Terri (tymfos) ROOTs through her bookshelves in 2013

ROOT, ROOT, ROOT for the book team!



A photo from my jr. high school cheerleading days.

Another year, another go at the books on my TBR sheves. This year I will ROOT through my old (and not-so-old) books for reading enjoyment and to meet my ROOT reading goal. I'll also try to ROOT for my friends in this group who are striving to meet their goals.

Here are my own personal set of rules and goals for this challenge:
1. Any book that I own (even new ones) can count toward my grand total goal. This includes e-books.
2. My grand total goal is 60.
3. Of the grand total of 60, at least 30 should be hard-copy books owned pre-2013 and/or be an ER book. (Also, books read from a pile borrowed from a friend that really need to get back to her WILL count for this stat.) For now, I'm calling the books for this sub-goal "superROOTs" (OK, that sounds dumb; I'll think of another term eventually. Or maybe not.)
2. My monthly minimum is 3 books, two of which must be superROOTs. But most months, I will need to read more to meet my annual goal.

This is about the level of reading I managed in last year's "BOMBS" (Books off my book shelves) challenge, so I know it is do-able.







This thread is for ROOTs.
My primary challenge is the 75 Challenge, and I'll list ALL my books for the year on my threads there.

ROOT-worthy books finished in January
1. Whack-A-Mole by Chris Grabenstein (E-Book)
2. *The Bourbon Street Ripper by Leo King (E-BOOK, ER book, pre-2013)
3. *Last Man Out by Melissa Fay Green (pre-2013)
4. *Cover of Snow by Jenny Milchman (ER; awarded pre-2013)
5. Family Skeletons by Rett MacPherson
6. A Haunted Love Story: The Ghosts of the Allen House by Mark Spencer (E-Book)

ROOT-worthy books finished in February
7. The Sandburg Connection by Mark de Castrique (e-book, pre-2013)
8. *Toms River by Dan Fagin (ER book, awarded pre-2013)
9. *Thunder Bay by William Kent Krueger (pre-2013 Christmas present)

ROOT-worthy books finished in March
10. *Prayers for Rain by Dennis Lehane (pre-2013)
11. Still Life With Murder by P.B. Ryan (e-book, pre 2013)
12. A Veiled Antiquity by Rett MacPherson (2013)
13. Haunting at Hensley Hall by Merabeth James (e-book)
14. *Time for God by Jacques Philippe (pre-2013 Christmas present) (pre-2013 hard-copy)
15. *Killer Show: The Station Nightclub Fire by John Barylick (ER book hard-copy)
16. Dangerous Undertaking by Mark de Castrique (e-book, pre 2013)
17. *You Can't Lose 'em All: The Year the Phillies finally won the World Series by Frank Fitzpatrick

*denotes "SuperROOT" book

ROOT-worthy books finished in April
18. *Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy
19. *The Lighthouse Keeper's Wife by Connie Scovill Small
20. Psalms: The Sunrise of Hope by Bob Saffrin
21. *Black Seconds by Karin Fossum
22. *The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers by Amy Hollingsworth

ROOT-worthy books finished in May
23. The Gauguin Connection by Estelle Ryan (E-book)
24. *Heaven's Keep by William Kent Krueger
25. Grave Undertaking by Mark de Castrique (E-book)
26. Autism & Asperger's Syndrome in Layman's Terms by Raymond Le Blanc
27. Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
28. *The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill

ROOT-worthy books finished in June
29. Hell Hole by Chris Grabenstein
30. Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead by Sara Gran (e-book)
31. *Death in the Baltic by Cathryn Prince (ER book)
32. A Cape May Diamond by Larry Enright (e-book)
33. Haunted Jersey Shore: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of the Garden State Coast

*denotes superRoot book

ROOT-worthy books finished in JULY:

34. *Northwest Angle by William Kent Krueger
35. *Ghost Ships of the Great Lakes by Dwight Boyer
36. *Harbor by John Ajvide Lindqvist

ROOT-worthy books finished in AUGUST
37. *It Happens in the Dark by Carol O'Connell (ER book)
38. *A Cold Day for Murder by Dana Stabenow
39. A Lesson in Dying by Ann Cleeves
40. Murder in My Backyard by Ann Cleeves
41. *Haunted Lakes by Frederick Stonehouse
42. The Dante Connection by Estelle Ryan (e-book)
43. The Alphabet of Grace by Frederick Buechner (e-book)

ROOT-worthy books finished in SEPTEMBER
44. *The Pure in Heart by Susan Hill
45. *Snow Angels by Stewart O'Nan
46. A Reason to Live by Matthew Iden (e-book)
47.*To Sleep With the Angels by David Cowan and John Kuenster
48. Murder Bay by David R. Horwitz (e-book)
49. *Maine Ghosts & Legends by Thomas A. Verde
50. Superior Death by Matthew Williams (e-book)

*denotes SuperROOT book

ROOT-worthy books finished in OCTOBER
51. Little Terrors by David Jester (e-book)
52. *Wings to the Kingdom by Cherie Priest
53. *The Ghosts of Virginia, Vol. II by L.B. Taylor
54. *Mr. Shivers by Robert Jackson Bennett
55. *Specters and Spirits of the Appalachian Foothills by James V. Burchill & Linda J. Crider
56. *Cogslea Revisited by M. Juanita Taylor
57. Lineage: A Supernatural Thriller by Joe Hart (virtual root / e-book)
58. *Haunted Happenings by Robert Cahil

ROOT-worthy books finished in NOVEMBER
59. Confessions of a Prayer Slacker by Diane Moody (E-book / devotioal)
60. Jerusalem Gap by T.R. Pearson (virtual ROOT / e-book)
61. *Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink (superROOT because it's ER book)
62. Medicine Men: Extreme Appalachian Doctoring (e-book)
63.*Forty Words for Sorrow by Giles Blunt
64.*Messy: God likes it that way by A.J. Swoboda

ROOT- worthy books finished in DECEMBER
65. *Annie's Ghosts: A Journey Into a Family Secret by Steve Luxenberg
66. *The Collapse of Richmond's Church Hill Tunnel by Walter S. Griggs, Jr..
67. *Slay Ride by Chris Grabenstein
68. Superior Deception by Matthew Williams (e-book)
69. *Curse of the Narrows by Laura M MacDonald
70. Superior Dilemma by Matthew Williams
71. *A Bone to Pick by Charlaine Harris

I'm also planning to participate in the 13 in 13 Category Challenge and the 75 Challenge in 2013.
ETA to add 13 in 13 Category Challenge is COMPLETED!

And all my reading, ROOT and otherwise, will be on my 75 Challenge thread.

Hi Terri, are we crazy or what! All these challenges, all these threads to keep track of! Good luck with this challenge, I'll drop by to root you on.

I really like the photo! And the outfits! Much more modest than the cheerleading outfits these days.

Terri and Judy - I don't know how you keep track of all your challenges and still have time to read and contribute to others. I only do 2 and sometimes I still can't keep up. And all those new CATS in the 13 challenge. Especially this time of year setting up new ones, trying to keep up with old ones, looking over books for next year.... and do all the holiday stuff too. I took a half-day sick today to get some cookie baking done. Shhh - don't tell.

BTW - nice outfits.

7 Yes, we're probably crazy, Judy!

8 Thanks, lilisin! Those were the days . . .

9 Betty, I really haven't been spending time over on the 13 in 13 challenge yet, except to organize my thread. I didn't know about the CATS until now. I just looked, and I plan to ignore them. I have more than enough stuff to keep track of without them, and they are "take it or leave it." I don't do TIOLIs on my other challenges, either, (except I did do the "month" TIOLI on the 12 in 12 most months). It all just gets too complicated and gets in the way of reading what I want to.

I did the TIOLI too - I'm reading my last book for the challenge right now. Since I couldn't fit what I wanted to read next year into any cohesive theme, I'm using the alphabet anyway, so I'll probably do that one anyway. The rest - we 'll see.

Are you in the photo? If so, which girl is you?

Nice organization. (Now I have to go back to the 2013 Challenge and figure out what CATS means.)

Betty, I'm planning to do 12th-in-series for the December month TIOLI. I think I managed something every month except October, and I figured all my Halloween reading should count for something there.

Steven, I was the girl in the middle of the front row with the glasses. (I don't look much like that anymore.)
The CATS are in the 2013 Category Challenge. I just found them -- there's an administrative thread that explains them (sort of). But I'm not getting involved in those. no no no . . .

>12 by @steven03tx, It stands for Categories And Themes, there's 3 (for each month) series of "take it or leave it" challenges available during the year: AlphaCAT - two letters each month to use how you'd like (author first/last name, title, etc) in selecting, AwardCAT - one general award and one genre award each month to select from, and the RandomCAT - each month a different member will choose a random something as a theme. They're entirely optional, and how rigidly you choose to follow their directions is also entirely up to you (e.g. some have mentioned choosing anything written by an author whose book is in one of the award categories).

I love your picture at the top! I'm wondering why all of the girls in the front row are making a fist?

Sandy K

I think it was supposed to bring to mind the old "Fight!" cheer . . . ;) The photographer thought it looked energetic, or something. . .

In this case, I'm "fighting" TBR-pile overload!

Oh, I get it! Yes, fight TBR overload! :)

Sandy K

Hi Terri, I just joined the group and I am making the rounds of the familiar 'names'! *waves*

*waves back at Lori!*

Well, a nasty case of flu hindered my efforts to reach the goal of last year's BOMBS challenge. I fell two shy of my goal of blowing 60 books off my shelf. Now I get to start all over again.

Good luck getting those books off the shelf!

You can do it, Terri! I hope you feel better.

Good morning, Terrri. Hoping the flu is over by now.

My goal, she said foolishly, is to read 75 books off my current shelves, including e-books. That would be books purchased or somehow acquired before 1/1/13. So far, 2 down, but am now reading a new book...just couldn't resist the temptation of a tutored read...

Terri, btw, I love the cheerleading photo. What fun! Any good cheerleading stories come from those days?

21 & 22 Thanks Regina & Connie!

23 75 off the shelf is ambitious, Gail. Good luck!

24. Sorry, Regina, no cheerleading stories to share. I only cheered 1 semester in Jr. high and it wasn't terribly memorable. But I thought the photo fit the theme here.

Hi Terri, sorry to hear that the flu bug got you, hope you are feeling better now.

Gradually improving, Judy. All better but the cough. I'm told that is lasting for weeks and weeks with everyone . . . and I'm one of those people who always wind up with bronchitis for half the winter after having the flu, anyway. Thanks for the good wishes!

ROOT book #1
Title: Whack-A-Mole (E-BOOK; FICTION)
Author: Chris Grabenstein
Series: John Ceepak (Jersey Shore) #3
Date finished: 1/4/13
Off the Shelf? (pre-2013 or ER?) Source?: Off the virtual shelf; Kindle store 2012
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Surfside Six
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): set at the shore
Alternate category Dragnet
My Rating: 3.24 stars
Notes:

I like this series for its setting and the contrasting two main characters. This one wasn't as good as the first (or the second, I don't think). It just seemed a bit too implausible. Also, more grisly than other two, I think. And I guessed whodunit way too early. It also felt like he upped the profanity count, though they've never been squeaky clean.

Congratulations on your first book off the shelf!

Thanks, Regina!

One off the shelf and three go on. Couldn't resist yesterday's Kindle Daily Deal -- 2nd in a series, and the first in the series was a freebie. Then, today, found Tales of the Uncanny and Supernatural by Algernon Blackwood on the sale table at the library for a dime.

I'm up to 15 books acquired already this year, with an order to Better World Books (couldn't resist a sale) and an ER arrival.

I've taken a second off the (virtual) shelf; and it's an ER, so it counts as a SuperROOT.

ROOT book #2
Title: The Bourbon Street Ripper
Author: Leo King
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2012
Series: book 1 of 2, Sins of the Father

OK, this is King's first novel, and it shows. The story line is a bit implausible. Also, he tries to throw in everything but the kitchen sink . . . actually, the kitchen sink is there, to wash bloody hands and implements . . .

Despite the overkill of story devices and other flaws, I did want to see how things turned out. I'm seriously bummed out at the cliffhanger ending. I don't know if I care about these characters enough to buy Book 2.

Longer review posted on book's main page.

ROOT book #3
Title: Last Man Out: The Story of the Springhill Mine Disaster
Author: Melissa Fay Greene

This was a pretty good account of the Springhill Mine #2 Disaster of 1958 and its aftermath. The #2 mine, located in Springhill, Nova Scotia, was, at the time, the deepest in North America. The disaster killed many miners immediately, but left two separate groups of men fighting for life in the darkness on different levels of the mine.

ROOT Book #4
Title: Cover of Snow
Author: Jenny Milchman

This ER book came with instructions that reviews not be published until Jan 22, the book's release date. So for the moment, let me just say that I'm impressed by the quality of this author's first novel. It was complex, but not too convoluted; it kept me turning pages, and really drew me in.

Oh, I didn't post my last two ROOTS on this thread yet.

ROOT Book #5
Title: Family Skeletons
Author: Rett MacPherson
Series: #1 in Torie O'Shea
Off the Shelf? (pre-2013 or ER?) Source?: Off the shelf, but a newbie. Not pre-2013.

Torie O'Shea, resident genealogist and historical guide in New Kassel, Missouri, is hesitant when a woman she barely knows (and mostly dislikes) asks her to do her family history -- and find (if possible) the fate of her father who never returned from WWII. Then Torie finds the woman's body, and is propelled into her family's mystery. Spring flooding of the mighty Mississippi River adds an element of natural drama.

I really enjoyed this book and read it in less than a day. Highly recommended!

ROOT Book #6
Title: A Haunted Love Story: The Ghosts of the Allen House
Author: Mark Spencer
Date finished: 1-22-13
Off the Shelf? (pre-2013 or ER?) Source?: Off the virtual shelf, from Amazon, pre-2013

A young couple falls in love with a mansion reputed to be haunted. They talk the owner into selling, move in with their kids, and have strange experiences. A woman had committed suicide in the house in the 1940's -- no one was sure why -- and her ghost is believed to remain in the house, along with some others from her family.

People who know the house's reputation clamor to see inside, so the couple offers tours to offset the substantial cost of restoration. Paranormal investigators come and gather evidence. Finally, the owner finds himself led, he believes by the ghost, to find letters hidden in the attic, which shed light on the suicide.

This book gets points for being more well-written than many in the "true ghost story" genre. Parts of it were interesting and creepy. The history of the house & original family that owned it were interesting, and I appreciate the research that went into learning about them. But I wonder at the retelling of the dead woman's final months based on the letters Spencer found -- how closely did he stay with the facts as stated in the letters and other verified sources? And did I want that much detail (nothing graphic, mind you) about her personal life?

Odd thing, we just got a channel added to our TV package that carries the show "A Haunting." The first episode we get to see is about this house. How's that for timing?

Photos included of the house show it to be very, very impressive and beautiful.

I put a post for a book in the wrong place. So I need to put something here because I'm moving that post up into another spot.

*Delurking*
I'm liking your reviews and the whole ROOT idea.
*Relurking*

Thanks! Gail, this group in its various incarnations (BOTS, BOMBS, ROOTs) has really helped me to focus more on the books that I have . . .

. . . not that I'm still not accumulating. Our library is doing "deep weeding" of unused books, and I'm adopting some of the strays that I want to read while they are still within shouting distance. Another book followed me home today . . . ;)

BTW, lurk to your heart's content, and de-lurk as the mood hits . . .

Ew, the Family Skeltons book sounds really good. Adding it to the TBR!

I hope you like it, Regina!

ROOT book #7
Title: The Sandburg Connection
Author: Mark deCastrique
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2011
Series: Sam Blackman
Date finished: 2-5-13
Off the Shelf? (pre-2013 hard cover or ER?) Source?: Yes (but virtual shelf); from Sony Reader Store
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Masterpiece Mystery
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): mystery
Alternate category any mystery category
My Rating:3.9
Notes:

I mostly enjoyed this third outing with PI Sam Blackman, former Army Chief Warrant Officer who lost a leg in Iraq. Hired to follow a professor claiming grievous injury in a malpractice suit to see if she's faking, he winds up on the scene as she falls to her death. What was a woman who supposedly had a terrible back injury doing climbing Glassy Mountain at Connemara, poet Carl Sandburg's historic North Carolina estate? Was it an accident, or did someone (who?) want her dead? And what do her dying words -- a reference to Sandburg -- have to do with it all, if anything? And when push comes to shove, will Sam Blackman stand by his principles?

I kind of figured the direction this mystery was going (as to Janet's research) before the detectives did . . . but not where it ended up, nor the whodunit part of the story. I very much enjoyed all the history that was packed into this book -- about Sandburg, and about Connemara. If you read this book, be sure to look at the author's acknowledgments at the end.

There was one aspect that bothered me, but I can't discuss it without something of a spoiler. So if you haven't read the book and think you might, STOP HERE.


glitter-graphics.com
SPOILER ALERT!

The malpractice claim against the surgeon was obviously righteous, but I was bothered by Sam helping the daughter go after big bucks from the pharmaceutical company because of Janet's fall -- even if there was no foul play, let alone if they were hiding another possible cause of the fall, such as maybe someone pushing her. Even mild over-the-counter drugs generally have warnings all over that they might cause dizziness or to be careful of activities, etc. -- more so with powerful prescription medications. I think if woman climbs a mountain after taking the maximum dose of such a drug despite the warnings, her family shouldn't sue the drug company if she falls. I'm sick of people who get hurt doing stupid things suing other people for their injuries.

End of rant/spoiler

Wow, it took no time at all for that series by Rett MacPherson to find its way onto my list. Shame on you!

That one may feel a little like home for a Missouri reader like you!

Sandburg Connection seems to be calling me...

Heed the call, Gail! I love that series.

I will admit, "Missouri" was the first thing that caught my eye. But it does sound like a good series!

So far, it is!

ROOT BOOK #8
Title: Toms River (ER edition -- bound uncorrected proofs)
Author: Dan Fagin
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2013 (due to be released in mid-March)
Date finished: 02/14/12
Off the Shelf? (pre-2013 or ER?) Source?: Yes, ER book awarded in December batch
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Meet the Press
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): Current events
My Rating: 4.4 stars
Notes:

This caught my interest because I used to live in South Jersey. It held my interest because the author really can write. Fagin took a story filled with complex issues and made it understandable and compelling. He even made the scientific stuff interesting and comprehensible for me, and I am NOT a science person.

This is not a happy book -- what book is that deals with toxic waste and cancer? But I think it's an important book, telling an important story and dealing with important issues.

I stayed up late to finally finish this book. Now I can't get to sleep, so I may as well post it.

ROOT book #9:
Title: Thunder Bay
Author: William Kent Krueger
Series: Cork O'Connor #7
Date finished: 2-23-13
Off the Shelf? (pre-2013 or ER?) Source?: Yes, gift Christmas 2012
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Wild Kingdom
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): Set largely in wilderness area
Alternate category any mystery/suspense category
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

This one took me a while to get into. I put it down for a while, but when I got back to it, it finally pulled me in and wouldn't let me go. Another suspenseful and thought-provoking installment in the Cork O'Connor series.

And, did you sleep after all?

Eventually, around 4 a.m.

Late nights finally caught up with me. Last night I crashed and fell sound asleep around 9:30.

Root Book #10
Title: Prayers for Rain
Author: Dennis Lehane
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1999
Series: Kenzie and Gennaro, #5
Date finished: 3/4/13
Off the Shelf? (pre-2013 or ER?) Source?: Yes, purchased used at Pages & Light last year.
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: still deciding
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

Next-to-last installment in the gritty Boston-based series featuring Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro. Patrick is hired by a woman who is being harassed by a man. He takes steps to deal with the situation. When, six months later, Patrick learns that the woman has committed a particularly spectacular suicide, he feels compelled to investigate. This story features a particularly cruel and creepy perp.

ROOT book #11
Title: Still Life with Murder
Author: P.B. Ryan
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Series: Gilded Age Mysteries #1
Date finished: 3-11-13
Off the Shelf? (pre-2013 or ER?) Source?: YES, off the virtual shelf; Kindle selection (freebie?)
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: North and South
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): It takes place immediately after the Civil War; events of that war are important to the storyline
Alternate category ?
My Rating: 3 stars
Notes:

This is a perfectly good historical mystery. The author included a lot of historical detail, and I'm reasonably sure she did her homework on it. The aspects where I have knowledge, I know the author is spot on. I just never warmed up to this book. I'm not sure why. The relationship of the story to the just-ended (at the time of the setting) US Civil War, and the references to the notorious Andersonville POW camp (which our family has visited), ought to have drawn me into the story more. I can't give a glowing recommendation, but I wouldn't discourage anyone who likes historical mysteries from trying this one. It may have just been my mood that kept me from enjoying it more.

ROOT Book #12
Title: A Veiled Antiquity
Author: Rett MacPherson
Copyright/Year of original publication:1998
Series: Torie O'Shea #2
Date finished: 3/12/13
Off the Shelf? (pre-2013 or ER?) Source?: Yes, but not a pre-2013 "superROOT." Purchased used this year from Better World Books
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Roots
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): Genealogy as factor
Alternate category any mystery or series category
My Rating: 3.9 stars
Notes:

This was another delightful installment of the Torie O'Shea series. This is fast becoming my favorite cozy series. A woman is found dead from a fall. Was it an accident? And are the historical documents Torie stumbled upon in the dead woman's house a possible motive for murder? Can Torie and the sheriff call a truce and work together to solve the mystery?

ROOT Book #13
Title: A Haunting at Hensley Hall (E-BOOK)
Author: Merabeth James
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Series: Ravynne Sisters Paranormal Mysteries (#1?)
Date finished: 3/14/13
Off the Shelf? (pre-2013 or ER?) Source?: Yes, but off the virtual shelf; Kindle bargain book.
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Twilight Zone
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): Ghosts
Alternate category ?
My Rating: 2 1/2 stars
Notes:

Sisters enter a contest and win a haunted mansion that needs a ton of fixing up. The house and it's original residents had a supposed history of suicide, a disappearance, and links to some area murders. And ghosts. My personal favorite of the ghosts was the ghost cat. The sisters want to figure out what really happened 40 years ago, who the murderer was, and what happened to the girl who disappeared. (The girl is obviously dead, because her ghost keeps showing up, but she doesn't answer questions -- she just wails a lot.)

OK, this was not great literature. It was corny, and there were grammar and punctuation errors, and the whole thing just felt sort of amateurish . . . It got really weird at the end. Really. Weird. They kept throwing in silly elements of romance -- really not my cup of tea. And they kept referring back to past adventures that made me wonder if this was really the first in the series, as I was originally led to believe. But I did kind of get drawn into the story. Parts of it were fun. A decent diversion, a light read to balance heavier topics now being read. I have another one from this series, and I may read it -- it's about a haunted lighthouse, I think. I will NOT read the vampire one -- I understand there is a vampire one -- no way.

ROOT book #14*
Title: Time for God
Author: Jacques Philippe
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1992
Date finished: 3-18-13
Off the Shelf? (pre-2013 or ER?) Source?: Yes, Christmas gift 2012
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Touched By an Angel
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): about prayer/religious
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.5 stars (I hate having to rate a book like this; its value is so based on what the reader brings to it.)
Notes:

This was a very slender book that took a long time for me to get through. It is very much written in the Roman Catholic tradition, though there are insights to be gleaned by any Christian. I think the main point that resonated with me was the need to be faithful in daily prayer, even when it doesn't feel productive or helpful -- to take time for God every day, no matter what.

* I seem to have a discrepancy over how many ROOT books I've read. My stats on my 75 Challenge say that this is the 15th. I need to go back and see if I've missed something.

ETA to add This thread seems to have the correct count.

ROOT book #15
Title: Killer Show: The Station Nightclub Fire
Author: John Barylick
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2012
Date finished: 3-19-2013
Off the Shelf? / SuperROOT?(pre-2013 or ER?) / Source?: Yes/Yes, ER book/ LT ER program
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Emergency!
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): fire disaster
Alternate category Law and order (much emphasis on legal proceedings resulting from the fire)
My Rating: 4.4 stars
Notes:

On February 20, 2003, pyrotechnics used by the band Great White ignited a fire in The Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island, that killed 100 people, and seriously injured many more. This book attempts to explain (compellingly, IMO) the causes of the fire, how the disaster unfolded, why so many perished, and the aftermath (physical, emotional, and legal) of the conflagration.

In some ways, it's an all too familiar formula for disaster: flammable material + overcrowding + inadequate/blocked exits + inadequate enforcement of fire code. The famed 1943 Cocoanut Grove fire in Boston was attributed to the same toxic mix of elements. (Will people never learn?) Add in illegal and inappropriate pyrotechnics in a small club, and you have an even more potent prescription for disaster. Barylick breaks down the various elements in their infuriating details, then vividly describes the horror that resulted for people who were unfortunate enough to be in The Station on that fateful night in February 2003. He makes it clear how awful it was without resorting to sensationalism.

It's important to note that John Barylick was one of the attorneys representing victims and families in civil litigation following the fire, so his explanation of the legal aftermath of the fire is almost as fascinating as the details of the fire itself. If you're used to seeing those "personal injury" lawyer ads on TV late at night -- well, he has no use for those. Barylick explains the complexities of tort law as practiced by competent trial attorneys in the wake of complex tragedies (as opposed to the methods of what he calls "heavy-advertising settlement attorneys" who largely confine their efforts to easy-to-settle cases). He makes a good case for explaining why, for justice to be done for the victims, "peripheral" defendants with deeper pockets wound up paying more that those clearly-liable-but-cash-strapped folks most to blame for the fire. He also explains the process of arriving at a distribution formula among the many plaintiffs. It's all quite fascinating.

The book has extensive endnotes. Appendices include a sobering list of all 100 people killed by the fire and their ages; a summary of criminal court results; and a list of those defendants who contributed to the civil court settlement and the amount of money they placed in the victim compensation pool.

Killer Show is a well-written and knowledgeable account of a terrible tragedy, which I found difficult to put down -- though there were times when the facts were just so sobering that I had to put it down for a while to reflect. Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in fire prevention and/or public safety.

I'm doing well with ROOTing books off the shelf for reading. But I'm still adding them faster than I'm reading them. I just caved in to a sale and ordered 13 used books. Yikes!

Hi Terri, you are doing so well with the Roots. This month has not been a good one for me Root wise, I was going to pat myself on the back for not buying any books, but remembered just in time all the Kindle purchases!

Oh, yes, Judy, and I've gotten a bunch of e-books, too. Actually, some of them were short stories, so I don't count them toward anything when I read them . . . plus our library is weeding the collection, and selling books at $1 a bag. I'm trying to catch any books they weed that are on my TBR list . . . with varying success. So my book collection continues to outgrow my shelves, real and virtual.

I too was feeling somewhat smug at how well I had done this year reading more than I had accumulated. Alas, I fear at the end of March my TBR will be almost back where it was at the beginning of the year - a Bookmooch here, an e- book there....

Those danged e-books are just a trap, designed by evil book-selling people...

61 (singing) Here a book, there a book, everywhere a book-book . . . Old MacDonald had a library . . . ;)
Betty, I just brought home two bags full from the library sale today . . . (sigh)

62 Of course, Gail -- it's a plot for books to take over the world . . . ;)

I think Books allready did that!

Our library sales haven't started here yet. I keep watching the papers for announcements.

I will control myself this year, I will, I will...

64 Good, Connie! :)

65 Sure you will, Betty . . . ;)

ROOT Book #16
Title: Dangerous Undertaking
Author: Mark de Castrique
Series: Buryin' Barry #1
Date finished: 3/23/13
Off the Shelf? (pre-2013 or ER?) Source?: Off the virtual shelf from 2012; not a superROOT
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Mystery!
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 4.3 stars
Notes:

I've read the author's Sam Blackman series, and didn't think I could like a protagonist more than I like the character of Sam -- but Barry Clayton is, in own his way, just as great a character. He was happily building a career in the Charlotte police dept. when family duty called -- he returned to his hometown in the mountains of North Carolina when his father was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's, so he could help care for him and help run the family's mortuary.

The mystery is good, too! This installment begins with a shooting at a funeral, when one mentally-unbalanced heir shoots the other two known heirs -- and Barry, too. What set him off? And where did he disappear to after the shooting? I enjoyed the characters and the plot twists. I've ordered more books in this series!

I had to smile when I read the one review posted for this book. The writer of the review quoted as a sample of humorous dialog the very lines I'd planned to quote -- lines that made me laugh OUT LOUD while trying to read quietly in the middle of the night next to my sleeping husband.

In case you can't tell from what I've written already -- I absolutely loved this book!

I've ordered more books in this series!

That prooves it! UpROOTing books does not lead to a smaller TBR pile!!

Oooo...bg decision. It's actually very reasonably priced as an e-book. I suppose since it won't take up any extra space on the TBR, I could get it. And I am currently below my beginning total of my TBR. Yup! BB!

67 I've ordered more books in this series!
That proves it! UpROOTing books does not lead to a smaller TBR pile!!

You mean you hadn't figure that out before, Connie?

68 I hope you enjoy it, Betty!

Yes, of course!! That's how things work for me. One book read, brings two books into the house.

So I promised myself I will not start any new series!! Never, Ever!!

Uh-huh . . .

ROOT Book #17
Title: You Can't Lose 'em All: The Year the Phillies Finally Won the World Series
Author: Frank Fitzpatrick
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2001
Date finished: 3/25/13
Off the Shelf? (pre-2013 or ER?) Source?: Yes, Yes, Christmas gift 2012
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Meet the Press/Wide World of Sports
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): About the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat . . .
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Notes:

Oh, I enjoyed this look at the 1980 Phillies -- how the team was built over the years, the drama of their near-misses of the late 1970's and the eventual world-champion season -- and also a brief look at Phillies history in general. Founded in 1883, the Phillies waited longer than any other club in Major League Baseball to finally win their first world championship. To say that the Philadelphia sports fans were cynical would be an understatement -- these were folks who would boo Santa Claus, and famously did!

I never realized quite how disfunctional that championship team was, in terms of their interactions with each other, their management, the press, and the Philadelphia fans. It's an interesting story of conflicting personalities and egos. It was also a blast from the past. I appreciated that Fitzpatrick placed the story in its context of an almost century-long losing tradition of cellar dwellers who, in their rare moments of almost greatness, inevitably choked. When the teams didn't collapse, their stadiums did. I had never heard about the early-20th-century Butler Bowl, and the two fatal grandstand collapses it suffered. I did know the names of many players, managers, and broadcasters he wrote about -- especially those whose careers were in my lifetime. Fitzpatrick did have a habit of dropping names into the narrative without explaining who they were, at least until later. Perhaps he figured that anyone reading the book would be interested enough in the Phillies to know who they were?

I remember clearly the 1980 Phillies season. I wasn't in the ballpark when they finally won the big one -- I was watching with my parents at the home where they then lived in South Jersey. I remember my mother's sheer joy. She was one of those faithful, long-suffering Phillies fans that had followed the team through many losing years. We shared a happy dance as our favorite team finally triumphed. The memory brought tears to my eyes.

The book was published in 2001, before the team's second world championship in 2008; it ends pessimistically, with the team down in the doldrums again. That's OK; it's a Philadelphia state of mind, I fear, at least when it comes to the city's sports teams.

ROOT book #18
Title: Hail to the Chef
Author: Julie Hyzy
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2008
Series: White House Chef #2
Date finished: 4/1/12
Off the Shelf? (pre-2013 or ER?) Source?: Yes, yes, purchased used in 2010 at the Book Barn in Niantic, CT.
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Mystery
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.6 stars
Notes:

This was a pleasant and clever cozy. White House Executive Chef Ollie Paras finds herself in the middle of an explosive situation when it appears that someone may be trying to plant a bomb in the White House. What's going on, and will the criminals be caught?

ROOT book #19
Title: The Lighthouse Keeper's Wife
Author: Connie Scovill Small
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1986
Date finished: 4/4/13
Off the Shelf? Super ROOT? (pre-2013 or ER?) Source?: Yes, Yes, purchased used
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Surfside Six
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): Lighthouses are by the sea . . .
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.4 stars
Notes:

This book was quite good for what it was -- the memories of a woman who spent most of her life married to a lighthouse keeper, much of it living on isolated islands where the only way to get anywhere was by boat. She was of the era when a woman was simply expected to sacrifice whatever she might want for the sake of her husband. This extended beyond the mere fact of living on an island. She even gave up painting because she enjoyed it so much, one day she didn't have her husband's supper prepared when he was ready to eat. She clearly loved him, though. And she seemed to love her lighthouse life in many ways, though it was lonely and came with many difficulties. The book includes a scholarly introduction which talks about women's autobiographies as a genre distinct from men's autobiographies. Hmmm. . .

ROOT book #20
Title: Psalms: The Sunrise of Hope e-book
Author: Bob Saffrin
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2012
Date finished: 4/23/13
Off the Shelf? (pre-2013 or ER?) Source?: Off my virtual shelf, not pre-2013 or ER
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Touched by an Angel
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): religious
Alternate category
My Rating: 3 stars
Notes:

Saffrin took a selection of Psalms and wrote his thoughts of how each was suited to provide hope for people in specific situations, following up each with a series of questions to ponder. The first Psalm he used also related to a special exercise in the appendix.

This book lacked something. There were a few good ideas that touched my heart, but not many. There was a bit too much repetition regarding back-story of the Psalms and the illustrations he chose. I'm sure these were his honest reflections on what he saw written in the Psalms, but there was a lack of depth. I used it as a devotional, reading a chapter a day, and found that it was OK used that way -- nothing special. I did like some aspects of the formatting of the e-book, how the meditations were linked to the texts of the particular Psalms (though one of the links didn't work in my copy). It was pleasant enough for a free e-book, but I'm not sure I'd want to spend a lot of money on it.

ROOT book #21
Title: Black Seconds
Author: Karin Fossum
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2002 (Norwegian) English Translation c2007
Series: Inspector Sejir (#5 in English Translation order)
Date finished: 4-24-13
Off the Shelf? (pre-2013 or ER?) Source?: Yes, Yes, purchased when Borders went out of business
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Dragnet
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): Police Procedural
Alternate category
My Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Notes:

The writing in this series always feels a little stilted -- perhaps it's a translation thing. But the story was good; even though I more or less figured out the solution, seeing the how and why and what Sejir would do with it was worth the read. I like Inspector Sejir, and will definitely continue the series.

ROOT book #22
Title: The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers
Author: Amy Hollingsworth
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2005
Date finished: 4/26/13
Off the Shelf? SuperROOT? (pre-2013 or ER) Source?: Yes, Yes, purchased at Ollies last year
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Touched by an Angel
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): Faith/Spirituality theme
Alternate category
My Rating: 3 stars
Notes:

This little book was, in theory, an examination of the religious beliefs of Fred Rogers and how those beliefs shaped his work in children's TV. It came across, however, more as a tribute than an objective study, IMO. A pleasant read about a man who communicated some healthy values to a lot of kids.

OK, one for May.

ROOT book #23
Title: The Gauguin Connection e-book
Author: Estelle Ryan
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2012
Series: Genevieve Lenard #1
Date finished: 5/3/13
Off the Shelf? (pre-2013 or ER?) Source?: Off virtual shelf, not long-term
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Space Invaders
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): doesn't really fit anywhere else
Alternate category
My Rating: 3 stars
Notes:

The central character and narrator of this story is Dr. Genevieve Lenard, a woman with high-functioning autism who works as an insurance investigator. The premise is interesting: aware of her autistic lack of intuitive ability to "read" people, Genevieve made a formal study of body language, to the point where she is one of the world's foremost experts in it. Her job consists mostly of sitting in a room with computer monitors, looking at videos to pick up signs of fraud in those filing claims; also, she is expert at examining data and picking out patterns. Her boss and mentor, Phillip, says she has saved the company many millions of dollars in fraudulent claims; Phillip is normally happy to let her do her work in peace and quiet, and to smooth over her inability to interact socially with co-workers and clients.

But Dr. Lenard is moved out of her comfort zone when Phillip's old friend Manny seeks help with a case involving murder, art fraud, stolen weapons, and various European security agencies. She finds herself interacting not only with the curmudgeonly Manny, but also with some unlikely allies and mysterious enemies.

I thought the premise and the main character were interesting. I didn't much care for the story itself. I'll say up front that tales of international intrigue are not usually my cup of tea. I have no idea whether any of the European organizations and agencies (other than Interpol) exist and were used fictitiously, or were wholly fictional. The whole conspiracy tale seemed convoluted and rather implausible.

The narration stayed "in character" for a person on the Autism spectrum. There was no use of metaphor or other figurative language, except as she dealt with the words of those around her. Her lack of comprehension of the non-literal language of other people was totally realistic (As I have a son on the Autism Spectrum, I've encountered that bewilderment countless times when I've made the wrong word choices.) It goes without saying that this isn't a book to read for rich, literary use of language.

I didn't much like the story, but I liked the character. I have the next book in the series, and I'll eventually give it a try.

Your review started out so promising, I thought for sure I'd be taking a BB. Think I'll wait to see what you think of #2 before I decide. I put it on the wishlist with a note to check out your review again before I decide. It's not like I'm going to run out of reading material any time soon.

Betty, I really wanted to like this book because I liked the character. But the whole international conspiracy type of plot is the sort of book I tend to usually avoid. Those who like that type of story might enjoy it much more. I don't read enough of that genre to make a good judgment. If it weren't for the unique main character, I would have never even looked at this book.

There was some very interesting information in the book about art forgery and fraud.

ROOT book #24
Title: Heaven's Keep
Author: William Kent Krueger
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2009
Series: Cork O'Connor #9
Date finished: 5/6/13
Off the Shelf? (pre-2013 or ER?) Source?: Yes, Yes, purchased pre-2013
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Wild Kingdom
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): Portions set in wilds of Wyoming
Alternate category
My Rating: 4.35 stars
Notes:

He's done it again! William Kent Krueger continues to impress me with this marvelous series about Cork O'Connor.

Cork's world is shattered when the private charter plane on which his wife Jo is traveling to a meeting goes missing in a Wyoming snowstorm. As searches of the wild, rugged terrain yield no results, Cork becomes resigned to the fact that she is lost.

Then two women come to him with a hard-to-believe theory and some videotape. And suddenly Cork is on the move -- determined, once and for all, to learn what happened to his wife and the others on that ill-fated flight.

Krueger's writing is wonderful: the setting is described beautifully, the characters are three- dimensional and complex, and plot kept me eager to read on.

I will get to this series - I will. It's just that I ony have #5 so far and I need to get 1-4. Guess I'll add this to the ones I'm looking for at library sales this summer.

Good luck!

Another off the virtual shelf:

ROOT #25
Title: Grave Undertaking (e-book)
Author: Mark de Castrique
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2004
Series: Buryin' Barry #2
Date finished: 5/14/13
Off the Shelf? (purchased pre-2013 or ER?) Source?: YES, NO, Kindle book
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Law & Order
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

I'm really enjoying this series about Barry Clayton, who gave up his police career in Charlotte to move back to his mountain hometown and tend the family funeral home when his Dad developed Alzheimer's disease. This installment finds him digging up an extra skeleton during an exhumation in neighboring Walker County -- a body with a bullet hole in the skull, clandestinely buried there back when the grave was freshly dug seven years ago. And the dead man has a photo of Barry's girlfriend Susan in his wallet.

As Barry digs into the man's past, evidence emerges of possible wrongdoings in the Walker County justice system -- a potential scandal serious enough to for someone to kill to cover up. As the body count begins to climb, will Barry or Susan be the next corpse headed to the graveyard?

Barry also finds himself searching for his father who wanders off in the freezing cold; mulling an offer from a mega-funeral-home-corporation to buy the family business; and tending to the burial of teenage brothers killed in a car wreck just before Christmas.

It's all in a week's work in the life of Buryin' Barry. And it makes for great reading.

ROOT #26
Title:Autism & Asperger's Syndrome in Layman's Terms
Author: by Raymond Le Blanc
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2012
Date finished: 5/17/13
Off the Shelf? / SuperROOT? / Source?: YES (virtual) NO, Amazon Kindle
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Meet the Press?
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): Autism currently a significant issue
Alternate category
My Rating: 2 1/2 stars
Notes:

This book contains a lot of useful information, but I don't like the format. There is much repetition. Some of that is because it's set up more as a reference, not as something to be read straight through. But I feel that it still doesn't require so much of the same info to be presented over and over as it is in this book. Also, some of the wording is very awkward and confusing. This is a book in need of a good editor.

ROOT Book #27
Title: Ordinary Grace
Author: William Kent Krueger
Copyright/Year of original pubication: 2013
Series: n/a
Date finished: 5/18/2013
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 or ER? Source?: Yes, No, gift
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Touched By an Angel
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): themes of faith
Alternate category
My Rating: 4.4 stars
Notes:

William Kent Krueger is best known for his Cork O'Connor mystery series. In that series, he often touches on themes of faith and spirituality. But those themes take front and center in this tale which, I believe, is Krueger's first stand-alone novel.

The story focuses on the summer of 1961 in the life of Frank Drumm, son of the Methodist pastor in the small town of New Bremen, Minnesota. It is told by a middle-aged Frank, recalling that pivotal summer when he first experienced death and other issues capable of shaking his faith.

The summer begins with the death of a young boy on the railroad tracks, and more trouble is soon to follow. Before long, Frank's family seems in danger of shattering, and Frank himself is carrying a secret which threatens to break his heart. As he and his younger brother Jake, who is afflicted by painful stuttering, deal with one crisis after another, they discover "the awful grace of God" amid the turmoil of human suffering.

For those looking for an action-filled mystery such as in Krueger's series, well this isn't going to be what they expect. Yes, there is death -- some of it violent -- and there is mystery. But this is a slower-paced but intense coming-of-age story, a look at small-town life in a different era, and an examination of how people deal with grief, pain, secrets, anger, and matters of faith.

I really enjoyed this story, and getting to know Frank and Jake as they grew up, somewhat too quickly, in the eventful summer of 1961.

ROOT Book #28
Title: The Various Haunts of Men
Author: Susan Hill
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2004; first US printing 2007
Series: Simon Serrailler #1
Date finished: 5/23/13
Off the Shelf? Obtained Pre-2013 or ER? Source?: Yes, Yes, purchased used somewhere.
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Dragnet
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): Police procedural
Alternate category
My Rating: 4.9 stars
Notes:

Oh, mercy, what a book this is! I've long heard great comments from fellow LT-ers about this series, but nothing prepared me for how impressive this book was for me. It's a mystery, a police procedural, but so much more. Hill introduces us to a whole village filled with vivid, complex, memorable characters. And she weaves a complex tale of mystery that starts off rather slowly (though you know there's trouble almost from chapter 1) but picks up momentum and carries the reader away.

A concerned neighbor reports a woman missing. Someone else goes missing, too. These things happen, but Detective Sergeant Freya Graffham suspects there may be a connection, and seeks permission from Chief Inspector Simon Serrallier to work the case. Freya is new to the village of Lafferton, and gets to know many of the local people and places along with the reader.

This is a marvelously crafted book which I thoroughly enjoyed.

>77 tymfos:: Will you be mine? Would be mine? Won't you be my neighbor?

Loved the first Hill book myself. Have the second on hand, but haven't got to it yet. Really stalled out on reading this month, but things are starting to pick up. at least a bit.

Here's hoping you have a wonderful, peaceful weekend, Terri.

I have the second book in the Hill series on my shelf, too. Despite loving the first, I may wait a bit before hitting book #2, due to the intensity level.

Wishing you, also, a wonderful, peaceful weekend, Gail!

ROOT book #29
Title: Hell Hole
Author: Chris Grabenstein
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2008
Series: John Ceepak
Date finished: 6/3/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 and/or ER? Source?: Yes, No, Better World Books purchase this year.
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Surfside Six
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): Shore setting
Alternate category any mystery category
My Rating: 3.7 stars
Notes:

I like this series about ex-Army MP John Ceepak of the Seaside Heights police department, as narrated by his young patrol partner Danny Boyle. I especially enjoy the New Jersey Shore setting. Grabenstein really captures the flavor of coastal tourist communities in the Garden State.

Danny and Officer Samantha Starkey respond to a late night noise complaint arising from a group of partying soldiers fresh from a tour of duty in Iraq. They wind up escorting one of the soldiers to ID the body of one of their company members, who purportedly committed suicide in the men's room at a Garden State Parkway rest area. Or was it really suicide? If not, who is responsible?

Overall, this was a good outing in the series, but I'm not sure I liked how it turned out -- or, rather, what the answer turned out to be.

ROOT book #30
Title: Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead
Author: Sara Gran
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2011
Series: Claire deWitt #1
Date finished: 6/19/13
Off the Shelf? Pre 2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, No, Kindle Store
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Bourbon Street Beat
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): set in New Orleans
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.8 stars
Notes:

A year after Hurricane Katrina, Claire DeWitt, Private Investigator, is hired to find out what happened to a missing Assistant District Attorney who disappeared at the time of the catastrophic flooding. Was he "just" another victim of the storm? Or was there foul play? The missing man's nephew wants to know.

It took me a while to settle into this one. I was fascinated by the Post-Katrina New Orleans setting. But Claire is not your typical PI. I can't say I approved of all her actions (especially driving while stoned). And some of the way she dealt with the case was a bit implausible. But, in the end, I enjoyed the book and would like to read the next one. It was an interesting change of pace.

ROOT book #31
Title: Death in the Baltic
Author:Cathryn J. Prince
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2013
Series: n/a
Date finished: 6/21/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, Yes (ER), LT ER program
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Emergency!
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): disaster
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Notes:

"What hurt me about it the most was everybody would talk about the Titanic," Inge Bendrich Roedecker said, remembering her mother's experience. "My mother said, 'I was on a boat that sank.' And people snickered. I feel the ridicule in the room to this day."

What was the worst maritime disaster ever? The Titanic? How about the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff? Have you ever heard of it? 1,502 died when Titanic sank. An estimated 9,400 died in the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff.

Why is this dreadful disaster so unknown to most people? Blame it on war, blame it on politics. Blame it on the fact that the ship was evacuating Germans in the face of the Red Army's advance. Most of the survivors wound up in places where talk of the disaster was not welcome -- sometimes their silence was officially demanded. And then there was the fact that people around them were so totally clueless:

. . . Ellen had a brief moment when she considered sharing her story with her coworkers. She started to tell them about what happened to her family. One of her colleagues interrupted her. "'Oh the war. That was hard, we had to use margarine,'" Ellen remembered the woman saying. Ellen's mouth clamped shut, never to speak of it again with her colleagues.

The reality is that, while there were German military personnel on the ship when it sank, the vast majority of the victims were civilians, mostly women and children. Many of them were less than enthusiastic about the Third Reich. Some were even there because they'd been forcibly relocated to East Prussia from the Baltic states under the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact between the Germans and Russians before Russia joined the Allies. Most of them wound up in far-flung places where people understood nothing of what they'd been through.

Author Prince has done her research. At times, I found myself having difficulty following the narrative regarding the background of the people on the ship. For that I may partially blame my lack of knowledge of that aspect of the war and the unfamiliar names of people and places. Indeed, many of the cities in the book have had their names changed -- the author includes a list of them in the Appendix. The disaster itself is recounted in a relatively non-dramatic manner and is recounted mostly in one chapter; the rest of the book is information leading up to the sinking, and the aftermath.

The book really shines when Prince lets the survivors tell their experiences in their own words.

This is a story that needed to be told, and Prince has told it reasonably well. It's not a long book -- just about 200 pages, plus notes and index. It's a worthwhile book to read.

I've had a few recommendations this year on LT for disaster at sea books that I think my husband might like and I'm going to add this one to the list. I usually buy him a book for his birthday in Aug, and it's good to have a few to choose from that people have liked rather than just going to the bookstore and just picking one from the shelf.

Betty, I made a few revisions on my other thread and in my formal review that didn't make it onto this thread, to make clear that there were sections where I felt the story could have been told more clearly, organized better. In fact, thinking about it, I dropped my rating to 3.5 stars. It's still worthwhile, but not nearly as well-written as some disaster books I've read. I think it's an important story, something that it's good for people to know about. I think the story could have been told better.

Thanks Terri - I'll keep that in mind.

You're welcome, Betty!

ROOT book #32
Title: A Cape May Diamond
Author: Larry Enright
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Series:
Date finished: 6/25/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?:Yes (virtual), No, Kindle Store
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Surfside Six
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):Set in shore town
Alternate category
My Rating:not sure yet
Notes:

As I said in my above post, the issue of the narrator bugged me throughout this book. At the end, I think maybe I "got" why the author did it that way, but I think it was a distraction rather than a helpful device.

The setting drew me to this book: Enright captured the aura of 1975 Cape May, New Jersey pretty well. That was in the time-frame when the Jersey shore was part of my stomping grounds. The story itself was OK . . . actually, I got rather drawn into it. Some of the dialog felt a bit clunky and awkward, but some of the descriptive passages were quite compelling. The character of Jill the detective didn't quite seem real to me. I think Annie Mae was intended to be an enigma for the reader. Tom was a pretty well-developed character. Some characters bordered on caricatures, especially some of the "bad guys."

I'm not sure how plausible the conspiracy in the book would be, but I'm sure there was plenty of crooked stuff going down at the shore as the push was on for casino gambling in Atlantic City.

ROOT Book #33
Title: Haunted Jersey Shore: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of the Garden State Coast
Author: Charles A. Stansfield Jr.
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2006
Series:
Date finished: 6/27/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, No, Better World Books (used)
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Twilight Zone
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category Surfside Six
My Rating: 3.8 stars
Notes:

Don't let the cheesy cover scare you away. This little book of spirited folklore is one of the better volumes I've read in this genre. The accounts are short, but engagingly told with a good-sized helping of local history and a dash of humor -- and none of the editorial failings of many such books. It's not so much a spooky read as it is a sojourn through Coastal New Jersey history and its alleged paranormal remainders. I really enjoyed this one.

ROOT book #34
Title: Northwest Angle
Author: William Kent Krueger
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2011
Series: Cork O'Connor #11
Date finished: 7/9/13, 1:20 a.m.
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, Yes, purchased new at Ollies
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Wild Kingdom
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): Set in remote area; wild weather a factor
Alternate category
My Rating: 4.2 stars
Notes:

OK, it was another night reading into the wee hours of the morning to finish one of Cork O'Connor's adventures. This time, the book starts off with a terrible storm - a derecho with hurricane-force straight-line winds -- which strikes the vacationing O'Connor clan on their houseboat vacation. Cork and Jenny, off on a side trip in a small dinghy, are tossed about and land on a tiny island where Jenny finds a dead woman -- killed not by the storm, but by a bullet. She also find a baby hidden snugly in a basket -- a Moses-like infant survivor of danger -- very much alive. Still later, Jenny and Cork are threatened by a man with a gun.

Things get even more complicated from there. We're eventually introduced to residents of the Northwest Angle of Minnesota. As I understand, it's the northernmost point in the Lower 48 states, a small area largely cut off from the rest of Minnesota and the US, accessible only by boat or via Canada. Folks there are used to fending for themselves. We also encounter smugglers and a sinister religious cult arming themselves for Armageddon.

One thing I like about Krueger is that he's willing and able to explore the various facets of religion and spirituality with an eye to both the good and the dangers of various traditions. For instance, Rose's Roman Catholic faith helps to sustain her through difficult times and guides her in actions which are honorable and loving. But the Seven Trumpets cult reads the same Bible, but focuses only on aspects of conflict -- somehow they missed the many passages which define love as an essential quality for Christians. Without love, they're actually worse than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal (1 Cor. 13:1) -- they're rather unpleasant, and may be downright dangerous.

There is emotional conflict, too, as Jenny bonds with the baby she's found and is caring for, but is unlikely to be able to keep.

This was a suspenseful book, and kept me turning pages. I have one more (#12) left to read in this series before the next one (#13) is released in August.

I missed my goal for June -- I read 5 ROOTS, but only 1 qualified as a superRoot, when there should have been two. And even that only qualified because it was an ER book, not because it was one I'd owned for a long time.

I've already gotten 1 superROOT done this month, though. And I have another started that I originally thought I'd finish in June. So I'm going to try to make sure I get in an extra superRoot or two, to make up for my June deficit.

ROOT Book #35
Title: Ghost Ships of the Great Lakes
Author: Dwight Boyer
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1968
Series: n/a
Date finished: 7/17/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, Yes, purchased used in Detroit last year, I think?
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Emergency
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): All about shipwrecks
Alternate category
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

First, let me say that this book is really about SHIPS, not ghosts. There are a few mentions of eerie legends, and a few accounts with odd premonitions, but make no mistake about it: this is a book about SHIPWRECKS.

Mention Great Lakes shipwrecks, and people immediately seem to think of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Well, this book (at least the edition I have) has no mention of that doomed vessel, as it was published in 1968, 7 years before the Fitzgerald went to her watery grave. But there have been plenty of other shipwrecks for the author to write about.

I found this book fascinating and well-written. The author seems to be a born storyteller. I thought the accounts had just the right amount of facts, description, background, etc. It offered a great overview of different kinds of ends that have overtaken ships on the Great Lakes, and a good sense of the kinds of people who worked and perished on them.

ROOT book #36
Title: Harbor (link, as touchstone won't work: http://www.librarything.com/work/5431388)
Author: John Ajvide Lindquvist
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2008; English translation c2010
Series: n/a
Date finished: 7/23/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, yes, birthday gift last year
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Twilight Zone (definitely!)
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: not going to give a star rating
Notes:

Let me start by saying I think this book was probably very well done. I think the premise was rather original, and it was well-written, and well organized. It cut from scene to scene in ways that heightened tension. And there was some marvelous atmospheric descriptive writing. This section on page 448 of my edition struck me:

. . . the fallen fir trees were still here, dark, gloomy tree trunks lying across the rocks, with the odd branch sticking up out of the water here and there like the arms of skeletons pleading for help, ignored and rejected by one and all.

The moon had begun to tire and shrink, balancing helplessly on the branches of the few firs still standing. Veils of cloud drifted past, and as Anders drew closer Kattholmen was bathed in a light with no luminosity, like aged aluminium. He rounded the northern point where a concrete buoy marked a shipping lane that was no longer used, and continued along the rocky shore on the eastern side of the island.

Of course, this is all in translation from the original Swedish, but I suspect that Lindqvist gave the translator a good foundation from which to work. It seemed like it was probably a good translation.

He also dared to deal with issues of parental feelings of guilt when a child dies/disappears, and the child was difficult to live with -- the parent who has, at times, wished he wasn't a parent . . . and then suddenly the child is gone. A lot of writers might not go there.

So the book had a lot going for it. It was simply not my cup of tea. It was, in the end, a bit too fantastical to fit within my worldview, even with the requisite best effort to suspend disbelief that is standard in my reading of horror novels. I had trouble processing what he was describing in the climactic scenes, despite his best efforts to make me see it. I was also a bit put off by the many, often "clever," section headings.

I'm not going to give this a star rating, as I think the writing quality was far higher than my own personal enjoyment of the story.

ROOT book #37
Title: It Happens in the Dark
Author: Carol O'Connell
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2013
Series: Mallory
Date finished: 8/2/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, Yes (ER), LT ER program
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Murder, She Wrote
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): begins with the death of a playwright, and involves a seemingly literal ghostwriter
Alternate category
My Rating: still deciding
Notes:

This is an ER book, so I want to think carefully before writing a real review. However, this was rather a disappointment. I love this series, but this one just seemed too convoluted for my taste. There were great moments with the familiar characters, but there was too much that didn't particularly make sense to me, even after reading the whole thing.

ROOT book #38
Title: A Cold Day for Murder
Author: Donna Stabenow
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1992
Series: Kate Shugak #1
Date finished: 8/12/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, Yes, used from paperback exchange, I think (also a free iBook copy I used, too)
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Wild Kingdom
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): remote location in national parkland
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.9 stars
Notes:

Years ago, I read a few books from the Kate Shugak series totally out of order. I thought it might be worth going back to the beginning of the series.

This was a quick read, very well written. I enjoyed the characters, setting, occasional humor, and plot. The descriptions were great.

Kate is called on to search for a missing park ranger (a US senator's son) and a missing investigator who tried to find him. Possible suspects are everywhere.

I love the character of Kate. She's a really complex woman. Other characters were equally memorable and multi-faceted.

I definitely need to read more of this series!

ROOT #39
Title: A Lesson in Dying
Author: Ann Cleeves
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1990
Series: Inspector Stephen Ramsay #1
Date finished: 8-14-13 (or thereabouts)(
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, No, Purchased used while on vacation
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Masterpiece Mystery
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): British mystery
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.6 stars
Notes:

The headmaster of the local school is murdered, and nobody is sorry he's dead. The police have focused on the widow, but aren't there a lot of other suspects who ought to be examined? School caretaker Jack Robson is determined to find the real killer, because he's sure Inspector Ramsay is wrong about the headmaster's wife being the culprit.

This is a good, solid, no-frills whodunit. Cleeves gives us a village, Heppleburn, filled with ordinary, flawed human beings. There's not a lot of action or heart-pounding suspense, but it's a delightful little mystery. It's short enough and good enough that I practically read it in one sitting. It fits more within the "village mystery" genre than the "police procedural." Though the series is named for Inspector Ramsay, Jack Robson is really the protagonist in this book.

I had never heard of this series, but having read some of the author's later work, I decided to try it when I found it in the used bookstore. I'm glad I did. I liked it so much, I went right to the second in the series!

ROOT book #40
Title: Murder in My Backyard
Author: Ann Cleeves
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1991
Series: Inspector Stephen Ramsay #2
Date finished: 8-17-13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, No, bought used on vacation
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Masterpiece Mystery
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.7
Notes:

Alice Parry is murdered in her own backyard, and Inspector Ramsay is on the case. This time he tries to avoid jumping to conclusions about who's guilty, but everyone else soon decides that the culprit is obvious, and he should just agree with them. Though the back cover synopsis talks about Heppleburn, this one mostly takes place in the nearby village of Brinkbonnie -- but Jack Robson makes an appearance.

This is the second installment in the Stephen Ramsay series, and it's another nice little whodunit. It's a little longer, and perhaps a bit more complex.

ROOT book #41
Title: Haunted Lakes: Great Lakes Ghost stories, superstitions, and sea serpents
Author: Frederick Stonehouse
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Series: I saw a Volume 2 when I was in Michigan this summer!
Date finished: 8/21/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, Yes, not sure
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Twilight Zone
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.8 stars
Notes:

This is a book of Great Lakes folklore of the spooky kind. Stonehouse is actually a serious historian of the lakes, and admits to having been reluctant to tackle a book of these stories. (He had considered writing this under a pseudonym.) He presents these tales because they're part of the cultural history/heritage of the Lakes. He doesn't make judgments as to whether these tales are true, but focuses on the fact that some people on the lakes think they're true. He also includes a lot of solid history in the process. He takes a rather tongue-in-cheek attitude on some of the wilder stories, but I have to say that a few of the tales were really creepy -- especially read late at night, which is when I finished the book.

I had to adjust this thread. I started to post the book I finished last night, and realized I'd missed making posts for my previous 2 ROOTS!

And look how much closer you are to your goal!

Great job, Terri

Thanks, Betty & Connie!

ROOT book #42
Title: The Dante Connection (e-book)
Author: Estelle Ryan
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2013
Series: Genevieve Lenard #2
Date finished: 8/28/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes (virtual), No, Amazon
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: not sure
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: not sure
Notes:

Genevieve Lenard is and extremely intelligent woman with high-functioning autism, who works for a special insurer in France who covers many priceless works of art. She has made a formal study of body language, in an effort to compensate for her lack of intuitive ability to pick up on non-verbal cues, and in the process has become a leading expert on the subject; She sits in a room surrounded by computer monitors, studying video footage of people -- often people making insurance claims (to see if they're legit), among other subjects.

This book is best read after book 1, The Gauguin Connection, because the plot winds up directly following from aspects of that case. Genevieve's new friend Francine arrives at Genevieve's house, badly beaten. Then Genvieve is assigned to work on a baffling art-theft case. Soon Genevieve is receiving mysterious e-mails and packages of a threatening (and coded) nature. Computers have been hacked, privacy has been compromised, bad guys are obviously targeting our protagonist.

I honestly have a hard time deciding what I think of this series. I like the idea of a book where the main character has high-functioning autism. I even sort of like that this character is the narrator, which brings an odd flavor to the text. I don't like the inconsistency that this character supposedly has rigidly perfect grammar, yet I find sentence fragments throughout the story she's narrating. Mind you, I don't mind improper grammar in fiction if it's consistent with the character, but this isn't consistent.

The stories themselves seem a bit far-fetched, but I'm not much one for international conspiracy stuff involving European agencies and codes and computer hackers, etc. There's something that feels amateurish, but I wonder how much of that is the unique flavor the non-neurotypical narrator brings. Sometimes she seems spot on, sometimes not (as with the above-mentioned grammar issue).

I couldn't take a steady diet of these books, but I might read the next one when it comes out.

ETA to expand review

ROOT Book #43
Title: The Alphabet of Grace
Author: Frederich Buechner
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Series: n/a
Date finished: 8/29/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, No, Kindle download
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Touched By an Angel
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: unsure
Notes:

I don't know what I expected from this book, but it wasn't what I got. To appreciate this book, you have to have a mind for metaphor, more so than I seem to have. Some parts of it would bring an "aha!" moment, and I'd know exactly what he was getting at. Other moments I was lost in the fog, without a clue. There is some wonderful, brilliant use of language here. But I'm not brilliant enough to fully appreciate it. I alternated from moments of marvelous resonance (the "aha!") to utter confusion.

I just finished this book and ordered the next three in the series, used from Better World Books. They are having a 30% off their usual low prices sale for used books from their bargain bin, with their always-free shipping. And if they sell 40,000 books during the 5-day sale, they will double their usual book-for-book donations to libraries and literacy causes! I love how they list on the receipt what literary causes will receive benefit from my purchase -- today it was the Calgary Public Library (twice), the Vancouver Public Library, Sandy Relief Fund, The Learning Center, and the General Literacy Partner Fund. Way cool!

ROOT #44
Title: The Pure in Heart
Author: Susan Hill
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2005
Series: Simon Serrailler #2
Date finished: 9/11/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, Yes, purchased used sometime a year or so ago
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Masterpiece Mystery
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): British mystery
Alternate category
My Rating: 4.2 stars
Notes:

A young boy disappears while waiting for his ride to school. DCI Simon Serrailler is on the case, though distracted by the hospitalization of his severely disabled sister. Meanwhile, and young ex-con is trying to make a go of life "outside" following his release. Who knew the world could change so much in five years?

If you are looking for a book with a nice, tidy, happy ending, this is not the book for you. If you are looking for a mystery where the focus is all on crime-fighting action, this is not the book for you, either. But if you like a good, complex story with some vivid characters and real-life-style ambiguities, you should give this a try. Yes, sometimes the mystery almost takes a back seat to the lives of the folks in the village, but it worked really well for me and kept me turning pages.

I think the fact that I just ordered the next three books in this series says a lot about how much I liked this book.

ROOT #45
Title: Snow Angels
Author: Stewart O'Nan
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1994
Series:n/a
Date finished: 9/15/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, Yes, purchased used last year
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: American Bandstand
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): American story, and first line begins, "I was in the band the fall my father left . . ." and the band appears throughout the story
Alternate category
My Rating: unsure
Notes:

This was a very well written, but very depressing, story about two families falling apart -- one ending with violence, the other simply bringing heartache on all sides. We know from the start that the violence will come -- the gunshots ring out in the first few pages, and the rest of the book tells us how it came about, among other things.

Part of the story is Arthur Parkingson's first-person account looking back on the events in his life during the fall of his 14th year. Part is told by a third-person narrator which can't be Arthur -- there's no way Arthur could know the details included in the story during those segments.

I found it hard to like any of these people, including Arthur, though I felt moments of sympathy for many of them -- including, at times, the killer.

This was O'Nan's debut novel.

I finished the last bit of the e-book I was reading. So now I've finished the huge pile of books I had started, except for the two that I formally put down as "temporarily abandoned." I'm not ready to go back to those right now.

ROOT #46
Title: A Reason to Live
Author: Matthew Iden
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2012
Series: Marty Singer #1
Date finished: 9/16/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes (virtual shelf), No, Kindle Store
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: not sure
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: not sure
Notes:

This was a reasonably well-written start to a series that shows some promise. The main character is Marty Singer, who took medical retirement from the Washington DC police force after he was diagnosed with cancer. He's approached by the now-grown daughter of a woman who was murdered years ago. The person tried for the crime was a police officer, and he was acquitted. Now daughter Amanda believes she is being stalked by him again, and turns to Marty for protection. Marty is eventually forced to face the fact that his illness & treatment place some limits on his stamina, and he turns to a former detective partner for help.

There is some good writing here. The mystery is interesting, and Iden also provides some insight as to what it's like to do battle with cancer. I found the ending of the book to be probably the least satisfying part of it.

ROOT book #47
Title: To Sleep With the Angels
Author: David Cowan and John Kuenster
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1996
Series: n/a
Date finished: 9/18/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, Yes, used bookstore
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Emergency!
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 4.5 stars
Notes:

Fire is terrifying; the deaths of children are tragic. A fire which kills 92 children (and three of their teachers) is a horrible catastrophe. To Sleep with the Angels is the story of the terrible December 1958 fire at Chicago's Our Lady of the Angels school, which killed 92 children and three nuns and injured many more souls.

This book is very well written, setting the background, detailing the fire, and exploring the aftermath. In 1958, schools built before the "1949 Code" were still "grandfathered" so that they did not have to retrofit with automatic sprinklers and fire alarms which directly summoned the fire department, nor with fire doors in the stairways.

A fire at the base of a stairway smoldered some time, and when it burst forth it was not detected until too late for a great many children. By the time it was noticed by students and teachers in classrooms with doors closed, the upstairs hallway in the north wing was filled with black, acrid smoke which posed a formidible barrier to escape. Nuns and children prayed and waited for rescue that came minutes too late for many children due to miscues which included delay in contact with the fire department, a wrong address given, and a locked gate which got in the way of firefighters.

Questions and finger-pointing abounded. Misinformation was abundant. Much of the finger-pointing was unfair, given the facts which ultimately emerged; some of it may have had a basis. People who participated in rescue at great risk to themselves were criticized for not, somehow, doing more.

In the aftermath, there was no real psychological counseling available. Post-traumatic stress disorder was not understood in those days, and the encouragement to "just not talk about it" led to deeper problems.

This fire which scarred what was once a vibrant, tightly-knit neighborhood, did lead to changes in fire safety standards in Chicago, the state of Illinois, and the entire country.

I'm looking at my bulging bookshelves and wondering what in the world possessed me to place an order during Better World Books recent sale. It should be arriving any day now; I'm also expecting an LT ER book to show up soon.

Gotta do more ROOTs . . .

ROOT #48
Title: Murder Bay (E-Book)
Author: David R. Horwitz
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2008
Series: Ben Carey #1
Date finished: 9-23-13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, No, Kindle Store
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Winds of War
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): Part of story takes place during Civil War; an injured soldier is significant
Alternate category
My Rating: still deciding
Notes:

This story deals with several eras -- the Civil War era, when churches in Washington became military hospitals, and private homes became recuperation centers; and 1958, when the Washington, DC police were struggling to equip their forces with basic necessities for law enforcement. In 1862, Mordecai Finkel was a soldier wounded at 2nd Bull Run and shipped to a hospital housed in Trinity Episcopal Church in Washington. In 1958, Ben Carey is in charge of a unit administering a federal grant. His headquarters is an old, decrepit Victorian house. In it, he experiences paranormal phenomena.

For much of this book, my attitude was sort of "meh." I liked the historical touches, the sense that the writer had done his homework; and I didn't mind that there was a ghost story involved. Then there was one scene that just plain made me really uncomfortable, and I was sure I'd give the book a low rating. But the ending drew me in much more than I would have expected.

But there were aspects that I'm not sure match the reality of how things worked in the times and places described. Mind you, I'm not talking about the ghostly part -- I expect that to be a bit fantastic (though one or two scenes really bugged me). I wish there had been a bit more of an end note clarifying what (of the non-paranormal aspects) is historical and what is fictional.

But the ending did really grab me.

So now I don't know how to rate it.

After I finished, I learned in the notes that the author is deceased and his family is seeing to publishing his writings posthumously. Apparently he wrote several of these Ben Carey books; I only see evidence that one has been published.

ROOT Book #49
Title: Maine Ghosts & Legends
Author: Thomas Verde
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1989
Series: n/a
Date finished: 9/24/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, Yes, Amazon Marketplace 2009
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Twilight Zone
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Notes:

I enjoyed this little book of "true" ghost stories. This book wasn't as rich in history as some books of this type, but it was a reasonably well-written, easy and pleasant read. The author included a list of sources for each story at the back of the book. He openly stated at the end of several tales that some parties involved were unwilling to talk with him, and that he'd based those accounts on previously published reports, usually from local newspapers or other regional publications.

This barely hit the virtual shelf before I read it, so it hardly counts, but by my rules it does (but not, of course, as a superROOT.)

ROOT book #50
Title: Superior Death
Author: Matthew Williams
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2006
Series: Vince Marshall #1
Date finished: 9/27/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, No, Kindle store
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Meet The Press
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): protagonist is a reporter.
Alternate category
My Rating:3.7 stars
Notes:

Reporter Vince Marshall is drawn into a mystery when a woman goes off a cliff on the Lake Superior shoreline, and his mother is the only witness. Why did the woman, who was from out of state, come to this place? If the woman is truly a suicide, why is the police chief so secretive with details? What does it have to do with the exclusive hunting club near town? And is there any connection to a rash of drug busts among honor students at the local high school, where Vince's wife is a teacher?

I had never heard of this series, but it caught my eye due to the setting. It was surprisingly good. It's not great literature, just a nice, solid mystery -- short and sweet, an easy read with enough twists and turns to keep me satisfied. I wish there was a bit more of the sense of setting; he doesn't really bring it home the way Steve Hamilton does in the Alex McNight series (also set on the UP) -- but I got a general picture of where it was set.

This and two more of the series are on sale for 99 cents in the Kindle store this month. I think I'll hurry and pick up the others before the sale/month ends.

I finished my first for October and one for the 75 Challenge Halloween theme:

ROOT book #51
Title: Little Terrors (short story collection)
Author: David Jester
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2013
Series: n/a
Date finished: 10-1-2013
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, No, Kindle Store
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Twilight Zone
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 2 stars
Notes:

Like most short-story collections, this was uneven in quality. But even the best efforts struck me as somewhat juvenile in execution, despite (or in some cases because of) the over-use of "adult" language.

I did rather like "Wipeout" simply as a clever use of a classic song. I could sort of hear that awful giggle that starts the recording, and it does fit the atmosphere of the story -- and the depiction of the neighbor-from-Hell was dandy. "Valley of the Shadow" had an interesting (if not totally original) premise, though I'm not sure I like how the 23rd Psalm was used. Some of the stories seemed pointless, and the better ones felt shallow in execution. I think I could have written better myself, and I do appreciate the difficulty of writing good fiction. At least there weren't a lot of basic editing errors, as in some e-books.

This was a Kindle freebie, so nothing ventured. . .

ROOT Book #52
Title: Wings to the Kingdom
Author: Cherie Priest
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2006
Series: Eden Moore #2
Date finished: 10/6/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, Yes, Amazon marketplace
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: Twilight Zone
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.7 stars
Notes:

OK, this creepy novel is what Cherie Priest does using the history and folklore of the Chickamauga battlefield and a nearby area (under park protection, as I understand it) called Moccasin Bend. Local folklore has long featured an entity known as "Old Green Eyes" who haunts the battlefield, and the sound of phantom guns and cries have long been reported by park neighbors. As for Moccasin Bend, truth is stranger than fiction: a mental hospital was built on this old Cherokee sacred space/burial site. In her Author's Note, Priest indicates that this is for real. "I couldn't make that up if I tried," she wrote.

Eden Moore sees dead people. In her second adventure, the dead of the Chickamauga battlefield are uneasy, and scaring the tourists and park employees to the point where famous ghost hunters are called in and the park is temporarily shut down (an interesting little touch as I read during the US government shutdown which has shuttered our national parks and battlefields.) But Old Green Eyes, the park's most famous "haint," is nowhere to be seen -- until, by chance, Eden Moore is forced to make a trip to the vicinity of the mental hospital at Moccasin Bend.

OK, like many books with a horror or paranormal element, I had to suspend disbelief on this one. There were aspects that didn't quite fit my worldview (of this world or the next) but Priest is a good enough storyteller that I just got caught up in the story and went along for the ride. Eden Moore is a likable character, as are her offbeat companions. There were some aspects of the story that don't make a lot of sense if you haven't read the first book, but they are peripheral to the main story here. My main gripe is with the element referred to in the title -- Wings to the Kingdom. It was referenced several times, but without explanation of precisely what that meant and why it was said to be that way.

ROOT Book #53
Title: The Ghosts of Virginia, Vol. II
Author: L.B. Taylor
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1994
Series: second volume of stories
Date finished: 10/14/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, Yes, purchased used ages ago
My Rating: still deciding
Notes:

Oh, how to rate this one? There were good points and not-so-good points. It was mostly well written -- but with some typos, homonyms used incorrectly (peel vs. peal, etc.). The author's writing style was rather dry. I liked all the historical and architectural data included. I most enjoyed the stories that were true folklore, especially the ones where he included the verbatim accounts recorded by folklorists rather than writing his own account. A couple of the more modern accounts at the end of the book left me shaking my head. The final chapter was about Edgar Cayce. Certainly, I've heard of him, but I'm not sure what to make of what was written here about him and how accurate it might be.

Well, in my 75 Challenge thread, I just hit book #100. I'm at ROOT #53. So over half of my books read this year have been ROOTS. And I'm at superROOT #27, which means that half of my ROOTS (and over a quarter or my overall reads) have been from the older books and ERs that I wanted to make a priority. So I think I'm doing pretty well on this challenge.

Yes, you are. Great work!

Thanks, MissWatson!

ROOT Book #54
Title: Mr. Shivers
Author: Robert Jackson Bennett
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2010
Series: n/a
Date finished: 10/17/13 1 a.m.
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, Yes, purchased at used book sale
My Rating: 2.7 stars
Notes:

This writer has skill with words, but I just didn't like the story he had to tell. It had atmosphere -- the grit of those living on the road during the Dust Bowl days. But, in the end, it felt pointless and didn't make sense to me. I "got" what he was aiming at, but I didn't buy into it. It wasn't bad enough to Pearl Rule, but I actually stayed up late to finish it just so I could be done with it. Not a ringing endorsement.

ROOT Book #55
Title: Specters & Spirits of the Appalachian Foothills
Author: James V. Burchill & Linda J. Crider
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2002
Series: third in a series of folklore books by these writers
Date finished: 10/26/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, Yes, Amazon, maybe?
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

I love these collections of Appalachian folklore gathered by the group of folklorists who call themselves the First Draft Writers Group. They are intent on preserving these regional folk tales. The books are very well written and have some very interesting tales. This is the third one, I believe, and it is as good as the previous ones.

OK, with that last book, I met my goal for superROOTS -- the older books and highest priority (ER) books to read off my shelf. I'm five books away from my overall ROOT goal. With two months left in the year, I should make my goal, especially since I already have three books started that will count.

Congrats, Terri;you've really stuck to your resolve and done well.Wish I had that same self-discipline.

Congratulations, Terry.

129 Gail, you've had a lot on your plate this year. I don't think you're at all lacking in self-discipline. BTW, you'll note I haven't given a count of books ADDED to my shelves, both real and virtual. I am definitely NOT winning the off-the-shelves battle.

I mentioned on the October ROOT progress thread that I've caught myself buying books rather than trying to get them through ILL, knowing that if I own them, they will be future ROOTs. I think that's a bit counter-productive to the goal here -- but definitely a book-addict's strategy!

130 Thanks, Connie!

Terri - I've been known to do that at the end of Dec, making sure I get my gift cards spent before Dec 31st so I can have more roots for the next year - yeah! Like I need more!

You all are so sneaky ;-))))

I think I will join you in sneakiness.

Betty, we all manage to find excuses to buy books, don't we?

Connie, for even more sneakiness -- I've even avoided the December deadline by my strategy of superROOTs. This year, I counted ALL books I own, regardless of when purchased, toward my ROOT total, and reserved the category of superROOT for those bought at least the year before. (I also count ERs as superROOTs, as in the past I've neglected my ER reading/reviewing obligations in favor of older ROOTs.)

I may have to re-think that next year . . . seriously . . .

Hahaha. I will re-think my ROOT counting for next year too. I'm going to steal some idea's from fellowROOTers, LOL

These challenges are always a sort of work in progress, Connie.

Another ROOT:

ROOT #56
Title: Cogslea Revisited
Author: M. Juanita Taylor
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2010
Series: n/a
Date finished: 10-29/13 (early a.m.)
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, Yes, Amazon Marketplace
My Rating: 3 stars
Notes:

Caitlin, an artist, and her husband Sam go to spend a summer house-sitting at Cogslea -- a real-life historical mansion in the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia. Cogslea has a storied history, especially as a place where a group of women artists gathered to live and work early in the 20th century -- in an era when many limits were placed on women.

Sam is called away due to a death in his family. Meanwhile at Cogslea, Caitlin encounters some spooky doings. This is especially worrisome because she has a history of hallucinations as a result of her time in Africa when she reacted badly to an anti-malarial drug. Caitlin is gradually drawn into the mystery of who is haunting the property and what the ghost might want. Her dog is also involved, having many odd dreams.

I'm glad I read this book, if only because I enjoyed its setting in a part of Philadelphia with which I'm somewhat familiar. The story itself was a bit clunky in the telling, and felt a little amateurish. The author was clearly determined to include as much local history and local color as could be wedged into the pages. This led to some awkwardness in the flow of the narrative. I also felt that Caitlin's eventual drastic method of trying to get at the truth didn't make much sense. I didn't find the doggie dreams helpful, either. Who knows what dogs dream, but I doubt they dream like that.

OK, if I finish these books that I have started, I'll have met my goals:

*Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink (superROOT because it's ER book)
Lineage: A Supernatural Thriller by Joe Hart (virtual root / e-book)
*Haunted Happenings by Robert Cahil
Confessions of a Prayer Slacker by Diane Moody (E-book / devotioal)

When I finished up my 13 in 13 challenge, I sort of dropped it. However, with this challenge, when I'm done I still plan to continue posting and adding to the group totals.

..."if I finish these books..."

Of course you'll finish those books!

LOL, thanks Betty! I guess I will.

I second Betty's idea! You can do it.

Thanks, Connie!

I finished another e-book. I picked this one up because it was on a 99 cent special, and the blurb promised a scary old house on the shores of Lake Superior. I didn't expect much, but got a pleasant (and scary) surprise.

This is one of those barely-ROOTS, plucked off the virtual shelf before it really had a chance to settle there.

ROOT Book # 57
Title: Lineage: A Supernatural Thriller
Author: Joe Hart
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2012
Series: n/a
Date finished: 10/30/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, no, Kindle download
My Rating: 3.8 stars
Notes:

OK, that rating may be a little inflated, but I'm judging it for what it is, not comparing it to War and Peace. It's a horror novel, independently published as an e-book by the author. It's one that kept me turning pages and even seemed to have some Big Picture thematic ideas. It is quite violent at the beginning and, as I expected, at the end. The violence at the beginning demonstrates the brutality of evil people. The violence at the end . . . well, it's a horror novel. But it hit a few themes and chords beyond a typical mindless gore fest. And the middle was absolutely creepy, don't-read-it-alone-at-night creepy.

In the prologue, set in 1945, we meet a sadistic SS officer in charge of a concentration camp. Then, as the body of the story begins in 1990, we meet Lance, the child of a brutal, sadistic father and a victimized mother. We get a concrete look at how cruel evil people can be.

Lance somehow survives his childhood and becomes a famous horror author. He has always kept the mental demons at bay with his writing, but as we re-encounter him in 2012, he has been struck by writer's block -- and nightmares of his father. He is inexplicably drawn to a big, empty house on the shores of Lake Superior. As he moves there, stranger and stranger things begin happening. And, eventually, it all seems to be tied to secrets in his family lineage. You can sort of see what's coming . . . but not all of it, by a long shot.

OK, this got outlandish enough that I don't believe it could really happen. But it was good enough that I suspended disbelief and got caught up in the story -- and plan to keep an eye on this author. He writes pretty well -- maybe well enough that we'll see him picked up by a major publisher someday

ROOT Book #58
Title: Haunted Happenings: With new photos of old ghosts
Author: Robert Ellis Cahill
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1992
Series:New England's Collectible Classics Series
Date finished: 10/31/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, Yes, unsure
My Rating:3.5 stars
Notes:

This is a book of supposedly true ghost stories. The author and his sidekick photographer "Brian the monk" visited most of the sites to explore the stories, which primarily take place in New England (though one story was from a trip the author took with friends to Nova Scotia.) The book was quite short -- only 104 pages including photos, though the text was dense and rather small print. I wasn't terribly impressed by the photographic "evidence" provided in this book. A couple photos were creepy, but most could be easily explained by tricks of the light combined with the the power of suggestion. I could not even see, at all, what the author purported was to be seen in several of them. The author presented a lot of very subjective commentary about his "sense" that something paranormal was afoot. But there were some good stories here fairly well told -- at the very least, it was entertaining, and some of the witnesses he quoted had very interesting stories to tell. There was a fair amount of history included, too.

ROOT Book #59
Title: Confessions of a Prayer Slacker (e-book)
Author: Diane Moody
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2012
Date finished: 11/1/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: yes, no, Kindle store
My Rating: 3.3
NOVEMBER category -- "new to me author"
Notes:

The subject of prayer is an endless one, because it deals with matters of God, faith, the spirit, and the heart. I find myself struggling to maintain a healthy prayer life. I have good intentions, but life gets hectic and faith can even get shaky at times.

Diane Moody is the wife of a Baptist pastor. The focus of her book is less on "how" to pray or "what" to pray, but simply to make the commitment to pray. Yes, there are pointers as to approaches to selecting Bible passages for devotions and keeping a prayer journal, but the big focus is just to do it -- and why we should. She also admits that she struggles and is as inconsistent as anyone when it comes to prayer.

I had a few minor theological / Bible interpretation quibbles with the book (most notably with issues relating to Biblical language translation issues that she ignored, and I felt were relevant) but a lot of what she said made sense. There was nothing really new here, and the book seemed more geared to folks with very little background in prayer, but there were some good reminders, and she gave me a good nudge toward being more consistent in my prayer life.

Oh, the book itself was only about half the Kindle file -- they added one of her novellas to the e-book edition I got. I didn't read the novella.

This was a marvelous book for the big #60 -- my goal!

ROOT book #60
Title: Jerusalem Gap (E-BOOK)
Author: T.R. Pearson
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2010
Series: n/a
Date finished: 11-06-13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes (virtual), no, Kindle store
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

This is the story of what happens when a dog steals a man's heart.

Donald Atwell is a loner, living a rather isolated life as caretaker of a large Virginia mountain estate which is a second (or third or fourth) home to a pair of rich Texans who occasionally drop in and give Donald some elaborate renovation project to complete. One day when Donald's pickup truck is stalled by the side of the road, a battered blue Chevy Nova pulls up and deposits a skinny puppy before driving off. Donald intends to take the abandoned pup to the animal shelter after he gets his truck going and completes the errand for which he's already late. But he winds up making a trip to the vet instead for a puppy check-up and shots.

Nova (Donald named her after the car which dropped her off) is one charmer of a dog -- naturally well-behaved and even-tempered -- and she brightens Donald's world. Then the nearby nursing home loses its lawn service, and Donald agrees to fill in mowing "for a week or two" until they find someone else to do it -- and Donald and Nova make a whole new set of friends.

I absolutely loved this gentle little book set in the mountains of Virginia. It was filled with quirky characters that I came to care about, and the setting was wonderful. I thought it was a really great read. I wasn't familiar with this author before, but I'd like to read more by him.

Hurray! Congratulations!

Thanks, rabbitprincess!

After getting home from my evening meeting, I had some quiet time to read, and finally finished this one:

ROOT book 61
Title: Five Days at Memorial: Life and death in a storm-ravaged hospital
Author: Sheri Fink
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2013
Series: n/a
Date finished: 11/6/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, Yes (ER), from LT Early Reviewer program
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

This book is about how events unfolded at Memorial Hospital in New Orleans during and immediately after Hurricane Katrina. It's also about the aftermath, as prosecutors investigated allegations that seriously-ill patients were deliberately given fatal doses of drugs. It also explores steps taken (and not taken) in attempts to address future disaster-preparedness in hospitals post-Katrina. It is a very detailed account, and appears well-documented.

I need to do a proper review of this one because I got it from the early reviewer program; but it will take a little time to process.

Already one past target! Great job!

Thanks, MissWatson!

Good job!! Congratulations.

Thanks, Connie!

Well done!!!

Thank you for the kind words and lovely graphic, Ameise1!

ROOT book #62
Title: Medicine Men: Extreme Appalachian Doctoring (e-book)
Author: Carolyn Jourdan
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2012
Series:n/a
Date finished: 11/11/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes (virtual), no, Kindle store
My Rating: 3.3 stars?
Notes:

This was not a great book, but it was an enjoyable book for me, and just what I needed as a change after an October full of horror novels. It's very short, and though there are serious stories, there is also a great deal of humor. Each section is preceded by a quotation that is humorous in some way; some are funny due to malapropism, though some bring a chuckle due to human foolishness and some are just sayings guaranteed to make one smile.

The author is the daughter of a country doctor in the Great Smoky Mountains. She left a career as a Senate lawyer in Washington to go home and work in her father's medical office when her mother could no longer do the office work. You can tell by the love with which she tells her stories which job she thinks was really more important in the grand scheme of things. She shares not only the experiences of her father, but also stories from other mountain doctors. She gives us a glimpse of a kind of medicine that has pretty much disappeared in our modern age.

The book was full of typos (spelling, usage, puctuation, etc.) with more and more occurring as the book progressed. It was as though there may have been an effort to proofread, but the proofreader got tired partway through. Other than the obvious typos, the book was actually rather well written.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! As I begin to write this, it's around 2:45 a.m. and I'm still awake. I'm awake because of a book. It's been a while since I've had a crime novel that I just couldn't put down and compulsively read well into the wee hours of the morning. I read the majority of this book in the time since I got home from the Thanksgiving Eve church service. How helpful that this book kept me up the night before a holiday, when I don't have to get up early in the morning! I can even go on and post it now!

ROOT book #63
Title: Forty Words for Sorrow
Author: Giles Blunt
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2001
Series: John Cardinal #1
Date finished: 11-28-13 2:35 a.m.
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, Yes, used bookstore
My Rating: 4.6 stars
Notes:

John Cardinal is a detective in Algonquin Bay, Ontario, Canada. He was temporarily booted off of Homicide cases because of an obsession with the case of a missing girl that his boss thought was a runaway; now that her body has been found, he's been called back onto the case. There may be other victims of the killer, too. Cardinal is partnered with a female francophone detective, Lise Delorme, who is moving from Special Investigations (white collar crime, including police corruption) to Homicide, but may still have a foot in "Special" -- and aimed at Cardinal, who may not be totally clean. Cardinal is dealing with personal stresses, including the hospitalization of his wife Catherine for mental illness, and the high tuition of his daughter in grad school at Yale.

We also meet a pair of sadistic psychopaths -- a pair of losers from dysfunctional backgrounds who seem to be made for each other. Blunt lets us see enough of their violence to know just how horribly sick they are, but doesn't, IMO, give too much excessive detail.

This is one of the best crime novels I've read in a long time. It had complex characters, a gripping plot, a compelling sense of place (and cold!), and a lot of depth. It is very well written, on many levels; I was especially touched by this passage from which the book title was drawn, as Cardinal brings confirmation of death to the murdered girl's tearful mother:

Cardinal took Katie's high-school photograph out of his pocket, the photograph they'd used to print all those fliers that had asked of bus stations and emergency wards, of shopping malls and gas stations, Have You Seen This Girl? Now the killer had answered, oh yes he had seen this girl all right, and Cardinal slipped the photograph on top of the television.

"Do you mind if I look at her room again?"

A shake of the dark head, a shudder in the shoulders. Another tiny splash on the linoleum floor. Husband murdered, and now her daughter, too. Eskimos, it is said, have forty different words for snow. Never mind about snow, Cardinal mused, what people really need is forty words for sorrow. Grief. Heartbreak. Desolation. There were not enough, not for this childless mother in her empty house.

This book just kept me turning pages, wondering how it would all turn out. I will definitely look for more of this series!

You have me made me curious, I will certainly try to lay my hand on that!

I have this scheduled for one of the mystery Cats next year ( police procedural month, I think). Sounds like a good read.

ROOT book #64
Title: Messy: God Likes it That Way
Author: A.J. Swoboda
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2012
Series: n/a
Date finished: 11-28-13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, Yes, Christmas gift last year
My Rating: 3.u
Notes:

I'm not quite sure what to make of this book. There were parts that were outstanding. There were parts that left me scratching my head. There were parts with which I agreed, and parts with which I didn't. There were things that made me laugh, and things that made me mad, and things that made me ponder. Sometimes all of the above were all in the same chapter, or even on the same page.

And that's very appropriate, because Swoboda's whole point is that the Christian faith is somewhat messy -- that there are questions that can't be answered (in this life, anyway) and ideas about God that Christians will disagree about. It's impossible to put God in a box, wrapped up with a neat bow and fully explained, because God is greater than we mortals can fully understand. He notes that while God doesn't change, our understanding of God may change all the time as we wrestle with questions of faith -- and that's fully to be expected. And none of this is really new, and yet the way he said it was often (though not always) fresh and witty and helpful.

There was enough material with which I resonated, enough that made me think, that I'm glad I read this book and I suggested that my husband take a look at it and see what he thinks.

Wow, I'm almost halfway through December and haven't finished one ROOT yet! I do have two in progress.

Keep on reading Terri!

Same here! I've been trying to finish off library books before going home for Christmas. But I am reading a ROOT on the bus.

rabbitprincess, I know how that goes!

I'm finally almost done with a wonderful ROOT that was sitting on my shelf for a couple of years. (Why did I wait so long to read it?)

I'm getting very curious about that book, Terri.

:) Patience, Connie! (LOL!)

Oops! I just realized I missed replying to your post 160!

OK, my current superROOT is a non-fiction called Annie's Ghosts: A Journey into a Family Secret by Steve Luxenberg. I'll write more about it when I finish . . . probably some time this weekend, especially if the weather we're expecting snows us in.

ROOT book #65
Title: Annie's Ghosts: A Journey into a Family Secret
Author: Steve Luxenberg
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2009
Series: n/a
Date finished: 12/14/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, Yes, 2011 AAUW used book sale for $1
Category for 13 in 13 challenge: If I hadn't finished the challenge already, this would definitely fit into "All in the Family"
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): family history / genealogy
Alternate category
My Rating: 4.8 stars
Notes:

This book really drew me in. It's rare for me to get drawn so deeply into a non-fiction book that I temporarily abandon my novels until it is done; but with the exception of my audio book (at times when regular reading wasn't an option) and my e-book (read from my phone on lunch break at work), I focused only on this book until it was finished.

As I said earlier, it's about family secrets. A journalist learns that his mother had a sister that she pretended didn't exist: the sister, Annie, was in a mental institution. Why did his mother keep her a complete secret from him and his siblings? Did his father know about Annie? What was Annie's story? What was she like? Why was she committed for so many years, and what might her treatment have been like? How did she manage to remain a secret for so many years? Are there people left alive who remember her?

Steve Luxenberg utilizes all his investigative journalism skills in trying to find information: seeking records (and bumping up against privacy laws), interviewing relatives and tracking down folks from the old neighborhood who might have known -- or at least known about -- Annie. One of the relatives is a Holocaust survivor, with an amazing story of her own to tell. He's drawn to learn still more about his family and its history.

The book not only deals with the secret of Annie, but a number of other family secrets unearthed in the search. It ponders the question of the secrets families keep -- their nature and the reasons for keeping them. It's also a thoughtful look at changing attitudes toward people with disabilities and/or mental illness, and how society has dealt with them through the years.

One of the review blurbs quoted at the front of the book is from the president of the National Genealogical Society, and I can see why this book would be popular with those in that field.

This was a really solid, thought-provoking book.

ROOT book 66
Title: The Collapse of Richmond's Church Hill Tunnel
Author: Walter S. Griggs, Jr.
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2011
Series: n/a
Date finished:12/15/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, Yes, purchased at the C&O heritage center gift shop
My Rating: 3.4 stars
Notes:

Deep within Church Hill in Richmond, Virginia, underneath a city park, C&O Railroad steam locomotive #231 and two workers are entombed -- victims of the collapse of the Church Hill Tunnel. This slender volume is the fruit of a 50-year fascination by the author, who learned about the disaster from his grandfather and who did his college graduation thesis on the subject many years ago.

It's a subject about which I knew nothing until I visited the C&O Heritage Center in Clifton Forge, Virginia last Thanksgiving weekend. I was sufficiently intrigued by what I learned that I purchased this little book published by the History Press. It's a quick read -- 120 pages plus a bibliography. It tells a little about the history of Virginia railroading in general and the C & O (Chesapeake & Ohio) Railroad in particular. It talks about the construction of the tunnel, its relatively brief time of usage, and the disaster which finished it off. It gives a day-by-day account of the rescue/recovery efforts. We also learn a bit about the state of race relations in Virginia both at the time of construction and the time of the disaster. And it provides many interesting photos.

The book included much discussion of the railroad routes relating to why the tunnel was needed, how it served during its lifetime, why it was largely abandoned for a number of years, and why the railroad was trying to re-open the tunnel when it finally collapsed for good. I have to agree with another reviewer that maps would have been most helpful in understanding what the author was talking about. Without giving the reader a view of the specific geography, all that talk was pretty meaningless. The book contains one tiny and virtually unreadable diagram on page 100, but nothing else to help the reader understand the many geographical references.

In all, the book was reasonably informative regarding what happened and why. I think I would have liked a little more info about the construction techniques discussed, since they relate so directly to the disaster. This is another area where some basic diagramming would help the reader understand what happened. I wish the author had shown me a diagram of block arching, and compared it with a diagram of another construction technique that might have been more appropriate.

I did like how each chapter began with an epigraph -- some of those little readings from various literary sources were very interesting, and I may look up some of the sources to read them in their entirety!

ROOT Book #67
Title: Slay Ride
Author: Chris Grabenstein
Copyright/Year of original publication:2006 (I think)
Series:
Date finished: 12/25/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, yes, used bookstore
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Notes:

A very dark holiday mystery involving an angry limo driver, a harried businessman, an FBI agent, and the Russian mob. Moral of the story -- don't get your limo driver mad at you!

ROOT Book #68
Title: Superior Deception (e-book)
Author: Matthew Williams
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2007
Series: Lake Superior Mysteries
Date finished: 12/26/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, (virtual), NO, Kindle store
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Notes:

A quick read of a mystery with a bit of UP (Upper Peninsula of Michigan) flavor. A judge's body is found hanging in a park; the judge had been fighting to save the park from being destroyed to make way for a development.

ROOT book #69
Title: Curse of the Narrows: The Halifax Explosion 1917
Author: Laura M. Mac Donald
Copyright/Year of original publication:2005
Series: n/a
Date finished: 12/28/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, Yes, gift
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

This is a comprehensive and well-written account of the Halifax Explosion of 1917, when the collision of a Belgian Relief ship and a ship carrying high explosives for WWI collided, setting off the explosives and decimating the town of Halifax, Nova Scotia. It carefully documented what happened leading up to, at the time of, and in the aftermath of the explosion (and acknowledging those areas where testimony/documentation differed).

I was surprised to see some editing errors toward the end of the book, with occasional wrong word usage & sentence fragments, but these were the exception rather than the rule. Overall, the quality of the writing was great and really made me see what a terrible disaster this was.

There were lots of interesting aspects to this story, including the relationship between Boston, Mass and Halifax, and how the disaster played a role in the creation of the specialty of pediatric surgery and development of the first pediatric surgical ward in Boston.

ROOT Book #70
Title: Superior Dilemma
Author: Matthew Williams
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2011
Series: Vince Marshall #3
Date finished: 12-30-13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes (virtual), No, Kindle store
My Rating: 3.3 stars
Notes:

This was a decent mystery, and had lots of northern flavor from its Upper Peninsula of Michigan setting. It involves an old "unsolved" bank robbery where everyone thinks they know "whodunit" but can't get past the suspect's alibi; it also involves the theft of the trophy for a dog sled race. And there's a side story involving the sabotage of snowmobile trails.

I like the main character, Vince, and his wife and daughter. Some of the peripheral characters in this series are kind of inconsistent. And I can't believe the wife could have been out cross-country skiing for miles within a day or so of one medical issue that arose. (I won't elaborate to avoid spoilers.) I took off points for the very ending. He wrapped up how things turned out for various characters in a few paragraphs in a very amateurish way, IMO. I'm thinking maybe he's not planning more in this series?

The Halifax Explosion book sounds really interesting. I've only read Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion, by Janet F. Kitz, which is a bit older but has good firsthand accounts from the survivors.

Hi, rabbitprincess! The Kitz book is listed in the sources of the book I read.

The following will most certainly be the last book I finish in 2013, and I'm sorry to end with such a loser.

ROOT Book #71
Title: A Bone to Pick
Author: Charlaine Harris
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1992
Series: Aurora Teagarden #2
Date finished:12/31/13
Off the Shelf? Pre-2013 owned and/or ER? Source?: Yes, Yes, don't remember
My Rating: 2 1/2 stars
Notes:

This is a silly little book with an implausible plot and a protagonist who does, says, and thinks a number of foolish things for no good reason. Some aspects of the book were rather entertaining, but overall I wouldn't have bothered to finish it if it wasn't a short, quick read. I suppose I did want to see how it turned out, but only vaguely.

The main reason I started this series is because Roe was a librarian, but the library barely figures in these books, and now Roe has up and quit the library job. I won't be reading any more.