JustJim's 999 Challenge

I'm in! Still working on categories, but here's what I think I'll do.

Patrick O'Brian
Cricket biographies/memoirs/histories
General biographies
Tolkien and related materiel (Tolkienana?)
Cyberpunk
Science Fiction written before I was born (1959)
Pratchett
Xanth
Out'a left field (Stuff I wouldn't normally read)

And because I love a challenge, I'm not starting until 1/1/09 and I'm going to aim at 9/9/09!

stupid touchstones!

I love cyberpunk. Can't wait to see your list!

Adjustments to categories:

Remove Pratchett, replace with Robert Rankin
Reason: I've read almost everything Pterry has put out and I want to cut down on re-reading. I'll complete 50 orbits of the Sun in 2009* and there are still too many books that I haven't read yet.

Remove Out'a left field, redefine as "Classics I know I should have read but never gotten a round tuit"
Reason: I know I should have read them, so this will make me do it.

Contenders for this field include Lorna Doone, Jane Eyre, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists. More to follow.

Jim

*Before completing this 939,951,431 km 46,997,557,155 km leg of my journey on Bastille Day 2009, I also plan to quit smoking, cut down drinking, eat healthier and stop making whoopee with wild women. What was I thinking?

What exactly is cyberpunk?
--BJ

Cyberpunk is a sub-genre of Science Fiction. More details at the link, which is to Wikipedia.

Thanks for the info! :)
--BJ

OK we're getting to the nitty gritty now;
O'Brian - that's easy, I'm up to The Fortune of War, so nine of them would be:
The Fortune of War
The Surgeon's Mate
The Ionian Mission
Treason's Harbour
The Reverse of the Medal
The Letter of Marque
well, that's 6 and gives me some time because the next three are tagged Wishlist
The Thirteen-gun salute
The Nutmeg of Consolation
Clarissa Oakes

Next category in the next message.

Cricket stuff:
McGilvray: The Game is not the same
With the West Indies in Australia: 1951-52
The Vic Richardson Story; the autobiography of a versatile sportsman
Bradman: An Australian Hero
The Dominators : one of the greatest Test teams

Anything else I can find, especially from the 1948 (The Invincibles) Australian tour of England and afterwards. I'm looking for more on Benaud.

I can see that the WIndies touchstone isn't going to work, so try this.
eta: Yes that's better (must get around to uploading a cover!). Stupid Touchstones!

The Packer affair
10 For 66 and All That

Science fiction written before I was born (1959)

Strangely, the first thing that grabbed my eye when I scanned the shelves for this category was:

Fifth Planet, which always thought would have pre-dated me, but was actually written in 1962.

Most of what I own in this category is still stacked away in a wardrobe. Good incentive to get on with unpacking properly.

Titus Groan
Gormenghast and
Titus Alone which just got delivered by Australia Post from eBay - Oh and Science Fiction before I was born, probably just moved to Speculative Fiction!

Do you know of these books on cricket: Six and Out by Jack Pollard and 10 for 66 and All That by Arthur Mailey. Six and Out is a collection of essays, criticism, fiction, verse and caricature portraying the history of Australian cricket. The Mailey book is an autobiography republished in 2008. They may be of interest.

>10
I actually had a copy of 10 for 66 and All That in my hands the other day. I got distracted by the WIndies book and only bought the one. I'll probably go back later in the week and see if it is still there.

Thanks for the advice.

False start, number 77 offence, one book penalty, still first down!

I couldn't help it! I just wanted something light to rip through before I went to bed so I accidentally read Nostradamus ate my hamster last night.

Books currently tagged 999 Challenge are here. This is bigger than I thought, I've only been able to tag 34 and a lot of them are also tagged Wishlist. Come on lottery ticket!

Merry Christmas to those that play that game, and a happy, safe and prosperous New Year to all.

Jim

OK, Xanth is broadened to Piers Anthony, because I found a few Mode series and Incarnations of Immortality series that need reading up too.

Gee I'm starting slowly. I've got some more tagging done and I actually physically own 59 of the 67 I've got tagged. (The Gormenghast trilogy is in one volume, but I'm a'countin' it as three!)