Bragan's Redemptive ROOTing for 2021

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Bragan's Redemptive ROOTing for 2021

1bragan
Ene 1, 2021, 5:27 pm

Hello, all! Glad to be back here for another year of reading and ROOTing! I said at the beginning of last year that my main concern was going to be getting my TBR total down. Well, life did not work out that way, as apparently ridiculous amounts of online book-shopping where the only way for me to survive 2020 with any semblance of sanity intact. But 2021 is a brand new year, and the goal now is to redeem myself by following up lots of book-buying with lots of book-reading!

To that end, I've raised my ROOT goal again. Don't ask me exactly how I picked 85 ROOTs as a goal. It just seemed like about the right number.

2rabbitprincess
Ene 1, 2021, 6:26 pm

Welcome back and good luck in whittling the TBR pile back down to size! I hope 2021 is a better year.

3bragan
Ene 1, 2021, 8:22 pm

>2 rabbitprincess: Thanks! I certainly hope it's better for all of us. And I am optimistic about whittling down the TBR, although, let's be honest, I feel that way every year. :)

4readingtangent
Ene 1, 2021, 8:53 pm

Happy reading and good luck with your goal!

5connie53
Editado: Ene 10, 2021, 7:29 am

Hi Bragan, so glad to see you are back for another year! Happy New Year and Happy ROOTing.

6Jackie_K
Ene 2, 2021, 8:54 am

Good luck with both goals (reading and whittling!). Let's hope 2021 is infinitely less sucky than 2020!

7bragan
Editado: Ene 2, 2021, 11:19 am

Thanks all! Happy Reading and ROOTing you all of you. And, yes, I am really hoping for a better 20201!

8connie53
Ene 2, 2021, 12:03 pm

>7 bragan: That's far into the future, Bragan. I'm afraid none of us will live that long. ;-))

9bragan
Ene 2, 2021, 12:24 pm

>7 bragan: LOL! Wow, what a typo! Well, I hope 20201 is good, too, even if I'm not around to see it. But for now, I will instead concentrate on having a good 2021. :)

10cyderry
Ene 2, 2021, 3:36 pm

Good luck on your whittling!

11bragan
Ene 2, 2021, 5:20 pm

>10 cyderry: Thanks! I'm already working diligently on it!

12bragan
Ene 2, 2021, 5:22 pm

And here we go! My first ROOT of the year! Which I've only had for a few months, but one of the great things about the start of a new year is that all those recently purchased books magically turn into ROOTs at the stroke of midnight. (At least, they do the way I count them, anyway.)

I'm also pleased to have started the year with a book I enjoyed this much:

1. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.

13connie53
Ene 2, 2021, 5:46 pm

>12 bragan: That one is on my STBR-list too!

14bragan
Ene 2, 2021, 5:48 pm

>13 connie53: It's a very strange book, but for me it was strange in just the right ways!

15connie53
Ene 3, 2021, 3:02 am

It's our book of the month on my RL book-club, so I've committed to reading it. Now I just have to find the time to do so.

16bragan
Ene 3, 2021, 12:23 pm

>15 connie53: It's not a very long book, at least, and I found it a nice quick read. So hopefully it won't be too difficult to find the time!

17connie53
Editado: Ene 10, 2021, 7:29 am

>16 bragan: I have so many books I want to read because of the many new challenges that started on the first of January, I don't know where to start. But I'm sure I will get around to it sometime this year, ;-))

18Rebeki
Ene 3, 2021, 1:26 pm

I hope this year we both manage to make a dent in last year's comfort/panic buys. I count ROOTs the same way, so I'm also cheered by the fact that all the books I received for Christmas suddenly count as ROOTs, even if it feels a bit cheat-y!

19bragan
Ene 4, 2021, 12:24 am

>17 connie53: I do understand not knowing where to start. I feel that way pretty much all the time.

>18 Rebeki: Cheat-y, maybe, but oh so satisfying!

20bragan
Ene 4, 2021, 4:11 pm

2. The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter.

This wasn't even one that magically turned into a shiny new ROOT at midnight on Jan 1. I've had it sitting on my TBR shelves for more than five years. And boy am I kicking myself now for not having gotten to it sooner!

21connie53
Ene 5, 2021, 2:02 am

>20 bragan: That happened a lot to me too.

22MissWatson
Ene 5, 2021, 8:44 am

Welcome back and happy reading!

23bragan
Ene 5, 2021, 11:34 am

>22 MissWatson: Thanks, and to you, too!

24bragan
Ene 6, 2021, 9:50 pm

3. Every Tool's a Hammer: Life Is What You Make It by Adam Savage.

I feel like I'm starting the year off at a really nice clip. We'll see how long I can keep it up...

25bragan
Ene 9, 2021, 10:46 pm

4. Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam.

26connie53
Ene 10, 2021, 7:30 am

4 down! Wow, you are moving real fast.

27bragan
Ene 10, 2021, 2:42 pm

>26 connie53: Yes, I am off to a very good start to the year, reading-wise!

28bragan
Ene 14, 2021, 8:57 pm

5. The Book of Dzur by Steven Brust.

29bragan
Ene 15, 2021, 10:12 pm

6. Humans by Brandon Stanton.

30bragan
Ene 18, 2021, 6:06 pm

31rabbitprincess
Ene 18, 2021, 8:41 pm

David Wong has some great titles!

32bragan
Ene 18, 2021, 10:18 pm

>31 rabbitprincess: He really does. And they definitely give you an idea of what you're getting into!

33bragan
Ene 28, 2021, 7:47 pm

OK, skipping over my first two non-ROOTs of the year (an Early Reviewers book I got this month and one that was borrowed from a friend), we come to:

8. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett.

34bragan
Feb 1, 2021, 12:59 am

35bragan
Feb 1, 2021, 1:41 am

And there we go, we've made it through January! Let's see what things look like for the month...

JANUARY 2021

Books Acquired: 15
Books Acquired YTD: 15
Books Read: 11 (including one borrowed book that doesn't come off the TBR)
Books Read YTD: 11
ROOTS Read: 9
ROOTS Read YTD: 9/85
Current TBR Total: 1,106
TBR Total Change YTD: +5

So far, I am not yet living up to my resolution to read more books than I acquire this year, thanks to some books I ordered in December that didn't arrive until January, plus a couple of ER books and one belated Christmas present. Next month will hopefully be better in that respect, though. And at least the ROOTing is going well so far. I'd also say it was a very rewarding month of reading, overall, which, of course, is the most important thing.

36bragan
Feb 4, 2021, 7:45 pm

37bragan
Feb 11, 2021, 8:38 pm

11. The Legends of River Song by Jenny T. Colgan, et al.

38connie53
Feb 12, 2021, 3:57 am

>36 bragan: I had to smile reading that title.

39bragan
Feb 12, 2021, 6:53 pm

>38 connie53: It was a fun book, too!

40rabbitprincess
Feb 13, 2021, 8:41 am

>37 bragan: I thought I'd read this, but apparently not! Will have to hunt it down.

Also, did you hear that Alex Kingston will be writing a River Song story? It's called The Ruby's Curse and will be out on May 20.

42bragan
Feb 13, 2021, 2:59 pm

>40 rabbitprincess: You should! I bet you'll enjoy it.

And, no, I hadn't heard that! This is a print story, and not a Big Finish thing?

43rabbitprincess
Feb 13, 2021, 4:28 pm

>42 bragan: Yep, a print book! Although I hope there will be an audiobook version, and that she will read it. That would be perfect.

44bragan
Feb 13, 2021, 5:20 pm

>43 rabbitprincess: I don't really do audiobooks, but even I think that would be pretty awesome.

45bragan
Feb 18, 2021, 8:07 am

46DeclanWhitehead
Feb 18, 2021, 8:21 am

Este usuario ha sido eliminado por spam.

47bragan
Feb 22, 2021, 9:27 pm

14. Network Effect by Martha Wells.

48Caramellunacy
Feb 24, 2021, 6:21 am

>47 bragan: I read and greatly enjoyed Wells' All Systems Red, hope you enjoyed this one.

49bragan
Feb 24, 2021, 10:38 am

>48 Caramellunacy: I've really enjoyed the whole series. I'm only sorry I've run out of it now!

50bragan
Editado: Feb 26, 2021, 4:17 pm

15. Make It Scream, Make It Burn by Leslie Jamison.

51connie53
Feb 27, 2021, 4:39 am

>49 bragan: I'm really sorry the Martha Wells books are not translated. My friends in my RL book-group enjoy them so much but I find reading fantasy books in English a challenge.

52bragan
Feb 27, 2021, 10:36 am

>51 connie53: Oh, that's way too bad! I hope they are sometime soon.

53connie53
Feb 27, 2021, 1:24 pm

I hope so too, Bragan. I see how much my friends enjoy them.

54bragan
Feb 28, 2021, 9:01 pm

And that's it for February, it seems!

February 2021

Books Acquired: 1
Books Acquired YTD: 16
Books Read: 8
Books Read YTD: 19
ROOTS Read: 6
ROOTS Read YTD: 15/85
Current TBR Total: 1,099
TBR Total Change YTD: -2

So, fewer books read in Feb. than in Jan., but maybe we can blame that partly on it being a short month. The good news is, I was a very, very good girl with the book-buying! I refused to open any book catalogs or click on any bookstore webpages, and the only book I acquired this month was an LT early reviewers win. Go, me!

That also means that I've now made up for all the books I acquired in January, and my TBR is now smaller -- if only slightly -- than it was at the end of the year.

Now the question is, can I keep it up?

55rabbitprincess
Mar 1, 2021, 5:05 pm

Woo hoo! Excellent work resisting the temptations of the book catalogues and bookstore websites!

56bragan
Mar 1, 2021, 5:08 pm

>55 rabbitprincess: It's so haaaaaaaard! I deserve a reward. Like a book!

Wait, no... :)

57bragan
Mar 3, 2021, 1:01 pm

Onward into March!

16. Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi.

58connie53
Mar 5, 2021, 4:46 am

>54 bragan: Not buying books is a good but difficult thing. I keep my self away from bookish newsletters, but I get hit by BB's here all the time.

59bragan
Mar 5, 2021, 9:15 pm

>58 connie53: It's true, this is a dangerous place when you're trying to avoid book-buying! I mostly just end up putting lots of books on my wishlist and then trying to convince myself not to look at it too much. :)

61Jackie_K
Mar 6, 2021, 8:56 am

>59 bragan: That's what I do too. My wishlist gets bigger by the day.

62bragan
Mar 6, 2021, 5:44 pm

>61 Jackie_K: Mine is ridiculously big by this point!

63bragan
Mar 19, 2021, 9:55 pm

18. The Tyrant Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson.

64bragan
Editado: Mar 20, 2021, 12:02 am

19. Geek Ink by the creators of Inkstinct.

65bragan
Mar 20, 2021, 5:15 am

20. Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe.

66rabbitprincess
Mar 20, 2021, 8:51 am

>65 bragan: Wow, Bunnicula is 40 years old?! My internal clock is off by at least a decade...

67bragan
Mar 20, 2021, 5:50 pm

>66 rabbitprincess: It is! Or rather, it was in 2019. Which I'm afraid just makes it worse. :)

68bragan
Mar 23, 2021, 6:41 am

21. Supernormal Stimuli by Deirdre Barrett.

69bragan
Mar 25, 2021, 10:33 pm

70Jackie_K
Mar 26, 2021, 3:05 pm

>69 bragan: Ooh I really want to read this one!

71bragan
Mar 26, 2021, 10:47 pm

>70 Jackie_K: It's a lot of fun!

72bragan
Mar 30, 2021, 1:50 pm

23. The Case of the Imaginary Detective by Karen Joy Fowler.

73bragan
Abr 1, 2021, 3:55 pm

And that's March done with! So, let's see...

MARCH 2021

Books Acquired: 3
Books Acquired YTD: 19
Books Read: 10
Books Read YTD: 29
ROOTS Read: 8
ROOTS Read YTD: 23/85
Current TBR Total: 1,092
TBR Total Change YTD: -9

Yay, the TBR is still going in the right direction! The only additions I made this month were another ER book and a couple of extremely belated Christmas gifts from a friend. Now, April, I fear, will be a different matter, as I maaaaay have already ordered a few things, but I am optimistic about not losing progress, anyway.

74connie53
Editado: Abr 4, 2021, 5:25 am

Hi Bragan, just popping in to wish you a Happy Easter!

Ohoh You did some ordering!!

75bragan
Abr 3, 2021, 3:04 pm

>74 connie53: Only just a teeny little bit of ordering. :)

Thanks and Happy Easter to you, too!

76bragan
Abr 4, 2021, 3:12 pm

24. Mysteries of the Mall and Other Essays by Witold Rybczynski.

77bragan
Abr 4, 2021, 8:28 pm

78bragan
Abr 10, 2021, 5:49 pm

26. Treason's Harbour by Patrick O'Brian.

79bragan
Abr 16, 2021, 12:13 am

27. Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood.

80bragan
Abr 21, 2021, 9:00 pm

28. Circe by Madeline Miller.

81bragan
Abr 23, 2021, 3:21 am

29. Doctor Who: The Shakespeare Notebooks by James Goss, Jonathan Morris, Julian Richards, Justin Richards, and Matthew Sweet.

82connie53
Abr 23, 2021, 5:00 am

>80 bragan: What did you think of this book, bragan? Curious to know that.

83bragan
Abr 23, 2021, 6:47 am

>80 bragan: It was really good!

84connie53
Abr 25, 2021, 4:26 am

Good to know. Some of my RL book club friends are reading this and I was wondering if I wanted to join them. One step nearer to do that now.

85bragan
Abr 25, 2021, 10:11 am

>84 connie53: I don't know if everyone likes it quite as much as I did, but a lot of people seem to, and for what it's worth, I do recommend it!

86bragan
Abr 25, 2021, 8:50 pm

30. The Arrival by Shaun Tan.

87bragan
Abr 29, 2021, 1:08 am

31. Enchanted Pilgrimage by Clifford D. Simak.

88bragan
mayo 1, 2021, 12:20 pm

And that's another month down...

APRIL 2021

Books Acquired: 7
Books Acquired YTD: 26
Books Read: 9
Books Read YTD: 38
ROOTS Read: 8
ROOTS Read YTD: 31/85
Current TBR Total: 1,090
TBR Total Change YTD: -11

So, that's more books acquired and fewer read this month than I really would have liked, but at least I'm still going in the right direction.

89bragan
mayo 1, 2021, 5:05 pm

32. The Beauty in Breaking by Michele Harper.

90bragan
mayo 7, 2021, 5:50 pm

33. Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero.

91connie53
Editado: mayo 9, 2021, 3:13 am

Hi Bragan. Visiting your thread and do my rounds along the ROOTers threads.
>88 bragan: nice stats and certainly going in the right direction.

92bragan
mayo 8, 2021, 10:33 pm

>91 connie53: Hello and thanks!

93bragan
mayo 16, 2021, 1:28 am

34, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 5: Like I'm the Only Squirrel in the World by Ryan North, Will Murray, Erica Henderson, and Rico Renzi.

94bragan
mayo 20, 2021, 12:59 am

35. Brightness Falls from the Air by James Tiptree, Jr.

95bragan
mayo 26, 2021, 11:38 pm

36. Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout.

96bragan
mayo 28, 2021, 11:55 pm

37. This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone.

97bragan
Jun 1, 2021, 4:38 pm

And the year just keeps on passing...

MAY 2021

Books Acquired: 3
Books Acquired YTD: 29
Books Read: 10 (including one borrowed from a friend that doesn't count as coming off the TBR)
Books Read YTD: 48
ROOTS Read: 6
ROOTS Read YTD: 37/85
Current TBR Total: 1,084
TBR Total Change YTD: -17

Not too bad, all in all, even if I had hoped to get a bit more reading done this month than I actually did.

98Jackie_K
Jun 1, 2021, 4:39 pm

>97 bragan: Looks like you're going in the right direction! Well done on the -17 so far this year.

99bragan
Jun 1, 2021, 5:40 pm

>98 Jackie_K: Yes, I was determined to get it whittled down some, after how much I did the opposite of that last year. So far, not bad!

100bragan
Jun 6, 2021, 8:19 pm

38. The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination, edited by John Joseph Adams.

101bragan
Jun 10, 2021, 4:12 pm

39. Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell.

102bragan
Jun 13, 2021, 5:03 am

103bragan
Jun 16, 2021, 1:21 pm

41. There There by Tommy Orange.

104bragan
Jun 29, 2021, 11:59 pm

42. Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen by Dexter Palmer.

105bragan
Jun 30, 2021, 1:13 pm

43. Fox 8 by George Saunders.

And that's me passing the halfway point, just on time!

106bragan
Jun 30, 2021, 4:49 pm

JUNE 2021

Books Acquired: 4
Books Acquired YTD: 33
Books Read: 9
Books Read YTD: 57
ROOTS Read: 6
ROOTS Read YTD: 43/85
Current TBR Total: 1,079
TBR Total Change YTD: -22

Not too bad, so far!

107rabbitprincess
Jun 30, 2021, 6:27 pm

Yay! You're doing very well with the TBR change statistic!

108bragan
Editado: Jun 30, 2021, 8:19 pm

>107 rabbitprincess: Yep, it's going in the right direction, so that makes me happy!

109Jackie_K
Jul 1, 2021, 11:00 am

>106 bragan: Echoing rp, good progress with shaving the top off Mt TBR - one stone at a time! I'm at -10, so not as impressive as you, but still the right direction.

110bragan
Jul 1, 2021, 12:19 pm

>109 Jackie_K: Thanks! Mind you, my Mt. TBR is so huge that I feel a bit like the bird in the fable, wearing away the mountain one grain at a time for some fraction of eternity. :)

But all progress is progress, right? So, go us!

111connie53
Editado: Jul 5, 2021, 7:03 am

>106 bragan: I love the stats! And you are doing great on reducing the ROOTs.

Got to work on my stats soon too.

112bragan
Jul 5, 2021, 9:17 pm

>111 connie53: Thanks! I wish you good luck with yours, too.

113bragan
Jul 9, 2021, 4:15 am

44. Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

114bragan
Jul 10, 2021, 3:53 am

45. The Way Through the Woods by Una McCormack.

115rabbitprincess
Jul 10, 2021, 3:18 pm

>114 bragan: Thumbs-up for your review of the McCormack book! I agree she did a good job of capturing that TARDIS team's voices.

116bragan
Jul 10, 2021, 6:40 pm

>115 rabbitprincess: Which is something I always appreciate, whether the plot 100% works for me or not. Not everybody can do that well!

117bragan
Jul 14, 2021, 5:39 pm

46. The Far Side of the World by Patrick O'Brian.

118bragan
Jul 20, 2021, 7:21 pm

47. The Magic of Terry Pratchett by Marc Burrows.

119bragan
Jul 24, 2021, 7:04 pm

120bragan
Jul 28, 2021, 8:44 pm

121bragan
Ago 1, 2021, 12:56 pm

And that's another month passed!

JULY 2021

Books Acquired: 6
Books Acquired YTD: 39
Books Read: 10 (including one borrowed book that doesn't count as off the TBR)
Books Read YTD: 67
ROOTS Read: 6
ROOTS Read YTD: 49/85
Current TBR Total: 1,076
TBR Total Change YTD: -25

So, more slow but fairly steady progress. I probably would have had fewer books acquired this month, but I had a birthday, and of course, books make excellent birthday presents.

122bragan
Ago 1, 2021, 7:43 pm

And on into August!

50. The Wanderers by Meg Howrey.

123connie53
Ago 2, 2021, 4:43 am

Wow, you are reading lots!

Hurries off to get own stats up to date!

124bragan
Ago 2, 2021, 2:57 pm

>121 bragan: Thanks! I'm right on track with the ROOTing, too, which is nice.

125bragan
Ago 9, 2021, 7:05 pm

51. If Cats Disappeared from the World by Genki Kawamura.

126connie53
Ago 12, 2021, 4:02 am

>125 bragan: That title got me to investigate further.

127bragan
Ago 12, 2021, 11:16 am

>126 connie53: It's definitely an intriguing title, isn't it? The book is interesting, too.

128bragan
Ago 12, 2021, 11:29 pm

52. Santa Fe Noir edited by Ariel Gore.

129bragan
Ago 14, 2021, 12:57 pm

53. I'd Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel.

130bragan
Ago 15, 2021, 8:04 pm

131Caramellunacy
Ago 16, 2021, 10:40 am

>130 bragan: I laughed at that title

132bragan
Ago 16, 2021, 11:48 am

>131 Caramellunacy: The title made it kind of hard to resist!

133bragan
Ago 23, 2021, 3:01 pm

55. Doctor Who: The Official Doctionary by Justin Richards.

134bragan
Ago 27, 2021, 5:31 pm

56. Iorich by Steven Brust.

135bragan
Ago 30, 2021, 4:46 am

136bragan
Ago 31, 2021, 7:37 pm

Right, I guess we've pretty much reached the end of August now. Let's see where I stand...

AUGUST 2021

Books Acquired: 2
Books Acquired YTD: 41
Books Read: 12 (including one borrowed book that doesn't count as off the TBR)
Books Read YTD: 79
ROOTS Read: 8
ROOTS Read YTD: 57/85
Current TBR Total: 1,067
TBR Total Change YTD: -34

Hey, that's not too bad, is it? I mean, y'know, all things considered. I think it puts me right on track with my ROOT goal, too.

137Jackie_K
Sep 2, 2021, 1:29 pm

>136 bragan: Hey, if you keep going at this rate then 2022 could be the year that the TBR goes down to 3 figures!

138bragan
Sep 2, 2021, 2:51 pm

>137 Jackie_K: We can dare to dream!

139bragan
Sep 3, 2021, 9:22 pm

58. Talk on the Wild Side by Lane Greene.

140bragan
Sep 10, 2021, 8:02 pm

141bragan
Sep 17, 2021, 6:38 pm

60. Paranormality by Richard Wiseman (which I apparently forgot to record here when I finished it).

61. Trust Exercise by Susan Choi.

142bragan
Sep 18, 2021, 5:02 pm

62. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Other Poems by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

143bragan
Sep 25, 2021, 6:38 pm

63. Magician: Master by Raymond E. Feist.

144bragan
Sep 27, 2021, 11:54 am

145bragan
Sep 30, 2021, 11:41 am

65. Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah.

146bragan
Editado: Sep 30, 2021, 4:23 pm

Well, since September is rapidly departing, I guess it's time for the monthly sum-up again.

SEPTEMBER 2021

Books Acquired: 4
Books Acquired YTD: 45
Books Read: 10 (including one borrowed book that doesn't count as off the TBR)
Books Read YTD: 89
ROOTS Read: 8
ROOTS Read YTD: 65/85
Current TBR Total: 1,062
TBR Total Change YTD: -39

That looks like a pretty good books read-to-books acquired ratio this month! We'll just pretend that's going to continue, and not think too hard about the books I just ordered online the other day that haven't arrived yet, shall we?

147Jackie_K
Sep 30, 2021, 4:58 pm

>146 bragan: They haven't arrived, so don't exist. *winks, taps nose* Your secret's safe with us.

148bragan
Sep 30, 2021, 5:58 pm

>147 Jackie_K: That's true! If I can't see them, they can't see me! Or something like that. :)

149bragan
Oct 5, 2021, 10:59 pm

66. Inversions by Iain M. Banks.

150bragan
Oct 7, 2021, 8:13 pm

67. Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller.

151connie53
Oct 9, 2021, 1:20 pm

Good job, Bragan! Love your stats. And I too would not count unseen books -;))

152bragan
Oct 9, 2021, 4:49 pm

>151 connie53: Thanks!

Unfortunately, I have now seen the unseen books. And, um, several more as well, thanks to a couple of ill-timed library sales... :)

153connie53
Oct 10, 2021, 4:02 am

>152 bragan: O my! Horrible!

154Charon07
Oct 10, 2021, 11:51 am

This year’s acquisitions are next year’s ROOTs!

155bragan
Oct 11, 2021, 12:37 am

>153 connie53: I have such book shame! Clearly the only remedy is to read more. :)

>154 Charon07: And quite possibly for many years to come...

156bragan
Editado: Dic 25, 2021, 11:05 pm

68. Home Before Dark by Riley Sager.

157bragan
Oct 14, 2021, 6:32 pm

69. The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben.

158Jackie_K
Oct 15, 2021, 6:16 am

>157 bragan: What did you think of that one? I enjoyed it, but didn't find it as life-changing as the glowing reviews had led me to believe I would. Fascinating subject though!

159bragan
Oct 15, 2021, 7:30 am

>158 Jackie_K: I agree with you. The subject was fascinating, but the book itself didn't entirely satisfy me, and I suspect it's been a bit over-hyped.

160bragan
Oct 15, 2021, 10:57 pm

70. Doctor Who: Peacemaker by James Swallow

161Charon07
Oct 16, 2021, 12:32 pm

>159 bragan: I gave it only 3 stars, but it was a revelation to learn that trees have a social life. I look at trees differently now, and I feel sorry for those isolated ornamental urban trees.

162bragan
Oct 16, 2021, 7:49 pm

>161 Charon07: Yeah, ditto. I think it was worth that extra half-star for me to read all about that, even if it did make me feel a bit sad for those poor things.

163bragan
Oct 20, 2021, 1:20 pm

71. Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones.

165bragan
Oct 29, 2021, 2:47 pm

73. Pariah by Bob Fingerman.

166bragan
Oct 30, 2021, 4:34 am

167Charon07
Oct 30, 2021, 10:46 am

>166 bragan: That was in the collection Trigger Warning, and it was my favorite from the whole collection. But I tend to prefer novels to short stories, so maybe “The Truth Is a Cave…” was long enough to develop ideas and characters, so it suited my taste more.

168bragan
Oct 30, 2021, 3:09 pm

>167 Charon07: I read it before in that collection, too, but it'd been long enough that I remembered nothing about it other than that it was good. It was still good this time, too, and the illustrations in this volume also gave a little something extra to it. And I think you're right. It does indeed develop almost a novel's worth of stuff in what is still a pretty short space.

169bragan
Nov 1, 2021, 12:01 am

OCTOBER 2021

Books Acquired: 18 (um... oops)
Books Acquired YTD: 53
Books Read: 10
Books Read YTD: 99
ROOTS Read: 9
ROOTS Read YTD: 74/85
Current TBR Total: 1,070
TBR Total Change YTD: -31

So, yeah, the TBR definitely went in the wrong direction this month, thanks to some completely unavoidable book-buying accidents. *cough* Still not doing too badly for the year, though!

170Jackie_K
Editado: Nov 1, 2021, 3:45 pm

"Accidents". Uh-huh.

(it could have been worse. It's nothing that'd get you arrested)

171rabbitprincess
Nov 1, 2021, 4:49 pm

I'm glad someone is having book-buying accidents, because I have few opportunities for my own such accidents! Another year without my favourite used-book sale... sigh.

172bragan
Nov 1, 2021, 6:55 pm

>170 Jackie_K: Yes, fortunately my book-related sins are, at least, not illegal. :)

>171 rabbitprincess: Aww. I will live for you, vicariously! And, really, when you put it that way... How could I not go to the book sale, now that they've finally started them up again after so long without? If nothing else, the library needs me!

173bragan
Nov 3, 2021, 11:34 am

75. Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson.

174bragan
Nov 9, 2021, 4:50 pm

76. Things in Jars by Jess Kidd.

175bragan
Nov 17, 2021, 8:20 pm

176bragan
Nov 23, 2021, 7:55 am

78. Bats by Phil Richardson.

177bragan
Nov 25, 2021, 6:06 pm

79. Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout.

178bragan
Nov 29, 2021, 2:57 am

80. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead.

180bragan
Dic 1, 2021, 5:42 pm

Here we are, coming up on the end of the year already. And I haven't nearly read all the books yet... Still, I suppose I haven't been doing too terribly, progress-wise.

NOVEMBER 2021

Books Acquired: 2
Books Acquired YTD: 55
Books Read: 10
Books Read YTD: 109
ROOTS Read: 7
ROOTS Read YTD: 81/85
Current TBR Total: 1,062
TBR Total Change YTD: -39

181bragan
Dic 11, 2021, 12:07 am

82. The Circle by Dave Eggers.

182bragan
Dic 12, 2021, 10:55 pm

83. The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher.

183bragan
Dic 19, 2021, 2:13 am

84. A Lost Lady by Willa Cather.

184bragan
Dic 22, 2021, 3:51 pm

85. Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs by Ken Jennings.

And with that, I HAVE DONE IT! HOORAY!!!!

With luck, there will be at least one more ROOT before the end of the year, maybe more, but I can at least rest easily knowing that I have met my goal!

185Jackie_K
Dic 22, 2021, 4:28 pm

Hooray, well done!

186bragan
Dic 22, 2021, 8:55 pm

>185 Jackie_K: Thank you! *throws confetti*

187MissWatson
Dic 23, 2021, 2:41 am

>184 bragan: Congratulations!

188bragan
Dic 23, 2021, 11:29 am

>187 MissWatson: Thank you!

189rabbitprincess
Dic 23, 2021, 8:34 pm

Congratulations! Glad your goal-meeting book was a good one. I liked Brainiac too, having played on the university trivia circuit myself :)

190bragan
Dic 23, 2021, 10:41 pm

I've never done that, but I did used to enjoy a nice round of pub trivia. :)

191rabbitprincess
Dic 24, 2021, 2:59 pm

>190 bragan: Pub trivia is lots of fun! I love those moments when everyone on the team puts their heads together and gets the group to the right answer.

192connie53
Dic 25, 2021, 1:00 pm

>156 bragan: That link leads to another book with the same title.

Hello Bragan!

Trying to catch up on threads again. I want to wish you

193bragan
Dic 25, 2021, 11:05 pm

>192 connie53: Whoops, thanks for pointing out the error there! I've fixed it now.

And wishing all of that back to you, too!

194bragan
Dic 31, 2021, 9:11 pm

Well, I sure thought I was going to finish at least one more ROOT this year, but the giant tome I am currently in the middle of had other ideas. So, let us see the final totals!

DECEMBER 2021

Books Acquired: 20
Books Acquired YTD: 75
Books Read: 6
Books Read YTD: 115
ROOTS Read: 4
ROOTS Read YTD: 85/85
Current TBR Total: 1,076
TBR Total Change YTD: -25

A rather poor showing to end the year on, I'm afraid. That's the lowest "books read" total I've had in a long time, thanks to a couple of really slooooooow reads, plus some busyness around the holidays. As for the "books acquired," well, some of those were Christmas presents. Others were Christmas presents to myself. Others still were... Well, look, how else do you cope with the stress of the holiday season, if not with book-shopping? :)

Anyway. I did hit my ROOT goal for the year, so, yay! And even if I didn't make quite as much progress through the TBR as I might have hoped, that's still a very decent negative number on the last line there, so I'll take it.

And on that note... I hope everyone has had an excellent year of reading, and I wish you the same for 2022! I'll see you all in the new group for the new year! Once I actually get around to setting up a thread there, that is...

195Jackie_K
Ene 1, 2022, 6:02 am

I think we ended on the same negative number for reduction in TBR. Well done us! :)

196rabbitprincess
Ene 1, 2022, 10:41 am

>194 bragan: Doesn't everyone Christmas shop following the "one for you, one for me" approach? ;)

I too had a lower than usual reading total to end the year thanks to two massive slumps (one in spring and one in fall). Hoping we both have springs in our reading step for 2022!

197bragan
Ene 3, 2022, 3:03 pm

>195 Jackie_K: Go, us! *high five*

>196 rabbitprincess: Nobody on my list wanted books, so I had to make up for it by buying a bunch for myself. I am certain this makes perfect logical sense and is eminently justifiable. :)

Looking forward to an exciting year of reading in 2022! Just as soon as I finally finish this chunkster. Nearly there......