NOVEMBER/DECEMBER ROOT - Progress Thread

The last fountains are the Fountains at Versailles













There are 55 fountains in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles. These are fed by over 20 miles of water pipes and 620 water jets, and are a central feature of the estate's extensive formal gardens.

The fountains of Versailles, built in the 17th century for King Louis XIV, are a major feature of the palace gardens, showcasing the power and wealth of the monarch through over 50 fountains. Key fountains include the Fountain of Apollo, depicting the sun god rising from the sea, the Latona Fountain, illustrating the myth of Latona and the Lycians, and the large Neptune Fountain, the largest of all the fountain pools. The complex is supported by an elaborate hydraulic system, which originally used the power of the Seine River, and features many other notable fountains like the Dragon Fountain and the Water Walk.

My apologies to everyone but my schedule just got so busy that every time I told myself I was going to do this, something else popped up.

Ameise1 10 / 10 100.0%
AnishaInkspill 55 / 55 100.0%
AstroKnight BLANK / 0 #VALUE!
atozgrl 27 / 25 108.0%
benitastarnd 70 / 75 ★★ 93.3%
Bookbrained 52 60 ★ 86.7%
brakketh BLANK / 0
Caramellunacy BLANK / 0
Carmenere 26 / 25 104.0%
Cecilturtle 57 / 75 76.0%
clue 41 / 35 117.1%
Coach_of_Alva 39 / 40 ★★ 97.5%
connie53 60 / 36 166.7%
crazy4reading 16 / 25 64.0%
curioussquared 55 / 58 ★★ 94.8%
CurrerBell 31 / 48 64.6%
cyderry 53 / 72 73.6%
deep220 19 / 25 76.0%
detailmuse 28 / 40 70.0%
DisassemblyOfReason 42 / 75 56.0%
EGBERTINA 152 / 25 608.0%
Familyhistorian 59 / 65 ★ 90.8%
floremolla 15 / 40 37.5%
fuzzi 8 / 20 40.0%
HelenBaker 41 / 48 ★ 85.4%
Henrik_Madsen 37 / 50 74.0%
humouress 16 / 25 64.0%
Jackie_K 45 / 48 ★★ 93.8%
jlaforte BLANK / 0
kac522 73 / 75 ★★ 97.3%
karenmarie BLANK / 0
Kyler_Marie 32 / 60 53.3%
KWharton BLANK / 0
Lealeab BLANK / 0
lindapanzo 84 / 84 100.0%
madhatter22 32 / 45 71.1%
majkia 76 / 70 108.6%
martencat 16 / 18 ★ 88.9%
MissWatson 93 / 100 ★★ 93.0%
Nonconformisto 23 / 15 153.3%
nebula21 4 / 5 80.0%
nvblue BLANK / 0
QuestingA 30 / 50 60.0%
rabbitprincess 42 / 50 ★ 84.0%
Rebeki 31 / 30 103.3%
ritacate 30 / 15 200.0%
Robertgreaves 75 / 72 104.2%
sallylou61 19 / 24 79.2%
si 17 / 35 48.6%
torontoc 15 / 30 50.0%
twogreys 15 / 24 62.5%
wandaly 22 / 25 ★ 88.0%
weemanda BLANK / 0

here are those who have met their goals - ritacate, Nonconformisto, majkia, connie53, clue and EGBERTINA were joined by Robertgreaves, Ameise1,Carmenere, Rebeki, atozgrl, AnishaInkspill, and lindapanzo!




THIS IS THE LAST PUSH FOR OUR GOAL!

I have removed those who have not posted anything in the last 6 months and have not reached
at least 50% of their goal.

Anyone with stars are still lined up to reach their goals. Good luck everyone.

Go dig those ROOTS!

>1 cyderry: Fun fact: All the fountains could not run at once. So when Louis XIV went for a walk, there would be a secret scout who would let the gardeners know when he was coming so that they could action the fountains on his path. I don't know if Louis was ever the wiser :D

Thank you for all your hard work over the years, Chèli

>1 cyderry: I like the last fountain with the horses looking as though they're riding out of the sea. I'm guessing that's the Fountain of Apollo? in which case I suppose it depicts sunrise.

>1 cyderry: Thank you for the lovely pictures, Chèli. I have been to Versailles twice, but the fountains were not playing then.
I am very confident I can reach my goal this month, I have finished one book already.

>1 cyderry: No worries, Chèli. We really appreciate everything you do for the group.

I love the fountain pictures from Versailles! Those are some amazing fountains.

Reporting my first ROOT for November and my 17th for the year. Only my ticker updated.

I've just added my first ROOT for November (#46 for the year) to my own ticker.

Great to see those fountains and thank you, Chèli, for all the work you put into the stats of our group.

Beginning work on 2026 ROOT. There were 2 suggestions for themes - Birds or Cheese.

Would like to know which you all prefer. If we choose BIRDS we could concentrate on endangered species or just all birds. If we did CHEESE we could exchange recipes that include the Cheese of the Month.

We could also do a Bird and Cheese each thread.

I will set up for voting. Please vote only in the affirmative for one.

Yes = any birds
No= not this theme
Undecided = Endangered species

Yes = any cheese, 2 a thread
No = Cheese is not my thing
Undecided = Definitely with recipes!

Yes= I like both!!
No= Too much to absorb.
Undecided = would be okay with me.

>13 cyderry: Just FYI, LibraryThing has a new way to create polls (bottom right corner of a post) which is more flexible: https://www.librarything.com/topic/374200#8960204

To be honest, I don't usually create polls but you might be able to get everything into one poll.

I voted both, but I am not sure what you have in mind. Does 'both' mean every introduction features both birds and cheese or do we alternate between birds and cheese through the year?

>17 Robertgreaves: We would have a bird and a cheese for each thread.

>18 cyderry: Thank you for the clarification

Finished ROOT # 61 for the year, # 1 for November

Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire

Own tickers updated

Finished ROOT # 62 for the year, # 2 for November

De wintertuin by Kristin Hannah

Own tickers updated

Reporting my second ROOT for November which takes me to a total of 18 for the year so far.

Only my ticker updated.

I just finished ROOT #99, only one more to go! I hope this will happen before Sunday.

Success!! I have reached my goal. But I will continue ROOTing until the end of the year.

>24 MissWatson: Congratulations!

>25 humouress: Thank you!

>24 MissWatson: Awesome. Nice job!

>24 MissWatson: Way to GO!

It seems that birds have more votes at this time. So don't forget to vote if you haven't.

Next question is in regard to the Status threads. My life has gotten a bit busier now that I'm more settled here in SC (more activities, more travel, etc.) so that I don't even think I will reach my goal for the first time 😭.

So please let me know how you feel about a 2 month or quarterly status thread.YES = 2 Months together is fine.
NO = I prefer updates every month.
UNDECIDED = Quarterly (every 3 months) would be okay

Congrats, Birgit! Job wel done

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finished ROOT # 63 for the year, # 3 for November

Eus - Özcan Akyol

Own tickers updated

>29 cyderry: I voted for 2-monthly but really it's up to you, Chèli, and whatever fits in best with your life.

>27 Nonconformisto: >28 cyderry: >30 connie53: Thanks!
>29 cyderry: Two months is fine by me, Chèli. Books can always wait.

>24 MissWatson: That's awesome! 100 ROOTs is impressive! Congratulations

>33 Cecilturtle: Thank you!

I've added ROOT #2 for November (#47 for the year, so only one more to go to meet my goal) to my own ticker only.

Reporting my third ROOT of November which takes me to a total of 19 for the year so far (of a goal of 25)

Only my own ticker updated.

>29 cyderry: Just to clarify, does that mean that the stats at the top of the thread will only be updated every 2 months/ quarterly/ or whatever?

As I'm unlikely to fit in another ROOT before the end of the month, here is my report for November 2025:

UpROOTED books: 7 ROOTs
ROOTless books: 4
Added to the treebook TBR shelves: 11

The ROOTs were:

The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei
Love Does by Bob Goff (DNF)
Choice Theory: A Very Short Introduction by Michael Allingham (DNF)
Steal Across the Sky by Nancy Kress
Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Stone & Sky by Ben Aaronovitch
Six Tudor Queens: Katheryn Howard The Tainted Queen by Alison Weir

ROOTs in YTD: 82 (49% of books this year have been ROOTs)

Personal ticker updated

I've added ROOT #3 for November to my own ticker, and with that reached my goal of 48 ROOTs for the year. I'm hoping to add at least 4 more in December.

Well done, Jackie. Congratulations

>39 Jackie_K: Congrats, Jackie!

Congrats, Jackie!

>39 Jackie_K: Congratulations!

>39 Jackie_K: Nice job, Jackie!

>39 Jackie_K: Congratulations, Jackie! That's a significant number of ROOTs too.

For my own November reading, I finished 7 ROOTs this month, which is the most I've done in one month since joining the ROOTs challenge. That brings my total to 33 for the year, 8 past my goal. I should be able to finish several more before the end of the year.

My personal ticker has been updated.

I have read 11 ROOTs this month and I am now at 105/100. My own ticker is up-to-date.

I had 8 ROOTS for November. No tickers updated.

The books for November are as follows:
6 Fiction: Trouble For Lucia by E. F. Benson
Make Way for Lucia by E. F. Benson
Central Station by Lavie Tidhar
Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by Jeff Gottsfeld - this is a children's picture book and I read it aloud to our Sunday School kids
Ode to a Banker by Lindsey Davis
Sage of Waterloo: A Tale by Leona Francombe

2 Nonfiction: Richest Man Who Ever Lived: The Life and Times of Jacob Fugger by Greg Steinmetz
Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens's Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits by Les Standiford

I think that with these entries I met my goal of 75 ROOTS for the year. I am much later getting my ROOTing done than in past years and I am not sure why, but it may have something to do with having a part-time job.

>47 benitastrnad: Congratulations Benita. Well done.

>47 benitastrnad: Congratulations! 75 ROOTs is a lot.

>47 benitastrnad: Congratulations!

>47 benitastrnad: Congratulations!

>37 humouress: yes, individual numbers updated every 2 months. I will try to keep the group tickers updated more frequently.

I've added my first ROOT for December (#49 for the year) to my own ticker only.

Edited the next day - and that's the second one down, so #50 for the year.

congrats to all for achiving your roots, I had a prob had a prob with my ticker but liked this challenge.

@connie53, thanks for your message on my root thread, I've replied to say I didn't get it working and was wondering if adding emoji's as my count would work next year?

I explain: It's just that I spend too much time trouble tech when I would rather just read my books.

If this would be helpful. If not, that's fine too, I just thought I'd ask.

>54 AnishaInkspill: You can just put a note on the progress thread of your status at the end of the month if you have ticker problems. Just let us know how far you are toward your goal.

Finished ROOT # 64 for the year, # 1 for December

Murder in the Storybook Cottage by Ellery Adams

Own tickers updated

>54 AnishaInkspill:

Saw your message to late. Chèli did answer your question.

I've finished #42 out of 76 total reads, with a goal of 50% ROOTs. I don't do tickers, just count my percentages, and I'm at 55%. Goal reached!

>55 cyderry: ok, will do that for next year

>57 connie53: no worries

I've added my 3rd ROOT for December (#51 for the year) to my own ticker only.

Today I have finished my 115th ROOT of 2025, and that will be my final number. I am leaving tomorrow to spend the holidays with my sister, as usual, and I’ll be offline. I will be back in January for another year of ROOTing.

Happy Holidays to all my fellow ROOTers!

Have a good trip, Birgit, and enjoy the end-of-year celebrations

I have finished two more ROOTs this month, for 35 for the year, 10 more than my original goal. My personal ticker has been updated.

I'm currently reading one more ROOT, and I may finish it before the end of this year. But like Birgit, we'll be leaving in a couple of days, and I will probably be offline for the rest of the year, so I may not be able to make another update before January. If I can, I will, but I might not have a chance.

Wishing you all happy holidays, however you prefer to celebrate!

Sorry my ticker was not working - it was displaying OK for me today, so I hope it's OK now. I have read 11/12 ROOTs, and I should finish the last one on 31 December, so I will reach my goal!

Summary of 2025 - by not being online or posting I’ve made it to 18 out of 18 ROOTS with 5 days to spare! My ticker has been updated.

Chèli, thank you for your hard work this year.

I'm not likely to finish any more books in December but still managed 6 ROOTs. My ticker is up to date.

My year total is 68, 7 short of my planned 75. I'm pretty happy with my result although it looks as though I've not made a dent in my piles.

See you in 2026!

It was more difficult this year but I finally made it to my ROOTs goal of 65. My ticker has been updated.

Finished ROOT # 65 for the year, # 2 for December

This will be the last ROOT for the year.

Pies and Prejudice by Ellery Adams

Own tickers updated

I have achieved my goal and updated my ticker! I'll be back in 2026 - see you there.

Hi everyone. I achieved my goal and some. I read 61 of my own books with a target of 48. So I am very pleased as with some self restrait I have redced my TBR to 332, the lowest it has been in many years. I willefinitely be back for next years challenge and like the bird theme.

Yes! Just before deadline, I managed to finish my 50th ROOT to reach my goal. I'm so pleased with that after a couple of years coming up short!

Happy new year everyone.

Well done everyone! I'm hoping to finish one more ROOT today which will get me to 22 of my target of 25.

Here is my report for December 2025:

UpROOTED books: 11 ROOTs
ROOTless books: 6
Added to the treebook TBR shelves: 3

The ROOTs were:

Look Up, Handsome by Jack Strange
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Postmodernism: A Very Short Introduction by Christopher Butler
Arthur and Teddy Are Coming Out by Ryan Love
The Radleys by Matt Haig
Confessions of A Shopaholic by Sophia Kinsella
Hi, Honey, I'm Homo by Matt Baume
Vera Wong's Guide To Snooping (On A Dead Man) by Jesse Sutanto
The Shortest Day by Colm Tóibín
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Quartet In Autumn by Barbara Pym

ROOTs in 2025: 93 (51% of books this year have been ROOTs)

Personal ticker updated

Congratulations to all who've reached their goals

🎉

See you in 2026 and to all a Happy and Healthy New Year! 🎆

Congrats for all who've reached their goals from me too. See you next year and be safe!

I had 7 ROOT's for December. No ticker's updated. I should have a total of 84 ROOTS for 2025. Not as many as I wanted, but I did clear some books of my shelves.

I won't get another book read before the calendar rolls over to a new year, so here is my last posting for 2025 ROOTing.

Fiction ROOTS for December were: Long Summer Day by R. F. Delderfield
Language of Trees by Ilie Ruby
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
Tooth and Claw: A Longmire Story by Craig Johnson
West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
Red Widow by Alma Katsu

Recorded Books: Bruno and the Carol Singers by Martin Walker

Had a late rush of books between October and December, bringing my total to 38/40 for 2025.

Must do better in 2026. My daughter advises that my NY resolutions (improve fitness, see more of my old friends, and such-like) are not 'smart' (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound). Turns out my LT Roots list is the nearest thing to a smart objective in my life, currently, so I will be extra mindful when setting goals for 2026 ;)

Happy New Year to all, and thanks to Chèli once again for hosting!

Happy New Year to everybody. See you ROOTing in 2026.

Total is now 56/75 for 2025.

Squeezed in one last ROOT. After making sure my numbers were up to date for the past two months, I am now well past my goal, with 65 ROOTs of 50 read. See you next year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR FOR 2026 to all ROOTERS

All the very best for my fellow ROOTers in 2026!

Finally hit my goal of 48 right at year's end.

I added one more ROOT (#52 for the year) so that's my final total for 2025.

My ticker stopped working at the very end, but I ended my year with 80 ROOTs. Happy new year everyone!

Working on end of year numbers as well as 2026 group.

Hang in there!

The 2026 group has been created as well as the ticker thread.
Y'all are free to create your personal threads and add your tickers to the ticker thread.

PLEASE, PLEASE DO NOT USE THE SAME TICKER AS LAST YEAR.
When you do, it will start to fail because of age.

Please create an entirely new ticker - you can use the same the ruler and slider as before, it just needs new codes.

Thank you.

https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/25023/2026-ROOT-Challenge

>87 cyderry: Woo hoo!!!! Thanks, Chèli! :D

Here are our final totals for 2025!




Ameise1 10 / 10 100.0%
AnishaInkspill 55 / 55 100.0%
atozgrl 35 / 25 140.0%
benitastarnd 84 / 75 112.0%
Bookbrained 62 60 103.3%
Carmenere 29 / 25 116.0%
Cecilturtle 68 / 75 90.7%
clue 46 / 35 131.4%
Coach_of_Alva 51 / 40 127.5%
connie53 65 / 36 180.6%
crazy4reading 16 / 25 64.0%
curioussquared 55 / 58 94.8%
CurrerBell 48 / 48 100.0%
cyderry 58 / 72 80.6%
deep220 19 / 25 76.0%
detailmuse 33 / 40 82.5%
DisassemblyOfReason 56 / 75 74.7%
EGBERTINA 160 / 25 640.0%
Familyhistorian 65 / 65 100.0%
floremolla 24 / 40 60.0%
fuzzi 8 / 20 40.0%
HelenBaker 61 / 48 127.1%
Henrik_Madsen 50 / 50 100.0%
humouress 20 / 25 80.0%
Jackie_K 52 / 48 108.3%
kac522 80 / 75 106.7%
Kyler_Marie 36 / 60 60.0%
KWharton 12 / 12 100.0%
lindapanzo 100 / 84 119.0%
madhatter22 33 / 45 73.3%
majkia 76 / 70 108.6%
martencat 19 / 18 105.6%
MissWatson 115 / 100 115.0%
Nonconformisto 25 / 15 166.7%
nebula21 4 / 5 80.0%
QuestingA 38 / 50 76.0%
rabbitprincess 65 / 50 130.0%
Rebeki 39 / 30 130.0%
ritacate 32 / 15 213.3%
Robertgreaves 93 / 72 129.2%
rocketjk 22 / 25 88.0%
sallylou61 19 / 24 79.2%
si 27 / 35 77.1%
torontoc 15 / 30 50.0%
twogreys 24 / 24 100.0%
wandaly 25 / 25 100.0%

As you can see there were a great number of our members that reached their goal. 25 of 45 participants at the end. I congratulate everyone on their efforts.

I apologize to those that reached their goal at the end - I forgot to keep a list so that they could be recognized for their achievement.

2025 was a very bad reading year for me and I neglected my duties here at ROOT.
Please forgive me, I hope to do better in 2026

Happy 2026, all! Chèli, we are so grateful for you!

Thank you for organizing us, Cheli!

oops- put into new thread

>89 cyderry: Thanks Chéli!

(If it helps the final group total, I did get to 21 ROOTs out of 25 finally, but didn't update my ticker.)

See you in the 2026 group!

Great job Chéli. And thank you for all the work you have done in the pas years.

Now to the 2026 fast.

Thank you, Chéli! I appreciate all that you do! I'll keep going in 2026.