MAY ROOT - Progress Thread

The theme and questions this month are related to home and travel.



As I've told you all, I am in the midst of a huge move. My husband (he's finally going into semi-retirement) and I have sold our home of 37+ years (it took 2½ hours!) and moving from Maryland to Myrtle Beach, SC. We will be closer to some of the kids and grandkids and 2 of his sisters. In this whirlwind of a year, I realized that even though I love to travel and see new places that I really am a homebody. I think the 5 hospital visits made me see that I really do like to "just be at home" with a good book and a comfy chair.

So what about you? Here are the questions of the month:

1. Are you a homebody or filled with wanderlust?

2. When you are at home, what do you LIKE to do?

3. If you are a traveler, where have you been and where would you like to go? How long do you like to be on your travels?

4. If you are a homebody, do you still travel and if so, for how long?

5. For all the travelers, what's your favorite trip memory?



If you don't hear much from me this month, it's because I'm traveling from old home to new to old to new and buried in boxes!

Here are our April totals. Remember, if you are not a member of the group, or have not set a goal, your name will not appear in the list.

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

Ann_R 12 / 20 ★★★★ 60.0%
atozgrl 7 / 40 17.5%
brakketh 5 / 46 10.9%
benitastarnd 37 / 72 ★★★ 51.4%
bumblesby 8 / 20 ★ 40.0%
ca_dmv 7 / 12 ★★★★ 58.3%
Caramellunacy 14 / 25 ★★★ 56.0%
Carmenere 3 / 25 12.0%
Cecilturtle 14 / 50 28.0%
clue 16 / 40 ★ 40.0%
Coach_of_Alva 12 / 15 ★★★★★ 80.0%
connie53 14 / 36 ★ 38.9%
crazy4reading 1 / 30 3.3%
curioussquared 42 / 60 ★★★★★ 70.0%
cyderry 35 / 84 ★★ 41.7%
detailmuse 12 / 40 30.0%
DisassemblyOfReason 61 / 100 ★★★ 61.0%
EGBERTINA 18 / 50 ★ 36.0%
enemyanniemae 18 / 65 27.7%
Familyhistorian 25 / 65 ★ 38.5%
floremolla 6 / 40 15.0%
fuzzi 10 / 100 10.0%
HelenBaker 12 / 48 25.0%
Henrik_Madsen 7 / 50 14.0%
Jackie_K 16 / 52 30.8%
justchris 1 / 50 2.0%
kac522 31 / 75 ★ 41.3%
karenmarie 2 / 10 20.0%
Kristelh 26 / 30 ★★★★★ 86.7%
KWharton 4 / 12 ★ 33.3%
lilisin 21 / 100 21.0%
lindapanzo 33 / 84 ★ 39.3%
LoraShouse 6 / 15 ★ 40.0%
madhatter22 16 / 50 32.0%
majkia 44 / 65 ★★★★★ 67.7%
Miss_Moneypenny 29 / 75 ★ 38.7%
MissWatson 24 / 75 ★ 32.0%
Nickelini 9 / 35 25.7%
nikolahall 1 / 50 2.0%
pnppl 32 / 42 ★★★★★ 76.2%
QuestingA 21 / 50 ★★ 42.0%
rabbitprincess 20 / 50 ★ 40.0%
readergirliz 10 / 24 ★★ 41.7%
readingtangent 26 / 50 ★★★ 52.0%
rebeki 13 / 25 ★★★ 52.0%
Robertgreaves 34 / 72 ★★ 47.2%
rosalita 12 / 48 25.0%
sallylou61 14 / 40 ★ 35.0%
si 10 / 30 ★ 33.3%
torontoc 4 / 30 13.3%
vestafan 26 / 60 ★★ 43.3%
wandaly 8 / 24 ★ 33.3%

Our ★★★★★ readers closest to reaching their goals, are:

Kristelh 86.7%
Coach_of_Alva 80.0%
pnppl 76.2%
curioussquared 70.0%
majkia 67.7%

The goal for month is 1,023, let's get reading!!

I am English but mainly live in Jakarta. When I am in Jakarta "home" is in the UK, when I am in the UK visiting friends and family, "home" is Jakarta. I went through a restless phase in my late 20s/early 30s which is how I ended up in Indonesia, but now I can't be bothered.

1. Are you a homebody or filled with wanderlust? I am a homebody. I do like to travel but it creates a lot of anxiety for me. I have a place in Florida and Minnesota but the travel between the two points makes it stressful.

2. When you are at home, what do you LIKE to do? I like to draw, walk, go to the gym and read books, make lists and plans for upcoming reads. I also love time with my family.

3. If you are a traveler, where have you been and where would you like to go? How long do you like to be on your travels? I've been to most of the states, I also have been to Mexico and Canada and in Europe I have been to Germany, Austria, and Northern Italy.

4. If you are a homebody, do you still travel and if so, for how long? I still travel, back and forth between Minnesota and Florida and I would consider traveling by tours as this does take some of the anxiety out of the experience. I really enjoy armchair travel.

5. For all the travelers, what's your favorite trip memory? I enjoyed traveling to Europe and skiing in Austria. I enjoyed the train ride to northern Italy. I enjoyed the trips to various parks in the US and especially enjoyed Colorado but all the travels have favorite memories.

Thanks for setting up the thread, Chèli!

1. Are you a homebody or filled with wanderlust? Can I say a little bit of both? I love to travel, but always miss the comforts of home (and my dogs) when I'm gone.

2. When you are at home, what do you LIKE to do? Read (of course), cuddle and walk the dogs, play video games, do puzzles, cross-stitch.

3. If you are a traveler, where have you been and where would you like to go? How long do you like to be on your travels? I almost prefer to do bigger, longer trips -- it feels like more of a payoff. Shorter weekend trips are nice, but always feel like a lot of prep and driving for just a short time away. Closer to home, I've traveled to several US states, including Hawaii and Alaska, as well as Canada and Mexico. Farther away, I've been to France, Spain, Scotland, Portugal, Iceland, New Zealand, and Costa Rica. I'm headed to Italy in June :) I'd love to visit more of the UK, Ireland, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Morocco, Bolivia, Peru, Argentina... the list goes on!

4. If you are a homebody, do you still travel and if so, for how long? I think of myself as a homebody socially, but like I said above, I still love experiencing other places and cultures. I spent 6 weeks in France as a college student and loved it. At this point in my life, I don't think I'd like to be away from home for more than, say, 3 weeks.

5. For all the travelers, what's your favorite trip memory? That's tough. My best friend and I had a great time in Scotland and met some lovely people there. My husband and I loved all the nature we discovered in Costa Rica, and we had a fantastic time road tripping around New Zealand. I loved getting to show my parents around Paris as an adult, and seeing Portugal with my best friends from college.

Reporting ROOT # 15 for the year, # 1 for May

Mortuarium - Patricia Cornwell

1. Are you a homebody or filled with wanderlust?

I think I'm a homebody, suddenly without wanderlust, but I like to go on holiday for a fortnight or so. I do not like long journeys and backpacking through the wilderness.

2. When you are at home, what do you LIKE to do?

I like to read (Duh), do jigsaws and crosswords

3. If you are a traveler, where have you been and where would you like to go? How long do you like to be on your travels?

We have been to France multiple times (13 or so, always to the same resort), Turkey (resorts too) and Curacao and in The Netherlands (where I live) also to Berlin, Baden Baden and London.

4. If you are a homebody, do you still travel and if so, for how long?

Yes, to those mentioned in # 3, for two weeks.

5. For all the travelers, what's your favorite trip memory?

I have great memories of our trips to Zeeland ( a province of The Netherlands) when the kids were smaller. And I love Berlin.

1. Are you a homebody or filled with wanderlust? I used to be filled with wanderlust, in my 20s, but now that I'm in my 50s I'm happy to put down roots. I love living in Scotland, can't imagine moving anywhere else, although we may move within Scotland.

2. When you are at home, what do you LIKE to do? Enjoy the garden, write, read.

3. If you are a traveler, where have you been and where would you like to go? How long do you like to be on your travels? I had a couple of extended periods of a few months living in Romania - in the mid-90s when I taught English, and in 2007 when I was doing fieldwork for my PhD. I love it there. I also very much enjoyed holidays in Canada and Namibia. There are lots of places in the world that I'd love to see, and hope that once we're retired and empty-nesters that we'll be able to visit a few places we've not been to yet.

4. If you are a homebody, do you still travel and if so, for how long? Now I tend to travel within Scotland/the UK, as work and family commitments mean that at least for now longer travels are not feasible. Now a 2 week holiday in a cottage on a remote Scottish island feels like unbelievable luxury!

5. For all the travelers, what's your favorite trip memory? I remember sitting in a pizza restaurant in Romania, and the waitress saw that I was foreign and spoke to me in German (a language I don't know). Her face when I replied in Romanian to ask her to speak in Romanian as I understood that language was a picture! Another fun memory is when I went on holiday with a friend to Zakynthos (one of the Greek islands) in my early 30s. We hired a car one day to drive round the island, and planned it to end up at a restaurant on a clifftop which all the books said had amazing sunsets. We got there as planned, but were so busy talking that when I finally remembered why we'd gone there and looked up to see if the sunset was as impressive as the books said, it was pitch black, we'd completely missed it! We still laugh about that, 20+ years later.

One of the first things I did when I got in from my trip to Salt Lake City on Sunday was to update my ticker with the ROOTs I'd posted about in April so great to see that this thread is about travel!

I know a lot about moving having done that umpteen times in my life. Good luck with your move, Cheli.

Now for the travel questions:

1. I like being home but also need to get out and explore so lean more towards wanderlust. In my birth family home is a moving target.

2. At home I spend time reading and writing and also looking out my windows to see what is going on. I overlook a creek surrounded by trees and through those trees I can see the fields of a middle school, from soccer games to bears playing, I find it all entertaining.

3. Most of my travels lately are to visit locations in my family’s history. Most of my travels are in Canada, the US and the British Isles. My trips range from the length of a week to three weeks. Now that I’m retired I tend to take about three trips a year.

4. I’m not much of a homebody, I think.

5. I have so many great trip memories. Many of them are about meeting up with fellow researchers and exploring places that are in our common ancestor’s pasts. Like the time my 7th cousin and I went to Kilsby, Northants and visited the church where my 4 x great grandfather was the minister. I walked on his grave set into the aisleway. Another time I went with my cousin to Leister and followed the trail of Richard III. He’s now buried in splendour in Leister Cathedral. The trip that stands out is the one that brought me by a circuitous route from Halifax to Vancouver via the Southern States. That was a saga involving 6 young adults and an old ’69 Acadian.

>4 Kristelh: Armchair Travels - I used to think that when we retired my husband and I would travel to Europe and could see the sights, however, I have found out that my husband doesn't like to sightsee! So I found this website - https://www.girltraveltours.com/ - where I can take a virtual tour and see many of the sights without dragging my husband along. I've "been" to Edinburgh, New Zealand, and Pompeii all sitting in my comfy chair at home. They have over 80 virtual tours to all areas of the world and the tour guides are great. I almost felt as if I was there - and it costs nothing! You can tip the tour guide if you want, and I have, hoping that it will keep the website going to exotic locales where my poor knees and back will never take me. My husband even thinks it's great because of all the travel expenses that I save!

>5 curioussquared: I love to play video games, do puzzles, cross-stitch too. I started birth announcements in cross stitch for my grandkids - I still have 5 more to do! Hopefully after settling into the new house I'll get them done.

>6 connie53: have your read any of the Marlow mystery series by Robert Thorogood? the main character creates crossword puzzles for the local paper. It was fascinating the descriptions of what is involved.

>7 Jackie_K: what fun memories!

>8 Familyhistorian: A traveler - may you have safe travels wherever you go!

1. Are you a homebody or filled with wanderlust?
As I said above I am basically a homebody. I believe that wanderlust was part of my nature when I was young, but work and family life turned me to loving just being home.

2. When you are at home, what do you LIKE to do? I love to read, of course, watch baseball games in season, play games (just about all kinds), and cross stitch. I've been away from my needlework for several years but realized how much I loved it as I packed up all the works for moving. There were over 90 hanging on my walls!

3. If you are a traveler, where have you been and where would you like to go? How long do you like to be on your travels? As a child my parents and sisters visited more than ½ of the US states and 4 years ago I finally made it to Alaska. My husband likes to cruise and we do the Caribbean most years (not this year with moving).
I've taken one 2 week cruise with my parents and sisters (no hubbies) but I think that's about as long as I want to go.
As to where would I like to go - I had hoped to go to Europe next year for our 50th wedding anniversary but not so sure we'll make it. I was having a hard time deciding between the British Isles and Italy. Always wanted to see Rome and Florence and Venice but London and Dublin called to me too.

4. If you are a homebody, do you still travel and if so, for how long? Cruising, to me, has the time fly by so 2 weeks is fine but I really like sleeping in my own bed at home making longer seem not too attractive. More separate weeks would be fine.

5. For all the travelers, what's your favorite trip memory?
I have to admit that I have two favorite trip memories and they both involve my Dad. Memory #1
In 1964,(I was 10) my parents planned a 22 day car trip taking my 3 sisters and I across the USA and back. We left the east coast headed west and visited the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Disneyland, San Francisco, Yosemite National Park, Yellowstone National Park, the Badlands, and Mount Rushmore. While we were at Yellowstone my Dad wanted to take pictures of Old Faithful erupting. He handed me the movie camera (8mm) and waited patiently. He told me to hand him the movie camera after he took a few picture with the regular camera. Old Faithful did its thing and my Dad started clicking the camera. At the same time, the wind shifted and the geyser liquid head towards us and I took off running. My Dad turned to me for the movie camera and I was far away. He wasn't happy with me. Many, many years later we would sit and laugh about it, numerous times.

Memory #2
Once again this memory involves my Dad on 2 week cruise with my parents and sisters (no hubbies). My Dad had been battling cancer for several years and he was ready to give up the fight but he had 1 thing left on this bucket list - going through the Panama Canal. He had been in the Merchant Marine and had been through other canals but never Panama so my Mom and my oldest sister decided we would take him on a cruise through. My other 2 sisters also wanted the experience so we took the last great family vacation and cruised from San Diego, down the Mexican Rivera, Costa Rica, through the Canal, stopping in Cartagena, Columbia and ending in Fort Lauderdale, FL. It was when we were docked in Cartagena that my Mom and Dad sent the "girls" off for some fun. They planned to stay on board and rest. When we got back, I asked my Mom if Daddy was resting and she said that he had taken his scooter and was going to ride around the city for a while. Little did he know that the President of Columbia was visiting that day and the streets were lined with ARMED SOLDIERS. When he got back, he had this sheepish little grin on his face, and told how he had been stopped by a soldier aiming his gun at him. My Dad said his arms hadn't been that high in a long time. I can still see that grin in my mind.

Love to travel, but love being home more.

We have a class A motorhome so travel in that as much as we can. In fact, we were off for a week and just returned home on Thursday. I've traveled overseas quite a bit in my life but not in the past year.

At home I read a lot, and we go out to lunch a few times a week.

My favorite trip .. gee. I loved Egypt and Iceland. Europe is great too.

Lovely topic, Chèli!

1. Are you a homebody or filled with wanderlust?
I used to be very fond of travelling, but as I grow older I find that my own bed and my own armchair matter more to me than they used to. The pandemic has taken some of the fun and enjoyment out of travelling, although I hope to go to Normandy or Brittany again soon.

2. When you are at home, what do you LIKE to do?
Reading, of course. I like to knit, too, especially when there’s an interesting history documentary on the TV.

3. If you are a traveler, where have you been and where would you like to go? How long do you like to be on your travels?
My best friend and I started travelling right after we finished high school, and our first trip took us to the US. My parents were very worried, I think, but we enjoyed ourselves enormously. We also went on a river cruise in China, but otherwise it’s been Europe, mostly. We usually spend a fortnight.

5. For all the travelers, what's your favorite trip memory?
My absolute favourite memory is sitting next to the bridge of SS Sea Cloud looking up into the foremast sails and feeling a breeze on my face. We booked a cruise in the Caribbean and it was a lifetime dream come true. If I ever win the lottery, a second cruise on this ship is the first thing I’m going to treat myself to.

I'm WAY behind on my ROOTS! I'm travelling this month ;) so maybe I'll catch up in airport lounges...

1. Are you a homebody or filled with wanderlust? I was born to a nomadic family, raised in 4 countries and straddling two at any point. Although I hate planning for trips, I love living them: I always have a new destination on the horizon, whether near or far. Next stops in May: nearby Québec, Faroe Islands and Copenhagen, Denmark!

2. When you are at home, what do you LIKE to do? Reading where I discover new worlds, hiking - cause I get to discover new places, but also crocheting, socializing with friends and cuddling with my cat

3. If you are a traveller, where have you been and where would you like to go? How long do you like to be on your travels? I have been to over 30 countries. Ideally, I'd like to stay 3 weeks in one place (expense and care for the cat usually prevent that) - it feels less rushed and more immersive. I'm tempted at retirement to do a 6-12 month tour, one month in a different country - my dream trip is a cruise on the Nile.

5. For all the travellers, what's your favorite trip memory? Ah! So many!
Swimming in warm waters in Cayman Island
Living in a monastery in Merida, Mexico
Discovering the richness of Japan
Crying of happiness during a safari in Kenya
Eating during El Aïd on the Jemaa el-Fna Plazza in Marrakesh...
Horseback riding in Peru
Walking through the rain forest in Hawaii
I mean, can life be more beautiful?

I have been traveling - but not for pleasure. I spent lots of time on the road in March and April. The good thing about traveling is it is generally uninterrupted time for reading. I like to say that it is quality time with recorded books. And if I can't listen to a book, then it is quality time with a large tome - usually an adventure fantasy, or one of those multigenerational family sagas.

My first ROOT for May is My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece, by Annabel Pitcher, an audiobook read by David Tennant.

Back in 2012 my parents suggested that they, my brother and I do "one last big family trip" to London. We had such a good time on the trip that we did five more and were planning a sixth before COVID put paid to those plans. We mostly visited the UK and Ireland for about two or two and a half weeks at a time in the spring or fall (better rates and fewer tourists). One of my favourite trips was to Wales, where we managed to catch the Doctor Who Experience in its last week of existence, then went on a book-buying spree in Hay-on-Wye. I also liked the trip to Scotland where Jackie_K and I met up for lunch!

These days I mostly travel to my parents, who live in the same province as me. I'm going to Montreal for the weekend with friends in June, and that will probably count as my first real "road trip" since COVID.

>14 rabbitprincess: Oh yes, that was such fun, I loved our mini-LT-meet! I haven't made it to any of the other Bloody Scotland fitba matches, but might try and go if they do it this year. I saw on twitter a few years ago (must have been just before the pandemic, so I'm guessing 2019) that Emily Dodd was included in the Scottish team, which made my day (her crime book is the very excellent "Crime Squirrel Investigators: The Naughty Nut Thief"!).

I finally have some time so will fill out the questionnaire for this month. I am starting feel like I have retired. I am in the middle of doing my first binge watching and choose the Star Trek Discovery series to start with.

1. Are you a homebody or filled with wanderlust? I am a bit of both. I love driving and regard driving time as quality time with recorded books. I love seeing the scenery along the way and how it changes. I don't like flying as much, but once I am in a city, I love to explore. I like to stay for some time in one place, and do lots of people watching and get to know the atmosphere of the place. I also love staying at home. I come from a very small town (100 people) and love living there. I have a big family there and back in the day I had 52 first cousins who all lived in the same little town. I love getting together with my cousins.

2. When you are at home, what do you LIKE to do? I like to read, watch cooking shows on TV and cook. I love to have people over to eat with me, or have coffee and cake. I hate having a lawn. I call it the Big Green Monster and simply don't understand why it has to mowed.

3. If you are a traveler, where have you been and where would you like to go? How long do you like to be on your travels? I have been lots of places from coast to coast, and even across the pond. I would like to visit Japan, Korea, India, and go to Paris in November. I also want to visit Winnipeg, Toronto, the provinces of Quebec, and Prince Edward Island. I want to spend a couple of weeks in Vermont and New Hampshire. I do NOT want to visit Florida - ever. Or Hawaii.

4. If you are a homebody, do you still travel and if so, for how long?

5. For all the travelers, what's your favorite trip memory? Mostly, I remember the drives and what I saw along the way. I drove to Montana and found the drive along Interstate 80 and the road up to Scottsbluff, Nebraska fascinating. Beautiful scenery. Once I got to Montana, the best memory was of driving on Interstate 90 from Bozeman to Butte and reading a book about the geology of Montana along the way. There were five of us in the car and we had some great discussions about the rocks and mountains.

1. I am mostly a homebody. Although I enjoy traveling, I am usually glad to get back home.

2. At home I enjoy reading, playing with our cats, watching women's basketball games, and going out to eat with my husband. We enjoy going to moderately priced restaurants, not fast food or very expensive places.

3. With my parents and siblings while growing up in central Pennsylvania we went to visit relatives in southeastern and in northwestern Pennsylvania, and vacationed in New York State especially Letchworth State Park, one summer in Missouri where we had lived when I was in nursery school and kindergarten, and with my parents in England, Scotland, and Holland as an adult. When I was in college, we spent the summer in Mexico where my father was on a dig and another summer in Peru where he had a Fulbright.
After marriage my husband and I often go to various state parks in West Virginia, his home state. We have also been to England several times, France (for a week only), Scandinavia which we loved (with another trip back to Norway), and Germany, and a return (for me) to Peru. We have also toured South Dakota and Missouri (both Laura Ingalls Wilder country). Several of our trips such as to Colorado and Alaska have been touring after a NASIG (North America Serials Interest Group) conference.

4. We have done very little traveling since the beginning of COVID. Our only trip has been to Virginia Beach. We're planning to go to Chincoteague Island later this month. I'm 79 and my husband is 83; I personally have no desire to go very far from home -- farther than the eastern states of the United States.

5. Our two months in Peru when I was 20 -- particularly in Cuzco where we developed some friends and even went to the wedding of our landlords' daughter.
Touring Laura Ingalls Wilder country -- both South Dakota and Missouri.

>16 benitastrnad: I, like you, have no desire to visit Hawaii. I can't get away from Florida because family lives there and most of the cruises we take leave from a Florida port but when my husband said he wanted to retire to Florida, I said NO!

My turn!

1. Are you a homebody or filled with wanderlust?
I'm mostly a homebody, but do enjoy driving long distance to visit our granddaughters. I plan stops at interesting sites.

2. When you are at home, what do you LIKE to do?
Puttering in my gardens, taking nature photographs, and reading.

3. If you are a traveler, where have you been and where would you like to go? How long do you like to be on your travels?
Not really a traveler, but when we do we try to not go more than 400 miles on the days we drive, so we have time to stop to see the sites, and not get exhausted. Longest trips have been 12 days, including stopovers.

4. If you are a homebody, do you still travel and if so, for how long?
We drive once a year to Chicago to visit the Grands. It's 950 miles one way, but we take two days to get there. On the return trip we detour, sometimes an extra thousand miles or more! One year we did a loop through Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, before heading back to NC. Twice we've gone south to visit cousins in Alabama.

5. For all the travelers, what's your favorite trip memory?
Probably the trip my dh and I took to New England. We both were raised in Connecticut but somehow never went to New Hampshire or Maine. We drove through NY, Vermont, NH, and Maine as far north as Acadia National Park...oh my.

A close second to that trip would be our two stops at The Land Between the Lakes. Lovely area, especially if you enjoy nature.

>17 sallylou61: I'd like to visit the Badlands and Mount Rushmore.

I never got to Chincoteague, Misty's home.

I've added my first ROOT for May (#17 for the year) to my own ticker only.

My first ROOT for May is ready! La Soif by Jo Nesbø, a Harry Hole mystery (a marathon at 600+ pages).

GROUP TICKER ALERT!
I went to update the number of books: it was 889
The percentage of books indicated 810.

I've changed them both to 890 (adding my own ROOT), but I don't know if that number should be 890 or 811. Someone must have made a typo along the way. Sorry Chèli for the extra work :(

>22 Cecilturtle: I think the figures don't necessarily match until Cheli crunches the numbers at the end of each month, because some people update the group ticker and others don't.

>1 cyderry: I hope the move goes well for you! And Myrtle Beach! That's close enough to me for a potential meetup someday.

I went to Myrtle Beach several times back around 1989 and the early 90's. I used to stay in a family-oriented hotel run by locals. The last time I was there in 2017, it looked like the friendly, locally run hotels had all been replaced by huge, chain-type hotels. And boy was highway 17 all built up! I miss what it used to be like.

Questions of the month:
1. Are you a homebody or filled with wanderlust?
I guess I'd say I'm some of both.

2. When you are at home, what do you LIKE to do?
Reading, gardening, watching the Cubs, watching TV.

3. If you are a traveler, where have you been and where would you like to go? How long do you like to be on your travels?
I managed to do a lot while in college. I took part in a travel/study program one summer, where the professor leading us was a native German. We went to Europe, mostly Germany, but stayed in Amsterdam for most of one week, and also in Munich for about a week. Both were the basis for side trips. We also had one busy travel day with a stop in Switzerland. I stayed over after the tour ended to study German in Salzburg. Between the two, I had a week free, and went to Paris. As a history major, I was determined while in Europe to see Versailles. I later did a year-long study abroad in Japan.

After starting my working life, I've travelled to lots of places around the US. For places I want to go, I've always wanted to see Hawaii--surprised to see that others here do not. I also need to get to Yellowstone and Yosemite. Outside the US, I would like to go to Italy, Greece, England, Scotland, Iceland and Norway, and also Australia and New Zealand.

4. If you are a homebody, do you still travel and if so, for how long?
Since COVID, we've been homebodies. We haven't done much traveling at all--only to visit Mr. A's family in Mississippi. We hope to change that soon.

5. For all the travelers, what's your favorite trip memory?
It's hard to pick one, but maybe I should mention the Alaskan cruise we took. My sister and I and our husbands went in together on tickets for an Alaskan cruise for my mother's 80th birthday. She was able to take a friend with her, so the 6 of us had a really nice cruise, with plenty of sightseeing trips on-shore.

I finished another ROOT this month. I started it in April, but too late in the month to finish it before it rolled around to May, so unfortunately I didn't get any ROOTs in April. But I can count it for May. It's Raising the Hunley : the remarkable history and recovery of the lost Confederate submarine by Brian Hicks and Schuyler Kropf. I enjoyed it, even more than I expected I would.

>23 Jackie_K: they should match - the second ticker represents the percentage number of the first ticker.
Anyway, hoping it doesn't mess with stats too much.

>24 atozgrl: Fancy that! I studied German in Salzbourg too! I went there 3 summers, staying with Austrian families. It wasn't always easy but I fell in love with Austria!

>26 Cecilturtle: Wow, that's cool! Three summers! I wouldn't have thought to do that. I took part in the Salzburg Sommerschule (I believe that's what it was called--I'm not seeing anything like it online, so maybe the program doesn't exist any more). We stayed at the Frohnburg Palace where they filmed parts of the Sound of Music. Some of it had been turned into dorms. We only got into the main building for an opening reception.

The countryside there is certainly beautiful! I had a lot of great pictures from my time there, taken with my little instamatic camera. But I recently saw some of them and was sadly disappointed to see just how much the color has faded.

Reporting ROOT #1 for May, #25 in all. I have a busy month in RL ahead, so I'm not sure how many ROOTs I can pluck in May.

>28 MissWatson: I understand. Usually by this far in the month I've read at least 7-8 books, I haven't finished one! Between packing all day and exhaustion at night, I can't keep my eyes open to read. Next week is the move for me with a few days to rest while waiting for the furniture and boxes so maybe I'll get a few done then.

I finished my first ROOT for May. Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms, and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories by Simon Winchester. This one was a great long epic. It should be. The Atlantic is a great big ocean and I learned in this book that it is even bigger than I thought. According to the powers that make such decisions it encompasses the Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea. This is a book full of facts and told by a master nonfiction storyteller. It is not as detailed about the geology of the Atlantic, which disappointed me, but given the length of the book, that was probably good decision. It is full of stories about people, places, and ships, but it is surprisingly Eurocentric. By that I mean that it covers most of the main points about the North Atlantic, but it leaves out lots of history about the South Atlantic. There is barely any mention at all of Brazil and Argentina and only fleeting mention of Africa below the equator. Even with those faults it was a good story told well by a master of historical storytelling.

Reporting ROOT # 16 and # 17 for the year, # 3 for May

De jongen, de mol, de vos en het paard by Charlie Mackesy
De valkentroon by Karen Miller

ROOT 2 for May and 16 overall:
The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing which I've had since 2008.

Group tickers updated.

I have read 3 ROOTS this month and have 1 to go for my monthly goal.

ROOT 3 for May and 17 overall, No and Me by Delphine de Vigan which I've had since 2012 when I found it on the street, likely left behind by a student. This has its own sweet irony since the book is about a high school student befriending a homeless teenager.

Group tickers updated.

Added two more ROOTs to my personal ticker:

Testament of a Generation: The Journalism of Vera Brittain and Winifred Holtby, ed. Paul Berry
My Word Is My Bond, by Roger Moore

I've finished my 2nd ROOT for May (#18 for the year overall) and added it to my own ticker.

I've finished two ROOTs for May:

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska by Warren Zanes.

The first was OK, the second excellent.

I finished another long underground ROOT. Cultivating Delight: A Natural History of My Garden by Diane Ackerman was a delightful trip through the year with this gardener. I do like me a gardening book, and this one was a restful read. It was not the kind of gardening book that inspired me to go forth and plant, but I don't think that was the author's purpose. It did fill me with a quiet kind of wonder about gardens.

ROOT #5 for the year and the first for May. I have a a brief spell of "not being able to read" but hope to be back looking at my books on the shelf!
The review is on my thread and no tickers updated.

Reporting ROOT # 18 and # 19 for the year, # 4 and # 5 for May

De lessen van Loki - Joanne Harris
Nooit meer - Colleen Hoover

Reporting ROOT # 20 for the year, # 6 for May

Mijn belofte aan jou by Colleen Hoover

I finished listening to a ROOT while driving back to Kansas to spend two weeks with my mother. This one was a recorded book that I have had on my shelves since 2017. This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel was an excellent novel. The narrator did a great job on the narration so it was a funny and poignant book to listen to while on the road.

I have finished 4 ROOTs so far and now have embarked on a book I borrowed from my sister and need to return soon. It's 525 pages long, so I'm not sure I can add more thios month.

I've read 2 more ROOTS this month for at total of 5 and I don't think I'll read more.

ROOT #3 for May (#19 overall - pretty sure I'll have lost my star as I'm a couple of books behind target) added to my ticker only. I'll try and squeak another one in before month end, but no promises! :)

Reporting ROOT # 21 for the year, # 7 for May

Toen de wereld brak by John Boyne

I have finished a ROOT this weekend. Alice Behind Wonderland by Simon Winchester. I hope to finish two more before the end of the month. I am really close to doing so.

I surprised myself and finished my borrowed book. Plus a fifth ROOT for May, yay.

Added Children of the Mist, by Nigel Tranter, to my personal ticker. Up to 24/50 ROOTs.

And another one! Six ROOTs in May, my own ticker is updated.

I'm at about a quarter through my goal at about halfway through the year mark. Oops! I foresee things speeding up though as we get into the summer months and I start feeling more energized with the warm weather. Assuming of course we don't have a long rainy season.

Here is my report for May 2023:

UpROOTED books: 8
ROOTless books: 7
Added to the treebook TBR shelves: 6

The ROOTs were:

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
An Unsafe Pair of Hands by Chris Dolley
An Act of Detection by Charlie Cochrane
Three Men In A Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
Death on Delos by Gary Corby
Traveling in Space by Steven Paul Leiva
The Guncle by Steven Rowley
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

ROOTs in YTD: 42

(Group tickers not touched)

ROOT #6 for the year and the second one for May. No tickers updated and the review is on my thread..

ROOT 4 for May and 18 overall, a great thiller La Vérité sur l'Affaire Harry Quebert by Joël Dicker

Group tickers are updated.

I have to laugh or I'm going to cry. The men came to install my big walk-in tub this morning and neglected to check the drainage before filling the tub to capacity. When they started the tub draining, the water started overflowing in the shower and all over the bathroom, into the master bedroom, and into the hall and master closet. I'm guessing that the house has truly been baptized now.

Apparently when the concrete guys were laying the forms for the slab, they punctured the water pipe and since nothing was going through it, there was no indication that there was a problem. Now that the line is being used fully (bathrooms, washer, kitchen) the problem has strained the hole and gone berserk! At least it wasn't the tub guys! The Toll Brothers manager says that they will cover everything. We may be able to stay while the work is done, just sleep upstairs on the sofa bed. Ah, the joys of Home Ownership!

Not sure when I'll get to June's Thread.

Will definitely lose my star this month only read a few books.

>55 cyderry: Glad that you are sounding so cheerful about this disaster in your new home. One can't tell what is going to happen when owning a home.

>51 lilisin: A rainy season would help me read more! Fewer competing tasks to complete, and relaxing rain to read to.

I've completed one more ROOT for May: Historic Raleigh, which I read for the May "The Big City" challenge. That's 2 ROOTs for May and 9 for the year. I've updated my personal ticker.

>55 cyderry: Chèli, I am so sorry to hear that! You have had the most disruptive year! I hope everything is repaired quickly and that all things will calm down for you soon. I am not sure I could take it as well as you have, but I do love your comment that "the house has truly been baptized now."

No worries about the Thread. You've got much more important things to deal with!

>55 cyderry: I hope that's the last of your new home's teething troubles, Chèli, and that you'll be able to get truly settled in soon.

>55 cyderry: The June thread is the least of your worries - I hope that the house is sorted soon, with no more aquatic adventures!

Also: reporting my final ROOT for May (#4 for the month, #20 for the year) which I've added to my own ticker).

>55 cyderry: So sorry to hear that, Chèli. I would be in tears.

So take your time. We will wait patiently.

would anybody mind if we didn't have a June thread? I am a bit overwhelmed right now.

>62 cyderry: I don't mind at all. We could just carry on posting to this thead, and then sort it all out in July. That would work fine.

>62 cyderry: I think that's totally fine, Chèli. You've got a lot on your plate right now, and as Jackie said we can just keep using this thread.

>62 cyderry:. Fine to skip a June thread and use this this thread for both May and June. I was surprised to have a May thread since you were so busy with moving, etc.

Thanks everyone!

No at all. I will post the June reads here too

Reporting ROOT # 22 for the year, # 8 for May and June

Augustus by J.D. Barker

>62 cyderry: Really not a problem. We all know you've got a lot on your plate at the moment, Chèli

>62 cyderry: I agree with everyone else. Let's just continue using the May thread. Please take care of yourself and whatever you need to do for the house first.

4 for May. 22 Total. Updating ticker.

I had 6 ROOT's for May. No tickers updated.

I had 4 Nonfiction books.
Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms, and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories by Simon Winchester
Cultivating Delight: A Natural History of My Garden by Diane Ackerman
Alice Behind Wonderland by Simon Winchester
Churchill and Chartwell: The Untold Story of Churchill's Houses and Gardens by Stefan Buczacki

There was 1 novel
Shadows in Bronze by Lindsey Davis

There was one recorded book. This one was a novel
This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel

This wasn't a real blockbuster of a month in terms of reading. It was, however, an enjoyable month for reading. And listening.

Reporting my first ROOT for June: Disraeli: A Play, by Louis Napoleon Parker. Personal ticker updated. I'm halfway to my goal!

>62 cyderry: That's fine, Chèli, you've got so much to take care of right now.

My first ROOT for June is a very ancient one: Saratoga Trunk which I bought in London some forty years ago, I think. Oh dear.

No problem about combining May and June threads!

Oh my, Cheli! It never rains but it pours. I hope they're able to fix up your abode quickly.

I managed to update my personal ticker at the end of May when I got back home from travelling on May 31. Now I'll have time to write up the rest of my May ROOTs and add them as well but I'll count them for June to be consistent with last month when I was away from home at the end of April.

Wishing everyone a happy June despite mishaps :(

I have my first ROOT for June 1. Subdivided by Jay Pitter and John Lorinc, eds; 19 overall.

Group tickers are updated.

Reporting ROOT # 23 for the year, # 9 for May and June

Horen zien zwijgen by J.D. Barker

ROOT 20 with Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy and ROOT 2 for June (6 ROOTS with May).

Group tickers updated.

Reporting ROOT # 24 for the year, # 10 for May and June

Het vijfde meisje by J.D. Barker

I've added my first ROOT for June (#21 for the year to date) to my own tickers.

Reporting ROOT # 25 for the year, # 12 for May and June

Vergeef me by J.D. Barker

Second ROOT for June (#22 for the year) added to my own ticker.

Reporting ROOT # 26 and # 27 for the year, # 13 and # 14 for May and June

De waarheid by Colleen Hoover
and
De logé by Heather Gudenkauf

I have 2 ROOT's dug out this weekend.

Eventide by Kent Haruf
and
Hero of the Empire by Candace Millard

Reporting five ROOTs in June, so far. This month is going nicely for me.

Added my second ROOT of June to my personal ticker: Emily's Quest, by L. M. Montgomery. I'm having a bit of a reading slump so decided to indulge in a quick re-read.

In May/June, I read Angels and Men by Catherine Fox. It was OK, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the first book by Catherine Fox I read (Acts and Omissions). My library only had one of her books, so then I bought all the others as ebooks and therefore they are on my ROOTs list this year! (I allow things to be eligible as a ROOT if I have owned them for a year or more.) I think it has dated a bit.

I also finished Inspiration and Incarnation which was great. I love Pete Enns! I had heard and read quite a bit of the content before from Pete's other books and the podcast "The Bible for Normal People," but there were some things that were new to me at the end.

I am one book behind my goal to read one ROOT a month, and Popular Music from Vittula is next on my list. Someone mentioned on John Allison's webcomic that it had a similar sense of humour to his. I love John Allison's work (like Giant Days) so I thought I'd check it out.

>62 cyderry: That's totally fine! I am still entering my May ROOTs so it will make me feel up to date.

I'm sorry to hear about your house! I hope things are better and drier now.

Reporting ROOT # 28 for the year, # 15 for May and June

Zomer vol geheimen - Nikola Scott

Own tickers updated!

Les Imposteurs by John Grisham is ROOT 21 overall and ROOT 7 for May and June

Group tickers are updated.

Reporting ROOT # 29 for the year, # 16 for May and June

De Griekse ontsnapping - Karen Swan

Own tickers updated!

Reporting ROOT #10 for the year, #1 for June.

Ancient pioneers : the first Americans by George E. Stuart

My ticker is updated.

My ROOTing has slowed down, alas. All my supposedly month's long library holds are suddenly showing up all at once! Feast or famine, right?

I've added my 3rd ROOT for June (#23 for the year) to my own ticker only.

Reporting ROOT # 30 for the year, # 17 for May and June

Boy Queen by George Lester

Own tickers updated!

Reporting ROOT # 31 and # 32 for the year, # 18 and # 19 for May and June

The end of Magic by Mark Stay

De Boekenfluisteraar by Carsten Henn

Reporting ROOT # 33 for the year # 20 for May and June

Het Juvenalis dilemma by Dan Brown

Own tickers updated

Reporting ROOT # 34 for the year, # 21 for May and June

De Bronzen Stad by S.A. Chakraborty

Le Cahier bleu by Michel Tremblay is ROOT 22 over all and 8 for May and June.

All group tickers are updated.

Wow it's been a minute since I've been here!

I've got 2 ROOTs for May and 10 for June to report. Only my own ticker has been updated (too scared to mess up the group ticker!).

Here is my report for June 2023:

UpROOTED books: 8
ROOTless books: 10
Added to the treebook TBR shelves: 1

The ROOTs were:

Dog Knows by Neil S. Plakcy
Caligula by Douglas Jackson
Dog's Waiting Room by Neil S. Plakcy
Caesar's Last Breath by Sam Kean
Cerita-cerita Bahagia, Hampir Seluruhnya by Norman Erikson Pasaribu
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
William Blake: Selected Poems
Pigs Have Wings by P. G. Wodehouse

ROOTs in YTD: 50

(Group tickers not touched)

I'm not going to get any more books read this month, so my total for June is 3 ROOTs. My year to date total is 23, which is 3 short of my goal for half-way through the year. Luckily I'm about to go away for a couple of weeks, so hopefully I'll be able to get plenty of reading done and try and catch up.

Thanks to my vacation during the first half of the month, my June total is 10 ROOTs, leaving me 1 away from my goal -- it would be satisfying to finish my challenge this month, but alas, I have a job and cannot spend the day reading :)

My last ROOT sidetracked me ionto some non-fiction books from the library, so my final tally for June is 7 ROOTs, 37 for the year.

Reporting ROOT # 35 for the year, # 22 for May and June

De Koperen Koning by S.A. Chakraborty

Somehow with all the unpacking and setting up, I managed to read enough books to keep my star, phew!

I'm hoping to carve out enough time this weekend to setup a July thread, so stay tuned!

I just had two ROOTS for May and nothing for June- I am still reading a new 900 page book- it is very good but .. has taken up all my June reading time! The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk
July will be better for ROOTS

I read 8 ROOTs for June and am now at 40 out of a goal of 65. I hope to get my ticker updated before the July thread is set up!

July thread is up!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/351953

I had 9 ROOT's during June. No tickers updated.

Here is my report for my June ROOT's.

Nonfiction - 2
Hero of the Empire by Candice Millard
Unworthy Republic by Claudio Saunt - This one was a 5 star read for me

Fiction - 3
Eventide by Kent Haruf
Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene
Elephant's Journey by Jose Saramago

Recorded Books - 4 (This is because I had plenty of listening time driving to and from Kansas. And 2 trips to Kansas City in between. Lots of listening time in a car.)
Hell Bent by Leigh Bardogo
Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz
Line to Kill by Anthony Horowitz
Twist of A Knife by Anthony Horowitz