BJ's ROOT 2016

Happy New Year! I'm excited to start a new year of reading. I think I will up my goal to 20. I will add a ticker here, soon.

Just curious, I recently got a kindle and it already has books on it. Does the digital bookshelf also count?

OK, not a real ticker:

I++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++(45)

When you want to, they do. You can make your one rules, BJ.

Happy ROOTing and Happy New Year.

Welcome back and good luck! And yes, count whatever books you want! :)

Good luck with your ROOT reading!

I count my digital shelves, BJ. Hope you have a great reading and ROOTing year in 2016.

I count digital books too - particularly as these days I'm more likely to buy a cheap ebook than a full priced paper book.

Happy reading!

Good luck with your reading!

Welcome & Happy 2016 ROOTing!
I also count digital books... so long as they are non-duplicates of physical books I own...

Thanks, everyone, for the feedback on the digital books, and just in the nick of time, too.

1. Something Beautiful for God by Malcolm Muggeridge. This little book provided insight into Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity and how they were and are able to do what they do for the poorest of the poor. It was a beautiful book.

2. Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke. An e-book! And already deleted from my digital bookshelf. If only the regular books disappeared so easily. This book started a bit slowly for me, but by the end I thought it was quite good. The way the book began, I thought the story would be different. Surprises are a good thing, I think.

Welcome back and Happy ROOTing!

Thank you!

Here are the rest of my January books:
3. Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho. I love the way Coelho writes, although I did prefer The Alchemist.
4. The Hidden Power of Kindness by Lawrence G. Lovisik. It's always good to have a goal. I don't think I can fully meet this one.
5. My First Murder by Leena Lehtolainen. This was an e-book. It is the first Maria Kallio murder mystery. I warmed up to it, and I will give the second book a try.
6. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis. This book from the Chronicles of Narnia was fun.

So, 6 books in January.

>12 billiejean: 6 books read sound like a real good start, BJ.

Yeah, great job!
Also, I "heart" your "ticker" ;)

Thank you, both! The low tech ticker is just easier, but not as cute.

>15 billiejean: but gets buku points for creativity!

I like the sound of that. I was thinking it wasn't creative at all.

I'm in the middle of several books. I need to finish one.

Here are my February books -- sorry so late!
7. Blankets by Craig Thompson. I did not really care for this graphic novel. I don't think this is the style of book for me.
8. Earthbound by Mari Collier. This book was compared to the movie Cowboys and Aliens, which I liked. This was a fun book, and I will probably read the sequel.
9. The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett. What took me so long! I loved this first Discworld book. It was hilarious!
10. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. This was one of my favorite books ever. I loved it.

That is all for February. So 4 books.

>18 billiejean:

Glad you loved Les Miserables! Welcome to the fan club! It's been my favorite book since middle school! That book transformed my reading life.

>18 billiejean: congrats on 4 more ROOTs pulled! Looks like you found some great ones!

>18 billiejean: and >19 lilisin: you know, I've never been particularly compelled to read Les Miserables ... I wasn't in love with the musical. But perhaps I will have to reconsider....

I'm not really a musical person myself. But I did love the book.

Here are my March books (just to stay on track with late!):

11. Troubling a Star by Madeleine L'Engle. I did enjoy this YA book, especially since it involves both spies and Antarctica! (This book is so old it is falling apart!)
12. The Story of a Soul by Therese of Lisieux. I finally read this famous work.
13. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Atwood is always thought-provoking.
14. 33 Days to Morning Glory by Michael E. Gaitley, MIC. This is a great read for Marian Consecration.
15. The Way of Humility by Pope Francis. This short book was also thought-provoking.

So, only 5 this month. Still not too bad for this year.

That's great progress!

Agreed! :)

Very good job, BJ!

Thanks so much for the encouragement!

Here are my books for April:
16. Lent and Easter Wisdom from St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi compiled by John V. Kruse. I thought this was a good choice since we have Pope Francis, who took his name from St. Francis of Assisi.
17. The Chrysalids by John Wyndham. Another great creepy tale from Wyndham.
18. 9 Days to Deeper Prayer Life with the Holy Spirit by John-Paul and Annie Deddens. They started praymorenovenas.com.
19. Spiritual Combat by Lorenzo Scupoli. Thought-provoking.
20. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling. A great final book to this series. I have finally read the series that the rest of the world finished years ago. :)
21. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie. Another great read! I really enjoyed this mystery.
22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. I can see why this won the Pulitzer. A terrific read!

Well, I think April was a good month for me with so many great reads.
7 books total.

Looks like a great April! Glad to hear about The Chrysalids. I think that one's on my to-read list.

You had a great April, best wishes that May proves equally so!

>25 billiejean: so cool that you finally read Harry Potter! I assume you enjoyed them since you read all the way to the end :)
The other books look great too, and I agree, a great month!

Thank you, everyone. I loved Harry Potter.

Here are my books for May:
23. The Drawing of the Three Dark Tower II by Stephen King. This was a terrific read! I'm excited about the characters and the future of this series.
24. Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith. I enjoyed this next installment in the No. 1 Ladies Detective series. I have two more of these books to look forward to reading.
25. Journal of a Soul: The Autobiography of Pope John XXIII translated by Dorothy M. White. This book was very readable.
26. Summer Knight by Jim Butcher. I love these Dresden files books! And I also have three more of these hanging around.
27. Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence by Fr. Jean Baptiste Saint-Jure and St. Claude la Colombiere. This was a quick read, but thought-provoking.
28. A Mercy by Toni Morrison. This book was full of great characters and a good story. I enjoyed this one.

So, six books for May and my goal was 20, so I passed that last month without realizing it.

Congratulations!

>30 billiejean: oooooh I can't wait to get back to the Dark Tower series! Glad you're enjoying it!

And Congratulations on making your goal!

Thank you so much! For a change, I am having a good reading year. Also, it has become a bit of a priority in my house to scale down all the books.

>33 billiejean: whatever works! ;)
I've been going in the opposite direction, but I REALLY need to pump those brakes!

Congrats on reaching your goal, Billiejean.

Thank you! I went to a seminar and returned with 6 books. Is there really any help for this problem?

>36 billiejean: No I don't think so. And if there was, would you really want it?

>36 billiejean: >37 connie53: lol I agree... no external help ;)
And really, is collecting books really all that bad? :)

Well, my cluttered house says it is a problem. If only I could read faster than the books come in and then get rid of them. As it is, I read more than I should neglecting other things I need to do. Help!

>39 billiejean: I guess yes, it could actually be a problem ;)
In my universe, I'm not there yet... x-D

I truly thought I would never get there. And I'm coming around kicking and screaming.

lol however you accomplish it ;)
I'll likely join you in a few months... kicking and screaming, that is...

A friend of mine was complaining that his wife bought a book I mentioned. I told him that I was no help to him in discouraging book purchases. I have the same issue myself.

Here are my books for June:
29. The Silver Branch by Rosemary Sutcliff. This book is the sequel to Eagle of the Ninth. I thought it was a wonderful read, and I can't wait for the third book in the series.
30. On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. I've been meaning to read this since 2008. Biology is not my best subject, but I thought this book was pretty understandable.
31. The Way of Perfection by St. Teresa of Avila. A spiritual classic.

That's it. Only three books this month.

Nothing wrong with quality over quantity :) Hope you have a good reading month for July!

Thank you and to you as well.

Hi, just popping in to see what you have been reading, BJ.

Thanks for stopping by, Connie! I hope to post my list for July Monday. I have a book that I'm hoping to finish. But it will be down to the wire.

32. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. I enjoyed revisiting this book my dad read to me many years ago.
33. Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling. I don't recall my dad reading this companion volume, so I enjoyed reading it (although I had heard a few of the stories).
34. The 12 Steps to Holiness and Salvation by St. Alphonsus Liguori. I thought this book was quite good, but might have been better read one chapter a month rather than all at the same time the way I read it.
35. The Privilege of Being a Woman by Alice von Hildebrand. Not my favorite book.
36. Blood Meridian or the Evening Redness of the West by Cormac McCarthy. These books are quite violent, but I love the way McCarthy writes. I did prefer the Border Trilogy to this one.

So 5 books for July.

Yeah!!!

This is the best reading year I have had in a long, long time.

>51 billiejean: that's wonderful! I love having those years :)

Me, too. And I think getting the kindle helped. Also, more time to read.

Only three books in August:
37. Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis. I have finally read this classic.
38. The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster. This was quite different than I was expecting. The last book of the trilogy was my favorite.
39. The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke. This is the first of the Dave Robicheaux books, and it's a great, fun read.

I hope to keep whittling away at those old books. My house needs more room.

>54 billiejean: lol don't they all? For us bibliophiles anyway.... ;)

I keep rearranging in the hopes that all will fit. No luck so far!

Three books for September:
40. Neuromancer by William Gibson. It took me a little while to get into this, but I enjoyed it overall.
41. The Holy Bible New American Edition. It took me almost 8 years, but I have finally read the Bible that my children gave me cover to cover.
42.Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. This book referenced Neuromancer which I had just read. It was fun, but I preferred Neuromancer.

>57 billiejean: wow, what a feat! Congrats on reading the Bible!!
And interesting having read Neuromancer and Ready Player One in the same month :)
Neuromancer is on my shelves, but I've already read (and really enjoyed!) Ready Player One :)

Thanks! I have only read one book in October:
43. The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter. Rewrites of fairy tales and scary stories.

>59 billiejean: (I only read 0, so you're still doing better than I am ;))

I always slow down towards the end of the year.

Only 2 in November:
44. Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2016 by the Irish Jesuits. I enjoyed this book.
45. The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald.

I keep reading new books instead of old ones. And I really do need to get some books out of here! :)

Hee hee, it's fair - they're so shiny & distracting! ;)

I find it impossible to just stick with what I have, even though what I have was once shiny and distracting. I haven't read anything for December yet.

A Merry Christmas, Happy Solstice and a Kewl Yule to you and yours, BJ

Thank you! I was in Honduras visiting family and no computer. It's so nice to see the holiday wishes now that I'm back!

I have no ROOTS for December.

Happy New Year, everyone!