T(erri)Loeffler Tries Again...

...to read more books than I buy. Hahahahaha! Still, there are 50+ books that came off my shelf last year. If nothing else, I need to make room for the newer ones!







And it looks like we're starting off the year with a current TBR of 766 + 13 in process for a total of:

779

Sigh.

Here is my list. "*" belongs to the second ticker.

January:
1. The Little Book of Answers--Doug Lennox
2. Silver Pigs--Lindsey Davis
3. Writers Between the Covers--Shannon McKenna Schmidt/Joni Rendon
4. Zealot--Reza Aslan
5. My Family and Other Animals--Gerald Durrell
6. Amazing St. Louis--Charlie Brennan
7. Remains of the Day--Kazuo Ishiguro
8. Wicked St. Louis--Janice Tremeear

February:
1. *Topaz Moon--Kimi Kodani Hill
2. *Korgi, Vol. 1--Christian Slade
3. *World War One: Life in the Trenches--Robert Hamilton
4. Possession--A. S. Byatt
5. Getting to Yes--Roger Fisher & William Ury
6. *Across the Wide Missouri--Bernard De Voto

March:
1. How to Get Thinner Once and For All--Morton B. Glenn
2. The Chalk Circle Man--Fred Vargas
3. Graveyards of Chicago--Matt Hucke & Ursula Bielski
4. *The Judgment of Paris--Ross King

April:
1. *Appointments With Heaven--Dr. Reggie Anderson
2. The Healing--Jonathan Odell
3. The Innocents From Indiana--Emily Kimbrough
4. Light in August--William Faulkner
5. *Orphan Trains--Stephen O'Connor
6. Team of Rivals--Doris Kearns Goodwin
7. Eye of the Needle--Ken Follett

May:
1. Archduke Franz Ferdinand Lives!--Richard Ned Lebow
2. All the Pretty Horses--Cormac McCarthy
3. The Power and the Glory--Graham Greene
4. *The Hour--Bernard DeVoto
5. Flu--Gina Kolata
6. It Can't Happen Here!--Sinclair Lewis
7. The Coroner's Lunch--Colin Cotterill
8. Perfect--Rachel Joyce

June:
1. Lawrence in Arabia--Scott Anderson
2. *The Museum of Extraordinary Things--Alice Hoffman
3. Chips off the Old Benchley --Robert Benchley
4. A Good American--Alex George
5. *Lost Lake--Sarah Addison Allen
6. *The Millionaire and the Mummies--John M. Adams

July:

1. The Songcatcher--Sharyn McCrumb
2. Isaac's Storm--Erik Larson
3. To Have and To Hold--Mary Johnston
4. U is for Undertow--Sue Grafton
5. Wickett's Remedy--Myla Goldberg
6. *Happy This Year!--by Will Bowen
7. *China Dolls--Lisa See
8. Taming Your Gremlin--Richard David Carson

August:
1. The College of Physicians of Philadelphia--George M. Wohlreich, MD
2. *The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down--Anne Fadiman
3. *Dr. Mutter's Marvels--Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz
4. V is for Vengeance--Sue Grafton
5. *Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake-Anna Quindlen
6. Memories Before & After the Sound of Music--Agathe von Trapp
7. *Old Southwest Humor from the St. Louis Reveille, 1844-1850--Fritz Oelschlaeger
8. *The Long Way Home--Louise Penny3.
9. Confessions of a Ugly Stepsister--Gregory Maguire

September:
1. Complete Father Brown Stories--G.K. Chesterton
2. Being Dead is No Excuse--Gayden Metcalfe & Charlotte Hays
3. *Zig Zag Wanderer--Madison Smartt Bell
4. *The Lost Carving--David Esterly
5. *NYC Tips & Etiquette--Nathan W. Pyle
6. The Mysterious Stranger & Other Stories--Mark Twain

October:
1. Mary Poppins in the Park--P. L. Travers
2. *Marina--Carlos Ruiz Zafon
3. *The Lost History of 1914--Erich Maria Remarque
4. The Dream Stealer--Gregory Maguire
5. Egg and Spoon--Gregory Maguire

November:
1. *A Sudden Light--Garth Stein
2. *Enzo Races in the Rain--Garth Stein
3. Portnoy's Complaint--Phillip Roth
4. *The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry--Gabrielle Zevin

December:
1. The House of Special Purpose--John Boyne
2. Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin--Calvin Trillin
3. *Flight of Aquavit--Anthony Bidulka

Hey Terri, glad you will join us again!

Welcome back and good luck!

Love the goal" to read more books than I buy" Good luck!And happy reading.

Hello, Connie! I'll try to be a little more communicative this year!

Thanks, RP! Good luck to you also!

Oh, Lady, it is SO not going to happen. But it pleases me to pretend for the first couple of week! Happy Reading to you too!

> 6: please do. I think the threads and seeing what other members read gives the group a little extra.

Hi Terri! Back for another year, eh? Though since you blasted through your goal for 2013, I'm not surprised. *

Of course I'm back, Laura! Are you kidding? Somehow I have to plow through 700+ books to read everything I own, and I'm not getting any younger!

Hi there Terri. How was Joplin? I wanted to stop by & wish you luck on your 2014 challenge. We are going to ROCK our ROOTs!~!

Hey, Belva! Joplin was great fun. I put some pictures on the thread just the other day.

I sure hope I do Rock My Roots. Heaven knows I have enough of them to rock! January is my favorite month, because EVERYTHING counts, so I'm anxious to get started!

Hi, Terri! I'm pretending to try to not buy more books than I read this year, too. In fact, I'm trying to do a moratorium on book-buying altogether. How long do you think that will last??? ;-)

Um, till tomorrow? If you're lucky?

Got my first three out of the way!

1. The Little Book of Answers by Doug Lennox. It's little, but it counts!

2. Silver Pigs by Lindsey Davis. First in a series of mysteries that take place in ancient Rome. Fun and different!

3. Writers Between the Covers by Shannon McKenna Schmidt and Joni Rendon. A wonderfully gossipy book with scandalous and fun tales of the "love lives" of literary figures. Total fun!

Good job finishing three already! The Falco series just gets better and better.

My book buying moratorium actually went up in smoke yesterday. Those darn Kindle freebies! Wait, is a free book a bought book? I guess, technically, I'm still OK.

Free is not bought. That's a gift!

Oh, i so agree! Just another lovely layer to the TBR stack.

Problem is, with another freebie I got earlier, it gives me books 3 & 4 in a series that I don't have 1 & 2 in! I like to read series in order; but I've learned the hard way not to go out and buy the earlier books to go with freebies unless I've at least tried the free one.

Congrats on reading three ROOT books already, Terri! How are you handling the awful cold weather?

Oooh, I've been eyeing Writers Between the Covers - it looked like such a fun and interesting read.
All of my favorite art history professors spent time on gossipy stories about who was in love with who (most of which I have sadly forgotten) and I would love to read something similar about writers!!

That's good to know, Meredith! I have several more in the series, although with my crazy series reading schedule, heaven only knows when I'll get to the next one! But it's on the shelf if I need it!

Connie is right, Terri. Free is not bought. However, Maggie is also right. It's still on the "shelf" now, so I guess it counts for that. At least you won't run out of things to read...

Oh, that is a dilemma. Maybe if you keep looking, 1 & 2 will end up free eventually? Or maybe you can get the ebooks from the library? Then you don't really OWN them...

I definitely recommend Writers Between the Covers. It was fun and interesting, especially for a voyeur such as myself!

4. Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan. Very fascinating take on the historical Jesus. Read for my real-life book group. I'm anxious to hear the discussion this weekend!

5. My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell. One of the most fun books I've ever read!

I'm glad you like My Family so much, I just rediscovered my copy in a stack of books and am hoping to get to it this year!

I'm hoping to get to it this year too.

You are doing very well with your challenge Terri & have read some very interesting books thus far. I am absolutely going to have to read Writers Between the Covers. Sounds like a really fun read!

5 ROOTs already! And you've still managed to not acquire any yet this year, Terri? My book buying moratorium didn't last 2 weeks into the new year, victim of a 99 cent Kindle title I learned about through Book Bub yesterday. And now that I've looked at it, I don't think it was 99 cents well spent.

I loved it, Laura and Betty! I've put his other books on my list of things I want to read some day.

I'm not doing too badly, Belva, but once school started back up, I've been slacking horribly. And Writers Between the Covers was great fun. Maybe not high literature, but still fun.

Terri, where does it say I haven't acquired any books this year??? I only wish...I made it to January 7, when I got a book from BookMooch, and I've gone downhill since then. Although, only 5 really. Until today, which doesn't count until I start February....

Anyway, I have a few more to add to the January total:

6. Amazing St. Louis by Charlie Brennan. A great little book with 250 interesting facts about St. Louis to celebrate our 250th birthday.

7. Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. Read for my book group. An excellent book--I can't believe I haven't read it before now.

8. Wicked St. Louis by Janice Tremeear. A terribly written book. Most of the stories were not "wicked" at all, and Charlie Brennan told them better. Don't waste your time.

January Recap:

Original TBR: 779

Current TBR: 766 + Currently Reading: 9 =

775

Somehow, this doesn't look right, but I guess it is. 779 - 8 = 771; + 4 books added would be 775. I thought I had bought 5, but maybe I just dreamed that.

Oh, well--not complaining--I'm 4 down from the first of the year!

>>28 tloeffler:! hahahahahahha

I read two books this week on the day that I bought them, so at least I don't have to count them on the shelf.

9. Topaz Moon: Chiura Obata's Art of the Internment by Kimi Kodani Hill. I went to a book discussion of Farewell to Manzanar at the Art Museum, and it was preceded by a talk/slide show by Kimi Kodani Hill, Japanese artist Chiura Obata's granddaughter. She discussed her grandfather's time in a Japanese internment camp during WWII, and this book also tells the story, accompanied by Obata's drawings of camp life. Fabulous!

10. Korgi, Vol. 1 by Christian Slade. Graphic "novel" with no words about a young Mollie named Ivy and her Korgi Sprout. Great adventures, plot twists, and a cliffhanger, with no words at all.
Good fun!

I did it again.

11. World War One: Life in the Trenches by Robert Hamilton. Got it in the mail yesterday, started it yesterday, finished it yesterday. It was short and had a lot of pictures, but what a powerful book.

Well, at least you read the newly bought ones! Mine are stacking up again. Too much work.

It's not that impressive, Miss W. They were very short books....

Wow. Where did the month go? I am so far behind, I will never see the light of day.....okay, let's see what I've done this month.

12. Possession by A. S. Byatt. A rather thick one off the shelf!

13. Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury.

14. Across the Wide Missouri by Bernard DeVoto. One that I bought this year and read for the Missouri Readers group. It was NOT a short one, but it's done.

February Recap:

Original TBR: 779

Current TBR: 770 + Currently Reading: = 11

781

I guess there's nothing I can say...

Hurray for finishing off the big books!

I remember reading Possession quite a while back and thinking at least some of the poetry was quite difficult to get through (plus I didn't much care for Roland...), so kudos to finishing that one!

They made a movie of it a while back with Jeremy Northam & Jennifer Ehle (as the Victorian poets) and Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart in the modern bits. Roland still irritates me in that version, but I thought the historical bits in particular were quite lovely. Have you seen it?

I have not seen the movie. Perhaps I should. I enjoyed the story, it just dragged on so...

I've read a few more books....

15. How to Get Thinner Once and For All by Morton B. Glenn. Published in 1965. No idea why it was on my shelf, but it hit the lottery, so it got read. Silliness, really, but fun to be back in those times!

16. The Chalk Circle Man by Fred Vargas. The start of a mystery series. It was good enough to continue it!

17. Graveyards of Chicago by Matt Hucke andUrsula Bielski. A great tour of the cemeteries in Chicago, with pictures and stories galore. I loved it!

18. The Judgment of Paris by Ross King. A newer book that I read for my Art Museum Book Club to commemorate our Impressionist exhibit. Tells the story of the birth of Impressionism between 1863 and 1873, focusing mainly on Edouard Manet and Ernest Meissonier. A lot of French history--that was a busy decade for them!

And with that, it's time for the

March Recap:

Original TBR: 779

Current TBR: 776 + Currently Reading: = 14

790

There were a lot of book signings this month, and I HAD to buy the books to get them signed.......

Signed books! Nice! :)

Signed books are nice to have!

I love my signed books. I'm such a hoarder.

Between school and everything else, I'm still getting a little bit of reading done:

19. Appointments With Heaven by Dr. Reggie Anderson. Very interesting book recounting the brushes with the Almighty experienced by a country doctor in Tennessee. I enjoyed it much more than I expected to. The author's wife is cousin to a friend of mine, so I got a signed copy just this year and read it ahead of my off-the-shelf books so as not to offend my friend....

20. The Healing by Jonathan Odell. A very good book about a plantation pre-Civil War and the lives of the slaves, especially after the arrival of Polly Shine, a healer. AND it was one off the shelf!

Off the shelf is good!

I really liked The Healing, Terri! Glad to hear that you enjoyed it, too.

Off the shelf is wonderful!

And I'm glad to hear you read and enjoyed The Healing, Terri. I picked up an advance copy last year at the Library Trivia Night when they were giving away books, then set it aside and didn't read it till this year. I was surprised that I hadn't heard more about it, because it was great!

You're making great progress, Terri! Lots of titles I recognize, and quite a few I don't. Loved the Byatt, Ishiguro, and the Durrell books. Your reading is always so eclectic and interesting.

Thanks, Gail! I give a lot of credit for my "eclectic reading" to my random number generator. I'd never be able to decide what to read without it! And I have so many books that I don't even realize I own until their number comes up. I love reading obscure stuff along with the new titles that come out. Speaking of which:

21. The Innocents From Indiana by Emily Kimbrough. The adventures of Kimbrough's family when they moved from Muncie Indiana to Chicago in 1910. Great fun!

Hi Terri! I hope everything is alright!

Hi Connie! Everything is just grand, except for the silly things I have to do for school. When I'm done with this class, I never want to read another word about Apple, Inc. Sheesh!

22. Light in August by William Faulkner. This was a chore for me to read, but I've read it and it's off the shelf!

What is it about me that I don't like the books that everyone says are so great? Oh, well, I'll just keep on reading the fun stuff!

I remember trying for Graveyards of Chicago in the Early Reviewers. Worth paying money to buy it? Lots of good photographs?

I didn't particularly like Light in August either, Terri. I only finished it because, at the time, I needed a book related somehow to "August" for a challenge.

I would say, Mary Ann, that it depends on the price. The pictures are great, and the stories are also fun. I just don't think I'd pay over $15-20 for it.

Oh, good, Terri. I always feel bad about not liking a "classic" but sometimes, I just don't like them!

23. Orphan Trains: The Story of Charles Loring Brace and the Children He Saved and Failed by Stephen O'Connor. Read for this month's MO reader discussion. It was interesting, but I think the author made a lot of incorrect assumptions. It doesn't count, because I bought it this year. :(

>51 tloeffler: Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. It keeps tugging at me though, so I'll probably end up buying it one of these days, lol. I do love books with photographs.

I also love books with photographs. Especially when those photographs are graveyards. I love a cemetery, and I marvel at the fabulous artwork!

24. Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. What a fascinating book! And it's like 3 inches off the shelf!

25. Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett. I did not realize how long it has been since I read just a plain old thriller and this one made me wonder why. I read it in record time, just because I couldn't put it down. I need to do this more often...

Eye of the Needle is also sitting on my shelf! Good to know it's an enjoyable thriller :)

It is, RP. I was hesitant at first, but it's what popped up with my random numbers, so I had to read it. I'm glad I did!

Maybe I'm just up too late and the world is turning surreal - I left my thread (where you'd mentioned reading about the orphan trains) and came here to refresh my memory on what specific book you just read (someone else here is reading about the trains...edited this post to say it's Karen_0.)

So, I looked up the description of Orphan Trains: The Story of Charles Loring Brace and the Children He Saved and Failed and that led me to the 'recommended books' section, which led me to the book Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 in which molasses did literally flood the city and kill 21 people.

I'm sitting here thinking, "Orphans on trains? Molasses being used in the manufacture of weapons ending up destroying neighborhoods? What's a word for 'really, seriously sad and yet bizarre also'?"

Anyway, to get back on track: So many writers are using the orphan trains for historical fiction, which is great, but it's a shame the book you just read couldn't be a good, firm, factual account. I've read Orphan Train Rider: One Boy's True Story and found it a very good book, and I think if I'm going to read more, I'd rather read another nonfiction than another fictionalized account.

Hi, Terri!

I loved both your latest reads, in completely different ways. Thrillers aren't found on my lists very often, but this one and The Key to Rebecca rated high for me.

You're making great progress on clearing your book backlog!

Molasses? Oh, Mary Ann, now I have to find that book and read it! The Missouri Readers group read Orphan Trains to Missouri by Michael D. Patrick back in December, and I thought it was fascinating, but too short, so we read this book in April. I expected it to fill out some of the details, and I suppose it did, but I just didn't care for his slant on it. I would also like to find an interesting factual account.

Thanks, Gail! Although it seems for every book I take off the shelf, I put three more back on. Sigh. Oh, well, I could have vices that were MUCH worse!

April Recap:

Original TBR: 779

Current TBR: 776 + Currently Reading: 14 =

790

Oh, wow, I held my own this month! Still 11 over what I started with, but I held the line in April! I'll take whatever small victories I can get....

I finished two more books last night so I'm starting May off on a good roll!

26. Archduke Franz Ferdinand Lives! by Richard Ned Lebow. An LT Early Reviewer that I got back in December (embarrassing). Lebow gives some different scenarios of what the world would be like without World War I. Pretty interesting.

27. All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy. Disappointing. But off the shelf!

>56 Merryann: >58 tloeffler: Terri, I read the book about the molasses flood - has to be one of the weirdest disasters in history, but deadly. Fascinating!

Hope you're having a good weekend!

28. The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene. It was okay. I was expecting much more.

29. The Hour: A Cocktail Manifesto by Bernard DeVoto. Absolutely delightful. Praises are sung for the cocktail hour, martinis, and whiskey, and although slightly dated, I had a blast reading it!

I have had a pinched nerve in my neck/shoulder this week, and have been unable to spend time on the computer at all. But it has not prevented me from reading, and I polished off quite a few oldies this week!

30. Flu: The Story Of The Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus that Caused It by Gina Kolata. Fascinating story of the 1918 flu epidemic and the quest for the virus.

31. The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill. First in the Dr. Siri Paiboun series. Good fun!

32. Perfect by Rachel Joyce. Great novel about two young boys and the incident that changed everything for them. Told in alternate chapters between 1972 & present day. Recommended!

33. It Can't Happen Here! by Sinclair Lewis. An absolute must-read. A "what-if" story written in 1935 showing the fragility of democracy...

Hi Terri. Pinched nerve sounds very painful! But you got some reading done! Good for you.

Ow! That sounds like a particularly painful pinched nerve. I sometimes get pinched nerves in that area, but it's usually from sleeping on it funny and it resolves itself over the course of the day. Glad to hear it did not interfere with your reading!

Sorry about the pinched nerve, Terri. I hope it will feel better soon.

Mine hasn't resolved itself in 2 weeks with physical therapy. :(

But I'm trying to look on the bright side: I've had time to read!

May Recap:

Original TBR: 779

Current TBR: 778 + Currently Reading: 12 =

790

Not too bad. I held my own for another month. I'd better go out and buy some books....

I hope it will get better soon, Terri, give it a few more physical therapy sessions.
It's good to stay positive and read!

I was sorry to hear that you've had such a painful time! Are you feeling better now?

Oh, my. I am way far behind, aren't I? I blame my neck, which didn't care for sitting at the computer (or doing much of anything else). Thank goodness for modern medicine! I now have fused vertebrae with a plate, minimal surgery pain, and several weeks off of work! I expect to make it all up in July! If I can get through my schoolwork....

What I read in June:

34. Chips Off the Old Benchley by Robert Benchley. I love the humor of Robert Benchley, so this was a great diversion!

35. A Good American by Alex George. Read for the MO Readers group discussion. A good book about a family, starting with the parents immigration from Germany to a little town in Missouri, and going through their lives through several generations.

36. Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen. An Early Reviewer I received this year. A good story, but not as good as most of her other books.

June Recap:

Original TBR: 779

Current TBR: 780 + Currently Reading: 15 =

795

:(

Welcome back! Good luck with the schoolwork and hope you have a speedy recovery!

Glad to hear you're feeling better.

Thanks, RP & Betty! So far, so good!

37. Lawrence In Arabia by Scott Anderson. Great book about T.E. Lawrence's adventures and influence in the Middle East during World War I. Also, a good two inches off the shelf!

38. The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman. A newer book for the second category. A very good read--recommended!

Oops! Forgot one that I finished several weeks ago!

39. The Millionaire and the Mummies by John M. Adams. Also a newer book, bought for my reading group at the Art Museum. Excellent story of Theodore Davis who discovered a record number of tombs in Egypt, but was overshadowed by Howard Carter and King Tut. Davis wasn't necessarily a good person, but certainly an interesting one!

Nice progress, and best wishes for your recovery!

Thank you, Birgit!

So nice to see you back here, and I'm glad that the surgery was a success! I know it won't all be sunshine and roses, but YAAAAY that you have off this month! :) Take care of yourself, Terri!

Aha, her is all the stuff about the surgery! I'm so glad it went well and you are recovering with not to much pain!

Hooray for successful surgery! Glad it went well. Speedy recovery to you!

Now wait just a cotton-pickin' minute. I KNOW that I posted some books here. See, I even wrote them up at the top. I guess I'll have to start over again....

40. The Songcatcher by Sharyn McCrumb. It was okay. Nothing to write home about.

41. Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson. Really, really good.

42. To Have and To Hold by Mary Johnston. Probably one of the very first "romance novels." But it was really pretty good. Not a bodice-ripper at all, but a well-told story.

43. U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton. I'm really trying to savor the last few of her books that I haven't read yet. This one was good, but it left a lot of unresolved gaps.

44. Wickett's Remedy by Myla Goldberg. It was good. It took a little while to get used to the writing, but once I did, I liked it.

These next ones were acquired this year, so they only count for the second ticker:

45. The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman. It was good. I liked how she worked in the Triangle Shirtwaist tragedy.

46. Happy This Year! by . A motivational book given to me by my boss, who thought I needed an attitude adjustment earlier this year (she was right).

47. China Dolls by Lisa See. A bit of a disappointment. I had a difficult time keeping the characters apart, which was a problem because each chapter was narrated by a different character.

That's all I've got! Thanks for sticking with me. I really will try to do better...

Oh. and I finished another little book.

48. Taming Your Gremlin by Richard David Carson. Back when I needed them, I accumulated a whole bunch of self-help books. Now that I'm self-actualized, I read one now and again for fun. This was a cute one.

July Recap:

Original TBR: 779

Current TBR: 782 + Currently Reading: 12 =

794

Hard to believe that as much as I read this month, I'm STILL only one behind last month. I didn't think I had accumulated that many, but I guess I did...

And August is already a wash. The Friends of the Library Book Fair is this month, and I get one free bag of books for volunteering, and a $10 gift certificate. Plus it's my birthday this month, and Amazon gift certificates are just so easy for everyone...

What's that saying...running as fast as you can to stay in one place?

I'm jogging along beside you. Scholastic Books' Warehouse Sale is about to happen again...

*chuckle* I feel your pain!

Looks like some good reads and you are on track with your goal. Congrats!

Thanks, Tess! It seems the more I read, the more I accumulate, though, so I'll be hanging out in this group till kingdom come!

49. The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, foreword by George M. Wohlreich MD. An "Images of America" book that I bought in Philadelphia last year. Fascinating!

And two books that I acquired this month and read this month:

50. Dr. Mutter's Marvels by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz. I got this as an Early Reviewer, and I bypassed all of the other books on my stack to read it. Ties into the one above, and probably even more fascinating!

51. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. A well-written, even-handed, thought-provoking book. I really liked it!

Edited to add: I'm having troubles with tickers tonight. I'll update them later.

Terri, the ticker website seems to have been messed up the past couple of days. We were talking about it on the main ROOT update thread for this month. It seems like nobody can update tickers. I tried earlier today and still couldn't.

Whew! I thought I had messed something up! A relief to know that THIS time it's not my fault!

And by the way, I worked at the Book Fair this afternoon and scored a bag of 10 books. And I'll be going back tomorrow to spend my $10 certificate. And I'll be going back Sunday for $5/bag.

I am so screwed.

52. V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton. "Vengeance" is one of those words that never looks like it's spelled right. But I checked, and it is. Anyway, one off the shelf.

42 on the shelf...

*hangs head in shame*

I think only 42 on the shelf is something to be proud of. There are so many on my shelves that I don't dare count them all!

Oh, no. Not 42 on the shelf. 42 MORE on the shelf. Which has driven my "on the shelf" number up over 800.

Sigh.

But I read one of them already:

53. Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen. I have never read anything by Anna Quindlen that I didn't love. Really. I never thought of it before, but I expect she is one of my very favorite authors.

>90 tloeffler: I wouldn't worry if I only had 800 either.

>90 tloeffler: - I wouldn't either.

:) This is why I hang out with you guys!

54. Memories Before and After the Sound of Music by Agathe von Trapp. It was fun; not great literature, and of course, the real story is nothing like the movie, but still a life of adventures!

55. Old Southwest Humor from the St. Louis Reveille, 1844-1850 edited by Fritz Oelschlaeger. Received this year, so only counts for the second ticker, but it was a big book so it was nice to not have to put it on the shelf in the first place. Humorous articles, totally politically incorrect (see the dates), but some were pretty funny, and if you put yourself back in that time, you can see how they would have been funny then.

56. The Long Way Home by Louise Penny. I admit it--This one barely made it out of the box it came in. Then I was up most of the night reading it. Does it count as off-the-shelf if it never made it ON the shelf? It does for me. This is a keeper! If you've been following the series, put down your ROOTS and dig in to this one!

One last ROOT for the month of August:

57. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire. A great take on the Cinderella story, set in the 17th century Netherlands. Recommended!

August Recap:

Original TBR: 779

Current TBR: 825 + Currently Reading: 14 =

839

Heavens to Murgatroyd. So, if I can read 60 books before the end of the year, and not buy any more, I'll be where I started. I guess I should start gathering up the really short books...

Oh my! LOL!

I will have to do a re-counting of my TBR too!

58. Complete Father Brown Stories by G.K. Chesterton. A fun collection of stories about dear Father Brown, the unassuming little priest who solves mysteries. I really enjoyed most of these stories (okay, some were a little bit hard to swallow, but overall...). I have the PBS series on my DVR. I'll have to start watchting them some day...

59. Being Dead is No Excuse by Gayden Metcalfe and Charlotte Hays. Hilarious primer on how to host a southern funeral and luncheon. AND it included recipes! I think I gained 10 pounds just reading it...

60. Zig Zag Wanderer by Madison Smartt Bell. This is a Concord Free Press book, where you receive the book for free if you promise to make a donation to a charity and pass the book along to someone else. It is a collection of short stories (not always my favorite genre) which were actually very good. I would definitely recommend it, and if any of you are interested in it, send me a PM with your address and I will gladly pass it along. I also have a copy of The Rockaways, a collection of photographs of the destruction from Hurricane Sandy, and IOU: New Writing on Money, a collection of writings on money by various people (also very good). Just let me know!

61. The Lost Carving: A Journey to the Heart of Making by David Esterly. I read this for the Art Museum Book Club in September. It was connected with a panel discussion with three members of the St. Louis Craft Alliance (one of whom was my cousin Luanne!). Esterly, a wood-carver, was asked to assist with restoring the carvings of Grinling Gibbons after the 1986 fire at Hampton Court. This book chronicles his thoughts and actions during that period. Some interesting insights on the art of woodcarving (and other "making"), but I found the author to be a bit full of himself, and a study in contradictions. I also hated all of the incomplete sentences. A few phrases may be fine, but this was overboard. Disappointing. And Luanne thought so too!

The first two count for Off The Shelf; the last two were acquired this year, so only count for the second ticker. :(

I need to start reading...


Edited to Add: I just realized that the second two put me over my "Second Ticker Goal!" Those are books I've read that I own, but that were acquired after 12/31/13. It's something!

Well done!

Hooray for reaching another goal!! Good job, Terri.

62. NYC Basic Tips and Etiquette by Nathan W. Pyle. Yeah, I picked this up in the shop at the NY Public Library and read it as soon as I got back to the hotel.

63. The Mysterious Stranger and Other Stories by Mark Twain. I'm starting on those shorter books!

September Recap:

Original TBR: 779

Current TBR: 828 + Currently Reading: 11 =

839

Oh, my. I held my own this month! Someone check my math--there must be something wrong.

64. Mary Poppins in the Park by P.L. Travers. Another one of those shorter books.

65. Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. An Early Reviewer I got earlier this year.

66. The Lost History of 1914 by Jack Beatty. Another one that was new this year.

Did you give your opinion about Marina somewhere, Terri?

I recently read that one too. For me it was worth a 3,5/5 stars.

Connie, it's here: http://www.librarything.com/work/289536/edit/111069596
I really liked it!

67. The Dream Stealer by Gregory Maguire. Another short one I pulled off the shelf in anticipation of:

68. Egg & Spoon by Gregory Maguire. Another LT Early Reviewer that I loved!

I have a few more ROOTs started, but I don't expect to finish them by Friday. Maybe I'll have a good November?

October Recap:

Original TBR: 779

Current TBR: 822 + Currently Reading: 16

838

Okay then. I actually bought a few books, but managed to reduce by total TBR by 1!

Feeling proud!!!

Thanks for the link to the review!

69. Portnoy's Complaint by Phillip Roth. The only legitimate TBR off the shelf this month, and I didn't even like it that much. :(

70. A Sudden Light by Garth Stein. Bought this month;read this month.

71. Enzo Races in the Rain! by Garth Stein. See above.

72. The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. Bought this year, read this month.

November Recap:

Original TBR: 779

Current TBR: 826 + Currently Reading: 15

841

Considering that I only read 4 of my own books this month, and three of them were new books, it doesn't seem so bad that I only went up 2 books. Unfortunately, I just spent today in a bookstore, and, well, I hope I have more reading time in December...time's a'wastin', and I need to read 6 more to get to my goal!

73. The House of Special Purpose by John Boyne. Fabulous historical novel revolving around the Russian Revolution in 1917. Boyne is coming to St. Louis in February, so I'm already preparing to add any more of his books that I don't own to the pile then.

74. Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin by (duh) Calvin Trillin. A collection from one of my favorite humor writers.

Which puts me below my target of 50 old books off the shelf. :( But only 4 under, and I could have polished those off if I hadn't spent so much time reading stupid school books this year. But school will be over in May, so I'm optimistic about next year's challenge!

One more that I read that was purchased in 2014:

75. Flight of Aquavit by Anthony Bidulka. Second in a great series about a gay PI who solves mysteries and has the most delightful life!

So the good news is that over half of the books I read this year belonged to me. It's a start...

Happy New Year, Everyone!

December Recap:

Original TBR: 779

Current TBR: 849 + Currently Reading: 14

863

Up 84 from the beginning of the year. Oh well, today is a new day! (now where the heck is the 2015 group?)

Hey, that's pretty darn close to a wash, at least in my book! Congratulations, TLo!