison by Lydia Kang 350 pages 3 stars
108. Blood on the Tracks by Barbara Nickless 386 pages 3 stars
109. Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley 470 pages 4 1/2 stars
110. The Suspect: A true story of love, betrayal, marriage and murder by Jenny Friel 288 pages 3 stars

Collective Stars This Year
1 star-1
1 1/2 stars-1
2 stars-7
2 1/2 stars-18
3 stars-26
3 1/2 stars-8
4 stars-14
4 1/2 stars-9
5 stars-27

My ratings:
1 star--waste of paper and ink
2 stars-Is this literature? -major flaws or mind numbing boring
2 1/2 stars-not so bad I had to stop reading
3 stars-average good read, could be mediocre, could be better
3 1/2 fun, informative, thought provoking
4 stars-excellent read
4 1/2 stars-I'm very critical, exceptionally good
5 stars-in all ways a superior read

Just for my info (at an easy glance)...for my Reading Through Time Group
Individual Months:
January-First Encounters-Shogun by James Clavell COMPLETED
February-Storico Italia The Witch of Napoli by Michael Schmicker COMPLETED
March-Asst writings and Papers, original documents concerning Thomas Jefferson COMPLETED
April-The Living Reed COMPLETED
May The Green Bay Tree by Louis Bromfield COMPLETED
June Auschwitz: Tales From a Grotesque Land COMPLETED
July The Scarlet Pimpernel COMPLETED
August The Life and Works of Gustav Klimt COMPLETED
September Hammerhead Six: How Green Berets Fought the Taliban in Afghanistan in the Pech Valley COMPLETED
October-Gothic The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne COMPLETED
November-Noir or Dark The Suspect: A true story of love, betrayal, marriage and murder by Jenny Friel
December Twisted Fairy Tales--Children of Hamelin

Quarterly reads
January-16th Century-Shogun by James Clavell COMPLETED
Apr-Jun - 17th Century Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks COMPLETED
Jul-Sep - 18th Century Castle Rackrent COMPLETED
Oct-Dec - Napoleonic Era The 12th Physician COMPLETED

CHUNKSTERS to read 2017 (physically or mentally!)
Moby Dick COMPLETED
The Hunchback of Notre Dame COMPLETED
Don Quixote DID NOT FINISH

Have a great new thread

Happy new thread, Tess!

A new thread and a new quarter coincide - very satisfying! Enjoy!

Happy new thread, Tess. You're so close to reaching your goal, well done! And that picture is hilarious.

Very impressive reading stats, Tess. Happy new thread!

They are impressive stats! I'm particularly impressed with 20 5* reads already! (I've had 2, although I've also had quite a lot of 4* and 4.5* so I've had a good year so far too).

>8 Jackie_K: I'm surprised, also. Last year I had a bad run of 2- 2.5's, so I'm glad that I'm having a better year!

My first July root and root #64 overall was one of my all time favorites, The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy. This was my first "adult" read somewhere around 1966. (I read it again about 5 years later) I remember my mother allowing me to check it out of the bookmobile that serviced our rural area. It was good to go back into time! As in 1966, still a great read--romance, spies, the French Revolution! 306 pages 5 stars



I now have 5 books, rather thin, (all less than 200 pages) that have been taking up space for far too long on my shelf. Going to try to read them in the next week or so. (3 of them non-fiction)

My 2nd book of July and #65 root was a small book I bought at B&N at least 5 years ago in a mark down bin for $2.00 called The Story of Passover by Frank Finamore It told of the highlights of a traditional Passover, the Haggadah, and multiple Scriptures from the OT concerning the Hebrews bondage to the Egyptians and their flight from same. The back of the book contains 8 recipes, including one for gefiltefish which will NEVER cross these lips! This was a nice little book (38 pages) but really only skimmed the surface (I'm guessing) and I didn't learn anything new. If one knew nothing of Passover then I think the learning curve would be much greater. 3 stars 38 pages

Yeah, I've finished my root reading. Now the dilemma is to up my goal or to just donate to the group????

Well done on finishing! It's a dilemma whether to up your goal, isn't it? I decided it would help me keep up momentum if I upped it. And I set a limit for non-ROOTs so that I'd keep to a ratio of 2:1. You probably have more willpower than me though!

Congratulations on reaching your goal!

>12 floremolla: That's what I've done too (upping the goal that is, although the non-ROOT limit is a good idea too). In my head I'm hoping (and at current reading rates, likely) to reach my increased goal at the start of December so I can donate a few to the group. I'm also hoping that I can crack 50 ROOTs for the first time this year (my official goal is 48). I'm surprised how motivating that has been.

I'll ponder it! Now, ALL my reading is root reading. The "newest" books I have right now are ones I got for Christmas 2016; so rooting will not be a problem.

All my reading is ROOT reading too, other than library books. Possibly I cheat by including brand new books as ROOTs too (my logic being they're my own tomes, and they're on my real or virtual TBR shelves - they're just more shallowly rooted there than some of the ones I've owned for longer).

Congratulations on reaching your goal, too, Tess!

Woo-hoo!!!! Congratulations! :)

>12 floremolla:
>13 MissWatson:
>17 karenmarie:
>18 avidmom:

TY TY TY!

Congratulations. Well done.

>20 Robertgreaves: TY! So hard for me to gauge each year what number I should pick for a goal. Since I pick each book to read after I finish the previous one, in January I don't know the difficulty or the length of what I might read.

>21 Tess_W: I think reading 65 by mid year is a great accomplishment regardless of the goal. About the only thing we can do at the beginning of the year is make a best guess. I've had a few years where life has gotten in the way and I've not met the goal so it can go either way.

Congratulations on meeting your goal! 65 in the whole year is really impressive, never mind at the half-way point!

Had a bad lightning and hail storm on Friday and thought my computer was zapped again! Wouldn't turn back on. So no computer since Friday morning. Took it in to the repair shop today and it worked fine! Evidently my power surge protector did its thing and stopped the electricity from going into my computer but the hit weakened it so much that it wouldn't fire up my computer. A new power surge protector and we are good to go! Even got a "cleaning" for free! Love those guys!

Root # 66 was The True Saint Nicholas: Why He Matters to Christmas by William J. Bennett. This books talks of the real historic St. Nicholas, a 4th century bishop and saint from Myra, modern day Turkey. MOST of the book is speculation so it has to be taken as a grain of salt. Supposedly the gift giving came when he gave a dowry to 3 virgins so that they could marry. He did this by throwing coins contained within a sock into their homes at night and then running away. On the 3rd such gift the father waited up and caught Nicholas and started spreading the story. I'm not really much into miracles and sainthood so this book was just too much conjecture for me. This would be good for a YA to read, I think. Just a bit ho hum for me. 114 pages 2 1/2 stars

Root #67 was a great read, Herbert Hoover's Hideaway by Darwin Lambert. This book begins with those most closely associated with Mr. Hoover looking for a place where he can escape the great mental and physical pressure put on him by the Great Depression. The book covers the site selection search, Hoover's wants and needs, and the great people of the State of Virginia who were anxious to be on the map with the presidential getaway. This was not a luxury getaway. This was tents with floors and fireplaces. I was most impressed by the simplicity and the generosity of President Hoover. (Who was a self made millionaire before coming to office) He bought and paid for most everything needed for the camp: building supplies, furniture, landscaping (which was only to be local indigenous plants), the stocking of trout in the stream, etc. Hoover, like Trump, did not draw a salary from the U.S. Treasury. Great look at the inside life of a U.S. president. 143 pages 5 stars

Root #68 was Faultlines by Barbara Taylor Sissel . This was an ebook that told the story that began with a telephone call in the middle of the night about an auto accident; the call every parent dreads. The story takes twists and turns from there. This was an average book, not a bad read, not outstanding. It lacked real character development and plot development. I kept waiting for it to get "good", but I was disappointed. Too many trivial, annoying conversations! 305 pages 2 1/2 stars

Root #69 was also an ebook, Ships and Stings and Wedding Rings by Jody Taylor which I assume is part of The Chronicles of St. Mary's. This is a Sci-Fi time travel story. Historians went to ancient Egypt and accidentally left behind a modern gun. They "hijacked" a pod to go back in time to retrieve the gun and escapades ensue. Not my cup o tea; glad it was short. 51 pages 2 1/2 stars.

Root # 70 was also an ebook, the Girl Who Came Home: A Novel of the Titanic by Hazel Gaynor told the story of a group of young girls ages 16-21 who for various reasons come to America from Ireland. The Titanic has been done and done again. This book really isn't much different. This is the story of Maggie Bailey who left her love, Seamus, to head to America--he was to follow later. The story switched POV annoyingly often and then all of a sudden we were in 1982 with Maggie's great granddaughter! Didn't see that coming. Nothing new here and in fact an error, the Heimlich Maneuver being used in the dining room in 1915? (although the book did not call it the Heimlich Maneuver). 384 pages 2 1/2 stars.



I think I need to start tackling Don Quixote, but not relishing it. It's on my goal for this year. I have started twice before and not finished.

Glad your pc escaped storm damage - a useful reminder to the rest of us to use a surge protector!

Good luck with DQ - look forward to hearing your thoughts on it before I give it a go.

Hi Tess!

Surge protectors and UPS systems are an absolute must out here in central NC where Duke Power, bless its pointed little head, does not have enough economic incentive to keep our infrastructure strong. We lose power all the time.

I'm glad that your surge protector did its job - giving up its life for your computer. RIP

Root # 71 was Life's Gone with the Wind The Great American Movie 75 Years Later. This is one of those high glossy tabletop books with absolutely the best pictures I've ever seen but also with some great insights into the movie: how it was made, Margaret Mitchell, the actors and actresses and the significance of the movie then and now. Adjusted for inflation, GWTW is still by far the largest grossing movie of all time. (Titanic being 2nd--ugh!) 110 pages 5 stars



I'm still plodding along in Don Quixote. I've read 6 chapters, 49 pages thus far. The book is over 400 pages and I don't think I will make it. It reminds me of slapstick comedy, which I abhor. Another 20 pages and I'll decide.

GWTW is a fascinating movie. It basically eviscerated the book, but I'm still impressed with it, especially the pull-away scene when Scarlett is walking through the wounded men.

I can't remember if I ever read Don Quixote.

Well, third time for Don Quixote is NOT my charm. Life is too short to abhor a book and continue to read it because. I got further this time than ever, 12 chapters, 96 pages. I found Quixote to be crazy, foolish, stupid, and dangerous. I found those who humored him to the nth degree to be unbelievable. This reminds me of slapstick comedy, which I despise! Off my ereader to the cloud never to be seen again! 2 stars DNF

Root #73 was Nagasaki Journey The Photographs of Yosuke Yamahata August 10, 1945. This is a very large (11 x 17) highly glossy coffee table book. Yamahata was in Nagasaki just 12 hours after the bomb was dropped. He was initially sent to gather the most gruesome pictures possible for the Japanese Military for propaganda purposes as they wanted to rouse the ire of the Japanese people and rally them to continue fighting. The emperor's council had been infighting and Yamahata's photos were not even called for. Although I'm very familiar with the War in the Pacific, I'm glad that I did learn a few things and also have a beef with Lippit, one of the essayists in the book. Lippit writes: The following crimes constitute WWII: The so called Rape of Nanking (like he doesn't believe it), The Holocaust, and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I can see from his perspective how this might be true. However, from other perspectives the Japanese attacked an unsuspecting non-belligerent in Pearl Harbor that killed innocents. The Japanese were then defeated in the Pacific (no more air-craft carriers or battleships remained) and refused to surrender. They were given multiple opportunities and were even told of a "new" very powerful bomb that would destroy their cities with one hit: still no surrender. Was the U.S. correct in dropping the bomb? Pros and cons, the stuff for which is fodder for debate. Not only was this a superb picture book, it also contained thought provoking essays and interviews that I had not previously read. This is a keeper. 121 pages 5 stars

Root #74 was a DNF, Dubliners by James Joyce. Sigh, this was a book of short stories. I hate short stories, for the most part. I was hoping that Joyce would change my mind, but no. I read the first four, all about his early life in Dublin, all in somehow or another dealing with the Church. I can't say the stories didn't begin well, but boom and they were over and I still hadn't discovered the plot. It was like the characters were set up and then the end. It's probably me, I never had "gotten" short stories. I tried! Read 20 pages/4 short stories Length of book: 200 pages. 2 stars

>33 karenmarie: That book discussed that scene, particularly, Karen. They hired 1500 extra men for that scene and it took 7 takes before the director was pleased with it. It's one of the all-time favorite scenes of the movie.

Hi Tess! I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

>35 Tess_W: Excellent review of a book I'd dearly love to spend time with. I was vehemently opposed to the dropping of the bombs until I heard my dad say that had they not dropped the bombs that precipitated Japan's surrender, he would have gone from the Eastern European Theater to the Pacific Theater. He was glad. And so I considered it from that perspective and am reconciled. And here, when perhaps I might NOT have been.

>36 Tess_W: I hate short stories, too, for the most part. Exceptions are Mark Twain, J.D. Salinger, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Agatha Christie and perhaps a few more I'm not remembering offhand. Abandon away!

>37 Tess_W: GWTW is endlessly fascinating, both for itself and the stories about how it was made.

Hi Tess, just dropping in to wish you a pleasant weekend!

Hello & Happy new thread!
& Congratulations on reaching your goal!!

Ohh and from your other thread -- so fun that you got to go to Salem! I went last year with my sister and only wished we had had SO much more time to see more! You were able to go to the House of Seven Gables too! I haven't read it yet, but I certainly have it on my shelves after that trip ;)

>38 karenmarie: depending upon whose figures are more accurate, the estimated deaths for a traditional land invasion of Japan was 500,000-1 million U.S. soldiers and 2-3 times that amount for Japanese civilians. And from my research, (and there are varied opinions) it would seem that those who were closest to the bomb, such as Oppenheimer, didn't know, realize, or care about the effects of radiation. I took this from an article by an interviewer: " But J. Robert Oppenheimer never seemed to be very interested in that. Why not? It remains something of a mystery........Because Oppenheimer didn't know/care about radiation effects, General Leslie Groves didn't really, either. Groves actually thought he could march American troops through an area that was recently atomic bombed — had he been given the opportunity to do so, his ignorance would have actually cost American lives. Malloy thinks — and I agree — that such is a good indication that he was pretty confused on the issue." However, to contradict that, is that both Oppenheimer and Groves were present at bomb trials in New Mexico and wore protective gear to shield them from the radiation; although later Oppenheimer told relatives the gear was to shield them from the heat. Who knows?

>41 Tess_W: the naivety of the people leading the development of the A-bomb is a recurring theme in Don DeLillo's Underworld - the suggestion that people should make shelters in cupboards and suchlike! I'm anti-nuclear weapons by instinct so it's interesting to read the discussion between you and karenmarie and understand a bit about the human imperative behind America's decision to drop the bombs on Japan - but it should have been seen as a line in the sand never to be breached again. Of course it's naive of me to think that could ever be agreed when the world is seemingly run by tyrants and despots!

>42 floremolla: I'm in agreement, Donna. I am also anti-nuclear and as to the support of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki I think hindsight is 20/20. The very same amount of "damage" could have been done by conventional bombing although it would have taken months and thousands of bombs instead of one moment in time and there would not have been the radiation fallout (which killed more than the actual bomb). Underworld is on my wishlist after your review of it. If you liked Underworld I'm sure you would like The Gift Upon the Shore, probably in the top 5 of my best liked books.

Another small one that I finished in between the "biggies," The Treasures of the Uffizi by Luisa Becherucci. This book was in things I got when I cleaned out my grandmother's condo when she passed away. (2000) She had been to the Uffizi and I would guess this was something she bought there. It was an interesting book for a historian as it tells how the property was acquired as well as the artwork. New to me was the classifications of the artwork at that time. (Nothing later than the Renaissance was "desired.) Also good were the jealousies and infighting of the Medici family as well as the church concerning some works and Napoleon's thefts in 1812. All in all though I was really surprised at the care given every piece of artwork that entered this Florence" museum" given the time period. 62 pages 5 stars

Hi Tess!

I love those little books one can buy in a museum gift shop! Always so informative and beautiful to hold and read.

Hi Tess, skipping both the 103 post in your second thread and the 45 in this one. I'm starting form here and hope you are doing just fine.

Well I finally succumbed and "bought" some books. I have an Amazon credit card and I earn cash rebates, so I must spend them! Here's my latest haul (not too bad as I've already read 70+ books this year):

His Kidnapper's Shoes
Another Day Gone
Evelyn After

The Fifth Knight Books 1,2,3 WITH the audio!

They will become roots while I continue to read my "current" roots!

P.S. And I still have $1.17 that I didn't spend--saving it for a rainy day!;)

You've been so diligent with your ROOTing you deserved a little treat or six! ;)

>48 floremolla: Thank you, Donna!

I have this 1936 edition of The Complete Works of Shakespeare with Temple Notes. I've read 5 or 6 of Shakespeare's plays, so I thought I needed to get busy on this monster. I am taking it very easy as the book is quite old, although the spine is firm and the pages are tight. I am taking notes on each play that I read and keeping them in a single notebook. My edition says "with Temple notes." I have yet to discover the history of these or what they really are. Each play has some vocabulary notes at the end of the book; that's the only thing I can see that is in addition to the plays themselves. I have also been unsuccessful in determining what they really are on the internet. I'm not going to review these in detail but just enough to remind ME what the play was about. I have also included some pictures here of my book.

The first play I read was rather short, 30 pages, The Tempest. Some historians say that was the last play Shakespeare wrote by himself (1610-1613). The story is about Prospero, Duke of Milan who is also a magician who is wronged by his brother and put out in a boat with his daughter, Miranda, to die. However they land on an island and Prospero conjures some spirits to help him and Miranda to make a good life for themselves. Prospero happens to divine that his brother and another abettor are ocean bound and he conjures up a tempest and they land on the very same island as Prospero. This story is about revenge, forgiveness and reconciliation. 30 pages, 3 stars.

Sigh...I can't get the pics on here, but they are in my member gallery here: http://www.librarything.com/gallery/member/tess_schoolmarm.

>49 Tess_W: what a beautiful tome (for yea, verily, ye may calleth such work of art a tome)

Re the Temple Notes, do share if you find out more about them. In the meantime, enjoy reading from such a lovely edition!

Hi Tess!

I love your Shakespeare project and all the pictures in your gallery!

>49 Tess_W: I have a Complete Works of Shakespeare too, but have only read the ones I already know (if that makes sense) - Hamlet, Coriolanus, Merchant of Venice (I studied those three at school), plus Much Ado About Nothing (my favourite), and Midsummer Night's Dream (also my favourite!). I really must get to the others (sigh. So many books!).

>52 Jackie_K: I think I'm going to read Midsummer Night's Dream next.

Root #77 The Girl Who Drank the Moon was an ebook. When looking it up on Amazon I discovered it was labeled YA. That makes about 4 YA books I've read this year and never suspected that it was YA until I came across it in the tags section. Again, as in the others, either I don't really understand the capabilities of YA readers (as my grandchildren are) or the authors don't. My 17 year old grandson is skipping the 11 and 12th grade and going straight to college based on test scores. I know what he reads as I buy them for him. I know what his vocabulary is and it's high! But the majority of students I teach (the same age) could not understand the vocabulary in this book and I teach only college prep courses. That being said, while the vocabulary was high the story line was very elementary and predictable. The story of the Protectorate who sacrificed a baby each year, a witch, a swamp monster, a mad woman, and a baby dragon were certainly entertaining at the beginning. As the story progressed it was too predictable and the conclusion was lackluster. 3 stars (and that's generous) 388 pages

>50 floremolla: I did indeed find out what the Temple Notes are....they are the notes concerning the vocabulary and other minutiae at the end of the book. Now I just have to find out WHY they are named Temple Notes!

>54 Tess_W: I think there is nothing against reading YA, I do that all the time. And enjoy it most of the times.

>56 connie53: I didn't mean to imply that there was anything "wrong" with reading YA books but I find that many of them are of the sci/fantasy genre and that's not my thing!

>56 connie53: >57 Tess_W: I enjoyed reading some YA fiction when my daughter was a teenager - she was so enthused by some books she wanted to share them with me. I loved Philip Pullman's Dark Materials series but drew the line at Harry Potter, mainly because the books were so chunky and I was a busy mum. HP has gone on to be so famous I don't feel I've missed out because the books and movies have pervaded popular culture so much I feel I've absorbed it by osmosis. There's so much classic and contemporary fiction I want to read that keeps me too busy to look at other genres just now - but I will read Philip Pullman's new series, due soon, for the sake of completeness!

Root # 78 was The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington. The story takes place in the gay '90s "where silk meets silk and money meets money." It is basically the story of a spoiled brat, Georgie Amberson, who wrecks people's lives, including his mother's. This is the story of wealth and rapid industrialization and the havoc it created in some families. 180 pages 3 1/2 stars because the language was beautiful and evocative.

Root #79, Shakespeare #2 A Midsummer Night's Dream. I'm unsure who the main characters are in this play but Hermia and Lysander love each other as does Demetrius and Helena. However, Hermia's father wants her to marry Demetrius. Both of these couples are caught up in a fairy feud where king of the fairies, Oberon, and his fairy wife, Titiania are having a royal fairy feud. Oberon enlists the help of fairy no good Puck who puts magic potion in Lysanders eyes so that he only has eyes for Helena. Oberon puts the same potion in Titania's eyes and she falls for a clown with an ass head! "Let me play with your amiable hairy cheeks, my ass!" Now, that's a line! In the end, both spells are undone and all loving couples are reunited. New vocabulary word: refractory: means stubborn.

The critics say the idea for a fairy feud was probably taken from different sources such as Ovid and Chaucer.

This was an amusing tale and I could see how it would be entertaining in a theatre. 3 1/2 stars 23 pages

I am really enjoying reading these plays and taking notes! It will probably take me a year plus to get through the entire omnibus.

I think The Winter's Tale shall be next!

>60 Tess_W: I never read any Shakespeare and really don't intend to. I applaud you for tackling all those plays, Tess.

>60 Tess_W: I'll second Connie's applause! But I'd like to think I'll get round to Shakespeare at some point, though perhaps not all in one go. Like you, I'd take notes!

Hi Tess!

I'm so glad you're enjoying your Shakespeare project! Your enthusiasm is inspiring.

I'm tackling the Bible as Literature this year (I'm up to Isaiah 50), but might take on Shakespeare next year. I have only read a few of his comedies in school but have read all of his sonnets, which are sublime. ... I just found a year-long schedule online, have saved it, and will contemplate it.

>63 karenmarie: I've read the Bible through a couple of times but not in the last 10-15 years. I think that I will start that again in 2018. I even have that on CD.

Root #80 was an ebook that was only a sapling, meaning it was less that 2 years old; Trail of Broken Wings by Sejal Badani. This novel was about the lives of 3 daughters, their mother, and their father; an immigrant family from India. All of the daughters were scarred by abuse, one physical, one psychological, and one sexual. The book begins as the daughters are gathered at the hospital because their father is dying. Each chapter is about one of the daughters and her attempting to have a "normal life." I usually steer away from books about abuse because I don't enjoy reading them. I got this one because as a prime member of Amazon I get 1 free book per month. The selection is usually between 3-4 books, so this must have been the best pick at that time. The story line was good although a bit predictable. The language was short and clipped. 3 stars 370 pages

>65 Tess_W: I wouldn't rush to acquire that one - I avoid abuse books too, mainly because there seemed to be a time when every popular book had an abuse theme, and the subject - which in RL is of the utmost seriousness and importance - was becoming boring and predictable as a literary device. It's a lazy and over-done cop-out to explain a character's behavioural issues by childhood abuse IMO. I disliked Kite Runner (which I'm guessing you've read) for that. I guess it's increasingly difficult for writers to come up with unique 'defining moments' in a story but to jump on the abuse bandwagon and distinguish it by making it particularly brutal doesn't impress me. (bit of a rant there, but everyone else seemed to love that book!)

>66 floremolla: I agree and I did read the book in question and rated it 4 stars. I read it before I joined any groups or rated any books on LT so I don't have a review to remind me why!

I joined LT in 2011 and cataloged my books over the course of a year. I didn't join any groups or write any reviews until sometime in 2014. Now, I've had to drop out of groups because I can't keep up with them and my reading!

>67 Tess_W: the book I question was well written, other than the plot device that annoyed me!

I can see how keeping up with different groups can eat into reading time, I'll 'gang warily' on that.

>67 Tess_W: >68 floremolla: This is the only group I keep up with pretty much every active thread. I'm also in this year's Category Challenge, but it's way too fast for me (I'd be absolutely hopeless with the 75ers!) so I only read a handful of threads and update my own. I'm not sure I'll do it again next year - I've done it this year because two of the CAT challenges were ideal for whittling down some of my ROOTs, and I have loved reading them. But if the CATs don't interest me next year I probably won't do both again.

>66 floremolla: I clicked on the spoiler to see which book - I only read the first few chapters, then life got in the way so I never managed to get any further. It's in the Jar of Fate so I'll get to it one day! I absolutely loved the next book he wrote.

>69 Jackie_K: this feels like my 'home' group, anything else is just dabbling!

>70 floremolla: I'm with you! This is home! But I do like my Reading Through Time Group. There is no pressure there and not much posting. It's ok to read a certain century if you want and ok if you don't want to. I've been able to pick all the books this year from my TBR so I've enjoyed it.

I must admit, I've been finding it too much recently trying to work out which books to read based on my online and real life book clubs plus all the categories and keep up with all the different threads. I am very tempted to give up the categories other than the alphakit, which is nice and easy.

>70 floremolla: >71 Tess_W: Yes, this is home and the only group I keep up with. It feels like a family to me. I can 'tell' all things bothering me and think you are all wonderful.
I was with the 75-ers last year but not anymore. Too fast for me.

>69 Jackie_K: One year I just copied their bingo card onto my computer and and played along by myself at my own pace.

>73 connie53: I just feel too hurried in the 75's and the Category Challenges. Some months I read 10 books and some months I don't finish 1. There is nothing I hate worse than the feeling that I HAVE to finish a book; makes reading it other than joyous. I prefer to savor my books!

>75 Tess_W: Understandable!

Lots of good advice here, I'll maybe stick to personal challenges and/or copy the bingo card next year!

I left the 75ers because there was too much posting for me. I also simplified my categories to 4 and don't have goals for them, I read in all 4 categories but I'll always read more fiction and don't push myself to do otherwise. I have done both Alpha and Random CAT this year and normally have something on the TBR that fits each month but if I don't or if I don't want to read it, I let that month go by. I've done the same with my f2f book club because sometimes the choice is something I don't want to read and no one seems to mind. We always talk about other books we've read the last half of our meeting and of course I always have a book to talk about then. I'm much more satisfied with my reading this year. My next step is to move books out of the house that I'll probably never read, I've not been able to do that!

There is a reader in my Reading Through Time group that reads exclusively in the time period of the month. For example, if the theme is Viva La Revolucion, she reads 4-5 books about revolutions. I think I would like to get immersed like that and might try that next year. Since I tend to collect historical fiction, I could probably still do this through my TBR's!

My categories are all based on what's on my TBR, so other than the occasional library book I am meeting my own challenge exclusively through my ROOTs. This year I loved the idea of both the CultureCAT and CATWoman, and had loads of ROOTs which fitted both, I've also joined in the Random CAT but only if it's been a month when I've had a ROOT that fits it. So I don't feel at all stressed by the challenge (quite the opposite with the CATs this year, I've loved reading so many really interesting books), plus I set the bar very low! (1 book in each category, and up to 12 CATs. I'll easily meet that so I'm not stressed by it!) I just feel more stressed by letting threads go by that I can't contribute to. I know that there are plenty of people who aren't fussed about getting comments or not, but I like to be sociable and I feel awkward at ignoring so many people! Here, even if I don't comment on every last thread, I do manage to read them!

Root #81 was my 3rd and last Geraldine Brooks read, People of the Book. Ms. Brooks has a pattern of evidently doing great research before writing a historical novel and does have a way with words. However, in the 3 novels that I've read of hers, she completely blows it in the last chapter with something that is totally incongruous for both the time period and the story. This book, based on a the real Sarajevo Haggadah was quite interesting.....till the end. The reader had to be on their toes to keep up as the chapters went from 1966 Bosnia to 1492 Castille to 1996 Austria to Sarajevo 1940, etc; with little apparent connection. 372 pages and 3 stars (for the history I learned)

Hi Tess!

>81 Tess_W: The only book of hers I really liked was Year of Wonders. For me the problem with People of the Book is that it isn't The Source by James Michener. Instead of objects from a book, he takes artifacts from an archaeological dig, alternating the story of each artifact with the story of the members of the dig itself, beautifully evoking the clash of religions, personalities, and politics.

I'm afraid I abandoned and got rid of March and Caleb's Crossing.

>82 karenmarie: I read March for a RL book club which I did not like due to having read Little Women multiple times as a young woman. She changed the complete intended character of Mr. and Mrs. March and also it isn't likely that a white Union officer would kiss and who knows what else a black nurse, even in the north during 1865. I felt the Year of Wonders did the same thing. The book was good and then at the end WHAM--something highly implausible.

I will definitely hook up with Michener's book. That must be one of the few I haven't read!

>83 Tess_W: Likewise re Year of Wonders. That last chapter was such a disappointment I never bothered reading any of her other books.

Root #82 Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson was very much a 1920's book like the Great Gatsby or an Edith Wharton. (night clubs, lots of $, playboys, etc.) The story takes place in 1939 just as London is preparing for war. Miss Pettigrew finds herself out of a job and gets one by subterfuge. The remainder of the story is about her day as serving as a social secretary for the rich, famous and naughty. I did not find it comical or entertaining. 256 pages 2 1/2 stars

>85 Tess_W: Interesting reaction, Tess. I feel the same about Alexander McCall Smith. At my RL book group two of us disliked the The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency - the ensuing argument caused the other disliker to take umbrage and she never came back. I won't put Miss Pettigrew on my wishlist.

>86 floremolla: Silly that differences of opinions about books causes people to get feelings hurt that badly, IMHO. Viva la difference!

Hi Tess!

Well, another book bullet dodged!

Our RL book club allows anybody to say anything about the book - there have been some memorable rants and I'm guilty of one of them. (Twelve by Twelve by William Powers). We always make sure everybody gets a chance to air her opinion without interruption. I really can't ever remember a true argument with hurt feelings in the twenty years our book club has been in existence.

>86 floremolla:
>88 karenmarie:

I guess I am in the minority as Miss Pettigrew seems to be hit with others!

>86 floremolla: I'm curious now what you disliked about No 1 Ladies Detective Agency! Personally, I like them as a bit of gentle distraction, although I'd never claim they were classic literature.

Root #83 Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth. This was a novella of 89 pages about the Rackrents as told by Sir Condy's loyal servant, Thad or "Old Thady." This is hailed as the first British novel. I found the narrator to be unreliable and babbling. I found the the story boring and plotless.
2 1/2 stars

>90 Jackie_K: I felt uncomfortable with it after a few chapters and tried to rationalise it afterwards - I'd say it's twee, simplistic, cloyingly sentimental - all things I usually avoid in reading or viewing. But the main thing I felt was that it presents a patronising and stereotypical version of African people as 'childlike' in their comprehension - it was a gut feeling but there seems to be a minority of readers who feel the same way.

>91 Tess_W: at least it was short!

>92 floremolla: Yes, I can see that, that makes sense.

Hi Tess and happy Monday to you!

I abandoned The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency but can't remember why, it's been quite a while.

>91 Tess_W: I'll pass on that one, too.

.

>92 floremolla: Love it, Donna! Learned a new word today: twee. Never used in the U.S.!

>95 Tess_W: I think I had the "what does twee even mean?" conversation on one of my threads, either at the start of this year or on last year's thread. I'd had no idea it wasn't more widespread!

>95 Tess_W: >96 Jackie_K: what? The U.S. doesn't have anything 'exceedingly or affectedly quaint, pretty or sentimental'? Or perhaps Americans are just too polite to comment ;)

>97 floremolla: no one word that comes to my mind. I doubt we are too polite to comment! The only thing I can think of is sickening sweet!

I've heard 'twee' used around here on LT by our UK friends and think it's perfect. Unfortunately, if I started using it, I'd have to spend more time saying that it means 'exceedingly or affectedly quaint, pretty or sentimental'. Sickening sweet seems to come close.

Root #84 (and #3 Shakespeare) was The Winter's Tale. This was a very convoluted tale and I think I would find it difficult to summarize in 2-3 sentences; but suffice it to say that King Leontes has unfounded jealousy of his wife, Queen Hermione and his best friend, King Polixenes of Bohemia. He condemns his wife (who supposedly dies of a broken heart) and orders his best friend killed. His best friend escapes, his wife doesn't really die but lives in hiding for 20 years and his daughter is raised by a shepherd family. In a web that is daunting they all come to together and all is forgiven by the end of the story.

I happened to see this play at the Globe in London in 2005. Sadly, the actors spoke so fast we could not understand 90% of the play. At first I thought it was just us Americans who don't talk nearly as fast as the Brits, but when we were in the restroom even the British patrons of the theatre were complaining. Somebody must have said something to the actors because when Act II commenced their speech was slower but sadly picked up the pace again within minutes. Bad performance!

Again, I think these plays are meant to be seen and not read. I think a lot is lost on the page. 36 pages 3 stars. (And "average" rating is that I'm not into magic, realism, etc. and always "mark down" for that) In all reality, I'm not qualified to rate the works of Shakespeare.

Root #85 was The Year of Counting Souls by Michael Wallace. Wallace is one of my favorite authors, but this book seemed sub-par for him. The story begins and ends in Manila. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor Filipino partisans and Americans were forced to flee to Corregidor and hope that help would arrive. It never did and hence the Bataan Death March. The story revolves around a very small group of Americans and Filipinos who missed the evacuation and were eventually captured by the Japanese. Most of them survived and were liberated. My problem with this story is that it's slow moving and also from my extensive reading and studying about the War in the Pacific, these Japanese soldiers must of been on kindness medication because they treated their prisoners way too good to be believable; especially after it was made known to the readers that these very same soldiers participated in the Rape of Nanking. 334 pages 2 1/2 stars

Root # 86 was The Life and Works of Gustav Klimt by Nathaniel Harris. Fifty of Klimt's most famous paintings were shown in beautiful color and also discussed. I loved this book; it was so visually pleasing. Three comments/observations:
1. The last sentence of many of the painting bios is "destroyed in 1945." (sad--degenerate art to the Nazis)
2. ".....was created for Klimt's secret erotic gratification" This author certainly was not in a position to
make this assumption.
3. ".....no men were allowed in 99% of Klimt's paintings, but the male voyeur is an unseen presence...." very opinionated! (but maybe true) The fact is that it is women who wanted portraits of themselves.

Even though I thought the author babbled too much concerning the erotic nature of some of the paintings, this was a great book. 78 pages 4 stars

If I had to choose one of your last three books I'd choose the Klimt, lovely to look at but I'd be annoyed by the assumptions too!

Ooph. I'm gone for what feels like such a short amount of time, and I come back and there are just hundreds and hundreds of posts! I will continue to try skimming ;)

>47 Tess_W: >48 floremolla: lol I agree w/ Donna exactly, with your ROOTing you deserve a little treat or six! :)

>54 Tess_W: >56 connie53: >57 Tess_W: I also enjoy reading YA (and love Fantasy/Sci Fi!), but I definitely don't always have the brain for it .. sometimes I just want something more complex, sometimes I can't handle the romance-angst angle ;) And HP? Oh Donna, maybe someday you'll find the time to read them. They are just a joy to read ;) But maybe you are right... maybe it wouldn't be as exciting knowing all that you do since it has so deeply pervaded our culture!

>83 Tess_W: so interesting.. I only recently knew that March was a retelling of Little Women.. neither of which I've read! Interesting perspective... should I probably read Little Women first?

Okay I had to just skip a bunch because I've run out of time, but, in closing Hello! ;) & congrats again on doing such a great job w/ your ROOTs :)

>104 avanders: March isn't really a re-telling of Little Women. In Little Women, Mr. March is off at war and not an integral part of the story. March follows Mr. March's life as a traveling salesman and then a soldier.

My husband is in Florida tending to his father. I'm "free" for the next ten days (although I will have to prepare for school). I feel a reading fest coming on! I have 4 books to finish which I've already begun and then who knows? School begins for me on the 21st of this month.

Ten days without other commitments should be very productive for reading. Enjoy!

>106 Tess_W: Have fun with the reading fest, Tess.

Root # 87 was Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, and it was! The story of two cousins, Beatrice and Hero (female) who were in love with two friends Claudio and Benedick. After many machinations and trickery both couples were finally married. This is another tale where someone "appeared" to be dead, but really wasn't. 34 pages 3 stars

>109 Tess_W: poor old Bill Shakespeare could only muster three stars - maybe he'd have given up the scribbling if he'd read your review early in his career ;)

Enjoy your reading fest, I'm so jealous!

>110 floremolla: I do not feel that I am fit to rate the works of Shakespeare. However, I know that the comedies and some of the tragedies all follow a certain pattern: death by deception. Really, for me, these are average reads--after reading only 4 comedies I can pretty much predict the storyline. However, I'm sure Willy will get some more stars once I start reading his histories.

Root #88 was The Bridges at Toko-Ri by James Michener. I am a Michener fan but have discovered I like his territorial sagas better than his historical novellas. This book told the story of heroic Naval pilots of Task Force 77 during the Korean War. It was Task Force 77's job to knock out the vital bridges at Toko-Ri from whence Russian and Chinese soldiers, supplies and ammunition were being funneled into North Korea. The characterizations were good for a novella. The storyline seemed a bit blah. 123 pages 3 stars

There is a 1950's movie starring William Holden and Grace Kelly by the same name that I'm going to try to watch if I can find it.

Hi Tess!

I'm a Michener fan, too, but I guess I'll pass on that one. I have only read Hawaii and The Source. Both are wonderful, but The Source is one of the best books I've ever read, period. Have you read it?

I have lots of other books of his on my shelves, jut waiting to be read.

>113 karenmarie: I have not read The Source (but it is on my wishlist). I have also read Hawaii, Chesapeake and currently have Texas on deck. I may have read Mexico, but I can't remember if it was Michener's or somebody else.

Hauntingly sad and beautifully written describes Root #89, Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton. This reminds me of the works of George Eliot and Thomas Hardy. It is the story of Ethan Frome and his icecube of a wife, Zeena, who is also a hypchondriac. Zeena's cousin, Mattie, comes to live in and help and of course she is verbally abused by Zeena. This abuse and neglect draw Ethan and Mattie together. Zeena notices the attraction and sends Mattie off. ""The inexorable facts closed in on him like a prison-warder handcuffing a convict. There was no way out—none. He was a prisoner for life, and now his one ray of light was to be extinguished." The story is told as a flashback, 24 years in the past and takes place in the brutal northeast of Massachusetts. This may be the best book I've read thus far in 2017! 128 pages 5 stars

>115 Tess_W: That sounds very good, Tess.

>115 Tess_W: I loved Ethan Frome too, it's a perfect little gem of a book - spare but lyrical prose, characters you really come to care about, an unforgiving landscape and an unexpected ending. I don't know how her longer novels compare but I'll definitely be reading more Wharton.

>117 floremolla: I have tried 3 times to read Wharton's The Age of Innocence and all three times could not finish. I was pleasantly surprised by Ethan Frome!

I might give Ethan Frome a go at some point too. I read one of her novellas last year and really didn't like it, it's main redeeming feature being how very short it was. It did put me off somewhat, but I think those characters sound suitably different (not just rich and louche and entitled) that I could care about them.

Root # 91 was a legal thriller, The Neon Lawyer by Victor Methos. It is the story of Brigham Theodor, a new lawyer who is hard up for cash and takes a job at a "flea-bag" law office right across the street from a bail bondsman. Most of the book is about his defense of a young mother in a capital case. Since this was a free Kindle read, I was pleasantly surprised! 178 pages 4 stars.

Root # 92 was the second book in Michael Wallace's (one of my favorite authors) series, The Righteous, Mighty and Strong. Again, as in the first book, this was an excellent insight into the Mormon way of life as well as being a good thriller/suspense and murder mystery. This is a tale of a Utah city where prophets rule, fourteen year old girls are wed, and nobody waits for the second coming as they believe it has arrived. I have all 8 books in the series and will read them all! 341 pages 4 1/2 stars.



Off to work in my classroom today and tomorrow. Where has the last 10 weeks gone? Saturday will be my "last" readathon for this calendar year as husband returns home on Sunday and school begins on Monday!

Hi Tess, you are really tearing through your ROOTs. And indeed, it's hard to believe how time has flown.

>124 Tess_W: I look forward to hearing how the series pans out. Can't believe your summer break is over! Enjoy your last readathon of the season. I have online stores' newsletters arriving in my inbox now with 'autumn collections'....grrr, haven't had a proper summer yet :(

Root # 93 was Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. Mr. Bryson and a companion hiked a very small part of the Appalachian Trail (and really didn't rough it) to become fit as well as acquaint themselves with nature and the territory. His manner of writing is easy and flowing. I enjoyed the ecology and the history of the trail as well as his knowledge of the trees.

I often became bogged down in the daily details, they were all the same, get up, have coffee, hike, etc. Occasionally they met interesting people along the trail. I did not like the way Bryson and his companion made fun of others (their weight, dialect, etc.); it was just plain mean.

Although this was a average good read, I probably would not read another of his books. 397 pages 3 stars

>127 Tess_W: my husband and I are not fans either but have four of his books on our shelves because people have given him them as gifts - they've always had that smart marketing that puts them in front of panicking shoppers at Christmas.

Hi Tess!

>127 Tess_W: Funny, I've never focused on Bryson's mean-spirited-ness, although now that I think of it, it's certainly there. In his defense, he also denigrates his fitness, weight, and not being able to finish the hike. The one thing I've learned about reading Bryson (and re-reading, in some cases) is that I can't read more than one book of his except every half year or so because of a sameness, regardless of subject matter.

>128 Tess_W: LOL, Donna.

Root #94 was His Kidnapper's Shoes by Maggie James. Boy, this cover and synopsis sure had me fooled. It was billed as a psychological thriller. There was nothing thrilling at all about this book. The story was told from 2 perspectives, that of Laura, the kidnapper and that of Daniel, the kidnapped. The writing was so bad that Daniel was barely likeable and he should be the one to get the reader's empathy. Would not recommend. 334 pages 2 stars

Root # 95 was an audio/ebook The Mutual Admiration Society: A Novel by Lesley Kagen. This book was just tad worse than Root # 94! How did I get 2 stinkers in a row? I think the book was a coming of age story about 3 very young pre-teens (ages 8-12?). However, the oldest of the 3 and the ringleader was too precocious and also foul-mouthed; even taking the Lord's name in vain. The entire book takes place in 1 day when 2 sisters try to hunt for their missing principal, Sister Mary somebody or other. There was also a lot of justified thievery in this book as well as out and out lying to one's parents. Not my cup o tea nor will I probably read anything else by this author. The book was free and the audio was only $1.99. I thought I would take a chance. Should have bought a lotto ticket instead. 284 pages 2 stars

>130 MissWatson: >131 avanders: Ohh, 2 stinkers in a row! I hope your next one will be a great one, Tess.

Good luck with your next book, Tess. These two sound pretty awful.

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 ;)

>134 Jackie_K: Hi, Altheia! Responded on your page!

Root # 96 was a very old (1954 publishing date) hardback book, The Twelfth Physician by Willa Gibbs. This looks like I would have bought it at a flea market or garage sale, but since I don't go to those events, I have no idea where I picked up this book. This book was a little gem in disguise. It is the story of Dr. Charlot Florian and his wife, Diane, during the time of the Directory, which followed the Committee of Public Safety's rule in Revolutionary France. Dr. Florian somehow finds himself on a boat to Sinnamarie, a French penal colony in Guiana; also known as the "guillotine of the soul." Events that unfold really do break both the Dr. and his wife. In the second half of the book Napoleon is featured.

I'm giving this book only 4 stars because I was confused by one of the sentences in the last paragraph of the book: "Charlot and Diane were strolling in the Garden in Gehenna...." They weren't in Gehenna, but in Alexandria, Egypt. Therefore is the reader to conclude that: 1) their existence was hellish (as Gehenna is the Hebrew word for hell) or 2) they died and went to hell? or 3) something else?

The print on this book was so small that I could read it only in small doses even with bifocals. It is smaller than a font size 9.

Fiction based on the French Revolution is at the top of my list of reading materials.

I will look for other books by this same author. 278 pages 4 stars

Root # 97 was a great read, Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan. This historical fiction novel was based on a true story; that of Pino Lella, a young 16 year old as the book begins and a 23 year old wizened man as the book ends. The Italian side of WWII isn't something that novelists or historians usually focus on when writing about WWII, so this was very refreshing.

Once the bombing of Milan begins, Pino is sent to a boy's school in the Alps where he eventually helps smuggle Jews across the border to Switzerland. He is called home by his parents though when the Nazi's come looking for him for compulsory service. By luck he lands as a driver for Nazi General Hans Leyers, Hitler's right hand man. Pino soon becomes a spy for the resistance and even meets Mussolini.

The story in this book featured many real life people and it was excellently researched. I would recommend this book although I have 2 small problems with it: 1) I'm unsure why the title 2) The writing was somewhat elementary. However, the story for me was so good that I can overlook these 2 flaws. 526 pages 4 1/2 stars

Hi Tess. Just wanted to alert you to this month's free University of Chicago ebook, here: http://www.press.uchicago.edu/books/freeEbook.html

I've decided not to get it, and it might be a bit of a busman's holiday for you too, but the reviews on amazon were generally favourable and as an insider I thought you might appreciate it!

>137 Tess_W: Thanks, Jackie! I did get it just because.......lol!

Glad to have been an enabler :)

So I took this cold and rainy morning to re-arrange my virtual bookshelves. They were in pretty good order. However, I decided to add a new tag, "audiobook." I usually don't buy the audio with the ebook as they are too expensive but I do buy about 1 per month as I like to have a book I can listen to in the car to and from school. I was surprised to find I have 50 audio books! (in the course of about 5 years) What do my fellow LTers do when the partially listen and partially read a book? That's still a read, right? What if I listen to a book in it's entirety? Can I say I've read it? How do I classify it at the end? Suggestions please!

Back to Mansfield Park now!

Hi Tess!

My opinion is that any book 'consumed' is a book read. I used to NOT count audiobooks, but then I figured if I can talk about a book, have an opinion about a book, rate a book, and remember a book, then it counts. I have also started some one way and finished them the other. To me, it's all good.

I keep a spreadsheet of books 'read'. I count pages for paper/Kindle books, hours listened for audiobooks. But I've 'read' 67 books so far this year and 6 of them have been audiobooks.

Root # 98 was Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. I can't say the story was anything different other than the normal Victorian romance, only maybe a little bit more boring! It is the story of Fanny Price, eldest daughter of a poor drunkard who is sent to live with rich relatives. She takes the eye of a n'er do well scoundrel. It seems Fanny is the only one who sees the scoundrel for what he really is and completely rejects him. In the end, she ends up with the Parson and marries for love rather than money---although her mother warned her against it. An average read. 560 pages 3 stars.

>140 floremolla: Each to his own, but I agree with Karen! I did have misgivings initially about counting audiobooks but several things have changed my mind. 'Accessibility' for example. For lots of people who can't read because they're physically or mentally below par, audiobooks are a great way to keep in touch with literature and I wouldn't call their experience of 'consuming' a book (as Karen puts it) any less than my experience of reading it.

I guess some might consider audiobooks as 'dramatisation', but no matter how much effort the narrator puts into the voices and accents, he/she is still reading the words exactly as they were written - just as older classics like Don Quixote would have been read aloud in the days before widespread literacy. We're merely tapping into the oldest form of sharing stories. :)

>141 Tess_W:
>143 floremolla:

Those are both my thoughts, but I didn't want to feel like I was "cheating!" This year my audio vs kindle/book ratio is about 10:1 so I think I'm going to count the listen onlys as "read." And I like that I am purchasing some audios because I have been diagnosed with macular degeneration--the dry (good) kind. It is the slow progressing kind and mine has not progressed any for 5 years. In fact I can still work on the computer and play the piano with no glasses; but not so reading a book. In fact the Dr. said my vision is exceptionally good for my age and all the reading I do! There is no "cure" for macular degeneration but the research has indicated that certain types of vitamins can almost halt the disease, in some people; namely vitamins A,C,E, zinc and selenium. In fact they have made a vitamin with all these ingredients that I can buy at the doctor's office and it's relatively cheap, about $20 for 90 capsules. It's not a prescription formula so the insurance won't pay for it, but it's my eyes and I think it's well worth the investment! Hopefully there won't come a day when I am unable to read, but if so, always have my audios!

P.S. Donna, I bought the audio for Don Quixote and in the future I will try listening to it!

>144 floremolla: Tess, my MIL has macular degeneration, but unfortunately it is the 'bad' kind, for which she is having very unpleasant sounding treatment (monthly injections in the eyeball. Shudder) to try to arrest the decline - it won't get much better, but I think the treatment is designed to slow down/stop any further deterioration in vision). I think the biggest loss for her is reading - when she was diagnosed they bought a kindle, but she hasn't taken to it really - when we saw them a few weeks ago she had just got a fancy magnifier, but I don't know if she's getting on well with it yet. I must remember to ask her what she thinks about audio books. If that would be acceptable to her then it could make a big difference (and also help us out with present ideas!).

>144 floremolla: yes, eyesight was one of the things I was thinking about - good to hear your macular degeneration is the 'good' kind and that vitamins help. I've been taking vitamin and mineral supplements to help my immune system, so hopefully have the ones you mentioned covered if I happen to be in that category of 'some people'.

Oh, well...I hope if you still hate it you won't blame me ;)

>144 floremolla: yes, eyesight was one of the things I was thinking about - good to hear your macular degeneration is the 'good' kind and that vitamins help. I've been taking vitamin and mineral supplements to help my immune system, so hopefully have the ones you mentioned covered if I happen to be in that category of 'some people'.

Oh, well...I hope if you still hate DQ you won't blame me ;)

Hi Tess!

I'm sorry you've got macular degeneration. I'm glad it's the 'dry' kind.

I've been taking lutein for probably 15-20 years now, and I feel the lutein significantly helped my night vision. My eye doctor is pleased I'm taking it. I just looked it up on the internet, and there are some studies that suggest it can help slow macular degeneration in those already diagnosed. Might be something you ask your eye doctor. Lutein occurs naturally in green leafy and yellow/orange fruits and vegetables, but with 2 kidney stones and no intention of any more, I avoid green leafy because of the oxalates.

>148 Tess_W: Oh, I forgot to list that my eye vitamins do indeed have lutein and hubby (borderline diabetic but does not take meds) and I eat lots o green leafy and yellow/orange fruits daily.

Root # 99 was the non-fiction Hammerhead Six: How Green Berets Waged an Unconventional War Against the Taliban to Win in Afghanistan's Deadly Pech Valley. This was the story of commander Ron Fry and his unit that tried unconventional warfare in the Pech Valley which nobody has been able to bring to peace. Their group strove to capture the minds and hearts of the Afghan people. While this was a good "story", there was so much technical language such as the multitude of acronyms (as much as 3 per sentence) that it became burdensome for a layman to read. (OP, OD, OAD, EED, ARTEP, ARPA, EMA, EOE, ORT....) It was also important to the author that he name every man and their rank in every sentence. All this minutiae was cumbersome for this reader. From what I could gather Hammerhead Six was successful, however it all collapsed when they left and conventional warfare was resumed in 2009. In 2011 it was the deadliest area in Afghanistan.

I think this might be an excellent read for a person with military knowledge. 380 pages 2 1/2 stars

I'm starting The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne today. I've been wanting to read it for years but was more spurred on since I visited The House of Seven Gables this summer. I have a 1941 hardbacked copy which is in excellent condition except the pages are discolored around the edges. As I have found before, the type is so very small--it's so dang annoying! Smaller than font size 9 and hardly any space between lines....

I'm not inspired by your 99th ROOT either but I do fancy The House of the Seven Gables - a nice one to celebrate reaching your 100th ROOT - it can be downloaded from Project Gutenberg, so maybe you could do your eyes a favour with larger print and keep the hardback for looking pretty on the shelf.

>152 floremolla: great idea, Donna! In fact, I found it free on Amazon!

""We could eradicate smallpox from nature, but we could not uproot the virus from the human heart."

Root 100 was Robert Preston's The Demon in the Freezer. This was what I thought was just the story of the anthrax scare of 2001, but it was really more about small pox research. When anthrax laced letters were discovered in the U.S. in Senator Daschle's and Leahy's offices, the scare was not for the anthrax as much as it was that the anthrax might be laced with a smallpox virus. Smallpox is much more dangerous as it is exhaled by the infected and inhaled by others. One particle of smallpox (1/1000th of a pinhead) can be exhaled by an individual, travel through the air 9 miles, and still be inhaled by another individual. Each individual who has small pox usually infects 19 others. Anthrax is a contaminant virus, meaning a person has to touch the anthrax to catch it.

The title alludes to the fact that smallpox was eradicated in 1979, but some countries (the U.S. and Russia for sure) kept the virus for "experimental" uses. A virologist who defected to the U.S. in 2002 said that when the USSR broke up in 1989 that their smallpox "disappeared." He thinks it went to North Korea. (Yikes!)

This book was great in case studies. Where it bogged down for me was the introduction of a multitude of characters from the CDC, Russian defectors, WHO, Battelle, FBI, etc. Sticking with the scientific story would have been enough. However, that being said, it was still a great read. This is my 2nd Preston read and will not be my last. 240 pages 4 stars

Yikes, indeed! As if there weren't enough scary things happening in the world, mankind has to tempt fate by mucking about with viruses - "This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang but with a whimper"

Glad you enjoyed it though.

Hi Tess!

Yay for lutein.

I have The House of Seven Gables, I know I do, it's just that it's misshelved and I can't lay my hands on it. Drat.

Good review of The Demon in the Freezer.

>154 avidmom: That's SCARY!!!!!! I have a book here (it's quite a tome) titled Pox: An American History. Still on my TBR list.

So sorry about your diagnosis... glad it's the "good" kind but still. :(

Sending prayers your way!

>157 connie53: TY so much !

Root # 101 was a history trade book, Lamentation over the Destruction of Sumer and Ur (Mesopotamian Civilizations Vol 1 that I've had for years. Thankfully the subject matter is not one that changes much! Besides Gilgamesh, this is the oldest known surviving piece of Mesopotamian literature. It is very well written with vivid descriptions of the destruction. Certainly some cataclysmic event occurred. Most of the writing depicts the various destuctions and the god responsible for each. 219 pages, hard to rate an original source piece of antiquity!

Tess, catching up on threads (again). So sorry to hear about your eyesight. But good to hear it's a 'good' kind and you can still read real books.

My thoughts on what are ROOTs for me: Real paper books read, sometimes partly paper or e-book counts too. I don't listen to books, I've never done that and I don't own one.

>159 Tess_W: that sounds like one for the true history buff!

>161 rabbitprincess: LOL, that would be me! History teacher by day, history professor by night, and history buff 24/7!

Root # 102 was also a chunkster, Anthony Trollope's The Way We Live Now. It is the 4th Trollope book I've read and also my least favorite due to the multiple sub-plots and repetitious actions of the many of the main characters. Sheesh, were they dumb, but rich!

The story centers around immigrant Augustus Melmotte who pretends to be a wealthy gentry, he is anything but. The very large cast of characters is somehow connected to Melmotte who is soliciting funds to build the Mexican Railroad, of which there is no such thing. This book tells about Melmotte's robbing Peter to pay Paul and keeping one step ahead of the authorities. However, an aside are the numerous romances contained in the book, of which most end in unhappiness.

I like the Barsetshire series better as there is some satiric wit in them. If there was any in this read, I didn't "get it." This was still a good long read! 800 pages 3 1/2 stars



It's 3:30 pm and I think I can finish The House of Seven Gables this evening! And then I get to choose TWO new books to read, one on Kindle and a real paper book! Nobody but people here would understand how excited I am to shop from my shelves for my new reads!

>163 Tess_W: I enjoyed the TV adaptation featuring David Suchet (Poirot) as Melmotte.

>164 floremolla: Ooft, 800 pages and disappointment! At least it contributes to the BFB goal :)

I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of The House of the Seven Gables. And yes, it's great finishing a ROOT or two and having some exciting choices ahead of you - hope you choose some five star reads!

>165 Tess_W: thanks rp- I might settle for that rather than reading the tome!

>163 Tess_W: 3 1/2 stars (bordering on 4), not really disappointed....

Yeah, I finished The House of Seven Gables. Have been wanting to read this for a long time but prompted by my visit to the actual House of Seven Gables in Salem, Mass. this summer.

This was the story of the greedy and dysfunctional Pyncheon family. There was a family secret that certain family members claimed would make them all wealthy. However, in the end, that was not the case. The gothic novel moves slow but the characters are developed superbly. Hawthorne has a beautiful way with words as evidenced by both this book and the better known The Scarlet Letter. 276 pages 4 stars

Glad I misread that and Trollope wasn't a disappointment after all!

>166 karenmarie: sounds good - added to my future ROOTs!

Root # 104 was Two Gentlemen From Verona by Shakespeare. This again had one of Willy's two main plot devices: a crossdresser! In this case two young men from Verona went to the Duke's Court of Milan to become more worldly. Suffice it to say they both fell in love with the Duke's daughter, Silvia, but alas and alack one of the young men, Proteus, already had a love back in Verona, Julia. Julia followed Proteus to Milan and dressed as a young man to become Proteus' page and spy on him. In the end, all the young lovers migrated to the right person.

I found two amusing bits of English:
1. Julia asks, 'What o'clock is it'?
2. Julia chid her maid. I would assume that's present tense for chide?

29 pages. I'm not going to rate Willy anymore, too difficult. I would suppose he's a great writer, but when reading the comedies and tragedies, they seem to all be alike....I suppose that it what was popular at the time. I find his histories to be distinctly different, though.

Hi Tess!

>166 karenmarie: I thought I had The House of the Seven Gables, but although it's in my catalog, it's tagged 'misshelved.' Drat. I might be able to find a copy of it at the Friends of the Library Sale in October.

I hope you have a great week!

Hi Tess, it's good to see you're still reading up a storm!

Root #105 was Eliza Graham's Another Day Gone. This was a family saga beginning with an IRA terrorist bomb explosion in London in 1939. The story followed different people: the daughter of the accused and hanged bomber, her daughter and niece, and various others. The story was interesting enough but was choppy and had no sense of flow. It was like the book had 7-8 main characters and each had their own story and they didn't always converge. Also, it takes real talent to move the story from 1939 to 2006 to 1997 etc; and that also didnt' work too well for me in this book. Because of the storyline I'm rating this book 3 stars. 320 pages

I am glad you enjoyed the Hawthorne. I listened to it some years back and realized that it belonged in the Gothic mystery genre. I loved it. I also read the Preston and left quite the review after I finished it. Can't say that I enjoyed it either but it definitely makes you think about the possibilities...

I'm still plugging away and DETERMINED to catch up, even though it does not appear to be happening. I am forever the optimist.

Root # 106 was North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. Compared to the other Gaskell I've read, Cranford, this book was not at satisfying as I didn't find any sarcasm or wit.

North and South is the story of Northern England during the Industrialization. The book centers around the Hale family--Rev., Margaret, and the Missus. Because Rev. Hale wouldn't agree to support the Book of Common Prayer he was let go from his parish and moves his family north where he takes up teaching. They meet Mr. Thornton, a misunderstood factory owner? Margaret and her family become sympathetic to the factory workers and the union. This is a very bleak book, much like those of Thomas Hardy's. There is the requisite happy ending, but it is not satisfying.

There is just something "missing" from this book when compared to Hardy and Trollope who write of the same time period. 521 pages 3 1/2 stars

Mrs Gaskell is one of those authors who's often mentioned in book discussions and I felt I ought to read, so duly acquired N&S - a ROOT for next year, though after your review it might not be at the top of my list!

I have North & South on my TBR too. Earlier this year quite a few people in the Category Challenge seemed to read it, and the reviews were pretty glowing. I'm keen to read it, as I gather the social/class commentary was pretty insightful and before its time. I've not read any other of her works though, as I agree with Tess that sometimes books are disappointing in the comparison!

Hi Tess!

I adored Cranford, so will probably avoid North and South.

>174 Tess_W:
>175 Tess_W:

It is a good commentary on social classes, much like Dickens.

Root # 107 was an audio/ebook A Beautiful Poison by Lydia Kang. The book started off with a great premise: three childhood friends reunited to solve a murder. The setting was the end of The Great War where girls worked in factories painting clock dials with radium. The Spanish influenza was also raging. With all this going for it, I thought the book had great potential. However with a plethora of red herrings and minor characters it turned out to be a convoluted who dunnit with too many story lines, shallow characters, and a disappointing ending. 350 pages 3 stars (for history background and potential).

How do my LT friends rate books? Is it a complete package? What if it's a great storyline but the writing is monosyllabic and stilted? What if the writing is good but the storyline is boring? I'm having a difficult time rating books written since about 1920 because let's face it, the writing is not what it used to be. What is the standard?

>179 karenmarie: My ratings aren't an exact science, and now you've got me thinking about it I'm finding it hard to put into words how I do it! Generally, 1/2 and 1 star books are turkeys with absolutely no redeeming features, while 5 star books are life-changing-everyone-must-read-this-book-right-now, and how close books get to either end of that scale depends on how much I enjoy or am annoyed by various elements within the book. Things that edge them towards the positive end are (in no particular order) good writing, interesting subject/story, use of language, emotional engagement, that sort of thing. Things that would knock off stars for me include poor writing, boring subject, unsympathetic characters. When you have a combination of good and bad in the same book that's where it gets a bit more complicated! I'm struggling to think of many books where that's the case, but (opposite to you) I think I'm more critical of the classics now I'm reading them as a mature adult (most of the ones I read before were as a teenager, and things which I simply didn't notice then are making me cringe now. I'm thinking of things like the mad wife in the attic, or (in one of my current reads) extreme wealth and privilege in an otherwise sympathetic character.

I think I'm going to crow about my success story! I joined LT in 2011 with about 1100 paper books. I did not join this group until 2014. I now have 506 paper books to read. So I'm down almost 600 paper books!

I won't tell you that my ebook total has doubled (still less than 200) and my wishlist has gone from 0 to 500+. I have been on a very strict book diet--sometimes an entire year at a time with no buys. I know that once I start buying I can't stop--I'm a true addict! I have used gift cards that people have gotten me and spent a few bucks when I needed to get an audio companion. But all in all, I'm really pleased. I can't wait to get to that next level...400 paper books! I usually give away my paper books after I read them. I'm an agent for Operation Paperback and send books to troops several times per year. I keep books of course that I would want to re-read again; but I find that they are few when it comes right down to it.

Yeah me!

Hi Tess!

My ratings are subjective in that I can rate a Regency romance as high as a "literary fiction" book or a nonfiction book. These are my ratings:

Masterpiece
Stunning
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Average
Bad
Very Bad
Don't Bother
Anathema

I assign a general impression by the Descriptor - Average, or Good, or Stunning - then nudge up or down for outstanding or poor characterization, sloppy or illogical endings, depth of emotion portrayed, etc., lyrical language or misuse of language, sentence structure, etc. I never go back and revisit my ratings after a day or so, although sometimes as I'm writing a review I remember things or feelings about a book that will change the rating within 24 hours.

Right now I'm reading Glass Houses by Louise Penny. It is not a ROOT and so I won't report it here, but I'm already seriously irritated with it and I'm only on page 39. I will finish it because I've invested a lot in this series, and usually by the end there are enough redeeming features to offset her terrible use of sentence fragments. They immediately started on page 1, but I wasn't totally irritated until page 4. I've already written this one down in a Word document to reference in the review:

Though Judge Corriveau couldn’t really say what it was, she did know the Chief Superintendent of the Surete should not look like that. While sitting in the witness box. At a murder trial.

>179 karenmarie: I've been having the same thoughts lately - it came to a crunch with One Hundred Years of Solitude. I admired the author's intent immensely but I didn't love the book - the importance of his writing was a bit lost on me because I didn't know enough about the history, politics or culture of Colombia to get the references. And because I knew enough to know I didn't know enough, I couldn't even take it as just a story about family. Plus I don't like magic realism, but I still rated the book highly because I thought it was a 'worthy' endeavour. So am I just allocating the book to a slot in the hierarchy of books and saying 'yes, I think it should be up there somewhere, rather than down beside Fifty Shades of Grey'? And does this mean I'm not being true to my own opinion and experience of the book?

In my now defunct RL book group we marked books for 'Quality of Writing' and 'Enjoyment' and that worked pretty well. Seven Years in Tibet was a good example of a book that was incredibly badly written, and/or translated, but the story was fascinating. At the end of each year it was interesting to see what we'd enjoyed versus what we admired.

>180 floremolla: I know what you mean about viewing books through different eyes as a mature(r) person and in more enlightened times. I get very uncomfortable about racism in older novels - but does that mean something like Vanity Fair should lose a point or two for having a black character derided because of her ethnicity? Or should I just accept that Thackeray was merely reflecting the social mores of the time, because the whole point of Vanity Fair was to hold a mirror up to the abhorrent behaviour of human beings in a rigid class system? (I feel a thesis coming on...)

>181 Robertgreaves: I applaud you, Tess! I'm not very good on abstaining from things I like - indeed I'm very persuasive to myself about why I should be allowed to indulge - and I admire people who can.

There's something about seeing the acquisition stats though that's making me go 'whoa...! wait a minute!...'

>182 MissWatson: I like your system, Karen, it's well thought through. I'm still quite new to LT and ratings and reviews so have just been going on gut reaction. I can identify with the desire to change ratings afterwards though. Having now given quite a lot of books five stars I'd like to introduce a 'five star plus' for the really, really, really most excellent books!

Also, I'm with you on the broken sentences. I guess Penny was aiming for dramatic effect - people use those sorts of broken sentences all the time in texts and social media these days, but it's jarring in a novel and will have the effect of dating it to this current epoch of history! Then she'll be sorry. If she's still around.

My ratings are very impressionistic and probably not very consistent. They are based on a combination of interest and enjoyment and may well be influenced by what else is going on in my life. If I am generally in a bad place, books will probably get a lower rating than if I am generally happy.

If an anthology is very variable, I don't rate it and I don't always rate book club books because my opinion is too influenced by the discussion than the book itself. Sometimes I feel it's presumptuous to give a classic a star rating, so I don't.

I think the lowest rating I've ever given a book was 1 star.

I think my ratings mostly reflect how much I enjoyed them, as compared to other books in the same genre. In mysteries I look for different things than in a 19th century classic or a non-fiction book.

When I read other LT reviews I want to know how much the reader liked the book. If I want a professional review I can find it but usually I just like to know what somebody who enjoys a good book thinks. So that's how I rate books here, my reaction to them as a "nonprofessional" reader.

I just gave a Booker Prize winner 3.5 stars but obviously, having won that prize, it's literary merit would be higher. I didn't enjoy the book that much so that caused the just above average rating. Sometimes I drive myself nuts deciding though!

Yes, the ultimate test for me is 'did I enjoy it?', rather than 'is it literarily worthy?', if that makes sense. I felt so very presumptious giving War and Peace only 3 stars the other year, but it reflected the fact that at times it was a real old slog, and I really didn't care for the extraneous philosophising and turgidly long battle scenes.

I know that I am having trouble rating Shakespeare....I'm sure literature wise it's stupendous, but after the 4th comedy with a crossdresser and a person thought dead comes back to life, they are all starting to read the same! So really, I can't give them more than a 3 and yet I cringe when I do that!

I rate my books on a gut feeling. Did I enjoy it and think about it when not reading it. I never read older books and I have an aversion for "literature'. Those books I had to read for Dutch lessons in Highschool. I think I follow >182 MissWatson: in the stars rating.

Finally finished a book! Haven't finished one in almost 10 days. Been really tired and now I know I was incubating bronchitis. Am on antibiotic now but my throat is just raw. I'm not working today but temp is 101 and so will be in bed. Not sure I will get any reading done. However, root #108 was Blood on the Tracks: Sydney Rose Parnell Series by Barbara Nickless. This story had a great premise: railroad cops and detectives solving railway crimes. Where it fell short for me was that Sydney and her friends were all suffering PTSD from the War in Afghanistan and the flashbacks were a major part of the book. The writing was good but the storyline was just so-so. This was one of those free Kindle books from several years ago. I have stopped getting those because there was about 1 good read out of 10. This is a series and I won't be reading the others. 386 pages 3 stars.

>190 rabbitprincess: oh, get well soon and feel better, Tess!

Oh no, that's rotten! hope you feel better very soon, or at least able to enjoy reading!

Yikes, bronchitis! Get well soon!

Reading goals for the remainder of 2017: All paper/hardback books:

A History of the US War Peace and All That Jazz
Best Known Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne I recently finished The House of Seven Gables and want to re-read The Scarlet Letter and also read Twice Told Tales
George Washington The Writer
Masada A Pictorial Guide and Souvenir
The White House An Historic Guide
Embers
Elizabeth is Missing
The Girl in the Green Sweater

Hi Tess! I'm sorry to hear that you have bronchitis. Bronchitis is one of the few things that can make me feel too sick to read. Horrors! I hope you get back to feeling well enough to read pronto.

>194 Tess_W: a diverse and interesting list of books for the rest of the year. Hope you're able to enjoy reading now and making the most of 'bed-rest' :)

>196 Tess_W: This was a "stack" that wasn't shelved upright, so if I read these I will have cleaned off about 1/4th of a shelf in one of my bookcases. I will only keep the Masada book and the antique book of Hawthorne's and the others I put in a box until I have 20 and off they go to Operation Paperback.

Good for you! I'm still having difficulty letting go. ;)

Root # 109 was Lucinda Riley's The Seven Sisters. The story begins on Lake Geneva where Pa Salt has just died and his 6 adopted daughters come back home. At first I thought the beginning was unbelievable and corny, but by chapter 3 I was sucked into a believable storyline. This book centers around Maia and her quest to find her real parentage. It takes the reader from Switzerland to Paris to Rio. The writing is good and the you really come to care about the characters. This story also gave some great history about the Cristo del Rio and the life of the artists in Montparnnasse, France. I would assume there will be 6 more books and I will read them.....eventually. 470 pages 4 1/2 stars

>194 Tess_W: I realised I had Elizabeth is Missing in my TBR after you mentioned it - took it out to remind myself what it was about, read a few pages then got caught up and finished it. A quick read and I enjoyed it but I will rehome it.

>200 Hmmm, if you are rehoming it must not have been that good!

Root # 110 was The Suspect: A true story of love, betrayal, marriage and murder by Jenny Friel. I am a true crime fan, no doubt about it. When I got this book (a free Kindle book) I did not realize it took place in Ireland. It's the story of a real life murder, that of wife and mother Rachel O'Reilly. I won't go into details as to not ruin the plot for other potential readers. I did learn that in Ireland you can be arrested for up to 72 hours just for questioning. This was a short book of 288 pages, an easy read, and of moderate interest. 3 stars This was my November read for Reading Through Time..something "dark."

>201 I gave it a 3.5* but it was nearer 3.7! I enjoyed it and think my mum would too. Unless she doesn't fancy reading about a woman with dementia...or thinks I'm trying to tell her something.