1martencat
Back for another year’s rooting, having taken a break last year. I didn’t read very much last year, but want to get back into the reading habit.
The plan is to read 18 books. I have more non-fiction than fiction so aiming for 12:6 non-fiction to fiction split. I don’t normally count re-reads but am going to make an exception this year as this should help the habit along with a daily reading from Word Perfect:Etymological Entertainment for every day of the year by Susie Dent
If the book is on my bookshelves or Kindle at midnight on 31st December then it counts as a ROOT, even if I only got it for Christmas in December.
A big, bold New Year’s resolution - to read books as I acquire them - and to read the ones I already own. Let’s see how that goes!
Hoping for a year of great reading
The plan is to read 18 books. I have more non-fiction than fiction so aiming for 12:6 non-fiction to fiction split. I don’t normally count re-reads but am going to make an exception this year as this should help the habit along with a daily reading from Word Perfect:Etymological Entertainment for every day of the year by Susie Dent
If the book is on my bookshelves or Kindle at midnight on 31st December then it counts as a ROOT, even if I only got it for Christmas in December.
A big, bold New Year’s resolution - to read books as I acquire them - and to read the ones I already own. Let’s see how that goes!
Hoping for a year of great reading
2martencat
ROOTS 2024
Non-Fiction
#1 Otherlands; A world in the making by Thomas Halliday
#2 Buried by Alice Roberts
#3 A Short History of Russia: How the World's Largest Country Invented Itself, from the Pagans to Putin by Mark Galeotti
#4 A little history of British Gardening by Jenny Uglow
#5 Blue River, Black Sea by Andrew Eames
#6 Warrior Queens and Quiet Revolutionaries: How women also built the world by Kate Mosse
#7 In Extremis: The Life of War Correspondent Marie Colvin by Lindsey Hilsum
Fiction
#1 The deep & shining dark by Juliet Kemp
#2 Shadow & Storm by Juliet Kemp
#3 The rising flood by Juliet Kemp
#4 The city revealed by Juliet Kemp
Non-Fiction
#1 Otherlands; A world in the making by Thomas Halliday
#2 Buried by Alice Roberts
#3 A Short History of Russia: How the World's Largest Country Invented Itself, from the Pagans to Putin by Mark Galeotti
#4 A little history of British Gardening by Jenny Uglow
#5 Blue River, Black Sea by Andrew Eames
#6 Warrior Queens and Quiet Revolutionaries: How women also built the world by Kate Mosse
#7 In Extremis: The Life of War Correspondent Marie Colvin by Lindsey Hilsum
Fiction
#1 The deep & shining dark by Juliet Kemp
#2 Shadow & Storm by Juliet Kemp
#3 The rising flood by Juliet Kemp
#4 The city revealed by Juliet Kemp
4martencat
This definitely had some great words in it - Word Perfect:Etymological Entertainment for every day of the year by Susie Dent
Words of the year
Words of the year
6rabbitprincess
Welcome back and have a great reading year! The Susie Dent book looks interesting.
8Jackie_K
Welcome back, I've starred your thread as I remember your NF taste is quite similar to mine!
9MissWatson
Welcome back and happy reading!
10martencat
Non-fiction Root #3
#3 A Short History of Russia: How the World's Largest Country Invented Itself, from the Pagans to Putin by Mark Galeotti
As the title suggests this gives a brief overview and condenses a lot of history into a small book. The subtitle really does explain a lot of the focus of the book and brings the history bang up to date. Geography and therefore the influences of people and forces from outside the state have had a huge influence on the country.
Geographically it was noticeable that although Russia is a huge country stretching thousands of miles from east to west, there was no mention of any events east of the Ural mountains.
There were some useful further reading suggestions at the end of each of the chapters.
#3 A Short History of Russia: How the World's Largest Country Invented Itself, from the Pagans to Putin by Mark Galeotti
As the title suggests this gives a brief overview and condenses a lot of history into a small book. The subtitle really does explain a lot of the focus of the book and brings the history bang up to date. Geography and therefore the influences of people and forces from outside the state have had a huge influence on the country.
Geographically it was noticeable that although Russia is a huge country stretching thousands of miles from east to west, there was no mention of any events east of the Ural mountains.
There were some useful further reading suggestions at the end of each of the chapters.
11martencat
Non fiction Root #4
A Little History of British Gardening by Jenny Uglow
The British have a long history of being deeply interested in gardening, both their own and other peoples. A fascinating book, full of interesting facts, bits of trivia and lots of illustrations. It's a history of gardening for pleasure rather sheer practical necessity. There are plenty of stories about the gardeners, the plant breeders and the changing fashions around the best plants and the structure of the garden (rockeries and follies), large gardens and small gardens.
A Little History of British Gardening by Jenny Uglow
The British have a long history of being deeply interested in gardening, both their own and other peoples. A fascinating book, full of interesting facts, bits of trivia and lots of illustrations. It's a history of gardening for pleasure rather sheer practical necessity. There are plenty of stories about the gardeners, the plant breeders and the changing fashions around the best plants and the structure of the garden (rockeries and follies), large gardens and small gardens.
13martencat
>12 connie53: Sadly very busy at work so the reading is suffering and it's a bumpy reading year so far - but there's still time to arrive at my target ROOT number. Not sure I'm going to write much about anything I have read but there's still time for that to change too.
14martencat
Non-fiction ROOT #5
#5 Blue River, Black Sea by Andrew Eames
The Danube is Europe's longest river and the author follows it from it's source in Germany to the sea across central and eastern europe. He travels slowly by bicycle near the source, becomes fascinated by retracing the steps of Patrick Leigh Fermor and his meetings with the remaining archdukes, aristocrats and members of the Habsburg family, before joining one of the many freight barges through the Iron Gates and the plains of Romania
#5 Blue River, Black Sea by Andrew Eames
The Danube is Europe's longest river and the author follows it from it's source in Germany to the sea across central and eastern europe. He travels slowly by bicycle near the source, becomes fascinated by retracing the steps of Patrick Leigh Fermor and his meetings with the remaining archdukes, aristocrats and members of the Habsburg family, before joining one of the many freight barges through the Iron Gates and the plains of Romania
15connie53
>14 martencat: I never heard of the Danube. After some googling I found we call it The Donau.
16martencat
>15 connie53: I didn't notice the writer changing the name of the river as he travelled through the different countries, although now you mention it - I think it does have different names or at least different spellings in different countries. The German is also Donau but the Romanian is Dunării. Isn't google amazing?
17martencat
Non Fiction Root #7 In Extremis: The Life of War Correspondent Marie Colvin by Lindsey Hilsum
An interesting insight into what makes a journalist, and more over what makes one want to write some of the most important stuff from some of the most difficult places on earth and the lengths that they will go to in search of the stories that need to be told.
An interesting insight into what makes a journalist, and more over what makes one want to write some of the most important stuff from some of the most difficult places on earth and the lengths that they will go to in search of the stories that need to be told.
