Bragan vs. the TBR Pile, The 2014 Rematch!

Hello, all! For some reason, I didn't realize until yesterday that this group had been set up yet! But here I am, back again, with just as much reading to do as ever. Or possibly more.

Last year, after much dramatic dithering over whether it would be too much work, I ended up setting up a sort of double goal, with one ticker whose target was simply 100 ROOTS (that is, books I'd had since at least the previous year), and one with a slightly more complicated points system, where books that had been on the shelves longer were worth a little more. This worked out surprisingly well, and I met and exceeded my goals for both!

So, this year I'm doing more or less the same thing, except that I've decided to make the points system a little more elaborate to further encourage me to read the really old tomes, since, despite meeting the goal, I didn't do quite as much of that in 2013 as I'd hoped. So:







The first ticker is simple and fairly self-explanatory.

The points system will work like this:

Books acquired in 2014: 0 points (They don't count for the challenge and won't be listed here.)
Books acquired in 2013: 1 point
Books acquired in 2012: 2 points
Books acquired in 2011: 3 points
Books acquired in 2010: 4 points
Books acquired in 2009: 5 points
Books acquired in 2008: 6 points
Books acquired in or before 2007 (when I first joined LT): 7 points

The goal for the points was calculated by the highly scientific process of adding a hundred points to last year's and figuring that probably sounds about right.

We will see if this helps any in my attempt to read those poor neglected old books. Let the reading begin!

Hurray bragan is back! Looking forward to your 2014 adventures :)

Thanks! So am I! So many exciting books, just begging to be read...

Welcome back! Your point system looks impressive!

I'm a little afraid of it, to be honest, but I think it might help me emphasize those real oldies more. And I really need to get some of those read!

WOW! Impressive! Am here cheering you on!
Happy reading!

My bookpile is even more impressive! :)

Thanks!

Hello Bragan, glad you are here!! We have almost the same points system. I adopted your idea of 2013 ;-)) I hope you don't mind.

Of course I don't mind! I think I stole the basic idea from someone else, anyway. :)

Good luck to both of us in 2014! And good reading!

Hello Bragan! Happy to see your back! Happy reading!

Thank you! *waves hello*

Hi Bragan. Good luck with your challenge.

Thanks!

Whoo-hoo! Here we go!

1. Click: What Millions of People Are Doing Online and Why It Matters by Bill Tancer. I bought this one in 2012, so that's worth two points. Hey! This is easy! Surely I will be meeting my goal on that points ticker in no time! :)

I don't do anything as elaborate with points as you do (although it wouldn't be a bad idea), but I occasionally sort my books by date and look at the oldest ones and try to pick one of those to read. Hope you have a very successful year.

I have my oldest books -- the ones I already owned before I joined LT -- tagged as "old" and have at various times tried to make an extra effort to read those, in particular. But my levels of success have been varied, which is why I decided to try the points ticker thing.

But I think a more casual kind of approach, like yours, can work, too. In fact, there might well be something to be said for not being too over-organized... I may get tired of the extra-elaborate points system by the end of the year, but we'll see.

And thank you for the well-wishes. May you also have a successful reading year!

2. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I just got this one last month, via SantaThing, so it's only worth one point. And it was an excellent choice on my Santa's part, I must say!

3. The Birthday Party: A Memoir of Survival by Stanley N. Alpert. I've only had this one since last month, too, so it's worth one point.

Hi bragan, good luck with your challenge. I've been eyeing Fangirl and am really glad to see you enjoyed it. I may have to move it up my wishlist!

Hi! I definitely do recommend Fangirl. I'd heard a lot of good things about it, but was slightly nervous about reading it, fearing it might have a little bit of a "let's make fun of the nerd" sensibility, which I take personally. But it didn't at all. The author clearly knows and loves her fangirls. :)

4. H.M.S. Surprise by Patrick O'Brian. This one's still only worth one point. But I will get to some older books later in the month, I promise.

Wow, four books read! Congratulations, bragan!

Four down, ninety-six to go! :)

Keep up the good reading, Bragan!

I'm on it! 100 pages into the next one. :)

Yes!!! You are really speeding along.

Glad you're back!

Thanks! Good to be back, and still reading along.

> 21. Still one of my favorites from the series so far. I continue to be amazed that O'Brian can make me laugh until it hurts and feel utterly shattered in the course of the same book.

And oh! The immortal words: "Jack, you have debauched my sloth."

I know! And, god, that line made me laugh. Even now, I keep thinking about it and giggling.

Oh dear, now you've got me giggling too. And reminiscing. Remember the one where they escaped from the French with Jack disguised as a bear?

Oh, yes! That was also pretty darned funny. Although I don't think anything quite measures up to the debauched sloth.

"Dance, Flora, dance!" Most despondent bear ever.

Poor, poor Jack.

After much reminiscing and some riffling through the pages I agree: the sloth is untoppable.

5. Flashforward by Robert J. Sawyer. I've had this one for just about exactly a year, which means it, too, is worth one point.

I wondered why Flashforward was made into a TV series! It might have made a good miniseries, i.e. one with a set end instead of an open-ended show. The book's been lurking in the TBR for a long while so I think I'll keep it there for now.

I found the book flawed, but interesting enough to be worth reading. It really has little in common with the TV series, beyond the basic premise. And I agree with you about the TV series. Dragging out the mystery of what happened and trying to turn it into this massive, complicated conspiracy thing just didn't work very well. As a miniseries, it might have done nicely.

6. At Home by Bill Bryson. I've had this one since 2010, so it's worth 4 points. Whoo-hoo! That's double digits on the points ticker now! Great book, too.

Great work!

Nice! I have the audio of At Home but have been too intimidated to get into it. So many discs!

The print book was kind of thick, too. But worth it! It was a really engaging, interesting read.

7. The New Dead edited by Christopher Golden. I've had this one since 2012, so it's worth 2 points.

I've been meaning to pick up The New Dead. How was it?

Surprisingly, really good,if you like thoughtful zombie stories with a bit of originality to them. Which I do. I wrote a way-too-long review of it, which you can read on my Club Read thread if you like.

(And it suddenly occurs to me that I meant to mention when I started this thread that folks can go over there if they want to see more of what I have too say about the ROOT books mentioned here, but I completely forgot. So, uh, yeah, I guess I'm mentioning it now! It's here!)

8. The Wet Nurse's Tale by Erica Eisdorfer. I got this one last year, so, one point.

And I gotta say, whatever my tickers are or aren't doing -- although they're not doing too badly! -- I am really happy with the start to my reading year so far. Some very enjoyable stuff has been coming off the TBR Pile this month!

OK, after a short pause to read my first non-ROOT of the year -- it was an ER book -- we come to my first real oldie of the year:

9. Conquerors' Pride by Timothy Zahn. I don't even know quite how long I've had this one, but it's been a long, long time. Which means it's worth seven whole points! Whoo-hoo!

7 Points!!!Yeah!!!!

Thanks, Connie! *dances along with your smiley*

And now somehow, suddenly, it's February! So, let's see how I'm doing:

JANUARY 2013

Books read: 10
Books acquired: 11
ROOT books read: 9
ROOT points accumulated: 20

Current TBR total: 667
ROOT books YTD: 9/100
ROOT points YTD: 20/236

Oh, look. Already, the TBR Pile is headed in the wrong direction. Well, at least it's not by much. And I seem to be right on track with the ROOTS!

And here's a good start to February:

10. The World in Six Songs by Daniel J. Levitin. I've had this one since 2008, so that's another six points!

11. Insane City by Dave Barry. I got this one last year, so, one point.

I found your thread :)
my TBR pile resembles yours...
Congrats on all your ROOTS!!

Hello, and thanks!

One great thing about this group is that my massive TBR pile and I no longer feel alone. :)

I know! so many people to relate to here on LT... :)

12. The 4% Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Race to Discover the Rest of Reality by Richard Panek. I got this one in 2012, so two more points.

Skipping my second non-ROOT book for the year, we come to:

13. Lexicon by Max Barry. One point.

Thumb for your review of Lexicon! I'm about 17th in line at the library and am looking forward to it.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Oooooh. Lexicon is on my to read list as well.. Loved the company ... Though my reading will have to wait til 2015 at least ;)

14. Outlaw Tales of New Mexico by Barbara Marriott. Two points.

15. The Secret Country by Pamela C. Dean. I've had this one since forever, so it's worth seven points. Whoo-hoo! Except that, even though I had kind of mixed feelings about it, I was interested enough in it to want to pick up the rest of the series. Which means it's one book off the Pile and two more on. Sigh. :)

That happens to me all the time, I feel for you!;-)))

It is a sadly common problem, I fear. :)

16. The Naked Lady Who Stood on Her Head by Gary Small & Gigi Vorgan. I've had this one since 2011, so it's worth three points. Which means I am already ahead on points for the month! Yay!

Yay! And what a title!

It is a great title, isn't it? Unfortunately, I don't think the book quite lived up to it. But, still. :)

#64. I gave you a thumbs up on your review. As I read it I was wondering about the ethics of writing a book about your patients. It also sounds like he sometimes makes fun of them. I would have a real problem reading a book like that.

Thanks. It is a weird thing, and I'm not at all sure what the ethics are. I've never felt this bothered about it before, e.g. when reading Oliver Sacks. But Sacks always sounds so deeply concerned and respectful and non-judgmental about his patients. Small... Well, he doesn't actually make fun of them, no, but he's a little too honest about his own reactions to them, sometimes.

17. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. One point.

Love your review! I confess I started reading it, got about 15-20 pages in, and decided I was definitely not in a place to enjoy it and put it back on the proverbial shelf for later (proverbial bc it was a library book :)) I will be sure to pick it back up now...

I'd say that's probably a good call. It seems like the sort of book where you're likely to get a lot more out of it if you're in the right mood for it. I actually am wondering now whether the way that I was more absorbed by it at the end has as much to do with the book itself as with the fact that I finished it while lying on the sofa nursing a cold, which meant I could read big chunks of it at a time without any distraction and thus really get into the right mindset for it.

18. Because I Said So!: The Truth Behind the Myths, Tales, and Warnings Every Generation Passes Down to Its Kids by Ken Jennings. One point! (And a fun little book.)

>71 bragan: that makes sense.. maybe I should get a cold..... ;)

>73 avanders:: You can have mine if you want it. I'm getting very tired of it. :)

ha I bet. ;)

Yay, Ken Jennings! Should get that one read soon.

>76 rabbitprincess:: I recommend it! I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to, and actually learned quite a few things.

19. First Men to the Moon by Wernher von Braun. Two points, for this odd and interesting little piece of space history.

20. Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse. Two points.

And so we come to the end of February, which was a short month, but a remarkably successful one for me, ROOT-wise:

FEBRUARY 2013

Books read: 14
Books acquired: 13
ROOT books read: 11
ROOT points accumulated: 28

Current TBR total: 666
ROOT books YTD: 20/100
ROOT points YTD: 48/236

Hmm. Still not making much progress on the TBR Pile as a whole, though. Well, I resolve to do better on that score in March! Unless there's a library sale, of course.

Great work, especially in such a short, fast month as February (how did it become March already?!).

I have no idea where February went, but apparently I spent a lot of it reading!

Of course, I'm sure it helped that a number of those books were pretty short. :)

Great going!

Thank you! Not too shabby so far...

Keep it up, Bragan!!

I'm working on it!

Woot Congrats!

Getting a bit of a slow start in March, I'm afraid, but:

21. Walking the Amazon by Ed Stafford. Two points.

22. Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie. Two points.

Well, you are two books ahead of me in March, bragan. So you are doing just great.

I'm certainly not having any trouble finding ROOTS to read. :)

How was Reservation Blues? I read Alexie's Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian several years back and while the "adolescent boy" fart-joke humor occasionally got on my nerves, but I liked his mixture of showing the depressive/oppressive atmosphere of that reservation and humor and determination.

It definitely has that same mixture, minus the fart jokes. I didn't find it quite as good as his collection of linked short stories, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, which I think was rather more powerful, but based on that description of what appealed to you about Part-Time Indian, I can most certainly recommend both of them.

23. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken. One point.

>94 bragan: ahhhh, one of my childhood favourites! I must track it down and read it again.

>95 ipsoivan: I wish I'd read it when I was a kid instead of as an adult, as I think it's one of those books that probably works best when you encounter it at the right age.

24. The Nerdist Way: How to Reach the Next Level (In Real Life) by Chris Hardwick. One point.

25. The Spellmans Strike Again by Lisa Lutz. One point.

Wow 25 ROOTS already! Congrats!

Thanks! I'm doing pretty well, as I'm already ahead of where I need to be by the end of March to make my books goal. (Less so the points goal, as I've been reading a lot of newer books lately, but I think I should be OK on that, too.)

You have got 9 months to get that baby born, Bragan!

sorry, 9 months = pregnancy in my head. I could not help it.

LOL! Hey, my books kind of are my babies! Them and the cats. :)

26. Red Planet Blues by Robert J. Sawyer. One point.

How the heck is March over already? What happened?! Well, all right, since it is:

MARCH 2014

Books read: 9
Books acquired: 6
ROOT books read: 6
ROOT points accumulated: 8

Current TBR total: 663
ROOT books YTD: 26/100
ROOT points YTD: 56/236

I'm doing good on my ROOT total, but am behind where I should be on the points. Partly that's because I read several non-ROOT books, partly because it was a slow reading month for me in general. But that's OK, as I plan to hit the ground running in April! Also, go me, because I bought no books at all in the entire month of March! Which didn't stop six books from showing up on my doorstep, anyway, for various reasons (ER books, stuff I'd ordered the month before, etc.). Still, the TBR total went backwards a bit, and that's something, right?

Feverish applause for your book-buying restraint!! :D Meanwhile I'm plotting a book spree in April even though I have an even bigger spree planned in May. Probably not the best thing for my TBR stacks...

Have a good reading month!

There is a library book sale next weekend, so my restraint is not exactly going to last much longer. Although I won't be able to get there first thing, so with any luck most of the really good books will be gone by the time I make it, and I won't have to face too much temptation. If you can really call that luck... :)

Congrats on your restraint!
I know the challenges of library book sales... I've therefore decided to only go to the semi-annual clearance library sales in May & November... it's crazy (fill your bags for only $5 per bag!), but at least it's only 2x/yr ;)

OK, this is what I meant by hitting the ground running in April:

27. Island in the Sea of Time by S. M. Stirling. I have had this one sitting on the TBR Pile for-freaking-ever, so, seven points! Yay! Instantly, I am right back on track. :)

>107 avanders: Ooooh, do I love those bag-for-five-bucks ABQ library sales! The only mercy is that I often have to work on weekends and don't always get to go, because when I do, I generally leave with at least 30 books. I do think I'll likely make it to the one next month, though. I am already rubbing my hands together in anticipation.

>108 bragan: Wonderful! And on the second day of the month. Congratulations.

>110 ipsoivan: Well, I was reading that thing through most of the end of March!

Gah! I'm in the thick of thick-book reading, so I totally understand. I do hope I'm not announcing finishing my current read at the beginning of May! Head down, plow on...

>112 ipsoivan: You can do it!

>109 bragan: lol I know... so much anticipation....!

28. Science and Religion: Are They Compatible? edited by Paul Kurtz. I've had this since 2008, so it's worth another six points. Whoo-hoo!

29. This Book Is Full of Spiders: Seriously, Dude, Don't Touch It by David Wong. Two points!

oh, the Spider book... I liked your review, but I need to know... how bad are the spider scenes? too real? I've been avoiding the book because I do like to sleep....

Well, technically they're not really spiders. They're some kind of alien (extradimensional?) parasites. They have more legs than spiders, and do some much more awful things to you... Um, that's probably really not any better is it? Personally, I don't have an arachnophobic bone in my body -- In fact, I kind of love spiders and have occasionally thought idly about the idea of getting a pet tarantula -- so it's kind of hard for me to judge how something will affect those who are seriously freaked out by them. But... well, they're pretty creepy. And there are a lot of them. And... Yeah. Yeah, they're pretty creepy.

lol appreciate the perspective...
it's hard for me to know too, frankly. it probably does help that they're alien, though, bc then there's no real way they could infiltrate my house in real life ;)

>119 avanders:: Yes, there is no way, in read life, that they could get into your house, bite you until you're paralyzed, and then lay their eggs in you. So, rest easy! ;)

I'm very glad for your review, because I couldn't even bring myself to pick it up to read the back cover blurb -- just in case I dumped a bunch of spiders on the floor.

>121 rabbitprincess: LOL!

30. Distrust That Particular Flavor by William Gibson. Two points.

>120 bragan: lol sounds easy for you to say! ;)
>121 rabbitprincess: lol yep. :D

31. Holding Your Eight Hands: An Anthology of Science Fiction Verse edited by Edward Lucie-Smith. One point.

32. The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano. Three points.

I'm doing pretty well with digging up the ROOTS this month!

Great going!

Thank you! I am keeping it up. :)

You're doing much better than I am -- I have yet to finish a ROOT this month! Might be able to finish one this week.

>129 rabbitprincess:: Good luck!

33. Through the Language Glass: Why the World Looks Different in Other Languages bu Guy Deutscher. Now, this is one I've been meaning to get to for ages. Four points!

>131 bragan: And what did you think of it? I've got it on my shelf, too.

ETC

>132 MissWatson:: I really liked it. Interesting subject, well and engagingly written. That's the short version, anyway. For the long version, I did a review.

>133 bragan: Thanks, that review is very helpful! Thumbed it. But I don't know yet when I'll get around to reading the book myself.

>134 MissWatson: Thank you! Whenever you do, I hope you like it as much as I did.

>131 bragan:, That really sounds like a good book!

>136 Merryann: I do recommend both it and Deutscher's The Unfolding of Language if you're really interested in language.

On the wishlist. :)

34. The Pretender: Rebirth by Steven Long Mitchell and Craig W. Van Sickle. One point.

I ordered The Unfolding of Language today. Got it used for a buck! Thanks for the recommendation.

>140 Merryann: Awesome! Can't beat that price! I hope you enjoy it.

Hi Bragan! Just catching up on your thread.

I loved De eenzaamheid van de priemgetallen. I hope you did too.

Hello again!

I definitely liked The Solitude of Prime Numbers. I'm glad I didn't let it languish on the TBR shelves any longer than it did!

35. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. Two points. Although it feels like it should be worth more than that, given how long it took me to read it!

Congratulations. :)

>145 Merryann: Thank you. After 800 pages of Victorian prose, I feel I might deserve it. :)

800 pages! Wow, congrats on finishing!!

>147 connie53: Well, 765, but who's counting? :)

I'm not! And 765 is almost 800! Almost ;-))

Ooh Dickens .. I haven't read David Copperfield yet... I'll have to add it to my (long) list of TBRs! ;)
Congrats on such an accomplishment!
(and 765 pages of Dickens is quite different from 765 pages of J.K. Rowling, which I just finished... I think you DO deserve a congrats!!)

>150 avanders: David Copperfield doesn't, I think, rank among my favorite Dickens, but it's worth reading.

And, ha, yes, I think Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince took me two days to read, where this one took me almost ten!

>151 bragan: Interesting: David Copperfield is by far my favourite Dickens, and the only one I've rererereread! (actually haven't read it for ages, might be due for another reread!)

>152 Jackie_K: It is interesting how tastes vary. I liked Oliver Twist better, but I think a lot of people rank that one pretty low.

>151 bragan: and 152 and 153 Yes, interesting how that works :) I think A Tale of Two Cities is my next Dickens and then after that... we'll see... :) i can't remember if I read Oliver Twist... I think I did and didn't love it, but it might be worth a re-visit...
And reading David Copperfield in 10 days? That's fantastic!

>154 avanders: I did like A Tale of Two Cities! It's been so long since I read it that I don't remember too much about it, but it was one of the first Dickens novels I read, and I liked it a lot.

Oliver Twist is over-sentimental and full of ridiculous plot coincidences, and the main character doesn't really have much development (certainly not compared to David Copperfield), but it's got some really, great, sharp, darkly funny bits of social commentary, and I found the story as a whole enjoyable.

The average book takes me about three days to read, so for me ten days is pretty significant!

Glad to hear it! My mom loves that book (A Tale of Two Cities), so I'm eager to read it :)

I really do think I read Oliver Twist... but since I also really can't remember, I think it's worth a re-read... Although over-sentimental and ridiculous plot coincidences sound trying, I like sharp wit and dark funny bits :)

Ah, the "average" book this year has taken me...5.7 days (yes, I just went and did the math ;)). But that's this year, where I had vacations and went from an overly stressful job where I was "on" all the time to a normal job where I only work 40 hrs a week and I actually have some time to read (if you've read Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella, it's like that kind of change)!

I'd say much more common in the past for me (i.e., from ages 18-34) was 3-4 weeks per book because I was never able to find the time to read! Pre-college I read much faster ;)

Looking forward to accomplishing more in my future... reading a new book every 3 days sounds lovely!!

I sometimes tell people that the reason I get so much reading done is because I have no life. This is undoubtedly to some extent true. But I also work a job with a lot of downtime, with stretches where I have to sit around keeping an eye on things in case something goes wrong, but without having much that I actually need to do. So I get a lot of reading done then (even if it's reading that gets interrupted a lot when things do go wrong!). Plus, I read obsessively, while waiting in line, while eating, while walking down the street... So I do tend to finish books quickly. And yet, I still can never catch up with my TBR pile!

I get a lot of reading done on the bus. While I dislike the length of the commute, it is a good way for me to get through books. And yet like you, I still can't put much of a dent in the TBR (either the physical pile or the virtual list)!

PS I'm reading Shada right now and loving it! It's the perfect bus book: zippy and fun and not too demanding.

>158 rabbitprincess: Oh, Shada is a lot of fun! I was a little surprised by just how much I enjoyed it.

36: That's Disgusting: Unraveling the Mysteries of Repulsion by Rachel Herz. Two points.

>160 bragan: What did you think? I tried to read that once and bounced so hard off the introduction I couldn't continue.

>162 bragan: I learned some interesting things from it, and it and addressed some extremely thought-provoking questions, but I also think it had some serious flaws and didn't do a very good job of justifying its more sweeping statements. I did a review of it, if you want my more detailed thoughts.

>157 bragan: Mmm that sounds lovely.. time to read while on the job! And yeah, that would make a huge difference! And I know what you mean about obsessive reading... it's been a while, but I've been there ;)

and >158 rabbitprincess: Oh yes, when I lived in Chicago, there was more commute-reading time. As it is now, if I read while commuting I'd surely kill someone (I drive ;))

>163 avanders: It is nice, especially on those somewhat too-rare occasions when everything is going smoothly! It does have downsides, though. I've gotten so used to reading with one eye on something else, ready to drop everything else and deal with problems as they come up, that I find that I have become far too easily distracted from what I'm reading even when I'm at home.

Almost forgot to do this for April!

APRIL 2014

Books read: 11
Books acquired: 28 (not counting some cookbooks)
ROOT books read: 10
ROOT points accumulated: 30 (whoo-hoo!)

Current TBR total: 680
ROOT books YTD: 36/100
ROOT points YTD: 86/236

>164 bragan: yeah, I can see that as a downside!
and >165 bragan: Congrats!!

>166 avanders: Of, course, no matter how many points I accumulate, the TBR total is still going up.... :)

37. Stitches: A Memoir by David Small. One point.

>167 bragan: lol ... oh, trust me, I know ;)

>167 bragan: Yes I do too! It's just rediculous!

38. Apocalypse Cow by Michael Logan. Which has got to win the award for the best title of the year. One point.

>171 bragan: A cow zombie apocalypse! Awesome! Thanks for the review.

>172 craso: I just could not resist that one!

That title is udderly unbeatable. :D Are there cow puns in the book as well? That would make it perfect.

>174 rabbitprincess:: Groan! Well, most of the chapter titles are also punny, although not necessarily about cows. The first chapter is called "The Beginning of the Rend."

>175 bragan: giggle... ;)

39. Hey Nostradamus! by Douglas Coupland. One point.

So far, this is shaping up to be a pretty weak month, ROOT-wise. Everything I've been reading is either worth one measly point or doesn't qualify as a ROOT at all. I expect I'll be making up for it soon, though. I'm having surgery in a little over a week, and while I don't know how much reading I'll be up to immediately afterward, I'm going to have a long recovery period in which I'll be off work and forbidden to do, well, pretty much anything that involves any physical activity other than walking. So I am planning to take that time and spend it reading like it's my full-time job! After all, I am getting sick pay, and being paid to do absolutely nothing but sit around reading books all day is a long-standing fantasy of mine. :)

Good luck with the surgery and I hope the recovery goes well!

>187 connie53: Thanks!

40. The Pseudopod Tapes, Vol. 1 by Alasdair Stuart. One more point.

Best of luck for the surgery, bragan!

>181 Jackie_K: Thanks! Hopefully all will go smoothly, and much reading will ensue.

I hope the surgery goes well and you will recuperate soon.

>183 connie53: Thanks to you, too, Connie! I was able to arrange a good long period off of work, so that will help.

>177 bragan: Good luck with your surgery! Have fun reading and write us ROOTers more of your great reviews! ;-)

>185 craso: Thanks! I won't promise the reviews will be as timely as they have been so far, because I might not want to spend loads of time in front of the computer for a while afterward. But they will happen!

And, man, I need to get reading more than ever now. I just got back from a giant library sale and I'm more than a little afraid to actually count my haul...

Do tell, Bragan! Did you count them eventually?

Good luck with your surgery & your ROOT reading while recuperating :)

Good luck, bragan! 'Tis the season, I guess - I get to go find out this afternoon if I have to have surgery.

>187 connie53: I did. The number was... large. Alarmingly large.

OK. It was 63. Sixty-three. Don't ask me how I managed to fit that many books into two bags.

>188 avanders: Thanks! The main thing I am worried about, at least as far as the recuperative reading goes, is if the pain medication makes me too fuzzy or sleepy to read much. (That was kind of the case for a couple of days after I got my wisdom teeth out.) I can't help thinking of that Twilight Zone episode where Burgess Meredith finally has "time enough at last!" to read, and then can't, 'cause he breaks his glasses. Heh. But hopefully I won't be on heavy-duty drugs for long.

>189 jen.e.moore: Oh dear. I wish you good luck! Either with avoiding the surgery, or with it going as well as possible if you have to have it.

Sixty-three!!! That's three times the amount of books I bought this year, impressive! Did one of the bags contain Time too?

>191 connie53: I'm honestly not at all sure how that happened. The whole thing is kind of a blur. :)

>190 bragan: Oh yeah that would stink! I hate pain meds :( Oh yes!! Love that episode! so sad.....
>189 jen.e.moore:, 190, 191 lol I think I was at the same sale... managed to get about 32 in 1 bag, so 63 in 2 makes sense! SUCH a good deal though!!!

>193 avanders: I think we were at the same book sale! And it was just insane. There were more books there than the last time I went, and it was overwhelming even then. But in a good way!

I just looked at your thread. Nice haul of books there! But I had to laugh at the Janet Evanovich novel. I just recently picked up the first couple of books in that series, after a friend recommended them to me, and as soon as I walked into the book sale, there, at the first table, were multiple copies of pretty much every book in the series. So I figured, well, if I like it, it'd be nice to have the whole series on hand, and filled half of one of those bags full of Janet Evanovich.

41. Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley. One point.

>194 bragan: Yes! There were a lot of books AND they kept bringing out more! I finally just squatted down next to their cart to look at the new titles they were putting out :) Fortunately, that library volunteer thought it was endearing and not annoying ;)

Yes I bought One for the Money for my friend who's not read any Evanovich :) I've read the first 5 or 6 and really enjoy them! Hope you do too!

**Edited: whose?! my bad...

Hmm. Last time I went to a library bag sale was in 2010...and I'm still working through the pile of books. *sigh* I'd complain more, but who wants to run out of books?

(good news, no surgery! I can continue to be supportive of everyone else's recovery without worrying about my own!)

>196 avanders: I went through the whole thing and filled two bags up to bursting, and then realized they were shoveling more books out onto the tables. The slightly less sane part of my brain wanted to grab another bag and go through the whole room again, but reason (and tiredness) prevailed. Which is good, because if I'd gotten a third bag, I would have felt compelled to fill it up completely.

>197 jen.e.moore: They have these giant library sales in Albuquerque twice a year. I've only been to a couple in the last couple of years. Before that that, the last time I'd gone was in about 1990, and it's entirely possible I still have some unread books from that one. Those things are dangerous. And they've completely wiped out all the progress I'd made on my TBR pile, and then some. But! But, yes, how can you complain about having too many books? What happens if some horrible disaster strikes and you have to live off your existing supply for years? :)

And, yay, I'm glad to hear you don't need surgery after all! I think there are entirely enough of us doing so already.

42. The Best American Science Writing 2012, edited by Michio Kaku. Two points.

...and that's almost certainly the last one I'm going to finish before my surgery tomorrow. My updating here is likely to become much more sporadic for quite a while, although hopefully, once I get past the first few drugged-up days, my reading will get much less so.

I'll at least try to pop in before the end of the month and make sure my tickers are up to date, but I promise nothing. Catch you all later!

>198 bragan: lol, I know the feeling ;)
>200 bragan: Good luck on your surgery!!

>200 bragan: Good luck with your surgery!

Good luck with your surgery and get well soon.

Yes - Hope your surgery went well and you get back on your feet and reading soon.

Thanks to all for the well-wishes! My surgery did go well, and I have been out of the hospital for a few days now, although I am taking it very slowly, and am still not online very much.

I have finished four books -- four light, easy books my brain can follow while on narcotic painkillers! -- since my surgery:

43. The Book of Totally Useless Information by Don Vorhees. One point.
44. The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. One point.
45. Dave Barry Does Japan by Dave Barry. One point.
46. Blood Lite II: Overbite edited by Keven J. Anderson. Two points.

Very glad to hear the surgery went well! I hope your recovery is speedy and that you get lots of reading done.

Yes - I wish you a speedy and trouble-free recovery, and a clear head for reading! :)

Yes - I wish you a trouble-free recovery and a clear head for reading!

Thanks! I managed one more:

47. The Toaster Project: Or a Heroic Attempt to Build a Simple Electric Appliance from Scratch by Thomas Thwaites. One point.

Ahh, surgery is over. I'm so glad it went well, Bragan. Now for a speedy recovery!

Glad things are going well! Best wishes for the rest of your recovery - and hooray for reading as a distraction!

Thanks again, guys! Things seem to be improving rapidly, which is nice. And it turns out it's not too difficult for me to log my books here as I read them, even if I am now six books behind on my reviews.

So, anyway:

48. The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne DuPrau. Two points.

Yes, I echo the others: wishing you a speedy recovery!
And wow, 6 books while recovering from surgery! Congrats on being almost to your halfway point!

49. Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon. One point. Very near that halfway point now!

Seven books behind on writing reviews on my other thread, now, but at least there's this:

MAY 2014

Books read: 16
Books acquired: 81
ROOT books read: 14
ROOT points accumulated: 16

Current TBR total: 737
ROOT books YTD: 49/100
ROOT points YTD: 102/236

Um, yes. So, this would have been an amazing month for the TBR Pile, if it hadn't been for that library sale. And for the fact that people came to visit me and brought me books. As it is... Well, it's still an amazing month for my TBR pile, just in the wrong direction!

Fortunately, I have literally nothing to do for the next month, during my convalescence, but read. Although I'm still not going to make a dent in that accumulation. Oops.

Well, it's still an amazing month for my TBR pile, just in the wrong direction!
LOL!

There is a huge library book sale Saturday (bag of books $2) that I'm tempted to go to, but am afraid to go to 'cause of the collection of books I have here now that I have not read and have nowhere to keep (unless I buy another bookshelf!) ..... but you know where I'll be Saturday.

So glad you're feeling better. XD

>215 bragan: well it looks like you will have won any 'books acquired' competition! Hope your recovery continues to be smooth and rapid!

I think that's a sign you're recovering nicely! Excellent haul. :D

>216 avidmom:: Buying another bookshelf is usually my course of action in such circumstanes. :)

>217 Jackie_K:: Not exactly the competition I wanted to win, but... books! And, um, four more came in the mail today.... Oops.

>218 rabbitprincess:: I'm reading longer, less brain-dead books now than I was immediately after the surgery. I'm regarding that as a good sign, too!

Speaking of which...

50. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed. One point. I am now at the halfway mark, in terms of my book total! Not quite there on the points yet.

Halfway mark already? Well done! And good to hear you're mending!

>219 bragan: lol.. 4 more, ey? ;)
>216 avidmom: of course you will be! $2/bag? it'd be wrong not to go...

Congrats on your success in ROOTs this month & on meeting your halfway point!
what did you think of Wild: From Lost to Found...? I didn't see your review on the book page..

>221 avanders: Actually, by the end of the day, it was five. Um, oops.

I am way, way behind on writing reviews. I haven't done any since I had my surgery; I'm not spending a lot of time in front of the computer at the moment, for various reasons. I'm hoping to at least start getting caught up soon, though.

I did like Wild, overall.

And, since I really am not doing much but reading at the moment, one more:

51. The Dewey Decimal System by Nathan Larson. One point.

>222 bragan: it happens to the best of us ;) (all of us in this group, I'd venture...)
Ah, just curious about Wild -- I quite enjoyed it, though there were, of course, certain annoying bits.... always curious to hear another opinion on it!

>223 avanders: Yes, I am at least in good company here!

The short version of what my review of Wild will probably say when I get around to writing it: I found it found it well-written, interesting, and sometimes moving, and it did resonate a fair bit with my own much, much more limited hiking experiences. Cheryl Strayed's life and personality and choices resonated with me less well, and I admit sometimes found it difficult not to judge her a little, but I always appreciated her honesty.

Thanks! & I agree w/ your mini-review :)

>225 avanders: I'm finally about to get around to writing reviews of some of this stuff I've been reading, but I think it's going to take me a while...

no worries!! I was really just curious about Wild bc I'd read it recently ;)
You take your time... I'm severely behind on my own reviews... :-}

>227 avanders: I hate being behind. But at least I have a very good excuse! I'm about half caught up now.

After skipping a non-ROOT book:

52. Travels in the Scriptorium by Paul Auster. One point.

>229 bragan: another one I enjoyed :)

>230 avanders: It was an odd book, and I almost feel like it shouldn't have worked as well as it did. But I liked it, too.

53. On Looking: Eleven Walks with Expert Eyes by Alexandra Horowitz. One point. Apparently, I am just going to get there one point at a time.

54. True Grit by Charles Portis. Two points.

55. Starman: The Truth Behind the Legend of Yuri Gagarin by Jamie Doran and Piers Bizony. I've had this one since 2011, so it's worth three points.

Ooooh, awesome. Some day I shall give in and indulge my latent fascination with Soviet cosmonauts.

>235 jen.e.moore: That sounds to me like a good latent fascination to indulge.

56. The Island of the Day Before by Umberto Eco. Now, this one is one heck of a ROOT! I think I've had it since about 1996, and that entire time it's sat there on my various shelves in my various homes, mocking me with my own inability to work up the effort to read it. And, in the end, all it took was a two-month recovery period from major surgery, with nothing to do but read. Take that, book! I have defeated you!

Even better, that nets me another seven points, which puts me exactly at the halfway mark on my points ticker. Yay!

Congrats! I see you didn't love it... :-/
I've still not read any Eco, but he's one of my husband's favorite authors, so I'm looking forward to something one of these days... probably Name of the Rose or Foucault's Pendulum...

>238 avanders: Yes, I'm not sure it was remotely worth waiting all that time for, but ah, well.

I remember finding The Name of the Rose interesting, but it's been so long since I've read it that I'm not sure I recall a single thing about it.

I've been meaning to get to Eco for a while now myself, but I don't have any as old as yours :) nice way to catch up on points in a hurry.

>240 dudes22: Yes, one real old book catapults me forward on the points ticker very handily.

Congratulations! I really love Eco - well, I love The Name of the Rose, and I have Foucault's Pendulum sitting on my bedside table, waiting for me to get started on it.

(I think anyone who likes mysteries or historical fiction would like The Name of the Rose. Brother William is basically a medieval Sherlock Holmes - he's of Baskerville even! - and the sooner you catch on to that joke the easier it is to see the other jokes woven in throughout the story, and the more enjoyable it is.)

>242 jen.e.moore: I wish I remembered The Name of the Rose better, but I really don't think I can quite bring myself around to re-reading it.

Yeah, I think I'll really enjoy at least those 2... :)

57. Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber. Two points.

58. Trail of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz. One point.

59. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Two points.

Woo! You're speeding through your tracker!

I am! I guess that's the benefit of being off work for two month, with nothing much to do but rest up and read.

Sounds amazing :)

60. Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton. One point.

I look at Humans of New York on facebook - I love his portraits!

>252 Jackie_K: The book is well worth a look, too! Although I think the photos in it might be ones that have already appeared online.

61. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. I've had this one since 2009, so it's worth five points.

That one keeps coming back up ... I've had several friends tell me I should read it... it's there on my wishlist!

>255 avanders: It's a good one! I'm kind of sorry it took me this long to get to it.

62. Hallucinations by Oliver Sacks. Two points.

You are really doing great, Bragan!

>258 connie53: It might last for another week or so. After that, I'm off medical leave and heading back to work soon. :)

>259 bragan: Well, take advantage of it while you can! There's got to be some benefit to medical leave, after all...

>260 jen.e.moore: Getting lots of books read has pretty much been the one upside! Well, that and not having to think about work for a while. :)

63. The Last Policeman. One point.

So, that was June! Given that I spent the entire month forbidden from doing much of anything other than reading, I actually finished fewer books than I expected. But some of them were big, meaty books, including a couple that had been languishing on the TBR shelves for a very, very long time. So I cannot say that, ROOT-wise, it was anything but productive!

JUNE 2014

Books read: 18
Books acquired: 6
ROOT books read:14
ROOT points accumulated: 30

Current TBR total: 733
ROOT books YTD: 63/100
ROOT points YTD: 132/236

Hurray! Excellent work. It must feel very good to finally read some of the long-term residents of the TBR shelves.

>264 rabbitprincess:: It really does! And I've got another one of those going right now, too.

Those look like some good numbers for me. Especially getting through some big books. I always feel like there isn't enough time for those. I've got Les Miserables in my TBR and keep putting it off.

>266 dudes22: Despite finally getting to a couple, I've still got a lot of them sitting on the shelves, some of them much longer than any of the ones I read this month. I seem to have gotten into the habit of, at the start of each year, staring at The Brothers Karamazov and saying to myself, "Maybe this will be the year I'll read that," without actually much believing it.

>263 bragan: 18 books in 1 month?! I don't know what you were expecting, but that's a LOT to me! Even for someone not permitted to do anything else...
Congrats!

>266 dudes22: haha I've had Les Mis on my shelves for years too! One day (not today)...

>268 avanders: I think my record since I've been keeping track here on LT was 20 books in one month. But those were, on average, much shorter books, I'm sure.

>269 Jackie_K: - I have it on my e-reader and keep thinking I'll read it while walking the treadmill in the winter, thus accomplishing 2 things at once. But I just haven't gotten to it yet.

And, launching right into July...

64. The Bridge by Iain Banks. Like the Umberto Eco I read a couple of weeks ago, this is one of those books that'd been on the TBR pile so long it had almost reached a kind of mythic status. Seven points!

>270 bragan: wow! even so, 20 books in one month... that's fantastic.

>273 avanders: Some months, I don't have much of a life. :)

Those are good months ;)

65. Embassytown by China Miéville . Two points.

66. Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues by Diana Rowland. One point.

67. The Dangerous World of Butterflies by Peter Laufer. Two points.

I continue to appreciate your progress and reviews! I like seeing a lot of my TBR's on your "just read" list ;)

>279 avanders: Hopefully the good ones!

Mostly ;)

How did you like The Dangerous World of Butterflies? I read it a few years ago and found myself rather fascinated by the capture of the Japanese butterfly smuggler (don't remember his name at present) to the point that I read Winged Obsession by Jessica Speart (though I found that she told the story less cohesively than Laufer).

I thought the subject matter was interesting, definitely including the story about the butterfly smuggler, but Laufer's writing never really gripped me all that much. Also, it needed pictures!

68. Flim-Flam!: Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions by James Randi. Three points.

Definitely agreed on the pictures!

69. Shelf Life: Fantastic Stories Celebrating Bookstores edited by Greg Ketter. One point.

Well, I'm just now getting caught up reading posts. Congratulations on your good recovery from surgery! Being back at work is going okay, I hope? I would guess the hardest thing might be the abrupt weaning off being able to read all the time, lol!

Glad to hear you are doing well. :)

>287 Merryann: Thanks! Indeed, all went very well, and I am back at work with no problems at all, apart from being suddenly reminded of just how annoying my job can be. It's funny, because by the end of my period of leave/enforced rest, I was starting to go stir crazy, wanting to be up and around and, for the first time in my life, actually getting tired of reading. But you are so very, very right: now, all I want to do is to go back to being off and not having anything to do but read again!

Thank goodness for weekends, huh? :)

>289 Merryann: I'm wishing I had more in the way of weekends right now! I had to put in some hours this past weekend so I can take Thurs. and Fri. off, because I have a friend coming to visit for a couple of days (during which time I'm sure I will get no reading done). And then I work all next weekend. Sigh. Well, at least next week I'll get three days in a row off.

Yep, that book-reading spree I had in June was more than offset by the book-buying spree I had in July:

JULY 2014

Books read: 12
Books acquired: 39
ROOT books read: 7
ROOT points accumulated: 16

Current TBR total: 755
ROOT books YTD: 69/100
ROOT points YTD: 148/236

I love your system! Keep on top of it, you'll get there!

>292 reflexandresolve: Thanks. I'm doing well with the ROOT totals. Less well with the TBR totals. :)

90. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Three points.

Just waving: HI!!

>295 connie53: Hi, Connie! :)

91. Carrie by Stephen King. One point.

Well on your way to meeting your goal! Congrats!

>298 Tess_W: Yes! And thanks! Although I've slowed down quite a bit this month, as I'm reading more non-ROOT books.

72. Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. Two points.

And I just realized I had the last two books listed as being number 90 and 91. Whoops! No, I'm not quite that close to my goal, but I am still on track.

tee hee... How nice would that be! But you're still ahead of schedule!

>301 avanders: Yes, I think that must have been wishful thinking! But, yup, still doing good. :)

Good job, Bragan!

Thanks! Although this month really is turning out to be pretty slow, ROOT-wise.

I really am succumbing far too much to the lure of the shiny new books this month. But here's one more ROOT, at least:

73. Obsolete: An Encyclopedia of Once-Common Things Passing Us By by Anna Jane Grossman. Two points.

>305 bragan: it happens ;)

>300 bragan: Peter and the Starcatchers is a really fat book. Thus, I've sort of been avoiding it How did you like it?

>307 Merryann: I enjoyed it! It's definitely a different vision of Peter Pan than J.M. Barrie's, but it's a fun, entertaining book, the kind that can work just as well for kids or adults. And, even if it's a bit thick, it's a very fast read, and not nearly as long as it looks.

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

74. Rabid: A Cultural History of the World's Most Diabolical Virus by Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy. Two points.

Hello, September!

AUGUST 2014

Books read: 11
Books acquired: 4
ROOT books read: 5
ROOT points accumulated: 10

Current TBR total: 749
ROOT books YTD: 74/100
ROOT points YTD: 158/236

Well, that's a good acquired-to-read ratio for the month, even if it wasn't exactly a stellar month for the ROOTS.

75. The Mauritius Command by Patrick O'Brian. Two points.

76. Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error by Kathryn Shulz. Two points.

(I seem to be reading a lot of two-pointers lately. Apparently I've just been naturally gravitating towards books that have been on the shelves for a couple of year.s)

>312 bragan: Thumb for the review! That book is on my to-read list.

>313 rabbitprincess: Thanks! I definitely recommend it.

77. Biting the Sun by Tanith Lee. This one is a seven-pointer, having been on the TBR Pile approximately forever. Well, sort of, anyway. This particular copy is pretty new, since my emergency back-up Santa in last year's SantaThing apparently didn't see it in my catalog and sent it to me, along with a couple of other very cool books I didn't already have. So I replaced the old, somewhat wilted-looking copy that had been on the shelves forever with the shiny new one. But even if it isn't the same physical book, it totally still counts!

Yes, of course it counts!

78. Peter and the Shadow Thieves by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. Two points.

79. The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost. One point.

80. Allison Hewitt is Trapped by Madeline Roux. One point.

I don't know how the heck it's October already, but OK:

AUGUST
Books read: 8
Books acquired: 13
ROOT books read: 6
ROOT points accumulated: 15

Current TBR total: 752
ROOT books YTD: 80/100
ROOT points YTD: 173/236

Well, that was a pretty pitiful showing, overall. I am definitely getting a bit behind schedule on the points, even if ROOT book total is looking good.

I know, September flew by so quickly! But I don't mind... I love October!
Looks pretty good for group purposes ;)

October is nice! And I'm heading into it feeling much less stressed out than I was in September, which I'm hoping will be good for my ability to get some more reading done.

Less stress is important! Good luck w/ your reading! :)

>323 avanders: Thanks!

81. Snake Oil Science: The Truth About Complementary and Alternative Medicine by R. Barker Bausell. That's six points, so at least I'm starting October off strong!

You go!!!!!

>326 connie53: I'm trying! Got a couple of non-ROOTs in progress and up next, though...

Non ROOT are good too. Just enjoy the reading. That's the important thing to do.

Not much of my reading lately is really exciting me, which is a little sad. But at least I have another really old ROOT going right now.

>328 connie53: agreed :D
>329 bragan: that is sad!! Maybe put some of your current books down and pick up something that will get you back in the spirit again? Sometimes I have to turn back to a tried-and-true (like Harry Potter) to get me there :)

>330 avanders: Ah, well, I figure I will just keep reading, and eventually something will hit the spot!

True enough :)

>332 avanders: It's always worked in the past. :)

82. Outspoken: Free Speech Stories by Nan Levinson. Now, this one was a read oldie. You know how it is with those books that you think you should read because they're about Very Important Subjects, but keep putting off forever because Very Important Subjects don't look like much fun? Anyway, 'tis read now. Seven points!

>334 bragan: But was it much fun? :)

>335 Jackie_K: I wouldn't say fun, but some of it was interesting. :)

Yay for 7 points! And congrats on reading such an important oldie! ;)

>337 avanders: Thank you!

I am back to reading a non-ROOT again now, but it is exactly the really great read I've been looking for lately, so that's all good. :)

Yay! So nice to find that "really great read" :)

It is! I've been having a busy and slightly annoying week this week, and a good book just totally hit the spot.

83. One for the Books by Joe Queenan. One point.

84. NOS4A2 by Joe Hill. One point.

85. God's Problem by Bart D. Ehrman. Four points.

OCTOBER

Books read: 8 (and I really wish I knew why my reading has slowed down this much lately)
Books acquired: 18 (Damn you, library sale!)
ROOT books read: 5
ROOT points accumulated: 19

Current TBR total: 762
ROOT books YTD: 85/100
ROOT points YTD: 192/236

It's looking reasonably likely (although not certain) that I'll make my total books goal by the end of the year, but much less likely (although not impossible) that I'll make the points goal.

83. Three Graves Full by Jamie Mason. One point.

>344 bragan: mine has slowed too.... maybe it's just fall coming :)
And I know what you mean.... We've got that big library clearance sale coming up this weekend!!

>346 avanders: I'm not sure what my slowage is due to. I'm thinking maybe just a combination of a natural reaction after all that sustained reading I did while I was recovering from surgery, plus having a few more non-reading things to do with my time lately, plus having chosen a lot of not-exactly-zippy books off the TBR shelves. (Even a lot of the ones I thought were going to be fast, easy reads have turned out not to be.) Mostly, I just can't figure out where all my time is going, though.

And I swore to myself I wasn't going to the giant library sale this month. (Speaking of time flying... It seems like we only just had one of those! I've barely read any of the books I bought last time!) I am notoriously bad at keeping those resolutions, though, so it's fortunate that I have something going on this weekend and won't be able to go. :)

>347 bragan: those are all great reasons to explain "slowage"! :) But it sure can be frustrating when time seems to be disappearing like that!
Heh heh - sounds like good planning ;) For me, this is one of the times when I allow myself to buy whatever... I just can't complain w/ prices like that! ;)

>348 avanders: I didn't actually plan it that way, but I should probably be grateful that's how it worked out. Because I honestly cold not fit another haul as big as the last one on my shelves. (And yet, some part of me is still disappointed.)

And, yeah, at those prices there seems like absolutely no reason not to just grab anything that looks interesting! Which, of course, is precisely the problem...

LOL, tis a disease we all suffer from!

>350 Tess_W: And there appears to be no cure. :)

>349 bragan: lol well I'm glad it worked out for you anyway ;)

>351 bragan: No cure at all!

87. Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness by Edward Abbey. This one's worth seven points, because I've had it for ages and ages and ages. (And it turns out to be one of those really old books where I can't help wondering what on earth took me so long.)

I had one like that last month. Gives one pause to wonder what else is languishing.

>355 dudes22: I've had a few like that lately. Which is one reason why the ROOTs challenge is good.

>356 bragan: Yes, that's really what's making me ROOT too. To find those jewels buried for so long within my TBR!

88. Voices from the Moon: Apollo Astronauts Describe Their Lunar Experiences by Andrew Chaikin, with Victoria Kohl. Three points. And yet another one that should not have taken me this long.

89. The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. Four points.

And, man... It's looking like I may not meet my points total this year, but on the basis of how many good books it's prompted me to read that I might otherwise not have gotten to, I may count this challenge a success, anyway.

Yay! Sounds like success to me :)

90. Camp Concentration by Thomas M. Disch. Three points.

>359 bragan: Good Thinking! Are you in next year?

>362 connie53: I am most definitely in next year! Although I am debating whether to do the same kind of points system again or not.

91. The Secret Life of Pronouns by James W. Pennebaker. One point.

92. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. One point.

93. The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2011 edited by Dave Eggers. One point.

94. The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker. Two points.

>367 bragan: Great review! Thumb :)

>368 rabbitprincess: Thank you! Although I fear it might say more about me than it does about the book. :)

NOVEMBER

Books read: 12
Books acquired: 2 (That's what having no time or money for book shopping will do for ya!)
ROOT books read: 9
ROOT points accumulated: 14

Current TBR total: 752
ROOT books YTD: 94/100
ROOT points YTD: 215/236

So, generally, a very good month! I do think it's unlikely that I'll make my points goal by the end of December, but it's not impossible, and at the very least I'm going to come close.

95. The Book of Questions by Gregory Stock. OK, this little thing barely even qualifies as a book, and I almost feel guilty about listing it. But it was sitting on my TBR shelves, being counted as a book there, and now it's off my TBR shelves, and I did read the whole thing. So it counts! And since it had been there since approximately the Jurassic period, it counts as seven points.

The book I'm about to start next is also worth 7 points, so, hey, I might actually make the points goal yet!

lol to the Jurassic Period!

>372 Tess_W: Heh, well, sometime in the 90s, anyway. Close enough. :)

Keep on reading, you can do it.

>374 connie53: Current book is taking a while, but I'm nearly finished with it now!

96. Eight Little Piggies: Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould. Seven points! Whoo-hoo!

Although I fear the state of my TBR pile may have suffered due to the fact that I, um, had a wee little accident in a bookstore the other day. :)

lol
I know the feeling..... ;)

>377 avanders: And then today a friend visited me and brought me more books... I may be running out of shelf space for the TBR again now.

Oh no! But really, it's a nice thing :)
SO exciting, but then, where are they all going to go?! ;)
Enjoy!

Clearly, I just need to read faster. That's always the answer, right?

For me, that's always the hope! :)

97. Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch. One point.

>380 bragan:, It doesn't seem to make any difference how fast you read, one still collects books at a faster pace!

>383 Tess_W: So very, very true. It seems to be some kind of natural law.

98. All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy. Two points.

Almost there!

99. Shadow Show: All-New Stories in Celebration of Ray Bradbury edited by Sam Weller and Mort Castle. Two points.

Just one book and two points. You can do it!

I can! The book I've just started will put me right up and over! :)

>386 bragan: Oh, I read that! What did you think?

>389 avanders: I was disappointed by the first few stories, and had prepared myself to be disappointed by the whole thing, when suddenly they started getting really good, and by the end I was quite happy with it.

Although, more than anything, I think it made me want to go read some more Bradbury.

Yeah... I think that's about how I felt.. It's been a while, so don't remember details, but I know it was a little up and down. ;)

>392 avanders: Aww, thank you! And a very merry, happy one to you!

100. The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer.

And with that, I have met my ROOTs goal for the year! Yaaaay! Even more yay, this one is worth three points, so it puts me up and over on my points ticker for the year as well. I DONE DID IT!

Wooo Hooo! Congrats!!

Thank you! *drops balloons, throws confetti* :)

Yay! Congrats! Also, good review. The Time Traveller's Guide is on my to-read list :)

>397 rabbitprincess: I do recommend it.

Congratulations! Well done!!

Great job! Congratulations!

Well done!

Thank you all!

A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, Bragan.

And yeahhhhh! You did it!

>403 connie53: And to you, Connie!

Congrats!

>405 Tess_W: Thank you!

And one more ROOT before the end of the year:

101. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. One point. Meaning I'm one book past my goal on my books ticker, and two points past it on the points ticker. Yay!

It is unlikely, but not impossible, that I will sneak one more book in before the year is officially over, but even if I do, it will definitely not be a ROOT, so that looks that it is, in fact, my final total. I will be back, though, for a month-end and year-end wrap-up before heading off into 2015.

And, nope, it looks like I'm not going to finish another book before the end of the year, so it is time to see where I stand. Here's my stats for December:

DECEMBER

Books read: 9
Books acquired: 29 (plus one cookbook, but that doesn't count)
ROOT books read: 7
ROOT points accumulated: 23

Current TBR total: 772
ROOT books YTD: 101/100
ROOT points YTD: 238/236

As you can see, I made a great end-of-the-year push to meet my points total goal. I also added way too many books to the TBR. I... don't know what happened there. Well, OK, yes I do. There was a little accident at a bookstore, and my local library deciding to hold a mini book sale once a month in addition to their regular twice-a-year-ones, and Christmas presents, and StantaThing, and me going out and buying the books I wanted for Christmas but didn't get, and...

Sigh. Yeah. I may be doing pretty well with pulling up the ol' roots, but the TBR Pile just keeps getting more and more out of control. I remember a day, not all that long ago, when I swore with fervent, naive confidence that I would never let the TBR total get up about 400 again. And now here I am, heading rapidly towards doubling that number.

Right! Clearly I just need to read even more in 2015! My new ROOT thread for the new year can be found here. Hope to see you all there, and I wish everyone much joy of their reading over the year to come!

>408 bragan: wow! That's quite the tbr pile! I haven't counted mine yet...I guess I'll have to do that in the morning... :)

Congrats again on your roots successes!

>409 avanders: It's getting a bit ridiculous, honestly. :)

And thanks!