Alright I figure if I don't at least start thinking about this I'm more likely to back out. Here's the categories I'm thinking of going for:
1. Non-Fiction
2. Fantasy / Science-Fiction
3. Classics / Stuff I Should Have Read In School
4. Authors Never Read Before
5. Authors I Like But Works I've Never Read
6. Chick-Lit / Fluff Fun Fiction
7. Recommended By Others
8. Books About Distant Places or Different Cultures
9. Graphic Novels / Young Adult Fiction
Of course those are all subject to change...
For now I'll list titles that I'm contemplating and next year as I finish them they'll be
crossed out. Feel free to leave me suggestions, especially on categories 1, 3, 4, and 8 (and I can use your suggestions to fill up cat. 7 as well!)
(I figured my ticker should be at the top of this thread too)
Message edited by its author, Jan 8, 2009, 12:18pm.
Yay! *bounces up and down* Welcome to the 999!
Here's some that I'm contemplating. I figure this will be easier to update if I have a post for each category.
1. Just the Facts, Ma'am (Non-Fiction)1.
Sex, Science and Stem Cells - Diana DeGette
(4) 1/28/09
2.
Sickened - Julie Gregory
(4, 7) 2/10/09
3.
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers - Mary Roach
(4, 7) 2/18/09
4.
Gorillas in the Mist - Dian Fossey
(4, 7, 8) 4/25/09
5.
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down - Anne Fadiman
(4, 7) 5/28/09
6.
Eats, Shoots and Leaves - Lynne Truss
(4, 7) 6/22/09
7.
Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell 9/30/09
8.
The Monster of Florence - Douglas Preston and Mario Spizo 10/8/09
9.
Julie and Julia - Julie Powell 10/20/09
10.
Kabul Beauty School (4, 8)11.
John Adams (5, 7)12.
Dreams From My Father (5)13.
Lipstick Jihad (5, 8)14.
I am America (And So Can You!) (4)15.
Three Cups of Tea (4, 7, 8)(I'm not sure which of these I'll get too, but it looks like all of them could be shuffled to different categories so I'll leave them here for now!)
Message edited by its author, Oct 29, 2009, 12:01pm.
7. Don't Ask For Advice You're Not Going To Take (Rec. By Others)1.
The Last Cato - Matilde Asensi
(4) 2/26/09
2.
A Mango-Shaped Space - Wendy Mass
(9) 3/26/09
3.
Bel Canto - Anne Patchett
(4) 4/6/09
4.
The Red Tent - Anita Diamant
(4, 8) 5/1/09
5.
The Other Boleyn Girl - Philippa Gregory
(4, 6) 5/26/09
6.
The Shack - William P. Young
(4) 6/9/09
7.
Gentleman and Players - Joanne Harris
(5) 6/26/09
8.
Wicked Lovely - Melissa Marr 10/12/09
9.
A Break With Charity - Ann Rinaldi 10/15/09
Hard to predict these but I love swapping books with friends and family!
Message edited by its author, Oct 29, 2009, 12:00pm.
8. Journey of 1000 Miles (Books of Distant Places/Different Cultures)1.
Peony in Love - Lisa See
(5, 7) 1/20/09
2.
What is the What - Dave Eggers
(7, 4) 2/5/09
3.
Outcasts United - Warren St. John 3/5/09
4.
Shanghai Girls - Lisa See
(5) 3/11/09
5.
Krik? Krak! - Edwidge Danticat
(7, 4) 4/14/09
6.
Tears of the Giraffe - Alexander McCall Smith
(5) 5/5/09
7.
A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali - Gil Courtemanche
(7, 4) 7/2/09
8.
The Blood of Flowers - Anita Amirrezvani
(7, 4) 7/15/09
9.
Baking Cakes in Kigali - Gaile Parkin
(4) 8/11/09
10.
The Caliph's House (7, 1, 4)This category might change if it overlaps too much with Non-fiction and the Rec. by others....
Message edited by its author, Oct 29, 2009, 12:01pm.
9. Forever Young (Graphic Novels / Young Adult Fiction)1.
Watchmen - Alan Moore
(2, 4, 7) 1/09/09
2.
Shakespeare's Secret - Elise Broach
(4) 3/02/09
3.
Nothing But The Truth - Avi
(5) 5/2/09
4.
Coraline Graphic Novel - Neil Gaiman
(2) 5/29/09
5.
Fairest - Gail Carson Levine
(2, 4) 6/2/09
6.
Stargazer - Patrick Carman
(2, 5) 6/16/09
7.
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane - Kate DiCamillo 9/30/09
8.
The Calder Game - Blue Balliett 10/5/09
9.
Skylar - Mary Cuffe-Perez 11/5/09
10.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret (4, 7)11.
The Final Warning (2, 5)12.
Persepolis (4, 7, 8)13.
The Warrior Heir (2, 4, 7)14.
Rise of the Evening Star (2, 5)15.
The Stowaway (2)16.
Seeing Redd (2, 5)Message edited by its author, Nov 6, 2009, 1:47pm.
For your Category 8, a book I enjoyed this year was
The Caliph's House (which would overlap with 1, and maybe 4). It's about a man who decides he'll just pick up his family and move to Morocco.
Thanks for the recommendations! I've heard really good things about
What is the What so that one will definitely have to be added! The others sound really good too. I've never read anything about Morocco so that could be cool and I'm always interested in things about Rwanda too.
Okay I finished my first book of the year -
The Warded Man by
Peter V. Brett! For now I listed it in category 4 (Authors never read before) but it could also be switched to 2 (Fantasy/Sci-Fi). I borrowed the ARC from my librarian aunt, but I noticed it's an Early Reviewers Selection so I'll try to write a review of it in the near future! One down, only 80 more to go!
And here's my new ticker:
Message edited by its author, Jan 8, 2009, 12:17pm.
Well I just finished my 5th book of the year. I'm not doing so good with reviewing them all, but #5 was
Peony in Love by Lisa See. It was overall a decent read, but compared to some of her other books, I didn't like it near as much. The first third of the book was one in which I wanted to reach through the pages and slap or throttle the main character - and I was actually tempted to give up on the whole novel - but I stuck with it and the middle and ending of the story were greatly improved from how it started.
For category number 8, I recomend
Krik? Krak!, by Edwidge Danticat.
In Haiti, when someone is going to tell a story, they ask, "Krik?" And if the audience answers, "Krak!" Danticat was born and raised in Haiti, and this collection of short stories is inspired by the oral story telling traditions of her roots.
#18 - thanks so much blythe! I've never heard of that book but I would definitely be interested in reading about Haiti!
Yet another of the infinite reasons I love LT is recommendations from other people!
Hi, el! Nice challenge and categories! I recognise a few of your titles for possibilities this year as some I've heard very good things about. I'll try to make a recommendation for every category if I can.
A nonfiction book I really enjoyed last year was
Dewey, which was very close to me on a personal level. Another nonfiction book I've read is
Sickened: The Memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood which really changed the way I think about some things.
For a fantasy I will recommend
Memory and Dream. I don't see that you have it yet but that you've read some of the author's works. Perhaps that will even work for category five. If you'd like to hear about some of the books LG pointed out to me one the times we met,
The Name of the Wind and
Winter's Tale were both books I had to get a copy of after listening to her talk about them. I haven't read either yet so sadly I can't share my own opinion yet, but they sounded like impressive books.
Onto classics,
Little Women is one of my favorites that you haven't listed or cataloged. I don't see
The Odyssey cataloged either, though I think you've read it if you have
The Penelopiad.
A Separate Peace was a very good book which I read in high school.
I haven't used the tag 'chick lit' much in tagging but I do have one tagged as such. It is
Forget About It which I had given four stars and I know Suge had also liked.
For category number seven....The sequel to
Bloodsucking Fiends, my dear! It was very good.
I'm not sure if you want your YA books to be that as well as graphic novels or if they're just sharing a category. One of the best YA books I read last year was
The Warrior Heir. I'm also a fan of
Fly By Night, which makes me think of
The Golden Compass not because of the story but something having to do with each book's main character.
The Lightening Thief seems to be a favorite in the HE group.
Best of luck with your challenge, el! :)
Message edited by its author, Jan 27, 2009, 7:04pm.
*faints*
Too many good recommendations!!! I guess that's a fantastic problem to have though! :)
Dewey has a huge waiting list at my local library so I might save that one for later in the year but I will try to find
Sickened.
I can't recall if I have read
Memory and Dream or not. In high school I read almost everything by CdL I could get my hands on but the result is that many of his works blend together for me. ;)
Little Women is a must. And though I've read portions of The Oddyssey I actually added
Penelopiad because I was looking for more Atwood works.
I remember you talking about
Forget About it before and that sounds really cute and I also have heard plenty good about
The Warrior Heir series.
I put graphic novels grouped with YA because those are generally quicker reads for me although Watchmen was one that I really took my time reading and thinking about because it was pretty philosophical.
Thanks for the helpful rec's and the good wishes!
#19-
Krik? Krak! is amazing!!! My in-laws live in Haiti and my husband lived there for almost 5 years while he was growing up. The all love Dandicat. If you end up liking Krik? Krak! You should try one of her novels. Krik? Krak! is a collection of short stories, and she has several novels as well.
The Farming of Bones and
The Dew Breaker are on my TBR pile. She also has a travel journal-type book about Carnival in Jacmel (which would fit in your Non-fiction category) called
After the Dance: a Walk through Carnival in Jacmel, Haiti.
Also, if you haven't already read
Persepolis, you should consider reading it for your graphic novel category...it would also fit in your far-off places category. It's an amazing story about growing up in Iran. I also hear that
Maus is a great graphic novel and is also on my TBR list.
Message edited by its author, Jan 28, 2009, 1:26pm.
Re: #23
I also read
Breath, Eyes, Memory, by Danticat, a long time ago. So long ago that I don't remember it clearly, but it was fantastic, too. I have all the rest of her books on my tbr list. Next year, I'm thinking I'll have a category just for her.
Thank you all for the fabulous advice! I love to interact with people that get this jazzed about reading. When I ask for book rec's from my face-to-face friends most of the time I just get "Umm.... such and such was alright" or "I just read blah blah blah and it was okay". LT is the only place where I can find readers as passionate as I am!!
I'm going to hold off on classifying all of these right now because it looks like I'll need to rearrange some of the ones I am planning, but anything that I don't get to this year will be held on my TBR for times to come. I even added a few of these to my library with my new "999 potential" tag so I have easy access to ones I want to seek out at the library and bookstore!
The ones I haven't added yet will still likely make the list, but it's only January so I'm going to have to pace myself a little. ;)
#21-->
El?
*uses smelling salts*
CdL's short story books as blend together for me as well.
This message has been deleted by its author.
You Suck was a good time!
although...there's what Chet had to go through... ;)
Let me just say again that recommendations rock my world! I've been working my way through my library pile (see post 28).
Sickened was really interesting and
Stiff was morbidly delightful.
You Suck was definitely - as stephmo said - a good time, exactly what I've come to expect from Moore. :)
Most notably from my selections though, I really enjoyed Jane Green's
Bookends. I love British Chick Lit stuff and it was a sweet story of friendship and love - the kind of book that just makes you smile and brings some sunshine to winter's dreariness.
And then there is
What is the What. This is one of those books that has stayed with me long after I've finished it. It was powerful and amazing and I don't know what I can say to describe it other than to just continue to effuse how amazing it is. I wrote a review of it
here but even that can't capture all of my ongoing thoughts about it. Thanks for all who suggested it. Definitely one of my top reads of 2009.
The Last Cato is my current pick and so far it's pulled me in. Next up will probably be an ARC I snagged of Lisa See's Shanghai Girls or my January Early Reviewer book (...if it ever arrives).
Message edited by its author, Feb 19, 2009, 1:08pm.
That was great review of
What is the What, elbakerone. I had listened to it on CD and, all the while, was imagining that it was Deng himself telling me that story.
Here's a picture of
Deng and Eggers and here's the
wikipedia article about that book. Yeah. That book's story stays with you.
Egger's book was one that led me to suggest doing an African continent theme on the
Reading Globally group here at LT. That book and
A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali, a novel about the Rwandan genocide written by the Canadian author Gil Courtemanche. I'd never before been interested in reading about Africa. Now, all of a sudden, that continent has grabbed my attention.
Message edited by its author, Feb 19, 2009, 10:40pm.
I'm glad you liked the CD version of What is the What. i just made my husband get it (he's an audiobook junkie) and I have been hoping that it's narrated well. It's odd but a less than stellar reader can make a book a love one that he'll be only lukewarm towards.
Thanks for the links too!
Sunday at the Pool in Kigali is still on my TBR - I'm waiting for it at the library so hopefully I'll get to it soon!
I'm pretty sure the narrator was Dion Graham on BBC Audiobooks America (borrowed from my local library). He was a fantastic narrator! I'm very picky about them as I'm hearing impaired and have a long commute for work. I need an interesting and intelligible narrator or else I'd fall asleep during my drive!
Two other recommendations to go along with reading
A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali: (1) See the movie "Hotel Rwanda". (2) Read
An Ordinary Man, the autobiography of
Paul Rusesabagina, the hotel manager depicted in Hotel Rwanda.
I also just finished
What is the What and feel the same way that you did, elbakerone. It's one of those books that has shfited my world view.
#34 - I actually saw Hotel Rwanda when it first hit the theaters (had to drive 30 minutes to where it was showing). It was a very amazing movie and I was prompted to read
An Ordinary Man shortly there after. I also had the privilege of hearing Paul Rusesabagina speak in my hometown. It was really inspiring to hear him talk about his faith in humanity. At one point he explained that he believed that there was good in all people and he talked about using that belief to bargain for the lives of his coutrymen. It was very humbling to hear him talk about the goodness in all people knowing the atrocities and intense interpersonal violence that he witnessed.
#35 - I think one of the most difficult things for me to grasp in that book was the extreme hope that Valentino had on learning that he was one of the ones able to come to America. To contrast that overwhelming excitement with the ensuing difficulties and tragedies of his life as a refugee in this country was really difficult for me. I think it's easy to sympathize with people in war-torn countries in Africa but then to look at the hardships refugees face even after escaping their homelands was pretty eye-opening.
--> 36
Wow! It must have been quite an honor to see Paul Rusesabagina in person. My biggest heroes are the small people, those who do not aspire to be heroes but rather do good because that is what their hearts tell them to do and who expect no reward in return.
Hi El! I really like your challenge for this year...I just caught up with it and I would like to recommend you a book by Joanne Harris, it's called
Gentlemen and Players and it's brilliant, I read it and it's wonderful, and very original. And this book will fit into categories 5 and 7. I don't think anyone at HE has read it though...but I would love to have someone to comment that book with! Good luck with your challenge! and Have a great time reading!
Ron
Oooh. Yay! Have fun with Krik? Krak!
I finished
Krik? Krak! and really liked it. Normally I'm not a fan of short story collections - I prefer novels with less stopping/starting - but I thought Danticat's writing was really good and I liked how there were small details that tied the stories together. I wish I knew more about Haiti before reading it, but it was intriguing enough to make me want to learn and study more. Thanks for recommending it blythe!! :)
I loved The Red Tent. In general I like retellings of old stories, seeing them from a new perspective. This one is particularly good.
I've been curious about
Krik? Krak!, but haven't picked it up. Now I want to give it a try!
For those of you reading
Krik? Krak!, you might want to look at this
Haiti fiction thread of the
Reading Globally group.
Even though the thread is dormant, feel free to add your own comments to revive it.
I see you have
Furies of Calderon in your Fantasy category. I'd be interested in reading your thoughts about it, if you get to it. I read it for my "recommendations" category, and really enjoyed it.
And I see you've got
Something Blue on your chick lit list. I read
Something Borrowed and
Something Blue on my trip earlier this month and really enjoyed them both. I will warn you, I found
Something Blue a little harder to get into than
Something Borrowed, in part because Darcy is suddenly the protagonist and it felt weird to suddenly be routing for her. You may have sidestepped that problem by putting so much time between the two books. In the end, I might say though that I actually preferred
Something Blue, so it was worth sticking through it! I'm looking forward to picking up
Giffin's other books!
#46 - I've been holding off on Furies because I have a feeling it's going to immediately hook me into reading that whole series. ;) I'm still not caught up on Butcher's Dresden Files, but I really enjoy his writing.
#47- Emily Giffin went to my high school. :) She's quite a bit older than me so it's not like I knew her or anything, but it's one thing that drew me to her books. I wasn't a huge fan of Borrowed, but like you, many have said Blue was better so I thought I'd check it out. I've also heard positive things about
Love the one you're with so that's another I may add to Mount TBR.
I haven't read any of the Dresden Files, but have the first one tucked somewhere in my overflowing mental TBR stack. :-) Yes, starting the Furies series and getting hooked is definitely a danger... I'm waiting to borrow books 3-5 from my cousin (who recommended them to me in the first place) so I can read them in one fell swoop.
Hi, el! You're doing a terrific job on your challenges.
Hey El! I've got
Gentlemen and Players in my TBR for the 999 challenge too! Shall we do another Joanne Harris read?
#50: Hi el! You are doing great in your challenge! and I'm happy you got
Gentlemen and Players. I loved the book!! Please leave me a comment on your thoughts on the book!!
#52:Hope you enjoy
Gentlemen and Players too, VictoriaPL!
#51 - Thanks K! It's gonna be tough to finish if I go for another year of NaNoWriMo and my "Classics" category is a bit daunting, but even if I have to use a few books in multiple places, I think I'll finish it out by the end of the year.
#52/53 - I'll probably start
Gentlemen and Players tomorrow or Wednesday. I foolishly couldn't find it on several trips to my library because it was shelved in the Mystery section! I kept looking in General Fiction with all of Harris's other works and on my third trip, assuming it was all checked out, I searched the catalog hoping to place a hold on it. Looking forward to reading it and will happily share thoughts with both of you! :)
(back to top)
