Curioussquared optimistically ROOTs in 2021

Hello everyone! I'm Natalie. I have participated in the ROOTs challenge for a few years now and find it immensely helpful in getting books off my shelves read! For me, a ROOT is any book I own, no matter when I bought it. Last year, I also started counting e-books I own, to combat my bad habit of buying e-books and then ignoring them.

I'm located in Seattle, where I work in marketing for a healthcare company. I do most of my reading curled up on the couch with my retired racing greyhounds, Skelly, Otter, and new addition Kermit, or listening to audiobooks while doing chores and walking the dogs.

Aside from the pandemic and its obvious implications, 2020 was actually a great year for me on paper. In order, my boyfriend and I got engaged, I changed jobs and am happy at my new company, and we acquired greyhound #3, Kermit. I am able to happily work from home and so far, our families are safe and doing okay.

2021 will of course bring its own challenges. I'm still hopeful we can have a decently sized, normal wedding at the end of August; we'll have to make a call on that sometime in January or February, depending on how vaccine rollout is going. If it does look like we'll be able to do it, I'm sure wedding planning will cut into my reading time in the new year.

I read mostly fiction, with a heavy emphasis on YA, along with some fantasy and sci-fi, general fiction/literature, a scattered mystery here and there, and the occasional non-fiction title. I've been keeping track of my books read since 2008, and I have traditionally aimed for 100. In 2020, I finally managed to both hit and surpass my long-time goal of of 150, with a total of 166!

Last year I also read 72 ROOTs, an all-time high for me. I'm going to keep this goal at 50, in case I do end up very busy with wedding planning, etc.



Here are Skelly, Otter, and Kermit on one of our neighborhood walks, modeling winter's latest fashions. Why is it so much more difficult to get a good picture of three dogs than it is to get one of two dogs?

I have a pool of ROOTs I'd like to get through this year. It's a mixture of books I've owned forever and want to finally get to, some newer titles I'm excited about, and everything in-between.



Here is the list -- it is truly random, just a bunch of titles I pulled off my shelves when they caught my eye. We'll see how I do!

1. The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal
2. Black Girl Unlimited by Echo Brown
3. The Secret Commonwealth by Phillip Pullman
4. Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia
5. Angel Mage by Garth Nix
6. Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
7. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
8. Havenfall by Sarah Holland
9. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
10. The Last True Poets of the Sea by Julia Drake
11. Children of Blood and Bone by Toni Adeyemi
12. Dance Dance Dance by Haruki Murakami
13. A Room with a View by E. M. Forster
14. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
15. Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
16. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
17. Darkwing by Kenneth Oppel
18. Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
19. LAMB: The Gospel According to Biff by Christopher Moore
20. Firebug by Lish McBride
21. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
22. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
23. Rosmersholm by Henrik Ibsen
24. Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante
25. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
26. A Very Long Engagement by Sebastian Japrisot
27. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
28. A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos
29. The Sisters of Straygarden Place by Hayley Chewins
30. A Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik
31. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins
32. Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
33. Shaman's Crossing by Robin Hobb
34. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
35. Small Gods by Terry Pratchett
36. Jack of Kinrowan by Charles de Lint
37. Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia McKillip
38. The Sherwood Ring by Elizabeth Marie Pope
39. The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
40. Slay by Brittany Morris
41. Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
42. A Sudden Wild Magic by Diana Wynne Jones

Hi Natalie, glad you and the dogs are back again. Great plans for 2021. A wedding! How wonderful is that. Congrats with the engagement. Happy New Year and Happy ROOTing

Congratulations on your engagement, what wonderful news! I really hope you're able to have the wedding you dream of. Also, welcome to the gang to Kermit!

Happy reading in 2021!

Yay, welcome back! Congrats on the new dog -- Kermit is a wonderful name :)

I will endorse your reading The Relentless Moon; I just read it toward the end of last year and loved it. I love this series!

Glad you're back!

>3 connie53: Thanks, Connie! We are definitely excited for the wedding. We got engaged in early March 2020, right as lockdown started, so it's still a little weird because it feels like we haven't truly been able to celebrate with all our friends and family yet.

>4 Jackie_K: Thanks, Jackie! We hope we'll be able to have the wedding we want, but I'm sure it will be perfect whatever happens. I think right now we're still hoping for the big bash we imagined, but we might pivot to a smaller, more intimate gathering if that's what has to happen. In any case, I think we'll get married one way or another this year.

>5 rabbitprincess: Thanks RP! I'm a big muppets fan and have always loved the name Kermit, and when we were talking about getting a new greyhound, it just seemed like the perfect name :) I'm excited to get to Relentless Moon, too, I loved the previous books! I even preordered it last year and just haven't gotten to it yet. Soon!

>6 cyderry: Thank you Cheli!

1 ROOT down: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Pip is not born into a family of means; rather, he is "raised by hand" by his sister and her husband Joe after the death of his parents, and has nothing to look forward to but eventually apprenticing to Joe as a blacksmith. But a few interesting events occur in his childhood, including when he helps a convict escape from prison in the marshes near his home, and when he is asked to come and keep the old Miss Havisham company, a lady who was left as the altar as a young woman and since has never left her house or removed her wedding finery. There, he meets Miss Havisham's pretty ward Estella, who he adores. When a young man, Pip begins his apprenticeship to Joe -- but is soon surprised by the news that he has a mysterious benefactor, who wishes to make him a gentleman. As Pip has longed to become a gentleman since meeting Estella, he quickly accepts and begins his new life, leaving Joe and all the others behind -- but being a gentleman might be more complicated than he expects.

I always forget how darn funny Dickens is; I think reading David Copperfield in school ruined it for me. I have always enjoyed Dickens on my own, but have never enjoyed studying his works. I'm so glad I finally got to this classic, and enjoyed every minute of it -- it's a classic for a reason. 5 stars.

I would love to hear others' favorite Dickens books. Aside from this one, I've only read Oliver Twist, the aforementioned David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, and A Christmas Carol (as of last week!).

You've got some great books lined up, Natalie. And a wedding. All the best on both fronts in a happy and healthy 2021

>7 curioussquared: A friend of mine was due to get married in April 2020 - obviously that was put off, as it was only a month after lockdown was imposed, but they did manage to get married in the summer, in a much smaller ceremony - their entire family basically watched it on zoom. I think she was a little disappointed, but she has a great attitude about it, saying that the important thing ultimately is the marriage, not the wedding.

>8 curioussquared: My favourite Dickens is actually David Copperfield (sorry!). It was my first, and I saw it as a stage play first, which I think really helped when I then read it. If I'm reading a Dickens that I don't already know from TV/stage, I find it really hard to get beyond the verbosity, but DC to me is wonderful, and there's one chapter where I cry buckets every single time (I think it's probably my most reread book, although I've not read it for a good few years now. Maybe time to dig it out again?)

>9 Robertgreaves: Thanks for stopping by, Robert!

>10 Jackie_K: We had a couple friends scheduled to get married in 2020, too. Both ultimately went forward with smaller ceremonies and celebrations. One broadcast the event on Zoom and is planning a bigger reception when circumstances allow; the other got married in a civil ceremony with family, and pushed out the religious wedding and previously planned reception a full year, to September of this year. I really hope she doesn't have to postpone again! I think if we do end up having a small wedding this year, we might still try to have a big party later.

I think I need to give David Copperfield another try! I read it in a really tough course during a really tough term in college and definitely didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked to.

>8 curioussquared: Oh, I agree that Dickens is laugh out loud funny. He had a gift for creating truly engaging and original characters. I haven’t read too much by Dickens but of those I have read, Great Expectations is actually my favorite. The plot is totally unrealistic, but the characters are great. I especially enjoyed Wemmick, his father, and their fake castle!

Happy reading and rooting in 2021.

>10 Jackie_K: I am dying to see Armando Iannucci's adaptation of David Copperfield! It looks glorious.

>12 Henrik_Madsen: Yes! I'm all for a ridiculous plot in favor of great characters :) I think my favorite in GE was Herbert.

>13 rocketjk: Thank you, Jerry!

>14 rabbitprincess: I've heard really good things about that one! Maybe I'll watch it and then attempt the book again.

Congratulations on the wedding, Natalie, and all my best wishes that 2021 will be a marvellous year for you!

Hi Natalie, congratulations on your engagement and fingers crossed for an August wedding! Well done also on your 2020 reading stats - very impressive.

Nice ROOT pile, and you're off to a good start with one Big Fat Book down. I really enjoyed Great Expectations, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities and A Christmas Carol, but found Hard Times (which I read this time last year) a bit relentless in its grimness. I read Little Dorrit last month and thoroughly enjoyed Dickens' humour - so much so I wish I'd taken notes, but it was mainly an audiobook experience for me, listened to while doing manual tasks, so note-taking wasn't practicable. Lots of observational humour and satirical set-pieces, lampooning various sectors of society. Social commentary too. The story itself is labyrinthine, with lots of character who are interconnected, and the romance bit is just as you would anticipate, but I really liked the settings of this one and, as always, the little insights into Victorian life which Dickens supplies plentifully.

Look forward to seeing what's next in your ROOT agenda. Good luck for 2021, on all fronts!

>16 MissWatson: >17 floremolla: Thank you, Birgit and Donna!

Donna, I cheated a little because I had read most of GE in 2020, so got to cross a nice fat one off first :) Hard Times is the only other Dickens I have currently on my shelf, but grimness hasn't really been doing it for me lately so I might not try it anytime soon. Little Dorrit sounds more my speed right now!

>8 curioussquared: I love those watercolor covers! I have the one for Pride and Prejudice and it just makes me so happy.

I haven't read much Dickens since I tried Oliver Twist and ended up with a misprint that reprinted 50 pages instead of the climactic scenes when I was a kid, but I am really interested in reading Bleak House - how can I resist a book that features a spontaneous combustion???

>19 Caramellunacy: Me too!! I had an older, very beat up copy for a very long time and then found this copy in pristine used condition at my favorite independent bookstore and had to buy it a year or so ago. Good luck with Bleak House!!

2 ROOTs down: Jack of Kinrowan by Charles de Lint

Faerie, but make it Canadian. (Honestly, that could sum up most of de Lint's books.) Jacky Rowan is a normal girl dealing with a breakup by cutting off all her hair and getting really drunk... but when she's stumbling home through the park after her bender, she witnesses what she thinks is a motorcycle gang chasing down and killing a small man. When Jacky runs up after the gang are gone, the man is clearly dead, and she picks up his red cap from its spot on the ground. When she looks away, the body disappears, but she still has the cap. Soon she learns that the man was actually a hob, and the motorcycle gang are the Wild Hunt, and the hat allows her to see into the world of Faerie -- which has also made her a target for the hunt. Soon, Jacky and her friend Kate are wrapped up in an ancient prophecy about a Jack who will free the Seelie court from the encroaching Unseelie court, and their lives will never be the same.

In the sequel/second half of this omnibus edition, Drink Down the Moon, Jacky and Kate, now established as part of Faerie, must deal with a new threat to Kinrowan, with help from various fiana sidhe and a few normal humans, too. It took me a lot longer to get through this sequel; I felt like there were too many new characters and not enough time spent with any of them. Kate is the star of the show this time, and was my favorite part of the book. Jacky became kind of annoying and made a lot of dumb choices.

Overall, I enjoyed this urban fantasy take on classic tales of Faerie. Charles de Lint can be a little hit or miss for me; sometimes I love his stuff, sometimes I'm more meh, and this was more on the hit side. It definitely feels very late 80s/early 90s, but not in a bad way. I'd rate the first book 4 stars, and the second 3.5, so I'll round the omnibus up to 4 stars.

3 ROOTs down: The Sisters of Straygarden Place by Hayley Chewins

Sisters Winnow, Mayhap, and Pavonine have always lived in Straygarden Place, ever since their parents disappeared into the tall silver grass leaving only a note telling them not to leave under any circumstances. The house provides for their every need, and when they need to sleep, they brush their loyal droomhunds and drift off. But one day, Mayhap finds that Winnow has gone, and the front door is open -- and she knows that Winnow has left the house, and she is in danger.

I received this from the Early Reviewers program last year. I wanted to love it-- the imagery and writing were delightful. There were moments where I was totally spooked; Mayhap's feeling of being helpless and at the mercy of the house was very powerful, and I thought might actually be a bit too scary for middle grade. I loved the concept of the droomhunds. At the same time, I had a lot of questions and most of them weren't really answered, and I was pretty unsatisfied by the ending. Maybe I just wanted to know too much, I don't know, but it just wasn't a fulfilling read for me. 3.5 stars.

4 ROOTs down: Unwind by Neal Shusterman

In this dystopian United States, a war was fought between the pro-choice and pro-life faction, and neither won. Abortion is illegal, but teenagers can be "unwound" between the ages of 13-18 -- they're not killed, technically they're still alive, because every part is harvested and used in other people who need organ or tissue replacements. Conner, Risa, and Lev are three teenagers who are slated to be unwound, all from different situations and backgrounds, but they end up on the run together -- and eventually end up taking a stand.

Maybe I've just read too many YA dystopian novels... but this didn't do it for me. I was surprised to see all the super positive reviews. I just couldn't make it past the premise, which seemed totally unbelievable to me, and the author wasn't able to really provide any of the context for how society got there. (Don't ask me why, but even the Hunger Games seems more realistic to me.) The writing and characterizations were ok. Maybe this would have been fresh and exciting when it was published in 2007, but reading it in 2021, I felt like I'd read better versions of it dozens of times before. Part of my issue was that it seemed like a lot of shocking philosophical questions smushed together into a sub-par novel, with no real attempt at answering any of those questions. There were a few exciting parts, and I kept reading in hopes it would improve, but nothing really to fully redeem it. Definitely not reading any sequels. 2.5 stars.

>23 curioussquared: That sounds not too good, Natalie. I hope your next books are better.

>24 connie53: Thanks Connie!

5 ROOTs down: The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman

It's been over 20 years since the events of La Belle Sauvage, and many years since the events of The Amber Spyglass, too. Lyra Silvertongue is now 20 and studying at St. Sophia's College, still living during the holidays at her beloved Jordan College. But things are not right between Lyra and her daemon, Pan, and the two struggle through life, each knowing they need to talk to the other but finding no way in which to do so. Meanwhile, unrest is stirring in the east, as a certain precious type of rose oil becomes impossible to obtain. And in the Magisterium, certain high-placed individuals are making moves to consolidate power in a way that could have serious implications for anyone used to scholastic freedom. As her world crashes around her, Lyra starts on a journey that will see her reunion with the Gyptians, and with Malcolm Polstead, the boy who saved her from the flood all those years ago.

This book felt very different from its predecessors; the original trilogy and La Belle Sauvage felt like magical adventure stories, but the Lyra of The Secret Commonwealth has rejected magic, imagination, and adventure, and that fact is evident not only in her characterization but in the tone of the whole book. Given that, this book was a little hard to get into, and there were sections that made me want to scream at Lyra, but I found myself sucked in pretty quickly. There are lots of big questions in this book. Pullman has also liked to dabble in philosophy, and I think he does so more overtly in this entry. It's not a satisfying book, per se; I think by nature in its status as not only the middle book of a trilogy but also because it takes place so long after the others that there was a lot of development to be done. There are many, many unanswered questions, and I was disappointed at the cliffhanger ending -- more so because I haven't seen any info on book 3 yet! Overall I was caught up in the story and hungry for more by the end, though I think if you go into this book expecting it to be just like the others in the series, you will be disappointed. 4.5 stars.

I read that book too not too long ago. I gave it 4,5 star.

My thoughts about it

Great sequel to La Belle Sauvage. And there will be a third part that we hopefully won't have to wait too long. We follow Lyra and Malcolm in their search. Lyra searches for Pantalaimon who has separated herself from her and is looking for the imagination of Lyra, which she has lost. And Malcolm is looking for Dust. It is wonderfully written and I flew through it.

>27 connie53: I'm glad you had similar feelings about it, Connie! I'm also very excited for book 3, and hope there is some announcement about it soon.

>28 curioussquared: I hope so too.

6 ROOTs down: A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

Tavia and Effie are sisters by adoption, living in a magical Portland, OR where magical beings like mermaids, elokos, and gargoyles are real. Tavia has a secret -- she is a siren, and her voice has the power to compel others to her will. For this reason, sirens are shunned in society -- and it doesn't help that almost all sirens are Black women, dealing with multiple forms of prejudice at the same time. So Tavia keeps her identity under wraps, with only a small support system of friends and family she trusts. Meanwhile, Effie doesn't know WHAT she is -- but there's definitely something weird about her natural predilection for swimming, not to mention her skin condition that seems more like she's shedding than eczema. As both girls struggle to find themselves, their world starts to crumble as a young siren is killed and her killer let off with no charges, and riots break out in Portland.

This book got a lot of attention when it came out last June, in the midst of the protests surrounding George Ffloyd's death and the calls to support Black creators, artists, and authors. I can definitely see why -- Morrow has woven a complex story that is both a YA coming of age novel and a magical metaphor for the BLM movement. I really wanted to love it, and I loved a lot of things about it. I think a slightly stronger editing job could have made this book great instead of good; I had some issues with the writing and pacing. Just too many moments where the text jumped around and I had trouble following what was happening or felt like I was lost due to lack of context. But this was just such an interesting story, I think I'll be looking for the sequel and Morrow's other books. 3.5 stars.

7 ROOTs down: The Iliad by Homer

The classic tale. I never read this in school and have had it on my shelf for ages. I listened to the Odyssey a few years ago and that format worked for me then; I did the same with this one, even with the same narrator and everything, and had more trouble with it. I enjoyed listening and appreciated the language, but had some trouble following overall. I'm sure this was more me and my current mental state than the story itself. I'll give it 3 stars and the benefit of the doubt and maybe try again another time.

>30 curioussquared: That book sounds really interesting, Natalie. I must keep my eyes open for the translation.

>32 connie53: I hope you enjoy it if it is translated! I think the sequel is coming out this year, too.

8 ROOTs down: Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

Ethan Frome and his wife Zenobia are stuck in a loveless marriage; Zeena is perpetually ill and Ethan struggles to eke out a living for them on the farm and mill they always intended to sell. Zeena's cousin Mattie Silver, orphaned, came to stay with them about a year ago, and Ethan finds he has become fond of her -- helping her finish chores she should be able to do herself. When Ethan sees Mattie flirting with another man, he starts to realize his feelings might be more than platonic -- but also doesn't see a way the situation can end well.

This is a bleak, tragic short novel -- any longer and I think it would be tough to get through. Every sentence is charged with tension. I thought I knew how it ended, so I was waiting to get to that point and building up to it even more, but the ending was actually even worse than I expected! A heavy read, tempered by brevity, and definitely made an impact on me. 4 stars.

9 ROOTs down: Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia

Tuesday is a loner, and spends most of her time on her own watching old X Files DVDs or horror movies -- aside from the time she spends at bars or playing pub trivia with her friend Dex, and the Thursday evenings she spends with her high school-aged neighbor, Dorry. But when the eccentric millionaire Vincent Pryce dies and leaves his fortune to whoever can solve the puzzles he has laid out, Tuesday finds herself uniquely positioned to take on the challenge -- with Dex and Dorry's help, of course. But some who are playing the game have less than good intentions...

This book was a lot of fun! Many are calling it The Westing Game for adults, and it definitely has that feeling; the puzzle aspects also reminded me of Ready Player One or Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore. Definitely one to check out if you like those sorts of books -- really quirky and I never knew what was coming next. 4 stars.

>35 curioussquared: That sounds like a great read, Natalie. I went and searched for it and could not find it on my digital shelves. I will ask my brother to search for the book. When I took a look in my bookstore online I noticed there was a second book Tuesday Mooney wore black with the same description. Any ideas on that?

A BB for me!

>35 curioussquared: I really like a quirky puzzle style book, so I will definitely have to check the library to see if this is available!

>36 connie53: Hi Connie! I think the book was actually published under that title in the UK and possibly all of Europe, so they're the same book :)

>37 Caramellunacy: Definitely check it out -- it's a fun romp with some gothic influences. It made me want to visit Boston, too.

>38 curioussquared: Glad that's cleared and I don't have to add another BB to my list. It's long enough.

I squeezed in one more book for February:



10 ROOTs down: The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal

In this third Lady Astronaut novel, we turn our attention to Nicole Wargin, another of the WASP pilots turned first astronauts. She also happens to be the wife of the Governor of Kansas, so she deals regularly with publicity on a few fronts. Despite the fact that she is a senior astronaut, she's never been tapped as pilot or copilot on a space mission, and she's desperate to be the first woman to get that distinction. Years into the accelerated space program and during the first mission to Mars, a new anti-space group has arisen, called Earth First -- they want to focus on repairing the US post-Meteor and fixing things on Earth rather than abandoning ship for new planets. And they're not just rioting and protesting -- things have started to go wrong with shuttle launches that just shouldn't go wrong, and the FBI suspects sabotage. As Nicole's husband Kenneth prepares to declare his candidacy for the next presidential election, Nicole finds her next Moon launch expedited as other astronauts are injured in some of the launch misfires. Soon, she's back on the moon, one of her favorite places -- but it's not so comforting as it once was, as she's worried that any of the members of their small lunar colony could be the saboteur. Nicole must make decisions about who to trust while helplessly watching events unfold back on Earth, before it's too late.

Kowal has done it again -- this entry was just as good or better as the first two Lady Astronaut books. I will say it might not have been the best reading choice for me right now -- I found it pretty stressful and felt like I was holding my breath along with Nicole the whole book, waiting to see what next would go wrong to endanger the Moon colony. But that was just a mark of how good it was. Once I got past the setup, I couldn't put it down. 4.5 stars.

11 ROOTs down: Nancy's Mysterious Letter by Carolyn Keene

Nancy Drew's latest mystery starts when she receives a mysterious letter from an address in England -- but before she can read it, it's stolen out of the mail carrier's bag! Soon, she's trying to track down the intended recipient of the letter, a Nancy Smith Drew, which she manages to find out is news of an inheritance. At her side as always are Ned, George, and Bess.

I'm counting this as a ROOT even though I'm pretty sure I read all of the Nancy Drews in elementary school, at least all the ones my school library had, just because I remembered zero things about it and can't be sure I actually read it. I found a few vintage Nancy Drew books at my favorite book store pre-lockdown and scooped them up; I wanted an easy read the other day and this fit the bill. Nancy Drew is such an iconic character, and I so enjoyed the books as a kid; this was a fun read now, but I found myself laughing at it a lot, too. I love Nancy and the police department's obsession with "clues"; it's never evidence or information, it's a clue! Also, why does the police department let her help? Don't they have people trained to solve crimes who aren't teenage girls? This was fun anyway. 3 stars.

>41 curioussquared: I used to get the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books from the library when I was a kid. I'm a bit nervous about trying them again, as I'm sure they won't live up to the memory now that I'm ancient and cynical.

Also, I learnt only the other week that Carolyn Keene is a composite of many unnamed authors, rather than a real person who wrote all those books herself. I mean, I know publishers do that, and now I think about it it's obvious, as there were just so many books, but I am shocked at how shocked I was!

>42 Jackie_K: This one definitely didn't live up to my memory, but it was still a quick, fun jaunt down memory lane :) I did know that about Carolyn Keene, but I'm not sure when I found out and I'm sure I was also a little shocked!

>40 curioussquared: I had pretty much the same reaction as you to this book. Really looking forward to the next one!

>44 rabbitprincess: Same! Have you read her Glamourist histories books? They're super fun -- the first one reminds me of like Jane Austen or Georgette Heyer but with magic; the rest are a little less Austen-y, but just as fun.

12 ROOTs down: Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

The classic, epic, sweeping story of Scarlett O'Hara and her struggle to survive through sheer force of will during the civil war and reconstruction era in the south. Scarlett has many men interested in her, but she has eyes only for her old friend Ashley Wilkes -- but Ashley, it turns out, is engaged to another. Over the course of many years, Scarlett moves from her childhood home at Tara, her family's plantation, to Atlanta, contributing to the war effort and her family's survival during reconstruction, and eventually pushing the bounds of what women are allowed to do by opening and running her own business. Along the way, she clashes frequently with Rhett Butler, the scandalous wartime supplier and dashing but no good businessman.

Oof, I have a lot of Feelings about this one. I missed reading it when I was younger despite a friend's urging to pick it up, and figured now was as good a time as any. First, I can see why it's a classic and has remained so popular; the story is engaging and Scarlett, despite her inherent selfishness and narcissism, is an interesting protagonist. "Sweeping" and "epic" are two words that really do apply to this story. Despite this, I'm just not sure this is a book I needed to read in 2021. I went in knowing it was a story of the south and expecting plantations and slavery, but there's a lot of egregious language and the depiction of Black people and slaves was honestly worse than I expected. WAY too many animal comparisons, way too many suggestions that they're just too dumb to function, way too many implications that slaves didn't want to be free, they wanted to stay enslaved forever and be taken care of by their nice masters. The general tone of the book is boohoo, feel sorry for the poor wronged southerners and the slaves forced out of their comfortable slavery arrangements, and I just... no. Obviously, any war is terrible, and sure, we can feel bad for the starving civilians and men who died, even if they died for a cause that was wrong, but I was pretty tired of the confederacy apologist narrative by the end. I think the book got praised a lot for historical accuracy, too, and I just hope there aren't people reading this as a True History of the Civil War. And let's talk about that ending -- I listened to 50 hours of this for THAT?

Anyway. Sort of glad I read it for the cultural context; definitely will not read it again, but may watch the movie for similar cultural context reasons. 2 stars.

>45 curioussquared: I have read the first two of the Glamourist histories and very much enjoyed them - I thought the second felt almost like a (much shorter and less dense) Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I also love how whimsical and gorgeous the covers are for the series.

>47 Caramellunacy: Ooh, yes, definitely agree with the Jonathan Strange comparison! I read the series all in a row a few years ago and they've mostly run together, but I think I remember that the third one turns into an italian heist story and it's great so I highly recommend continuing! I love how Kowal writes supportive and healthy marriages; that's the biggest connection for me between her two series and it's such a breath of fresh air amidst all the unhealthy marriage fiction in the world.

>45 curioussquared: Not yet, but will have to add them to the list!

13 ROOTs down: Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

Evvie Drake's husband died suddenly, a year ago. Since then, she's become the town widow in her small Maine town where everyone knows each other, and she's sick of the knowing, pitying glances -- partly because nobody knows that the night her husband died, she was packing up the car to leave him. Dean Tenney is a professional baseball pitcher having a really bad couple of years. He went from one of the game's best pitchers to throwing wildly into the stands, and none of the psychologists, sports medicine experts, or hypnotists can figure out why. He doesn't know himself. But some quiet time in nowhere, Maine, sounds like a good place to start recovering. Andy, Evvie's best friend and a childhood friend of Dean's, suggests she rents out the small apartment in her home to Dean to get a little extra cash, and after meeting each other, the two agree, with one condition -- Dean won't ask about Evvie's husband, and Evvie won't ask about baseball.

A cute little romcom of a book; if this hasn't been optioned for film yet, I'm shocked. It'd be a perfect chick flick. I thought this book was going to be a lot more sad than it was for the first chapter or so, and I also thought Evvie was older, which is probably due to my reading it late at night, so it took me a bit to get going. But once I got past the initial chapters, it picked up and I loved the story -- predictable, but in a comfortable, comforting way, just like your favorite romcom. 4 stars.

14 ROOTs down: The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

In two pieces, a letter to his nephew on the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, and an essay, Baldwin writes about race in America in 1963. Most of his words, unfortunately, are just as relevant now as they were then, and just as powerful, if not moreso.

I meant to read this during February, for Black history month, but February was rough, and this was not an easy read. And hey, we should read about Black history every month, not just in February. It's a slim volume, but a weighty one, and so important. 5 stars.

>52 curioussquared: You're so right, Natalie. We should all read about Black history. And act to get discrimination out of this world! If not for us than for our kids and grandkids.

Have you ever read De gifhouten bijbel by Barbara Kingsolver ?

>53 connie53: Agreed, Connie! The Poisonwood Bible is one I've been meaning to read for a long time. I think my parents have a copy, so I might see if I can borrow it soon. I read her book The Bean Trees and really enjoyed it!

>54 curioussquared: I hope you find the book on your parents shelves. Now I have to look for Het schildpadmeisje

>54 curioussquared: I like Barbara Kingsolver's writing, but I couldn't get into The Poisonwood Bible - I think it was just too bleak for me. My favourite of her fiction that I've read is Pigs in Heaven.

>56 Jackie_K: Ooh, I have a copy of Pigs in Heaven that needs reading, Jackie :)

I was hoping to get a few more ROOTs done this month, but I have been busy because we've decided to officially move ahead with planning our wedding for August 28 of this year given the news that all adults in the US will be eligible to be vaccinated by May 1. So much to do! I think we're going to require people to be vaccinated to attend (unless they're a child and ineligible), which feels a little draconian, but I don't want anyone to get sick because of us, and I'm ok being a bridezilla in this specific way.

I also have spent the past week and a half rereading the Murderbot books in preparation for the new one coming out next month. I meant to give myself plenty of time to reread them, but instead I just flew through them, of course. I have Fugitive Telemetry preordered and am so excited. So, no more ROOTs for March, but I have three books off my shelf on the go right now, so hopefully they'll start piling up quickly in April.

Congratulations on the upcoming nuptials, Natalie

>58 curioussquared: I think that is a perfectly valid use of the bridezilla card! I hope everything will be OK for August.

>58 curioussquared: Congratulations, and I think that's a justifiable bridezilla demand too! I have a friend whose daughter got married just before the original lockdown last year (like, a couple of days before), and loads of the guests including my friend came down with covid (from which she is still experiencing long term after-effects).

>59 Robertgreaves: Thank you Robert!

>60 rabbitprincess: Thanks, RP! I hope so too. We're going into it with a grain of salt; if things go south COVID-wise, we'll cut it down to our closest friends and family, get married this year, and reschedule the big party next year.

>61 Jackie_K: Ooh, yikes. I hope your friend can get vaccinated soon as I heard lots of COVID long-haulers are experiencing symptom relief after getting the vaccine! Yeah, that's exactly what we do not want at our wedding. I've heard a lot of stories about people going forward with big weddings in the US and causing super spreader events; the worst ones are where the attendees went, got COVID, and were fine, but passed the COVID they caught at the wedding to someone else who didn't even attend who then died. So, uh, yeah, that's definitely what we're trying to avoid.

Hi Natalie. Congrats on setting the date! Thrilling time up ahead for you. You made a good decision to be a bridezella (love that word). No need to have a super spreader event.

I want to wish you and your family Happy Easter too.

>63 connie53: Thanks Connie! We're excited :) Happy Easter to you and your family as well! We are spending it with Tim's parents this year.

Congrats on your upcoming wedding and my best wishes for a lovely event!

>65 MissWatson: Thank you Birgit!

15 ROOTs down: The Sherwood Ring by Elizabeth Marie Pope

When Peggy Grahame's father dies, she is sent to live with her uncle Enos at the ancestral estate of Rest-and-be-thankful, where George Washington himself and many another founding father once stayed. There, her uncle largely ignores her, caught up in his research and academia, and Peggy is left to wander the drafty old halls herself. But before long, she discovers she's much less alone than she thought, as the ghosts of her ancestors start appearing to her, and she is caught up in a Revolutionary War-era plot as her ancestor Richard Grahame strives to catch the outlaw Peaceable Sherwood. And while Peggy is caught up in the past, some mysteries in the present start to unfold as well...

Thanks to Diana @LibraryPerilous for insisting I get to this one sooner rather than later! This is a fun, historical romp, and while I loved it now, I wish I'd read it earlier as I'm sure I would have loved it as a kid, too. 4.5 stars.

16 ROOTs down: Shaman's Crossing by Robin Hobb

Nevare Burvelle is his father's second son, and so fated to be his family's soldier son -- the first son is always the heir and scholar, the second is the soldier, and the third is the priest. His father is a new nobleman and Nevare grows up on the frontier, learning a soldier son's ways as well as the survival and warrior tactics of the plainspeople. Nevare knows he will attend the soldier son academy when he comes of age, and he looks forward to it, but he's not prepared for the prejudices and difficulty he'll face when he finally gets there.

I went into this book with pretty low expectations; I've really enjoyed Hobb's other books, but common consensus in the reviews for this one was that it was just bad. I was pleasantly surprised, maybe because my expectations were low. It's not as good as Hobb's other books. Nevare is a passive protagonist and could be more interesting, though I do think some of it was due to an aspect of the plot involving part of his personality being split by magic. But the worldbuilding is strong and I enjoyed learning about Gernia, and the school story part once we got to the academy was also fun. A lot of reviews complained that the book was repetitive, and I did catch on to that; for the first third of the book Hobb repeats over and over that Nevare is a second son, a soldier son, and he has certain duties and a fate he was born into, and I definitely wondered where Hobb's editor was as this could have been fixed pretty easily. But maybe because I was listening on audio, I found the repetitions pretty easy to ignore, and overall enjoyed the story. I'll plan to read the rest of the series but probably not immediately, and probably also on audio. 3.5 stars.

Rooting is coming along! I also have Black Girl Unlimited and North and South on the go, both off my big list of books at the top, so that's nice.

I'm getting my second Moderna shot this Saturday -- Tim and I scored leftover shots at a nearby mass vaccination site about a month ago -- and I felt bad enough the second day after the first one that I'm taking Monday off from work preemptively since the second shot is supposed to be worse. Hopefully I will feel just well enough to get a bunch of reading done :)

>68 curioussquared: I also gave this Hobb book 3,5 stars when I read it way back. I loved the whole series, though less so than her other books. But 3,5 is not bad of course.

>70 connie53: Oh, that's good to hear, Connie! I think a lot of people probably compared the series too much to her other books, which are fantastic. I'm fine with just a very good series :)

17 ROOTs down: Black Girl Unlimited by Echo Brown

Echo is from the poor side of Cleveland, struggling to make it out of a neighborhood where drugs, violence, and poverty are the norm, not the exception. Her mother and stepfather do the best they can, but both are struggling with their own addictions and health issues, and they cannot always protect their children from the things that haunt them. But Echo has a secret: she is a wizard, someone who can see the light and the darkness within her fellow humans and perform small miracles. But miracles only plant seeds, and seeds are not always enough -- they must be nurtured. With everything against her, Echo struggles to keep the darkness off of her, to make her light shine, and to succeed where most do not.

This is billed as fiction, but it's heavily autobiographical and reads almost more as a memoir infused with magical realism. I think the style was effective; at times brutally honest, at other times lovely and poetic, and the magical interludes worked well to break up some of the tougher scenes and offer an additional perspective. It's a quick read, but it took me a while to get through just because some of the subject matter was very heavy. 4.5 stars.

18 ROOTs down: North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Margaret has spent most of her life living at her father's parsonage in a peaceful, gorgeous village in the south of England, or in London, living with her Aunt Shaw and cousin Edith. Upon Edith's marriage, she returns to her childhood home, looking forward to returning to the peaceful village life she loves with plenty of time spent on long walks in the countryside. But her circumstances change suddenly when her father announces that he has lost his faith and no longer feels comfortable working as a man of God. Deprived of their livelihood, the Hales uproot themselves to the northern factory town of Milton, where Mr. Hale has a lead on some work as a tutor. There, Margaret and her parents must accustom themselves to a different way of life with what they perceive to be a coarser class of neighbors, all in the smoky, unhealthy air of the factories and mills.

I really enjoyed this classic novel! The version I listened to was read by Gemma Whalen, who played Yara Greyjoy on Game of Thrones, and she did an excellent job. I enjoyed Margaret as a heroine and watching her grow over the course of the novel. Mr. Thornton has a feeling of Mr. Darcy-lite; he's a little grumpy and closed-off, but it stems from his sensitivity over his background and the perceived class divide. I also liked that we got a window into his mind and life as well. 5 stars.

>73 curioussquared: Oh! I bet this could be fascinating on audio given how much rests on linguistic class distinctions! Did she do different accents?

>74 Caramellunacy: She did! My untrained American ears thought she did well. Definitely recommend this audio version if you're interested; my library had a bunch of versions to choose from and I'm glad I went with this one.

>73 curioussquared: I am glad you enjoyed this, it's one of my favourites. May I mention the BBC TV version with Richard Armitage which is lovely despite some minor deviations?

>75 curioussquared: Oh, very much agree with MissWatson that the Richard Armitage adaptation is very enjoyable

>76 MissWatson: >77 Caramellunacy: oooh, I will definitely be on the lookout for that adaptation!

Hi Natalie. Just popped in and am a bit confused about North and South thinking it was the book the TV series from way back was bases on. But that was about the US and not the UK. This sounds wonderful though, as does the Black girl unlimited does.

>79 connie53: Hi Connie! Yes, they are different. I actually hadn't heard of that TV series until I was searching for the tv series of the Elizabeth Gaskell book and kept coming across the other one. I think you would like both books, and I'm sure North and South is translated.

Hi Natalie, N&S is translated but no longer available anywhere. But I asked my brother to find Black Girl Unlimited for me.

>81 connie53: Too bad about North and South, but I hope you love Black Girl Unlimited!

My brother did find the book. Now I have to find time to read it!

>83 connie53: Haha, I know that is usually the hard part! *Stares at my 420 unread books...*

I had a good weekend of reading, with three ROOTs checked off! I'm also now fully vaccinated, so I got to spend some unmasked, inside time with my fully vaccinated parents and fully vaccinated best friend, so all in all, a good weekend :)

19 ROOTs down: Hollowpox by Jessica Townsend

In this third installment in the Nevermoor series, Morrigan is finally really beginning her training as a Wundersmith, and her unit has fully accepted her, even if the Wundrous Society still has some holdovers. Everything seems to be going well! Until a mysterious illness starts affecting Wunimals -- people of fully human intelligence and mannerisms who happen to look like animals, and who have only recently been accepted into mainstream society. Unfortunately, the culmination of the disease appears to be that the Wunimal is reduced to an animal-like, frenzied state, attacking those around it and hurting itself. As everyone strives to contain the disease and find a cure, prejudice against Wunimals rises. Morrigan becomes more and more certain that the only way it will be eradicated is if she takes the evil Wundersmith Ezra Squall up on his offer to cure it -- IF she becomes his apprentice.

Honestly, these books just get better and better. I had been putting this one off a little bit because I knew it involved an outbreak of disease, and given the current state of the world, I wasn't sure I was in the mood for that, but Jessica Townsend pulls it off. The world she has created is so zany, fun, and creative, all the while effortlessly weaving in important messages of diversity and acceptance. I loved this, and am just sad that book 4 doesn't have a release date yet! 5 stars.

20 ROOTs down: Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer

Steph and her mom have been on the move for as long as she can remember, never living anywhere for longer than six months, on the run from her scary stalker father. Their latest move finds them in New Coburg, WI, a dead-end factory town with an uninspiring high school. Steph has never really been able to make real friends, but she has CatNet -- a social media network where she mostly hangs out with the other teenagers in her Clowder chat room, trading fun pictures of animals. But when Steph starts to make friends with a few girls in New Coburg, they start asking questions about her past, prompting Steph to start questioning the story her mother has always told her. Poking the past becomes scarier than Steph intended -- but luckily Steph has her clowder, her new friends, and CatNet itself on her side.

This book is hard to describe, but so much fun. Set in the near future, it reads like the present day but with more robots. I loved Steph and her internet friends. The danger Steph's father represents in genuinely scary, but never too much to make the book not fun -- just enough to make me unable to put it down and stay up until 2am finishing it, oops. Apparently I read this just in time as the sequel comes out tomorrow! 5 stars.

21 ROOTs down: Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

After Griet's father's eyes are irreparably damaged in a kiln explosion, he cannot work as a tile painter any longer -- and Griet must go to work as a maid. Her parents find her a position in the house of the famous painter Johannes Vermeer. At first, Griet is skeptical; the Vermeers are Catholic, and she is Protestant. But her parents need her to go, and so she does, navigating the complicated household politics. Griet is specifically hired for her attention to detail, as only someone precise can be allowed to clean Vermeer's studio without disturbing any of the carefully placed objects he is painting. As Griet becomes established in the house, Vermeer uses her more and more as an assistant, and rumors start flowing that he will paint her. But Griet knows that would be the end of her job, as Vermeer's wife is already jealous of Griet -- his wife is not allowed in the studio for fear she will disturb something. As things come to a head, Griet knows she should want to keep her job -- but she also cannot help but want to be painted.

In this short novel, Chevalier brings to life the famous painting of the wide-eyed girl with the pearl earring. I enjoyed the story; I like Vermeer's work, and can see why Chevalier was inspired to create a backstory for the girl. 4 stars.

>87 curioussquared: This sounds like a lot of fun! I have definitely been grazed by a BB here (may turn out to be a full hit if this is available from the library...)

>89 Caramellunacy: Enjoy! I had it on my kindle for about a year before getting to it, and wish I had read it sooner!

22 ROOTs down: The Deep by Rivers Solomon

Yetu is the historian for her people, merfolk born from pregnant slaves tossed overboard during their journey across the ocean. As the historian, Yetu carries their traumatic memories for the rest of the group so they can live freely, with the tribe meeting once every year to relive the memories and remember their past and origins. But carrying the histories has never been easy for Yetu -- she is often lost in the memories for days at a time, to the detriment of her health and leaving her to the mercies of sharks and other dangers. When the group meets this year, Yetu, who is supposed to remain and guide them through the remembering, instead leaves, freed from the burden of the memories and on a mission to find herself.

This is a powerful book just in its concept, and I think Solomon's writing does it justice. I enjoyed Solomon's An Unkindness of Ghosts a few years ago so this novella has been on my radar for a while, and I knew that Daveed Diggs narrated the audiobook, so I wanted to listen to it. What I didn't know is that the concept of an underwater civilization populated with people descended from slaves thrown overboard actually originally came from a music duo called Drexciya, who often referred to it in their music. Then the hip hop group clipping., of which Diggs is a part, wrote a song called The Deep as an homage to that concept. An editor from Saga Press decided it needed to be fictionalized and with the blessing of clipping., searched for an author to write it, and came up with Rivers Solomon. So it's a really interesting background, and I was glad I listened to the version narrated by Diggs to get another sort of facet of the story since it originated as an audio experience. Recommended, 4 stars.

23 ROOTs down: Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

When a body is discovered on Preservation Station, Murderbot is encouraged (ahem -- forced) by Dr. Mensah to help Station Security with the murder investigation. Murderbot wants to run its own investigation, of course -- what if GrayCris is behind this? -- but cooperating with humans that don't trust it is not something it's really looking forward to.

This was everything that I wanted from a new Murderbot book, and I loved it just as much as the others. I only wish it had been longer :) The only tiny quibble I can think of is that because it takes place before Network Effect in the timeline and is a contained story unrelated to the other books, the stakes felt a little lower than the story told over the course of the first four novellas or the longer plot of Network Effect. So it felt a little like its own contained side quest, or like the Murderbot Christmas Special or something. But that didn't affect my enjoyment at all, it just made me want more books that take place after Network Effect. 5 stars.

>85 curioussquared: That's so good to hear! All vaccinated and having a good time together!

>93 connie53: It's so nice to get back to a little normalcy, Connie :)

I know, I'm looking forward to that time too. I had my first shot of Pfizer last Thursday and Peet will get his first next Friday. The kids will have to wait a while. So no big reunions for us yet.

>95 connie53: Hooray! Is the Netherlands delaying second shots like some other countries, or will you get the second shot after three weeks?

>96 curioussquared: There is some kind of delay, but only five weeks between shots. So that's not to long a wait. Peet gets his first shot this Friday.

>97 connie53: Oh good, not too long at all. So exciting!

Oof, finally knocked off my first ROOT of May. I've been busy with wedding planning stuff (hopefully sending out invitations this week!) as well as a few new fun video games -- New Pokemon Snap and Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion.



24 ROOTs down: A Very Long Engagement by Sebastien Japrisot

Mathilde, a young disabled frenchwoman, was engaged to Maneche, who was reportedly killed in a trench during WWI. But Mathilde is unwilling to give up on him, and she begins an investigation into his death, tracking down those who knew him and who knew the other four soldiers he was apparently with at the time of his death. Slowly, Mathilde begins to unravel the puzzle, finding the inconsistencies, tracking down those who might know more, and piecing together a timeline.

Told partly in prose and partly in letters with her informants, this book reads as historical fiction slash mystery novel with Mathilde as our unlikely detective. This makes sense, as the only other Japrisot novel I've read was also a mystery, A Trap for Cinderella, though that one I read in French in a college course years ago. I enjoyed this, and the translation was well done. I'll probably seek out the movie with Audrey Tautou at some point. 4 stars.

25 ROOTs down: Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore

You've read the gospel, yes, but have you read Biff's gospel? Turns out John, Matthew, and Luke left out a LOT. Never fear, the angel Raizel has resurrected Jesus's friend Levi, who is called Biff, and is keeping him in a hotel room until Biff finishes writing his side of the story. (The angel spends most of his time getting too invested in soap operas.) And Biff has a LOT to write; after all, he and Joshua (Jesus's Jewish name) knew each other as kids, and he knows all about what Jesus was up to in his early years, before the other gospels start when he was 30. Because Biff was right there with him, taking on all the sin involved so Joshua could stay pure. It was only right.

Hilariously irreverent. Very much a Good Omens vibe. I wonder if I would have gotten a little tired of the humor and story by the end if I had been reading in print, but it was easy listening on audio. Obviously you know how it's going to end, but the journey is super fun, especially the first half of the book. 4 stars.

26 ROOTs down: The Necessary Arthur by Garth Nix

In this novelette, a young archaeologist finds herself designated as Merlin in a game she didn't know existed, fighting against the other side in organized, 7-year turns for the fate of humanity and the Earth. Her first task is to find, kidnap, and make safe the baby who will be the game's necessary Arthur...

This was short, but I'm counting it as a book because I catalogued it as one and I can do what I want :) Very interesting premise; reminded me of The Homeward Bounders. The flaw was that I wanted more, and honestly, I could see Nix expanding this into a full-length novel at some point. 3.5 stars.

27 ROOTs down: Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

Nancy went through a door to an underworld, where she learned to stand statue-still, slow her heartbeat, and respect the dead and their Lord. But then she came back to the real world, and her parents didn't know what to do with their runaway, anorexic, goth child, so they sent her to a boarding school for other children like her. Very much like her, in fact, as all of these children have also been through doors and portals, to fairylands, goblin kingdoms, or underworlds like Nancy. And all of them have come back, and all of them desperately want to find their doors again. But as Nancy struggles to find her place and fit in, someone starts killing the students...

I really loved this! It felt like McGuire asked the obvious question of what happened when Alice came back from Wonderland? and just ran with it in the best way. I loved the diverse, inclusive cast of characters, the Narnia bashing, and the variety of other worlds represented. I'll definitely be continuing with the series. 4 stars.

Brief update for those of you who don't follow me on my more active 75-ers thread: my reading has definitely taken the hit I expected as we've been diving deep into wedding stuff! And the release of New Pokemon Snap on Switch hasn't helped my reading either :) I'm working on finalizing all of our wedding vendors and decor and it's a lot. I also got to pick up my wedding dress and was able to bring my mom, grandma, best friend, and future mother-in-law (all fully vaccinated) to the fitting appointment, so we got to have that "it's the dress!" moment even though I didn't get to try all the dresses in-store.

ROOT-wise, right now I'm working on Prodigal Summer, Children of Blood and Bone, and A Gentleman in Moscow, so lots of good reading going on here, just at a slower pace than I usually read at. And my hotly anticipated copy of One Last Stop arrived yesterday, so I expect I'll be unable to resist diving into that one soon.

>102 curioussquared: "Narnia-bashing" made me laugh

>104 Caramellunacy: Lol. Can you tell I've never been a Narnia fan? :D

>105 curioussquared: Never would have guessed - same, though I did have a childhood crush on Caspian...(which casting Ben Barnes did nothing to ruin)

>106 Caramellunacy: Haha, Caspian was one of my early book crushes too!

>103 curioussquared: I loved Pokemon Snap on Nintendo 64! Glad to hear it's been resurrected for the Switch :)

>106 Caramellunacy: >107 Jackie_K: Ben Barnes definitely didn't hurt ;)

>108 rabbitprincess: I loved the N64 game, too. They did a great job of upgrading the new one while preserving the same feel of the original!

28 ROOTs down: One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

August Landry has just moved to New York and is busy settling into her Brooklyn apartment, getting to know her new roommates (including a psychic, an electrical engineer-turned-artist, and a night-shift working recluse with a dog named Noodles), and working on finally finishing college. She commutes daily on the Q line, and that's where she meets her: Subway Girl, also known as Jane, who's gorgeous, friendly, and way too cool for August -- and seems to share the exact same commute as August. No matter when she takes the train, Jane is there. And that's when August starts to suspect that something might be wrong -- how is Jane literally ALWAYS there, no matter what time of day or night? As August starts digging and gets closer to Jane, before she knows it, she's falling hopelessly in love with a girl who seems to only exist on the subway.

I've had this preordered since October or something, so you could say I was a little excited for this book. Red White and Royal Blue has quickly become a comfort read of mine and I was eager for more McQuiston! One Last Stop absolutely did not disappoint. On the surface, it's totally different from RW&RB, but what it has in common are fantastic, living, breathing characters you want to befriend and hug, and a sweet, passionate romance. The time travel aspect gave me Kate and Leopold vibes, which is definitely a good thing. Recommended if you enjoy romance novels at all and are looking for a fun, escapist treat of a book (not to mention an alternate universe pandemic-free 2020). 5 stars.

29 ROOTs down: Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver

Prodigal Summer follows three interconnected storylines in Zebulon County in Appalachia. First there's Deanna, a ranger living alone on the mountain as a steward of nature, nurturing the wild beauty around her and fearlessly promoting its growth, even when others can't see the beauty in something like a coyote. Then there's Lusa, a Lexington girl who sticks out like a sore thumb among the county inhabitants who've known each other their whole lives. She'd stick out even if she wasn't twice or three times as educated as the rest of her new family, with a ridiculous interest in bugs. But she married Cole Widener and the Wideners have always lived in Zebulon county. Finally there's old Garnett Walker, stubborn and set in his ways, mostly interested in his project to create a new, blight-resistant line of Chestnut tree -- but also interested in butting heads with his crazy neighbor Nanny Raleigh. Twining between the three storylines is the ever-present backdrop of the natural world and humanity's place in it, in the past and in the future.

I thought this was a totally lovely, immersive read; I listened to the audiobook read by the author and she did a fantastic job. Kingsolver's admiration of and fascination with nature comes through beautifully, but in a *cough* natural way; nothing about it feels forced. I read reviews criticizing the ending as too loose, but I thought it worked well -- just enough resolution and just enough hints at other resolutions to be satisfying without being forced or feeling trite. I really must read more Kingsolver! 5 stars.

Oof, I thought I was doing pretty well with my Rooting this year, but I'm keeping track of my book spending for the first time this year (thanks to the Book Riot tracking spreadsheet) and I've already added 32 unread books to my shelves in 2021! Must try to rein it in a little... it would be nice to read more ROOTs than I add!

>112 curioussquared: That was my hope on joining the ROOTers, that I would read more ROOT than adding. Hasn't happened so far. But it's nice to have a goal.

>113 MissWatson: Yes, I think I'm still reading more off my shelf than I would otherwise. I will keep trying to improve myself ;)

30 ROOTs down: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by the Bolsheviks, Count Alexander Rostov is sentenced to live out the rest of his days never leaving his home, the Hotel Metropol. And he won't be living them out in his suite, either; instead, he will stay in an attic servant's room, only keeping those possessions he manages to fit in the space. Facing down the rest of his life within four walls, deprived of the grand existence and splendid events he is used to, the Count must examine his new reality and find his place in his much reduced world.

I knew I would love this, and I did even though it took me way too long to read, mostly just due to being busy. Towles expertly treads the line between heartwarming and saccharine; what could easily have been too much is just enough. Count Rostov is a character for the ages. 5 stars.

31 ROOTs down: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Roy and Celestial have barely been married a year when Roy is wrongfully accused and convicted of raping a woman and imprisoned. Their relationship continues through letters and occasional visits during Roy's prison stay, but over the course of five years, Celestial draws slowly further away. When Roy's conviction is overturned and he is released, he emerges as a free man, but one who is uncertain of his marital status.

As the title suggests, An American Marriage is primarily the story of Roy and Celestial's relationship, how a marriage can fail despite best efforts if not given the proper care or attention it needs to grow. It's also a commentary on the American justice system and incarceration problem; these issues are addressed, but they're not the main focus. I wasn't sure how this book would hit me going into it; it sounded sad and depressing, and I wasn't sure if I would be in the mood for something like that right now while I have a lot of other stressful things happening in my life. But I was totally drawn in by the story and somehow it wasn't too heavy, despite heavy themes. The ending was satisfying. 4.5 stars.

>115 curioussquared: I loved A Gentleman in Moscow too, it's so good, isn't it?

Hi Natalie, how is the wedding planning coming along! Just visiting ROOTers after being away for a while due to Peet's situation.

>115 curioussquared: I loved that book too! Really very special.

>117 Jackie_K: So good, Jackie!

>118 connie53: Hi Connie! Thanks for stopping in :) Wedding planning is moving along but on pause for a few days as we are experiencing a record-breaking heat wave in my area -- today the high was 108 degrees F (I think around 40 degrees C). So we're hiding in our basement to get away from the heat as nobody here has air conditioning. It's supposed to start getting a little cooler starting tomorrow, so hopefully I'll be able to start thinking about wedding stuff again soon :)

>119 curioussquared: Oh dear, that sounds awfully hot! I hope the basement offers a nice refuge.

>119 curioussquared: Ooof, I hope the heat breaks soon!

>120 MissWatson: >121 Caramellunacy: Thank you both! It is a little cooler today (the high is supposed to be around 90F) and tomorrow should be back around 80F, so we're getting there. The basement has been staying between 70-80F so we definitely feel fortunate compared to people whose homes are heating up to the level it is outside.

>116 curioussquared: I read An American Marriage recently and wholly agree with your assessment. I thought Jones did a great job with the story and with the characters. To me, the novel was fully believable and affecting, and the writing understated and quite good, as well.

>119 curioussquared: That's HOT! I can see why you stay in the basement.

>123 rocketjk: Agreed! It was a good one, deserving of all the press it got.

>124 connie53: Yes! It has never in recorded history been so hot here. We're not used to heat! Luckily we're back to cooler weather now; this morning was even foggy and damp.

32 ROOTs down: Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

Felix Love has never been in love, even though he desperately wants to be. Heading into his senior year of high school, college is on everyone's mind, and he and his best friend Ezra are attending their private high school's summer art program to prep their portfolios for college applications. Felix is trans and came out when he was twelve; with his dad's support, he's on T and had top surgery last year, and most of the time, he feels pretty secure in his identity. But lately, he's felt an occasional, small niggling -- most of the time he feels like a boy, but every once in a while the label "boy" doesn't feel quite as right. Struggling to figure out the more detailed aspects of his identity, Felix is unprepared when some cruel person at school puts up a gallery of photos of him before he transitioned featuring his deadname, as well as persistent hateful messages from an anonymous instagram account. As the summer spirals out of his control, Felix feels like everything is falling apart, and starts fixating on figuring out who put together the hurtful gallery, convinced it's Declan Kane, Ezra's ex-boyfriend who hates both of them.

This is such an important book! Felix is a believable young trans character with a colorful cast of friends and classmates. There's typical high school drama peppered with frank treatment of the issues specific to a young LGBTQ protagonist working through identity questions. Callender wrote in their author's note that their goal with this book was that it might help just one young person realize some truths about themselves, and I'm sure they have succeeded with Felix. 4.5 stars.

33 ROOTs down: The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante

When Olga's husband Mario suddenly leaves her after 15 years of marriage, alone with the children and the dog she never wanted, Olga slides into a spiral of depression that touches on insanity as the months go on.

This was a tough read. This book has been on my list ever since I read and loved Ferrante's Neapolitan novels. In some ways, this book is very similar to that series. But while there are recognizable themes and characters, this novel is much more raw and angry. Over the course of the book, Olga becomes a danger to herself, her children, and even the family dog, acting in ways that surprise even herself and scaring the children and passersby. While she eventually comes to the other side of the worst of her breakdown, the middle of the novel up to the climactic Saturday was hard to get through for me. Not a bad book, but not one I can see myself reading again, and for me, not on the same level as her excellent series. 3.5 stars.

>125 curioussquared: Glad to hear that. Heat like that can be exhausting.

34 ROOTs down: Dance Dance Dance by Haruki Murakami

In this follow-up to A Wild Sheep Chase, our unnamed narrator cannot stop dreaming of Kiki, the mysterious girl with whom he had visited the rundown Dolphin Hotel in Sapporo. Determined to find her, he makes his way to the Dolphin only to find that while there is still a Dolphin Hotel there, it is now a high-class establishment, and not the rundown motel he had known before. Confused, he starts to investigate, befriending one of the hotel receptionists, which leads him to a strange, hidden floor of the hotel...

Like Murakami? You'll like this. Wacky, unexplained happenings, mysterious girls, cats, spaghetti -- all the Murakami hallmarks. This is technically a sequel to A Wild Sheep Chase, but they can pretty much be read as standalones. Probably not my favorite or least favorite of his books that I've read, but good all the same. 4 stars.

And just for fun, Murakami bingo - I think Dance Dance Dance gets 15/25 :) Let nobody say Murakami's not consistent.

>130 curioussquared: Wow, this looks like an irresistible invitation to read Murakami!

>131 MissWatson: If you're okay with weird, sometimes unresolved stories and magical realism, I highly recommend him! I like The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Kafka on the Shore, and Norwegian Wood as starting points. Norwegian Wood is pretty different from his other stuff though. I wouldn't begin with Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World, IQ 84, or Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki.

>132 curioussquared: Thanks! I'll be having a browse at my charity bookshop...

>132 curioussquared: 1Q84 is a ROOT of mine, but I’m kind of dreading it. I doubt I’ll get to it this year. I’ve read A Wild Sheep Chase, which I recall liking a lot, although I can hardly remember it now, and Kafka on the Shore, which I didn’t like at all. I started The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle but had to return it to the library because there was no way I was going to get through it without renewing it a dozen times. Something about Murakami is like a dream that you can’t remember after you wake up, and I find him really hard to read because of that.

>134 Charon07: A dream you can't remember after you wake up is a great way to describe it. I come away from his books more with a general feeling of having liked it than with any real idea of what actually happened! I've read Wind-Up Bird Chronicle twice and still couldn't give you more than a very brief idea of what it's about. But I always enjoy the ride!

Happy wedding month! I'm freaking out a little bit, everyone. Still lots to do.

If you follow my 75ers thread, you'll know that I actually quit my job mid-July -- I decided it was absolutely not where I wanted to be long term, and job hunting, wedding planning, and doing my actual job all at the same time was not working well for me. I'm interviewing a little bit, but only for positions I applied to a few months ago for which I'm just getting contacted, as I've been so busy with wedding stuff I haven't even had a chance to apply anywhere since I quit. I'm feeling really lucky that I can take this break and focus on wedding stuff for the moment. I'm not sure how I would be coping right now if I were working!

I did manage to finish one book before July closed:



35 ROOTs down: The Bostonians by Henry James

A decade after the Civil War, former Confederate soldier turned lawyer Basil Ransom visits his cousin Olive Chancellor in Boston, where he happens to accompany her to a gathering in support of the women's suffrage movement -- a movement which Olive vehemently supports, and at which Basil scoffs. There, both encounter the lovely Verena Tarrant for the first time. Young Verena is a gifted, magnetic speaker, and Olive immediately recognizes the impact such a speaker could have on the suffrage movement. Basil, on the other hand, is taken with Verena despite her feminist beliefs. In the coming months, Basil returns to his struggling law practice, while Olive befriends Verena, pays her parents to back off, and takes the girl to live with her, educating her in both traditional subjects and the latest and greatest in feminism. But Basil is not done with Verena, and Olive is unable to stop them from seeing each other no matter how hard she tries.

This is a really long book for what is an essentially simple premise, which makes sense when you learn it was originally serialized. There were interesting bits, but also a whole lot of unnecessary stuff thanks to its magazine origins. Not really my thing in the end, though the sort of love triangle battle for Verena's affections is engaging. I hated the ending. I think I prefer James' shorter works. This is apparently where the term "Boston marriage" originated. 3 stars.

Hi Natalie. Busy month for you. Stay calm, everything will be alright.

Oh my - happy wedding month indeed! :D

>136 curioussquared: Good luck with everything this month!

Thank you Connie, Jackie, and RP for the good wishes!

All the best for the big day!

Happy wedding month! Remember to breathe occasionally

>136 curioussquared: Congratulations on the upcoming nuptials!

Thank you Birgit, Caramellunacy, and Charon07! Definitely trying to breathe on a regular basis :)

36 ROOTs down: Swamplandia! by Karen Russell

Ava Bigtree's family lives and owns at Swamplandia, a gator-wrestling theme park on an island in Florida. Ava has always wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps as the star of the wrestling show. Her father acts more as an emcee, her older brother is more studious, and her older sister has a strange obsession with the supernatural world and has taken to dating various ghosts. In the wake of their mother's early death from cancer, the Bigtrees and Swamplandia itself are adrift. As her father leaves the island to try to save the park, Ava and her siblings drift further and further apart, until they find themselves in various dangerous situations.

I enjoyed this overall; it has a kooky, almost magical realism-esque setting, and Ava is a fun narrator. The book definitely takes a darker turn in the second half; reading some reviews, I can see how those events made many people downgrade their ratings. It stayed at about 4 stars for me, though.

37 ROOTs down: Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

In the second book in the Outlander series, Claire and Jamie head to Paris to thwart Bonnie Prince Charlie's attempt at the throne in order to prevent the Scottish losses in the Jacobite uprising, but things don't go as planned and they learn it may be harder to change the flow of history than they thought.

Not sure why I waited so long to read this second book! Gabaldon is a born storyteller. I haven't had much time to read but having been snatching bits of this whenever I have a moment. 5 stars.

Reading friends, I have a request: do you have any favorite love poems?

Tim and I are not religious but we're looking for some readings for our wedding ceremony. Let me know if you have a favorite love poem that you think might work well for that situation! My current top contenders are from Pablo Neruda but I'm open to others for sure.

>147 curioussquared:

I've always liked this poem, even though I had to memorize it in 8th grade! (Though the last line is maybe kind of a downer.)

How Do I Love Thee
by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Also, here is a link (sorry for the many advertizements) with 15 e.e. cummings love poems. My personal favorites are #1, #12 and #13.
https://www.thebridalbox.com/articles/ee-cummings-love-poems_0047470/

>147 curioussquared: My husband and are also not religious. We had a reading of a Rumi poem at our wedding. There’s a wealth of poems that would be lovely for a wedding, if you don’t mind their being rooted in Sufism.

And when is the happy day? Did you tell somewhere?

>148 rocketjk: >149 Charon07: Thank you for the suggestions! I ended up selecting Reprise by Ogden Nash, suggested by another LTer in my 75ers thread: https://allpoetry.com/poem/14327032-Reprise-by-Ogden-Nash

>150 connie53: Connie, you were right on time -- I mentioned it in my 75ers thread where I'm a little more active, but yesterday was the day!

It's been a long few weeks -- I've been in constant prep mode pretty much right up until the wedding day! I don't really have photos yet -- I think our photographer will send us a sneak peek soon -- but I'll just say that it truly felt like everything was perfect. Our families worked tirelessly to get my parents' house in gorgeous shape before the event, and it was so gorgeous. Some people just assumed it was an actual wedding venue. The ceremony was authentic to us (down to a few whines from Otter the crybaby) and we both cried. Dinner and cake were delicious, the toasts and dances were perfect, and the dance floor was crowded all night -- my feet are not happy with me today! We were of course missing some people, but there were so many people we love there to celebrate with us, and we couldn't be happier.

We're supposed to go to Hawaii in a few weeks, but with the Covid situation there what it is and the governor asking tourists not to come right now, we may postpone. In the meantime, we'll enjoy most of our first week of married life at home together -- I have a few job interviews scheduled this week that I postponed until the wedding was done -- and then head off to Chicago on Friday for a college friend's wedding until Tuesday, so we'll have least have a fun little trip to celebrate.

It's not great, but here's a photo I do have that our wedding coordinator snapped while we were watching the anniversary dance -- the DJ invited all the married couples to the dance floor and then dismissed them in order of how long they had been married, so we were of course first to leave :)

That's a really lovely picture! And a lovely dress too! And a lovey couple!

So glad your day went well and you can start your married live now.

>152 curioussquared: How is that for a coincidence!

Many congratulations, Natalie and husband. Here's to the day when you will be last off the floor.

Great photo! Glad everything came together and that you had a wonderful time :)

>154 curioussquared: Congratulations! Such a sweet picture, and your dress is stunning! Who knew that Ogden Nash was so romantic? But it sounds like perfect choice!

>154 curioussquared: Congratulations, you both look SO happy! Here's wishing you a long and happy marriage!

>154 curioussquared: What a gorgeous picture! Congratulations to you both!

Thank you so much, everyone! We're still riding the wedding high :)

We got a sneak peek of our wedding photos, and I'm in love. Here are a few!










(yes, we set off a wacky waving inflatable tube man as we walked back down the aisle :D)

Believe it or not, I've actually read some ROOTs recently. Will try to update soon!

>161 curioussquared: Lovely pics

Your wedding looks like it was wonderful!

Congratulations and thanks for the pics. They are lovely.

Thank you, friends! We truly still can't get over how perfect everything was.

It looks magical! And I love the wacky inflatable tube man :D

>167 rabbitprincess: Thanks, RP :D The hilarious thing is that we bought it outright, so now we have to figure out what to do with the 20 ft tall wacky waving inflatable tube man that we own. We're thinking we decorate him for holidays and bring him to family and friends' birthday parties, lol.

38 ROOTs down: Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell

Simon, Baz, Penny, Agatha, and Shepherd are back in the UK after their American adventure, and it's time to figure out the interpersonal things. Baz and Simon have never really had the time and space to figure out their relationship, Agatha needs to find herself now that she's neither with Simon nor in a cult, and Penny and Shepherd... definitely have something between them, but there's also a demon standing in the way. As everyone works on their personal stuff, there's also something going on with a supposed new Chosen One...

This was a fun romp, and it was satisfying for storylines to truly come to their full fruition and to a close. I enjoyed the series overall, but this entry felt more disjointed than the previous books. After so much time with everyone together, it was weird to have the characters mostly coupled up for the whole book. It also felt a little like there just wasn't as much point to this entry in the series; it all felt a little like a series of fluffy fanfic one shots rather than a well-plotted novel. Overall a fun read, but just not super well put together, and I think that's partly why it took me so long to get through, aside from the obvious wedding stuff. 3.5 stars.

39 ROOTs down: Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

Jane Mansfield is a wellborn woman from the early 1800s -- until one morning where she inexplicably wakes up in the body of Courtney, a woman from the mid-2000s who's going through a bad breakup and lives alone in a crappy apartment in LA. Jane must rapidly adapt to her new surroundings and the new social norms of the era if she's going to figure out how to get home.

I didn't realize this was a sequel until pretty far through; the first novel follows Courtney going back to Jane's time, which makes sense. This definitely wasn't high literature, but it made for reasonably compelling, easy listening pre-wedding when I was trying to distract myself from freaking out while I was quarantined and unable to do much. 3 stars.

40 ROOTs down: Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

Before Jack and Jill got to Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children, they lived in another world, one where they were forever changed. This is the story of that world, how they got there, and how they left.

I didn't enjoy this quite as much as the first entry in the series; this one felt more like a fractured fairy tale than the sort of "what comes next" that appealed to me about the first book. Still good, though, and I'm planning to read the others. 3.5 stars.

41 ROOTs down: War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi

In a future Nigeria in a world devastated by climate change, with parts rendered uninhabitable by radiation, Onyii was a child soldier for the Biafran army before leading the war girls in creating a safe haven where the Nigerian army cannot find them. There, she cares for her younger sister Ify, who she saved and now protects. But when the Nigerian army breaks through their defenses and kill many of the girls, Onyii believes Ify is dead -- and swears to exact revenge on the Nigerians by becoming a force of nature in the Biafran army. But Onyii doesn't know that Ify is alive, living among the Nigerians who are in fact her birth people, enjoying the riches of their culture but always longing a bit for Onyii. As the war gets worse, the sisters get closer to reuniting -- but may destroy each other first.

I loved this. Fantastic sci-fi with a fascinating historical backdrop and action sequences I'd love to see on the big screen. Definitely will look out for the sequel soon, and more by Onyebuchi. 4.5 stars.

>172 curioussquared: And what a lovely cover too!

>173 Caramellunacy: Right? So striking!

42 ROOTs down: SLAY by Brittney Morris

Kiera is used to being one of only a few black kids at Jefferson High in affluent Bellevue, WA -- which is partly why she created SLAY, on online video game designed as a space for black gamers only and dedicated to celebrating black excellence in all of its forms. When she's not spending time with her boyfriend Malcolm, her family, or friends at school, Kiera spends most of her free time on the game, making updates, creating new cards for the in-game battles, and working with her fellow mod to keep things in line. SLAY is growing and has lots of users, and it's taking up more and more of Kiera's time. But everything changes when suddenly, SLAY is all over the news -- a black teenager was killed when he demanded money in exchange for SLAY cards. Kiera has always been anonymous as the creator, and now she's afraid -- afraid for herself, for the virtual haven she created, and afraid of what might happen to other SLAY players.

This was SO good. A teeny bit slow to start, I couldn't put it down after I hit page 50 or so. If you're at all familiar with online gaming, there's a little bit of necessary suspension of disbelief -- the idea that Kiera and her friend Claire can together run a popular online role playing game on 6 rented servers is a little ridiculous. But if you can look past that, this is a compelling read that had me on the edge of my seat the whole way. 4.5 stars.

43 ROOTs down: The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

Tea really didn't mean to raise her brother from the grave... shunned in her own village for her powers, she and her newly raised from the dead brother Fox are taken under the wing of Lady Mykaela, an older, established Bone Witch who takes them away to start Tea in her studies. As we follow Tea in her studies, we also get fast-forwarded scenes to the current time, where a banished Tea is living alone and visited by a man who is trying to figure out what happened to her.

I thought this book was intriguing and very different in terms of plot and magic system; I don't think it's going to run together with many of the other YA fantasy novels I read. Perhaps because of that, there's definitely a LOT of worldbuilding. I've read a bunch of reviews where people complain about that worldbuilding and pacing and a lot of people apparently DNFed it in the middle. I never had that urge, but there was definitely a lot to get through and learn about this world. Overall, I enjoyed it, and plan to finish the series, but I'm going to start listening to the second book ASAP so I don't lose all the context before making it through the series. 3.5 stars.

44 ROOTs down: Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

In these short stories, Lahiri explores the diverse Indian-American refugee experience.

Why did it take me this long to read Lahiri? Every story in this collection reaffirmed my initial perception that Lahiri is an absolute master of the short story craft. Every word and every sentence were perfectly placed and effectively used. Many stories were bittersweet, but nothing was devastatingly depressing in a way that made me want to stop reading, which I appreciated. 5 stars, and I'll be looking out for more of Lahiri's work.

45 ROOTs down: Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Zelie was a child when the Raid happened, killing diviners, including her mother, and banishing magic from Orisha. Since then, her people, the magi, have been oppressed under the rule of the evil king. But when Zelie goes to the capital to sell a fish, she ends up leaving with the crown princess Amari, on the run for stealing a scroll with instructions to bring magic back to Orisha. Suddenly, Zelie, her brother Tzain, and Amari are on a journey to find the other artifacts and bring magic back -- closely followed by the ruthless royal guards and Amari's brother Inan.

I really, really wanted to like this; I loved the Nigerian influences and had been looking forward to the book for a long time, but I was pretty disappointed at every turn. The writing was lackluster, the story was unoriginal and uninspired, the characters were one dimensional and I didn't really understand any of their decisions. Bummer because I always want to support YA POC authors, but this one wasn't doing it for me. If you want to read some excellent YA fantasy with Nigerian influences, Nnedi Okorafor is the way to go. 2 stars.

>178 curioussquared: Ouch, I just picked this up at the charity bookshop. Not one to put on the top of the TBR, then.

>179 MissWatson: I think perhaps if you don't read a lot of YA romance fantasy like I do this one might seem less tired, but it just read as trope after poorly executed trope to me.

>180 curioussquared: I accidentally checked the ebook out from my library a few days ago, and after about the first chapter, I skipped to the end and checked it back in. I don’t read a lot of YA anything, but this did seem pretty unoriginal.

>181 Charon07: Yeah, there's so much good YA out there, this one definitely isn't worth your time!

46 ROOTs down: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

This family saga traces the lives and family of Sunja and Isak as they immigrate from Korea to Japan, where Isak's brother has secured him a place as a Christian pastor. In Japan, they face discrimination and racism along with the rest of the Korean community. The book follows them as they eke out a life in whatever way they can, raising children Noa and Mosazu, and eventually follows their grandchildren, covering about 1910 to 1989.

This was such a compelling read; I think I knew some of the history between Korea and Japan, but I definitely wasn't aware of just how bad Koreans had it in Japan right up to very recent history. This is a family saga up there with the best of them; I cared about each and every one of the characters. 5 stars.

47 ROOTs down: The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik

It's senior year at the Scholomance, and El is in a better position than she ever could have expected. She has actual friends, and the New York enclave is actually being nice to her since their golden boy Orion Lake won't stop fawning over her. But despite their success at the end of last year of repairing the graduation hall machinery, El knows this year won't be any kind of cakewalk, and as senior year gets going, it really seems like the Scholomance has it out for her. She's being attacked by mals left and right (and is repeatedly forced to save freshmen from being viciously eaten), she has the worst senior year schedule she's ever seen, and the Shanghai enclave is convinced she's out to get them, so she's not safe even from her fellow students. As graduation draws nearer, El starts to think the school might have something different in mind for her...

I've been waiting for this book basically since I finished the first one at the end of 2020, and was devastated when its publication was pushed back a few months from June -- so I'm so glad it lived up to my expectations. I spent almost all of yesterday just reading it, which is something I haven't done in a while. So good. My only regret is that I read it so fast, now I have to wait who knows how long for book 3! 5 stars.

Hi Natalie, I did not spend as much time as I would like on LT lately but here I am again. What a beautiful pictures. You both look absolutely happy and gorgeous!

>184 curioussquared: Good to hear you gave this book 5 stars. I'm reading part 1 but got stuck in the beginning. Now I want to start over again when I have finished my current book.

>185 connie53: Hi Connie! Thank you so much and glad to see you around! :) I hope you enjoy the Noviks -- they are some of my favorite reads last year and this year.

48 ROOTs down: Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

Years ago, in a tiny Italian fishing village on the edge of the Cinque Terre, a young, ill actress checked into the Hotel Adequate View. The owner, Pasquale, was astounded; they never had American guests at their little backwater hotel, especially not actresses. During their brief acquaintance, Pasquale helps the young actress, and their encounter ends up changing the course of his own life. In the present day, Claire is a disillusioned assistant Hollywood producer on the brink of quitting her job at the end of her last wild pitch Friday, when a much older Pasquale shows up waving her boss's business card and demanding he help him find the actress who stayed in his hotel so long ago.

This was an OK read. I don't know that I ever quite found any of the characters to be believable; Claire especially felt pretty 2-D, but maybe that was part of the satirical nature of the novel. Maybe it was the satire that didn't really work for me. I wanted a sincere story and it kept feeling like it was almost that and then it would start leaning toward satire again. 3.5 stars.

49 ROOTs down: Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

Leah Westfall and her parents have a secret: Leah has the gold sense. She can sense gold hidden in the earth around her, a particularly important skill in a gold rush. But the Georgia gold rush is pretty much over, and Leah rarely finds gold on their homestead anymore. The California gold rush is just beginning, but Leah's father has been ill, and she knows he'd never survive the arduous journey. But everything changes when Leah comes home from school to find her parents murdered, and her uncle Hiram waiting in the wings to take over her life, her home, and her education. Worse, he knows about her abilities, and Leah knows he must want to use her to make himself rich. Left with no options, Leah knows she must follow her friend Jefferson's footsteps to Independence, MO, where most wagon trains are leaving from. To get there, she cuts her hair and disguises herself as a boy -- and she knows her journey is just beginning.

I loved this! I read so much YA fantasy and so much of it can feel trite. This was a fresh story, well researched and interesting. It's almost more historical fiction, as Leah's abilities don't play too much of a part in this first book in the trilogy. I read some complaints about the travelling nature of the book, but I actually thought Carson did a really good job of making you forget they were travelling and focusing on events rather than the routine. I'm also always a sucker for the girl disguises herself as a boy trope (I think reading Tamora Pierce at a formative age will do that to you). I'm looking forward to the rest of the trilogy! 4.5 stars.

50 ROOTs down: Firebug by Lish McBride

Ava is a firebug -- she can start fires, throw fireballs, create sparks, you name it, all with the power of her mind. For years, she and her mother were on the run from the Coterie, a sort of underground magical mafia that desperately wanted Ava and her mother's power. Firebugs are particularly useful to the Coterie as assassins -- all creatures, even magical ones, are afraid of fire. Eventually, though, the Coterie caught up to them. Ava's mother was killed, and Ava ran to her guardian, Cade. But she could no longer run from the Coterie, and these days, she serves them as an assassin, hunting down the targets they request. She hates it, but she knows it's the only way to guarantee Cade's safety. But when Venus, the leader of the Coterie, gives Ava an assignment she could never complete, she knows it's time to go on the run again -- and maybe even time to finally take a stand, with the help of her dryad and were-fox friends, not to mention a drove of were-hares.

This was a fun book! I haven't read a lot like it, and I like that. Great characters -- I really want to meet Lock and Ezra. I'm looking forward to the sequel. 4 stars.

Woohoo, and that's my goal! I still have a bunch more ROOTs I want to get to this year, though; stay tuned!

>190 curioussquared: Congratulations, Natalie. Well done.

Congratulations on reaching your goal!

>188 curioussquared: I have definitely just downloaded this - being a fellow Tamora Pierce kid (which was your favorite?) with girls-dressed-as-boys as my catnip, this sounds right up my alley.

Also, congratulations on reaching your goal!!

Hooray for meeting your goal!

>191 Robertgreaves: Thanks, Robert :)

>192 MissWatson: Thank you, Birgit!!

>194 Jackie_K: Thanks, Jackie!!

>193 Caramellunacy: Oh, I hope you enjoy it! Her Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy got a lot of press, and I enjoyed those books, but I feel like I didn't hear much about this newer series, and I wonder if it's because the gold rush setting didn't fit with the paranormal romance fairy settings of a lot of current-ish popular YA. Oh boy, choosing a favorite Tamora Pierce is always hard... It might have to be Alanna just because she was my first, but I love Kel and Daine almost equally. I guess if I had to rank it'd be Alanna, Kel, Daine, just because I'm a sucker for those lady knights :) How about you?

>195 curioussquared: Alanna was also my first and is my favorite (stubborn streak, dressed as a boy, she and I share a HATRED of cold), but I really admire Kel's tactical skills and Daine's affinity for animals just makes me happy (especially Zek - a marmoset who understands about KEYS is awesome in both the cool and terrifying sense of the word). Ultimately, I think I'd probably rank them Alanna, Kel and Daine - but they're jostling...

Woo hoo! Congrats on reaching your goal!

>196 Caramellunacy: It's really impossible to choose! I generally reread the whole Tortall series if I'm rereading one of the books, so it's not like I read some more than others, either. They're all just total comfort reads for me. I am slightly less enthusiastic about the Beka Cooper books but still enjoy them, and I'm still waiting for a Tempests and Slaughter sequel, too :)

>198 curioussquared: I am eager to see the Tempests and Slaughter sequel, too! It may be time for me to visit Tortall again...

>199 Caramellunacy: It's always a good time for a visit :D

51 ROOTs down: Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome

John, Susan, Titty, and Roger are delighted when word comes from their sailor father that they should be allowed to sail the Swallow and camp on their own on an uninhabited island in the lake they are staying at for summer holidays. Soon, they declare war on the Amazon, another sailboat captained by two girls, and the curmudgeonly Captain Flint, who lives on a nearby houseboat and is convinced the Swallows stole his parrot's feathers and set off a firework on his boat.

This book stood the test of time in that I enjoyed the story and it held my attention. It has that feeling of a classic children's novel; a sort of sepia-toned feeling of bygone days. But I think there are many aspects that are just too outdated to really work for modern children. The sailing is endless and too complicated for anyone but the truly nautical-obsessed, which is just not as in vogue these days, I think. The kids are a little too sugary -- four siblings never fight, really? And I know it was published about a century ago, but I would have liked if Susan wasn't the only one doing the cooking and washing up all the time. The children's games are a little out of reach for today's kids, too; constant talk of natives and savages and playing Robinson Crusoe. Overall, not a bad read, I think it's just really feeling its age. I'm not planning to read any others in the series. 3.5 stars.

52 ROOTs down: Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood

Artist Elaine Risley is back in Toronto for a retrospective show of her paintings. Her return to the city and the look back at her works from various points in her life act as a jumping off point for a reflection on her past, her childhood and young adulthood through the birth of her first child and divorce from her first husband. As older Elaine walks the streets she remembers from long ago, we follow young Elaine as she makes her first girl friends, discovers the remarkable ability for cruelty present in young girls, and grows past it, learning about herself, feminism, and the power of women. She also thinks back on the particular influence of her friend Cordelia, who she last saw years ago in a mental hospital, and about whom she has never truly stopped thinking, and as her show grows closer and gets press, Elaine can't help believing that Cordelia will come.

I'm not sure what I was expecting from this novel; the cover makes it look almost fantastical, but this isn't a fantasy at all. I think overall it is a reflection on growing up as a girl, the expectations of peers and society, and how our pasts can shape us in ways we may not even recognize. The section that focuses on Elaine's bullying at the hands of her "friends" is tough to read, and her trauma shows later in the ways she has fully erased those experiences from her memories. In some ways, this is a book where not a lot happens, but I was glued to the story. 5 stars.

53 ROOTs down: Havenfall by Sara Holland

Maddie has grown up knowing about other worlds -- her uncle runs the inn at Havenfall, the idyllic spot in the Colorado Rockies where beings from other worlds can cross over for treaties and summits. Earth, as a world with no magic, is treated as a neutral ground between all the worlds. Her greatest wish is to move to Havenfall when she's done with high school and start training to become the next innkeeper when her uncle decides to retire. This summer, her dad wants her to get some work experience in Omaha instead of spending the summer at Havenfall, but Maddie disobeys him and heads to the inn instead. But as soon as she gets there, things are different from years past; her best friend, a fjorden named Brekken, goes missing the first night -- the same night that someone attacks her uncle and breaks open the door to Solaria, a door that has been sealed for years after the Solarians turned dangerous and attacked the other races. Maddie's uncle won't wake up, so Maddie's the closest thing the inn has to an innkeeper at the moment -- and she's not exactly prepared. In over her head, Maddie struggles to figure out who opened the door to Solaria, how to shut it, and who she can trust, as the place she thought of as home becomes more and more like a nightmare.

I'm not always super into portal fantasies or urban fantasy; I think it can be more difficult to mesh a fantasy world with our existing world than to create a whole new one with different worlds. I think Havenfall really succeeded in this respect -- I was very interested in the premise and the setup, and wanted more about the other worlds and the inn itself. Aside from this, the story fell a little flat. Maddie was in maybe a little too over her head. There was a lot of hand wringing and feeling like she was all alone, which she was to a point, but I'm not sure I understood why some of the other more competent adults who weren't innkeepers couldn't have helped a little more. 3.5 stars.

54 ROOTs down: The Austen Escape by Katherine Reay

Mary has been close with Isabelle for years and years -- almost more like sisters. She's always been more of a sidekick to Isabelle's strong personality, which is usually fine with her, but lately things haven't been going well. The engineering startup where she's been working for years is undergoing a reorg, and the new manager really has it out for her and doesn't have time for her experiments anymore. Plus, cute consultant Nathan hasn't shown any interest in her, even after he's been consulting at the startup for over a year. When Isabelle shows up again and basically demands that Mary accompany her on a trip to Bath, England, to an Austen-esque estate where visitors wear period dress and assume an Austen character's persona, Mary is skeptical. It seems like one of Isabelle's big schemes again and she's kind of tired of following along. But her dad points out that she needs a break and some change, so she decides to go, taking a leap and falling into another world.

I wanted to like this; I love me some Austen-inspired chick lit, but it didn't really work for me. It felt like it wanted to be Austenland but none of the rest of the storytelling, plot, or characters were developed enough to get there. 2.5 stars.

55 ROOTs down: Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

Ivy Gamble and her sister Tabitha are twins -- but they haven't really spoken in years. As a child, Tabitha learned she was magic, and Ivy learned she was not. It was Ivy who stayed with their mother while she died of cancer, and Tabitha who just sent home emails detailing how well she was doing at magic boarding school. Since then, the twins have traded holidays with their dad and kept their distance. Now, Ivy is a Private Investigator, and Tabitha teaches at a nearby magic school. Ivy is shocked when the headmaster shows up at her office to hire her to solve a gruesome murder at Tabitha's school, and doesn't want to accept, but the retainer is too big to say no to, and it would be her first murder case... Before long, Ivy finds herself on her way to the school, eager to start on the case, but not so eager to see Tabitha again.

I loved this! Magic school from the point of view of the adults. Sort of has a Magicians feel to it, but less dark. 4 stars.

56 ROOTs down: A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos

Ophelia lives on the ark of Anima. As a reader, she's able to divine the pasts of objects through touch, and she also has the ability to travel through mirrors -- but really, she's happy being mostly unremarkable, serving as curator of the Anima clan museum. But then, she is betrothed to Thorn of the Dragon clan, and she must travel to the Pole ark to meet her new fiance, with nobody but her aunt Rosaline for support and chaperone purposes. On the pole, Ophelia is lost in a world she doesn't understand, desperately trying to understand not only the politics between the different clans, but even just within the Dragon clan itself. Her fiance is imposing and closed off, and Ophelia begins to despair that she'll never find her place...

Translated from the French, this YA novel takes some of the most classic of tropes and makes them feel fresh again. Ophelia seems like an unlikely heroine, mostly because she doesn't think of herself as much, but she's always more than she looks, with a trick or two up her sleeve (or wrapped in her sentient scarf). I'm excited to continue the series! 4 stars.

And that wraps up an excellent month of ROOTing for me! I think I read 11 ROOTs this month. Next up should be A Room with a View, but I won't finish it today and probably not for several days -- in addition to having a job interview tomorrow, I'm going to try to do National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in November, which I imagine is going to take up quite a bit of my time. Stay tuned to see if I hit 50,000 words!

>207 curioussquared: Good luck with NaNoWriMo!

>208 Caramellunacy: Thank you :)

>207 curioussquared: Good luck with NaNo! I have several friends doing it whom I am cheering on.

>210 Jackie_K: Thanks, Jackie!

57 ROOTs down: A Room with a View by E. M. Forster

On a trip to Italy with her older cousin Charlotte Bartlett, Miss Lucy Honeychurch is sad to find that though they had been promised a room with a view at the Pension Bertolini, they have in fact been given courtyard view rooms. Luckily, the Emersons, an older man and his son, offer to switch rooms with them. So begins Lucy's time in Florence, which culminates in an inappropriate rendezvous with the younger Emerson, George, and results in Miss Bartlett whisking her off to Rome the very next day to avoid any scandal. Upon her return to England, Lucy is soon engaged to Cecil Vyse, who she met in Rome. But trouble is still brewing, as she learns that the Emersons are coming to stay in their village...

A gorgeous novel, ahead of its time. I didn't love it quite as much as Howards End, but it packed a lot into a rather slim volume. Now to watch a film adaptation or two! 4.5 stars.

NaNoWriMo update: I'm at 17,264 words, so things are going well and I'm keeping pace! So far I've mostly been surprised at how much I'm enjoying it and how relatively easy it's been to produce my words each day, so all good things.

>212 curioussquared: I particularly enjoyed the film adaptation with Helena Bonham Carter & Daniel Day Lewis. Very pretty.

I was lured into the book with promises of a murder (!), so my expectations needed readjusting. But I enjoyed it and am glad you did too!

Also great going on Nanowrimo!

Excellent NaNo progress, well done! The film adaptation with Helena Bonham-Carter (an all-star cast, really) is very very faithful to the book, and is a joy to watch.

>214 Caramellunacy: >215 Jackie_K: Also seconding the Bonham-Carter version. Rupert Graves in his salad days! Plus Maggie Smith. Judi Dench. Simon Callow.

Congrats on reaching your goal and surpassing it!

>214 Caramellunacy: Thank you! Still going strong :) I need to find that film adaptation; unfortunately it's not available on any of my numerous streaming services.

>215 Jackie_K: Thanks Jackie! Yes, that's the one I want to track down. I'd rather watch for free if it's on one of my streaming services, but I may break down and rent it soon.

>216 MissWatson: I really must watch this!

>217 connie53: Thank you, Connie!

I hope all who celebrate had a lovely Thanksgiving!

I've been caught up in some family stuff lately, so my ROOTing has suffered as most of my reading has been library audiobooks. But I did finish one ROOT recently!

I have managed to keep up with NaNoWriMo -- current word count is 42571 as today's words still need to be written. I was ahead by a day, but that lead was swallowed up by Thanksgiving as I didn't have time to write a single word yesterday.

I'm not sure they're good words, but they're words!

58 ROOTs down: Rosmersholm by Henrik Ibsen

Rosmersholm, the Rosmer family estate, is haunted by the recent death of Beata, Pastor Rosmer's late wife, who died by falling (or jumping?) off the bridge by the millpond. Her death is something of a mystery, as they're not sure why she would have jumped. But Rosmer and Rebecca, a friend who had helped with Beata's illness and who still lives at Rosmersholm now, are about to learn more about each other as secrets start unfolding, starting with a visit from Kroll, Beata's brother, and unraveling from there.

Not my favorite Ibsen, but still a masterful play and I would absolutely love to see it in a theater. 3.5 stars.

>219 curioussquared: Well done on the NaNo progress!

>220 curioussquared:
I had the good fortune to see Rosmersholm several years ago in London with ... umm... Cormoran Strike and Peggy Carter... (looked it up - Tom Burke and Hayley Atwell!) and found it quite fascinating.

But I still prefer Hedda Gabler.

>221 Jackie_K: Thanks, Jackie!

>220 curioussquared: Ooh, that sounds like a really good production! I really miss live theater. Yeah, I've read most of Ibsen's big ones and enjoyed all of them overall, and would see any of them live, but this one didn't stack up to my favorites.

I squeezed in one more ROOT for November! I'm also still keeping pace with ROOTs being exactly half of my books read for the year, which I'm fairly pleased about.



59 ROOTs down: Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik

It's a grim time for Temeraire and his captain Will Laurence: after taking the dragon plague cure to France and saving the French aerial corps from the disease the Brits deliberately spread to them, Laurence has been branded a traitor and condemned to hang, and Temeraire has been sent to a breeding grounds with other unharnessed dragons. But Napoleon's forces are too strong to keep Temeraire and his fighting ability and intelligence cooped up for long, and since he will not fight if the British army kills his captain, Laurence is granted a temporary stay of execution so that they can help Britain face the threat of Napoleonic France. They're especially necessary now that Napoleon has secured the help of Lien, another Celestial, the same breed of dragon as Temeraire. As Temeraire and Laurence do their best to serve their country, Laurence grows more and more uneasy about the things they are being asked to do, and must ask himself how far he is willing to prostrate himself in the name of Britain.

Another exciting Temeraire adventure! I enjoyed every bit of it, grim as it was in parts. I love getting the dragon perspective alongside that of Laurence; Temeraire is cleverly written and it's fun to see the differences in how they think, despite being equally intelligent. 4 stars, if only because I don't think it was quite as good as some of the earlier entries.

60 ROOTs down: Darkwing by Kenneth Oppel

In a prehistoric time, Dusk is born to a family of chiropters -- bat ancestors who glide rather fly. But Dusk is different -- his fur is patchy, and he longs to flap his wings and take off flying. And he CAN fly, unlike his chiropter family -- he seems to be a new kind of animal altogether. When Dusk's family is attacked by feline hunters who have moved from eating bugs and plants to craving meat, Dusk must use his flying ability to lead the family to safety and find their new home.

I utterly loved Silverwing as a kid and read and reread it many times around the time I was reading Redwall. I also read Sunwing and Firewing and eagerly snapped up a Darkwing ARC when I was volunteering for the library in high school around 2006. And then... I never read it, I think mostly because the extreme prequel nature of this entry put me off. Finally picked this up as one of the oldest unread books on my shelf and ended up really enjoying it! Very different from the other books in the series, but has the same compelling adventure story and great character interaction. 4 stars, recommended for Redwall/Warriors fans.

61 ROOTs down: A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

Mona is a normal 14-year-old working in her aunt Tabitha's bakery who happens to be a wizard -- but her magic only works through bread and dough. One early morning, she heads into the bakery as normal... only to find a dead body in the middle of the kitchen. Mona is taken to the palace for questioning and eventually released, and she thinks that's the end of it, but it's clear that not all is well in the city. The girl killed in the bakery was a wizard, too, and soon Mona realizes that other wizards are being killed or disappearing. When Mona is attacked, she must go into hiding with her street urchin friend Spindle. Soon Mona is called upon to help the city -- and she needs to push her baking skills to the limit.

One of the most fun, original fantasies I've read in a long time! Mona is a sassy, plucky young heroine who learns to believe in herself and her abilities without ever seeming like she's not a kid. I loved the quirky magic and fun side characters. 5 stars.

62 ROOTs down: Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

It's the post-Civil War Reconstruction era... except in this universe, there was never time for any reconstructing. Instead, humanity has been struggling to survive as a plague started affecting the dead, causing them to rise up and attempt to consume living flesh. Jane is studying to become an attendant, a Black young lady who accompanies young white women and stops any dead from harming her. The powerful men of Baltimore claim that the city is free of the walking dead now, and that the need for attendants is decreasing, but Jane has done her own surveillance and isn't so sure she believes them. As Jane struggles to make sense of a world that's stacked against her, it soon becomes clear that those at the top are much more corrupt than she thought -- and Jane's going to have to fight with all her might to make sure that she and her friends survive.

I'm not always big into zombies, but I thought this was super well done. Loved the concept and couldn't put it down. Must acquire the sequel! 4 stars, just because I don't think I loved it enough to want to reread it in the future.

63 ROOTs down: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

In the early 1940s, at the height of anti-Japanese sentiment, 12-year-old Henry's father makes him wear a button stating "I Am Chinese," so he won't be lumped in with the Japanese population that lives nearby in Japantown. Henry is the only Asian kid at Ranier middle school in Seattle, and he attends on scholarship, serving lunch to the white kids who regularly bully him. Until one day another Asian girl starts at Ranier -- her name is Keiko, and she is Japanese. Initially suspicious, as his father has taught him, Henry soon forms a bond with Keiko, one that grows ever stronger as Keiko's family and other Japanese families are taken off forcibly to internment camps. In 1986, Henry is a widower with a college-aged son, and the Seattle Times has announced that boxes and chests full of Japanese family belongings have been discovered in the basement of the long-closed Panama hotel, forgotten and never claimed after the Japanese were sent away. Henry is transported back to the past and his friendship with Keiko, and starts to reopen a chapter of his life he thought closed forever.

Loved this! A little sentimental in places, but not in a bad way, and I think the author accurately portrays the sentiments of the time. I enjoyed the Seattle aspect of the story quite a bit. 4.5 stars.

64 ROOTs down: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Somewhere in South America, a party is held to celebrate the birthday of a wealthy Japanese businessman, featuring the talented opera singer Roxanne Coss. But everything goes horribly wrong when the party is taken over by terrorists and turned into a hostage situation. The terrorists are not terribly organized, and their plan soon goes awry. When their demands are not met, the terrorists and the outside world come to a stand-off. Trapped in a mansion together, the terrorists and the hostages begin an uneasy coexistence, existing in a delicate world all of their own -- and none of them know what will happen when that world ceases to exist.

What a story -- I started and finished this on the plane ride home, unable to put it down. There's so much tension, and yet parts are remarkably peaceful. This is my first Patchett but it won't be my last. 4.5 stars.

>228 curioussquared: I really enjoyed Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet as well.

Hello Natalie!

I love all books by T. Kingfisher

Trying to catch up on threads again. I want to wish you

>230 Caramellunacy: It was a good one!

>231 connie53: I need to read more T. Kingfisher, clearly! Thanks for stopping by, Connie -- happy holidays and happy new year!

I have a few more ROOTs done and hope to finish one more before the end of the year!



65 ROOTs down: Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern by Anne McCaffrey

Moreta is the Weyrwoman at Fort Weyr with her golden dragon Orlith. They are within seven years of the end of threadfall for the foreseeable future, and she and the rest of the inhabitants of Pern are feeling celebratory and excited for the new era. But the day after most of the population attends a season's gather celebration, news breaks out that there is a terrible disease upon Pern, brought from the southern continent by an infectious wildcat captured and brought back by a ship. As the disease spreads at an incredible pace, taking down more and more people, Moreta knows they must contain it or they will not have the population necessary to combat the threadfall that so threatens their existence. She's willing to do anything -- even risk her own health and safety.

It's been a long time since I've read any Pern books, aside from the Harper Hall trilogy which I probably read relatively recently. This was on my list of books to read this year just by virtue of its having been on my shelves unread for so long. I knew it was something of a prequel, based on a legend or song referenced in the main Pern timeline, but that didn't mean much to me since it's been so long since I've read the original books. What I didn't know is that it was literally just a book about a pandemic; I probably wouldn't have picked it up had I known. It was fine; I actually really enjoyed the first quarter, and it made me remember why I so enjoyed the original Pern books. But it really got fairly technical after that, with lots of quarantines and treatment options and vaccine development, and was much closer to home than I want my escapist fiction to be right now. 3.5 stars.

66 ROOTs down: The Last True Poets of the Sea by Julia Drake

Violet is descended from the survivor of a shipwreck, her great great great grandmother Fidelia, who made it to shore and went on to found the town of Lyric, Maine. As a child, she, her brother Sam, and her parents would spend summers in Lyric, and she and Sam used to hunt for the wreck of the Lyric, which was never found. Now sixteen, Violet has gotten into sex, drinking, and drugs in her normal life in New York -- but all of that is pushed to the side when Sam, who is autistic and depressed and has always had trouble fitting in, tries to kill himself. While Sam is sent to a rehab center in Vermont, Violet is sent off to Lyric to spend the summer with her uncle Toby so she's out of the way, volunteering at the seen-better-days Lyric Aquarium. Violet's not sure what she's going to do with herself for a whole summer in Lyric, but she soon finds herself drawn into the history of her peculiar family and sharing her findings with new friends, as she learns more about her family's past, Lyric's past, and her family's future.

I think I found this via my local indie where it was a staff pick. I think it would work for fans of John Green; there are similar elements. I wanted to really love this book, but I think I more just really liked it; while I was very engaged and read it quickly, I didn't fall in love with any of the characters and I don't think I'd reread it. 4 stars.

67 ROOTs down: A Sudden Wild Magic by Diana Wynne Jones

The UK has always been protected by the Ring, a secretive group of powerful magic users who have quietly been averting crisis after crisis for years. Lately, global warming has been on their minds, and they're at a loss to fight it. Until one member of the Ring, Mark, realizes that the global warming crisis wasn't actually created by humans, but by mages in another world in another universe. These mages have actually been using Earth as their personal experimentation world -- if they have a problem on their world, they manufacture the same problem on Earth, and then steal whatever solution Earth's mages and scientists come up with to fix it. The members of the Ring are aghast, and must come up with a solution to stop the pirate mages. Soon, the Ring has gathered a group of women for its mission, and they're ready to use whatever wiles they need to distract the all-male group of pirate mages.

Sob -- this was my last unread Diana Wynne Jones book :( It's kind of a weird one -- this one is aimed at adults, unlike the vast majority of her fiction. There are lots of similar themes to many of her books -- parallel universes, analogue human counterparts, etc. It took me a little to get into, but I was captivated by the end. I will say that for me, the written for adults aspect manifested in just a little of the DWJ charm being missing. Many of the characters were less likeable and less forgivable because they were adults rather than children. But still, a reliably wacky, creative experience of a read. 4 stars.

A few life updates: We had Christmas eve as usual with a smaller group of family than usual, about 10 of us. Christmas didn't go as planned when my mom called me first thing in the morning to let me know my brother, who was at our gathering the night before, tested positive for COVID. So we had isolation Christmas instead :( Tim and I got tested yesterday and will hopefully get results back today. We're hoping to have a makeup Christmas in a few weeks.

>236 curioussquared: I hope your results come back quickly and you've avoided the covid. That's sad about your family non-Christmas :(

>236 curioussquared: Oh no, how awful! I hope you manage to stay COVID-free and that your brother's case is mild.

>237 Jackie_K: >238 rabbitprincess: Thanks, friends! Our tests came back negative which is great news.

>239 curioussquared: Good to hear that, Natalie.

>239 curioussquared: Phew! Happy new year!

>240 connie53: Thanks, Connie!

>241 Jackie_K: Thanks, Jackie! Happy new year to you as well :)

Reporting what will certainly be my last ROOT of the year:



68 ROOTs down: Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia A. McKillip

In the kingdom of Raine, Nepenthe was found as a baby by the royal librarians and taken in as a ward of the library, earning her keep by training as a transcriptionist and translator of foreign alphabets. Now 16, she happens to tag along one day with a fellow ward to the floating school of magic, where the mages have a text that none can decipher. When Nepenthe lays her hand on the book, with its mysterious thorny writing, she is compelled: rather than give the book to the head librarians, she conceals it, pretends to all that the mages ended up translating it themselves and never gave it to her, and obsessively hides away deep in the library to work on translating the language herself. Meanwhile, a new queen has been crowned at the young age of 14, and her subjects and counselors are finding her lacking. Civil war is threatening as the 12 crowns of Raine sense the opportunity to seize power. As the queen stumbles through the days with the help of the ancient mage Vevay, she is warned at every turn against thorns, and soon her attempts to save Raine bring her to Nepenthe and her mystery book.

What a lovely way to finish out the year. Gorgeous, lyrical prose and a fairy tale of a story, with a library that reminded me of the library of the Clayr in Lirael. I always forget how much I like McKillip until I read another of her novels and fall under the spell of her words again. 5 stars.

Mrs. McKillip is great writer.

I love that cover!

I saw you new thread in the 2022 group and starred it. See you over there.

>244 connie53: I love the cover too, Connie! I still need to set up my ROOTs thread, so you probably saw my 75ers thread. But you're welcome to follow me both places, since I post about my non-ROOTs in my 75ers thread and am just generally more active over there.

Well, I won't be in the 75-ers this year. Too fast and too overwhelming for my taste. It almost took my joy away from LT discussions and that can't be the intention of LT groups.

>246 connie53: Totally get it -- the 75ers can be super overwhelming. I have to choose a selection of threads to follow -- no way to keep up with all of them!

>246 connie53: I looked over the 75 group at one point and shied away from it for the exact reason you mention. I post my "off the shelf" books here and all of my books in the 50-Book Challenge group, which if anything is underwhelming these days. Conversation has fallen off quite a bit and many people simply list their books without commenting on them. Still conversations do arise from time to time, and I enjoy having a "counting thread" to keep track of numbers. I also post in Club Read, which I find nicely robust without the overwhelming aspects of the 75ers. To each his/her/their own!

>247 curioussquared:,>248 rocketjk: Happy to hear I'm not the only one who feels that way. Maybe I will try the 50-book group. But that may be to quit for me. It's a good thing the ROOTers are allowed to do what they feel comfortable with:
List your books and/or take part in conversations when they occur. That's why I follow all threads and have fun with them.