APRIL ROOT - Progress Thread

DESSERT OF THE MONTH = Polish Easter babka, Italian Easter Egg Bread, & Almond Macaroons for Passover







Babka (bread), a sweet leavened bread made with a rich dough (often containing raisins), which is made for Easter Sunday to celebrate the rising of Christ. In many European countries, there are various traditions surrounding the use of bread during the Easter holidays. Traditionally the practice of eating Easter bread or sweetened "communion" bread traces its origin back to Byzantium and the Orthodox Christian church. The recipe for sweetened or "honey-leavened" bread may date back as far as the Homeric Greek period based on anecdotal evidence from classical texts that mention this type of special food.

The beautifully colored eggs and the lovely golden loaf are the perfect recipe for an Easter table centerpiece. This light and eggy Italian Easter Bread, Pane di Pasqua, bread is slightly sweet and bursting with the flavors of citrus and anise Italian Easter bread is braided with eggs, which also hold incredible Easter significance as signs from nature of new life, just as we are celebrating new life in the risen Christ.

Due to the ending of the fast of Lent, where households would traditionally refrain from rich and sweet dishes, Easter breads are often rich, eggy breads that can range in sweetness, and sometimes are studded with dried fruit, which at one time was a luxury item.

Almond macaroons were first made by Sicilians, who learned the trade from Arab troops from Tunisia who captured Sicily in 827. By the 13th century, Sicily was a famous center of pasta and almond-paste and rosewater sweets like marzipan (marzapane) and macaroons. Coconut Macaroons caught on, especially in the Italian Jewish community, who savored these flourless treats during Passover. To this day, Sephardic Jews from Syria and Egypt make their Passover macaroons without coconut, using ground pistachios, almonds, and cashews. Around the time when Eastern European Jews immigrated to the US, the macaroon scene shifted towards coconut.

The addition of coconut hinges on a discovery by Franklin Baker, a Philadelphia flour miller. Baker saw in coconut a promising new baking ingredient, and he was the first to discover that shipping shredded coconut was much more affordable and shelf-stable than shipping whole coconuts.

As predicted, pastry chefs and home cooks soon fell in love with shredded coconut. Somewhere, someone discovered that replacing almond paste with shredded coconut created macaroons that didn’t spoil nearly as quickly, and were more sturdy and shippable than the traditional almond macaroon.






Password is ROOTS

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 March. The 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.

April goal is 1, 073

Ameise1★ 10 / 10 100.0%
BENITA 22 / 55 ★★ 40.0%
bragan 23 / 80 ★ 28.8%
brakketh 3 / 30 10.0%
brewergirl 1 / 30 3.3%
Caramellunacy 3 / 12 ★ 25.0%
ChelleBearss 11 / 30 ★★ 36.7%
clue 11 / 30 ★★ 36.7%
Coach_of_Alva 18 / 75 24.0%
connie53 11 / 36 ★ 30.6%
crazy4reading 1 / 38 2.6%
curioussquared 8 / 50 16.0%
CurrerBell 29 / 100 ★ 29.0%
cyderry 49 / 84 ★★★★★ 58.3%
detailmuse 15 / 44 ★★ 34.1%
DisassemblyOfReason 36 / 75 ★★★ 48.0%
Donna828 2 / 30 6.7%
enemyanniemae 15 / 50 ★ 30.0%
Erratic_Charmer 28 / 30 ★★★★★ 93.3%
eshaw27 0 / 35 0
FAMeulstee 54 / 150 ★★ 36.0%
Familyhistorian 24 / 65 ★★ 36.9%
floremolla 8 / 60 13.3%
fuzzi 20 / 100 20.0%
HelenBaker 14 / 54 ★ 25.9%
Henrik_Madsen 7 / 40 17.5%
h-mb 5 / 20 ★ 25.0%
Jackie_K 16 / 48 ★★ 33.3%
janoorani24 6 / 25 24.0%
johanna414 6 / 25 24.0%
kac522 12 / 40 ★ 30.0%
karenmarie 18 / 45 ★★ 40.0%
Kristelh 18 / 50 ★★ 36.0%
KWharton 3 / 14 21.4%
LadyBookworth★ 12 / 12 100.0%
LadyoftheLodge 44 / 100 ★★★ 44.0%
leslie.98 8 / 100 8.0%
lilisin 16 / 50 ★ 32.0%
lindapanzo 9 / 36 ★ 25.0%
lkernagh 8 / 45 17.8%
LoraShouse 4 / 20 20.0%
Lori76 0 / 65 0.0%
madhatter22 9 / 60 15.0%
Majkia 25 / 50 ★★★★ 50.0%
mandymarie20 2 / 10 20.0%
martencat 3 / 27 11.1%
midnightbex 6 / 50 12.0%
Miss_Moneypenny 5 / 50 10.0%
MissSos 2 / 25 8.0%
MissWatson 24 / 75 ★ 32.0%
nebula21 12 / 35 ★★ 34.3%
Nickelini 9 / 20 ★★★ 45.0%
nrmay 10 / 50 20.0%
originalslicey 0 / 38 0.0%
Quaisior 10 / 50 20.0%
quiqui 5 / 24 20.8%
rabbitprincess 20 / 60 ★★ 33.3%
rainpebble★ 63 / 50 126.0%
readingtangent 14 / 48 ★ 29.2%
Rebeki 8 / 24 ★★ 33.3%
Robertgreaves 24 / 84 ★ 28.6%
rocketjk 6 / 20 ★ 30.0%
sallylou61 15 / 48 Ameise1 31.3%
seascape 0 / 50 0.0%
si 5 / 16 ★ 31.3%
Tanya-dogearedcopy 6 / 54 11.1%
the_traveler 2 / 12 16.7%
torontoc 11 / 30 ★★ 36.7%
vestafan 14 / 50 ★ 28.0%
zaydah09 0 / 20 0.0%



Joining LadyBookWorth this month having reached their goal is rainpebble and Ameise1.

Next in line to join them are:

Erratic_Charmer 93.3%
cyderry 58.3%
Majkia 50.0%

Kept my star, but I'm not sure if I can keep it up this month. A couple of chunksters ahead.

Thanks so much, Chèli for your work. I've reached my target of 10 last month and my ticker shows 10 books.

Yay, I gained an extra star!

Thanks for the numbers, Chèli. And I love the desserts!

>2 Robertgreaves: I lost my star reading Middlemarch...

Congratulations rainpebble, on reaching your goal! Way to go!!

>6 fuzzi: Since 19th century novels were so often first published in a 3-volume format, perhaps they should count as 3 ROOTS each.

>3 Ameise1: My apologies! Ii have made the correction on the opening Post.

>9 cyderry: Thanks so much, Chèli.

>6 fuzzi: >8 Robertgreaves: I agree, especially when they run to several hundred pages.

>8 Robertgreaves: I love how you think!

My first update of the month! Sorry for my radio silence in March: my husband and I moved from Ohio to Colorado and both started new jobs, so it's been a little hectic. But now that I'm settling into a routine, I've been able to start reading again and I've got 2 ROOTs for April so far!

ROOTs for April as of 4/3
1. The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan: 6/50 and 4 stars
2. Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan: 7/50 and 4 stars

Editing to say: all trackers are updated.

>14 Miss_Moneypenny: Hope it was a happy move! Happy you are back with us!

I've just added my first two ROOTs for April (#17 and #18 for the year to date) to all tickers.

(edited as I unexpectedly finished another one today before anyone else posted!)

My first ROOT for April is done and reviewed, Woods Runner, a 4 star read!

>15 cyderry: It was a super happy move, back to where all my immediate family lives. I will cop to being unbelievably glad to be settling down finally and getting back into a groove!

ROOTs for April as of 4/5
1. The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan: 6/50 and 4 stars
2. Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan: 7/50 and 4 stars
3. A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan: 8/50 and 3 stars

All tickers updated!

Another exam out of the way, so time to get some roots done. I am behind schedule, but April is looking good:

8. Alice Munro: Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship Marriage
9. Alan Moore: Saga of the Swamp Thing Book Six
10. Karen Blixen: Ehrengard
11. William Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream

I've finished my first ROOT for April; Innocence. I've updated only my personal ticker.

Added my first ROOT of April to all tickers: Richard III, by William Shakespeare.

ROOT # 12 for the year # 1 for April

Als je het licht niet kunt zien by Anthony Doerr

All tickers updated

>14 Miss_Moneypenny: Welcome back, Miss M.

Update: ROOTs for April as of 4/8
1. The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan: 6/50 and 4 stars
2. Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan: 7/50 and 4 stars
3. A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan: 8/50 and 3 stars
4. Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan: 9/50 and 4 stars

All tickers updated!

I finished listening to the excellent Empire Made: My Search for an Outlaw Uncle Who Vanished in British India by Kief Hillsbery. I got this recorded book through our ILL department and am so glad to have listened to this excellent book. The narrator was very good and the story intriguing. It toggles back and forth from the past to the present and the author manages the transitions beautifully. This is a work of nonfiction that manages the trick of meshing a present day memoir with the past history of the British East India Company. This is important because the present day political situation in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, and Nepal is buried in the past history of the region. It is good to reflect on how other countries tried to work out relations with their neighbors. I highly recommend this book. I put it on my best read of 2019 list.

Read my first ROOT for April. A bit slow here. Dead Souls. I've had it since 2012.

I have three ROOTs for April so far:
Time Remembered by Miss Read
A Perfect Amish Match by Vannetta Chapman (NetGalley)
Amish Outsider by Marta Perry (NetGalley)

(I count the NetGalley books as ROOTs because they have been languishing on my Dashboard or on Kindle, patiently waiting for me to read and review them.)

ROOT # 13 for the year # 2 for April

De bazin by Petra Hammesfahr

All tickers updated

@ Chèli: tickers show different numbers!

I finished listening to Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan. I first heard about this book through reading book reviews for work. However, it went on TBR list when it came to my attention when Mark Freeberg warbled about it on his thread several years ago. While I was cruising through the nonfiction recorded book selection at the Tuscaloosa Public Library in preparation for the drive to Kansas for Spring Break, I came across it. It was the right length to fit with the other titles I had selected, so I nabbed it. I started listening to it on the drive back to Alabama and was thoroughly engrossed in it, but hadn't finished it by the time I got back. When I got to Tuscaloosa, I found that ILL had Empire Made waiting for me. I had to put Brain on Fire aside while I listened to the ILL recorded book. I didn't have much left of this one to listen to, so when I did get back to it, I took up where I left off.

This book belongs to what I refer to as a "disease of the month" genre. Fictionalized accounts of exotic diseases are very popular in YA fiction, but this book is not fiction, and it is for adults. Technically it is an autobiography - or a memoir. I think it is autobiography because what the author writes is backed up by documentation. This documentation ranges from interviews with doctors to colleagues and family members. The author is stricken with a disease that, at the time, was unknown and therefore, she was misdiagnosed. Fortunately, one of her doctors ran one psychological test on her and recognized the results as matching those of an article he had recently read. She was treated and returned to functionality. The book is the story of that month and the accompanying slow recovery she made.

The book is very well written, and while full of scientific and medical terms, the author takes time to explain them and makes this story unique and meaningful. She brought insight into a difficult subject - mental illness, and the fact that medical conditions involving the brain and brain functionality are often misdiagnosed and simply put into the mental illness category. For instance, she was diagnosed first with alcohol withdrawal and then schizophrenia. This confused the picture considerably with experts giving conflicting diagnosis leaving her parents with very difficult decisions to make regarding her treatment. She has recovered, but must live with the fact that there could be a relapse.

Added my second ROOT for April to all tickers: At the Earth's Core, by Edgar Rice Burroughs, which I read as a public-domain ebook.

Added my third for April (#19 for the year), Tara Westover's Educated, to all tickers. It was a 5* read for me.

ROOT # 14 for the year # 3 for April

Jacoba, dochter van Holland by Simone van der Vlugt

All tickers updated

April will not be a successful month for ROOTing: one weekend without reading because I had a visit from my sister, I'm going to her place for Easter, little reading again. So far, I have managed 2 ROOTs.

I Pearl Ruled Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman. I really tried to stick with this book, but 180 pages into a 550 page book and I called it quits. I really liked Hartman's other books set in this world, but this one was just plain boring. After reading 180 pages, I am saying that it is ROOTed.

Update: ROOTs for April as of 4/18
1. The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan: 6/50 and 4 stars
2. Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan: 7/50 and 4 stars
3. A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan: 8/50 and 3 stars
4. Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan: 9/50 and 4 stars
5. Winter's Heart by Robert Jordan: 10/50 and 4 stars
6. Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan: 11/50 and 4 stars
7. Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan: 12/50 and 4 stars
8. The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson and 5 stars

All tickers updated!

Off to a slow start this month with a wedding, a birthday, a baby shower, two teeth removed and school holidays but can finally report two roots, Dressing Up for the Carnival by Carol Shields and The Blackbird sings at Dusk by Linda Olsson. The first a disappointing collection of short stories and the second excellent. I am starting to pick up the pace.

>34 Miss_Moneypenny: I think I see a trend...

Added my third ROOT of April to all tickers: In the Wet, by Nevil Shute.

>35 HelenBaker: I can relate.
SO far this month I've had an out of town wedding(4 days shot), 6 doctors appointments, and two biggies coming up - Easter and my group fundraiser that I chair (I have days of prep for this to come. Hoping I can find a good book on audio I can listen to as I stuff envelopes and write place cards!).

#4 for April (#20 for the year) added to all tickers.

Happy Easter, when it comes, to all my fellow ROOTers!

I've finished The Redeemed by M.R. Hall. I've only udated my personal ticker.
Happy Easter to everybody.

ROOT # 15 for the year # 4 for April

Het legioen van vlammen by Anthony Ryan

All tickers updated

I ROOT'ed another book. I finished Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History by John M. Barry. This was for my real life Book Discussion group and I liked this one. It was slow to get going, but it was an amazing story. One person in the group said that this book had a big impact on her as she didn't realize how many people were infected and how much fear it caused.

Added my fourth ROOT of April to all tickers: Across the Plains, by Robert Louis Stevenson.

>43 rabbitprincess: never heard of that one...did you like it?

>44 fuzzi: I wanted to like it more than I did. It's a collection of travel essays, and while I liked the idea of it, I couldn't get into it for some reason. But other people might have better luck with it than I did.

>45 rabbitprincess: thanks! I've liked some RLS, but other works of his left me cold.

Back again with two more roots for the month, The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt and Poor People Poor Us by John Evelyn Broad. The first is a very good black comedy and the second a poignant book dedicated to my husband's uncle who died in Italy after five month's incarcerated in Benghasi concentration camp in 1942. Trying for one more.

>47 HelenBaker: I have The Sisters Brothers in the stacks. Sounds like it is one to look forward to.

>47 HelenBaker: >48 Familyhistorian: I LOVED The Sisters Brothers! It's on my stack to read again before watching the movie adaptation.

Added my fifth ROOT of April to all tickers: Dark Road, a play by Ian Rankin and Mark Thomson.

I just finished reading Seventh Daughter: My Culinary Journey from Beijing to San Francisco by famous Chinese restaurateur Cecilia Chiang.
I really enjoyed this one. I happened to be watching the PBS channel titled "Create TV" (this is a PBS channel that airs old episodes of shows produced for, and distributed by, PBS) and they showed one episode of a 6 part series done for San Francisco PBS about Cecilia Chiang. It was fascinating watching her cook and work with other famous Chefs of the Bay Area. At the time this show was produced she was in her late 80's. She is now 98 and still living in the San Francisco area. Her son, Philip Chiang, is a co-founder of the restaurant chain P. F. Chang's.

This book is part memoir and part cookbook. Chiang has a co-author, and the this co-author has selected and written the story of Chiang's life. These memoirs are interspersed with recipes from Chiang's famous Mandarin Resturant. This format works very well. The recipes are interesting, but what I was really interested in was the story of this woman's life. The memoir reads like a novel. It almost reads like a Lisa See novel come to life. This is not an objective look at history or culture. It is the story of one woman's life and her point-of-view about how events affected her and her family. It is also the immigrant story of a filthy rich Asian who comes to America and makes good. I am not saying that Chiang didn't work hard and that she doesn't deserve her fame and success. I am saying that she came to the U. S. not intending to immigrate - but she did, eventually. Not intending to open a business - but she did. Not intending to life apart from her husband and raising her children in the U. S. - but she did. I am saying that she is not your typical immigrant. She came to the U. S. with all the advantages and made good use of them by finding something that she loved doing and making it a success.

This is a relatively rare book. I had to place an Inter-Library Loan request for it. I had thought of purchasing it, but it is priced at $60.00 on Amazon and used copies of it are still in the $25.00 range, so I decided to see what it was before I made a purchase. I won't be adding this one to my list of books that I own, but I did enjoy reading it. This book will be on my best of the year list, because so far it has been the best memoir I have read this year. I highly recommend it if you like culinary reading.

I've added my 5th ROOT for April (#21 for the year to date) to all tickers.

I've added my sixth ROOT for April to all tickers: Doctor Who and the Ribos Operation, by Ian Marter.

And unexpectedly I finished another one today too! That's #6 for April, #22 for the year, added to all tickers.

And a seventh: Dalek Empire 1.1: Invasion of the Daleks, a Big Finish audio drama. All tickers updated.

Books Read - 2
Total Books Towards Goal - 4/10
Percentage Towards Goal - 40%
Tickers updated

Just finished two more for April:
Secret Sister: An Amish Christmas Tale by Sarah Price
Buzz Books 2019: Young Adult Spring/Summer for NetGalley

I have read five ROOTs in April, the usual spring attractions plus the holidays are luring me away from my sofa. I'm also taking a break from ROOTing with a couple of borrowed books. My own ticker is up-to-date, did not touch the group ticker.

first ROOT for April but #12 for the year- review is on my thread- no tickers updated

As per my individual thread, I finished four books that were already on my shelves in April:

* Gilbert and Sullivan: A Dual Biography by Michael Ainger
* Guerilla Days in Ireland: a First-Hand Account of the Black and Tan War (1919-1921) by Tom Barry
* Netherland by Joseph O'Neill
* The Wrecker by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott

That brings me to 9 towards my stated goal of 20 for the year, with ticker updated.

Final ROOT update for April!

1. The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan: 6/50 total ROOTs and 4 stars
2. Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan: 7/50 and 4 stars
3. A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan: 8/50 and 3 stars
4. Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan: 9/50 and 4 stars
5. Winter's Heart by Robert Jordan: 10/50 and 4 stars
6. Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan: 11/50 and 4 stars
7. Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan: 12/50 and 4 stars
8. The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson: 13/50 and 5 stars
9. The Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson: 14/50 and 5 stars
10. A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson: 14/150 and 3 stars

10 in 1 month isn't too shabby at all! Especially when I look at the page count on these; but once I found my groove, I absolutely devoured this world and these characters. Ticker has been updated.

>61 Miss_Moneypenny: I started reading the Wheel of Time books in January, one book a month. Looks like I have some good ones to go!
I get my copies from the library, so no mention of them in this group.

My final root for the month, Shame and the Captives by Tom Keneally, which takes my tally to 19/54.

Here is my report for April 2019:

UpROOTED books: 9
ROOTless books: 5
Added to the TBR shelves: 0

The ROOTs were:

Cities in Flight by James Blish
Comic and Bawdy Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Chaucer's People by Liza Picard
The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens
The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester
The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
The Hollow Crown by Miri Rubin
The Conan Chronicles Volume 1 by Robert E. Howard
The Daughters of Palatine Hill by Phyllis T. Smith

ROOTs in YTD: 33

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

Got 5 more read this month, bringing my total to 20. Not impressive, but I expect great things in May. I updated my personal ticker.

>61 Miss_Moneypenny: QUITE impressive!! That series is daunting and you're breezing through. Kudos and massively thunderous applause!!

In April I have read 19 ROOTs, making a total of 73 ROOTs this year.
All tickers updated.

>62 FAMeulstee: You are in for such a treat! Despite having issues with some of the content/themes in these books, I truly loved them and immediately wanted to start the series over from the beginning after finishing the last one!

>65 enemyanniemae: Thank you!

I won't manage any more books this month, so my final ROOT total for April is 6 (22 for the year - I'm closing in on the half-way point!).

Five ROOTs completed this month, taking my total to 13/60 for the year. A bit behind on my goal but I'm stepping up the reading now. All tickers updated.

I finished another ROOT. Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country by Louise Erdrich. Loved this book for this one paragraph.

"We have lots of books in our house. They are our primary decorative motif - books in piles on the coffee table, framed book covers, books sorted into stacks on every available surface, and of course books on shelves along most walls. Besides the visible books, there are the boxes waiting in the wings, the basement books, the garage books, the storage locker books. They are a sort of insulation, soundproofing some walls. They function as furniture, they prop up sagging fixtures and disguised by quilts function as tables. The quantities and types of books are fluid, arriving like hysterical cousins in overnight shipping envelopes only to languish near the overflowing mail bench. Advance Reading Copies collect at bedside, to be dutifully examined, ... I can't imagine home without an overflow of books. The point of books is to have way too many but to always feel you never have enough, or the right one at the right moment,..." page 6 - 7.

I had a really good month. 9 ROOT’s. No ticker updated.

I read 2 works of fiction this month that were ROOT’s.

Friends in High Places by Donna Leon
Red Collar by Jean-Christophe Rufin

I listened to the sound recorded versions of 2 YA novels that have been on my list forever.

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman was one I Pearl Ruled after 175 pages.
Doubt Factory by Paolo Bacigalupi was predictable but I liked the narrator

I finished the sound recordings of 2 works of non-fiction during the month. Both were excellent books and I learned something from each one of them and had a good time listening to them.

Empire Made: My Search for an Outlaw Uncle in British India by Kief Hillsbery was a really good book. So much in it about India under the East India Company.
Brain on Fire; My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan was very interesting and was the result of a book bullet from Mark.

I read three ROOT’s and sent them out of my house.

Great Influenza by John M. Berry. THis one was for my real life book discussion group and it was well worth the time and effort to read it.
Island of Lost Maps by Miles Harvey - this is one of the longest held titles on my shelves. it is good to see it gone, and it was probably my least favorite book read this month.
Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country by Louise Erdrich - this is part of series of titles of travel books I have been reading for the better part of two years. This was one of the better titles in the series.

The May/June thread is up!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/306552#

>70 benitastrnad: love it!

>1 cyderry: my April total was one more, could you update me to 24?