Kkunker's 2014 ROOT Challenge

I enjoyed reading two dozen ROOTs in 2013. I found this group to be a good way to challenge myself to dig through my stacks and see what books have been shelved unread.

I've decided to read 36 books for 2014, an increase of one book a month from 2013 (24 total). Any book entered in my library before January 1, 2014 will count towards the challenge. I want to really work through my books, and try to get more old books out into the light of day. I tend to favor new and shiny books, or library books of new releases I don't own. I look forward to a new year of ROOTing out our shelves. Good luck to everyone on reaching your individual goals.




1. Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves
2. The Royal Ranger by John Flanagan
3. The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary
4. The Children of Hurin by J. R. R. Tolkien
5. The Glass God by Kate Griffin
6. Stargate Atlantis: Exogenesis by Sonny Whitelaw
7. Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card
8. Dies the Fire by S. M. Stirling
9. Tolkien: A Biography by Michael White
10. Kenobi by John Jackson Miller
11. Stargate SG-1: Transitions by Sabine Bauer
12. The Intellectual World of C. S. Lewis by Alister McGrath
13. Slashback by Rob Thurman
14. Finding God in a Galaxy Far, Far Away
15. Stargate SG 1 Oceans of Dust
16. Used and Rare
17. The Making of Middle-Earth
18. The Book of Lost Tales 1 by J. R. R. Tolkien
19. Star Wars Darth Bane Rule of Two
20. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
21. The Shadow Lamp by Stephen Lawhead
22. Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card
23. Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
24. Stargate Atlantis: Homecoming by Jo Graham
25. Image and Imagination by C. S. Lewis
26. Stargate Atlantis: The Lost by Jo Graham
27. Stargate Atlantis: Allegiance by Melissa Scott
28. I am in fact a Hobbit
29. Stargate Atlantis: The Furies
30. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
31. The Baker Street Letters
32. Paved with Good Intentions
33. Why? by Anne Graham Lotz
34. Stargate Atlantis: Secrets
35. Ender's World
36. Stargate Atlantis: Inheritors

and we'll see what else I may be able to add due to Christmas presents

Edit
Christmas Presents which will count as ROOTS
The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Image and Imagination by C. S. Lewis
The Intellectual World of C. S. Lewis
Ender's World by Orson Scott Card
The Making of Middle-earth

Thank you and good luck to you, too!

Happy reading! :)

Nice to see so many of the 2013 people signing up again!

Good luck with the challenge!

Thanks folks! I decided to figure out the ticker feature, and I just added a few possible titles for 2014.

I will try to make smart book choices and have some ROOTs overlap with my 2014 Category Challenge which can be found here, it's Tolkien themed:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/161270

Just received my first book of this year's holiday season.
The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary
Should be a perfect follow up to my "Philology through Tolkien" course which I took this fall. It will definitely be a ROOT for early in 2014. I look forward to seeing what my secret santa picked for me, and getting a few books and gift cards from family members.

Love your list! Good luck and happy reading!

I received a pretty good haul this Christmas:

The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary
Image and Imagination by C. S. Lewis (Santathing)
The Making of Middle-earth: A New Look inside the World of J. R. R. Tolkien
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman (Santathing)
The Intellectual World of C. S. Lewis by Alister McGrath
The Atrocity Archives (SantaThing)
and I purchased Ender's World with a Barnes and Noble giftcard. I have $25 to spend at Amazon, so there will be several more books to round out the holidays.

My sister got me a translation of The Hobbit when she was in Taiwan this summer. So now I have The Hobbit in Spanish, Latin, and Chinese. She also got me a paperback copy of Through the Looking Glass.

Ooh! I want The Hobbit in Chinese! Those all sound fascinating, are you planning on reading them immediately or are they being put on the shelves?

I plan on getting to most of them in 2014, I will probably read the Tolkien items first. They will all count towards my ROOT goal since my challenge includes books purchased or received as gifts by December 31, 2013, so that is an added reason to go ahead and read them early in 2014.

Hi K. Good luck with your challenge.

Finished my first book of the year which happened to be a ROOT! I'm off to a good start.

1. Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves
This YA book follows the adventures of Joey Harker as he is pulled from his quiet life on Earth into an inter-dimensional conflict. Young Joey accidentally discovers he is an Walker when he travels to a parallel Earth. He sets in motion actions which cannot be reversed, and which lead to his rescuers death. Joey has an especially strong talent for traveling between worlds in the Altiverse; and he finds himself thrown into Base Camp school alongside hundreds of varieties of Joey Harker (including some with wings, robotic enhancements, or werewolf attributes). While feeling overwhelmed by the magic and science if these extra dimensions Joey must decide where his true loyalties lie. When a training exercise results in several of his classmates being captured Joey reaches his crisis point. He must decide whether to return to his "normal" Earth life or attempt a rescue.

Nice YA book yet also accessible for adults. Has an relatively light tone, with an interesting science vs. magic viewpoint. Emphasizes the importance of loyalty and friendship even in the face of great personal risk.

Felt to me a bit like Harry Potter combined with Stargate, in that it involved youngish people at school learning about their various abilities, the most important one being the ability to travel to parallel universes though some sort of time/space rift.

Wow, you are of to a great start!

A toast to the Professor! J. R. R. Tolkien was born 122 years ago today, in South Africa. I'll be reading some of Unfinished Tales today in his honor. Cheers.

Your first ROOT really sounds interesting. Good start for you, keep going!

Finished my second ROOT last night.

The Royal Ranger by John Flanagan
This book concludes the Rangers Apprentice YA series, by bringing the main characters full circle. Will Treaty who started out the series as a new apprentice is now an experienced and famous King's Rangers. His old friends Horace and Cassandra ask him to help them out with their teenage daughter Maddie who is a headstrong and adventurous princess. Will agrees and both he and Maddie are faced with challenges to their initial expectations. Maddie expected a short holiday with "Uncle Will," he expected her to stop acting like a princess and to follow his training regimen. After some struggles Maddie starts to excel as the first female ranger and they head out on their first real mission together. Things don't go as planned and Maddie has to step up and improvise in an attempt to save Will's life. Her training and friendship is put to the test as she risks her life for her mentor.

Ooh, sounds good! Congratulations on finishing your second ROOT.

Yes, number 2 down! Good job, KK.

Just finished ROOT number 3, so I'm a bit ahead of schedule at the moment.

3. The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary
This was a great book to read after taking "Philology through Tolkien" last semester at Mythgard. The book discusses a section of Tolkien's life which is frequently just glossed over, the 2 years he spent on the OED staff after he returned home from service in WWI. Tolkien considered those years to be some of the most educational times in his whole life. He was able to utilize his Germanic and Old English education on a very practical and important project. The first half of the book covers Tolkien's actual work, he helped edit many "W" words. The second half of the book is a listing of word studies, primarily of words which Tolkien either invented or recovered from history for use in his creative writings. A brief sampling includes: Arkenstone, elf, eucatastrophe, hobbit, ent, warg, orc, Faerie, and eored.

Finished ROOT 4 today.
The Children of Hurin by J. R. R. Tolkien

I purchased this one right when it came out, but didn't get around to it til now. I'd read the version in Unfinished Tales last fall and I read the alliterative version a year ago. Though the tale is very dark and tragic I enjoyed reading the "finished" prose version. Plus it had illustrations by Alan Lee which makes everything better.

>20 kkunker:, I'm curious to know which words he reclaimed and which he invented. Do you think this is a good book for the general reader, or more primarily for the person very interested in Tolkien specifically?

>Merryann: I would think the Ring of Words can have a wider audience than just Tolkien fans. The word studies section is the bulk of the book, and it covers a wide range of examples. The editors did a nice job of providing informative entries without making them too complicated or detailed. I think the book is very accessible for the general reader, as long as the reader has some interest in studying the development of words. In Tolkien's case he took numerous Old English and Old Norse words and "modernized" them and reintroduced them to his readers. He invented a philological history in order to blend world history with his myth.

Thanks. Putting it on my 'to read' list. :)

I've been listening to The Modern Scholar: Tolkien and the West in the car and it touches briefly on what Tolkien was doing with changing old words into more modern forms. Ring of Words sounds fascinating. I'll have to look for it.

It sounds like you really enjoyed the Children of Hurin. I found the Silmarillion to be a challenge to get through, and have shied away from the Unfinished Tales. How does Children of Hurin compare?

>shinyone I also was challenged by the Silmarillion the first several times I tried to read it, I got about a third of the way through each time. Children of Hurin is easier to read than the Silmarillion in that it is one unified story. The Silmarillion has a brief synopsis of the Turin Turambar story, one chapter long. Hurin is a story primarily about Men not Elves, so it's not as "high" stylistically as the Silmarillion, if that makes sense. I will warn you it's not a lighthearted happy tale, quite the opposite. Tolkien initially based it loosely on the Finnish Kalevala tale of Kullervo, but then he made it his own.

January stats time.

Roots goal per month: 3
Roots read in January: 4

books acquired: 14
purchased: 10
gift: 4
giveaway: 0

I will try to cut back on buying new books this year, I know I'm not off to a good start. In my defense 4 of the purchased books were BBC Sherlock items which were 60% off, I just couldn't resist a good deal. Two other books were textbooks for my Chaucer class.

On a positive note all the books I read from my own library this month were ROOTs. I really made an effort on that. I also managed to fit in 3 library books, so I'm happy with how January went.

Finished ROOT 5 last night

Glass God by Kate Griffin
This urban fantasy is book 2 in the Magicals Anonymous Series. The protagonist, apprentice shaman Sharon, finds herself way over her head when problems arise in London. The Midnight Mayor, protector of the city goes missing, and before he disappeared he named Sharon his deputy. Old Man Bone, the god of the plague pits, is getting restless from not having enough sacrifices and is starting to open old graves. And as if finding the mayor and stopping an outbreak of plague were not enough for Sharon to deal with, someone has been killing people left and right in an attempt to create a new glass god to destroy the city. Sharon and her magical misfits must work with the Mayor's aldermen to try and save the city and find the Mayor before elemental forces are unleashed.

Hurrah!! You go, kkunker

ROOT 6
Stargate Atlantis: Exogenesis by Sonny Whitelaw
I read this one entirely at work, during slow evening hours. It was nice to have something fun to do when there were no customers in the grocery store.

I think I have around 10 Stargate books left in the two series to read (out of about 45 total). I love the Stargate tv shows and was sad when I reached the end. Thankfully there have been about 2-3 new books each year, I hope Fandemonium keeps publishing. I'm glad they've kept the stories alive. The end of the Atlantis book series actually extends beyond the tv show, I'm excited to read about how things develop.

I wish I was lucky enough to be able to read at work.

I tend to get evening shifts, like 5-11pm since not many other people are willing to work that late. I take a book along to read since the last hour is normally really slow, and I'm often the only cashier so I can kind of do what I want. I don't mind the quiet nights, I get paid to stand there and do nothing. My second job has no such flexible/down time.

Just finished my second ROOT for February, mostly read while at work.
Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card
I enjoyed Card's alternate America. His story is set in the early pioneering era, with the protagonists family living in the Hio territory. The Miller family practices "magic" which the local Scottish preacher strongly opposes. Alvin, the seventh son of a seventh son, has a very powerful gift and the forces of both good and evil fight to control him. His life is threatened multiple times, including once before he is born, and he is saved each time. The two big questions are which force is behind each action? And who is the Shining Man of Alvin's visions and the Visitor of the preacher's visions? It basically comes down to a question of who is good and who is evil.

Congratulations on your second ROOT. All I knew about Orson Scott Card was Enders Game (and I haven't even read that yet), so I appreciate your review. :)

Thanks Merryann. I was first introduced to Card in college when my flatmate told me I simply had to read Ender's Game, which she had just finished. I promptly borrowed the copy she had read and whipped right through it. I've only recently discovered a couple of his other series. I'm working on the second Pathfinder book, Ruins right now. I'd like to read one or two more Alvin Maker books this year, since Card has an 8 book section of my Category Challenge I think there's a good chance of that happening. My local library has most of that series.

I'm always happy to pass along book recommendations, which is not a very helpful trait for a ROOT challenge. But it's still fun.

It IS fun, and I'm glad, because one of my favorite books this year so far was one I learned about here. :)

Just finished my 8th ROOT of the year.
Dies the Fire by S. M. Stirling
This is the first book in The Change World or the Emberverse series, a post-apocalyptic America alternate/speculative fiction series.

The world is changed when an electrical storm knocks out all electronics and firearms, which immediately thrusts the globe back to pre-Industrial development. This book centers around two protagonists Mike Havel, an ex-Marine turned commericial pilot, and Juniper Mackenzie, a musician. Mike and Juniper form their own very different types of communities in Oregon as they gather various groups together. They each start out with a small band but as isolated groups join together they are faced with many issues. The folks who survived the immediate violent fallout of The Change are faced with a sharp learning curve if they plan to have long term food and safety.

I enjoyed the book quite a bit. Personally I like the combination of cultures and societies which emerged in the different groups. I enjoy medieval history so reading about the re-development of swords, archery, and chain maille along with forts and trebuchets was rather fun. I've got the second book on hold at the library.

That sounds like it is an interesting series. And a long series at that! 13 books. Did you read the first 3 too?

I didn't read the first three books. I was not aware of the order when I purchased Dies the Fire a couple of years ago because it looked interesting. It's the only book of the series I own, so I decided to start with it. I will probably read The Change trilogy pretty quickly, and then think about the other connected sub-series after that.

I hope they have all the books at the library

I know this trilogy is available through my local library system. I picked up the second book and hope to start it soon.

I'm currently reading two ROOTS: Tolkien a Biography by Michael White and The Wit, Whimsy, and Wisdom of G. K. Chesterton, Volume 1.

Finished Tolkien: A Biography by Michael White.
I read Carpenter's biography a few years ago and thought I would pull White off the shelf. Seemed to cover all of the same material, but it did have some additional info on Jackson's films. Nice to get a quick refresher from a different author.

Finished Kenobi by John Jackson Miller
This book picks up right after Obi-Wan arrives on Tatooine with baby Luke Skywalker. He tries to fit in and keep a low profile as a moisture farmer/herbit. He is not on Tatooine as a Jedi, his only mission is to protect Luke. He finds it hard to pull back from a community in danger but he can't give away the secrets of his past. When Tusken Raiders attack a nearby settlement and Ben uncovers a human plot for scamming people into paying protection money, he must find creative ways to help resolve the conflict.

Congratulations! You're well on your way to your goal. :)

Finished Stargate SG-1: Transitions by Sabine Bauer last night.
This was a fun book combining both SG1 and SG Atlantis characters together in a story arch that spanned two galaxies. Finally learned how Cassie got the device and knew how to help out the team when they traveled too far into the future during the episode 1969.

Finished off another ROOT, which means I'm on track for my goal. The Intellectual World of C. S. Lewis had lots of good contextual information about Oxford and Lewis' spiritual development.

Yes, good job, Kkunker!

Finished my first ROOT of May, Slashback by Rob Thurman. That puts me at 13 of 36, still on track with my goal.

One more time: Yeah!!!

Just received my ER copy of The Jedi Doth Return today. I was pleasantly surprised to see two small posters included in the envelope, showing the cover art for Empire and Jedi. I don't count recent ER books as ROOTs, but I'm excited to see how Doescher concludes the trilogy. This will be bumped to the top of the TBR list.

>50 kkunker: I'm envious! I love his adaptations. Hope you enjoy it :)

> kaylaraeintheway: Thanks. I was lucky and managed to win two out of his three adaptations from ER. This month I didn't win anything, but I don't mind since Jedi just showed up.

Finished another one last night, Finding God in a Galaxy Far, Far Away.

I have a paper due Sunday at midnight so I'm not sure if I'll finish off my current ROOT. I hope I get through it, otherwise I will be one behind on my goal.

You will catch up eventually, kkunker.

15. Stargate SG:1 Oceans of Dust

A Barnes and Noble store in my area is going out of business soon. The good news is that they currently have a lot of items 40-50% off. The bad news is I wanted to buy tons of stuff. I managed to limit myself pretty well, partly by keeping in mind my current pile of ROOTs. I purchased 16 items yesterday, only 3 of which were books. I spent $109 instead of the regular price of $215. I picked up some nice stationary, journals, and notepads (mostly with a Hobbit or "Keep Calm" theme).

I finally picked up a hardcover copy of The Yard, which I have wanted to read since it came out. I couldn't pass it up at only $3.25. The other two books I got were George Washington on Leadership by Richard Brookhiser and 3 Minute J.R.R. Tolkien since they both looked fun.

You really limited yourself, bookwise Kkunker. I don't know if I could have done that myself.

re: connie53: One reason I was so limited in regards to books is that only certain items are being discounted. They had a bunch of bins and tables set up with the sale items, though they did have a larger than usual bargain book section.

I finished my first ROOT for June, Used and Rare.
I went back to the Barnes and Noble over the weekend and bought a couple more journals and a BN classic version of Beowulf.

Finished my second ROOT for June The Making of Middle-Earth, so I just need to get through my current ROOT before the month ends to stay on target.

Finished my third ROOT for June which puts me exactly halfway through for my yearly goal, The Book of Lost Tales, Part 1 by J. R. R. Tolkien

Good for you. Half way is great!

Oh, I do hate to hear of the demise of your local Barnes and Noble.

Still, congratulation on ROOTing so well! :)

Finished my first ROOT for July last night, Star Wars Darth Bane Rule of Two. I have two more ROOTs currently going, hopefully I will finish them and stay on track.

Finished two more ROOTs in the past 24 hours, so I'm on track for my yearly total.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
The Shadow Lamp by Steven Lawhead

Congrats on your rooting!

Just finished Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card so I'm one ahead now.

Finished my first ROOT for August, one which I've had for a long time but never got around to until now. Wind in the Willows

Congrats! Wind in the Willows is in my TBR pile.

>67 kkunker: Did you enjoy it? As a child, it was a bit hard for me to get started on, but as an adult it's one of my favorites! Goodtimes Video did an excellent movie of the book, with Vanessa Redgrave as narrator when needed.

Merryann: I did enjoy it but probably not as much as if I had read it as a kid. I'm a huge fan of Brian Jacques Redwall series, so the differences there were jarring. Seeing such things as motor cars, eating fancy foods, and interacting with humans was tough to wrap my head around. I liked the story line and the illustrations in my edition were quite nice. I'm glad I finally got around to reading it.

I haven't read any of the Redwall books yet. I'll keep this conversation in mind when I do...it will be interesting to see what I think of the differences. :)

Wind in the Willows was fine on its own. I've read over 20 Redwall books so I just automatically made comparisons. I think it would be better for me to think of Willows as more in line with Winnie the Pooh. Then I'm not as bothered by it.

Finished my second ROOT for August last night, which puts me on track for my goal. Hopefully I can get through a couple extra this month and pull ahead before my fall class starts in September.

24. Stargate Atlantis: Homecoming

On track! Yes, that's a good thing.

Finished ROOT #25 the other day, I'm one ahead now.
Image and Imagination by C. S. Lewis, a nice collection of his reviews and a few previously unpublished essays.

Finished ROOT #26 today Stargate Atlantis: The Lost.

Finished ROOT #27 today Stargate Atlantis: Allegiance.

Finished ROOT #28 yesterday, I am in Fact a Hobbit.

>77 kkunker: that title made me smile!

>78 connie53:: I also really enjoy the title. Since the book was a biography of Tolkien, it was a perfect fit.

Finished off ROOT #29 this weekend, Stargate Atlantis: The Furies.

Finished off #30 last night, Clockwork Angel. Just need 6 more to meet my year's goal.

That's great progress!

You are definitely on track to meet your goal!

Finished ROOT #31 last night, The Baker Street Letters.

#32. Paved with Good Intentions by C. S. Lewis

#33. Why? by Anne Graham Lotz

Congrats!

Just three more to go!

Finished off two more ROOTs with holiday travel the past couple of days.

34. Stargate Atlantis: Secrets
35. Ender's World

I'm just one away from finishing.

Way to go!

Met my ROOT goal last night, finished off #36!
Stargate Atlantis: Inheritors

Congratulations!

Congrats!

Hurray! Congratulations!!

Well done!

Yeah for you!!