AUGUST ROOT - Progress Thread

FLOWER OF THE MONTH = POPPY









Password is ROOTS
Poppies are herbaceous plants, often grown for their colourful flowers. One species of poppy, Papaver somniferum, is the source of the narcotic drug opium which contains powerful medicinal alkaloids such as morphine and has been used since ancient times as an analgesic and narcotic medicinal and recreational drug. It also produces edible seeds. Following the trench warfare in the poppy fields of Flanders, Belgium during World War I, poppies have become a symbol of remembrance of soldiers who have died during wartime.

The flowers of most poppy species are attractive and are widely cultivated as annual or perennial ornamental plants. This has resulted in a number of commercially important cultivars, such as the Shirley poppy, the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) and oriental poppy (Papaver orientale). Poppies of several other genera are also cultivated in gardens. A few species have other uses, principally as sources of drugs and foods. The opium poppy is widely cultivated and its worldwide production is monitored by international agencies. It is used for production of dried latex and opium, the principal precursor of narcotic and analgesic opiates such as morphine, heroin and codeine. Poppy seeds are rich in oil, carbohydrates, calcium and protein. Poppy oil is often used as cooking oil, salad dressing oil, or in products such as margarine. Poppy oil can also be added to spices for cakes, or breads. Poppy products are also used in different paints, varnishes, and some cosmetics.

Ancient Egyptian doctors would have their patients eat seeds from a poppy to relieve pain. Poppy seeds contain small quantities of both morphine and codeine, which are pain-relieving drugs that are still used today. Poppy seeds and fixed oils can also be nonnarcotic because when they are harvested about twenty days after the flower has opened, the morphine is no longer present.
Poppies have long been used as a symbol of sleep, peace, and death: Sleep because the opium extracted from them is a sedative, and death because of the common blood-red color of the red poppy in particular. In Greek and Roman myths, poppies were used as offerings to the dead. Poppies used as emblems on tombstones symbolize eternal sleep. This symbolism was evoked in the children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in which a magical poppy field threatened to make the protagonists sleep forever. A second interpretation of poppies in Classical mythology is that the bright scarlet color signifies a promise of resurrection after death.

On a further note, Poppy seed is an oilseed obtained from the opium poppy . The tiny, kidney-shaped seeds have been harvested from dried seed pods by various civilizations for thousands of years. It is still widely used in many countries, especially in Central Europe, where it is legally grown and sold in shops. The seeds are used whole or ground into meal as an ingredient in many foods – especially in pastry and bread – and they are pressed to yield poppyseed oil.

Whole poppy seeds are widely used as a spice and decoration in and on top of many baked goods and pastries. In North America they are used in and on many food items such as poppyseed muffins, rusk, bagels (like the Montreal-style bagel), bialys, and cakes such as sponge cake. Poppy seeds can also be used like sesame seeds, added to hamburger buns or to make a bar of candy. The bars are made from boiled seeds mixed with sugar or with honey. This is especially common in the Balkans, Greece and even in the cuisines of former Austro-Hungarian countries.

The color of poppy seeds is important in some uses. According to The Joy of Cooking, "the most desirable come from Holland and are a slate-blue color." When used as a thickener in some dishes, white poppy seeds are preferred, having less impact on the color of the food. In other dishes, black poppy seeds are preferred, for maximum impact. Blue poppy seeds are used in various German breads and desserts as well as in Polish cuisine.

Unfortunately, this month we did not reach the goal to keep us on track to achieve the yearly goal we have set. This appears to be due to several people who signed up with large goals and have apparently forgotten about us.

At the end of September, I will remove anyone from the calculations who have not reached at least 25% of their goal and have not posted any activity in the past 6 months. Is everyone agreeable with this?

Below is the current list of members that have identified a ROOT goal for 2020 and how many books they read by the end of July. The percentages are calculated and a star awarded for those on target to reach their goals. More stars for farther toward their goal. If anyone's number is incorrect, please let me know and I will make the necessary adjustments.

ahef1963 0 / 100 0.0%
alexa_d 87 / 100 ★★★★ 87.0%
Ameise1★ 12 / 12 100.0%
arubabookwoman 0 / 36 0.0%
Bcteagirl 7 / 20 35.0%
benitastrnad★ 71 / 60 118.3%
bg853 2 / 25 8.0%
bookworm148 1 / 20 5.0%
bragan 45 / 50 ★★★★ 90.0%
brakketh 12 / 30 40.0%
ca_dmv 10 / 12 ★★★★ 83.3%
clue 40 / 50 ★★★ 80.0%
connie53★ 42 / 42 100.0%
crazy4reading 10 / 38 26.3%
curioussquared 44 / 50 ★★★★ 88.0%
CurrerBell 20 / 40 50.0%
cyderry 49 / 84 ★ 58.3%
deep220 13 / 50 26.0%
detailmuse 22 / 40 55.0%
DissamblyOfReason 13 / 100 13.0%
easy-reader 0 / 50 0.0%
enemyanniemae 42 / 50 ★★★★ 84.0%
Erratic_Charmer 31 / 40 ★★★ 77.5%
Familyhistorian 56 / 65 ★★★★ 86.2%
FAMeulstee★ 26 / 24 108.3%
floremolla 21 / 50 42.0%
fuzzi 44 / 100 44.0%
HelenBaker 29 / 48 ★ 60.4%
Henrik_Madsen 40 / 50 ★★★ 80.0%
humouress 27 / 40 ★★★ 67.5%
Jackie_K 49 / 60 ★★★ 81.7%
Jacksonian 4 / 75 5.3%
jenknox 13 / 100 13.0%
kac522 35 / 45 ★★★ 77.8%
karenmarie 23 / 30 ★★★ 76.7%
klarusu 2 / 36 5.6%
Kristelh 41 / 45 ★★★★ 91.1%
Kwharton 3 / 12 25.0%
LadyBookworth 25 / 30 ★★★★ 83.3%
lindapanzo 31 / 48 ★ 64.6%
lilisin 45 / 50 ★★★★ 90.0%
LoraShouse 10 / 15 ★★ 66.7%
leslie.98★ 114 / 75 152.0%
madhatter22 18 / 50 36.0%
majkia★ 71 / 60 118.3%
mandymarie20★ 44 / 25 176.0%
martencat 17 / 30 56.7%
Mary_Mignano 1 / 50 2.0%
Merryann 2 / 100 2.0%
Miss_Moneypenny★ 60 / 50 120.0%
MissSos 5 / 25 20.0%
MissWatson★ 56 / 50 112.0%
nebula21 21 / 48 43.8%
Nickelini★ 15 / 15 100.0%
Quaisior 10 / 50 20.0%
rabbitprincess★ 63 / 60 105.0%
rainpebble 29 / 36 ★★★ 80.6%
readergirliz 12 / 32 37.5%
readingtangent★ 31 / 24 129.2%
Rebeki 17 / 24 ★★ 70.8%
ritacate 14 / 24 ★ 58.3%
Robertgreaves 73 / 90 ★★★ 81.1%
rocketjk 19 / 27 ★★ 70.4%
rosalita 34 / 36 ★★★★★ 94.4%
Sace★ 25 / 18 138.9%
sallylou61 26 / 30 ★★★★ 86.7%
si 9 / 20 45.0%
sibylline 13 / 30 43.3%
This-n-That 4 / 20 20.0%
torontoc 24 / 30 ★★★ 80.0%
tuna.moriarty 3 / 200 1.5%
Val_Reads 1 / 100 1.0%
vestafan 49 / 60 ★★★ 81.7%
wandaly 11 / 18 ★ 61.1%



We had some avid readers that reached their goals this month -- connie53 and rabbitprincess!

They joined Ameise1, mmandymarie20, Miss_Moneypenny, readingtangent, leslie.98 benitastrnad, FAMeulstee, majkia, MissWatson, Nickelini, and Saceby reaching their goal!

Our ★★★★★ readers or those closest to reaching their goals, are:

rosalita 94.4%
Kristelh 91.1%
lilisin 90.0%
bragan 90.0%

So go out there and dig those ROOTs. We have some catching up to do!

The goal for August is 2,353.

I GOT MY STAR BACK!

oh oops. you put a September graphic in the first post.

But I'm glad you got your star back!

>3 majkia: How dumb can I be? Thanks for getting my on it right away!

Feeling good about this reading month and looking forward to contributing to the group total :D

>1 cyderry: At the end of September, I will remove anyone from the calculations who have not reached at least 25% of their goal and have not posted any activity in the past 6 months. Is everyone agreeable with this?

I'm agreeable with this, regardless of whether it is the end of August or September when you plan to do it.

Thank you for compiling the stats, Chèli. I'm getting so close! It feels really good to be finally reading some of the endless books I seem to keep buying. :-)

I also agree with your proposal to remove inactive members from the calculations.

Great work with the stats, Chèli, thanks! July has been a slow month for me, somehow, I hope to do better in August!

>1 cyderry: I agree with the removal of inactive members.

Hi Cheli - in the last paragraph of the opening it says "how many books they read by the end of June." It should probably read July. (Sorry, it's the editor in me coming out.)

I'm agreeable to the cull at the end of September.

Happy August everybody! I agree with removing inactive members. My local library opened back up for curbside pickups in June and it decimated my ROOT reading the last two months. However, now that my library holds are more manageable, I'm looking forward to adding to the group total!

>10 Familyhistorian: thanks for catching that!

Added my first ROOT of August to all tickers: The Detective Wore Silk Drawers, by Peter Lovesey.

First ROOT for August and #25 for the year- review is on my thread and no tickers updated.

>1 cyderry: said: "At the end of September, I will remove anyone from the calculations who have not reached at least 25% of their goal and have not posted any activity in the past 6 months. Is everyone agreeable with this?"

That is fine with me!

I have finished my first 3 ROOTs for August. My thread and all tickers have been updated. There seems to be a 8 book difference between the 2 group tickers; I didn't try to reconcile them as I didn't know which one was correct (maybe neither one is!).

>1 cyderry:. I support this move Cheli, even though I, too, have been distracted by library books last month. I vowed to do better this month but somehow have 3 new library books in my possession. Anyway, my first root for the month, Last Man in Tower by Aravind Adiga.

Another ROOT completed. My thread and all tickers have been updated (and the group tickers match each other now).

I've competed my first ROOT for the month, The Lost Man by Jane Harper. I agree with the removal of inactive members.

Added my second ROOT of August to all tickers: Paths of Glory, by Jeffrey Archer. I read the audiobook version narrated by Roger Allam.

Second ROOT of August and #26 for the year.

I finished my first ROOT of August. I listened to the delightful middle grades adventure fantasy mythology book Land of Silver Apples by Nancy Farmer. This book is the second in her Norse, Celtic, Saxon English mythology based series and is full of folk tales, folk lore, and adventure.

>1 cyderry: don't remove me! I'm still here, just behind.

A bit late in the month, but I've just added ROOTs #1 and #2 for August (#50 and #51 for the year to date) to all tickers.

Just added my third ROOT of August to all tickers: The Tenth Doctor Adventures, Volume 1, a lovely Big Finish audio drama set.

I Pearl Ruled a book on Friday. Rhine Journey by Ann Schlee. Live is too short to waste it on uninteresting books.

I finished Amsterdam: A History of the World's Most Liberal City by Russell Shorto. This was an excellent book in which the author explored many ideas about the city, such as the development of urban planning, the idea of home as a refuge where you and your family do things the way you want to do them, and the idea of group cooperation to get things built or create change in the system. There are short biographies of people all the way from Erasmus to Willem the Silent, through the modern era of Dutch reformers through the 1990's. These are people who lead the way for reform in gay rights to multiculturalism and reform of that idea. There are artists and villains aplenty in this history. This was an excellent work of social history.

I've added my 3rd ROOT for August (#52 for the year, so closing in on my goal - suspect I'll reach that next month) to all tickers.

Reporting my first ROOT for August having failed to finish anything in July. The end is in sight on a couple more, I've had several books on the go at the same time depending on my mood.

Added my fourth ROOT of August to all tickers: Ridgerunner, by Gil Adamson.

I've been struggling with my usual literary fiction lately so I went to the bookstore looking for nonfiction and this book ended up yelling at me, yes! you want to read me!, so I read A Serial Killer's Daughter by Kerri Rawson. I'm not sure why it yelled at me so hard to pick it up but it was the right fit and kept me engaged. I felt true sorrow for Kerri as she had to deal with her father being the BTK killer.

Third ROOT of August and #27 for the year. No tickers updated and review is on my thread. For some
reason I am reading from books that my parents owned.

I was just looking at my TBR count and since the pandemic started (even though I have been reading) my ROOTS ARE INCREASING! Is this happening to anyone else or am I just getting worse in my old age? Am I grabbing books just so if there's another lockdown I won't run out?

>33 cyderry: not working for me because I ordered a bunch of books before the lockdowns...and was tantalized by the ebooks offered through Amazon, the ones that YOU PEOPLE HERE AT LT RECOMMENDED! Hahaha.

I did get my FIRST ROOT read for August, and am working on another.

>33 cyderry: I think my ROOT acquisition has probably gone down a bit, if only because the big secondhand book sales I go to have either been cancelled or are not likely to happen (one is normally the first weekend of November, but I am doubtful that it will go ahead).

That said, I've just subscribed to Libro.fm, so more audiobook buying is in my future :D

>33 cyderry: Mine have gone down, but only because I'm making a concerted effort to reduce Mt TBR (my goal is to get it below 400 books by the end of the year). If I hadn't got that goal I'd have bought loads - there have been several tempting bookbub deals I've let pass by, for example. What has expanded ENORMOUSLY is my wishlist.

>33 cyderry: I've also bought a lot more books this year because of the lockdown and both the public and university libraries being closed for several months. I'm reading a lot of new to me books but not counting them since I decided not to count new books as ROOTs this year unless they were assigned (book clubs and LT ER).

>33 cyderry: Same here! My book spending has been much, much higher. I panicked during lockdown because our local library has a truly terrible selection and availability of ebooks. I think my husband and I singlehandedly kept our local indie bookstores in the black during the lockdown lol!

I'm definitely counting them as ROOTs. If I've purchased them, they're officially a ROOT and count towards my total no matter if I read them as soon as I open the box or if I wait for a few months. My poor, optimistic 2020 reading plan though!

I smile at all your messages on the TBR stack. >33 cyderry:. & >35 rabbitprincess:. I have bought less books because the book sales haven't happened. However as our library is open again I have been distracted by their selection. Might lose my * this month. I also belong to 3 book groups, two f2f and one online, which means I have to prioritize those ones. Ah well. It's all good fun. I have finished one more of my own, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin, taking me to 31/48.

I started out well but then started buying too much! A large part of my buying was done after pleas from bookstores in my area. The best second hand shop scheduled people in and she gave her long time customers half off. The owner is the only person working there and she gave a rundown of how she was cleaning between customers, etc. in an email. She did a great job, it was more than I could resist!

I've been in the ROOT Challenge several years and this year I decided to count any book I owned. At the first of the year when I looked at the number of 2019 books I had "ignored" I decided not to do that anymore and I feel slightly better about it. Slightly because I've bought more than I thought I would.

>39 HelenBaker: Same, Helen, the library is tempting me away too!

I finished another ROOT. This one I listened to while driving around. It was A Question of Belief by Donna Leon. This one was for the mystery series challenge for another group here on LT. We are reading all of the books in the Guido Brunetti series. I think this one was number 19 in this series. In total she has written around 25 of these novels, so I am gradually catching up with her.

>39 HelenBaker: Yep, no used book sales and no library left me reading my own books for a while. Once the library opened in June, all my Hold requests for the prior 3 months started coming in, and I've been reading mostly library books over the summer.

I did acquire about 20 books (for free!) from a local fellow LT-er who was down-sizing and had no place to donate them during lockdown.

ROOT #4 for August (#53 for the entire year) added to all tickers.

I've read 4 this month for a total of 44 this year. I think I'll be able to finish one more. Tickers updated.

>33 cyderry: My TBR has gone up so much and so rapidly that it's beyond ridiculous. Like some of the rest of you, I'm supporting indie bookstores in their hour of need by ordering from them online when they can't make sales in person. Yes. Yes, that is my excuse, and I am sticking to it. :)

>46 bragan: acceptable. LOL

I finished the excellent Into Thin Air a few days ago and now I'm reading the excellent My Cousin Rachel. Finally getting some good reading in after a long time of 'meh' books.

I finished Lincoln at Gettysburg by Garry Wills for the August nonfiction challenge. the topic was books about words, language, or libraries. I am almost finished with Library Book by Susan Orlean for this challenge as well.

I've added my 5th ROOT for August (#54 for the year) to all tickers.

I added a ROOT for August today (#16, I think). Should be updated in all tickers by now.

(My username isn't spelled quite right in the list at the top of this post; I don't know if that will complicate things in keeping track of me. The list doesn't seem to have caught my July updates?)

Just added another ROOT to all tickers: Partners in Crime, by Agatha Christie. I have the audio edition read by Hugh Fraser -- an excellent choice, given that the last story in this collection riffs on Hercule Poirot!

I've read my 5th for the month, Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie, and that's all I'll read for August. Five more to go to goal!

I finished the superb middle grades children's book Pax by Sara Pennypacker yesterday. I will probably finish at least one more title before the end of the month.

Surpassed goal 2 months ago but didn't update my ticker or notify the threads until it was too late. Read 8 this month and my total is 59 for the year. Updating personal ticker.

Another root for the month A Dangerous Vine by Barbara Ewing , and trying for one more.

Finished reading George Orwell's Burmese Days which means I've completed my goal of 50 books. However 32 of those are novels, and the rest is manga which is easier to read so I wonder how many novels I can get myself to read by the end of the year. Would be cool if I could get to 50 but that would mean 5 books a month for the rest of the year. Hmm...

I've read 8 ROOTs in August, and only one library book. I'm really happy with that proposition, though I know it won't last. I've updated my ticker in the main thread.

I have finished off a few ROOTs recently amid a flurry of rereading old favorites... My thread and all tickers have been updated.

Updated all tickers with my latest ROOT: Twenty Years at Hull House, by Jane Addams. I read this as a public-domain ebook.

#6 for August (#55 for the year to date) just added to all tickers.

I finished listening to the YA dystopian fantasy novel Young Elites by Marie Lu. I can certainly understand why Lu is so popular with YA readers but honestly this book was overly melodramatic and way over-the-top with the schlocky dialogue. It had a good plot but seemed to have been written in a hurry. I may read the other two books in this trilogy, but I won't be in a hurry to do so.

I managed one last book for the month, The Weekend by Bernhard Schlink, taking my tally to 33/48.

Here is my report for August 2020:

UpROOTED books: 4
ROOTless books: 8
Added to the treebook TBR shelves: 0

The ROOTs were:

Petir by Dee Lestari
Out by Natsuo Kirino
Viriconium by M. John Harrison
Intelligence: A Very Short Introduction by Ian J. Deary

ROOTs in YTD: 77

Tickers have been updated but hopefully not harmed in the making of this report.

I'm not going to finish any new ROOTs today. So my numbers are still 43 ROOTs this month.

I'm not going to finish any either - so my total is 6 for August, and 55 for the year (I surely must reach my goal next month!).

Reporting that my final ROOT total for August is 69/60. I've been updating the tickers as I go.

I managed one more quick one since I managed to read it one day, the short 136 paged Petit eloge de l'errance by Akira Mizubayashi which I only liked maybe a third of it. If it had been any longer I would have abandoned it or started skim reading it. I much prefer and loved his Une langue venue d'ailleurs.

But that puts me at 6 books read this month which makes me happy. It also makes me see how easy it is to read more books in a month. I managed 6 even though there was a whole week where I didn't read. So, really, if you can find the right book that grips you at the right moment it's amazing how quickly you can get through books. And on the other hand, it's amazing how the wrong book can slow you down so greatly.

I finally finished writing posts for my ROOTs for August. Total for the month was 6 and I'm now at 62 with a goal of 65.

Only read 1 book this month...
August was a blur..
Personal ticker updated only..
Happy reading all! :+}

Updated with 2 more books today for a total of 18. The tickers are all updated.

However, my username is given incorrectly in the list at the top of this post, which seems to be throwing things off (it isn't catching what little I did for July, I think).

Sadly no ROOTs to report in August.
July reading was less as usual, and August was even worse :'(

I had 10 ROOTS for August. This quarantine, lockdown, staying at home business as been a great boost to my reading. No tickers updated.

I had 5 works of Nonfiction that were ROOTS this month.

1. Amsterdam: A History of the World's Most Liberal City by Russell Shorto (read for a book discussion group and on my shelves since 11/2013.)
2. Lincoln At Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America by Garry Wills (read for the LT nonfiction challenge in August and on my shelves since 12/2013)
3. Lincoln's Grave Robbers by Steve Sheinkin (I listened to the recorded version of this one, but the book has been on my shelves since 3/2013)
4. Library Book by Susan Orlean (read for the LT nonfiction Challenge for August and on my shelves since 4/2018)
5. Gidgets and Women Warriors: Perceptions of Women in the 1950s and 1960s by Catherine Gourley (this one has been on my shelves since 7/2010)

I had 4 novels that were ROOTS in August

1. Question of Belief by Donna Leon (I listened to this one for the LT Mystery Challenge and on my shelves since 7/2017)
2. Pax by Sara Pennypacker has been on my shelves since 6/2016)
3. Young Elites by Marie Lu (I listened to this novel and it has been on my shelves since 7/2015)
4. Sugar by Bernice L. McFadden had been on my shelves since 8/2010
5. Rhine Journey by Ann Schlee was Pearl Ruled after I read 70 pages. It had been on my shelves since 2/2019

Sorry, everyone!
I got caught up in the newest Louise Penny book and forgot it turned September! Working on numbers now!

>76 cyderry: I got it yesterday, probably will jump in and read it right away although my September plan may suffer!

September thread is up.

https://www.librarything.com/topic/323928#