EAM Back for More ROOTs

Great to be back and see everyone again! I will be conservative again this year since it worked so fabulously in 2019. My ROOT goal is 50. Hopefully, I will blast through that number and keep going.

Hi EAM. Happy to see you back in 2020. Happy ROOTing.

Good to see you back again, good luck for 2020!

Welcome back and have a great reading year! I like that idea of setting a more conservative goal; exceeding it is so much fun! :)

Wishing you a happy year of ROOTing in 2020! :)

Happy reading through 2020! Look forward to seeing what’s on your list.

Happy ROOTing!

Happy New Year and Happy ROOTing!

JANUARY

1. The Chain by Adrian McKinty FINISHED 1/4/20
2. The Invited by Jennifer McMahon FINISHED 1/5/20
3. The Sinners by Ace Atkins FINISHED 1/9/20
4. Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris (audiobook) FINISHED 1/14/20
5. Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue FINISHED 1/18/20
6. Devil Colony by James Rollins FINISHED 1/27/20
7. Metropolitan Stories by Christine Coulson FINISHED 1/30/20

Congrats on your first ROOT!

Looks like you are well on your way to blasting though those ROOTs. :-)

JANUARY

1. The Chain by Adrian McKinty FINISHED 1/4/20
2. The Invited by Jennifer McMahon FINISHED 1/5/20
3. The Sinners by Ace Atkins FINISHED 1/9/20
4. Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris (audiobook) FINISHED 1/14/20
5. Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue FINISHED 1/18/20
6. Devil Colony by James Rollins FINISHED 1/27/20
7. Metropolitan Stories by Christine Coulson FINISHED 1/30/20

7 for the month- updating personal ticker

FEBRUARY

8. Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly FINISHED 2/6/20
9. The Suspect by Fiona Barton FINISHED 2/10/20
10. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty FINISHED 2/15/20
11. Girl Gone Viral by Arvin Ahmadi FINISHED 2/22/20
12. The Dinner by Herman Koch FINISHED 2/23/20
13. The Waning Age by S. E. Grove FINISHED 2/23/20
14. A Danger to Herself and Others by Alyssa Sheinmel FINISHED 2/26/20
15. Me by Elton John FINISHED 2/28/20

8 for the month with total to date 15. Updating personal ticker.

MARCH
16. The Paper Wasp by Lauren Acompora FINISHED 3/2/20
17. Voyages in the Underworld of Orpheus Black by Marcus and Julian Sedgwick FINISHED 3/5/20
18. There There by Tommy Orange FINISHED 3/9/20
19. Eyewitness Auschwitz by Filip Muller FINISHED 3/12/20
20. The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert FINISHED 3/14/20
21. Above the Bay of Angels by Rhys Bowen FINISHED 3/21/20

APRIL
22. The Doll Factory by Elizabeth MacNeal FINISHED 4/2/20
23. Butterfly Yellow by Thanhha Lai FINISHED 4/6/20
24. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming FINISHED 4/6/20
25. Wild and Crooked by Leah Thomas FINISHED 4/13/20
26. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (audiobook) FINISHED 4/18/20
27. My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman FINISHED 4/21/20
28. Sorry for Your Loss by Jessie Ann Foley FINISHED 4/22/20
29. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (audiobook) FINISHED 4/22/20
30. The Leaf Reader by Emily Arsenault FINISHED 4/28/20

9 for the month. Yearly total of 30. Personal ticker updated.

MAY
31. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah FINISHED 5/2/20
32. The Witch's Kind by Louisa Morgan FINISHED 5/3/20
33. Magic is Dead by Ian Frisch FINISHED 5/24/20
34. The Crossing by Jason Mott FINISHED 5/25/20
35. Last Bus to Everland by Sophie Cameron FINISHED 5/28/20

Hi EAM. You are still reading so I presume you are doing fine. Keep safe!

HI, Connie. I have not been in the best frame of mind lately. I've run into a wall and can't concentrate on reading to save my life. I've got 3 books going and have not read a sentence in any of them for days. Any suggestions for regaining that edge?

>20 enemyanniemae:

I was having that trouble so I started a new book for pleasure reading and brought the books I was stuck on (I was still enjoying them, just couldn't seem to finish them) to work and read the remaining pages during my lunch hour. Forcing myself to be in a place where the only option was to read that particular book really helped me finish both books (finally!).

If being at work isn't an option maybe designating 30 minutes in a different room to reading just that one book, then going back to your regular reading spot to read your current book might be an option.

Hope something works out. I know the feeling.

>20 enemyanniemae: Right there in the boat with you. In my last slump I was able to get out of it by reading audiobooks. Now I am trying to just read a chapter at a time of several different books. Got a couple of new books in the mail and think I might drop everything to read those ones.

Thank you both for the suggestions. I think the majority of it is burnout from being so isolated for so long and the uncertainty. I haven't been in a grocery store since early April. I haven't worked since March 23 and have no idea when we might be able to return. My manager and one co-worker are allowed in the library 3 times a week for 2 hours each time in order to process returns and new books coming in. The rest of us are waiting. And waiting. There is no timeline for when the library proper will be available to the public. I'm alone and I go days without speaking to anyone. I do have 2 cats but they aren't very good conversationalists. I didn't realize how much I use eating out as a social thing. Even if I'm alone reading a book while I eat, I still have interactions with waitstaff. This sitting on my hind end with nothing to do is exhausting.

But I did get one book finished so maybe I will be able to get a few more done by the end of the month. Thank you again!

MAY
31. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah FINISHED 5/2/20
32. The Witch's Kind by Louisa Morgan FINISHED 5/3/20
33. Magic is Dead by Ian Frisch FINISHED 5/24/20
34. The Crossing by Jason Mott FINISHED 5/25/20
35. Last Bus to Everland by Sophie Cameron FINISHED 5/28/20

Thank you to lilisin and to rabbitprincess for giving me the nudge back onto the reading track. I got 3 more finished after you two posted your hints.

Total for May is 5 for a grand total of 35 this year.

I'm glad your reading slump seems to have been stopped in its tracks!

>25 Jackie_K: Me too. It was frustrating. I hope that everyone has a great month of wonderful reading.

JUNE
36. The Metropolitans by Carol Goodman FINISHED 6/1/20
37. The Lost Coast by Amy Rose Capetta FINISHED 6/11/20
38. On Aging by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas FINISHED 6/17/20
39. The Day the World Stopped Turning by Michael Morpurgo FINISHED 6/19/20
40. Never Mind: Patrick Melrose by Edward St. Aubyn FINISHED 6/23/20
41. Her Daughter's Mother by Daniela Petrova FINISHED 6/24/20
42. We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie FINISHED 6/25/20

So sorry to hear that EAM. And sorry that I did not respond sooner. I seem to read more now and spend less time online. That might be mainly because we had very nice weather including a real heatwave. But also I find reading takes my mind of this corona thing. I'm glad lilisin and RP did give you the right tips.

Hope you've been having a good June!

Plugging along, I am. Got 7 completed this month.

JULY

43. The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin FINISHED 7/1/20
44. The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World by Amy Reed FINISHED 7/4/20
45. The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones FINISHED 7/6/20
46. Where She Fell by Kaitlin Ward FINISHED 7/8/20
47. All the Impossible Things by Lindsay Lackey FINISHED 7/9/20

Hi EAM, Hope you are doing fine. Your reading is doing well. You are almost there!

>31 connie53: Thank you so much- I am doing well. I am just going stir crazy not being able to follow my usual routine (which consists of reading a book in a coffee shop/restaurant/park). But I think I might be able to meet my goal this month. (woot!) If I do, then I will be happy to help boost our numbers.

JULY

43. The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin FINISHED 7/1/20
44. The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World by Amy Reed FINISHED 7/4/20
45. The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones FINISHED 7/6/20
46. Where She Fell by Kaitlin Ward FINISHED 7/8/20
47. All the Impossible Things by Lindsay Lackey FINISHED 7/9/20
48. Watchers by Dean Koontz FINISHED 7/17/20
49. Oasis by Katya De Becerra FINISHED 7/19/20

You're almost there! Well done!

JULY

43. The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin FINISHED 7/1/20
44. The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World by Amy Reed FINISHED 7/4/20
45. The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones FINISHED 7/6/20
46. Where She Fell by Kaitlin Ward FINISHED 7/8/20
47. All the Impossible Things by Lindsay Lackey FINISHED 7/9/20
48. Watchers by Dean Koontz FINISHED 7/17/20
49. Oasis by Katya De Becerra FINISHED 7/19/20
50. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo FINISHED 7/21/20

Woohoo!!

51. To the Nines by Janet Evanovich (audio) FINISHED 7/29/20

Congrats!

Hooray! Is that you at your target?

*grin* Target plus one. And I still have 2 days left.

>37 enemyanniemae: Yee haa! Excellent work :D

9 for July, grand total of 51 for the year. Updating personal ticker.

AUGUST

52. The Last Book Party by Karen Dukess FINISHED 8/6/20
53. Last Day by Domenica Ruta FINISHED 8/7/20
54. Robin by Dave Itzkoff FINISHED 8/10/20
55. Defending Jacob by William Landay (audiobook) FINISHED 8/11/20
56. Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann Grau (audiobook) FINISHED 8/15/20
57. Bird Box by Josh Malerman FINISHED 8/19/20
58. The Snakes by Sadie Jones FINISHED 8/20/20
59. The Eight by Katherine Neville (audiobook) FINISHED 8/25/20

I'm going to go ahead and turn these in now. If I finish anything before the end of the month, I'll just put it on September's numbers. So 8 for the month, 59 total. Personal ticker updated.

SEPTEMBER

60. Let's Call It a Doomsday by Katie Henry FINISHED 9/1/20
61. Loyalty by Ingrid Thoft FINISHED 9/5/20
62. Mister B. Gone by Clive Barker FINISHED 9/8/20
63. The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon (audiobook) FINISHED 9/9/20
64. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs (audiobook) FINISHED 9/14/20
65. Rules for Visiting by Jessica Frances Kane (audiobook) FINISHED 9/19/20
66. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid FINISHED 9/23/20
67. Grave Peril by Jim Butcher (audiobook) FINISHED 9/24/20
68. Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell FINISHED 9/28/20
69. Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward (audiobook) FINISHED 9/29/20

Congrats, EAM on meeting you goal!

thank you!

I've got 10 down for September. Total is 69. Will update my personal ticker.

OCTOBER

70. Slasher Girls & Monster Boys (stories selected) by April Genevieve Tucholke FINISHED 10/1/20
71. Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith (audiobook) FINISHED 10/9/20
72. The Grass Harp and Other Stories by Truman Capote FINISHED 10/15/20
73. The Living Dead by George A. Romero and Daniel Kraus FINISHED 10/16/20
74. The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline FINISHED 10/20/20
75. 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff FINISHED 10/20/20
76. Blameless by Gail Carriger FINISHED 10/22/20
77. The DNA of You and Me by Andrea Rothman FINISHED 10/23/20
78. Maigret in Holland by Georges Simenon FINISHED 10/26/20
79. The Impossible First by Colin O'Brady FINISHED 10/30/20
80. Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney FINISHED 10/30/20

I got a hurricane barreling down on me and I already know I will lose power. So I will list the last 2 books that I am reading and give you my totals for the month a few days ahead of time. I hate 2020. I hate 2020. I hate 2020.

11 for the month of October and a grand total (so far) of 80. Updating personal ticker.

>45 enemyanniemae: I hope you stay safe, EAM, and there's not too much damage. You're right, 2020 can go do one.

>45 enemyanniemae: Yikes, stay safe! I think we should get a do-over on 2020.

Stay safe, EAM.

You don't realize how dependent you become on the creature comforts until they are no more. But I have blessed electricity back now. There are still patches of community that do not. This the craziest year on record.

NOVEMBER

81. Gwendy's Button Box by Stephen King FINISHED 11/3/20
82. Evil Librarian by Michelle Knudsen FINISHED 11/5/20
83. The Club by Takis Wurger FINISHED 11/7/20
84. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters FINISHED 11/9/20
85. Gwendy's Magic Feather FINISHED 11/10/20
86. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel FINISHED 11/23/20

Glad to hear you have electricity back. This is really the craziest year ever.

I doubt if I will finish another book (or get it recorded if I do) by the end of tomorrow, so I will report my stats now. I finished 6 more ROOTs this month for a year to date total of 86. I will update my personal ticker.

DECEMBER

87. If Cats Disappeared From the World by Genki Kawamura FINISHED 12/1/20
88. Bending Toward Justice by Doug Jones FINISHED 12/3/20
89. The Good Detective by John McMahon FINISHED 12/4/20
90. My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite FINISHED 12/8/20
91. Monsieur Mediocre by John von Sothen FINISHED 12/8/20
92. Things We Didn't Talk About When I Was a Girl by Jeannie Vanasco FINISHED 12/14/20
93. Perdition Score by Richard Kadrey FINISHED 12/17/20
94. Dying Gasp by Leighton Gage FINISHED 12/19/20
95. Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn FINISHED 12/25/20
96. The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio (audiobook) FINISHED 12/27/20
97. Savage Season by Joe R. Lansdale FINISHED 12/28/20
98. The Farm by Joanne Ramos FINISHED 12/30/20

And this is it for me for the year. Updating my personal ticker.

Happy Holidays from the Netherlands.

DECEMBER

87. If Cats Disappeared From the World by Genki Kawamura FINISHED 12/1/20
88. Bending Toward Justice by Doug Jones FINISHED 12/3/20
89. The Good Detective by John McMahon FINISHED 12/4/20
90. My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite FINISHED 12/8/20
91. Monsieur Mediocre by John von Sothen FINISHED 12/8/20
92. Things We Didn't Talk About When I Was a Girl by Jeannie Vanasco FINISHED 12/14/20
93. Perdition Score by Richard Kadrey FINISHED 12/17/20
94. Dying Gasp by Leighton Gage FINISHED 12/19/20
95. Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn FINISHED 12/25/20
96. The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio (audiobook) FINISHED 12/27/20
97. Savage Season by Joe R. Lansdale FINISHED 12/28/20
98. The Farm by Joanne Ramos FINISHED 12/30/20

And this does it for me for 2020. Updating personal ticker. See you all in 2021. Tomorrow. In a few hours. :D