FamilyHistorian's ROOT Challenge for 2016 - page 3

October was a good or bad month for acquisitions depending on your point of view. I went to so many events that had books on offer and I couldn't just say “no.” I was on vacation for a week and a few days because I wanted time to take in everything. On Saturday the 15th there was a one day genealogy seminar, the following Wednesday and Thursday and attended authors' talks and presentation at the Vancouver Writer's Festival and then Friday, Saturday and Sunday I spend the days at the Surrey International Writers' Conference. This resulted in a pile of books acquired for the month.

The Improbability of Love by Hannah Rothschild
The House Girl by Tara Conklin
The Wrong Kind of Blood by Declan Hughes
The Lewis Man by Peter May
We're All in This Together by Amy Jones
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
The Lucky Guide to Mastering Any Style by Kim France and Andrea Linett
The Books of Magic by Neil Gaiman
Ghosts from Our Past: Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal by Erin Gilbert and Abby L. Yates
It's Never Too Late to Begin Again: Discovering Creativity and Meaning at Midlife and Beyond by Julia Cameron
Surnames, DNA, & Family History by George Redmonds, Turi King, and David Hey
The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy by Blaine T. Bettinger
The Dead Horse Investigation: Forensic Photo Analysis for Everyone by Colleen Fitzpatrick
Common People: The History of an English Family by Alison Light
Irish Family History Resources online by Chris Paton
The Art of Creative Nonfiction: Writing and Selling the Literature of Reality by Lee Gutkind
Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint by Nancy Kress
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
Story Engineering: Mastering the 6 Core Competencies of Successful Writing by Larry Brooks
1776 by David McCullough
A Nation of Shopkeepers: Five Centuries of British Retailing by John Benson & Laura Ugolini
Unlocking the Past: How Archaelogists Are Rewriting Human History with Ancient DNA by Martin Jones
London by Martin Hurlimann
Dirty Old London: The Victorian Fight Against Filth by Lee Jackson
Upper Canada: The Formative Years, 1784-1841 by Gerald M. Craig
The Promise of Canada: 150 Years – People and Ideas That Have Shaped Our Country by Charlotte Gray

My Little Free Library Acquisitions were much more respectable.

Not Dead Yet by Peter James
a life of being, having, and doing enough by Wayne Muller
A Midsummer Night's Scream by Jill Churchill
A Groom with a View by Jill Churchill

Happy new thread! That pile of books looks very inviting!

Yes, happy new thread! That sounds like a very good haul!

>5 MissWatson: >6 Jackie_K: It was fun getting the books and they will be great to read but the hard part will be finding a place for them on the shelves.

>7 Familyhistorian: Yes, I know. I've decided I need extension units for my bookcases.

>8 MissWatson: I am at the point where I refuse to get more bookcases as I have 7 full size ones and many smaller ones and my walk-in closet is full of books. I am starting to cull books. Unfortunately, not as fast as I am adding them.

Happy new thread! You acquired a lot of great new books! :)
>7 Familyhistorian: finding a place on the shelves... yes, that's always the challenge ;)

& only 3 more ROOTs until you make your goal!

>9 Familyhistorian: Yeah, that's the greatest challenge of all: adding less than you discard. I'm still working on that.

>10 avanders: It is only one more book, Ava. I just have to post about the last two and figure out which one will make the goal as I have a few ROOTs on the go right now.

>11 MissWatson: Even breaking even would work. I think I have to work on that!

48. The Local: A History of the English Pub

I found the book The Local: A History of the English Pub to be a great resource when writing my blog posts about Pubs and the Publican. The book has been sitting on my shelves for a few years and will go back there as a handy reference.

>12 Familyhistorian: so exciting!! I love being that close to my goals.... :)

>15 avanders: I should be able to get to my goal and past it this month, Ava.

>16 Familyhistorian: I have no doubts! :)

Almost there, Ava.

49. The Promised Land: Settling the West 1896-1914 by Pierre Berton

My personal library has lots of history books as history is a definite interest of mine, particularly history that ties into my genealogy research. I found Pierre Berton's The Promised Land: Settling the West 1896-1914 a very interesting read.

50. Archetypes: who are you? by Caroline Myss

I had good intentions when I read Archetypes: who are you?. I thought that it would be good to read and cull my self-help shelves. But I think this one will come in useful when writing about different characters. I'll just have to read another book that I can cull.

51. Only Beloved by Mary Balogh

For a breather in the non-fiction histories I have been reading, I read Only Beloved an historical romance by Mary Balogh. If nothing else, it reminded me that I am capable of reading quickly something that I often forget when I get bogged down in a lot of non-fiction.

You've reached your goal, congratulations!

>22 MissWatson: Thanks. It took longer than I thought it would!

Hurray for meeting your goal!

>24 rabbitprincess: Finally, it is all gravy from now to the end of December!

>25 Familyhistorian: Isn't that a lovely feeling!

>26 MissWatson: Yes, the pressure is off.

yeah, congrats!

Thanks, Tess. I have been neglecting my ROOTs thread and all the ROOTers shamefully this year. Who knew that writing a blog would take so much time, oh and the 128 hours of overtime so far this year took up some LT time as well. I will try to do better next year and should be able to improve, at least by the end of the year as I look forward to retirement.

52. Blood and Daring: How Canada Fought the American Civil War and Forged a Nation by John Boyko

One more ROOT for the month, another non-fiction book. Blood and Daring was a very interesting look at British North America during the American Civil War. I didn't realize how close the colonies came to being annexed by the United States.

I'm a little late to the party here, but Congrats on reaching your goal!!

>31 avanders: Thanks, Ava!

I acquired fewer books in November. Part of the reason was because my Little Free Library seems to have closed down for the season. I just hope it starts back up again in the Spring. Here are the books I bought in November:

The Silent Boy by Andrew Taylor
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
The Devil's Flood by Pearl R. Meaker
The Underground Railroad: Next Stop Toronto by Adrienne Shadd, Afua Cooper and Karolyn Smardz Frost
The Vikings and Their Enemies: Warfare in Northern Europe, 750-1100 by Philip Line
The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee
A Brief History of Medicine by Paul Strathern
In These Times: Living in Britain through Napoleon's Wars 1793-1815 by Jenny Uglow
Blood: The Stuff of Life by Lawrence Hill
The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature by Matt Ridley
Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

>33 Familyhistorian: sad about the little free library! But looks like you have a nice collection of acquisitions all the same :)

>34 avanders: I was surprised when the little free library wasn't there, Ava. But the post that it sat on is still there and unoccupied so I think it will come back.

>35 Familyhistorian: interesting.. maybe they were just concerned about the weather & mold? Hopefully it comes back!

>36 avanders: Well, it is the rainy season so that might be part of it but also they have to replace the glass on the front of it quite often as it is broken frequently and probably the longer nights wouldn't have helped with the breakage problem.

oooh yeah that makes sense too :(

>39 Familyhistorian: It probably wouldn't have fared well in the snow and freezing cold weather we have had for the last little while either. It is not our usual weather and we are all hoping it will be over soon. We are not equipped for winter weather.

I know that pain! The newer houses in Albuquerque are generally fine when it actually gets cold (which it does sometimes ;)), but some of the older ones have *major* issues! I had a friend whose entire pipe system just burst & broke several years ago when the temperatures hit the low single-digits. Such a pain...
Hope you have warmer weather soon!

Thanks, Ava. We are not used to the cold and it isn't even winter yet!

Just stopping by to say hi, Meg!

Hi Tess, thanks for the visit. I am hoping to keep up with my ROOTs buddies more next year. Things got away from me this year when the number of ROOTers increased and I started having less time for LT.

>43 Familyhistorian: Don't feel bad. Posting got away from me, also as I added two additional courses to my teaching load.

>44 Tess_W: Yes, jobs have a way of taking away time for other pursuits don't they? So far this year I have worked 152 hours of overtime. No wonder I feel like I can't catch up with myself!

>43 Familyhistorian: I can so relate! we understand :)

>46 avanders: That is the wonderful thing about LT, people wonder where you have gone and welcome you back. LTers are a wonderful bunch!

>47 Familyhistorian: I agree! I try to explain to friends why I prefer LT to Goodreads and it's hard to do (since the interface is less ... pretty) ... but I think that's a very integral part of it!

>48 avanders: I have never tried Goodreads. Are you a member there too, Ava?

>49 Familyhistorian: yep - I think I started on Goodreads and then, shortly thereafter, went to LT... But Goodreads is where my RL book group has a page..

>50 avanders: Did your RL book group introduce you to online reader's sites?

Happy holidays, Meg!

>51 Familyhistorian: online readers' sites.... ?
If you mean LT or Goodreads, no. I introduced them ;) Do you mean other sites?

Also,

>52 Tess_W: Have a great holiday season, Tess!

>53 avanders: That answers my question, Ava. So you found out about the on-line site like LT and Goodreads first. Guess you were on the leading edge.

Thanks for the holiday wishes. I hope that you have a Happy Holiday season!

53. Nice Girls Can Finish First by Daylie Deanna Schwartz

I am a sucker for self help books. Maybe if I actually read them and recycle I will have room to put my new acquisitions. That's my theory and I'm going with it. Unfortunately some I have read and want to keep. Nice Girls Can Finish First is good and has some interesting advice but I am ok with letting it go.

>57 Tess_W: Very decorative, Tess. Have a great Christmas.

54. The Clerkenwell Tales by Peter Ackroyd

Peter Ackroyd's The Clerkenwell Tales is a medieval thriller told through the eyes of different Londoners. It was a very interesting way of conveying the story and I am glad to have finally read it, the first read of the many Ackroyd books on my shelves.

>55 Familyhistorian: lol it's funny bc in the "grand scheme of things," I'm not all that technology forward (though I do enjoy it), but compared w/ the vast majority of my RL friends, I sure am! So yes, I was definitely on the leading edge, at least w/ them ;)

>60 avanders: It is strange because I am no techie either but find that I actually know more than people who are supposed to know more because they are younger than me. I think they just know what they have to but didn't keep up with technology as it evolved. Not that I did but I have a smattering more than they do. It probably helps that I had to use a lot of it while I was taking courses which I did up until last May.

55. A Christmas Promise by Mary Balogh

I searched my shelves for a Christmas themed book and found A Christmas Promise. I like Balogh's Regency romances and this one was a good one.

56. Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood & the Prison of Belief by Lawrence Wright

I finally finished my book for the May non-fiction challenge. It took me a while to get through Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, & the Prison of Belief. I always wanted to know more about Scientology and now I know much more.

>62 Familyhistorian:
>63 Familyhistorian:

Looks like a great couple of reads!

>64 Tess_W: They were. I do like variety.

57. Gendered Pasts: Historical Essays in Femininity and Masculinity in Canada edited by Kathryn McPherson, Cecilia Morgan and Nancy M. Forestell

Another ROOT for 2016. Gendered Pasts: Historical Essays in Femininity and Masculinity in Canada has been on my shelves for years. The non-fiction reading challenge finally got me to read it.

58. London Under by Peter Ackroyd

One last ROOT for 2016. London Under was also read for the non-fiction challenge. It is a very interesting look at what lies beneath London's streets.

Happy New Year! See you in the new 2017 group... :)

>68 avanders: Hi Ava, thanks for your visit. Hope you visit me on my 2017 thread too.

>69 Familyhistorian: but of course ;)