OCTOBER ROOT - Progress Thread

Each month I've been choosing the library or museum because of an event or celebration taking place related to the location of the choice.
In October we are going to Genoa, the birthplace of Christopher Columbus.
MUSEUM OF THE MONTH - Royal Palace Museum in Genoa, Italy



Construction of the present structure began in 1618 for the Balbi family. In 1677, the palace was sold to the Durazzo Family, who enlarged the palace under the designs of Carlo Fontana.
In 1823, the palace was sold to the Royal House of Savoy. From 1919, the palace has belonged to the state.

Password is ROOTS

The percentages will be calculated and a star awarded for those on target to reach their goals. More stars for farther toward their goal. If anyone's number is incorrect, please let me know and I will make the necessary adjustments. So go out there and dig those ROOTs.

The followinbg members have been removed from the active group because 1) they have not reached 25% of the goal and they have had no active participation in the last 6 months.

Ameise1
floremolla
h-mb
Kiwi_des_neiges
lepensuer
mandymarie20
nebula21
Quaisior
Sace
Val_Reads

several tickers are not working as noted in the July thread. When the tickers are updated or correct numbers are provided, I will update these members

They are:
leslie.98
This-n-That
misscleasia
crazy4reading
CurrierBell★
sibylline
Kwharton

In the mean time I have inserted their last known total.

beach85 31 / 36 ★★ 86.1%
benitastrnad★ 72 / 62 116.1%
bragan 65 / 85 ★ 76.5%
brakketh 18 / 30 60.0%
ca_dmv 9 / 12 ★ 75.0%
Caramellunacy★ 30 / 20 150.0%
Carmenere 12 / 25 48.0%
cecilturtle 48 / 50 ★★★ 96.0%
Charon07 7 / 11 63.6%
clue 35 / 50 70.0%
Coach_of_Alva 16 / 25 64.0%
connie53 35 / 45 ★ 77.8%
crazy4reading 8 / 30 26.7%
curioussquared 45 / 50 ★★ 90.0%
CurrierBell★ 14 / 13 107.7%
cyderry★ 288 / 84 342.9%
detailmuse 35 / 40 ★★ 87.5%
DisassemblyOfReason 72 / 100 72.0%
enemyanniemae★ 64 / 60 106.7%
FAMeulstee★ 58 / 24 241.7%
Familyhistorian 57 / 65 ★★ 87.7%
fuzzi 39 / 100 39.0%
HelenBaker 39 / 48 ★ 81.3%
Henrik_Madsen 37 / 50 74.0%
humouress 24 / 40 60.0%
Jackie_K 59 / 60 ★★★ 98.3%
janoorani24 9 / 20 45.0%
johnxlibris 12 / 21 57.1%
justchris 30 / 100 30.0%
kac522 61 / 75 ★ 81.3%
karenmarie 26 / 30 ★★ 86.7%
Kristelh 39 / 50 ★ 78.0%
Kwharton 4 / 12 33.3%
LadyBookworth★ 20 / 20 100.0%
leslie.98 43 / 80 53.8%
lilisin 50 / 60 ★★ 83.3%
lindapanzo 56 / 72 ★ 77.8%
LoraShouse 8 / 15 53.3%
Lynsey2 26 / 50 52.0%
madhatter22 22 / 50 44.0%
majkia★ 89 / 65 136.9%
martencat 12 / 30 40.0%
misscleasia 6 / 20 30.0%
Miss_Moneypenny★ 107 / 80 133.8%
MissSos 15 / 25 60.0%
MissWatson 65 / 75 ★★ 86.7%
Nickelini★ 39 / 26 150.0%
QuestingA★ 43 / 35 122.9%
rabbitprincess 43 / 60 71.7%
readingtangent★ 42 / 25 168.0%
Rebeki 14 / 18 ★ 77.8%
ritacate 22 / 24 ★★★ 91.7%
Robertgreaves 77 / 84 ★★★ 91.7%
rocketjk 18 / 30 60.0%
rosalita 41 / 48 ★★ 85.4%
sallylou61 25 / 30 ★★ 83.3%
si 18 / 25 72.0%
sibylline 6 / 16 37.5%
susanj67 29 / 50 58.0%
This-n-That 7 / 14 50.0%
torontoc 24 / 30 ★ 80.0%
vestafan 44 / 60 73.3%
wandaly★ 21 / 18 116.7%


We had some avid readers that reached their goals this month -- enemyanniemae and wandaly!

Those that have have reached their goal - cyderry, Nickelini, CurrierBell, readingtangent, FAMeulstee, LadyBookworth, Caramellunacy, benitastrnad, majkia, and QuestingA were joined by enemyanniemae and wandaly!
Our top star readers closest to reaching their goals, are:

Jackie_K 98.3%
cecilturtle 96.0%
ritacate 91.7%
Robertgreaves 91.7%

The goal for October is 2,298. We are way ahead of that mark but that doesn't mean that we should stop! Keep digging those ROOTS!

Hurray, glad we're ahead of the mark! I hope to be able to pick up some of my slack this month :)

The goal is in sight. If each read one more book above our monthly average, we could do it this month.

I am having another good year of reading. My total is not going to be close to the 140 from last year, but I do think that I will get over 100 books read this year. I will keep plugging away at it as reading is certainly not an onerous task for me. :-)

Apologies if this one has been raised before - has anyone had issues with updating their tracker on a Mac (tried Safari and Chrome)? Looks like it is cycling through and I'm unable to update numbers.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Hope all are enjoying their journey through their ROOTs, I've continued to discover a range of great and interesting reads that have sat on my shelves for around a decade.

>6 brakketh: Hi Kale. Have you tried anything like described here?

https://www.librarything.nl/topic/327982#n7432955

Reporting ROOT # 36 for the year, # 1 for October

Own tickers updated!

Reporting 50 ROOTs - I've achieved my goal of 50 books this year. Clearly this challenge has motivated me to get back to my reading!

Group tickers are updated

Le Bal des folles by Victoria Mas and
Notre agent à la Havane by Graham Greene

>9 Cecilturtle: Congratulations, Cecil. Well done.

>9 Cecilturtle: glad we could help!

That's an amazing palace, thanks for all those pictures, Chèli!

Finished my first ROOT for this month and I hope to get in plenty of reading time, now that autumn (and long evenings) are here.

>9 Cecilturtle: Well done for reaching your goal!

And well done me, because I've just reached mine too, with my first ROOT of October (#60 for the year), I am Malala. I've added it to my ticker but left the group one alone.

>13 Jackie_K: Good job on reaching your goal!

>9 Cecilturtle: >13 Jackie_K: Congratulations for reaching your goals, Cecil and Jackie! It's so early in the month too. I'm hoping to reach mine this month too but we'll see how that goes.

>13 Jackie_K: Congratulations, Jackie!
>15 Familyhistorian: Good luck!

thank-you all for your encouragements!

>9 Cecilturtle: >13 Jackie_K: Hurray to you both!

I have just added ROOT 44/60 to my personal ticker: Ride with Me, by Thomas B. Costain.

Thanks, worked out that it needed a new Tab to be opened in the browser. Personal ticker updated. Thanks connie53.

Reporting ROOT # 37 for the year, # 2 for October

Own tickers updated!

>19 connie53: Your welcome, Kale!

Good job, Cécil and Jackie!

First root for the month Despite the Falling Snow by Shamim Sarif and then I was tempted and went to the library...just in case we go back into lock down, of course.

>6 brakketh: Did you resolve the issue? I've just updated one of my tickers (Safari) and had no hiccoughs.

Reporting ROOT # 38 for the year, # 3 for October

Own tickers updated!

>22 connie53: Off to a good start this month then, Connie. I had selected several of my own to read but the potential threat of the growing Covid numbers sent me scurrying to the library.

>23 HelenBaker: You have to make sure you have lots to read in the house in case of anything. I understand completely.

First ROOT of Oct and number 25 for the year. My review is on my thread and no tickers updated.

>24 connie53: I definitely do not have that problem! With over 200 e-books and 80+ ARDs, I have enough for at least a few months!

>24 connie53:. Connie I probably have enough unread on my shelves to last me a few years but it is nice to keep abreast of new releases in the library and to support them.

I've just added ROOT #2 for October (#61 for the year) to my own tickers.

>26 cyderry: >27 HelenBaker:. I think I have about the same problem. TBR is still growing.

I finished a ROOT! Toot-Toot! I read Throwaway Children by Diney Costeloe in one week. It was a chunkster but a really good story. The writing was not stellar but the story was. I had to read this one for a real life book discussion that will happen this next weekend.

>21 humouress: Thanks, yes resolved.

ROOTS 3, 4 and 5 for this month:
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez, bought in 2020
Contes à faire rougir les petits chaperons by Jean-Pierre Énard given to me by a friend 3 years ago
Le Château des destins croisés by Italo Calvino, also given by a friend last year, and oh! so disappointing!

Group tickers are updated

I finished listening to a ROOT on Sunday. Last Girls by Lee Smith. This was good storytelling but I am not sure I know what the plot really was. However, the author read the book and she did a very good job. I think her voice was sincere (very charming Old South style and cadence that lent authenticity to the novel) and that carried through the over-long novel. This is not one I would recommend for most people, but it did help the miles go by.

Added another ROOT to my personal ticker: Doctor Who and the Power of Kroll, by Terrance Dicks. This brings me to 45/60.

And that's #3 for October (#62 for the year) added to my own ticker. It was a good one - Katherine May's Wintering.

I've added another one (ROOT #4 for October, #63 for the year) to my ticker. Hoping for another tomorrow, let's see!

I've added 2 more for October (6 and 7).
The Naked Civil Servant and L'Ardoise des songes.

Group tickers are updated

I finished 2 ROOT's over the weekend. Last Girls by Lee Smith that I had listened to and This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar. Before the weekend is over I should have finished another ROOT, but I will wait to post that one until I actually read the last word.

I have finished 4 ROOTs so far, getting close to my goal.

I added my 5th ROOT for October (#64 for the year) to my ticker.

Reporting ROOT # 39 for the year, # 4 for October

Own tickers updated!

GOAAAAALLLLLLL

I have reached my target of 84 ROOTS. Any future ROOTs will be contributed to the group total.

Here is my report so far for October 2021:

UpROOTED books: 7
ROOTless books: 4
Added to the treebook TBR shelves: 2

The ROOTs were:

The Blood Pit by Kate Ellis
The Last Human by Zack Jordan
An African in Greenland by Tété-Michel Kpomassie
The Unwilling Vestal by Edward Lucas White
13 Tales To Give You Night Terrors edited by Troy H. Gardner and Joshua Winning
Boy Meets Hamster by Birdie Milano
Boy Meets Ghoul by Birdie Milano

ROOTs in YTD: 84

(Group tickers not touched)

Hooray, well done Robert!

Way to go Robert!

>42 Robertgreaves: Amazing work!!

Now up to 46/60 with my latest ROOT: The Blue Hammer, by Ross Macdonald. Only my personal ticker has been updated.

>42 Robertgreaves: Well done, congrats!

>42 Robertgreaves: Great effort. I can see I should be setting higher goals as I've just undone my attempts to reduce my TBR pile by adopting another 10 books from a book fair but oh my precious...

I took another title off of my TBR list this last week. I finally finished Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (And What It Says About Us) by Tom Vanderbilt. I have had this book almost finished for about 2 weeks and just couldn't get the last 20 pages read. Now it is done.

I'm having a good ROOT month - just added two more (#6 and #7 for October, #65 and #66 for the year) to my own ticker.

Finally another root for the month, Finding Out by Elspeth Sandys 41/48. A trip to the library has proved my undoing this month but will try for one more root after my current library book.

Root #26 for the year and the second for Oct. -no tickers updated and the review is on my thread.

I just moved my latest books finished out of my TBR count and I'm under 400! I'm so excited!

>53 cyderry: Congrats, Chèli! That's quite the achievement!

I have had three books languishing this month even though I'm only about 20 pages from the end on each. I've been enjoying the books but my focus is elsewhere at the moment so I've only been reading 10 to 15 pages a day, down from the 70 pages a day I was reading in August. But I finally finished the last 20 pages of one of those books last night: The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole. A book that ended up much simpler than I imagined it but I still enjoyed it.

>53 cyderry: It's a nice feeling, isn't it? I got below 400 this year too (I'm currently on 380-something).

Another ROOT gone from the TBR list. I finished Bible Nation: The United States of Hobby Lobby and found it a very academic look at the problem of stolen and looted antiquities. That is not a surprise as this book is published by Princeton University Press.

Congrats, Robert and Chèli. Amazing job.

Third ROOT for Oct. and #27 for the year. The review is on my thread and no tickers updated.

Adding number 8 for October: Looptail by Bruce Poon Tip, a business book which I've had since 2019.
Group tickers are updated.

I finished listening to a ROOT Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck. This turned out to be an excellent book. The end was a little flat but the bulk of this work of historical fiction was very good.

Reporting ROOT # 40 for the year, # 5 for October

Een dodelijke opleiding by Naomi Novik

All tickers updated, even the group tickers!

A last one for October #9: The Madness of Crowds by one of my favourite authors, Louise Penny

Group tickers are updated

Added a re-read of The Hobbit to my personal ticker. I'm at 47/60 for the year.

Added ROOT #28 for the year and number four for Oct. I put the review on my thread and no tickers were updated.

I've just added two more ROOTS (#8 and #9 for the month, #67 and #68 for the year) to my own ticker. That'll be it for this month, and I've got a few bigger books lined up for the next month or two, so I'm expecting to not read quite so many in November.

I finished 3 ROOTs in October, bringing my grand total to 10. My own ticker is up to date.

I fell short of making my goal this month, only made it to 61/65.

I had a good month ROOTing, have read 11 books of the shelf. Making a total is of 69.
My ticker up to date. I will write my last two reviews tomorrow.

Checking in to state that my total rests at 47/60 for the year so far.

I had 8 ROOT's removed from my TBR shelves because I read them. No tickers updated.

Fiction works removed from my shelves
When the Emperor Was Divine by Julies Otsuka
House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El -Mohtar

Recorded books listened to this month:
Last Girls by Lee Smith

Nonfiction works removed from my TBR lists and shelves this month:
Thieves of Baghdad by Matthew Bogdanos
Bible Nation: The United States of Hobby Lobby by Candida R. Moss
Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do and What It Says About Us by Tom Vanderbilt

It wasn't a bad month of reading but I had hoped to get a couple more books read this month. I need to move more of the books off my shelves.

I sat down and made myself finally read the last 10 pages of the fascinating The Gossamer Years, a diary-autobiography written by an anonymous noblewoman in between 954 and 974 in Japan. I had to force myself only due to my mindset being elsewhere other than reading.

4 done this month- total is 68 for the year. Updated personal ticker only.

November thread is up!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/336408#