MARCH ROOT - Progress Thread

DESSERT OF THE MONTH = STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING






Sticky toffee pudding is a British dessert consisting of a very moist sponge cake, covered in a toffee sauce and often served with a vanilla custard or vanilla ice-cream. Known as a sticky date pudding in Australia and New Zealand, it is considered a modern British classic by various British experts
While Francis Coulson is commonly credited as having created it in the 1960’s at his Sharrow Bay Country House in the Lake District of England (where he was the first to make and sell it commercially), sticky toffee pudding’s origins go back a few decades earlier. Though there is some debate as to its exact origins, food historians believe it was first introduced by Patricia Martin, a hotel manager in Lancashire, in the 1940’s. Francis Coulson years later during an interview admitted that Mrs. Martin had given him the recipe and that he made some slight adaptations. So where did Mrs. Martin get it? It is believed that the recipe was shared with Mrs. Martin by two Canadian soldiers who were staying at her hotel during World War II. Years later her son reported that his mother had received it from a “Canadian friend.” In either case the finger points to Canada.
A Canadian origin makes sense because sticky toffee pudding is not like most other traditional dessert “puddings” in the British sense of the word. It isn’t steamed like Spotted Dick or Christmas Pudding, it isn’t baked in a pudding mold (it’s usually a sheet cake), and its batter is more like an American muffin than a traditional English sponge.
In any case, having cherished it as a favorite national dessert for nearly 80 years and spreading its fame across the world, England has earned the right to celebrate Sticky Toffee Pudding as a quintessential British dessert. So to our Canadian friends we say “THANK YOU” for creating this delectable dessert and to our British friends for making it famous!
When it comes to Harry Potter desserts, or authentic Irish dessert ideas for St. Patrick’s Day, this Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake is perfect if you want to celebrate in Victorian fashion!




Password is ROOTS

We are doing great! Well ahead of the percentage for 1/6th of the way through this year's challenge.

Below is the current list of members that have identified a ROOT goal for 2019 and how many books they read by the end of February. Their percentage is 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.

Ameise1 7 / 10 ★★★★★ 70.0%
BENITA 13 / 55 ★ 23.6%
bragan 16 / 80 ★ 20.0%
brakketh 2 / 30 6.7%
brewergirl 1 / 30 3.3%
Caramellunacy 3 / 12 ★★ 25.0%
ChelleBearss 7 / 30 ★ 23.3%
clue 6 / 30 ★ 20.0%
Coach_of_Alva 9 / 75 12.0%
connie53 7 / 36 ★ 19.4%
crazy4reading 1 / 38 2.6%
curioussquared 7 / 50 14.0%
CurrerBell 26 / 100 ★★ 26.0%
cyderry 41 / 84 ★★★★ 48.8%
detailmuse 13 / 44 ★★ 29.5%
DisassemblyOfReason 29 / 75 ★★★ 38.7%
Donna828 2 / 30 6.7%
enemyanniemae 11 / 50 ★ 22.0%
Erratic_Charmer 24 / 30 ★★★★★ 80.0%
eshaw27 0 / 35 0
FAMeulstee 41 / 150 ★★ 27.3%
Familyhistorian 14 / 65 ★ 21.5%
floremolla 6 / 60 10.0%
fuzzi 18 / 100 ★ 18.0%
HelenBaker 8 / 54 14.8%
Henrik_Madsen 4 / 40 10.0%
h-mb 3 / 20 15.0%
Jackie_K 9 / 48 ★ 18.8%
janoorani24 4 / 25 16.0%
johanna414 4 / 25 16.0%
kac522 9 / 40 ★ 22.5%
karenmarie 12 / 45 ★★ 26.7%
Kristelh 15 / 50 ★★ 30.0%
KWharton 0 / 14 0.0%
LadyBookworth★ 12 / 12 100.0%
LadyoftheLodge 23 / 100 ★ 23.0%
leslie.98 8 / 100 8.0%
lilisin 14 / 50 ★★ 28.0%
lindapanzo 1 / 36 2.8%
lkernagh 6 / 45 13.3%
LoraShouse 2 / 20 10.0%
Lori76 0 / 65 0.0%
madhatter22 9 / 60 15.0%
Majkia 15 / 50 ★★ 30.0%
mandymarie20 2 / 10 ★ 20.0%
martencat 0 / 27 0.0%
midnightbex 6 / 50 12.0%
Miss_Moneypenny 5 / 50 10.0%
MissSos 2 / 25 8.0%
MissWatson 17 / 75 ★ 22.7%
nebula21 8 / 35 ★ 22.9%
Nickelini 6 / 20 ★★ 30.0%
nrmay 17 / 50 ★★★ 34.0%
originalslicey 0 / 38 0.0%
Quaisior 10 / 50 ★ 20.0%
quiqui 1 / 24 4.2%
rabbitprincess 11 / 60 ★ 18.3%
rainpebble 31 / 50 ★★★★★ 62.0%
readingtangent 12 / 48 ★★ 25.0%
Rebeki 5 / 14 ★★★ 35.7%
Robertgreaves 16 / 84 ★ 19.0%
rocketjk 5 / 20 ★★ 25.0%
sallylou61 12 / 60 ★ 20.0%
seascape 0 / 50 0.0%
si 4 / 16 ★★ 25.0%
Tanya-dogearedcopy 4 / 54 7.4%
the_traveler 2 / 12 ★ 16.7%
torontoc 8 / 30 ★★ 26.7%
vestafan 11 / 50 ★ 22.0%
zaydah09 0 / 20 0.0%


I don't think that we've ever had a person reach their goal so early in the year but LadyBookWorth has reached her goal!

Next in line to join her are:

Erratic_Charmer 80.0%
Ameise1 70.0%
rainpebble 62.0%


The goal for March is 805.

Sorry I was late, I caught I cold and my head is all stuffed up so I couldn't think straight!

Hope you're feeling better soon! All colds are awful, but head colds are especially annoying. Thank you for doing the stats, as always :)

>1 cyderry: thanks for setting this up, hope you get better soon!

Thanks for the stats and the new dessert!

Feel better soon, cheli!

I *love* sticky toffee pudding, although I must admit I prefer it with cream rather than ice cream.

I don't think your late at all. ;-))

My numbers are correct! Thanks Chèli, for all the work you are doing.

Thanks, Chèli!

Corneilia Funke, Fearless

1st for March, 27/100

Sticky toffee pudding is one of my favourites! Yum!

I will try sticky toffee pudding for my St Patrick's dinner party!

I've got two books done for March; Freakling and Billy Budd, Sailor both obtained in 2017.

James Joyce, Dubliners (Norton Critical Edition), which also satisfies this month's Reading Through Time theme "Downtown."

2nd for March, 28/100

I've added my 1st for March (10th for the year to date) to all tickers.

A Girl From Yamhill by Beverly Cleary is my first ROOT of the month. This book has been part of my professional life for years. Beverly Cleary was a librarian who became a noted author of children's books. She won a Newbery medal and had several Newbery honor books and is best known for her Henry and Ramona Quimby books. This book came back to my attention because of a Tuscaloos Wine Club program in February. The presenter has a daughter who lives in McMinnville, Oregon and her husband is the business manager for a winery. One of the towns that was part of the pinot noir program was Yamhill. I kept thinking that I knew the name of that town, but it took me some time to remember why I knew that town. I knew we had this book in the library, so I got it off the shelf and started reading it during my lunch hour. It is an autobiography aimed at children, and that is clear from the style and structure of the book. It is nothing earth shattering and nothing that I would recommend, but because of this book and that wine program I have been inspired to go to the Willamette Valley in Oregon on a wine tasting trip.

I've added my first ROOT of March to my personal ticker: Time Lord Fairytales, an audio collection of Doctor Who-ized fairy tales.

With the British (well, mostly British) dessert for this month’s theme it seems like a good month to check in with ROOTs by British authors, and I have no shortage of those – The Book of Dust by Philip Pullman, Set Me Free by Hina Belitz, Purple Prose: Bisexuality in Britain, Bitch Doctrine by Laurie Penny, The Shaken Path by Paul Cudby, and a scattering of others…

I’m going to take it easy this month, though. I’ve been moving my library into a new house and taking the opportunity for a good clear-out while I’m at it, so I’ve made a lot of progress towards my goal very early in the year. I’m treating myself to some library books and borrowed books this month
:)

Just finished two more--The Underneath by Kathi Appelt, which is a past Newbery Honor Book, for AlphaKIT Letter U. This was on my TBR pile for years, and was recommended to me by my dearly loved departed spouse. He always read the Newbery books as soon as the awards were announced. (He worked at a bookshop. Alas, both he and the bookshop are now departed.) This was such a page-turner! I am glad I kept going with it, as I was tempted to set it aside after the first 128 pages. The story tells about a dog and three cats that live underneath the house of a wicked man. There are other animals too: snakes, birds, a huge alligator. The chapters are very short. Themes include revenge, good vs evil, the inhumanity of mankind, love, and paying a price for our actions. Aspects of myth and legend (selkies, mermaids, sirens) are also part of the mix. Highly recommended! 5 stars plus

So You Want to be President was an interesting compendium of facts about past presidents. It is worth reading just for the drawings, although I would read the updated version, since mine does not include recent presidents.

#17
I loved Underneath by Kathi Appelt. I thought it was a fresh and original way to intertwine Native American folk tales into a modern telling of these stories. I have recommended this book for those teachers in my part of the U. S. (Southeast) as a way to meet some of the requirements to put more Native American details into lesson plans for the classroom. The recorded version of this book is excellent. It has music in it that adds to the ambiance created in the novel. This is a great read-aloud.

>14 benitastrnad: oooh! Wine tasting! Counting down to my trip to California Wine country - 93 days to go!

>17 LadyoftheLodge:
>18 benitastrnad:

I’m also a fan of the underneath and l recently read another by her. wishtree was great too.

>16 Erratic_Charmer: moving a library is daunting, but OH what fun (!!!!) getting one's books organized again, and possibly better than previously.

I'm working on my second ROOT for March, and it's a real chunkster, Middlemarch. I like it, but it probably will keep me from reading as many ROOTs this month as I did in February.

I've finished my first ROOT for March, The Mitford Murders by Jessica Fellowes. I must have made a mistake with my ticker last month. I only read 2 ROOTS and they didn't show on my ticker even though I remember adding them. I'll just let them show up this month so there are now 3 that will be added to our month's total. I'll begin another ROOT tonight.

I finished my second book for this challenge. I think I am doing very well for the month. Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art by the husband and wife team of Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo. I have had this book in my collection for a long time (since June 2009) and just kept overlooking it or not picking it up. Once I started reading this book, I couldn't stop. I read iit in a week! It was so interesting. How people were so deceived and sucked in by John Drewe was interesting but because I am a librarian I was really interested in how Drewe was able to adjust archive records in order to give his forged art works an impeccable provenance. That he was able to deceive art critics and historians at the highest level was simply an amazing story. And to keep doing it for twelve years before he was caught! There are probably hundreds of paintings out there that are forged and the investigators for Scotland Yard know they didn't recover all of them. It should have really messed up the London art market, and instead it barely made a blip. That too is amazing. This was a great story on many levels, but for art lovers and librarians it is a warning to always be on your toes and let the buyer beware.

Some of the reviews for this book say that the writing is pedestrian, but I have to say I found it very exciting reading. In order to make the story make sense to the readers the authors stayed with telling the story strictly by timeline. If they hadn't done so, the many aliases and fake alibis that John Drewe designed and developed over the years would have made the story a rabbit warren of dead ends.

Did one of those meme things for my birthday. Do you think it's me?

I've added my second ROOT for March (#11 for the year) to all tickers.

Turns out that this is book 666 on the group ticker, but don't let that put you off, Calum's Road was wonderful!

Added another ROOT to my personal ticker: A Place of Greater Safety, by Hilary Mantel. It took me almost 2 months to read, which surprises me because I felt like it took longer. It's a big book: over 700 pages in my edition.

Tanith Lee, The Gorgon and Other Beastly Tales

3rd for March, 29/100

> 25. It sounds spot on Cheli. I hope you had a wonderful birthday, with some book surprises.

My first root for the month, Treasures of Time by Penelope Lively, taking me to 10/54. on to my next...

Happy belated birthday, Chèli. It sounds like a good fit to me!

>25 cyderry: happy belated!

#27
I read Place of Greater Safety a few years ago and liked it. But it took me months to read as well. It is a difficult format, but very well written.

>32 benitastrnad: Yes, it was well done. And now I want to read more books about the French Revolution.

Sorry, my birthday isn't for a few months, this meme just does its thing according to your birthday.

Third ROOT for March (#12 for the year) is added to all tickers.

ROOT # 8 for the year # 1 for March

Een wankel evenwicht by Rohinton Mistry

All tickers updated!

I finished another ROOT last night. Static Ruin by Corey J. White is the third book in the Voidwitch trilogy. This was not the best book in this series, so it ended it with a whimper instead of a bang like I was expecting. But it was good vacations reading.

As I was coming into Kansas City from the east I finished listening to another book off of my TBR list. Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale. This book was a slog to listen to. Even the great narrator Simon Vance couldn’t rescue it from the doldrums. But when you are trapped in a car you will tolerate most anything.

I am starting to listen to a Walt Longmire book Depth of Winter. I hope that this one will take me across Kansas. Maybe there will be a mention of the Brookville Hotel in this book. THat would be nice since I will drive past it on I70.

>38 benitastrnad: I found The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher fascinating, but I can't really imagine having it read to me. I wonder what the TV version was like.

Another book finished, The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham.It was disappointing really.

I've finished my first ROOT for March The Chessmen.

Finished reading Lonesome Dove last night and am still in one of those wonderful book dazes you get after reading an excellent book. It's my first ROOT for March but considering it's a tome I'm happy with the progress I made in it in two weeks. I'm still on track for a book per week pace although I'll soon be running out of books on my immediate TBR (the books that are most enticing and most readable).

Added another ROOT to my personal ticker: The Locked Room, by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (translated by Paul Britten Austin).

>42 lilisin: I loved Lonesome Dove, read it after seeing the miniseries.

I've added another (#4 for March, #13 for the year) to all tickers.

#9 ROOT for the year and first one for March- review is on my thread and no tickers updated

I went on a public-domain ebook binge and finished both my ongoing e-reads: The Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith; and Bleak House, by Charles Dickens. This brings to me to 16/60 for the year. I've updated my personal ticker but not the group ticker.

#39
I was not aware that there was a TV series made of this book. I will have to find out more about that and perhaps get the DVD of it.

I am on my way back to Alabama and so finished listening to Depth of Winter by Craig Johnson. No mention of the Brookville Hotel in this one. None-the-less, this one was another exciting thriller in the Longmire series. The only big revelation here was that Longmire is an extremely wealthy man. At least in the series he is.

I started listening to The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert which has been on my TBR list since last fall when it came out. I love long road trips as they are quality time with recorded books!

I started reading Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire. This is the first in her Ghost Road series. It is ghost story and quite well written. I am enjoying it. The second book in the series came out last fall. That is what prompted me to pick this one up and get it read. It is perfect vacation reading.

I'm motoring at the moment - that's #5 for March (#14 for the year) added to all tickers.

I've finished my 2nd for the month, The Bookman's Wake by John Dunning.

Another root, The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje. I am glad to have finally read this book, but...I was hoping to like it more.

ROOT # 9 for the year # 2 for March

Verbonden door het lot by Nora Roberts

All tickers updated!

>23 clue: What did you think of The Mitford Murders? I have been eyeing that one for a while.

>25 cyderry: That's a good write up for you, Cheli.

I am a bit behind on my write ups for March and so far have 4 ROOTs read and written up.

Finished two off the shelf so far this month:
500 Days: Secrets and Lies in the Terror Wars by Kurt Eichenwald -- Kindle virtual shelf -- acquired in 2013
and
The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley -- received from Bookmooch in 2009.

That's six Roots, but I've completed 15 books this year. The rest are either audio books or borrowed books.

>56 Familyhistorian: I liked The Mitford Murders, it's a mystery on the light side but entertaining. The characters are good and the mystery was not easy to figure out though I had a hunch about the murderer. I brought the second in the series home from the library but ended up taking it back unread because I had two books come in from Overdrive. I'll read it later though, from the reader reviews I'd say most people are disappointed in it compared to the first. There was really no reason to use the Mitford family name, it could have been a fictional family and been the same book.

Since my last update I've added two more ROOTs to my personal ticker:

The Blue Castle, by L. M. Montgomery
The Way of All Flesh, by Ambrose Parry

Another root for the month, Less by Andrew Sean Greer. This is last years Pulitzer prize winner and I must say I was a little disappointed.

ROOT # 10 for the year # 3 for March

Op zoek naar de bron by Nora Roberts

All tickers updated!

I listened to Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert and really liked this dark and twisty take on fairy tales. This is another one of those books that I don't think is really a YA novel, but it was good enough that I will overlook that small detail. This is a fairy tale for adults and so much fun to read. The narration of the recorded book was excellent. I liked this one - a great way to pass the miles.

I finished reading reading Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire last night. I had heard so much about this series in my fantasy reading circles and looked forward to reading it. It started out on a high. However, it was one of those books that just ran out of gas. It was about 100 pages too long. It would have made a great novella.

>1 cyderry: Hi Chèli, I've now amended my goal from to 14 to 24, as I'm already up to 8 ROOTs for the year and need a bit more of a challenge. I honestly didn't think I'd manage to read and ROOT so much this year, so am very grateful to you and this group for keeping me so motivated :)

ROOT # 11 for the year # 4 for March

De kracht van het hart by Nora Roberts

All tickers updated

Added my 19th ROOT of the year to my personal ticker: Vengeance of the Stones, by Andrew Smith, a Third Doctor story read by Richard Franklin and Trevor Littledale.

I started Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer. I avoided reading this one for a long time, but it is the monthly selection for the local Barnes & Noble Book Club. So far it has surprised me and is very well done.

>65 Rebeki: Noted! great decision!

Last weekend I managed to finish 3 Roots! All tickers updated

>65 Rebeki: woo! Happy for you.

>69 cyderry:, >71 fuzzi: Thank you!

Nos. 6 & 7 for March (15 and 16 for the year) have been added to all tickers.

At this point I only have two ROOTs finished for March due to Middlemarch taking over my life for the last 3 weeks. I'm going to try to sneak in at least one more ROOT read before Monday.

ROOT #10 for the year and second one for March- review is on my thread and no tickers updated

ROOT #11 for the year and third one for March- I speed read the book for my book club meeting! It is a re-read and still wonderful

Can't resist sharing....

>77 cyderry: I stole that...

Added another ROOT to my personal ticker: Clouds of Witness, by Dorothy L. Sayers. I'm 1/3 of the way to my goal.

I'm working on another shorter ROOT, Midnight is a Place by Joan Aiken. It's similar in some ways (but not a rip off) to The Wolves of Willoughby Chase.

>78 fuzzi: I did too!

I've finished two other ROOTs, Forfeit by Dick Francis and Eine unbeliebte Frau by Nele Neuhaus. I've only uodated my own ticker.

Only 12 ROOTs read in March, library books got in the way ;-)
All tickers updated.

I spent three weeks reading a 2048 pages brick, so I'm counting each individual volume as a ROOT. And I feel very virtuous for having stuck with this sprawling tale of political plotting and intrigue at the court of Louis XV.

>84 MissWatson: Congrats on finishing such a chunkster.

here is my report for March 2019:

UpROOTED books: 8
ROOTless books: 4
Added to the TBR shelves: 10

The ROOTs were:
Appleby Talks by Michael Innes
The Greeks and Greek Love by James N. Davidson
The Art of Lent by Sister Wendy Beckett
Eve of Ides by David Blixt
The Romans Who Shaped Britain by Sam Moorhead and David Stuttard
We'll Meet Again by Hillary Green
Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch
Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh

ROOTs in YTD: 24

Tickers have been updated but hopefully not harmed in the making of this report.

>85 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara, I'm still feeling a little high from my achievement.

Because we had a lovely, sunny day, I got to finish a very short book today, and my final tally for March is 7 ROOTs. My own ticker is updated.

4 ROOTS in March -

an enemy at Green Knowe L.M. Boston
cooking the Irish way Helga Hughes
the house of the scorpion Nancy Fadrmer
harmony house Ruth Hay

Finished one more ROOT today, making my total for March 13 ROOTs and total for this year 54 ROOTs.
All tickers updated

My total for the month is 4, bringing my grand total to 15. Updating personal ticker.

>59 clue: Thanks for your take on the Mitford Murders. You have piqued my interest so will see if my library has it.

March was a pretty good month for ROOTs read for me. I polished off 10.

Three ROOTs for March, personal ticker updated.

I think I only got 4 Roots in March. I updated my ticker but not this group ticker.

I finished one more root last week, When the Moon is Low by Nadia Hashimi and it was very good and I felt pertinent to events in New Zealand in recent weeks. My tally is now 14/54.

Only one "off the shelf-er" for me this month, Michael Ainger's Gilbert and Sullivan: A Dual Biography. It is long! My ticker's up to date. Cheers, all!

>95 rocketjk: your review hit me with a Book Bullet, argh!

I finished Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer on the 28th. It was a really good book, and full of information about the spread of radical Islam and the terrorism that accompanies it. Cudoes to the French for taking care of Timbuktu and Mali so that some of the great heritage of that region could be preserved.

I had a great month. I read 9 books from off my immense TBR pile. The long trip home helped as I listened to several books. When you are trapped in a car for 18 hours that tends to happen - lots of good books get listened to. No tickers updated.

I listened to the following books from my TBR list.

Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective by Kate Summerscale
Depth of Winter by Craig Johnson - the latest Longmire thriller read by the really good narrator George Guidall
Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert - very well done YA novel that swirls around a very dark and twisty fairy tale. Good job Ms. Albert

I read the following titles in March. Down time relaxing over spring break lead to the high totals this month. Next month won't be as impressive

A Girl From Yamhill by Beverly Cleary
Island Martinique: by John Edgar Wideman
Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art by Laney Salisbury - excellent book about art and the people who make modern art to valuable
Static Ruin by Corey J. White - third in a trilogy of short Sci/Fi novels
Preacher by Camilla Lackberg
Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire

April thread up!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/305463

For March I read 3 ROOT books and one library book. I listened to one audio book. The ROOT books were:

- 500 Days: Secrets and Lies in the Terror Wars by Kurt Eichenwald
- The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
- A Meeting at Corvallis by S. M. Stirling

I made a mistake in my report. I had 10 books for March. I reported 9. No tickers updated. Sorry to bother you with the mistake.