I signed up for and totally failed at the 888 challenge for 2008, so I'm going to try again for the 999 Challenge in 2009. Tentative categories are:
1. 1001 Books (a perennial favorite)
2. Historical Fiction
3. ARC/Review Copies
4. Books released in 2009 (I'm keeping ARCs separate for now, since I fully expect I will read 9 books published next year that I don't have review copies of)
5. Young Adult Literature
6. Chunksters (because I'm feeling ambitious)
7. Classics (anything published more than 50 years ago)
8. From the TBR Pile (the rule is that the books must have been acquired before the completely arbitrary date of Oct. 1, 2008)
9. Women in fiction (books by/about women)
I may dump the classics category if I struggle with it the way I did this year (plus I suspect it will overlap with the 1001 and everyone-else-has-read-it categories too much). But for now, I think this is what I want to run with.
And for the fun pretties, here's my ticker:
ETA: a change in categories (1/2, 3/22)
Message edited by its author, Mar 23, 2009, 4:21am.
I can't wait to see your 'books that defy categorization'.
"Books that defy categorization" will be the category for books I can't make work with any of my other categories (or those categories may already be filled). It's probably just going to be miscellaneous things. I'd like for it to be an exotic or eclectic category, but I doubt it will work out that way.
Great rule for your TBR pile section!
In my failed attempt at the 888 Challenge, I kept finding myself placing books I'd just purchased in the "TBR" category. I want to try to avoid that next year with the 999 challenge, because then it doesn't really accomplish anything in terms of getting those older books read.
Yeah, a big reason for me planning to do the 999 Challenge was to reduce the TBR pile somewhat. That new book always looks more urgently in need of a reading than the one that's already waited awhile. I look forward to seeing the titles showing up in your categories.
So I tagged all the books in my library I was considering for this challenge, and I think I know which ones I want to read next year. And I changed a few of the categories. I think I will be able to get through all these categories without having overlaps. It didn't work out for me to do this last year, but for now, I'm going to list the books I think I'll be using for each category.
Historical Fiction1. The Rose of York: Love and War by Sandra Worth (1/22/09)
2.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (4/18/09)
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
(Category changed from Mysteries to historical fiction March 23, 2009)Message edited by its author, Jul 26, 2009, 5:30am.
2009 Releases1.
The Temptation of the Night Jasmine by Lauren Willig (2/28/09)
2.
Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty (4/18/09)
3. Tap & Gown by Diana Peterfreund (5/19/09)
4. Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter (6/12/09)
5. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen (6/18/09)
6.
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (9/1/09)
7.
8.
9.
Message edited by its author, Sep 3, 2009, 1:06pm.
Chunksters1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Message edited by its author, Jul 26, 2009, 5:53am.
Classics1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Message edited by its author, Jul 26, 2009, 5:54am.
>17,
I'll probably read it near the beginning of the year, if I don't jump the gun and get to it this year. But I'll definitely post my thoughts on it when I do.
I loved Remains of the Day. It was one of my favorite books the year I read it. It has a slow start, but it's worth staying with it.
shootingstarr7, you have some great books on your list - some I have already read, and others I have on my TBR list. I look forward to reading more about your 2009 challenge as the year progresses :-)
I just found your thread. Interesting lists you have! I'm still working on my 999 list before posting - so far I have 5 categories.
Hi - I've just read all John Green's books and recommend
Looking for Alaska, he's a very interesting writer. I'm currently working my way through the
Dance to the music of Time series, now up to bk 6 and have it in my next in series category but expect to finish all the books next year. Good luck with your reading we have quite a few books and writers in common.
shootingstarr7 - I love your lists! We have a lot of the same books lined up, so I look forward to following your thread :)
>21,
Think we'll have better luck with this than we did the 888 Challenge? Let me know when you get your list up. I want to see it.
>22,
Looking for Alaska was recommended to me by someone else earlier this year (I think SqueakyChu?), and I meant to read it, but never did. I'm planning to read it early in the year. As far as
Dance to the Music of Time goes, I will probably wait a little longer on it. I'm planning to read
War and Peace first, unless the Group Reads: Literature group picks
The Count of Monte Cristo or
Les Miserables as their next book, in which case, that book will be the first I read. But I do look forward to reading it at some point next year, and I look forward to following your thread.
>23,
I'm off to go find your thread right now so I can follow it.
I have confidence I'll do better this year if for no other reason than I didn't even start making an 888 list until mid-year, so by then it felt so overwhelming. I'm making it a goal to read 9 books a month from the 999 list so that ideally I'll finish in the fall, but realistically to have some buffer in case something pops up.
I posted the list I have so far as a Facebook note. I sent it to you as a message, so you should see it when next you log in.
I got the Facebook note this morning and looked over your list a bit, but didn't have time to comment before work (and while it's one thing to be on LT while at work, it's another thing entirely to be on Facebook). I'm with you- planning to read 9 a month, but still giving myself some cushion room in case I don't make it. Of course, I'm also planning to read 100 books overall, so we'll see how it goes.
>27, Haha, chanale, I think we have the same vampire problem....
First book is done! I decided to start with
Looking for Alaska, which is a great book. It was recommended by someone on LT last year, and I definitely think it was worth reading. My review is
here.
Oh, I'm so glad you read
Looking for Alaska and liked it. It had been a book that others had been recommending. I had it on my wishlist and last year's Secret Santa bought it for me! I'd never heard of John Green before hearing about him on LT. John Green is an LT author and a good one at that. I'd love to read another book of his.
Looking for Alaska also started me on a kick of reading YA literature this past year. There are some pretty good YA novels around these days. I've been quite impressed with the ones I've chosen to read so far.
ETA: You posted a very nice review!!
Message edited by its author, Jan 7, 2009, 12:36am.
You were the first person I'd heard of John Green from, but then after you mentioned
Looking for Alaska to me, I started seeing his name around a lot more.
There are some really fantastic YA titles out there. Two of my recent favorites are
Thirteen Reasons Why and
Living Dead Girl.
Living Dead Girl is stark and difficult to read, but I think it's one of those books everyone should read.
Thirteen Reasons Why isn't as bleak, but it was a really personal read for me. And the author, Jay Asher, sent me a message after reading my review, which I thought was incredibly nice of him. If you haven't read either of those, I'd definitely recommend them.
Thank you for such a sweet comment about my review.
Message edited by its author, Jan 7, 2009, 4:47am.
Thanks for your book recommendations. I added both to my wish list. :)
I got two strong recommendations from a friend who's a YA librarian. She loved
The Forest of Hands and Teeth and
Wintergirls - I believe both come out in March. I plan to reserve library copies as soon as they're available.
>33,
I'll have to see if our childrens/YA library assistant plans to order those.
Finished the first book in my Women in Fiction category:
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell. It was a very good read, but I'm still not entirely sure how I felt about it. I think I have to think about the ending for a few days before I know for sure.
Okay, I finished the review. You can find it
here at Reading and Ruminations.
Finished the next book in my YA category:
Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter. It's the second book in her Gallagher Girls series, which is centered on teenage girls who go to school and train to become CIA operatives. It was a nice, light, fun read, and just what I needed to escape from the stress of real life for a few hours.
Oh, good . . . the first book in that series is on hold for me at the library. I was hoping the series would be frothy fun.
I also enjoyed the first Ally Carter girls'-spy-school novel (I couldn't resist the title:
I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You). When I read the novel, I wondered if some of the humor in it might not be wasted on teens. I think it's definitely the kind of book adults can get a chuckle out of. The book is also a safe recommendation for kids whose parents don't want them reading anything explicit.
>38,
They're a lot of fun, so if you're looking for a bit of escapism, these are definitely good.
>39,
I loved the title of the first book, too. I never thought about the humor being wasted on teens, but I suppose it's possible. And they're definitely a good alternative to some of the more explicit teen series. Plus, you've got to love books where the heroine is doing PhD-level physics at the age of sixteen.
Finished my first review book of the year.
Perfect on Paper by Maria Murnane was actually released last year, but because it was sent to me by a publicist for review, it counts. This book was quite funny, and I very much enjoyed it.
I have March by Brooks on my 999 list too. I hope it lives up the the hype!
and I finished
Fer de Lance as an audiobook. I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't call it outstanding.
I'm in the middle of reading
Little Women right now, but I'm hoping to get to
March sooner rather than later. I hope it lives up to the hype as well.
Fer de Lance is one of those books I'm hoping will be a nice break from bigger, more ambitious books. I need a good brain break every once in awhile.
I've finished a few more books for this challenge:
Canvey Island by James Runcie and
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn. I've also read a few other books that I haven't decided yet whether or not I'm going to count them for the challenge: The Rose of York: Love and War by Sandra Worth, and
What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell. If I count the first one, I will probably have to scrap one of my existing categories and create a historical fiction category. However, this early in the year, I'm not ready to scrap anything, so I'm just going to keep it all in the back of my mind.
Finished the first of my books published in 2009! The book is
The Temptation of the Night Jasmine by Lauren Willig, the fifth in her Pink Carnation series (I've read and reviewed all her books on my blog,
Reading and Ruminations; my review of this one will probably be up early next week- on Sunday or Monday). In spite of the fact that this book actually had very little to do with the overall Pink Carnation storyline, I think it was one of the best. Willig is really beginning to develop as an author, and her main characters are developing right along with her.
Message edited by its author, Feb 28, 2009, 4:16am.
I'm glad to hear you enjoyed Night Jasmine. I have it on hold at the library. I agree with you that Willig is getting better. Do you think this will be the last one in the series? She says on her website that she planned for five books.
>46, This definitely isn't the last. She doesn't really do much to advance the Pink Carnation plot (instead she's setting up a new enemy for the Carnation), and the storyline with Eloise and Colin definitely isn't to the point where readers would be satisfied with the ending. If I had to guess, though, I'd say there will probably only be one or two more books. There are only a few characters left in the 19th century that would make sense to write about, and I think that once Jane becomes the main character, it will all come to an end. But those are just my suppositions.
Finished two more books this weekend:
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson (From the TBR Pile) and Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty (YA Novels). Both were very good (though very different from each other). I wasn't all that surprised by the end of
The Gargoyle, but it was still an excellent story that I wish I'd read when it first came out last year, rather than waiting until now. Second Helpings reminded me why I love Jessica Darling, and I will probably read the next two books in the series sooner rather than later.
Finished an ARC today, Palace Circle by Rebecca Dean. An interesting little historical fiction starting in 1911 and ending in 1941. I'll have a review of it posted on
Reading and Ruminations on Tuesday, and I guarantee it will have much better observations than anything posted here.
I've made another category change. I've decided to dump my mysteries category in favor of a historical fiction category. I'm on a bit of a historical fiction kick right now, and have no interest in reading mysteries at the moment. So rather than try to force myself to read them, I'd rather get credit for the books I *am* reading.
I finished the first book in my 1001 books category last night. Breakfast at Tiffany's was a fast read, but it was excellent. I loved the movie, and though the book definitely had its differences, some of my favorite things about the movie were originally from the book.
After months of neglecting this thread, I went through and cleaned up the official category posts and made everything neat and orderly, as well as assigning books to different categories than the ones originally intended. I'm still pretty far off the pace for where I want to be, but I'm in a better place than I was at this time last year, and I have no reason to expect that won't continue to be the case.
It's pretty clear I need to spend a bit more time working on reading classics and chunksters, given the fact that there are currently no books in either category. Every other category has at least two books. I know what I'm going to be reading later this year...
Updated my thread with book #31:
The Tory Widow by Christine Blevins. This was a great book to read, and reminded me how much I loved reading about the American Revolution when I was younger.
Added books 32 and 33:
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters, which I finished last week, and
Seeing Me Naked by Liza Palmer, which I finished earlier today. Both were good for different reasons, but neither knocked me off my socks.
Finished two more books today:
After by Amy Efaw, and
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. With After, I have completed the YA category of my challenge.
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