JULY ROOT - Progress Thread

FLOWER OF THE MONTH = WATER LILY









Password is ROOTS

A water lily is also known as a lotus. Depictions of the lotus can be traced back to the tombs of ancient Egypt. The water lily is an important symbol in many religions including Buddhism and Hinduism.

Water lilies are some of the world's most beautiful and recognizable plants. Elegant water lilies are the glorious floral topping to classic frog-laden lily pads. At night, they gently close. Tropical varieties bloom during any time of the day or night, and blooms stay open until they fade. Water lily flowers are as different as their origins, though their shapes and petals are similar. Hardy, native water lilies have simpler flowers that retain a watery wildflower-like look and are commonly white and yellow. Besides being the birth flower for July, the blue lotus, is also the celebrated national flower of Sri Lanka, a country off the southeastern coast of India.

Water lilies are deep-water plants that are popular in water gardens around the world. A perennial freshwater herb, the lily grows in temperate and tropical climates.The plant is native to the eastern portions of North America and southern Canada. The fragrant water lily was introduced as an ornamental plant for water gardens in the early 1800s, and is now grown throughout North America. Other varieties of water lilies are native in different countries. Hardy water lilies can remain outdoors even in winter in temperate climates. Tropical species of water lilies are considered annuals. The leaves and flowers of the water lily float on the surface of water, but its rhizomes are rooted in soil below the water's surface. Though its leaves and flowers vary depending on species, all water lilies have a singular bloom, usually in shades of pink, red, white, yellow or blue.

The flowers appear from June to September. Most blooms open in the morning and close in the early afternoon, although some varieties--such as the maroon beauty and Jennifer Rebecca--bloom at night. Flowers will bloom for two to seven days on most varieties.

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

ahef1963 0 / 100 0.0%
alexa_d 87 / 100 ★★★★★ 87.0%
Ameise1★ 12 / 12 100.0%
arubabookwoman 0 / 36 0.0%
Bcteagirl 7 / 20 35.0%
benitastrnad★ 65 / 60 108.3%
bg853 2 / 25 8.0%
bookworm148 1 / 20 5.0%
bragan 37 / 50 ★★★ 74.0%
brakketh 11 / 30 36.7%
ca_dmv 9 / 12 ★★★★ 75.0%
clue 32 / 50 ★★ 64.0%
connie53 33 / 42 ★★★★ 78.6%
crazy4reading 7 / 38 18.4%
curioussquared 34 / 50 ★★★ 68.0%
CurrerBell 20 / 40 ★ 50.0%
cyderry 37 / 84 44.0%
deep220 13 / 50 26.0%
detailmuse 19 / 40 47.5%
DissamblyOfReason 13 / 100 13.0%
easy-reader 0 / 50 0.0%
enemyanniemae 42 / 50 ★★★★★ 84.0%
Erratic_Charmer 28 / 40 ★★★ 70.0%
Familyhistorian 52 / 65 ★★★★ 80.0%
FAMeulstee★ 24 / 24 100.0%
floremolla 21 / 50 42.0%
fuzzi 41 / 100 41.0%
HelenBaker 27 / 48 ★ 56.3%
Henrik_Madsen 29 / 50 ★ 58.0%
humouress 27 / 40 ★★★ 67.0%
Jackie_K 42 / 60 ★★★ 70.0%
Jacksonian 4 / 75 5.3%
jenknox 13 / 100 13.0%
kac522 34 / 45 ★★★★ 75.6%
karenmarie 23 / 30 ★★★★ 76.7%
klarusu 2 / 36 5.6%
Kristelh 35 / 45 ★★★★ 77.8%
Kwharton 3 / 12 25.0%
LadyBookworth 21 / 30 ★★★ 70.0%
lindapanzo 25 / 48 ★ 52.1%
lilisin 29 / 50 ★ 58.0%
LoraShouse 9 / 15 ★★ 60.0%
leslie.98★ 94 / 75 125.3%
madhatter22 15 / 50 30.0%
majkia★ 63 / 60 105.0%
mandymarie20★ 42 / 25 168.0%
martencat 17 / 30 ★ 56.7%
Mary_Mignano 1 / 50 2.0%
Miss_Moneypenny★ 56 / 50 112.0%
MissSos 5 / 25 20.0%
MissWatson★ 51 / 50 102.0%
nebula21 20 / 48 41.7%
Nickelini★ 15 / 15 100.0%
Quaisior 10 / 50 20.0%
rabbitprincess 53 / 60 ★★★★★ 88.3%
rainpebble 29 / 36 ★★★★ 80.6%
readergirliz 12 / 32 37.5%
readingtangent★ 25 / 24 104.2%
Rebeki 16 / 24 ★★★ 66.7%
ritacate 14 / 24 ★★ 58.3%
Robertgreaves 61 / 90 ★★★ 67.8%
rocketjk 17 / 27 ★★ 63.0%
rosalita 32 / 36 ★★★★★ 88.9%
Sace★ 18 / 18 100.0%
sallylou61 24 / 30 ★★★★ 80.0%
si 8 / 20 40.0%
sibylline 11 / 30 36.7%
This-n-That 4 / 20 20.0%
torontoc 22 / 30 ★★★ 73.3%
tuna.moriarty 3 / 200 1.5%
Val_Reads 1 / 100 1.0%
vestafan 43 / 60 ★★★ 71.7%
wandaly 11 / 18 ★★ 61.1%



We had some avid readers that reached their goals this month -- benitastrnad, FAMeulstee, majkia, MissWatson, Nickelini, and Sace!

They joined Ameise1, mmandymarie20, Miss_Moneypenny, readingtangent and leslie.98 by reaching their goal!

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

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

rosalita 88.9%
rabbitprincess 88.3%
alexa_d 87.0%
enemyanniemae 84.0%

So go out there and dig those ROOTs.

The goal for July is 2,058.

Sorry about the delay, but I just received my new PC and I was playing with it!

New computers are fun! I had to get a new computer back in April because my 10-year-old laptop could not withstand the demands of working remotely. And now I've got a beautiful new desktop computer with a huge screen and it's heaven!

Yay for new computers! And yay that we are ahead of the curve! Thanks for all you do, Cheli.

Ooh, a new computer! What fun!

I've just updated my thread and tickers for June with 5 ROOTS, taking my total to 27.

Water lilies and lotuses are different though they're both water plants. Sorry to be finicky - I have an aunt who loves lotuses and I usually get them mixed up.



Last week I went for a bike ride just before sunset along the canal near our house with my younger son, who learned to ride at the beginning of the lockdown so he's really keen to go out. On the way home I stopped to take photos of water lilies that had been closed on our way out and had opened up after dark. Unfortunately, when I got back on my bike, I discovered that I had a flat, so I had to wheel my bike home. Uphill :0/ Well, I got my exercise! ;0)

I noticed in the statistics up top that I have over-reached my goal. I am not surprised. I can't believe how much reading I did while at home. In May I read a total of 17 books (not all of them ROOTS) and in April I read 15 (again, not all were ROOTS). In talking with friends and here on LT I know that some people had problems concentrating on reading during the lockdowns. That wasn't the case for me. I had the opposite problem. I had always said that when I retired I was going to stay at home for the first six months and read. People doubted me, but I have to say I enjoyed all the extra time with the books. Not going out to visit friends or meet them someplace freed up big blocks of time for me to read. I am sure that my reading will slow now that I am back at my work desk. But my April, May, and June numbers were sure impressive - if I do say so myself.

>2 cyderry: Happy new computer! Thanks for putting up the new thread :)

Hoping to reach my goal this month!

>2 cyderry: Ah, the joys of a new computer! It does take some tinkering to get it just right, though, doesn't it....

I
lost
my
star

😢

> I researched and tho lotuses and water lilies are different, they are in the same family - just different petal shapes.

>9 fuzzi: I( lost my star last month and am still trying to win it back. Luckily, I think I'll get some good reading done in july.

>10 cyderry: They’re all beautiful anyway.



(Okay, managed to snag my image.) These are the water lilies we saw and caused my discovery of my flat tyre.

I have a vague memory of seeing, many, many years ago, a photo or article claiming that the leaves of the giant African lotus could support the weight of a baby (and still float). (I wonder who volunteered their baby?)

My reading has increased over the past few months because I’ve had time to spend at home without having to drop everything to collect the kids from school and chauffeur them all over the country (literally) for after school classes.

>11 humouress:
I actually read about that and it was the guy who built the Crystal Palace in London for the World Exhibition in 1850. The kid who walked across the lotus leaves was his daughter. I think she was 5 years old. I can remember that but I can't remember what book it was in. Go figure!

Congrats to Chèli on the new computer, and to us all on being on track with a little bit of leeway.

Lovely flowers!

Thanks Chèli and Congrats on the new computer!

And Congrats to Benita, Anita, Jean, Birgit, Joyce, and Sace for reaching their goal!

I finished my first July ROOT last night. Glass House: The 1% Economy and the Shattering of the All-American Town by Brian Alexander. I think this is an important book and more people should read it. It is a book filled with anger and sympathy and the author does a good job of telling us both sides of this complex story.

I am so angry about what happened to Anchor Hocking and to Lancaster, Ohio. The story is simply not-to-be-believed, even though it happened. The author did a good job of tying so many strings together and making the story of Lancaster, Ohio come together for the reader. The demise of Anchor Hocking is a maze of financial shenanigans that should shame every invest banking corporation and make American's force their politicians to shape up and regulate them and stop gutting laws put in place in 2007 to keep this very kind of stock and debt manipulation from happening. Then the author ties all this to the apathy and the drug epidemic in states like Ohio. He makes a good case in many of arguments while showing compassion for people living in the situation; many of whom were his classmates in high school. He did a remarkable job.

"Corporate elites said they needed free-trade agreements, so they got them. Manufactures said they needed tax breaks and public-money incentives in order to keep their plants operating in the United States, so they got them. Banks and financiers needed loser regulations, so they got them. Employers said the needed weaker unions - or no unions at all - so they got them. Private equity firms said they needed carried interest and secrecy, so they got them. Everybody, including Lancastrians themselves, said the needed lower taxes, so they got them. What did Lancaster and a hundred other towns like it get? Job losses, slashed wages, poor civic leadership, social dysfunction, drugs." page 291

Some might say this is a book written by an angry man. They are correct. Of course by the end I was an angry reader.

First ROOT of July added to all tickers: The Souls of Black Folk, by W. E. B. Du Bois, which I read as a public-domain ebook.

Edit: this was actually my SECOND ROOT of July. I honestly can't remember whether I added the first one to the group tickers, because I finished it on July 1 :-/ It is added to my own ticker, though, so it will likely be accounted for at the end of the month when Chèli reconciles the totals :)

>18 rabbitprincess: don't worry

>19 cyderry: Whew!

Just added my *third* ROOT of July to all tickers: The Captain, by Jan de Hartog.

I've just added my first ROOT of July (#43 for the year) to all tickers.

I have finished my second ROOT of the month. My thread and all tickers have been updated.

Finished my 34 ROOT for the year, 1 for July

De zoon by Jo Nesbø

All tickers updated.

23 I read some Jo Nesbo. As a stand alone,how was it?

I've read three July ROOTS so far. Now I have one ROOT and one library book going.

>24 cyderry:. A bit getting used to in the beginning, but it turned out pretty good.

I've finished my first ROOT of July: Red, White & Royal Blue. It's a charming contemporary romance about the budding relationship between an English prince (third in line to the throne) and the son of the American president.

I have pretty much been off the boards for months due to work, but now it's vacation and reading time. So far I have registered three ROOTs in July of which The Green Road is the best and most recommendable.

Grey weather and a bit of rain is excellent for reading, but a bit of sun and warmth would also be nice!

Finished my 35 ROOT for the year, 2 for July

Date met de dood by Charlaine Harris

All tickers updated.

>28 Henrik_Madsen: I know what you mean about a bit of sun and warmth being nice, Henrik. The summer here is also pretty dismal. It would be nice if we could both experience real summery weather - a nice long stretch of it!

>29 connie53: I hope you enjoy the Sookie Stackhouse novel, Connie. It's a great series.

I am still working on my second ROOT for the month. It is 984 pages.

>31 Robertgreaves: I have the first two books in that series and thought I would get started on them sometime, but so far they haven't called to me. Of course, you can watch the TV series "True Blood." That series is based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels.

>33 benitastrnad: I've read most of the Sookie Stackhouse novels. I was up to date but a couple more came out after that. I watched the first two series, but the storyline is quite different in the books and TV.

>34 Robertgreaves:
yes. That is true. I heard the author talk about that in a lecture but I can't remember when that was. She said that when you sell the rights for your story it is very hard to retain control of the storyline. The series was done in the beginning days of streaming series when it was a new frontier. I think authors have learned a lot about how to keep the storyline pure since the TV series came out.

ROOT #2 of July (#44 for the year) added to all tickers, my own and the group's.

>34 Robertgreaves:, >35 benitastrnad: A few days ago I was browsing through Netflix and saw the Hamish Macbeth series. A notation under the title said the characters were created by M. C. Beaton. I suppose this is also a case where the characters were wanted but not the storyline.

>34 Robertgreaves: >35 benitastrnad: I have this problem with the Hannah Swensen series by Joanne Fluke. Hallmark has made the "books" into movies but the characters are not like anything described in the books. Hannah is a tall redhead with frizzy hair and a large build in the books where in the movies she is a petite blond. The books have Hannah with two sisters and an elderly mother where in the movies only one sister and her mother looks about the same age as Hannah. As much as I enjoy the books, the movies leave out so much of the characters that I love, I rarely watch them.

It's sad when beloved characters are brutally chopped to pieces for the sake of commercialism.

First ROOT for July and #23 for the year- no tickers updated but the review is on my thread.

Added another ROOT for July to all tickers: King Lear, by William Shakespeare.

Okay, I don't want to jinx myself but I've read 6 ROOTS already this month and my TBR number is under 600 for the first time since the beginning of the year. That won't last long, unfortunately.

>38 cyderry: One wonders why they bother then. Surely they want to capitalise on the books, their characters and fan base?

>38 cyderry: >42 humouress: One of the most notorious examples was the tv version of the Earthsea books. Ursula K. Le Guin hated it. https://slate.com/culture/2004/12/ursula-k-le-guin-on-the-tv-earthsea.html

ROOT #3 for July (#45 for the year, so I'm 3/4 of the way to my goal) added to all tickers.

I feel like we are doing such a good job this year that maybe we should try, instead of removing members who haven't posted since January, perhaps we could try to clear out their numbers as well. Make this a true group effort to clear out those ROOTs.

I've just added another - #4 for July, #46 for the year to date - to all tickers.

Finished my 36 ROOT for the year, 3 for July

De leugenaar by Lisa Gardner

All tickers updated.

I finished a chunkster ROOT. Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas. Not only finished the book, but finished the series as well. 984 pages in that book and 7 novels in the series. Done. And it was worth the reading time.

Added an old favourite to the ROOTs ticker: Journey to the Centre of the Earth, by Jules Verne. I read the Robert Baldrick translation published by Puffin Classics.

A few more ROOTs finished... my thread and all tickers updated.

Finished my 37 ROOT for the year, 4 for July

De zwaluw en de kolibrie by Santa Montefiore

All tickers updated.

Finally a root for the month Canada by Richard Ford. I have been distracted by library and borrowed books. I may lose my star this month...

I actually think that my reading funk is coming to an end!
I have read 9 books so far this month and have two more started!

>53 cyderry: Woo-hoo!

I've finished 2 more ROOTS for a total of 5 for the month with 2 more planned for July.

Added another ROOT to all tickers: The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, by Claire North.

Finished my 38 ROOT for the year, 5 for July

De dame by Daniel O'Malley

All tickers updated.

>53 cyderry: good for you, Chèli.

I finished a ROOT that was also part of my "short" book project. In one weekend I read the excellent Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo. This was a 120 page novella published by Tor.com that has been on my TBR list for a year. The library finally got it in and I grabbed it. Great reading. I rated it 5 stars.

>53 cyderry: I am happy for you Chèli. Reading slumps are the pits...

I have managed to finish off another couple of ROOTs. My thread and all tickers have been updated.

Added another ROOT to all tickers: Things Ain't What They Used to Be, by Philip "DCI Gene Hunt from Life on Mars" Glenister.

Finished my 39 ROOT for the year, 6 for July

Naaste familie by Deborah Moggach

All tickers updated.

Finished ROOT # 40 for the year, # 7 for July

De verre echo by Val McDermid

All tickers updated.

I've slowed down a bit this month, but have just added #5 for July (#47 for the year to date) to all tickers.

Second ROOT for July and #24 for the year- no tickers updated but the review is on my thread.

I finished reading Regency Years by Robert Morrison. This one is nonfiction and was for the Nonfiction Challenge. This months category was "the Long 18th Century" and this book was about the tail end of that long century.

And I've reached my goal with The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, by Frederick Douglass, which I read as a public-domain ebook. All tickers updated.

>67 rabbitprincess: Yeah!

Finished ROOT # 41 for the year, # 8 for July

Zeemansgraf by Val McDermid

All tickers updated.

I've managed three ROOTs so far this month. We'll be leaving on vacation in a couple days, so that might be it for July.

Personal ticker only updated.

Finished ROOT # 42 for the year, # 8 for July

Een duister domein by Val McDermid

And reached my ROOT goal!

All tickers updated.

>71 connie53: Yeah!

>67 rabbitprincess: & >71 connie53: Well done!

>67 rabbitprincess: & >71 connie53:. Wow you have achieved it with 5 months to spare. I am being distracted by the lovely new books at the library...
I can report one more root though, Commonwealth by Ann Patchett. I picked this up as I was waiting to watch her in a live broadcast. A bonus of these times. Again, I loved it and I see the library has her latest The Dutch House ...so many distractions but still on track.

>74 HelenBaker: I have acquired a ridiculous amount of library books in the last two weeks, so I'm not sure how long the good ROOT practices will last! But it does help that I read public-domain ebooks and count them as ROOTS.

****

Speaking of which, I've just added my ROOT 62 of 60 to all tickers: Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen.

I finished reading Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. I read this one for my real life book discussion group and I really wanted to dislike it - instead, I really liked this novel.

>76 benitastrnad: Oh good. It's my real life (zoom now) book club's choice for September

I finally starting picking up manga to read so now I'm zooming through my ROOTs goal. I wonder though if I could still reach the goal with just novels. I would love to be able to do that.

I'm slowing down on my ROOTs reading as I have two libraries now that are providing me with holds. I don't read e-books so was pretty much stuck reading my own tomes before the libraries semi-opened again. So far I've only read 3 ROOTs for the month but I'm closing in on a few more.

Another few ROOTs completed - my thread and all tickers have been updated.

I have read four ROOTs this month, I really don't know where the time has gone.

I've just added #6 for July (#48 for the year) to all tickers. Still hopeful I'll get at least one more read before the end of the month.

I've added my last 3 ROOTS for the month, a total of 8.

Everyone,

I'm hoping that you can help me with a personal issue.
I didn't want to hijack this thread so my question is on this thread.

https://www.librarything.com/topic/322845#

I finished another ROOT last night. I sat out on my patio until twilight and read Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff. This is another one that completes a series. So I have completed 3 series this month and am doing good on clearing those off my TBR lists.

I finished My Dark Vanessa and started a very short Kawabata whom I haven’t read in 20 years or so as he is not my favorite and not easy to read. But I thought that maybe with my increased experience in life and all matters Japanese it’d be a good chance to revisit his work.

Just added one more, which takes me to 5 ROOTs this month.

And I've added #7 for July (#49 for the year) to all tickers. Fingers crossed I can finish another tomorrow!

Hi all!
Just updated personal ticker with another 4 books.
So am now at 25/30.
Happy reading all!

I'm finishing Kawabata's Dandelions tonight but unless it suddenly blows me away in the last few pages this will be a one star read for me. So boring. I gave another chance to Kawabata and I think that's the last.

Here is my report for July 2020:

UpROOTED books: 12
ROOTless books: 9
Added to the treebook TBR shelves: 1

The ROOTs were:

A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder by Shamini Flint
Rousseau: A Very Short Introduction by Robert Wokler (DNF)
My Brother's Husband Volume 1 by Gengoroh Tagame
My Brother's Husband Volume 2 by Gengoroh Tagame
Hero of Rome by Douglas Jackson
Arthur & George by Julian Barnes
Orphans of Eldorado by Milton Hatoum
Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero
Exhalation by Ted Chiang
The Idiot Brain by Dean Burnett
Giotto's Hand by Iain Pears
Death and Restoration by Iain Pears


ROOTs in YTD: 73

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

I didn't manage to finish another after all, so my final total for July is 7 ROOTs.

Two ROOTs finished in July (my worst reading month in 4 years...)
Total ROOTs 26/24, all tickers updated

Added my last ROOT of the month to all tickers: This is the World: A Global Treasury, by Miroslav Sasek.

One last ROOT for July finished. My thread and all tickers updated.

I read 6 ROOTS and got them off my shelves in the month of July. No tickers updated.

Here is my breakdown of my ROOTS for July.

Nonfiction
Glass House: The 1% Economy and the Shattering of the All-American Town by Brian Alexander
Regency Years: During Which Jane Austen Writes, Napoleon Fights, Byron Makes Love, and Britain Becomes Modern by Robert Morrison

Fiction
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas
Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff

With Kingdom of Ash and Darkdawn I also finished two series: Throne of Glass and Nevernight Chronicles.

Progress has been made of the pile of books on the floor under my nightstand. Yes!

I couldn't figure out why my total wasn't six and realize I forgot my recorded book for the month. I listened to Gentleman in Moscow and the narrator for this one was excellent. It was a long one so it was my only recorded book for the month.

Recorded Book:
Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

No more ROOTs for me, so my ticker on the general ticker thread is up to date.

9 this month for me

I only squeaked in one extra one for July officially. There was one more but I didn't get to review it in time so I'll count it for August. I am now at 56/65 and remembered to updated my ticker.