Familyhistorian's ROOTs for 2020

ROOTs read in 2020

I'm hoping for a smooth path through the ROOTs in 2020 which includes finding a way to take more books out of the house than I bring in. We'll see how that goes.

Books acquired in 2020

>3 Familyhistorian: That's something lots of readers are wishing for. Happy ROOTing, Meg.

Welcome back and Happy ROOTing, Meg!

Good luck with all your goals!

Welcome back and have a great reading year! I don't think I'll ever read more than I bring in, but it's nice to dream about ;)

>5 Ameise1: I thought that would be something that ROOTers could relate to, Barbara.

>6 connie53: Thanks Connie!

>7 Jackie_K: Thanks Jackie!

>8 rabbitprincess: I read more books than I brought in during 2019, as I read about 200 in total but a lot were library books. I just have to get the outgoing owned books to equal or exceed the incoming. I hope you have a great reading year, RP!

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

>10 This-n-That: Thanks, all the best to you in 2020!

Happy reading in 2020, Meg, and good luck with the books in/books out balance! ;)

Happy 2020 reading, Meg!

Happy ROOTing, Meg!

Happy reading, Meg!

>12 floremolla: Thanks Donna, hope you have a great reading year in 2020!

>13 detailmuse: All the best in 2020, MJ!

>14 MissWatson: Same to you, Birgit!

>15 Miss_Moneypenny: Thanks, Caity!

1. Finding Lady Enderly by Joanna Davidson Politano

I very seldom have an ER book that turns into a ROOT but that’s what happened with the book, Finding Lady Enderly. It was an historical mystery/romance which bogged down a bit in the middle, enough that I put it down for a while. It was alright but not quite a page turner.

2. A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn

Veronica Speedwell is an unconventional heroine, at least for the Victorian age. She is outspoken and adventurous and has a partner in crime, Stoker, who looks like a disreputable pirate. Together they solve mysteries which take them to some scandalous places. A Perilous Undertaking was another fun entry in the series.

I count as ROOTs the books which I have acquired by December 31 of the preceding year. This year it would be the books acquired by December 31, 2019. However, I didn't receive my Santa Thing books until January 2020 but they should have been under the tree. I am going to include those books as ROOTs this year.



When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman
American Nations by Colin Woodard
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood

Ooh, I've heard great things about The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down and would love to read it one day.

Yay, Sharon Kay Penman! Several years ago the Category Challenge did a group read of When Christ and His Saints Slept and the next three books in that series. All very good :)

>20 Jackie_K: I remember seeing lots of posts about The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down a few years ago, Jackie, and it kind of caught my eye. Not enough to go out and look for it though. I'll have to see what it is all about soon. Well, as soon as I can fit it in between challenges and library holds. I haven't even cracked the cover of Jerusalem yet.

>21 rabbitprincess: I hadn't heard of When Christ and His Saints Slept before, RP. It's good to know that its a good read because it is fairly large!

3. The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt

I dragged a ROOT from my nonfiction shelves, The Swerve: How the World Became Modern. There was a lot of buzz about this book a few years ago. It was a very readable history in which the author put forward his ideas about how modern scientific thought was generated by an ancient poem by Lucretius, On the Nature of Things. An interesting theory.

Nice SantaThing selections! I liked The Spirit Catches You... and The One in a Million Boy. Also have been interested in The Swerve, so glad to see your comments.

>25 detailmuse: I have a lot of very interesting books on the shelves. Now what I need is the time to read them!

4. Connections in Death by J.D. Robb

My next ROOT was Connections in Death, the 48th volume in the In Death series which still has lots of steam after all this time.

5. The Devil in the Marshalsea by Antonia Hodgson

I slowly read my way through The Devil in the Marshalsea, a mystery set in the 1700s in the debtor’s prison. It was good but a slow read.

6. Investing in Murder by EJ Lister

My next ROOT had been on the shelf since I picked it up at the Left Coast Crime 2019 conference. There were piles of the book being given out for free. I was skeptical but Investing in Murder turned out to be a good thriller.

7. The Famine Plot: England's Role in Ireland's Greatest Tragedy by Tim Pat Coogan

My next ROOT was the nonfiction book, The Famine Plot: England’s Role in Ireland’s Greatest Tragedy. In it the author systematically shows how British policies and attitudes helped create the devastating reality of the Irish Famine.

8. It Began With a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way by Kyo Maclear and Julie Morstad

I don’t usually have ER books that turn into ROOTs although this is the second time this year that this has happened. But this time it didn’t happen because it took me so long to read the book. I actually received two ER books in December within a couple of days of each other although they were for subsequent months. It Began with a Page was a charming story about the life of Gyo Fujikawa, an early female illustrator.

9. The Gold Pawn by L.A. Chandlar

It was billed as an art deco mystery and the cover showed a woman in a ‘30s looking red dress so I picked up The Gold Pawn. It was an ok read but not extremely absorbing.

10. Silent Melody by Mary Balogh

My last ROOT for January was an historical romance by one of my go to authors. Silent Melody was an interesting romantic tangle with a mystery thrown in.

And now for the round up of my January acquisitions. They are:

Vendetta in Death by J.D. Robb
When He was Wicked by Julia Quinn
Righteous by Joe Ide
Agents of Influence: A British Campaign, a Canadian Spy, and the Secret Plot to Bring America into World War II by Henry Hemming
Winnipeg's Great War: A City Comes of Age by Jim Blanchard
The Missing Millionaire: The True Story of Ambrose Small and the City Obsessed with Finding Him by Katie Daubs
The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman

11. The Withdrawing Room by Charlotte MacLeod

The ROOTs are going down more slowly this month. I will have to try harder but those library holds are keeping me busy. I did manage to finish a slim mystery that has been on my shelves since 2017. The Withdrawing Room was the second book in a series. It was an interesting mystery and I liked the characters, particularly Sarah Kelling who had recently turned her house into an upscale boarding house. I’m not sure that I will continue with the series.

February 10th was my twelfth Thingaversary so tradition has it that I needed to acquire thirteen books. My thirteen were:

Girl Town by Carolyn Nowak
This Side of Murder by Anna Lee Huber
The Tenant by Katrine Engberg
Things in Jars by Jess Kidd
The Girls with No Names by Serena Burdick
That Churchill Woman by Stephanie Barron
Murder Once Removed by S.C. Perkins
A Dangerous Collaboration by Deanna Raybourn
Tudors: The History of England from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I by Peter Ackroyd
Vancouver Confidential by John BelshaW
The Hidden Lives of London Streets by James Morton
The Time Traveller's Guide to Restoration Britain 1660-1700 by Ian Mortimer
The Complete Jack the Ripper by Donald Rumbelow

Happy thingaversary and enjoy your haul!

>37 MissWatson: Thanks Birgit! I might wait to crack the covers of that haul until they become ROOTs.

Nice haul! Happy Thingaversary!

>39 Jackie_K: Thanks Jackie!

12. Poppy Harmon Investigates by Lee Hollis

My library holds are once again getting in the way of my ROOTs reading. It is just way too easy to hit that hold button and there is very little stopping me because the Vancouver Public Library allows unlimited holds in a year. That being said, I have managed to squeeze in a few of my own books.

One of those books was Poppy Harmon Investigates. I was drawn in by the cover and thought it would be an ok cozy. It was but I wasn’t overly impressed.

>41 Familyhistorian: I can see why you were drawn in, great cover.

>42 clue: Isn't the cover fun? And it is supposed to be of a woman of a certain age too, which makes it even better.

13. The Axeman's Jazz by Ray Celestin

It has been a slow ROOTs month for me but I can report another one down. I finished The Axeman’s Jazz and historical mystery that took me a long time to read.

14. The Tartan Pimpernel by Donald Caskie

My final ROOT for February was a much quicker read. It was The Tartan Pimpernel Donald Caskie’s memoir of his time as the minister of the Scots Kirk in Paris when the German’s invaded in WWII. He went through so much it was amazing that he made it through the war let alone was able to tell about his experiences which were many and dangerous.

>45 Familyhistorian: That's a BB for me!

>45 Familyhistorian: And me! I love the title :)

>46 Jackie_K: Ooh, I don't often hit my targets on my ROOTs thread. You'll be interested to know that Donald Caskie came from Bowmore, Islay, Jackie.

>47 rabbitprincess: It was written by the man who went through the experience, RP, although I wonder who came up with the title.

15. Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: An Introvert's Story by Debbie Tung

I have no idea why the graphic novel, Quiet Girl in a Noisy World was sitting on the shelf so long without me reading it. It was a sweet read with charming illustrations.

>49 Familyhistorian: The cover looks really very charming.

>50 connie53: It is a cover that introverted readers can relate to, Connie!

>49 Familyhistorian: That sounds good

>52 detailmuse: It's a good one!

16. The Irish Inheritance by M J Lee

I love a good genealogical mystery as you can probably tell by my LT handle. The Irish Inheritance was the first book in the Jayne Sinclair series and it was a good one. I have another on the shelves which has grown ROOTs so will get to that one soon too.

17. The Italian Cure by Melodie Campbell

I received an ER book late last year which made it a ROOT by the time I read it. The Italian Cure was a cute romantic rapid read. It was lighthearted but hard to review in these times.

18. Murder by the Book by Claire Harman

I have a nice little run of true crime books in my personal library. Some are more modern than others. Murder by the Book was about an older crime, a Victorian murder. It was as much about the social background of the crime as it was about the actual deed.

19. Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors by Nicholas Wade

Sometimes it doesn’t pay to let books sit on the shelf. Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors was a ROOT published in 2006. There were DNA references which only went so far at the time. It was an interesting history, though.

>57 Familyhistorian: Sometimes it doesn’t pay to let books sit on the shelf
Good advice about some of mine, too

>58 detailmuse: The problem is getting to them while all those new shining books are distracting you!

>59 Familyhistorian: And knowing they are worth taking off the shelves. You can't tell that by the cover or the blurb.

>60 connie53: You've got that right, Connie. I was searching for a book about mothers and daughters for this month's reading through time theme and The Hundred Year House looked like it fit from the cover blurb but it doesn't really. I looked through every book I could think of for the theme and I don't really have anything that features mothers and daughters. Hmm, I wonder if that is because I am used to being surrounded by men and boys - I only had brothers and had one child, a son.

>61 Familyhistorian:. That could be the reason indeed, Meg.

>62 connie53: Yes, I was used to being with boys It was hard to get used to living with women when I had roommates - they borrowed my clothes!

>63 Familyhistorian: No doubt without asking! I shared a room with my two sisters! I know.

>64 connie53: Yes, all of a sudden they'd show up with something of mine on.

20. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

I started The Lovely Bones a few years ago but couldn’t continue at that time. I finally read and finished it. It was good and well written but hard to read for the emotions it brought out.

21. An Edible History of Humanity by Tom Standage

I’ve been slack getting my ROOTs written up this month so there are a few to do on the last day. I find the challenges on LT getting me reading some of the books that have been on my shelves for a while. One of these was An Edible History of Humanity, a very interesting look at the history of mankind through the lens of the development of agriculture and the later developments in the food industry.

22. The Hundred-Year House by Rebecca Makkai

My last ROOT for the month was The Hundred-Year House which was a story told going backward through the years. It all centred on the house and the people who had lived or gathered there. It was interesting and not quite what I expected.

I tried to read The Lovely Bones many years ago and was unable to finish it. I do think I flipped ahead to the last chapter though, so I was able to see what happened to the perpetrator. Maybe one day I will give the rest of it a try.

>69 enemyanniemae: I think you have to be in the right mood to read it.

With time all discombobulated my book acquisitions for March almost slid by without getting posted. It was a difficult month to acquire books with book shops closing midway through but I managed. They are:

Historic New Glasgow, Stellarton, Trenton & Westville by Monica Graham
The Forgotten Home Child by Genevieve Graham
The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel
Women in Thirteenth-century Lincolnshire by Louise J. Wilkinson
The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold
Wired for Story by Lisa Cron
Fall of Angels by Barbara Cleverly
The Decent Inn of Death by Rennie Airth
The Murder of Harriet Monckton by Elizabeth Haynes
Africville by Jeffrey Colvin
Vancouver After Dark: The Wild History of a City's Nightlife

Maybe I should arrange for my mum to get a copy of The Mirror and the Light for her birthday this month... mail it to her for her birthday. Where did you get your copy?

The next two acquisitions have a bit more story behind them. I am on the exhibit committee for PoCo Heritage's Museum. For the last year or more we have been working on our latest exhibit which is about the early history of Port Coquitlam which became a city in 1913. It covers the years from 1918 to 1923 when there was the flu, followed by a fire to most of the downtown in 1921, a flood in 1922 all of which brought the city to the brink of financial ruin.

The posters for the exhibits are made in the style of a graphic novel, telling the story of each event. We are adapting the posters into a comic book and the museum coordinator asked for another comic that would be more accessible to kids. So I bought a kids graphic novel to look at the level of language to be used. That graphic novel is Following the Trail of Marco Polo by Geronimo Stilton (yes, really).

Even before the present state of the world we were having second thoughts about the kids comic book as the flu part of the story was too scary. I don't think that adaptation will be done now but we are trying to adapt the work into a graphic novel which is a whole other story.

>72 rabbitprincess: I picked up my copy of The Mirror and the Light in Costco, RP. It was cheap too.

>74 Familyhistorian: Lacking a Costco membership, I may just arrange for a mail delivery from Chapters.

The graphic novel and exhibit sound like really interesting projects!

The last acquisition for March was a book for this month's RL book club. I tried to put a hold on it at my usual library but I was far back in the list and the VPL had just changed all of the end dates for books that were out to April 25, so I had no idea when I would be able to get my hands on that hold. So I tried a different library system and was first in the hold line at the Terry Fox Library in Port Coquitlam.

That was on the weekend and I was in one of the other City of Port Coquitlam's buildings on Monday for a meeting when they were closing the building down. They closed down all buildings to the public including the library.

So I decided to buy the book Britt-Marie Was Here and headed off to Chapters where it was on the shelf. Chapters closed a couple of days later. Then it looked like we wouldn't have a book club meeting in April after all because of social distancing. But now plans are to hold the meeting via Zoom. Too bad, because so far I am having a hard time getting myself to read the book.

>75 rabbitprincess: Oh, that's too bad, RP. At least Costco is one place that is open where you can buy books, well, them and drug stores. Chapters is a good plan and they can send it directly to her.

Thanks re the exhibit and graphic novel.

23. Bloodlust & Bonnets by Emily McGovern

It seemed to be the right time to read a strange but adventurous graphic novel and Bloodlust & Bonnets fit the bill.

24. Irresistible by Mary Balogh

I’ve been making my way through a pile of library books, big, thick ones. So, it was good to read something that had me turning the pages instead of counting the chapters. I read something lighter, an historical romance, Irresistible. It was a page turner and made me feel better about my reading.

Yesterday I checked the Vancouver Library site and all the due dates for the books I have out are now changed to June 1. That's concerning but it also gives me a bit of breathing room in my reading and I immediately picked up a couple of ROOTs to read.

>80 Familyhistorian: That reminds me I need to check my library account and see if the date of return has altered - I only have one book out, but every day adds up!

>81 Jackie_K: Have you finished the book already, Jackie? I am still working my way through my pile. I have 13.

>82 Familyhistorian: No! I've had it over a month, but I've just had too many books on the go so let a couple slip. I'm hoping to get it finished by the end of the month, and then I'll try and sort out getting ebook library access (which I've been meaning to do for ages).

>83 Jackie_K: This time of remoteness is a definite push to get digital library access, Jackie. I had a look at my library's website for the digital stuff but am not really into e-books. I've tried to read a book on my Kobo but never got through one to the end. Good luck with your digital quest.

>84 Familyhistorian: I thought of you just now when this article appeared on my facebook timeline - Stirling libraries have seen a massive increase in ebook and audio book loans compared to before the library closures: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/e-book-demand-soars-following-2189...

Personally I love ebooks, but I've really not got into audiobooks at all. I just can't concentrate on audio the same way as reading on a (paper or virtual) page.

>85 Jackie_K: The library that I go to the most, the main Vancouver Library, has many digital offerings as well, Jackie. They include e-books and other things like Ancestry Library addition and Acorn TV. I haven't been using them because I already have Ancestry and Acorn TV. I did try to get one of their digital offerings and nothing happened for me anyway and didn't go through the frustration of trying any further.

Are you using any of the things that Stirling Library has on offer?

25. My Life in Black and White by Kim Izzo

I’ve been finding some good ones on my shelves. My Life in Black and White combined a modern story with one set in 1952. As the female protagonist went back to the past her world became black and white with a noir femme fatale theme.

>86 Familyhistorian: I've now registered for their online service - I will get books out using RBDigital, which is the service they subscribe to. I think they have Ancestry as well, although I'm not actively looking (maybe family tree work is something I can think about for retirement!). And you can get magazines out with them too, and newspapers. I'll mostly use the ebook service, although I'm holding off getting any yet because I'm in a bit of a reading slump (apart from a short story I haven't read anything in several days) so I want to be sure that I'll finish any book before it disappears from my ereader!

>88 Jackie_K: I like that they have magazines as well. Your book disappearing before you finished it wouldn't help a reading slump. I hope that is over for you soon, Jackie, but it sounds like you are busy so that might be a cause. Are you still getting your writing in?

26. A Necessary Murder by M J Tjia

The library books have pretty much been shunted to the side now that they aren’t due until June 1st. Now I am free to select from my own shelves and one of my first reads was in a new-to-me mystery series. It was A Necessary Murder, a Heloise Chancey mystery. I was an interesting historical mystery and Heloise was in a kind of in between position, part demi mode and part unofficial woman detective that the police are able to make use of. It was an interesting read.

27. Park Avenue Summer by Renee Rosen

My ROOTs read is increasing this month, which is a good thing but I will need to go back to the library books soon. Right now, I am finding a lot of interesting books on my own shelves that seem easier to read at this time. One of them was Park Avenue Summer which was basically the story of how Cosmopolitan magazine came to be as seen through the eyes of a young staffer finding her way in New York.

>91 Familyhistorian: Right now, I am finding a lot of interesting books on my own shelves that seem easier to read at this time.

Same here! It is a good thing that my library has given me until July 15 to finish my books.

>92 rabbitprincess: July 15, RP? I only have until June 1. I wonder if mine will be extended again.

>93 Familyhistorian: Yeah, all of the city-run recreational and cultural facilities are closed until at least June 30, or at least that was the last I'd heard. I'm actually trying not to hear too much about when things will be open again because it is still so uncertain and likely to change. Don't want to get my hopes up.

>94 rabbitprincess: Closed until June 30? Here they are just closed until further notice as far as I know, RP. Doesn't seem like anyone wants to put a date on it.

28. Murder in Greenwich Village by Liz Freeland

Historical mysteries are some of my favourite books. I started a new series which starts in 1913 and features a young woman recently moved to New York. Murder in Greenwich Village was an interesting mystery and Louise Faulk a protagonist with secrets of her own. It was a good start to a new series.

>91 Familyhistorian: My library has the Rosen book so I'll take as a BB. I like novels that take place in publishing anything.

>95 Familyhistorian: They will of course extend it if necessary. The June 30 date was chosen at the beginning of April or the end of March, I can't remember.

>97 clue: It was a really good look at the beginning of the new Cosmopolitan magazine. I hope you like it.

>98 rabbitprincess: I wonder why they gave an end date in the first place? Our community facilities just said "closed until further notice."

>100 Familyhistorian: It is not a date set in stone. They will extend the closures if necessary. But maybe having *some* kind of date gives them a date to keep in mind when assessing whether it is safe to reopen in any way,

>101 rabbitprincess: And maybe people won't get too anxious if a potential end it in sight, perhaps. But I think many people are getting pretty antsy right now.

>102 Familyhistorian: Yeah, that's probably the thinking.

I would not be surprised if some closures were extended, though... Bluesfest, which is held in early to mid-July, was just cancelled.

My mum is getting antsy for her library to reopen. She wishes that she could at least pick up holds. I miss dinner with friends the most. Zoom dinner just isn't the same!

>103 rabbitprincess: I'm very anxious for restaurants to open too. The Surrey International Writer's Conference which is held towards the end of October, is already making plans to turn it into a virtual conference.

29. The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory

I always try to find a book on my shelves for monthly challenges. This time it was the historical novel The Boleyn Inheritance. It was my first book by Philippa Gregory and I was pleasantly surprised that, even though it weighed in at 514, it was a quick read.

30. It Begins in Betrayal by Iona Whishaw

I read the next book for me in the Lane Winslow mystery series, It Begins in Betrayal. I found this, the fourth book, to be one of the most riveting in the series but that is because the action moved to post war England, which is a place I no more about than the usual setting of the books.

31. The Emigrant's Guide to North America by Robert MacDougall

Another book from the shelves for a challenge, this time the nonfiction challenge, was The Emigrant’s Guide to North America. It was mostly about Ontario and based on info from the 1830s. It was an interesting look at that time period.

Not being able to go into bookstores has slowed down my acquisitions but not by that much. In April I ended up with the following:

She Be Damned by M.J. Tjia
Where are the grown-ups? by Ruth Badley
Warlight by Michael Ondaatje
Death Wears a Mask by Ashley Weaver
The American Candidate by M J Lee
A Match Made for Murder by Iona Whishaw
Death in the Air: The True Story of a Serial Killer, the Great London Smog, and the Strangling of a City by Kate Winkler Dawson
The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick

32. The Mitford Murders by Jessica Fellowes

I started my ROOTs for May off with a murder mystery. The Mitford Murders was a fun start to a new series and another ROOT read.

34. Lady Maggie's Secret Scandal by Grace Burrowes

My reads were dragging so I picked up a quick read. Lady Maggie’s Secret Scandal was an historical romance that fit the bill. One more ROOT read and due to leave the house someday when books can go elsewhere again. All our Little Free Libraries are closed.

Hi Meg and all others visiting here. Here libraries are open as of today. And so are museums, hairdressers, therapeuts, beauty parlors and such, daycare and elementary schools. But since I have my own personal library I don't own a membership anymore. I have enough books and digital books to last for my lifetime ;-).

Our government has presented a plan up until the first of September. People with businesses that had to close asked for some perspective for the future. They wanted to write a protocol for measurements and people handling.

Our prime minister Mark Rutte named the dates, the kind of businesses that could open up again and he said every single time that the date could change (earlier or later) but people only heard that date that belonged to their business. So there is now a lot to do about some of the plans and lawsuits are planned to get the dates changed to earlier.

Looks like you are getting some reading done during lockdown - I hope that you're keeping well, and safe.

You may have seen the news that there is a lot of confusion about the UK government 'advice' which was issued yesterday. I am very glad I am in Scotland, where our government (who are responsible for the Scottish regulations) are much clearer, and (unlike the UK govt, which is basically here providing guidance for England) still being stricter about lockdown. Apart from being allowed to go out more than once daily for exercise if we want, our restrictions remain pretty much the same. I am well, and we are muddling through with homeschooling (some days better than others, it has to be said!). I am working twice a week in our local hospital, not on a Covid ward though, but I am very glad to have this week off as I was quite tired. Hopefully having a week off not having to get up at the crack of dawn will do me good! I am keeping up my writing (sorry Meg - I realised I never answered your question from post 80-something!) - I am mainly writing up observations of what is going on in my garden (birds, plants, bees, etc, as well as weather and sounds and smells). It's really relaxing - I only do about 20 minutes 4 or 5 days a week, but I am really enjoying those times when I can sit and enjoy the signs of life and summer.

>111 connie53: Lawsuits? If your courts are anything like ours, Connie, then the date that they have already been given to open will happen before the suit goes through the courts. Your easing of restrictions is way ahead of ours.

>112 Jackie_K: I was wondering what was happening in Scotland, Jackie. I keep on hearing about the UK but it does seem to concentrate on what is happening in England. Our social distancing rules haven't been relaxed yet, not until after Victoria Day long weekend, (May 18). Some places will be able to open then including museums and libraries and restaurants but they have to follow social distancing rules which will be a challenge for many. We have been encouraged to get outside all the way through which is probably a good thing since we have had good weather for a lot of the time that the restrictions have been in place. This weekend the high temperature both days was 29C. I think they sent us Ontario's weather by mistake.

It's good that you are keeping up your writing. I still have my blog and genealogy society's journal and newsletter deadlines to meet and now a lot of my time is taken up with ZOOM meetings.

>114 Familyhistorian: Send that 29 Celsius weather over here for curbside pickup! We had SNOW on Saturday :O

>115 rabbitprincess: I heard about your snow, RP. Our temperatures will be going down with tomorrow's rain to 18C. Will that do?

>116 Familyhistorian: Works for me! ;)

>117 rabbitprincess: Ha, that's the voice of desperation!

>113 Familyhistorian:. These are smaller hearings, that can be planned on short notice. We had one already for some soccer clubs that did not agree with the way the competitions are stopped and degradation/promoting measurements. The final decision will be made public sometime this week.

>119 connie53: That's fast, Connie. We have nothing like that in our court system. Everything is slow and, right now, probably not moving at all.

Some larger cases are slow here to. And the courts have a poor IT system. So communication is taking long, long, long

>121 connie53: I think that communication here is a big issue here too and they have to pass legislation to be able to do things online. There is always something.

35. An Unfinished Murder by Ann Granger

Another mystery ROOT, I have a lot of these, and this time it combined two detective teams, Campbell and Carter and Mitchell and Markby. Unfinished Murder was a good one.

36. The Damascened Blade by Barbara Cleverly

I love a good historic mystery and the Joe Sandilands ones, with their Indian settings are very interesting. My latest one, The Damascened Blade was particularly good.

37. Scammed by Carol Higgins Clark

I have a lot of mysteries on my shelves and my next ROOT was Scammed one of the Regan Reilly mysteries. These are fast reads but sometimes are just what I need.

38. The Skeleton Road by Val McDermid

The next mystery I read was a lot more complex. The Skeleton Road ranged from Edinburgh to the former Yugoslavia bring in the war that affected the Balkans in the 1980s. It was a real page turner.

39. Without a Trace by Nora Roberts

For a change of pace, I snuck an adventure/romance off the shelf. Without a Trace was a kind of thriller mixed with boy meets girl and had me putting my other reads to the side for a while.

40. The America Ground by Nathan Dylan Goodwin

There is a whole sub-genre of genealogical mysteries. One that I follow is the Morton Farrier, Forensic Genealogist Mysteries. Well at least I’ll read the beginning of the series as they are in paperback. Sadly, some of the later books only appear to be e-books and that medium has very little appeal to me. My latest in the series was The America Ground which I enjoyed.

This morning I went out to my porch to pick up the newspaper and there was a package in my mailbox, books, of course. At first I thought maybe I had the day wrong but the huge Sunday banner on the newspaper told me that it really was Sunday. This isn't the only time I've received a parcel from the post office on a Sunday lately. Before Sunday deliveries only happened at Christmas so I guess it is true that they are dealing with a huge amount of parcels at the PO.

41. The Remarkable World of Frances Barkley 1769-1845"> by Beth Hill and Cathy Converse

A true story, The Remarkable World of Frances Barkley 1769–1845, was a surprising account of a woman who married the captain of a sailing vessel and accompanied him on his voyages around the world. It was interesting but hard to read at times, especially where it quoted from passages of Frances’ own reminisces with their hit and miss spelling and grammar.

42. Night Whispers by Judith McNaught

I had no idea that I would be finishing one more ROOT in May but I couldn’t put Night Whispers done once I picked it up this morning. It was a thriller, romance novel that became a page turner at the end.

I can safely say that I won't acquire any more books for this May now so I can list the new-to-me tomes. They are:

How to Draw a Map by Malcolm & Alexander Swanston
The Bastard of Fort Stikine: The Hudson's Bay Company and the Murder of John McLoughlin Jr. by Debra Komar
Tightrope by Amanda Quick
Bright Young Dead by Jessica Fellowes
Bog Bodies by Declan Shalvey
Medicine: A Graphic History by Jean-Noel Fabiani and Philippe Bercovici
Rooted in Evil by Ann Granger
First Comes Scandal by Julia Quinn
The Palace Tiger by Barbara Cleverly
Anatomy of a Murder by Robert Traver
Murder in Midtown by Liz Freeland

43. No Man's Mistress by Mary Balogh

Somehow, I signed myself up for a virtual genealogy conference and a virtual writer’s retreat on the weekend. With more challenging info coming to me on the computer, I opted for a lighter read. This was a Regency romance, No Man’s Mistress which has a young woman and a gentleman both claiming the same house. This meant that they both had to be in residence lest the other party win by default.

44. Privy to the Dead by Sheila Connolly

I’m way behind on posting my ROOTs but I have been reading in spite of all the other things that have been claiming my attention. The next ROOT up was a cozy mystery Privy to the Dead which was set in a museum. It was an interesting premise and a fast read.

45. Murdered Midas: A Millionaire, His Gold Mine, and a Strange Death on an Island Paradise by Charlotte Gray

The next read, Murdered Midas: A Millionaire, His Gold Mine, and a Strange Death on an Island Paradise, was about an historic murder which has never been solved. But more than that, it was about the life of Harry Oakes, the hard striving that eventually paid off but didn’t lead to a happy ever after.

>135 Familyhistorian: Looking forward to borrowing this from my mum, the designated Charlotte Gray collector of our family! I bought her the book last Christmas.

Thank you for reminding me to read An Edible History of Humanity! Will have to check if that counts as a root for me!

>136 rabbitprincess: Has your mum finished it yet, RP, or do you have to wait a while longer? It was a good one!

>137 Bcteagirl: It took me a while to get to that one but it was good when I finally did. I hope you enjoy it.

46. A Share in Death by Deborah Crombie

I seem to be reading a lot of mysteries lately. Maybe light fare to while away social distancing? One of my latest ROOTs was A Share in Death, the first book in the Kincaid and James mystery series.

>138 Familyhistorian: I have no idea when I will be able to visit her to retrieve the book, or when she would be able to come up with a bag of books for me. Even though things are opening up here in Ontario, I don't feel confident that the number of cases has dwindled enough to fit the pace of reopening. And I don't want to go visit my parents only to have a second wave hit and be stuck there for months. As much as I like being with my parents, I like my own stuff best :)

It's such a dilemma trying to work out when is the best time to start venturing further afield, isn't it? I'm almost lucky that we are several hours away from all our family members, at least the decision is made for us (although obviously it's sad that we can't see family, who we see too infrequently as it is).

Meg, you've been doing some good reading recently - it doesn't matter if they're lighter than usual, they're all reducing the TBR (I'd probably better not ask about your acquisitions, had I?).

>141 rabbitprincess: I can see your point, RP although, at least they are in the same province. Just think, the bag of books will probably be even bigger when you get there!

>142 Jackie_K: It is hard to know when to plan a trip to anywhere at this point. A friend and I had a Scottish rail tour booked for this September and were very puzzled that it was still going forward. It turns out that most of the people on the tour were actually from the UK so that made more sense but we didn't want to venture over there from Canada this September and were able to change our booking so that our tour will take place next July.

I'm actually way behind on posting my reads, Jackie, so that is going well and even the acquisitions are down a bit this month, so far anyway.

>143 Familyhistorian: Yes, and I have just as big a bag of books for her! I keep reading things that she wants to read too :)

>145 rabbitprincess: I hope that it is safe for you to meet up again soon, RP.

47. Death of a God by S.T. Haymon

The ROOTs have been flying off the shelves lately. Picking up short mysteries definitely helps especially when they are good read. That’s what Death of a God turned out to be.

48. Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers

Another mystery, this one for the Sayer’s Category challenge, was Strong Poison. I must have read it before because I’ve read most of the Wimsey books but I was happy to find this one on my shelves. It’s special because it’s the book which introduces Harriet Vane, the accused murderess on trial for her life.

49. Monk's Hood by Ellis Peters

Another challenge, another mystery, this time I picked up one of the Cadfael series, Monk’s Hood. I like these gentle medieval mysteries that invoke life long ago.

50. Plague by C.C. Humphreys

I started C.C. Humphreys Plague a long time ago, just before I was about to take a master class that he was teaching about writing historic fiction. I read enough that I was able to get the references he made. I put it down but picked it up again to finish this tale set in 1665.

51. The Girl from the Savoy by Hazel Gaynor

As a change from all the mysteries, I read an historic novel, The Girl from the Savoy. It was an interesting story of a girl who worked as a chambermaid at the Savoy but dared to dream of a life in the theatre. The story brought to life the attitudes and possibilities of 1920s London.

52. What I Did for a Duke by Julie Anne Long

Next, wanting a fast read, I picked up the historical romance What I Did for a Duke. Told with a sense of humour, it was a fun visit to a set of characters and a setting that the author continues to write about and I continue to read about.

This month's pile of acquisitions wasn't looking too bad until I went to a bookstore yesterday. My new books for June are:

It Didn't Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We are and How to End the Cycle by Mark Wolynn
Darktown by Thomas Mullen
A Crime in the Family by Sacha Batthyany
Britain's DNA Journey: Our Remarkable Genetic Story by Alisair Moffat
What Darkness Brings by C.S. Harris
When Maidens Mourn by C.S. Harris
The Genealogical Sublime by Julia Creet
The Costume History by Auguste Racinet
Murder on the Red River by Marci R. Rendon
Ask Me No Questions by Shelley Noble

Book Club and Family History Writing reads:

The Skin We're In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power by Desmond Cole
The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna by Juliet Grames

I went out to my porch to pick up the newspaper
Happy to see another home-delivery subscriber!

>154 detailmuse: It sounds good but we get community newspapers delivered for free, which I seldom read. I do also have a paid subscription to the city newspaper but only for two days a week. I rarely read that one too. Too much time online, it seems.

53. Alone Beneath the Heaven by Rita Bradshaw

For a change of pace, I read Alone Beneath the Heaven, a family saga of a novel. It was good with a bit of an interesting twist in the solution to the main character’s underlying quest.

54. The Devil's Hook by Pearl R Meaker

Back to reading my mystery ROOTs, I cleared The Devil’s Hook off my TBR shelves. It was the second volume in the Emory Crawford mysteries and also a good entry.

55. When in Doubt, Add Butter by Beth Harbison

When in Doubt, Add Butter was a light hearted tale of a private chef, Gemma, who went to people’s homes one night a week to cook for them. The main ingredients in this tale were food, miscommunications and romance.

>126 Familyhistorian: I'm currently reading all my Val McDermid ROOTS. And love them. They are so cleverly written with hints all through the book.

>159 connie53: I haven't read that much Val McDermid, Connie, but I've enjoyed the ones I read. I recently saw her in The Two Crime Writers and a Microphone online event and she was great in the interview and they also brought up the band that some of the crime writers have. She's in that.

56. A Dangerous Fiction by Barbara Rogan

A Dangerous Fiction was an interesting mystery centering around the business of a recently widowed literary agent in New York. It was fun and fast paced.

Why in this time of social isolation has life become so much more busy? I thought things had sped up when I retired but lately I'm finding it difficult to find time for lots of stuff. I actually read one more ROOT for July but didn't get to the review in time.

I'm currently doing a bunch of genealogy research for a Colonial American line that I agreed to do Facebook write ups for. At the time I agreed I didn't know it would be so involved and that I would far rather be into researching and writing other family lines. My blog is currently about my grandfather's cousins who he visited when he and my grandmother stopped by there on their around the world cruise. I found the military record for the cousins' father and the story that I am uncovering is very interesting.

My blog is at A Genealogist’s Path to History

57. Lincoln's Greatest Case: The River, the Bridge, and the Making of America by Brian McGinty

My next ROOT was non-fiction, an account about American history involving Lincoln when he was making a name for himself as a lawyer. Lincoln’s Greatest Case: The River, the Bridge, and the Making of America was an interesting account of that time in history and of Lincoln before he became president.

I'm a bit behind on things and struggling to catch up. Why is life so much busier these days? It seems to strange when time going to and from meetings should theoretically be freed up now.

Anyway here is my list of new acquisitions for July:

Golden in Death by J.D. Robb
The Stone Circle by Elly Griffiths
Mysteries Can Be Buried by Pearl R. Meaker
Wrecked by Joe Ide
The King's Evil by Andrew Taylor
Connect with your Ancestors by Patricia Kathleen Robertson
The Corpse with the Ruby Lips by Cathy Ace
Grey Mask by Patricia Wentworth
The King's War by Mark Logue and Peter Conradi

oops almost forgot one
Following the Drum by Annabel Venning

58. Stability and Strife: England, 1714-1760 by W.A. Speck

Another non-fiction ROOT read from my shelves was Stability and Strife: England, 1714-1760. I had hoped for a better read but the end of the book was mostly about politics. Looks like this one will be removed from my shelves.

59. The Corpse with the Golden Nose by Cathy Ace

I have a lot of mysteries that have turned into ROOTs and many of them are from series that I am following. One of those series is the Cait Morgan mysteries by Cathy Ace. The second installment is The Corpse with the Golden Nose in which the deceased was a wine taster in BC’s Okanagan. It’s nice when books are set close to home. It was a good mystery too.

60. Between the Devil and Ian Eversea by Julie Anne Long

Another romance off the shelves, this ROOT was Between the Devil and Ian Eversea one of the Pennyroyal Green series that I have been following. Great fun as always.

61. The Meaning of Everything by Simon Winchester

The story of the Oxford English Dictionary was an interesting one. It was covered well in Winchester’s The Meaning of Everything.

62. In the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death & the World It Made by Norman F. Cantor

My last ROOT for the month was rather timely, given our current circumstance. I read In the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death and the World It Made. There was a lot that changed in the wake of the recurring pandemics due to the Black Death. Food for thought.

My book buying hasn't slowed down although my library reading has gone up. That doesn't bode well for the diminishing of the book stacks around here. New in August are:

The Anglo-Saxon World by Nicholas J. Higham and Martin J. Ryan
A brief history of nonconformity, from the Reformation to the Revolution by Joseph Cornish
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein
Red Rosa: A Graphic Biography of Rosa Luxemburg by Kate Evans
Black River Road by Debra Komar
The Orphan Collector by Ellen Marie Wiseman
A Most Novel Revenge by Ashley Weaver
The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig
The Grave Tattoo by Val McDermid
The Woman in the Camphor Trunk by Jennifer Kincheloe

>170 Familyhistorian: Excellent haul! I've read Red Rosa and really liked it.

>170 Familyhistorian: I really liked Black River Road! Apparently mine is the only review so far on LT, so I hope you get to that book soon :)

>170 Familyhistorian: Good to hear about Red Rosa, Jackie.

>172 rabbitprincess: I picked up Black River Road while browsing the shelves at Chapters, RP. Something about the cover appealed to me. It's good to know that it's a good read as well.

>162 Familyhistorian: That sounds so interesting. I would love to know more about my family roots and we do have a family-tree that goes back a long way. But no background stories.

On the books.: I see you bought Zeemansgraf by Val McDermid, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did when you get to it....eventually (I know how that works)

>175 connie53: Hi Connie, I had a few family stories when I started out looking into my roots but most of the stories I have found myself. For instance, I knew that my maternal grandfather immigrated to Canada in 1911 but it wasn't until I did the research that I knew the reason he came by himself was because all of his family had died. That wasn't something that was passed down but it gave me a better understanding about his life.

I haven't read much by Val McDermid but I've seen her in a few online book festivals lately and have started to read her work. I'll get to that one sooner or later.

63. The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart

The challenge in the Reading Through Time group was to read a book set in Arthurian Times. I chose Mary Stewart’s classic The Chrystal Cave which is the beginning of the Arthurian trilogy and deals with Merlin’s story. It had been sitting on my shelves for a while and I don’t have any of the other books. I’m not sure if I will continue with the rest of the trilogy.

>177 Familyhistorian: I loved that book when I read it. Must be in my teens.

>178 connie53: Did you read the rest of the trilogy, Connie?

64. The Secret Loves of Geek Girls edited by Hope Nicholson

I have a few graphic novels that are growing ROOTs in my collection. One of these, The Secret Loves of Geek Girls was not a story but a series of essays, some in prose and some in graphics that told stories about women growing up and into love.

>179 Familyhistorian: according to LT I did read book 2 and 3.

>181 connie53: It's a good thing we have LT to keep track of our reads, isn't it, Connie?

Yes, It certainly is.

>183 connie53: :-)

I went a bit crazy with new to me books in September. I ended up with the following:

Hell or Connaught! The Cromwellian Colonisation of Ireland 1652 - 1660 by Peter Berresford Ellis
Happily Ever After & Everything in Between by Debbie Tung
Writing With Power by Peter Elbow
Black Ink: Literary Legends on the Peril, Power, and Pleasure of Reading and Writing edited by Stephanie Stokes Oliver
Ice Ghosts: The Epic Hunt for the Lost Franklin Expedition by Paul Watson
An Embarrassment of Witches by Sophie Goldstein & Jenn Jordan
Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics by Tom Scioli
Scrivener for the Family Historian by Lynn Polermo
The Knowledge by Martha Grimes
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
The Queen's Secret by Karen Harper
Breadcrumbs and Bombs by Susan Finlay
Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson
Someone to Romance by Mary Balogh
Lightning Men by Thomas Mullen
A Question of Blood by Ian Rankin
Let It Bleed by Ian Rankin

>185 Familyhistorian: Good haul! And you're so close to your ROOT goal now!

>186 Jackie_K: Thanks Jackie! I think I should be able to reach my goal shortly.

65. The Lace Makers of Glenmara by Heather Barbieri

I read my 65th ROOT a while ago but I am way behind in posting about it. The Lace Makers of Glenmara was a charming story of a young woman from Seattle who had been jilted after her business as a fashion designer tanked. She took a trip to Ireland and, by fluke, ended up in the small town of Glenmara where life changed for her in surprising ways.

Congrats on reaching your goal, Meg

Congratulations on meeting your goal!

Yay, congrats!

Hurray!! Excellent work :D

Thanks for the congratulations, Connie, Jackie, Birgit and RP!

66. Junk DNA: A Journey Through the Dark Matter of the Genome by Nessa Carey

A recent ROOT from my shelves was the nonfiction book Junk DNA: A Journey Through the Dark Matter of the Genome. It’s a book that is part of the DNA section of my genealogy books. I’d like to have a firmer grasp of genetic genealogy but it feels like an uphill climb.

Oops, looks like I forgot to update my ticker at the end of the month but it was only one more book beyond my goal. I better start reading more ROOTs because I haven't stopped bringing books home although October saw fewer books come in the door. They were:

The Napoleon of Crime by Ben Macintyre
The Writer's Portable Mentor: A Guide to Art, Craft and the Writing Life by Priscilla Long
I Saw Him Die by Andrew Wilson
Vancouver Exposed: Searching for the City's Hidden History by Eve Lazarus

67. The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams

I read another ROOT off my shelves. This time it was for an October challenge. Although I didn’t finish it in October, I did finish it over a week ago but I’m still finding it hard to find the time to write about my reads.

The Secret Life of Violet Grant was a suspenseful read told through storylines in two different eras, one in 1960s America and one just prior to the outbreak of WWI in England and Germany. The two plots were connected and the juggling of the two timelines was well done.

>196 Familyhistorian: 67 ROOTs! Congratulations on meeting goal and keeping on!

>197 detailmuse: Thanks for noticing. There's a few more ROOTs down that I have to write up so I'm keeping on still.

68. The Coffee Trader by David Liss

Once again, I’m way behind on writing about my ROOTs but I’m happy to report progress on other forms of writing. It took me a while to read The Coffee Trader, which was a Santa Thing gift, I’m not sure which year. It was historical fiction and I have the impression that it was well received but not really my cup of tea.

69. The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag

A charming graphic novel, The Witch Boy was on my shelves long enough to grow ROOTs. Not sure why that was. It was a good one.

70. Duchess of Death by Robert Hack

The library holds are still making it hard to get to the books on my shelves but sometimes the challenges come to my rescue. Whenever I can, I chose those from my own books. This time it was author biographies and I found Duchess of Death, an account of Agatha Christie’s life, which fit the bill. It was an interesting account of the author’s life.

There were a few new acquisitions that made into my home in November. They are:

Revenge in Rubies by A.M. Stuart
If I Knew Then by Jann Arden
The Heroine's Journey: Woman's Quest for Wholeness by Maureen Murdock
On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn
A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins
Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell
The Nature of Things: Essays of a Tapestry Weaver by Tommye McClure Scanlin
Understanding Show, Don't Tell by Janice Hardy
The Writer's Lexicon by Kathy Steinemann
Westwind by Ian Rankin
British Columbia in Flames: Stories from a Blazing Summer by Claudia Cornwall
The Killings at Kingfisher Hill by Sophie Hannah

71. A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane

I’m slowly getting through my ROOTs but looks like I will have to pick up the pace as I might be moving sooner than I thought. My latest ROOT was A Drink Before the War, a story of a PI, corrupt politicians and gang warfare in ‘90s Boston. It was good but dated.

>203 Familyhistorian: I hope your move goes well, and doesn't feel too rushed. When do you think it might happen?

>204 Jackie_K: If everything goes well and the conditions come off then it will probably be in the spring. We will have three months rent free to find a new place which I think is plenty of time but which other people in my complex thought was not time enough.

Happy Holidays from the Netherlands!

>206 connie53: Thanks Connie. I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season!

72. Five Ports to Danger by Vivian Connolly

I’m not sure how long I’ve owned the mystery Five Ports to Danger but it’s an oldie. It was an ok mystery but definitely dated. Now it’s ready to move along.

73. Vikings by Neil Oliver

My last ROOT to finish up the year was a nonfiction history. This time it was Vikings whose territory was far ranging. It was an interesting account.

Happy New Year, Meg!

>210 connie53: Thanks Connie. Let's hope that it's a happier one than last year!

One last post before I set up my ROOTs thread for 2021. This is for my December acquisitions which are:

The Unquiet Grave by Sharyn McCrumb
The Mitford Scandal by Jessica Fellowes
Beyond the Sword Maiden by Dorothy Cleveland Barbara Schutzgruber
Sapiens: A Graphic History by Yuval Noah Harari