BJ's Root Challenge for 2015

Things went a little better in 2014 than 2013; however, I am going to stay with 12 for my challenge this year and hope that I surpass it. Happy New Year, everyone!

Welcome back and good luck!

Welcome and good luck on your rooting!

Thank you! I am excited about the new year.

Happy New Year, Sandra!

Thank you, Terri! I read my first book.
1. Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis. This is the 4th book in the Chronicles of Narnia, and I thought it was pretty good. Three more to go for the series. Inexplicably, I have this series sitting on my shelf in duplicate.

Good luck with your 2015 challenge ~BJ. Happy New Year!

Thank you, Belva! Happy New Year to you, as well!

2. The Gunslinger (Dark Tower 1) by Stephen King. This book has been sitting around the house for years. This year the cover called me. It was a great read (although the writing at first wasn't perfect). At any rate, it grew on me. I don't have any of the other books in the series. I guess I will have to get them soon.

Welcome back and good luck, Sandra!

And 2 down! Good job.

Thank you! Better than last year, for sure.

Two more books!
3. Living Life as a Thank You: The Transformative Power of Daily Gratitude by Nina Lesowitz and Mary Beth Sammons. This book has been hanging around for several years. I was feeling the need for uplift and read this. It was mainly anecdotes with a few strategies. It was only ok, though.

4. Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. I thought the origin of the title (from misremembered song lyrics and what they might mean) was interesting. This is a classic my kids read that I never had. It has been hanging around the house longer than the previous book. Maybe even 10 years.

Two more! Good job!

Thank you, Connie! Things are going better this year. :)

Marking your thread.

Hi, Robert! By the way, I decided to hold off on Sarum, which is a super-old tbr. I have had two not so great years of reading, so delaying that one seemed like a good idea after your review. This year is going much better (so far, at least).

I saw your new thread, as well. Thanks so much for stopping by.

A great start!

Thank you! I needed a good start after my reading slump.

5. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. This short book was beautifully written. I loved it. It is the story of Santiago, a shepherd seeking his Personal Legend and how he changes on his journey.

Wow, 5 down! Good job, Billiejean.

Congrats! I've heard good things about that book.

Thank you, Tess and Connie! Your cheerleading is just what I need.

I have started two ROOTS. One is Song of Roland, which is an epic poem that I had not heard of until a couple of years ago. The other is a super-worn paperback of The Young Unicorns by Madeleine L'Engle, which my kids have read over and over again. I am glad that I am sticking with the old stuff for the most part. How much I will actually get rid of is the other issue, once they are read.

>18 billiejean: wow! 5 ROOTs pulled already! That's quite some progress on your goal of 12!

>9 billiejean: Did you read the one he originally wrote or the "updated" version? He wrote the original so long ago and it took him so many hears to finish the series that he updated it ~30 years later :) I've only read the original... curious about that updated one! I've read books 1-5 in the series,, still have to get to books 6 and 7! (I finished book 5 before the others were published, so, unfortunately, lost my momentum ;P) But I loved those books!

Last year it took me months to finish my first book. This year seems to be going much better.

I read the updated version of The Gunslinger, and I have heard that people like it better than the original. I think King said that he wanted to book to mesh more with where the series ended up. I definitely want to read more.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

6. The Young Unicorns by Madeleine L'Engle. This young adult mystery story was pretty good and I loved the characters. Especially the dog!

>23 billiejean: good to know.. I think that may be a series that I re-read at some point down the line.. :)

I think we might have all the books around here somewhere.

I think you must be right, billiejean!

If only I knew where all my books were! I was planning to note it on the catalog (which I heard someone else suggest), but I couldn't get the kids to help and things are too spread out with a PC. I guess I might try again if I had a laptop. In the meantime, I am trying to get some books out. Hence the ROOT and TBR challenge.

Here is the first book for February:
7. The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness by Simon Wiesenthal. This is one of the books that my daughter read in school that I had never read. I had never even heard of this book; although, I think it is fairly famous. Simon who is suffering in a concentration camp, leaves with a work party to a field hospital in his old school. While working, a nurse calls him away to the room of a dying SS Officer, who wishes to confess his participation in a war atrocity and seek forgiveness. Simon tells about the entire experience of the confession and also of living in the concentration camp. At the end, he asks the reader if he did the right thing. Then he asks "What would you have done in my place?" The second half of the book is filled with various responses to his question. This was a remarkable book. I am glad that I did not have to write a response. I do not know what I would have done.

>29 billiejean: woot! Congrats on another ROOT pulled! :)
>28 billiejean: crazy... I probably had that many books in the house at some point, but with so many moves, I learned how to ... sort of restrict myself. To only about 600 books in the house (plus however many my husband has (a few hundred?) plus the ... probably thousands my sister has upstairs, but I'm not counting that). ;)

I am definitely feeling the need to whittle down the number. My new plan is to bag all the books that I have read and get my kids to go through them. My dream is that they will take what they are interested in, thereby getting them out of my house. But it is a first step.

>31 billiejean: that's a great first step :) My folks started that a few years ago and are now, I think, down to the ends... Supposedly I'm going to be getting a box of books in the mail, soon ;)

It is always fun to get books in the mail! :) Another problem I have. I tried the ebook thing without success. Maybe I will give it another whirl with a better device.

>33 billiejean: A common problem.. :) eBooks don't change it for me because... because real books are just so much fun! :)

I prefer real books, too.

I haven't had much reading time, but I hope that it will improve next month. Don't think I will have a good total this month.

>34 avanders: I do too! E-books are just handy when travelling or when you are in your bed and you don't want to disturb your partner. Peet will fall asleep on the sofa with the tv on. He will not wake from a movie with battles, people screaming and such. Since he is turning deaf (No I'm not! You all do not talk loud enough) the sound of the tv is very loud! But he sleeps right through it. When I'm turning a page in a book when in bed, he is wide awake complaining about the sound and about the light. I love my Kobo for night-time reading.

My partner is just the same -- will sleep through absolutely anything (even at the cinema, and films have the sound up far too high here) but 10 minutes of low-wattage bedside lamp and the sounds of pages turning will result in "Are you all right? Why aren't you asleep? Is there something on your mind?"

As you say, gotta love my Kobo.

Ditto here, only Kindle!

I have both Kindle and Nook - my husband sleeps through my bedtime reading with no problems from either, but when I'm reading an old book, he complains about the light. I try to save them for daytime reading now.

>35 billiejean: don't worry about it... you're reading, and reading is good ;) You've got almost a whole year to meet your ROOT goal still!
>36 connie53: Very true... both instances are my primary "I'm happy I have a paperwhite" moments :)

>36 connie53: and >37 Robertgreaves: lol that's hilarious... it's funny what keeps people up sometimes ;)

My husband tends to fall asleep later than I do, but when I am up later reading, he sleeps right through it.... apparently that's rare! ;)
(And I will sleep through anything. Anything.)

I can see that a ereader has some definite advantages! I don't read in bed anymore. If I can't sleep and want to read, I get up and go in another room. Which always surprises my sweet dog! But lately, I have been sleeping no problem. I used to get a lot of reading in at night, but no longer.

I remember my mom reading in bed back in the day with a small lamp that clamped on her headboard. But the light bulb actually melted the plastic lamp! So that was history. :)

I have a light that clips to my headboard to use when I'm not reading my Kindle. It's made of metal and boy, it does get hot!

>41 billiejean: wow! I have a lamp in my bedroom that runs a lot hotter than I'm comfortable with... especially given how little light it gives off ;p
perhaps one of these days I'll get a new one ;)

Perhaps a little light you can clip to your book?

>44 connie53: I bought one of those book clip lights, but it's not bright enough for me in my old age

Yes, I know what you mean, Tess. I've tried them too, but the ray of light is just to small (that may be due to the sort of lamp I used) and I had to adjust it constantly. That why I'm so glad to have my Kobo.

I also have to have a brighter light than in the past. Sometimes at work, I am dealing with some tiny numbers, and I can read them barely but I need every available light on and pointed at the paper. And I prefer larger print in books, too, but in general reading books with smaller print is easier for me than tiny numbers. It can be hard to differentiate the 6s and 8s.

I barely got a second book in for February:
8. Praying with the Creed: Meditations from the Oratory by Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel. I was reading this book with my faith sharing group and we finished this month. Our next book is about the Beatitudes. We only meet once a month and read then discuss, so we go fairly slowly through our books. There were lots of quotes from Saint Augustine, so I am thinking about rereading his Confessions sometime.

Maybe "barely," but it's done! And overall, 8/12!! Congrats!

Barely is good enough!

Well, I located my notebook that I write down books in as I read them and I discovered that I omitted a book from February. Since I have already updated my numbers, I will count it for March:

9. Our Walk in His Footsteps by Brian R. Casey. I picked this book up at a Church mission a couple of years ago. The book basically said the same things as his talks did.

I have been reading some of my books that I can donate to the Church library. So once a month I try to donate at least one book. But it is not really creating a lot of space. Still, I guess it is better than keeping them.

Thanks for the encouragement! I am really happy that I am reading more than last year, but I am still not having as much reading time as I like.

We have had a lovely snow. This has been a much snowier winter than I expected. I love the snow, especially since I work from home.

10. The Song of Roland by Anonymous. This is an epic poem, although not too long. Once I got into the rhythm of it, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Just to show my lack of knowledge of European history, I was not familiar with the story at all.

11. Winning the Battle Against Sin: Hope-Filled Lessons from the Bible by Fr. Mitch Pacwa, SJ. I almost forgot to list this one. This is the book I chose for my Lenten reading. I finished it early and will donate it to the Church library. I am donating my religious books, but still have too many books to get my books off the floor and onto shelves.

>50 billiejean: oh, yes, I imagine working from home while it's all snowy outside is lovely... though I might be tempted to stop working, get some hot cocoa and do some more reading.... ;)

>51 billiejean: and congrats on 2 (3) more ROOTs done!

I haven't had nearly enough time for reading lately. Too much work to do. I need to get back to it now, of course. :)

12. This Tremendous Lover by M. Eugene Boylan. This book about the love of Jesus Christ and how we can get to know him better is a classic of which I had never heard. I read it as part of the 5 year reading plan of reading the Bible, the Catechism, and various works of spiritual reading. I am at the beginning of year three (and about a month behind). This book has only been on my shelf about a year.

So far this year I have read only 1 non-ROOT book. Pretty good for me. Still at the beginning of Gather, Darkness!, a scifi classic. I need to get involved with it soon as my eye is wandering over the shelves!

13. Preparation for Total Consecration to Jesus Christ through Mary According to St. Louis de Montfort by Fr. Hugh Gillespies. I read this prayer book in preparation for a Church event.

14. Gather, Darkness! by Fritz Leiber. Now for something totally different. In this book, the "Great God" and priests are the bad guys and "Sathanas" and the witches are the good guys. Not really my kind of plot line, but I have had this sitting around forever and went ahead and read it. I bought it for a group read that never happened. Anyway, another book off the shelf! Yea!

It's a ROOT, that's what counts!

Is 12 still your goal, because you are already there!

>53 billiejean: man, I know the feeling... hope you find more time to read soon!!
Regardless, CONGRATS on meeting your ROOT goal!!!

I had a terrible reading year last year, so I wanted my goal to be achievable. I did not expect to reach it so soon. Anyway, I am going to leave my goal there and just be happy I reached it so early. Maybe next year I will make it higher.

15. The Chosen by Chaim Potok. This book has been around the house forever. I decided to read it because it is one of the books that my kids read in school that I had never read. This was a great book! And I read it super-fast compared to the other books I have read this year. This is the story of two Jewish boys who live 5 blocks from each other and have never met. They meet at a baseball game, playing on opposing sides. This is the story of their growing to adulthood. This is the best book I have read so far this year. Yea!

Well, got to get back to work. :) Thank you so much for stopping by!

My total for March is 7 since I forgot to list one of the February books.

For April so far, I have read two books:

16. From a Mother's Heart: Stories of God's Faithfulness edited by Theresa Difato. This book covers a variety of topics with discussion questions at the end of each story so they can be used for discussions in faith sharing groups. I am donating this book to my Church library.

17. The Diary of a Country Priest by Georges Bernanos. This fictional diary is written by a priest of a small parish during the early 20th century. It started a bit slowly for me, but about halfway through I had trouble putting it down. I am hanging onto to this for a while in case my daughter wants to read it as well.

I have started Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne. I have never read anything by him, but I have seen the movie of this book, or maybe two different movies of it.

18. Real Men Pray the Rosary: A Practical Guide to a Powerful Prayer by David N. Calvillo. I read this book because I saw it featured on tv (even though I am not a man). I am donating it to my Church.

>58 billiejean: good, that is exactly what I would do! (plus your extra books above your goal helps the rest of us out ;))

For some reason, I am reading mainly books off the shelf this year. I hope that trend continues. If only I could stop adding to the books on the shelf.

Continuing for April:

19. The Authentic Catholic Woman by Genevieve Kineke. I will also donate this one to the Church library. I wonder if they really want these books that I am sending?

20. Be A Man!: Becoming the Man God Created You to Be by Fr. Larry Richards. Another book where I am not the target audience. I do like to hear what Fr. Richards has to say, though. Church library, again.

21. A Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne. This adventure story has been around for years. I am glad that I finally read it.

Books for May:

22. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This was a quick, clever read. I have started the next book in the trilogy.

23. Christian Mother Goose: Rock-A-Bye Bible by Marjorie Ainsborough Decker. This has literally (OK, not literally) been around the house forever. I read it and now wonder if I should save it or donate it.

>63 billiejean: that's excellent! It's okay to add, s'long as you're taking away too ;)
Looks like you're reading some great books!

>Some good reading there!

I think my goal needs to be to take away more than I add. Not there yet.

24. The Sinner's Guide by Venerable Louis of Grenada. This book with the funny title is more of a cautionary tale with advice. It was written in the mid-1500s, I think, and was a favorite of Teresa of Avila.

25. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. The second book of the Hunger Games trilogy. Also fast-paced but maybe not as good as the first one.

26.Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. The conclusion to the trilogy. Even more depressing at times, not as fast-paced.

I hope to read a couple more in May. Wish me luck!

Good luck with your reading!

>66 billiejean: no... me neither. I keep thinking I'm doing so well... but the numbers do not confirm that sense ;)

Good luck w/ more ROOTs in May!

Thank you for the good luck wishes!

27. Experiencing God: The Three Stages of Prayer by Thomas H. Green, S.J. This book on prayer was interesting and not what I expected at times. Another for the Church library.

28. Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy. I love reading Cormac McCarthy. This is the third book of the Border Trilogy and puts together the main character from Book 1 and Book 2. I am hanging onto this one for a while.

29. The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. This book was funny, but also sad. This poor child with no attention from the parents. This one is being donated.

I will wait a little longer before putting in my totals, although the chances of finishing another book or two are slim.

I guess I read 8 for May which is good for me. And my first one for June:
30. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling. I know that I am the last person on the planet to read this book, but I enjoyed it tremendously.

>70 billiejean: 8 ROOTs in one month is great!
ooooooooooooh to be able to read Harry Potter for the first time again...... {sigh}

>70 billiejean:, No, you are not the last. I still haven't read it and don't have any plans to!

May was a good month for me.

I have read my second book for June:

31. Watchmen by Alan Moore. I read this book, which has been hanging around for quite a while now, because it is listed in the first 1001 BYMRBYD. It started kind of slow for me (not my genre), but it picked up and I ended up liking it pretty well. Interesting ending.

32. Carry On, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse. This is the second Jeeves book in my 3 book set, and I enjoyed it even more than the first. Everyone has a wealthy aunt or uncle to support them! And it is important to stay on her or his good side.

>74 billiejean: after reading What Ho, Automaton!, I'm more curious than ever about Wodehouse!

I have only recently started reading Wodehouse. My mother and brother used to read all of them. They loved them. I do think they are somewhat silly, but they are great fun.

33. Grave Peril by Jim Butcher. This is another case for the Wizard detective where the ghosts are running amok, and he has to find out why. This fantasy series has lots of action and also humor. This is the third book in the series. I have 4 more books to go.

>76 billiejean: somewhat silly & great fun sound like good attributes... so long as you're in the mood for it ;)

I also enjoyed the few Butcher books I read... I think I read the first 4? Are there only 7? I didn't realize!

Just popping in and waving, BJ!

>77 avanders: No, I think there might be quite a few more than 7. That is just how many of them I own.

>78 connie53: Thank you so much for stopping by!

34. Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff. Last book for June. This book was quite good. The author took two historical mysteries and created a story around them. I had seen the movie before reading the book, which I didn't want to do. However, the movie was actually different from the book, so that was nice. This tale shows the desire of an injured soldier of the Roman Legion to clear the name of his father, whose legion disappeared and was never heard from again. He ventures into British "Barbarian" territory to discover what happened and recover the "Eagle of the Ninth."

The Eagle of the Ninth is a great book, isn't it? The actual eagle that inspired the story is in Reading museum, near where my parents live, so I have seen it. If I can remember how to post photos here I'll post mine for you.

Thanks! I would love to see it. I just happen to have The Silver Branch and The Lantern Bearers also on hand to read. And I think I have one other book of hers around here somewhere, but I can't recall the title.

I read my first book for July (maybe the only one, the way I am going):
35. The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham. This book was creepy and a page turner. I was not familiar with it until I searched for a copy of The Day of the Triffids. According to the introduction, it is more famous than The Day of the Triffids.

I don't know about The Midwich Cuckoos being more famous than The Day of the Triffids, but I certainly found it far scarier when I read them as a young teen.

>82 billiejean: mm a creepy page turner.. sounds great! :)

ETA: added to overdrive wishlist ;)

I have one more book in my set The Chrysalids, another book I hadn't heard of. However, I liked the first two so much that I am excited about this one as well.

36. Scurvy Dogs, Green Water, and Gunsmoke: Fifty Years in U.S. Navy Destroyers Volume One edited by Bob Cohen and Terry Miller. I purchased this book as well as volume two on the recommendation of someone here on LT. It took me a while to get to it, and I can no longer recall who recommended them. These anecdotes on Navy life run the gamut. Some were hilarious. Some I did not care for. However, I do plan to read the next volume, too.

37. Swan Peak by James Lee Burke. I bought several of these Dave Robincheaux novels after watching Heaven's Prisoners on tv. For some reason, I had thought this was the first book in the series. Far from it! But I did enjoy it and will read the others I have for sure.

I'm sorry that I have been away for a while. This has been a complicated summer and now my sweet doggie has had surgery. Even a dog of 11 doesn't like total restriction of activity. I will try to update everything by the end of September. I am reading long books now, so I don't know how many more I will get read.

>86 billiejean: oh sorry about your dog's surgery! I know pets hate medical stuff of any kind... they simply don't understand! Hope s/he is doing much better!

I hope your dog recovers quickly from the surgery! Poor thing.

Thank you for all the good wishes for my sweet doggie. She is doing much better after only a week. And she has a pretty good attitude. I often admire that in her. I want to be more like my golden retriever. :)

>89 billiejean: Glad to hear she's doing much better!
ha maybe she wishes she were more like you ;)

I do know that she wishes she could open the gate to the rest of the house and the gate to the rest of the yard, which are off limits for several months.

>91 billiejean: aww but it's nice they trust us so much :)

>89 billiejean: How is your doggie doing now, Billiejean? Still doing fine I hope.

Thank you so much for asking about my beloved Golden Retriever, or as I call her, the greatest dog of all time. Just when she was recovering so well from her surgery, she was diagnosed with cancer. She only made it another week and a half. I was so upset over losing her that I couldn't read or post. I lost her about a week before Thanksgiving. I am starting to feel a little better now, so I returned to LT today. I will post the rest of my books for this year right after Christmas.

Merry Christmas everyone. And a wonderful 2016.

>94 billiejean: Oh no! I am so sorry.

Very sorry to hear that BJ

Thank you so much, dear friends. I appreciate your kind words so much. LT friends are the best.

I decided to go ahead and post my books for the year.

38. The Lord by Romano Guardini. This book is part of my 5 year spiritual reading plan.
39. Covenanted Happiness: Love and Commitment in Marriage by Cormac Burke. Ditto, although harder to read.
40. Understanding Mary Undoer of Knots by Mark Nelson. A nice explanation.
41. Our Lady of Fatima's Peace Plan from Heaven by Tan. A short explanation.
42. Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie. This was my Halloween read, and I loved that Halloween was spelled the old way. I have been wanting to revisit Agatha Christie, so I started with this.
43. The Complete Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton. I finally read this. Some of the stories were quite good, others only ok. I did love the Father Brown character. This was the first Chesterton book I have ever read.
44. I will See You in Heaven by Friar Jack Wintz. I read this after my dog's diagnosis.
45. Thirty Day Devotions for Holy Souls by Susan Tassone.
46. Praying with Mary and Joseph: Praying las Posadas by Matthew Kessler. Short.
47. Prayer and Guidelines for Catholics by Pfaum. Super short.

Not a lot of variety there. I hope to be more widely read next year. And I finally got a kindle and read my first ever ebook. I never got a book read on my nook. The book I read, which doesn't count for this challenge, is The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick. It had an interesting ending.

I'm going to add these 10 to the ticker and then start fresh next year. I look forward to a better year in 2016.

I'm so very sorry, Billiejean. That's really sad. I hope you will start to feel better soon.

Will we see you ROOTing in 2016? The new group for 2016 is up! I hope to see you there.

>94 billiejean: oh :( Sorry about losing someone so close and special to you! :(
Glad you are starting to feel a little better....

Thank you so much, dear friends. I'm planning to join in next year, too.

I finished another book just in the nick of time.

48. The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni. This book was quite descriptive of the plague. I'm glad I wasn't around for that.

This year went much better than last year, so I might up my goal for 2016. I don't want to think how many I purchased this year, but I do think I purchased more in 2014. I, like the rest of the world, am planning to get organized and the stacks of books are my big obstacle. So I have a duty to read them, right?

You certainly have! You can't leave them on the shelves calling out to you and ignore them.

I spent 20 minutes today looking for a book that I thought I had. I never found it. But that doesn't really prove anything.

lol I've done that. And then later remembered "oh yeah... I gave that to so-and-so" ...

>102 billiejean: I've done that, billiejean! Usually I know the color or size of the book and look that way---and overlook it many times before I find it!

I'm so glad that I'm not the only one. :)