Cecilturtle: you're tootin' she ROOTin'

Of all my groups, this might be my favourite (shhh, don't tell the others). There's something very satisfying with pulling a book off my shelf, enjoying it, adding a Bookcrossing tag and sending it off to new adventures.

This year I'm resetting a goal of 50 and I'm determined to stick to it.
I consider a ROOT any book that's been acquired in 2023 or before. I suspect I'll have a high number from 2023 but I'm committed to digging through my archives.

Happy Reading, Friends!

The Twenties

2023
1. Someone You Know by Catherine Fogarty
2. La langue des rêves by Michaël Lahmi
3. Sans feu ni lieu by Fred Vargas
4. Histoires jamais entendues dans une maison de thé au Népal by Sherpa Yeh-Peh
5. Histoires jamais entendues dans un sushi bar au Japon by Masayo Kokonoke
6. The Shadow by James Patterson and Brian Sitts
7. L'Énigme du retour by Dany Laferrière
8. Guilt by Jonathan Kellerman
9. A Banquet of Consequences by Elizabeth George
10. The Bourne Treachery by Brian Freeman
11. Amqui by Éric Forbes
12. What Storm, What Thunder by Myriam J. A. Chancy
13. Quand tu écouteras cette chanson by Lola Lafon
14. Dossier 64 by Jussi Adler-Olsen
15. Histoires jamais entendues sur une gondole à Venise by Alfonso d'Ente
16. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
17. Histoires jamais entendues sur une page au Brésil by Caulo Poelho
18. C is for Corpse by Sue Grafton

2022
1. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

2021
1. The Feast of All Saints by Anne Rice
2. The Rebel's Apothecary by Jenny Sansouci

The Tweens and Teens

2019
1. The Illustrated Book of Signs and Symbols by Miranda Bruce-Mitford

2012
1. The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
2. B is for Burglar by Sue Grafton

The Naughties

2010
1. Bluebeard's Egg by Margaret Atwood

2008
1. How to Read a Novel like a Professor by Thomas Foster

2006
1. Maximum City Bombay Lost and Found by Suketu Mehta

>1 Cecilturtle: - I won't tell anyone and I agree!

Bon retour au groupe et bonne année de lectures! :)

Heartwarming to know that you like it here in our group.

Welcome back!

connie53 rabbitprincess cyderry Happy New Year! Bonne année! I look forward to spending it with you!

Baby ROOT for a first in January, Someone You Know by Catherine Fogarty.
This book confirmed for me that I do not like true crime. I found all the stories sordid except for the last one about intimate partner violence that really ran home the impacts of abuse on a family.

You'r fast, Cécil

>10 Cecilturtle: I have a hard time with a lot of true crime, too, especially if it's more recent (rather than historical). I hope your next read is more to your taste!

Welcome back! Another not-fan of true crime here too! I want to live in a fantasy world where everyone is just kind.

Welcome back and happy reading.

>14 MissWatson: Thank-you, Birgit! Looking forward to spending time with yall!

Happy new year!

>16 rosalita: Thank-you, Rosalita!

ROOT 2 - and it's an oldie from 2012, The Postmistress by Sarah Blake.
It's beautifully written and emotionally charged, but it tends to get bogged down in details, and I found the theme of the Postmistress an unnecessary one. Frankie Bard as a journalist in London and France is interesting enough not to add extra flourish.

Massive snow storm here in O-town so happily buried under a blanket next to the fireplace with a book. Oooh winter can be fun (says she before recovering her car under a mountain of snow)

ROOT 3. La langue des rêves by Michaël Lahmi
A great step-by-step approach to uncovering your dreams and interpreting them. I've tried it and it's quite effective although I can tell practice makes perfect. My only question is: what then? The ultimate goal is not expressed... clarity, I guess.

>19 Cecilturtle: Hope you are able to stay warm and that the car isn't completely buried. I'm not a huge fan of snow after the first hour.

>20 Jackie_K: Thanks, Jackie. So far so good, but I may just take public transport to go visit my parents later. The snow plow hasn't made it to our street yet. Snowbanks will be the other consideration - lol :P

Here it's snowing too, but not that heavy.

ROOT 4: Sans feu ni lieu by Fred Vargas

I'm a big fan of Vargas, especially her earlier works where she develops her dreamy, creative style. This novel is a great example of her work and I'm glad I picked it up at a used book sale last year.

WOW! You are just moving along!

>24 cyderry: I love winter for the long nights by the fireplace :)

ROOT 5: Histoires jamais entendues dans une maison de thé au Népal by Sherpa Yeh-Peh
It's a lovely collection of short stories about traditional and modern life in Nepal. Of course, the myths about the Yeti (of which there are 3 different kinds!) were my favourite.
What I didn't like: it's not actually a Nepalese writer but a French traveller who wrote the book. That definitely takes away from the authenticity of the voices for me.

ROOT 6: Histoires jamais entendues dans un sushi bar au Japon by Masayo Kokonoke

The more I look into the series the more I'm conflicted... like the previous book on Nepal, this one was written under a pseudonym... This said I did really enjoy this series of short stories which, to my ears, definitely had a distinct flavour of Japanese culture. There was copious use of Japanese words which I liked, although it would have been useful to have a little glossary.

I've finished one of the books that I've had the longest in my library: at least since 2006. It took me a long time to read, as I was ingesting it piece by piece. It's a marvellous work and I didn't want to skim.
I give away all my books, but this one feels a bit like leaving a friend.

ROOT 7: Maximum City Bombay Lost and Found by Suketu Mehta

ROOT 8: The Feast of All Saints by Anne Rice

It's a chunky 600 pager with Rice's dramatic flair, but what interesting about this one is it's a historical novel. Based on the Creole nobles in 19th c. Louisiana, Rice shows this unique society of mixed-race French people, free under the law. It was tenuous position, sandwiched between the white nobles (often fathered by them) and the slaves, but they were educated, rich, and often business owners. They held France as a beacon and finishing their education there was a goal. Rice, however, does not romanticize their situation: precarious at the whim of white men, where the hues of skin colour were scrutinized. A fascinating read.

>29 Cecilturtle: That sounds real interesting. I loved the Anne Rice books I've read so far Heksenkind and the other parts in the series.

>30 connie53: I do recommend it, Connie! I learned a lot and it was clearly well-researched. It's about 100 pages too long; I didn't like the way Rice catastrophized the ending, but it's worth picking up.

Thanks, Cécile!

ROOT 9 (1 for February): The Shadow by James Patterson and Brian Sitts

Unless you are a prepubescent boy, you likely won't like this one. Flat, predictable and corny, it features superheroes just like in the movies and a supervillain straight out of a bad comic book. Conclusion: ugh.

>33 Cecilturtle: Hmmm. I like superheroes but this sounds terrible. Wonder if Patterson has added anything but his name to it?

>34 Henrik_Madsen: It absolutely feels like a marketing gimmick. I haven't read much Patterson but enough to know that he can do better. Sitt's biography is woefully thin: he seems to be a screen writer. This is what this book reads like, a movie plot but without a good actor to give the story any depth.

ROOT 10 (2 for February): L'Énigme du retour by Dany Laferrière

The opposite of my last ROOT: this book, part prose part poetry, is both wonderfully introspective and descriptive. The narrator, after 30 years in Canada, goes back to his homeland in search of the paternal village after his estranged father's death. A wonderful mix of emotions and landscapes.

Although I cannot claim to know what's it's like to be in exile, as a bi-national who grew up with one foot in France another in Canada, I could definitely relate to the narrator's myriad of feelings, from strangeness to nostalgia.

ROOT 11 (3 for February): Bluebeard's Egg by Margaret Atwood

My favourites were the childhood narratives, carefree, curious and free with the range of emotions that come from growing up. In stark contrast were the adult stories, ambiguous and unsatisfactory.

ROOT 12 (4 for February): Guilt by Jonathan Kellerman

I enjoyed it but found the intrigue a bit plodding. Delaware's insights are always interesting as he psycho-analyses his clients but this novel did not keep me on the edge of my seat and the denouement was obvious.

Hi, I'm returning your visit to my thread. You are making a lot of progress on your ROOTs this year! I hope I can do as well.

>39 atozgrl: Thanks, Irene! I got side-tracked last year so I'm being more deliberate this time around... although, already late on my book club read, lol!

ROOT 13 (5 for February): A Banquet of Consequences by Elizabeth George

This was my first novel by George and like any series it's sometimes a bit awkward to land in the middle of one: characters have been introduced and have a history together. Nonetheless, that did not impede my understanding of their relationships and motivations.
My only gripe is that at 740 pages this is a big investment of time, and there were some overly detailed passages that could have been edited.

I have quite a few Anne Rice books to read, including The Feast of All Saints - I think I need to move it up my list!

And happy birthday!

Happy Birthday, Cécile.

>42 LisaMorr: Yes, I enjoyed more than I thought I would. Historically, it's really interesting. I found myself reaching to do some searches more than once to learn more about certain aspects.

>42 LisaMorr: >43 connie53: Thank-you for the birthday wishes!

Happy birthday, sorry to be a little late with it!

Happy birthday from me too!

>45 MissWatson: >46 Jackie_K: Thank-you so much!

ROOT 14 (1 for March): The Bourne Treachery by Brian Freeman

I'm a sucker for espionage and I enjoyed my first Jason Bourne book. I'd probably pick up another: fast-paced and edgy, it's a fun read. There is an over-reliance on clichés and definitely cinematographic effects that don't really add anything to a book (cartwheel kicks, really?).

ROOT 15 (2 for March): Amqui by Éric Forbes

Although I enjoyed walking around Montreal and Amqui, I didn't enjoy at all the violence. The "mystery" part was quick to solve (despite a fairly lengthy confusing cast of characters) and the rest was pretty much a killing spree. Not really my cup of tea.

Back from my travels in California! Not done on purpose but both of the books I read there were set in Cali!

ROOT 16 (3 for March): B is for Burglar by Sue Grafton

A nice light read for the airplane. I enjoyed seeing just how much we have changed since the 1980s where the protagonist uses the library and the phone book for her research! A little time travel...

ROOT 17 (4 for March): The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

I had not known what to expect and a book of grief was maybe not what I would have picked for a vacation! However, I was really taken by Didion's style and how she coped with her husband's sudden death: a touching and authentic read.

ROOT 18 (5 for March): What Storm, What Thunder by Myriam J. A. Chancy

This is a really powerful account of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The poetic language, a mix of English, French and Kreyol, really brings out the emotions and trauma in a touching way.

ROOT 19 (6 for March): Quand tu écouteras cette chanson by Lola Lafon

The author, who is Jewish, spends the night in the Anne Frank Museum. The beginning is slow: she talks about Anne, the journal, the house but she seems to stay at the surface. Then, as the night advances, she starts to delve into the deep emotions that linger and what this experience means to her. She ends on a terrible and personal note... a stark reminder that history has an awful way of repeating itself. An incredibly rich book.

ROOT 20 (1 for April): The Illustrated Book of Signs and Symbols by Miranda Bruce-Mitford

This is a nice light reference book which I picked up from a friend in 2019. I enjoyed the variety and the illustrations, but there was a bias toward Christianity compared to all the other religions and cultures.

ROOT 21 (2 for April): The Rebel's Apothecary by Jenny Sansouci

I just loved this book which is full of practical advice, research and recipes. Sansouci wrote this book to support her dad through his cancer experience and got such good results, she decided to delve into it more. It's super balanced with a reminder that these foods are to be combined with traditional Western medicine for a full effect.

Just popping in to see what you have been reading, Cécile.

>55 connie53: You're welcome to share your thoughts anytime, Connie!

ROOT 22 (3 for April): How to Read a Novel like a Professor by Thomas Foster

It's not as good as his first How to Read Literature like a Professor but still a nice deconstruction of why novels engage us and remain one of the most popular literary forms.

ROOT 23 (4 for April): Dossier 64 by Jussi Adler-Olsen

This super creepy and also super engrossing novel based on historical facts had me sitting on the edge of my seat. I think I read 300 pages in the past 24 hours alone. It tackles the terrible issue of eugenics and forced sterilization which occurred in Denmark in the first part of the 20c.

ROOT 24 (5 for April): Histoires jamais entendues sur une gondole à Venise by Alfonso d'Ente

This is book 3 of a series of 6. All are short stories based on a particular location. I really liked this one: many of the stories were based on historical facts and demonstrated the culture and architecture of Venice. I've never been, but now I sure would like to!

ROOT 25 (6 for April): A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

This is a classic I've discovered late and I'm glad I've read it. It's a lovely coming of age story. It's amazing how different our life is today, in particular children. The obligation to work and the innocence seems to have inverted proportionally - not that one is better than the other, I'm not a fan of extremes, but it's really striking.

ROOT 26 (7 for April): Histoires jamais entendues sur une page au Brésil by Caulo Poelho

So far my least favourite in the series, I found the stories really uneven. Some I really enjoyed, others not. They didn't seem as committed to reflecting the country's ethos as the others... or maybe I just really preferred the Venice one!

>58 Cecilturtle: Dossier 64 sure sounds like one I would like!

>60 Cecilturtle: Still haven't read that classic - your comments tell me I need to get to it!

>63 LisaMorr: Both are great reads for different reasons and have historical aspects which are interesting to learn about!

ROOT 27 (1 for May): C is for Corpse by Sue Grafton

The Kinsey series is picking up in this third novel, and I'm enjoying it more. It's interesting to see how much more tedious research was back in the 1980s: from telephone calls, to library microfiches, it's definitely a slower pace!

Looks like you're on track to meet your reading goal this year. Well done!