FEBRUARY ROOT - Progress thread

FLOWER OF THE MONTH = VIOLET








Password is ROOTS
February's birth flowers are the violet and primrose. While many relate red roses with February thanks to Valentine's Day on the 14th, the violet is actually the February birth flower. This purple-hued bloom is a symbol of modesty, faithfulness and virtue.

Violets are one of the cheeriest little flowers to grace the landscape. True violets are different from African violets, which are natives of east Africa. Our native violets are indigenous to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere and may bloom from spring well into summer, depending upon the species. There are around 400 types of violet plants in the genus Viola. The many violet plant varieties guarantee there is a sweet little Viola perfect for almost any gardening need.
True violets have been cultivated since at least 500 B.C. Their uses were more than ornamental, with flavoring and medicinal applications high on the list. Today, we are fortunate to have a plethora of different types of violets readily available at most nurseries and garden centers. Violas encompass the dog violets (scentless blooms), wild pansies and sweet violets, which are descended from wild sweet violets from Europe. With so many choices, it can be hard to decide which of these endlessly charming flowers to choose for your landscape.
Both pansies and violets are in the genus Viola. Some are perennials and some are annuals but all sport the sunny, uplifted face-like flowers characteristic of the family Violaceae. While both are technically violets, each has a slightly different characteristic and genesis. Pansies are a cross between the wild violets, Viola lutea and Viola tricolor, and are often called Johnny-jump-ups for their ability to crop up readily anywhere. Sweet violets are descended from Viola odorata, while bedding violets are deliberate hybrids of Viola cornuta and pansies. The mounding form and leaves are the same, but pansies have more distinctive “faces” then bedding violets, which feature more streaking. Any of the types of violet flowers are equally as appealing and easy to grow. Pansies are distinguished by their four petals pointing upwards and one pointing down. The violas have two petals pointing up and three pointing down.
Wild Violas may be field pansies, yellow wood violet, hairy violet, dog violet, downy yellow or early blue violet. All these types of violet plants should thrive in dappled light, well-draining soil and average moisture. Most will self-seed and double the dainty flower display the next year. Violets of any name are one of nature’s sweet treats that shouldn’t be missed in the landscape.

The current total ogf the group would mean that our group goal for January would have been 249 which just manage to pass. Maybe with that extra in February for leap year, we can leap farther toward our goal. Below you will see the totals for January.

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. If your name isn't in the list, please be sure that you have joined the group. So go out there and dig those ROOTs.

ahef1963 0 / 100 0.0%
Ameise1 2 / 12 ★★ 16.7%
arubabookwoman 0 / 36 0.0%
benitastrnad 6 / 60 ★ 10.0%
bg853 0 / 25 0.0%
bookworm148 1 / 20 5.0%
bragan 6 / 50 ★ 12.0%
brakketh 1 / 30 3.3%
clue 5 / 50 ★ 10.0%
connie53 6 / 42 ★ 14.3%
crazy4reading 1 / 38 2.6%
curioussquared 3 / 50 6.0%
CurrerBell 2 / 40 5.0%
cyderry 8 / 84 ★ 9.5%
detailmuse 8 / 40 ★★ 20.0%
DissamblyOfReason 6 / 100 6.0%
enemyanniemae 0 / 50 0.0%
Erratic_Charmer 3 / 40 7.5%
Familyhistorian 10 / 65 ★ 15.4%
FAMeulstee 1 / 24 4.2%
floremolla 0 / 50 0.0%
fuzzi 18 / 100 ★★ 18.0%
HelenBaker 6 / 48 ★ 12.5%
Henrik_Madsen 3 / 50 6.0%
H-mb 0 / 0 #DIV/0!
Jackie_K 3 / 60 5.0%
Jacksonian 4 / 75 5.3%
kac522 7 / 45 ★ 15.6%
karenmarie 9 / 30 ★★★ 30.0%
klarusu 1 / 36 2.8%
Kristelh 10 / 45 ★★ 22.2%
Kwharton 0 / 12 0.0%
LadyBookworth 0 / 30 0.0%
lindapanzo 5 / 48 ★ 10.4%
lilisin 4 / 50 8.0%
LoraShouse 1 / 15 6.7%
leslie.98 18 / 75 ★★ 24.0%
lilisin 4 / 50 8.0%
madhatter22 3 / 50 6.0%
majkia 11 / 60 ★★ 18.3%
mandymarie20 2 / 25 8.0%
martencat 5 / 30 ★★ 16.7%
Miss_Moneypenny 15 / 50 ★★★ 30.0%
MissSos 1 / 25 4.0%
MissWatson 8 / 50 ★ 16.0%
nebula21 3 / 48 6.3%
Nickelini 2 / 15 ★ 13.3%
rabbitprincess 8 / 60 ★ 13.3%
rainpebble 5 / 36 ★ 13.9%
readergirliz 2 / 32 6.3%
readingtangent 7 / 24 ★★★ 29.2%
Rebeki 3 / 24 ★ 12.5%
Robertgreaves 12 / 90 ★ 13.3%
rocketjk 4 / 27 ★ 14.8%
rosalita 2 / 36 5.6%
Sace 2 / 18 ★ 11.1%
sallylou61 3 / 30 ★ 10.0%
si 1 / 20 5.0%
sibylline 1 / 30 3.3%
This-n-That 2 / 20 ★ 10.0%
torontoc 1 / 30 3.3%
tuna.moriarty 0 / 200 0.0%
Val_Reads 1 / 100 1.0%
vestafan 7 / 60 ★ 11.7%
wandaly 2 / 18 ★ 11.1%

Now everyone go cuddle up with a ROOT and read!

Goal for February is 506.

My numbers are correct. Thanks for all the work, Chèli.

I'm sorry, Chèli, but I don't understand. The text says "The current total ogf the group would mean that our group goal for January would have been 249 which just manage to pass." but the tickers say we have read 69 or 2.4%.

>1 cyderry:

You have my name written twice on the list. I hope that is not skewing the numbers.

Thanks so much, Chèli for all your work.
I've finished my first ROOT for February Ich werde hier sein im Sonnenschein und im Schatten and have only updated my personal ticker.

I fell just a few hours short of hitting my January goal of three ROOTs, but I finished up the third, Death at the Deep End) in the afternoon on Feb. 1. (I've updated the group ticker accordingly.) That leaves me plenty of time to read my February allotment of three, despite the shorter (but not as short as usual) month.

Happy reading, everyone!

>3 Robertgreaves: Sorry, forgot to update the tickers!

I adore violets. So pretty! Thanks for all your hard work, Chèli.

Purple must be the colour for February because amethysts are the birthstone. I like violets and pansies and having a star on the list. I'll have to keep reading those ROOTs!

>9 Familyhistorian: Maybe that is why I love blues & purples - I am a February baby :)

Thanks for all your work Chèli!

My January total is correct.

Just added my 9th ROOT of 2020 to all tickers: Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor Vol. 3: Hyperion. This "spend Sunday afternoon with a comic book" thing is going pretty well so far :)

>10 leslie.98: Another February baby here which is why I knew about the birthstone. Happy Birthday in advance unless it was at the beginning of the month.

And another ROOT dusted, also started last month and finished today. Eighty Million Eyes is part of my chronological read of Ed McBain's masterful police procedural series about the 87th Precinct. I've updated the group ticker.

>12 Familyhistorian: Thanks! And right back at you :)

Thanks for the numbers, Chèli! And I just finished my first February ROOT, too.

I finished my first ROOT for February. I listened to the young adult fantasy Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff over the weekend. Now it will be on to the conclusion of the trilogy as soon as I can find it on audio.

Ooh, violets are my favorite! What a cheery theme for this month! Thanks for all your hard work Chèli!

So glad I got this posted late Saturday night. I spent most of yesterday at the ER with my Mom. We took her out to dinner and she apparently ate something that her 95 year old system couldn't handle (not food poisoning) and she was light-headed and nauseous. So we took her to the hospital. They kept her overnight because she was dehydrated, but she is headed home now.
Every time I plan a big trip she does something like this. Do you think that she is just trying to keep me here?

>18 cyderry: I'm sorry to hear that, Chèli. But also happy she is home again.

>18 cyderry: possibly. She might want to be with you as much as possible, considering her advanced age.

My mother's been gone for over 25 years. Her favorite flower was violets, and I always think of her when I see them.

>18 cyderry: Sorry to hear about your scare with your mother but at least it was a scare rather than a real crisis.

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

I've completed my first for Feb: The Case of the Caretaker's Cat by Erle Stanley Gardner. Planning on 5 more.

Finished ROOT # 7 for the year, # 1 for February

De Steen des Afscheids - Tad Williams

All tickers updated.

>24 connie53: that's a wonderful book, trilogy!

I thought Big Little Lies was excellent! My thread and all tickers updated.

Finished my second ROOT of February today: Now We Are Six Hundred: A Collection of Time Lord Verse, by James Goss and Russell T. Davies. Can't get the touchstone to work, even by forcing it, so I've provided a hyperlink to the work page.

All tickers updated.

2 ROOTs finished today. My thread and all tickers have been updated.

I have read my first ROOT for February, fourth for the year: So Big by Edna Ferber.

I finished reading Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan. I found it to be only average and wonder why it won so many awards? But it was an OK read and was for my real life book club.

I’m just about to add my ticker to the group. I'm aiming for a modest 40 ROOTs but I only managed 1 in January.

February is already looking much better (hah!) but that’s mainly because I’m reading a graphic novel volume which is a compilation of eight individual magazines.

I've finished another ROOT, The Perfect Woman by James Andrus. It's the first book in a series I won't be continuing; plot, writing and characters are rather pedestrian and there so many better police procedurals out there to read.

All my numbers are correct. I am only updating my own ticker and thread. I'm not touching the group ticker lol. Is that ok?

I managed 4 ROOTs this first week of February! Yay!

>33 Sace: It is totally OK! :) Great work on the ROOTs this month!

Added my third ROOT of February to all tickers: Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor Vol. 4: The School of Death, written by Robbie Morrison and illustrated by Rachael Stott and Simon Fraser.

>1 cyderry: Cheli sorry I must have been a little late updating my final book for January. I finished Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope which gave me a total of 6/48.
I have completed two more roots so far this month, One Hundred Days of Happiness by Fausto Brizzi
Here At the End of the World We Learn to Dance by Lloyd Jones. I am pleased with my progress this year especially as I am also managing to slot a few library books in. Heading back to those shelves again now to choose my next book.

#3) Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow and #4) Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. The first was a commitment but worth it, the second was a delightful romp. Thread and ticker updated.

>37 readergirliz: I LOVED Red, White, and Royal Blue. SO much fun.

Hi all. I got a pm from a student at Georgia Tech, See below. I'm wondering if some of you did get the same message.

"Hi Ronnie, my name’s Shruti and I’m a student at Georgia Tech (in the USA). I recently joined LibraryThing to understand how well it develops communities of readers as we’re studying the site for a class project. I really appreciate your post and selection of books in the Roots Challenge group and was wondering if I could interview you to get some more perspective on what keeps you as a loyal and returning member to LibraryThing :) Thanks so much in advance!"

>39 connie53: Not I. Personally I would ignore it but that's just me...

>39 connie53:
I think there are a few red flags in this post. First of all, there is no last name. There is no mention of a course name or number or a professor in charge.

Georgia Tech is a Research I institution. This PM doesn't sound like it comes from a university that is a Research I level. In order to use human subjects for a class project the student would have to get IRB (Internal Review Board) approval. There is no mention of that.

I participate in surveys and studies all the time, but these come to me with a university e-mail address and usually has the basic information in it that I mentioned above.

Librarything as a research project is one that I have contemplated on more than one occasion as part of my job description is to do research. However, it would be a headache to do, and the LT gods run a tight ship as far as security goes. They do get hacked but they are on it, when it happens. If you choose to answer this person only do it through the pm function on LT. That way LT takes care of the security and none of your most personal information is exposed. It could be interesting to see what happens.

>41 benitastrnad: I did decide to do it, but only on LT. No mobile numbers or anything.

>39 connie53: Connie, I got the same massage. I ignore it because I don't trust it.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend.

I've finished my second ROOT for the month Village of Stone an have updated my personal ticker.

I've finished my third ROOT for February and sixth for the year: Rejsen til Amerika It wasn't great, but I have owned it at least 25 years, so it was good to get it out of the way!

My number is not correct. I am at 10 books. What have I done wrong?

I fixed the problem. So it is tracking now.

Added another ROOT to all tickers: Ape and Essence, by Aldous Huxley.

Just realised I've not posted to this thread at all this month! I have read 3 ROOTs so far in February, added to all tickers.

I have just finished my third one for the month and I'll begin the fourth tonight.

I've just added my 4th for Feb (#7 for the year) to all tickers.

>39 connie53: Just to tell everyone it was a nice experience I had with this American girl. She asked no personal things and only talked about LT stuff. So if anyone wants to participate too, just let me know.

Another root completed, Good Wives by Louisa M. Alcott. This is a reread for me of a special book inscribed with a message from my mother in 1965. That ages me... #9/48

Knocked out another ROOT on my day off today: The Eejits, the Scots translation of Roald Dahl's The Twits. Matthew Fitt did the translation.

>54 rabbitprincess: I think he does a lot of translation of children's books into Scots - I'm pretty sure he did the Gruffalo books, and also Asterix the Gallus which I really enjoyed.

I've just finished my 5th ROOT for February (#8 for the year) and added it to all tickers.

I have been binge reading in the last week. I have been reading through several of the Tor.com novellas. This week I have read four of them, but only two of them are ROOTS. I have one more to go. I had to request two of them through Inter-Library Loan, and they came in at the same time, so while I was buzzing through them I just read through several more that I got from the local public library. The two ROOTS are:

Alice Payne Arrives by Kate Heartfield - first in a time travel series set in 18th century England. Complete with highwaymen and automatons.
Jewel and Her Lapidary by Fran Wilde - Some structural and writing problems with this one, keep it from floating higher on the list. As far as plot - it had unexpected twists and characters I liked. It is short and I wonder what the next in the series will be like.

I finished another ROOT, #3 for February: Breakheart Pass by Alistair MacLean, 4 stars.

Personal ticker updated.

Another ROOT finished (plus a few more new books acquired). My thread and all tickers have been updated.

So far for February, I'm clocking in with 5 ROOTs! I'm only updating my own ticker though. Should I be updating the group ticker as well?

>59 Miss_Moneypenny: If you want to, you can.

Wow, I'm stunned. Sunday I flew back home from my cruise and left my tablet on the plane, I had been listening to a book. Thinking that nothing would come of it, I nevertheless filed a lost item report with United Airlines on Monday. Tuesday morning they informed me that they had it, and this morning it arrived at my home via FEDEX. It still had 50% charge left! Now I can finish my book!

Great job, United!

#6 for Feb (#9 for the year) added to all tickers. I'm on a much better roll this month, one more book and I'll be back on track for my yearly goal, and should get my star!

>61 cyderry: Wow indeed, Chèli! That was some excellent service.

>61 cyderry: Yes, so glad you got it back! Nice job from United.

Finished the 4th for the month, The Wife, The Maid and the Mistress by Ariel Lawhon. I'm hoping to get two more finished before I run out of month!

Added another ROOT to all tickers: The Plotters, by Gareth Roberts, a Doctor Who Missing Adventure featuring the First Doctor.

I've finished my third ROOT for this month Victory Square and have updated my personal ticker.

>61 cyderry: good news, glad you made it home safely.

#4 for February finished, False Colours. Personal ticker updated.

I've added another one (#7 for February, #10 for the year to date) to all tickers. Hoping I can get another couple read before the end of the month.

Today I finished this month's chunkster. It had me captivated from beginning to end, The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne. I just loved it. Hopefully I will achieve one more root this month.

Ok. Finished 5 this month. Updated Tickers.

Stat currently

Read so far this year 7/25 28%

I completed my first ROOT for February (3rd ROOT for 2020) with Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel ★★★★.
Updated personal and group tickers.

I have finished another ROOT but have lost track of my updating of the group ticker. My ticker and thread are correct and up to date.

Finished #2 ROOT for the year and the first for Feb.- those new books that I got for my Jan birthday are too enticing!
Review is on my thread- no tickers updated

Finished the 5th for the month: A Killer Collection (Antiques & collectibles Mysteries) by Ellery Adams.

Adding my 2nd ROOT for February (4th for 2020) with Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel ★★★★★.
Updated personal and group tickers.

Thanks Chèli, for adding those lovely violet pics for February. They are quite cheerful little flowers.

I've added three more ROOTs to my 2020 total:

* Life and Other Near-Death Experiences by Camille Pagán — somewhat fluffy and comical romance that I enjoyed more than I expected to.
* Homicide Trinity by Rex Stout. An omnibus of three novellas by my favorite writer of mysteries.
* A Divided Loyalty by Charles Todd. The latest in the Ian Rutledge mystery series set in 1920s England.

I've updated the group ticker, which happily tells me I am ahead of schedule for the year. I'm so glad I joined this group. I feel like it has really pushed me to turn my perennial good intentions into action.

I've added 4 roots so far this month, and am working on 2 more, which I hope to finish by the end of the month. I've enjoyed all of them, so I've picked some "winners" from my shelf this month:
Finished:
--Partners in Crime, Agatha Christie, a Tommy & Tuppence mystery
--Castle Richmond, Anthony Trollope, set during the Irish famine
--The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison--for Black History Month, Morrison's first novel
--Lincoln Reconsidered, David Herbert Donald--for President's Day, a series of essays & lectures Donald wrote before his epic biography Lincoln

Currently Reading:
--Young Men and Fire, Norman Maclean, about the tragic 1949 Mann Gulch fire in Montana
--Old Filth, Jane Gardam

I've finished the fourth book of this month The Cruellest Month. My personal ticker is updated.

#8 for February, #11 for the year, added to all tickers.

I listened to the Gail Tsukiyama book Hundred Flowers and liked it. It was a good solid historical fiction about a middle class family and the choices they made between 1947 and 1957 when Mao introduced his Hundred Flowers campaign to improve the Communist Party in China. I like Tsukiyama - her books are nice quiet rainy day reads.

Added my latest ROOT to all tickers: In Her Wake, by Amanda Jennings.

I should have been finished with Au Bord de L'eau by now. I love this book when I'm reading it but I think I have now spent too much time reading it and thus it's getting harder and harder to pick it up. I only have 250 pages left now (out of 2000) and I really need to just push through the end because there is no reason to put down a book you are loving.

(But this certainly wouldn't be the first time I've done something similar. I still have 60 pages left of a 1000 page book that I put down about 8 years ago. It was such a good book too.)

>83 lilisin: I'm sure you can do it, lilisin! Just go.

A couple of more ROOTs done - my thread and all tickers have been updated.

I finished reading book 15 in the Guido Brunetti series by Donna Leon. Through a Glass, Darkly was one of the better books in this series. It was a bit more optimistic than some of the previous titles.

>84 connie53:

Your pep talk is helping! Only 200 pages to go!

Four ROOTs so far this month. I keep getting distracted by work, alas.

One more, #5 for February The Secret of Hunter's Keep. As always, I enjoyed this tale by one of my favorite authors Joyce Stranger.

Personal ticker updated.

8 read this month. Personal ticker updated.

Finished ROOT # 8 for the year, # 2 for February

De Groene Engeltoren, de belegering - Tad Williams

All tickers updated.

>84 connie53:

99 pages! I will have this book done before the end of February!

>92 lilisin: See! Good job.

One more ROOT for February: The Bone Collector by Jeffrey Deaver. Group ticker thread updated.

Oops I forgot to report two more roots for February, Fifteen Rubies by Candlelight by Shonagh Koea, Afterwards by Rachel Seiffert, taking me to 12/48. Now for a couple of library books as a reward.

I don't think I'll fit in any more ROOTS in this month so here is my report for February 2020:

UpROOTED books: 10
ROOTless books: 3
Added to the TBR shelves: 0

The ROOTs were:
The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson
Dying in the Wool by Frances Brody
The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre
All This Will I Give To You by Dolores Redondo
Earth Abides by George R. Stewart
The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes
Dead But Not Forgotten edited by Charlaine Harris
Because Internet by Gretchen McCulloch
The Iron Age by Arja Kajermo
The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling

Touchstones not working :-(

ROOTs in YTD: 22

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

I have read 3 for this month. Only my personal ticker updated.
Happy reading all!

I finished another book earlier this week by listening to the recorded version of The Weather Machine: A Journey Inside the Forecast by Andrew Blum. This book explained the way the algorithms that are used by all of the TV and radio stations really work. The most surprising thing is that the forecasts used by most of the TV and radio stations in the U.S. all come from the same source - The Weather Company. These are the guys who did own the Weather Channel at one time, but now even the Weather Channel has to pay to get their forecasts.

I manages to read 4 ROOTs in February, giving a total of 5/24.

All tickers updated.

I finally finished Au bord de l'eau on February 29th. Finally done! Very good but happy to be done with it as well! Next book lined up is fortunately only 200 pages.

I finished two more of the TOR novella’s last night. This was book 2 and 3 of the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire. They were Down Among the Sticks and Bones and Beneath the Sugar Sky. Both were well done and I think Down Among the Sticks and Bones was the better of the two.

I won’t get any more books read tonight so I will make my end-of-the-month report. I had a very good month. I read 12 books. Most of them were novella’s and so had few pages. The longest one of most of them were 175 pages. I have not updated any tickers.

I listened to four ROOTs this month. They were:

Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff
Best of Adam Sharp by Graeme Simsion
Hundred Flowers by Gail Tsukiyama
Weather Machine: A Journey Inside the Forecast by Andrew Blum

I read 2 full length novels. They were:
Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
Through A Glass, Darkly by Donna Leon

I read 5 novellas. They were all published by TOR or Tor.com. They were:
Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire
Jewel and Her Lapidary by Fran Wilde
Alice Payne Arrives by Kate Heartfield
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
Beneath the Sugar Skyi by Seanan McGuire

I read one work of Nonfiction.
Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel

Thanks to Leap Day, I managed to squeeze one more ROOT into February: Fuzz, the 22nd entry in Ed McBain's seemingly endless series of police procedurals set in the 87th Precinct. It's the second book to feature what became a recurring villain, the Deaf Man.

That gives me 8 ROOTs for February and 10 total, or 4 more than my goal pace. It's nice to have some wriggle room heading into warmer (outdoors) weather!

My numbers are down from last month. I read 4 ROOTs in February. I'll try to do better in March. I have a feeling I might have lost my star.

On Leap Day I finished my 6th ROOT of this month. My own ticker is up-to-date, didn't touch the group ticker.

On Leap Day I finished my 6th ROOT of February.

I've read 6 this month, all tickers updated.

Only one book completed this month, White Teeth by Zadie Smith, bringing the total for the year to date to 5/50. All tickers updated.

I finished two off-the-shelfers in February, Creek Walk and Other Stories by Molly Giles and The Hamlet by Williams Faulkner. That brings me to six for the year, so averaging three per month! That will get me way past my 2020 goal of 27. Cheers, all!

I’ve added ten books to my own tickers but not to the group’s. This gets me a quarter way towards my goal for the year.

I don't have any more ROOTs to add for February than the ones mentioned upthread. Here's to good March reading for us all!

March ROOT thread is up!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/317360#