Lisa's TBR Stack (If at first you don't succeed, grab another book...)

Welcome back and good luck with your 2018 reading!

Hi Lisa, welcome and happy ROOTing! :)

Welcome back! Hope you have a great reading year!

Hi Lisa, glad to see you back with the ROOTers! Good luck and happy ROOTing.

Welcome back from me too, I hope this year is a bit more relaxing!

Welcome back, and I hope you get the relaxing time you're looking for!

>10 This-n-That: nice illustration - anthropomorphism is a weird thing though! I used to love The Wind in the Willows and Tales of the Riverbank when I was little but Watership Down, put me off animal-centred stories for years. I finally read Animal Farm last year though and thought it was great.

I'm interested to see what you say about your second ROOT! Looks interesting.

>10 This-n-That: Sounds like a wonderful read!

>16 This-n-That: that's a helpful review in that I don't think I'll read the book, but I share your interest in Scandinavian culture and politics (with a small 'p'). I was fortunate to visit both Norway and Sweden in a work capacity (I was an urban planner, specialising in property-based regeneration) and it left me wanting to see and learn more, particularly about the positive healthy living aspects of their cultures compared to us Scots with our poor health and life expectancy rates.

I still harbour a desire to hire a motor-home and travel extensively there but familial duties keep me from having the time just now, so I just have to visit vicariously through books, Scandi-noir tv programmes and an annual winter hygge-fest of cosiness. ;)

>16 This-n-That: I normally quite like Bill Bryson, but I agree that an awful lot of books that have followed have tried to emulate his successful formula and very few do it as well.

I have had brief (few days each for a conference) trips to Helsinki and Stockholm,and loved them both (but oh my goodness the price of a beer in the city centre was eye-watering in both!). I'd happily explore more.

>20 This-n-That: I've enjoyed most of the ones I've read - pretty much all of the older travel books although I've not read the most recent one (The Road to Little Dribbling). I really enjoyed the Australian one (in the UK it was published as Down Under but I think it has a different title in the USA). I also enjoyed A Short History of Nearly Everything. I've also got Mother Tongue on the TBR (also with a 1/395 chance of being read any time soon, see my recent comment on my thread!).

I did read them quite a long time ago though, and found I didn't love Notes from a Small Island quite so much on second reading, although I did still enjoy it. I will try the others again at some point, when Mt TBR is a bit smaller (hahahahaha).

Happy second Thingaversary, Lisa! (belatedly, but so what?)

>24 This-n-That: A happy coincidence nonetheless! :)

Oh man I just realized mine was yesterday! Thank you for posting about yours!

Happy Thingaversary, Lisa and RP

>27 This-n-That: LOL I was totally thinking it was the 11th! I was half right ;)

>28 connie53: Thanks for the early Thingaversary greetings!

Happy Thingaversary! My TBR pile is so enormous I've decided for the last couple of years that I'm just going to count the books that I would have bought anyway that month, rather than buying an extra however many (it'll be 7 this year, as I'll have been on LT 6 years. I've never quite got the whole 'one to grow on' thing though - it's not like my TBR pile needs any more encouragement to grow!!).

>33 This-n-That: I've heard some really good things about that book. Was it author-narrated? I haven't really watched a full episode of any of his programmes, but have liked quotes of his that have become memes (I'm such an intellectual!).

>33 This-n-That: This sounds so good! I really need to add it to my TBR list.

>33 This-n-That: great review - I’ve got this on my wishlist but after a quick chat with detailmuse decided I needed some background before I ventured into astrophysics, hence reading Maps of Time... which starts with an easy intro to ‘creation myths’ (the term is a catch-all for religious and scientific theories). Hope to get to neat astrophysics one of these days...

>31 Jackie_K: >32 This-n-That: I'm not into Thingaversary buying anymore. I did that for some years but now I have to buy to many books. I'm a member since November 2009 so that would mean 10 books + 1. And that would be 25% of my annual 'buying books challenge'. I just buy a book when I really, really want it.

>38 connie53: Yes, that would be a lot of books!

>1 This-n-That: Very clever monthly ideas in your seasonal challenge!

>18 This-n-That: some good, bad and annoying elements
I feel the same about Bryson. His worthless forward to a fabulous 2009 book (Off the Tourist Trail) was so "phoned-in" that it felt disrespectful, and I haven't pursued any of his recents...

>33 This-n-That: great review!
and >36 floremolla: I think any bit of astrophysics you (I !) get just accumulates to make the next bit more understandable!

>45 This-n-That: Thank you, the same to you! Do you have anything planned for the break?

>44 This-n-That: Cute illustration! I read one of the Street Cat Bob books last year, and also got the kid's book of the story out of the library for my daughter.

>47 This-n-That: It's meant to be cold here (again, sigh), so other than trying to make it out to a church service for Easter Sunday not too many plans here either. We really need to make a start on sowing our veg/salad seeds for the summer, so maybe we'll do that.

Oh and reading too, of course!

I've not got into Litsy, as I'm a bit app-phobic and actually intend to go back to a granny-phone when my smartphone (which I've had since 2012 and not bothered upgrading) finally gives up. If it was a website as well as an app then I might have tried it. Though I spend too much time online as it is.

>51 This-n-That: Oh no, reading slumps are the worst! Sending good reading vibes your way.

>51 This-n-That: oh, commiserations! No harm in taking a break, especially if you've got lots going on in RL, but hope you find your reading mojo before long :)

>54 This-n-That: I hope you will avoid the slump, Lisa! And I hope that real live will treat you better in the future!

>56 This-n-That: nice - this is when I wish there was a 'like' button :)

I hope the reading slump doesn't happen, Lisa, but even if it does we are still happy to see you here whenever you're feeling up to it!

>61 This-n-That:, Do let me know if you get around to Eleanor Oliphant! I was just given that one as a gift.

>64 This-n-That: I'm going to see if I can get that in the library some time. I don't think I've read a negative review of it yet.

>66 This-n-That: I'm not holding out a huge amount of hope that I'll get it any time soon - maybe I should give it a year so that everyone who's wanted to take it out of the library already has, then I'll perhaps get a shot at it! I do show willing and check out the fiction shelves each time I go to the library, but it's full of chicklit and crime (neither of which are my cup of tea) and almost nothing that appeals. If I see Eleanor Oliphant though, I'm snapping her up!

>64 This-n-That: On the wish-list it goes!

>56 This-n-That: Thanks for the kind wishes. I love this saying.

>73 This-n-That: looks like a review to me! I read TTOWH about a decade ago. I didn't find it especially memorable although it was clearly well intentioned to highlight particular types of social nastiness. As you've said though, this just makes for not-very-pleasant characters! Good work on completing another ROOT/classic.

I've got Agnes Grey on my list to read for one of the Category Challenges in a couple of months, I've never read any Anne before (I've read Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre though, and am not the biggest fan of them!). From what I've heard Anne is a bit preachier and 'softer' than her sisters, so maybe I'll get on better (or differently) with her.

>77 This-n-That: Did you get to the end of Wuthering Heights? I absolutely agree with you - I found all the characters wretched and/or unlikeable, although I did feel desperately sorry for Isabella who really got more than she ever bargained for. I'm not sure I'd ever read it again.