Here were my categories for my first 999 challenge. I finished the challenge on August 1, 2009.

The first thread was getting long and a bit unwieldly. You can find it at: http://www.librarything.com/topic/54829

Cozy Mysteries--READ 9 OUT OF 9
Category Completed on April 2, 2009

Professional Sleuth Mysteries--READ 9 OUT OF 9
Category Completed on July 30, 2009

Vintage Mysteries--READ 9 OUT OF 9
Category Completed on June 29, 2009

Baseball Books--READ 9 OUT OF 9
Category Completed on June 20, 2009

Books About Chicago--READ 9 OUT OF 9
Category Completed on July 8, 2009

American Presidents--READ 9 OUT OF 9
Category Completed on July 4, 2009

Books About Books/Libraries--READ 9 OUT OF 9
Category Completed on August 1, 2009

Books About Disasters--READ 9 OUT OF 9
Category Completed on July 21, 2009

General Nonfiction--READ 9 OUT OF 9
Category Completed on April 10, 2009

Message edited by its author, Aug 2, 2009, 12:25am.

CATEGORY 1: Cozy Mysteries
(read 9 out of 9)
CATEGORY COMPLETED

1. Thai Die by Monica Ferris--READ in JAN '09
2. Cooking Up Murder by Miranda Bliss--READ in JAN '09
3. Leftover Dead by Jimmie Ruth Evans--READ in JAN '09
4, Watches of the Night by Sally Wright--READ IN JAN '09
5. Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich--READ IN FEB '09
6. Bookmarked for Death by Lorna Barrett--READ IN MARCH '09
7. Oolong Dead by Laura Childs--READ IN MARCH '09
8. Mother's Day Murder by Leslie Meier--READ IN APRIL '09
9. The Kiss Murder by Mehmet Murat Somer--READ IN APRIL '09

Message edited by its author, May 18, 2009, 1:24pm.

CATEGORY 2--Professional Sleuth Mysteries
(read 9 out of 9)
CATEGORY COMPLETED!!!

1. Death of a Witch by M.C. Beaton--READ IN FEB '09
2. Death and the Dutch Uncle by Patricia Moyes--READ IN FEB '09
3. Promises in Death by J.D. Robb--READ IN MARCH '09
4. The 8th Confession by James Patterson--READ IN MAY '09
5. The Fifth Floor by Michael Harvey--READ IN MAY '09
6. A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny--READ IN JUNE '09
7. In a Dark House by Deborah Crombie--READ IN JULY '09
8. Indemnity Only by Sara Paretsky--READ IN JULY '09
9. Trio for Blunt Instruments by Rex Stout--READ IN JULY '09

--Open Season by Archer Mayor
--Over My Dead Body by Rex Stout
--The Five Bells and Bladebone by Martha Grimes
--Mortal Causes by Ian Rankin
--The Turkish Gambit by Boris Akunin
--Murder in Four Parts by Bill Crider
--Death at la Fenice by Donna Leon
--Lethal Legacy by Linda Fairstein
--Death of a Lit Chick
--The Private Patient by P.D. James
--Night's Child by Maureen Jennings

Message edited by its author, Jul 31, 2009, 8:39am.

CATEGORY 3--Vintage Mysteries (Pre-1961)
(read 9 out of 9)
CATEGORY COMPLETED

1. Night at the Vulcan by Ngaio Marsh--READ IN FEB '09
2. The Corpse in the Snowman by Nicholas Blake--READ IN FEB '09
3. The Puzzle of the Pepper Tree by Stuart Palmer--READ IN MARCH '09
4. A Shilling for Candles by Josephine Tey--READ IN APRIL '09
5. The Judas Window by Carter Dickson--READ IN APRIL '09
6. A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie--READ IN MAY '09
7. Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie--READ IN MAY '09
8. The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen--READ IN JUNE '09
9. Trouble in Triplicate by Rex Stout--READ IN JUNE '09

--Jacques Futrelle's Thinking Machine by Jacques Futrelle

--The Benson Murder Case by S.S. Van Dine
--Look to the Lady by Margery Allingham
--In the Teeth of the Evidence or else Lord Peter Views the Body by Dorothy L. Sayers
--The Sun Bathers Diary by Erle Stanley Gardner
--Murder Begins at Home by Delano Ames
--Banbury Bog by Phoebe Atwood Taylor (the Asey Mayo series)
--Close Quarters by Michael Gilbert
--The Moving Toyshop by Edmund Crispin
--Death at Crane's Court by Eilis Dillon
--The Mystery of a Butcher's Shop by Gladys Mitchell
--Postscript to Poison by Dorothy Bowers

Message edited by its author, Jun 29, 2009, 5:59pm.

CATEGORY 4--Baseball Books
(read 9 out of 9)
CATEGORY COMPLETED

1. Breaking the Slump: Baseball in the Depression Era by Charles C. Alexander--READ IN JAN '09
2. Anatomy of Baseball--Lee Gutkind and Andrew Blauner (eds)--READ IN FEB '09
3. Baseball and the Baby Boomer: A History, Commentary, and Memoir by Talmage Boston--READ IN FEB '09
4. Billy Williams: My Sweet-Swinging Lifetime With the Cubs by Billy Williams (with Fred Mitchell)--READ IN MARCH '09
5. The Fifth Season:Tales of My Life in Baseball by Donald Honig--READ IN APRIL '09
6. Safe at Home: Confessions of a Baseball Fanatic
by Alyssa Milano--READ IN MAY '09
7. Confessions of a She-Fan by Jane Heller--READ IN MAY '09
8. The Road to Cooperstown: A Father, Two Sons, and the Journey of a Lifetime by Tom Stanton--READ IN JUNE '09
9. The Unwritten Rules of Baseball by Paul Dickson--READ IN JUNE '09

--As They See 'Em: A Fan's Travels in the Land of Umpires by Bruce Weber
--Echoing Green by Joshua Prager
--Center Field Shot:A History of Baseball on Television by James R. Walker
--El Birdos (book about the 1967-1968 Cardinals)
--Tony LaRussa
--Your Brain on Cubs by Dan Gordon
--Bottom of the Ninth by Michael Shapiro (out in May)
--The Yankee Years by Joe Torre
--The Greatest Ballpark Ever by Bob McGee
--The Psychology of Baseball by Mike Stadler
--The 33-Year Old Rookie by Chris Coste
--The Complete Game by Ron Darling
--Crazy '08
--Northsiders

Message edited by its author, Jun 20, 2009, 5:51pm.

CATEGORY 5--Books About Chicago
(read 9 out of 9)
CATEGORY COMPLETED

1. Remembrances of the Angels by John Kuenster--READ in JAN '09
2. A Chicago Tavern: A Goat, a Curse, and the American Dream by Rick Kogan--READ IN JAN '09
3. Chicago Death Trap: The Iroquois Theatre Fire of 1903 by Nat Brandt--READ IN FEB '09
4. The Plan of Chicago: Daniel Burnham and the Remaking of the American City by Carl Smith--READ IN MARCH '09
5. Never a City So Real: A Walk in Chicago by Alex Kotlowitz--READ IN MAY '09
6. The Fifth Floor by Michael Harvey--READ IN MAY '09
7. Chicago: City on the Make by Nelson Algren--READ IN JUNE '09
8. The Right Place, The Right Time: Tales of Chicago Symphony Days by Donald Peck--READ IN JULY '09
9. The Thing of It Is: With Reflections on Chicago and the Problem Society by John Callaway--READ IN JULY '09

--The Pit by Frank Norris
--Chicago Stories by James T. Farrell
--Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America’s Soul by Karen Abbott
--Devil in the White City
--City of the Century by Donald L. Miller
--Forever open, clear, and free : the struggle for Chicago's lakefront by Lois Wille
--American Pharaoh by Adam Cohen and Elizabeth Taylor
--The New Chicago: A Social and Cultural Analysis by Koval et al
--Chicago Sports Reader
--Chicago's grand hotels : the Palmer House Hilton, the Drake, and the Hilton Chicago by Robert V.Allegrini,
--Never Put Ketchup on a Hot Dog (Chicago's Hot Dog Passion) by Bob Schwartz
--Crazy '08 by Cait Murphy
--Alchemy of Bones
--Nature's Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West By William Cronin
--The Sinking of the Eastland: America's Forgotten Tragedy
--Code Black by Philip Donlay

Message edited by its author, Jul 8, 2009, 12:26pm.

CATEGORY 6--American Presidents
(read 9 out of 9)
CATEGORY COMPLETED

1. Herbert Hoover by William E. Leuchtenburg--READ IN FEB '09
2. His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis--READ IN MARCH '09
3. John Adams by David McCullough--READ IN APRIL '09
4. Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure: The True Story of a Great American Road Trip by Matthew Algeo--READ IN MAY '09
5. Thomas Jefferson by R.B. Bernstein--READ IN MAY '09
6. Adams vs. Jefferson: The Tumultuous Election of 1800 by John Ferling--READ IN MAY '09
7. Dinner at Mr. Jefferson's by Charles A. Cerami--READ IN JUNE '09
8. Jefferson's Great Gamble by Charles A. Cerami-READ IN JUNE '09
9. James Madison by Garry Wills--READ IN JULY '09

--American Sphinx by Joseph Ellis
--Presidential Travel: The Journey from George Washington to George W. Bush by Richard J. Ellis
--Presidential Courage by Michael Beschloss
--Citizen in Chief by Leonard Bernardo
--Nothing to fear : FDR's inner circle and the hundred days that created modern America by Adam Cohen
--Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
--No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin
--The Defining Moment: FDR's Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope by Jonathan Alter
--FDR vs. the Constitution by Burt Solomon
--James Buchanan
--The Wilderness Warrior by Douglas Brinkley
--Air Force One: The Aircraft that Shaped the Modern Presidency by Von Hardesty
--Benjamin Harrison by Charles W. Calhoun
--Lincoln: The Biography of a Writer by Fred Kaplan (also in books category)
--One Christmas in Washington by David Bercuson
--Lincoln's Melancholy
--The Best Year of Their Lives: Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon in 1948 by Lance Morrow
--1960, LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon : the epic campaign that forged three presidencies by David Pietrusza
--Air Force One: A History of the Presidents and Their Planes by Kenneth T. Walsh

Message edited by its author, Jul 5, 2009, 12:49am.

CATEGORY 7--Books About Books/Libraries
(read 9 out of 9)
Category Completed

1. Book by Book: Notes on Reading and Life by Michael Dirda--READ IN FEB '09
2. Soldier’s Heart: Reading Literature through Peace and War at West Point by Elizabeth D. Samet--READ IN FEB '09
3. A great idea at the time : the rise, fall, and curious afterlife of the Great Books by Alex Beam--READ IN MARCH '09
4. A Passion for Books by Harold Rabinowitz and Rob Kaplan (editors)--READ IN MARCH '09
5. Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption by Laura J. Miller--READ IN APRIL '09
6. Reading for Your Life: 11 Ways to Transform Your Life with Books by Pat Williams--READ IN MAY '09
7. Reading in Bed: Personal Essays on the Glory of Reading by Steven Gilbar (ed)--READ IN JUNE '09
8. The Library at Night by Alberto Manguel--READ IN JULY '09
9. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron

--The Merry Heart: Reflections on Reading Writing, and the World of Books by Robertson Davies
--Why Read? by Mark Edmundson
--Why We Read What We Read by Lisa Adams and John Heath
--Reading Lolita in Tehran
--The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble
--Sixpence House by Paul Collins
--The Library at Night
--How to Read Literature Like a Professor
--How Lincoln learned to read by Daniel J. Wolff
--A gentle madness : bibliophiles, bibliomanes, and the eternal passion for books by Nicholas Basbanes
--Library: An Unquiet History by Matthew Battles
--In the Stacks: Short Stories about Libraries and Librarians by Michael Cart (ed)
--Lincoln: The Biography of a Writer by Fred Kaplan (also in presidents category)
--Great Books by David Denby
----A Pound of Paper: Confessions of a Book Addict by John Baxter
--Free for All by Don Borchert
--Bookworms: Great Writers and Readers Celebrate Reading by Laura Furman

Message edited by its author, Aug 2, 2009, 12:26am.

CATEGORY 8--Books About Disasters (natural and otherwise)
(read 9 out of 9)
CATEGORY COMPLETED

1. Remembrances of the Angels by John Kuenster--READ in JAN '09
(this book overlaps with the Chicago books category)
2. Chicago Death Trap: The Iroquois Theatre Fire of 1903 by Nat Brandt--READ IN FEB '09
(this book overlaps with the Chicago books category)
3. The Survivors Club by Ben Sherwood--READ IN MARCH '09
4. The Tri-State Tornado: The Story of America's Greatest Tornado Disaster by Peter Felknor--READ IN MARCH '09
5. Fire in the Grove: The Cocoanut Grove Tragedy and Its Aftermath by John C. Esposito--READ IN APRIL '09
6. Frozen in Time: The Enduring Legacy of the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating Team by Nikki Nichols--READ IN MAY '09
7. Code Black by Philip Donlay--READ IN JUNE '09
8. Category Five by Philip Donlay--READ IN JULY '09
9. The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough-READ IN JULY '09

--Rising Tide by John M. Barry
--The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin
--Curse of the Narrows: The Halifax Disaster of 1917
--The Great Chicago Fire by Ross Miller
--Smoldering City: Chicagoans and the Great Fire, 1871-1874
--Scanning the Skies: A History of Tornado Forecasting by Marlene Bradford
--The Sinking of the Eastland: America's Forgotten Tragedy
--The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast by Douglas Brinkley
--Titanic's Last Secrets
--Acts of God: The Unnatural History of Natural Disaster in America

--Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago (Illinois)

--Tinder Box: The Iroquois Theatre Disaster 1903

--City on Fire: The Forgotten Disaster That Devastated a Town and Ignited a…
by Bill Minutaglio

--Lessons from Longford: The Esso Gas Plant Explosion

Message edited by its author, Jul 21, 2009, 9:42pm.

CATEGORY 9--General Nonfiction (but not baseball, Chicago, books about books, or disaster books)
(read 9 out of 9)
CATEGORY COMPLETED

1. The Numerati by Stephen Baker--READ IN JAN '09
2. Moving to Higher Ground: How Jazz Can Change Your Life by Wynton Marsalis--READ IN JAN '09
3. Pizza: A Global History by Carol Helstosky--READ IN FEB '09
4. Hamburger: A Global History by Andrew F. Smith--READ IN FEB '09
5. Between the Lines by Ray Scapinello (with Rob Simpson)--READ IN MARCH '09
6. Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time by David Prerau--READ IN MARCH '09
7. Match Day: One Day and One Dramatic Year in the Lives of Three New Doctors by Brian Eule--READ IN MARCH '09
8. When March Went Mad: The Game That Transformed Basketball by Seth Davis--READ IN MARCH '09
9. Society's Child: My Autobiography by Janis Ian--READ IN APRIL '09

--In a Time of War: The Proud and Perilous Journey of West Point's Class of 2002 by Bill Murphy
--The Light Within: The Extraordinary Friendship of a Doctor and Patient Brought Together by Cancer by Lois M. Ramondetta
--The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Ehrlich
--Ice: Great Moments in the History of Hard, Cold Water by Karal Ann Marling
--How Judges Think by Richard A. Posner
--The Ten Cent Plague by David Haidu
--The lost art of walking : the history, science, philosophy, and literature of pedestrianism by Geoff Nicholson
--White coat : becoming a doctor at Harvard Medical School by Ellen Lerner Rothman
--The Liberal Hour: Washington and the Politics of Change in the 1960s by G. Calvin Mackenzie and Robert S. Weisbrot
--Open Ice: Reflections and Confessions of a Hockey Lifer by Jack Falla
--Outliers by Malcoln Gladwell
--Hotel: An American History by Andrew K. Sandoval-Strausz
-- Forgotten Patriots: The Untold Story of American Prisoners During the Revolutionary War by Edwin Burrows
--The Courage of Their Convictions by Peter Irons
--Nine Lives
--Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War by Tony Horwitz

Message edited by its author, May 27, 2009, 11:52am.

Mother's Day Murder
by Leslie Meier

This is the 2009 installment in the long-running Lucy Stone cozy mystery series set in Tinker's Cove, Maine. Lucy is a wife, a mom, and a reporter for the local newspaper.

This series is as cozy as they come but there were some slightly less cozy elements here that I think will linger with me for a long time (can't spoil them here). Mother's Day, prom, and other springtime rituals figure prominently in this book.

Mother's Day Murder did not disappoint. As usual, it was an enjoyable read that I read pretty much in one sitting over the course of an evening. I love this series.

(edited to fix name of town)

Message edited by its author, Apr 1, 2009, 1:48pm.

Welcome to the 2thread club!
Does Tutu know about this series set in Maine? I'm going to check it out.

Congrats Linda!

Thanks, VictoriaPL. It was my favorite (and easiest) category but even so. Review to follow, once I put my thoughts in order.

The Kiss Murder
by Mehmet Murat Somer

When I saw a review calling the sleuth in The Kiss Murder "Istanbul's Miss Marple," I was intrigued. I like Turkish mysteries. I love Miss Marple. What could be better?

Well, I guess the nameless sleuth is, in some ways, like Miss Marple, having good insights into human nature and being a good listener. But...picture Miss Marple as a transvestite nightclub owner in Istanbul and you'll get a feel for The Kiss Murder.

Looking at my tags, I've read over 1,600 mysteries but I can honestly say I've never read a mystery like The Kiss Murder. The crime (murder/blackmail) elements were cozy, though parts of the rest of the book were not quite so cozy. Parts of The Kiss Murder were fun and parts were entertaining. Some parts, not so much.

I heard that there are 6 books in this series so far, though only 2 have been translated into English.

Even though I thought it was only okay to good, I think it has great potential (especially now that I've finally kept the secondary characters straight, I think) and I've already bought the next one in the Turkish Delights series, The Prophet Murders.

The Kiss Murders is probably not for everyone but it is entertaining in an odd sort of way.

Message edited by its author, Apr 2, 2009, 1:46pm.

Isn't it great to finish a category and be halfway through?
It really gets you going because you know that you can achieve the goal!
Congratulations!

Thanks, Cheli. I don't think I ever doubted that I could finish the 999 challenge.

However, I did think that doing it by 9/9/09 was completely out of the question. Now, I think it's within the realm of possibility, as long as I can keep making progress in the American Presidents and the Disasters categories, which are my two toughest.

I can read 9 mysteries or baseball books in a row. Even reading 9 general nonfiction or even 9 book/reading books in a row is do-able. Reading 9 presidents books or 9 disaster books in a row would not be possible for me so chipping away at those two categories is especially important.

My lucky number is 9 so 9/9/09 should be a day to aim for!!

My hardest are the classics so I have 4 down and I pledged to do 1 a month so I shouold be finished those by August. I thought that the Biographies/History would be my other tough one but I am zooming along there because of the Presidents. Surprise for me, I have finished at least four in every category except one - the category for my favorite authors, so I think toward the end I will be left with only those books that I normally would have read without LT. I'll be in great shape!

I wanted to watch the Spring training game last night between the Orioles and Marlins but found that since we switched to FIOS I don't get the channel. I told my husband that if he gets the golf Channel I get the Baseball and it better be in place by opening day!

Well, if it's any indication, I'm already thinking about which of my categories I would drop for a 10-10-10 challenge and what I would add.

Current thinking would be to drop two categories and add three--food, novels I've always meant to read, and Anne Perry.

I like all of my categories but there are two where I think I will have read most of the books I want to in those categories.

Who knows how I'll feel in 9 months though?

I'm glad a mentioned that problem, I just called and arranged to get my channel and got a service package update that gives me more HD channels and saves me $15 a month! Does that mean that I can take that $15 and buy books?

Message edited by its author, Apr 2, 2009, 4:37pm.

You have to be ready for the baseball season!!

I have to call Comcast and order the MLB Extra Innings package. It's free for the first week of the season but I want to be sure to get the Early Bird price. (I could buy three Kindle books with the $30 I'll save.)

It might snow here on Monday for the White Sox home opener. Hopefully, it will be warmer by the time I go to Wrigley for the first time this season on April 17th. Cubs-Cardinals. Can't beat that.

ABOVE AND BEYOND "BONUS" CATEGORY--

Here's where I'll place my "for now" 999 X 2 categories.

As of now, these include:

1. More cozy mysteries
2. More baseball books
3. More general nonfiction
4. the Mississippi River (includes books about river communities)
5. authors/series new to me
6. next in the series
7. sports, but not baseball
8. biographies/autobiographies
9. books from the Rue Morgue Press

Message edited by its author, May 4, 2009, 1:09pm.

I forgot to mention that 9 is one of my lucky numbers too....I met my husband on 9/9/72 (7+2=9) and it was the luckiest day of my life!

For the 101010 challenge I think I'm going to do 10 categories with 10 in each category and a bonus category of 20 for the Century. I'm going to be concentrating on history for the President's Challenge and background. I couldn't decide on one book for Lincoln, so I think I'm going to have a whole category about him. I'll have to work my way up to Lincoln by finishing the other Presidents that served earlier, before I can even start that category. It's going to be tricky to schedule everything right.
The categories I think I'm going with are:
Mysteries
Lincoln
Civil War
Biographies/History
Surprise - Books I find and want to read
Books in a Series
Books I haven't read yet
Background for the Presidents
Books I found out about on the Internet/at the library/in a bookstore
Audiobooks

BONUS 20 CATEGORY Pride & Prejudice Sequels

I have chosen a bunch of the books already, but I think that next year I'm only going to put the ones in the open categories in my thread when they're finished. That way I won't have to keep going back when I change one out.

Listen to us! We haven't finished 999 yet! Back to reading!

I like that idea 10 x 10 plus a bonus. I'd probably want to make my bonus category cozies, though.

Lincoln as a whole category--wow!! Did I mention that the Chicago History Museum is displaying a copy of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address until early May? It is on loan from the Lincoln presidential library in Springfield, IL and will not be loaned out again.

I really need to get there as downtown Chicago is much easier to get to than Springfield.

Linda, good idea to have three categories of mysteries. I've had to create a miscellaneous category to soak up the overflow.

Love the idea of a transvestite Miss Marple.

Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption
by Laura J. Miller

I've been reading so many good books lately that I was bound to encounter a dud sooner or later. Well, this one was it, as far as I was concerned. The author, a sociology professor, managed to make a book about bookstores relatively dull. It had its moments--enough to convince me to continue with it--but there were not enough of them.

The first chapter was brutal. I barely made it through. It then picked up again until the final chapter. Overall, this was a big disappointment to me. I understand that the debate over chain bookstores vs independents is an important topic but surely there can be other bookstore-related topics to discuss in 300+ pages.

If you're interested in an academically-oriented book, this could be for you but it was not the book for me. I thought I'd scream if I heard "I intend to show" or "as I've shown" one more time.

A Shilling for Candles
by Josephine Tey

A Shilling for Candles is a classic Tey mystery from 1936. I absolutely loved it and did not want it to end. In many ways, they don't write books like this anymore.

I thought I'd read all the Tey novels years ago but, after joining LT, I was pleased to find that there are a few I've missed.

Unfortunately, I've just got one more in the Grant series left to read, The Singing Sands, though I've still yet to read the two non-series Tey's, Miss Pym Disposes and Brat Farrar.

Forty-three 999 books before Opening Day but this pace will likely really start to slow down now.

I am reading an excellent new baseball book--Donald Honig's The Fifth Season.

THE JUDAS WINDOW
by Carter Dickson

I've heard The Judas Window, which was written in 1938, called the best locked room mystery of all time and I am inclined to agree. I haven't read them all but it is the best one I've ever read (and I absolutely adore impossible, locked room mysteries).

Not surprisingly, Carter Dickson is a pseudonym for the acknowledged master of the locked room mystery genre, John Dickson Carr. Instead of Gideon Fell, this series features barrister Sir Henry Merrivale.

The Judas Window is probably my favorite mystery so far this year. Excellent!!

A Second Category Completed!!!

Society's Child: My Autobiography
by Janis Ian

I've known of singer/songwriter Janis Ian as the person who released one of my all-time favorite albums, Between the Lines, back in the 1970s but I knew very little about her personally.

Society's Child is an interesting autobiography of someone who has had more ups and downs in music and in life than just about anyone I can think of.

I especially liked when she talked about other performers she's met and known. Also of interest was how she described her inspiration for writing some of her songs, such as At Seventeen.

I loved this book and read the last three-fourths in one sitting. Absolutely fascinating.

Message edited by its author, Apr 10, 2009, 9:32am.

That was a fantastic album! I'll have to go check out her book--thanks!

Fire in the Grove: The Cocoanut Grove Tragedy and Its Aftermath
by John C. Esposito

Fire in the Grove is an interesting look at the November 1942 fire at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston, which took the lives of nearly 500 people, nearly half of the people who were in the overcrowded nightclub. Esposito does a good job of putting the fire into the context of the times--there were a number of servicemen who were killed in those early days of World War 2. He also spends quite a bit of time looking at the post-fire criminal charges against the owner and others.

I wish Esposito had done more with the fire itself though I imagine that he was limited mostly to newspaper accounts of the survivors.

I did find his postscript about the 2003 Station nightclub fire very interesting and wish someone would do a book about that fire. Despite changes in the law, these kinds of fires still occur. Crowds still panic. Esposito describes a number of things people can watch out for when attending a large public event, such as a nightclub show.

Very interesting and a quck read. I've now read books about the two worst fires in the U.S.--the Iroquois Theater Fire in Chicago and the Cocoanut Grove fire in Boston.

I don't think I've read The Judas Window, but I will have to look for it.

Whew--I hadn't finished a book in over a week, which is an eternity for me. I've been reading three books, though inching along in them. Finally finished one!!

The Fifth Season: Tales of My Life in Baseball
by Donald Honig

After mysteries, books about baseball are my favorite type of book. Usually, I devour them. However, The Fifth Season was a book I savored. Unusual for me, it took me nearly a month to read it.

Honig is a baseball historian and this is a memoir of his years in baseball, from his early days as a fan through his (very brief) minor league career to, most interestingly, his years as an oral historian of our National Pastime.

This book is filled with fond remembrances of and interactions with old time baseball players such as Ted Williams and many lesser stars. The Fifth Season is a real gem. I enjoyed it.

Message edited by its author, Apr 19, 2009, 9:28pm.

I have exactly zero books checked out of the library right now. This has to be a record for me. I've arranged it so that nothing would come in for me during the next two weeks.

Still plowing ahead through John Adams. I might pick up and start something lighter, as well. I've got Death at La Fenice but left it at work, I think.

I can't imagine not having library books. I remember once I only had about 6 things out (a fraction of my normal 25-40 items) and began feeling panicky. I was worried that I'd run out. Which was dumb because I only live a mile from the library and can go there anytime I want to, even though I normally only go once a week. Besides, I can't read 6 books in a week anyway.

I'm impressed by how calm you seem!

Part of my reason for joining the 999 Challenge was to whittle away at my massive TBR piles. I hate having books on my shelves that someone could pick up, ask me about and I would be forced to reply that I haven't read it. So, while I am forced to go to the library every week (I have two children), I go with the intention of not checking any books out. I even bring a book of my own to read. That said, I always check out a book or two. Addicted, much?

Not me, I can quit if I want to. I just don't want to. ;-)

Still laughing! Nothing's more reassuring than listening to a fellow addict. :-)

Well, about two months ago, I had 50 books on reserve and 20 books actually checked out.

Today, nothing checked out and 10 books on reserve.

I keep aiming to reduce my physical book pile by reading more of them. It's not working--I bought two new books on my Kindle today. The long-awaited (by me anyway) Epidemic of Narcissism. The other is the new Jeffrey Zaslow book about women's friendships called The Girls from Ames and no doubt I will start one of these two before I get to another "real" book.

Message edited by its author, Apr 21, 2009, 11:58am.

Aaah, you ain't got nothing on me! When my children were little, and when I was in the classroom, I would borrow up to 200 books at a time.

I haven't heard of either of those 2 books. I'll have to go check them out. Happy reading!

We get a big bag full of books, mostly mine, and I have to go back about 2 times a week. And I have TWO local libraries to choose from.

So what winds up happening with some regularity is that I check the books in to the wrong library. No matter how carefully I check, it still seems to happen pretty often.

I used to visit 3 or 4 other local libraries, either on the way to work or near the office. I stopped doing that and just reserve through ILL.

I do always have to remember to take the books back to my own library. That's easier than figuring out which ones belong where.

Just went on a Kindle book buying spree. I bought 3 classics: Tales from a Jazz Age by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Maggie--A Girl of the Streets by Stephen Crane, and The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table by Oliver Wendell Holmes.

Each cost $0.00. I am going to keep shopping. At these prices, I can shop all day!!!

I am STILL reading David McCullough's biography, John Adams. True, it is very long but I am absolutely loving it. I'm just about halfway through it and am learning so much about our second president. I had no idea about all of his diplomatic work in Europe.

As usual, I love McCullough's storytelling style and some of the incidents are quite memorable.

At lunch, in the cafeteria, I read the story about how, after they hadn't seen each other in years, Abigail arrived in London (awaiting John's arrival from The Hague). She heard that Copley had painted a picture of her husband so she tracked it down to see it. (McCullough tells the story far better than I do.)

This is great stuff.

It's my favorite biography of an American President, though I have to admit I haven't read very many. Plus, through Adams's eyes we get a very interesting portrait of Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin while they were all in France.

Before I joined LT, I'd read several full-length presidential bios--for Washington, Truman, and Eisenhower--and plenty of other books about various parts of presidential lives.

Now, with the American Presidents challenge here, I am trying to read books on the presidents in order and am looking forward to hearing about what each thought about his predecessors and successors.

So far at least, in the Adams bio, there hasn't been much of that in terms of Adams's views on Washington and early days for his views on Jefferson. I imagine this will become more important in the book as I near the Adams presidency.

After reading this one and Founding Mothers, my attitude towards Ben Franklin has changed. He was a clever guy, and very inventive, but his personal life was a mess and he was not the great contributor towards American liberty that I had thought he was.

Linda,
I agree with you. It is very interesting to hear how each of the presidents thought of their predecessors and successors. I'm looking forward to the flow as I get farther along in the challenge. But definitely I think Adams has been underestimated until this book came out.

Wasn't there a series about John Adams on PBS? I need to borrow that from the library.

#51 Yes, based on the David McCullough book. We got it from the library and watched it - it was very good.

Message edited by its author, Apr 22, 2009, 10:13pm.

The end is finally in sight on my reading of David McCullough's John Adams. I am really enjoying it--it's one of the best books I've read in awhile--but I am definitely looking forward to reading something else for a change.

I haven't finished a book since April 11th so I haven't made much progress towards 999 this month but that'll turn around once I start reading shorter books again!!

I feel the same way except mine is Don Quixote. I can only read a few chapters a day because I get caught up and then I don't get anything done. Maybe I'll get a few more done tonight since the O's won this afternoon. Baseball cuts down my reading time.

Message edited by its author, Apr 26, 2009, 5:37pm.

Well, even though baseball and playoff hockey continue, the "celebrations" now are generally over. I plan to get a lot of reading done during our upcoming trip and thereafter.

It's been a hectic few weeks (though fun).

John Adams
by David McCullough

At long last, after more than two weeks, I've finished McCullough'a biography of John Adams.

Five stars, in my book. This is quite a masterpiece, easily one of my favorite books of the year and probably the best presidential biography I've ever read.

Before this book, I didn't know all that much about Adams but learned so much through this book and, in particular, through Adams' letters, as well as those of his wife, Abigail.

This book is a gem. Highly recommended!!!

Message edited by its author, Apr 27, 2009, 9:53pm.

Nicely done! I have to agree that it was a great book, one of my favorite's this year. In fact, I predict that my family will soon be tired of hearing all about John Adams.

Thanks, cmbohn. I think Adams is underappreciated.

Next up, probably a mystery though, as we are driving from Southern IL to Mississippi today, I might read something about the South or the great Mississippi River flood.

I do want to start on a Jefferson bio fairly soon though.

While vacationing here in Mississippi, I started reading Agatha Christie's A Murder is Announced. Makes for a change from John Adams.

Maybe I should start something by a Mississippi author. Faulkner, Grisham, who else?

Twain! Don't forget Mark Twain! There's a mystery novel he wrote called Puddn'head Wilson -- the first forensics based mystery, I believe.

I've just begun The Given Day which begins with a short story called Babe Ruth in Ohio. If you're ever killing time in a bookstore or library, I would recommend reading this. Just wonderfully written.

APRIL RECAP

April was one of my most hectic months ever but May should be much, much quieter. Phew. I do have one long weekend trip but it involves a long Amtrak train ride so I should get a lot of reading done, even then.

In April, I read "only" 9 books towards my 999 challenge, putting me at 48/81. Nine books was actually much more than I thought I'd read in April so I was pleased. Much of that time was spent reading the ultra-long, but excellent book, John Adams, by David McCullough, which was my favorite book of the month.

I read at least one book in 7 different categories.

Below is where I stand in each category, along with the books I read for each, in April.

COZY MYSTERIES--READ 9 OUT OF 9
CATEGORY WAS COMPLETED IN APRIL

--Mother's Day Murder by Leslie Meier
--The Kiss Murder by Mehmet Murat Somer

PROFESSIONAL SLEUTH MYSTERIES--READ 3 OUT OF 9
--no books read in April

VINTAGE MYSTERIES--READ 5 OUT OF 9
--A Shilling for Candles by Josephine Tey
--The Judas Window by Carter Dickson

BASEBALL BOOKS--READ 5 OUT OF 9
-- The Fifth Season:Tales of My Life in Baseball by Donald Honig

BOOKS ABOUT CHICAGO--READ 4 OUT OF 9
--no books read in April

AMERICAN PRESIDENTS--READ 3 OUT OF 9
--John Adams by David McCullough

BOOKS ABOUT BOOKS--READ 5 OUT OF 9
--Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption by Laura J. Miller

BOOKS ABOUT DISASTERS--READ 5 OUT OF 9
--Fire in the Grove: The Cocoanut Grove Tragedy and Its Aftermath by John C. Esposito

GENERAL NONFICTION--READ 9 OUT OF 9
CATEGORY WAS COMPLETED IN APRIL
--Society's Child: My Autobiography by Janis Ian

Upcoming books will fill in my presidents category, as well as my professional sleuths category.

I just started the new Women's Murder Club mystery from James Patterson--The 8th Confession. Also still reading Agatha Christie's A Murder Is Announced on my Kindle.

When I finish either one, up next will be an "overview bio" of Thomas Jefferson. I'm thinking about 4 or, possibly, 5 books on Jefferson before I move on to James Madison.

IF (a big if) I were to do the 999 x 2 challenge, my categories could include:

--More cozy mysteries
--More baseball books
--More general nonfiction
--the Mississippi River (includes books about river communities)
--authors/series new to me
--next in the series
--sports, but not baseball
--biographies/autobiographies
--books from the Rue Morgue Press

edited to broaden the categories

Message edited by its author, May 4, 2009, 1:07pm.

What is this greatest mysteries list?

More info on Keating's 100 greatest mysteries at:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/61632

I've got the book, though I think I left it at the office. It's one expert's list of the 100 greatest mysteries ever. The list was developed in the 1980s so these tend to be older.

Boy, am I embarrassed, I'm only read 4; but I do have 2 more picked out for my 999.

I've read 1,628 mysteries but only 12 are on the list. I've got a long way to go on these.

Linda, here's another good list if you like older mysteries, the Haycraft-Queen Definitive Library of Mystery Fiction.

Message edited by its author, May 3, 2009, 2:05am.

I will have to take a look at that list, pamelad. Thanks!! I have a book of Howard Haycraft essays on mysteries, which I am hoping to read soon. However, I was unaware of his mystery list.

Message edited by its author, May 3, 2009, 7:30pm.

The 8th Confession
by James Patterson

This is the brand new installment in the Women's Murder Club series set in San Francisco. If you haven't read these, four women--cop, a news reporter, a states attorney, and a medical examiner--join forces to solve cases.

I liked this one fine, though probably not as much as the earlier books in this series. Something, some spark, was missing from this one. Also, the group rarely met to solve the cases. This one was more of an individual effort.

It's a fast-paced, page-turner-type of read and a series I want to continue following.

I am getting my second 999 challenge categories in order. As I read "beyond the 999 challenge," I believe that most will fit into these other categories. (Categories subject to change.)

My goal is to finish my original 999 challenge but I'd love to be able to finish both.

Note that only three of the categories are the same in both (the first 3 listed).

MORE COZY MYSTERIES

MORE BASEBALL BOOKS

MORE GENERAL NONFICTION

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER (includes books about river communities, such as the New Madrid Earthquake)

AUTHORS/SERIES NEW TO ME

NEXT IN THE SERIES

SPORTS BUT NOT BASEBALL

BIOGRAPHIES/AUTOBIOGRAPHIES

BOOKS PUBLISHED BY THE RUE MORGUE PRESS

Have you started your "beyond" thread yet? I'm worried that I've missed it.

For your Mississippi River category, in the Missouri Readers group we've read several novels that take place on or near the Mississippi River that might work for you, if you don't already have 9 picked out:

Finn by Jon Clinch - the story of Huckleberry's father
Enemy Women by Paulette Jiles - the story of a confederate women held prisoner in St Louis where she falls in love with her union attorney
River Wife by Jonis Agee - a multi-generational story of a family in the New Madrid area (note, as a group we didn't care for this one much, but others here loved it)

I've started the outline of a new thread but haven't filled in the details.

The new thread is at:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/64075

I am definitely up for ideas.

Message edited by its author, May 4, 2009, 6:31pm.

With the second list, as with the first, I am allowing myself 9 duplications or a total of 18 dupes for the two 999 challenges.

Of course, the duplications can't be in the same category. I can't read a cozy and count it for each challenge. However, I can read a book about baseball on the Mississippi River and count it towards both baseball and the Mississippi.

I am in such awe of you guys who are doing 2 whole challenges. 160+ books. Wow. I don't read that many in a year, including all the fluff I'm not counting for the challenge, and other books that just don't fit. Even with overlaps allowed, I'm still feeling a bit outclassed! Good luck!

Thanks, sjmccreary. To me, somehow, 144 is do-able while 162 seems out of reach.

And don't worry about feeling outclassed! I am a fast reader who reads to escape the many stresses I have going on in my life. It's not about the numbers, for me. It's about challenging myself and trying new things.

Coming along with us, Sandy. I'm not sure that I'm going to finish the second challenge, but I'm sure going to have fun trying!

Message edited by its author, May 4, 2009, 11:14pm.

That's what I think, too, Cheli. When I want to take a break from challenge 1, I'll read something in challenge 2.

Besides the fun of reading the books, finding and then tracking down interesting books is also alot of fun.

#78 Well, I'm really enjoying the challenge, so it is conceivable that I could be convinced to do a second challenge. I'll wait and see how long it takes to finish the first. I've already devised an "overtime" challenge that I estimate will take 3-4 months. Right now I am at 41 books, exactly half. If it takes another 4 months to do the second half, it will be Labor Day. If I go into overtime, that should fill out the year nicely. I wouldn't want to begin a new challenge if I didn't think I had a good chance to finish. Plus, I'm loving my categories and would want to keep them, which supports an extension to the present challenge instead of a whole new one. I don't know. Too soon to decide. Doing 2 at the same time would overload my brain!

In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy watching the rest of you scrambling! And cheering you on.

A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED
by Agatha Christie

It's been quite some time since I've read a Miss Marple book from Agatha Christie and I'd forgotten how much I enjoy them.

A Murder Is Announced is an excellent, well-plotted book. Though its pace is a bit slower than I've gotten used to, even in cozy mysteries, the plot and the book's charm more than make up for that.

I've read dozens of Agatha Christie books and definitely have to track down more of them.

#80 sjmccreary, I am really enjoying the challenge but, for some of my categories, such as Chicago, practically every book I want to read on the topic is listed in my first challenge. I'd be hard-pressed to add another 9 books to the list.

I have to say that I am reading more than ever, probably due in large part to LT and also to my Kindle.

Last night (May 4), I finished my 49th book for the year, A Murder Is Announced. Last year, I did not reach my 49th book til about the 4th of July. It actually should be quite a bit more than 49 for 2009 but April was one of my most hectic months every.

Milestone 50th book read so far this year (though #51 for the 999 Challenge)

Never a City So Real: A Walk in Chicago
by Alex Kotlowitz

This collection of about 10 essays about "real Chicagoans" is part of the Crown Journey series. It's intended, I think, to give the reader a real flavor of a particular city.

I'm a lifelong Chicagoland resident and thought that some of the essays were pretty good. Others, not so much. It's a quick read and provides some insight into the character of the city.

Message edited by its author, May 6, 2009, 10:24pm.

Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure: The True Story of a Great American Road Trip
by Matthew Algeo

This is a fast-paced, fascinating look at Harry and Bess Truman's June/July 1953 road trip from Independence, MO to Washington DC and New York and back. He was the first and last ex-president to make a long car road trip without all that Secret Service etc.

Besides offering a lot of interesting detail about the trip itself, Algeo follows Truman's footsteps and visits the spots Truman visited on the trip--gas stations, restaurants, motels/hotels (if they still exist) and talks to people who met Truman on the trip.

Also, Algeo offers a lot of glimpses of mid-20th century America and what it was like to travel then. Most motels were locally-owned, no chains (Holiday Inn came along a year or two later).

I highly recommend this book. It's short and fun.

Message edited by its author, May 9, 2009, 11:00am.

Frozen in Time: The Enduring Legacy of the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating Team

by Nikki Nichols

(Early Reviewers book)

This is an interesting book about the 1961 U.S. figure skating team which, along with coaches, parents, and others, all perished in a Sabena airplane crash in Belgium en route to the World Championships in Prague.

The focus is on two of the families--the Owens family and the Westerfield family--but the book also touches on other team members. I'm a figure skating fan but I thought there was too much emphasis on the skating aspects and not enough on the plane crash itself and its aftermath for redevoping the skating team. Even so, the comparisons between 1961 figure skating and the present were of special interest.

Overall, I enjoyed it and I'd recommend this book to skating fans and sports fans who want to learn more about a less well-known historical disaster.
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How can I read when my team just won its playoff round? HAWKS WIN!! HAWKS WIN!!

I don't think they'll play again (either the Detroit Red Wings or the Anaheim Ducks) until early next week so I can sneak a lot of reading in before then.

Safe at Home: Confessions of a Baseball Fanatic
by Alyssa Milano

Actress Alyssa Milano is in love--with baseball. In fact, I'd call her an absolute fanatic. She knows all the stats, all the history, and goes to even more games than I do, which is a lot. (She's a Dodgers fan, though.)

With a breezy style, she talks about her lifelong love affair with baseball and what the game means to her. It's a fun book about a subject I love.

Even so, I'm not sure what but there was something off-putting about this book. Maybe my sense that, more than anything else, she was showing off? Maybe my sense that there was not much organization and she was, instead, wandering through her topic?

I wanted to absolutely love it but instead, I only liked it.

btw, I laughed at the one typo I spotted where she refers to the Word Series. I pictured writers squaring off against each other, each fall.

MILESTONE!!

I am now two-thirds of my way through the 999 challenge.

Yeah! You're in the home stretch! :-)

You're ahead of me, this working crap is seriously eating into my reading time, I'm going to have to quit soon! Keep it going you still have 999X2!

I've had plenty of practice at juggling reading around work. However, lately, staying up two hours late every night to read more is seriously cutting into my sleep time.

I plan to get a lot of reading done on Amtrak etc the next couple of days. Besides my Elton John/Billy Joel concert and the ballgames in St Louis, I plan to read, read, read. This ought to be a nice, relaxing trip.

Have a great time!

Thomas Jefferson
by R.B. Bernstein

While in St Louis, I read Bernstein's overview-type biography of our third president and, for what it is, it's not too bad. Bernstein does a decent job of relating information about Jefferson.

Unfortunately, for me, I read David McCullough's masterpiece, John Adams, a few weeks ago and this book pales in comparison to that one.

The Fifth Floor
by Michael Harvey

I read a lot of mysteries but not a lot of them involve private eyes. I mention this up front because I don't have a lot of basis for comparison but, even so, I absolutely loved Michael Harvey's The Fifth Floor.

It's a tough guy kind of mystery but filled with sights and sounds of Chicago, my home area my entire life, so, not surprisingly, I loved it.

As a history buff and a fan of disaster books, it does not hurt that the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 figures prominently into this storyline, as does what was formerly called the Chicago Historical Society (now the Chicago History Museum), one of my favorite places to visit in the city.

I deduct a half star because things occasionally seemed to fly out of nowhere but, overall, for me, one of my favorite books of the year. Michael Harvey, please write many more, and soon.

For 999 purposes, I am counting it both as a professional sleuth mystery as well as a Chicago book. You can learn a lot about the city in this book.

I'm reading Adams vs. Jefferson by John Ferling and I certainly have mixed feelings about it. While he's got some interesting information, his flowery writing style is worse than annoying. (It almost sounds like someone got a thesaurus for his birthday.)

It might end up being a struggle to finish it.

"On a winsome September evening..."

"To spurn his countrymen's entreaties..."

"It also revealed his desperate ardor to escape to a larger stage."

At times, I feel like I want to throw this book against the wall, though I have the Kindle version and certainly do not want to break it.

I am happy that my Kindle comes with a dictionary. It'd be a hassle getting up every few minutes to look for one. I (obviously) read a lot and think I have a pretty good vocabulary but I guess I am mistaken.

Just learned what an "amanuensis" is. As in "Hamilton served Washington as an amanuensis."

I read on...

Message edited by its author, May 20, 2009, 6:39pm.

Confessions of a She-Fan by Jane Heller

In 2007, author and diehard Yankees fan Jane Heller was so fed up with her team that she wrote an article for the New York Times indicating her intent to "divorce" the Yankees. A firestorm of debate arose and many called her a bandwagon fan. To see whether she was a true blue fan or just a bandwagon fan, Heller and her husband travelled with the Yankees to every game, home and away, during the second half of the season.

This book was somewhat interesting, at times. I thought Heller spent too much time talking about how she tried to get tickets etc and not enough about the team and the games. Her ongoing feud with the Yankees' P.R. director and her ongoing attempt to meet and interview a Yankee add a bit of interest.

Overall, this book was just ok for me, paling in comparison to the other new "woman's perspective on baseball" book by Alyssa Milano.

Message edited by its author, May 23, 2009, 5:09pm.

Hi Linda

Between RL and baseball April and May have been so busy I've neglected LT so I spent this evening catching up with your 999 threads. On your first thread--thanks for the link to Rue Morgue Press--I've tagged it and will enjoy finding classic mysteries there. You were wise to make several of your categories for 999 mystery categories. Usually about a third of my reading is mysteries and since I have only one category for mysteries I'm beginning to feel a little "deprived" this year. :-) I've enjoyed reading your reviews and have added several to my TBR pile. The Fifth Floor is one I've already put in a request for from my library.

I agree with you about John Adams. It was one of my top reads for 2008 and one of the best biographies I've ever read. Definitely worth the effort! I have two other of his presidential biographies I intend to read for the Presidential challenge--Mornings on Horseback (Teddy Roosevelt) and Truman.

I'm also interested in books about Chicago--my older son and his family live there and are big Cubs fans and we really love to visit. It is a wonderful city!

Hopefully things will slow down a little so I can keep up better with my reading and posting this summer.

Hi MM, good to hear from you again. My April was incredibly busy but May has been a return to normal for me so I'm back to reading more.

I'm enjoying many of the non-mysteries I've read this year, but if I don't read a mystery for 3 or 4 books, I think I start to get a bit cranky.

It seems to me, though, that many of my old favorite mystery authors either (1) lost their book deals or (2) are ill or passed away. For mysteries, at least, I don't seem to be finding new authors as quickly as I am in other areas.

Happily, I still have at least two dozen authors to follow regularly.

I've started a couple of new series that have been recommended on LT and am looking for the first book in another series that Joyce recommended. All of these books would fit in your professional detective category--you may already know about them.

Louise Penny -- Chief Inspector Armand Gamache: #1. Still Life

Magdalen Nabb -- Marshal Guarnaccia: #1. Death of an Englishman (This one started a little slow, but I think this will be the best series of all--Joyce also recommended this one. She says its better than the Donna Leon series--which I haven't started yet. I bought the first one--Death at la Fenice--to read in June.)

The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri is the first book in this series recommended by Joyce. I'm hoping to get this one next.

I'm also planning to read some "oldies" in June--Raymond Chandler for one. And I have a couple of Josephine Tey's on the shelf to read. I wonder if I could put Raymond Chandler in my "clasic" category instead of "mystery?"

Adams vs. Jefferson: The Tumultuous Election of 1800
by John Ferling

I really wanted to like Ferling's book on the election of 1800. Recently, I've finished David McCullough's book on John Adams and also read an overview bio of Thomas Jefferson. I've got a whole bunch of Jefferson books on the horizon and I thought this is one of the more interesting portions of his life.

At times, Ferling's book is interesting but, overall, I'd say that there was a lot of overlap with what I'd read in these other two books. Not much that was new to me.

I was also really put off by Ferling's flowery writing style. In most cases, the style does not matter either way to me but this is one instance where the writing style was atrocious, as far as I'm concerned. I don't care for authors who use a 4 or 5 syllable word when a 2 syllable word will do. All I can say is that I was glad I read this on my Kindle so it was easy to look up all the archaic words Ferling uses.

It was odd because that flowery style was present only in some of the chapters. Maybe these weren't edited as closely as the others?

There's another book out there about the election of 1800 and I'm thinking that I chose the wrong one.

Cat Among the Pigeons
by Agatha Christie

There was a time in my life when I thought the Agatha Christie books were the be-all and end-all of mysteries. I don't think so anymore. Usually, they're very good on plot and weaker on characterizations.

While I think this remains true for Cat Among the Pigeons, the characters in this Hercule Poirot book were slightly more well-developed than usual.

I enjoyed this mystery. It was a quick read and the action moved along nicely between a Middle Eastern country and a British girls boarding school. Overall, a pretty good mystery.

I've put this one in my "vintage mystery" category (but just barely) since it's from 1959.

Message edited by its author, May 27, 2009, 11:39pm.

MAY RECAP

After an extremely hectic April, I was back on track in May, reading 13 books towards my 999 goal. I now stand at 61 out of 81 and have planned a second 999 challenge for the year.

During May, I read books in all 7 of my remaining categories.

Below is where I stand in each category, along with the books I read for each, in May. My favorite book in May was Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure: The True Story of a Great American Road Trip by Matthew Algeo

COZY MYSTERIES--READ 9 OUT OF 9
CATEGORY WAS COMPLETED IN APRIL

PROFESSIONAL SLEUTH MYSTERIES--READ 5 OUT OF 9
--The 8th Confession by James Patterson
--The Fifth Floor by Michael Harvey

VINTAGE MYSTERIES--READ 7 OUT OF 9
--A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie
--Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie

BASEBALL BOOKS--READ 7 OUT OF 9
--Safe at Home: Confessions of a Baseball Fanatic
by Alyssa Milano
--Confessions of a She-Fan by Jane Heller

BOOKS ABOUT CHICAGO--READ 6 OUT OF 9
--Never a City So Real: A Walk in Chicago by Alex Kotlowitz
--The Fifth Floor by Michael Harvey

AMERICAN PRESIDENTS--READ 6 OUT OF 9
--Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure: The True Story of a Great American Road Trip by Matthew Algeo
--Thomas Jefferson by R.B. Bernstein
--Adams vs. Jefferson: The Tumultuous Election of 1800 by John Ferling

BOOKS ABOUT BOOKS--READ 6 OUT OF 9
--Read for Your Life: 11 Ways to Transform Your Life with Books by Pat Williams

BOOKS ABOUT DISASTERS--READ 6 OUT OF 9
--Frozen in Time: The Enduring Legacy of the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating Team by Nikki Nichols

GENERAL NONFICTION--READ 9 OUT OF 9
CATEGORY WAS COMPLETED IN APRIL

Message edited by its author, Jun 1, 2009, 12:33pm.

Reading for Your Life: 11 Ways to Transform Your Life with Books

by Pat Williams

This is an enthusiastic ode to book reading, geared mainly toward the non-reader. For me, as for many LTers, it would be like preaching to choir. Even so, I enjoyed it as a reminder of why I love to read.

The author, a general manager in the NBA (and father of 19 children, as he repeatedly points out) is an avid reader, to say the least. His goal is to finish one book per day.

Advocating that everyone should read for at least one hour a day, Williams provides tips on how the nonreader can go about doing this.

I particularly enjoyed the author's comments on celebrities (particularly in the world of sports) who are avid readers.

Two annoyances with this book, though. On my Kindle, the numerous shaded sidebars popped up in the middle of text, providing a constant distraction.

A second annoyance: the author's overuse of the exclamation point! This is annoying! Really, it is! He's a motivational speaker and is certainly enthusiastic about reader so I can understand this, at least.

This is a book I plan to keep on hand when I feel bogged down in reading. This rarely happens but the book offers a lot of great ideas and quotations on reading.

***MILESTONE***

I'm now three-fourths of the way through my first 999 challenge for the year!!

However, many of my upcoming books fit within my second 999 challenge categories, but not those in this first challenge so I don't expect to make as much progress in June.

Message edited by its author, Jun 1, 2009, 12:53pm.

Congrats Linda!

Ha! I use many too many exclamation points when I write anything and have learned to go ahead and do so, and then replace most of them with periods at the end. His editor probably suggested getting rid of them, and he probably fought for each and every one of them. Or no one was paying attention.

Congratulations on reaching that milestone, linda!

Linda, don't know if you're still looking for suggestions, but I just finished a totally unbelievable, but fun, book about a commercial airliner that suffers a mid-air collision then must try to land safely. O'Hare airport features prominently. Might fit in either your Chicago or disaster categories. Code Black by Philip Donlay.

Thanks, sjmccreary, I will have to add that to my list. I have plenty of books in each category but I like these categories so much that I expect to continue with them next year. That book sounds great.

For awhile, I doubted that I'd continue the Chicago category but then, recently, I took a look at all the Chicago books at the local library and realized I could continue it with another 9 or 10 books, at least.

I should add, too, sjmccreary, that I love totally unbelievable but fun airliner books. Thanks for thinking of me!!

This books sounds great. From the Amazon description, I see that a blizzard is bearing down on Chicago, too. What else can go wrong? I can't wait to read it--I picked it up for my Kindle.

I see he's got another one out called Category Five. That one sounds good, too, though not Kindle-available.

Message edited by its author, Jun 4, 2009, 3:29pm.

I hope you enjoy it - I had it on audio and listened in the car together with my teenage son during an out-of-town trip last weekend. The blizzard bearing down on Chicago is the worst in recent memory - O'Hare is actually completely shut down. There is plenty else to go wrong. The hardships to be overcome are nearly endless (the unbelievable part). I'll check out his other book - I have a weakness for this kind of escapist unrealistic fiction!

LOL about O'Hare closing. I think they close at the drop of a hat in the winter.

Back in the 1970s, I read a book by George Stone called Blizzard and, for a long time, was nervous about whether it'd ever stop snowing.

I also used to love to read escapist fictional disaster books and watch disaster flicks. Airplane's crashing, trains out of control. I haven't done much of that kind of reading lately but this sounds like a good one to start with, again.

I've taken a bit of a break so far this month and read some 999 challenge 2 books but now I am back to the regular challenge.

On my Kindle, I am reading The Road to Cooperstown by Tom Stanton.

My non-Kindle (library) book is: Dinner at Mr. Jefferson's by Charles A. Cerami.

Congrats on reaching your 75% milestone ... especially since you've already moved on to 999x2.

Dinner at Mr. Jefferson's by Charles A. Cerami

After spending some time on my 999 x 2 challenge, I'm back in reading books for the first challenge, specifically, my third (out of seven) planned Thomas Jefferson reads.

Dinner at Mr. Jefferson's is an entertaining look at the little-known "dinner table compromise" of 1790 in which Jefferson invited James Madison and Alexander Hamilton to dinner on June 20, 1790, in the interests of resolving two critical national disputes: the assumption of state debts incurred during the Revolutionary War and the placement of the new nation's capital. What those three men resolved that night may have saved the country from being split into two (or three) separate countries.

Though Cerami spends only about 10-12 pages on the actual dinner, much of the rest of the book either leads up to the dinner or follows up on what was settled, as well as the career paths of the three dinner participants.

Included in the book are a number of Jeffersonian recipes, though not necessarily those served at the dinner. Although Jefferson didn't introduce ice cream to the U.S., as some have claimed, Cerami says that Jefferson was one of ice cream's greatest early promoters and often served it in a warm pastry. Jefferson is also said to have been extremely knowledgable about wine and also French cuisine.

I also learned a bit about Henry Knox, the bookseller turned Revolutionary War hero. I want to read a bio about Knox, who later played a role in the founding of West Point.

All in all, this was an interesting look at a narrow part of Jefferson's life. Cerami has also written a book about Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase, which I hope to read soon.

This sounds like a good one!

The Road to Cooperstown: A Father, Two Sons, and the Journey of a Lifetime by Tom Stanton

I've certainly read better books this year but, for many reasons, this book touched a chord with me and it's among my favorite books of the year, if not THE favorite of the year.

At age 40, the author, a published baseball writer, makes a trip to Cooperstown with his much older brother and their elderly father. Not only is the actual Hall of Fame trip lovingly rendered, so, too, are his childhood and family memories.

The author and I are contemporaries (he is 3 months older than I am) and he has a much older brother (while I have a much younger sister) but, for both of us, baseball has played a huge role in our lives, both growing up and as adults. Stanton is a diehard Dtroit Tigers fan (and I'm the same for the Chicago Cubs) but, even so, we both measure our lives by what happened at that time during the baseball season.

Most importantly, his lifelong dream (and mine) was to visit Cooperstown, the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. He's made it but I haven't and, for me, this is a book to hold onto and treasure (and, occasionally, re-read which is something I almost never do). I hated for this book to end.

Chicago: City on the Make by Nelson Algren

I love Chicago and love reading about it. I've lived here my entire life (except for my 4 years away at college).

Somehow, I'd missed Algren's classic dark ode to the Chicago of the first half of the 20th century, in all its gritty glory.

I loved that fact that it included Algren's lengthy afterword, written 10 years later, in 1961, responding to the literary, cultural, and political establishment that was so critical of his essay.

I rarely read the footnotes and other supplemental text but, in this case, reading the annotations was almost as interesting as the essay itself.

The book contained so many classic lines, such as about how Chicago can be "leaving you loving the joint for keeps." How "every day is D-Day under the El."

Another favorite Algren quote about the city:
"Yet once you've come to be part of this particular patch, you'll never love another. Like loving a woman with a broken nose, you may well find lovelier lovelies. But never a lovely so real."

This is definitely not for everyone but it was a quick read that I enjoyed. I need to track down more Nelson Algren books.

Still plugging along on Louise Penny's mystery, A Rule Against Murder.

As usual, I am loving this Armand Gamache mystery but there's just been no time to read lately!! I hate when that happens.

A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny

This is the latest Quebec mystery featuring Armand Gamache and probably my favorite current mystery series. This one was a bit different than the other three as it was not set in Three Pines, as usual, but rather at what you might call a lakefront lodge or small inn.

Also, as usual, this book is intricate and offers a lot of insights into humanity along with the usual twists.

Probably my favorite mystery of the year so far. Highly recommended!! I can't wait for her next one.

I so enjoyed Louise Penny's first one..... I MUST find time to read the others...thanks for the nudge.

Interestingly, on the fantasticfiction website, Louise Penny herself recommends a World War 2 mystery series by James R. Benn.

She actually recommends book 2, The First Wave but, of course, I'd start with the first one, which is Billy Boyle.

I've never heard of this series.

At lunch, I started reading Garry Wills' book, Mr. Jefferson's University. It's a short book about the University of Virginia.

Normally, I wait until I'm about 30 pages into it before I decide to quit a book. This one, I was only about 10 percent in (16 pages?) before I made that decision. I thought it was about Jefferson but it's more of an architecture book. I have too many other good (presumably) books about Jefferson to read.

Instead, I switched over to Paul Dickson's book, The Unwritten Rules of Baseball. Much better. One (of the many) nice things about having a Kindle.

Hmmm, I have 16 books to go, in 6 different categories. Before I do much more in my 2nd 999 challenge, I think I'd like to finish this first one, maybe by, say, the end of July.

Here's what I think should do it for the remaining 16 books, though this is subject to change, of course. It looks like 6 fiction and 10 nonfiction.

PROFESSIONAL SLEUTHS
--Mortal Causes by Ian Rankin
--Indemnity Only by Sara Paretsky
(was The Turkish Gambit by Boris Akunin)
--The Five Bells and Bladebone by Martha Grimes

VINTAGE MYSTERIES
--The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen--FINISHED on 6/24
--Trouble in Triplicate by Rex StoutFINISHED ON 6/29

BASEBALL BOOKS
--The Unwritten Rules of Baseball by Paul Dickson--FINISHED ON 6/20

BOOKS ABOUT CHICAGO
--Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America’s Soul by Karen Abbott
--Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

AMERICAN PRESIDENTS
--Jefferson's Great Gamble by Charles A. Cerami--FINISHED on 6/29
--James Madison by Garry Wills

BOOKS ABOUT BOOKS/LIBRARIES
--Why We Read What We Read by Lisa Adams and John Heath
--The Merry Heart: Reflections on Reading Writing, and the World of Books by Robertson Davies
--Reading in Bed: Personal Essays on the Glory of Reading by Steven Gilbar (ed)--FINISHED on 6/21

BOOKS ABOUT DISASTERS
--Code Black by Philip Donlay--FINISHED ON 6/22
--Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 by John M. Barry
--Sultana by Alan Huffman

Message edited by its author, Jun 30, 2009, 5:57pm.

Linda, waiting with interest to hear what you think of The Roman Hat Mystery. A real period piece.

I read some of the Van Dine mysteries last year. They were fun, but quite dated. His detective is of the early Peter Wimsey style, back when Wimsey talked a lot of nonsense and seemed quite affected.

I'll be looking for your reviews of The Merry Heart, Devil in the White City, and The Roman Hat Mystery--I have the first two on my 999 TBR list and I have another Ellery Queen, The Player on the Other Side, on my 999 list. (I chose that one because I found a good used hardbound copy for 25 cents!)

re The Benson Murder Case--several years ago All of the Philo Vance novels were reprinted in paperback editions and I bought them and read them I think Benson Case was the first in the series. I can see how Vance could be compared with the very early Wimsey but Van Dine didn't have Vance develop like Sayers did with Wimsey. I enjoyed the Van Dine mysteries but they didn't "make the cut" when I had to reduce my library 15 years ago for a cross country move. But if I ever ran across one again I would definitely reread it--but I like vintage, and campy, mysteries. :-)

MM, there are a lot of mystery series I hadn't read many in, before, so I'm doing a lot of first in series, like the Ellery Queen and the Philo Vance. I've read a book or two in each but now, I will start at the beginning.

The Unwritten Rules of Baseball by Paul Dickson

As its title suggests, this is a book about those baseball rules that "everyone knows" even though they're unwritten. Things like "never make the first or third out at third base." Even casual baseball fans might know some of these.

I absolutely loved the first half, the part that included the unwritten rules, topically discussed, for ballplayers, managers, fans, umpires, official scorers, and the media. These were quite interesting. For managers, these are often known as "the Book."

Also of interest is the discussion, early on, as to whether these unwritten rules ought to still be followed. I'm an "old school" "throwback" kind of girl myself so I think these constants should remain in place. Every profession or occupation has its own version of unwritten rules. They may change a bit but, overall, they provide continuity.

I'd give the first half, the unwritten rules part, 5 stars. Not so the second half, which contained an alphabetical list of "axioms, principles, adages, rules of thumb, instructions, and seemingly immutable laws that define the national pastime." Some of these axioms etc were of interest but, to me, this part was like reading a dictionary or an encylopedia. I'd give this section 2 stars for somewhat interesting information that could've been made much better if handled topically and not alphabetically.

Message edited by its author, Jun 20, 2009, 6:02pm.

I've now finished my third category, baseball books, which goes along with cozy mysteries and general nonfiction, the two categories I finished back in April.

I guess there's a reason that these three categories are the ones I've also got in my 999 2nd challenge. Clearly, these are my favorite types of books.

Someone (tutu?) was talking about how short stories "cleanse the palate." I got to thinking about how I haven't read any short story collections in awhile so I change the Philo Vance book to Jacques Futrelle's Thinking Machine.

Reading in Bed: Personal Essays on the Glories of Reading by Steven Gilbar (ed)

This is a collection of 22 essays about reading. I've been reading one or two most nights before going to bed during the past few weeks and I could not find a better book to help me fall asleep. In other words, I don't think I've ever read a duller collection of essays.

Of the 22 essays, I think I liked about three of them. One essay on "pillow books" by Clifton Fadiman was interesting. After claiming that too boring and too exciting were not good choices, he ultimated decided that Anthony Trollope's books were perfect "before bed" books.

Another essay by Lynne Sharon Schwartz on the lies readers tell wasn't bad either.

The other essays, such as those by Proust, Herman Hesse, and others were not nearly as interesting, I thought.

Message edited by its author, Jun 22, 2009, 1:15pm.

# 132 linda

"I've been reading one or two most nights before going to bed during the past few weeks and I could not find a better book to help me fall asleep. In other words, I don't think I've ever read a duller collection of essays."

LOL! I guess I can pass that one up. Thanks for the warning, because that sounds like my kind of book--but I have discovered that sometimes they just don't deliver what they promise.

BTW Anthony Trollope is one of my favorite authors--especially his Barcestershire series.

I think I've read Lynne Schwartz's Ruined by Reading and I really enjoyed that.

This particular collection was heavy on what I call "classical" authors, which is totally not my cup of tea. I'd rather read more contemporary authors' comments about books and reading.

I have never read Trollope but discovered that I can buy each of the two main 6-book series for 99 cents on my Kindle and so I likely will do so. I'm thinking more of the Barcestershire series (and not the Palliser? series) but, at 99 cents each I might get both.

I've never read Trollope, either, but have seen lots of interesting comments about him here lately, so I'm thinking I need to give him a try. I also don't know quite where to start. Any suggestions?

Barcestershire series is about a community and its inhabitants with a lot of emphasis in 3 of the novels on the Cathedral there. Palliser series is an ongoing "soap opera" (but each novel does have it's own story) that deals with British politics. I think both of them are quite good--I like the Barcestershire a little better because I like and understand church politics better than the other kind. Actually--both series are kind of soap operaish--but I liked them and I can't stand soap operas. :-)

BTW Both of them benefit some by being read in order and in both of them I consider the first book the weakest--kind of a "set up book." So read the first two books before you decide if this is for you.

I read and enjoyed Barchester Towers for the challenge this year, and I've got The Warden in my 2nd 999 challenge. The Warden is the first book in the Barchester series, but I found that I was just fine reading the 2nd one first. I have heard good things about The Eustace Diamonds, which is also on my TBR list.

Code Black by Philip Donlay
(add to disaster category)

This is a page-turner about a jetliner damaged after a mid-air collision trying to land at Chicago's O'Hare in a terrible blizzard. Though it relies heavily on coincidence and the story is predictable, it's a quick summertime read.

Thanks to Sandy for recommending it. I need to find Category Five also by Philip Donlay for more escapist reading.

Glad to hear you enjoyed the book, too. I didn't know Donlay had another book out, though. I'll have to try to find it to take on vacation next month.

I was hoping to finish the 999 challenge by July 1st though now, I'm thinking this won't happen.

I didn't start on the challenge til mid-January so, by my reckoning, maybe I should get a few more weeks.

My last 13 books look interesting (even if I have changed a few on the list during the past few days) but the second 999 challenge is beckoning me.

The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen

This is the first book in the Ellery Queen series (copyright 1929). I've read a few of the others, though not for years, and I loved the 1970s TV series based on the Ellery Queen books.

This involved a murder of a high profile lawyer who was in the audience during the performance of a play. This was a pretty good mystery, I thought. It started slowly, for me, but then really picked up but I enjoyed it enough to want to pick up more of these.

As is typical with Ellery Queen, it was a clever, intriguing plot though it was somewhat dated.

I remember Ellery and his father the Inspector and also Sgt Velie but, honestly, I don't recall a houseboy in the Queen household named Djuna.

I remember the series, and I think I remember the house boy, but not his name.

Trouble in Triplicate by Rex Stout

Trouble in Triplicate is a collection of three Nero Wolfe novellas set during or after World War 2.

It offered a quick, fun read, a chance to revisit old "friends," Nero Wolfe, Archie Goodwin, Fritz, and all the old regulars. Archie is a major in the U.S. Army, which is something I never knew about him.

It's been years since I last read a Nero Wolfe book but I won't be a stranger again.

This gives me four completed categories!!

Message edited by its author, Jun 29, 2009, 6:00pm.

Way to go!

Congratulations Linda. Nero Wolfe is a good way to finish a category.

DOWN TO TEN BOOKS LEFT

Jefferson's Great Gamble by Charles A. Cerami

This is an, at times, interesting book about the Louisiana Purchase, along with events leading up to the Purchase as well as the aftermath of the Purchase. (At times, it's somewhat tedious.). On the American side, the focus on President Thomas Jefferson, his Secretary of State, James Madison, Robert Livingston, and James Monroe were in Paris doing the actual negotiations.

I do like Cerami's approach to things--take a fairly narrow historical event and investigate what led to it as well as its aftermath. I would like to have seen more of a discussion of how Jefferson, a noted states' rights advocate, struggled with this huge expansion of federal power.

The impact slow communications had on the whole process really struck me. Livingston was pretty much on his own and often ignored by Madison and Jefferson who, when a deal seemed near, sent James Monroe over to complete the Purchase.

As I read through the biographies of the presidents, this is an ideal book to conclude my current look at Jefferson as it spends quite a bit of time on Madison and Monroe and even Andrew Jackson (at least as to Jackson's role in savings New Orleans).

Message edited by its author, Jun 30, 2009, 11:59am.

We'll all be counting down with you - it'll be like New Year's Eve! ;-)

10 books! You'll be finished by the end of summer for sure!

Thanks, Sandy. A New Year's Eve countdown is exactly how I'm thinking of it, with a booming, TEN!!!! right now.

cmbohn, I'm sort of hoping to be done by the end of July but that'll be determined, in large part, on whether I can stick with this first 999 challenge and not move on to the second one.

As of the end of June, I have 10 more books to go til I finish my first 999 challenge. Will July be the month to finish up?

June was a pretty good month as I read 13 books in all, including 10 999 challenge books (the other three books went towards my 999 x 2 challenge). I managed to read at least one book in each remaining category.

I also finished two more 999 challenge categories--baseball and vintage mysteries--giving me four completed categories in all.

Below is where I stand in each category, along with the books I read for each, in June.

Cozy Mysteries--READ 9 OUT OF 9
Category Completed in April

Professional Sleuth Mysteries--READ 6 OUT OF 9
--A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny

Vintage Mysteries--READ 9 OUT OF 9
Category Completed in June
--The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen
--Trouble in Triplicate by Rex Stout

Baseball Books--READ 9 OUT OF 9
Category Completed in June
--The Road to Cooperstown: A Father, Two Sons, and the Journey of a Lifetime by Tom Stanton
--The Unwritten Rules of Baseball by Paul Dickson

Books About Chicago--READ 7 OUT OF 9
--Chicago: City on the Make by Nelson Algren

American Presidents--READ 8 OUT OF 9
--Dinner at Mr. Jefferson's by Charles A. Cerami
--Jefferson's Great Gamble by Charles A. Cerami

Books About Books/Libraries--READ 7 OUT OF 9
--Reading in Bed: Personal Essays on the Glories of Reading by Steven Gilbar (ed)

Books About Disasters--READ 7 OUT OF 9
--Code Black by Philip Donlay

General Nonfiction--READ 9 OUT OF 9
Category Completed in April

Message edited by its author, Jun 30, 2009, 6:09pm.

With ten books to go, I hesitate to even list what they are. Less than two weeks ago, I made such a list and I've already changed almost half the books. Oh well, here is what I call my "current thinking" on the final 10.

PROFESSIONAL SLEUTHS
--Trio for Blunt Instruments by Rex Stout
--Indemnity Only by Sara Paretsky
--In a Dark House by Deborah Crombie--finished on 7/13/09

BOOKS ABOUT CHICAGO
--The Thing of It Is by John Callaway (was Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America’s Soul by Karen Abbott)--finished on 7/8/09

--The Right Place, the Right Time by Donald Peck (was Devil in the White City by Erik Larson)--FINISHED ON 7/6/09

AMERICAN PRESIDENTS
--James Madison by Garry Wills--FINISHED ON 7/4/09

BOOKS ABOUT BOOKS/LIBRARIES
--Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron (was Why We Read What We Read by Lisa Adams and John Heath)
--The Merry Heart: Reflections on Reading Writing, and the World of Books by Robertson Davies

BOOKS ABOUT DISASTERS
--Johnstown Flood by David McCullough (was Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 by John M. Barry)
--Category Five by Philip Donlay (was Sultana by Alan Huffman)-FINISHED ON 7/10/09

Message edited by its author, Jul 15, 2009, 12:11pm.

NINE BOOKS LEFT!!
FIFTH CATEGORY COMPLETED

James Madison by Garry Wills

This is a short overview of James Madison, particularly as to his presidential years. The book is part of the American Presidents series and, for what it aims to do, it's not too bad.

More than half of the book is on Madison's presidency, though, even there, it seems to be more of a history of times and less about Madison's role in it.

After reading the Wills book, I see Madison as skillful in legislative matters and a giant at the Constitutional Convention but not particulary adept as our nation's Chief Executive. There, he was naive, provincial, and seemed to flip flop quite a bit in his views.

This book did make me want to read more about Madison, though there's a scarcity of good biographies about him. As a result, I intend to read something about the making of the Constitution and also about the War of 1812. This book was a decent start to my Madison reading.

EIGHT BOOKS TO GO!!!

The Right Place, The Right Time:Tales of Chicago Symphony Days by Donald Peck

Besides visiting Wrigley Field to watch the Cubs play, my favorite thing to do in Chicago is to go to Symphony Center to hear the world-renowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra so, when I saw this book, I knew I had to read it.

Peck was the principal flutist of the CSO from 1957 to 1999 and he provides an insider's view to what a musician in a major orchestra does. Besides the rehearsals and the actual performances at the Symphony Center fall through spring and at Ravinia during the summer, they record albums, they go on tours, they teach etc etc.

Peck offers some occasionally interesting insights into the trips, the recordings made, and working with world-famous conductors like Georg Solti and Daniel Barenboim. He also talks about performing with the greatest musicians and singers.

This book is ok, I thought, though the topical approach detracted from the book since Peck constantly needed to refer to later chapters or refer back to earlier ones. For instance, when talking about making a recording with a famous conductor, half the story would be in the "working with conductors" chapter and the other half in the "making recordings" chapter.

The book is at its best when Peck gets a bit more personal and less so, for example, when he merely recites one tour stop after another, with little insight.

Message edited by its author, Jul 6, 2009, 7:08pm.

We're getting the drums ready!

Only 7 books left to go!!
Six Categories Down, Three to go

The Thing of It Is: With Reflections on Chicago and the Problem Society by John Callaway

John Callaway, a long-time Chicago TV broadcaster and interviewer was probably my favorite newsman. Unfortunately, he died in late June so I tracked down his book and read it.

I had the chance to meet him twice. Once, he came to our company and gave a talk about the changing workforce. Once, I met him at a book signing for this book, back in the mid 1990s or so. (I need to find my signed copy!)

This book is a collection of 57 essays on Chicago and on other topics. In one, for instance, he talked about how his toughest interview ever for Chicago Tonight was his interview with Margaret Truman, daughter of Harry Truman. He wanted to talk about her, not her father, and she was responding only with brief answers. He realized the problem was that she wanted to talk about her father and, when he started going that route, she really opened up.

To my astonishment, in one essay about Chicago street names, he even talked about the tiny street I lived on until I was 8 years old. Amazing.

Even though most of the essays were from the late 1980s/early 1990s, many were ahead of their time. It's amazing to think how many are still timely because what he wrote about is still true--only the names have changed over the years.

Very interesting!!

Message edited by its author, Jul 8, 2009, 12:25pm.

Great review!

At the rate you are going, you will finish your 999 before I get back home next week! I'm impressed--and trying not to be envious. :-)

I've gotten a lot of good books for my TBR list from your thread. I hope you read The Johnstown Flood for your disaster category--I love McCullough and would like to see your opinion of this early book of his before I buy it. I have The Great Bridge which I haven't read yet--I've only read biographies by him.

I'm hoping to get a lot of reading done while I'm up here. Waiting for your next review! :-)

MM, I was going to read something about the Mississippi River flood for my disaster category but backed off on my 999 x 2 Miss. River category for this year.

Anyway, instead, I started reading the McCullough book on my Kindle yesterday. Not too far into it--he is still setting the stage. I had no idea it was so long ago--1889. For some reason, I thought it was more recent than that.

Usually, I have only one or two books going at one time but right now, it's three. The McCullough book, a fictional disaster book, Category Five by Philip Donlay, and an ER book I'd better review soon or else. That one is called The Good Doctors.

ONLY SIX BOOKS LEFT TO GO

Category Five by Philip Donlay

I recently read Code Black by Donlay, which is his second thriller, after Category Five. Category Five is another thriller with a similar (unbelievable plot) involving crippled airplanes, unbelievable weather, and other calamities. I thought it started even slower than Code Black but, not surprisingly, really picked up.

It's definitely a quick read, though. I read most of it on the long bus ride to and from Wrigley Field, as well as some during a rain delay.

Message edited by its author, Jul 11, 2009, 11:02pm.

lol

I read "Category Five by Philip Donlay" and thought--great, but what is the name of the book? :-D

Way to go! You are getting so close!

Hitting the home stretch!

Thanks, still a chance to get 'er done this month though I really, really need to read that one ER book.

I'm about a third of the way through Deborah Crombie's In a Dark House and about 10 percent through David McCullough's The Johnstown Flood. I like McCullough and his books a lot so I'm giving this one more benefit of the doubt than I usually would but it's slow-going. This is one of his earlier books (from 1968, I think) so maybe he hadn't developed his excellent style at that point.

Ah- Just learning here.

I enjoyed this book. I learned (aside from great anecdotes) that Andrew Johnson was elected to senate after impeachment trial and I had forgotten that Robert Taft was the son of President Taft.

Do you know anything about Margarter Truman? When did she die?

BG

#163 Margaret Truman just died about 18 months ago - January 2008 - she was 83 years old.

FIVE BOOKS TO GO!!!

In a Dark House by Deborah Crombie

For years, I diligently read each new Deborah Crombie mystery almost as soon as it came out. For some reason, I don't even remember why, I stopped doing this. (Last read one in 2003.)

In a Dark House, which is the 10th book in the series, reminds me of why I used to l like Crombie's books so much. There are many complex sub-plots here--a missing child, arsons, matters involving the private lives of Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James, just to name a few.

Though at times, some of her concepts are personally troubling to me, such as the missing child, once I start a Crombie mystery, I have trouble putting it down. Very nicely done!!

Message edited by its author, Jul 14, 2009, 1:05pm.

MY FINAL FIVE BOOKS

Professional Sleuths
--Trio for Blunt Instruments by Rex Stout
--Indemnity Only by Sara Paretsky

BOOKS ABOUT BOOKS/LIBRARIES
--Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron
--The Merry Heart: Reflections on Reading Writing, and the World of Books by Robertson Davies

BOOKS ABOUT DISASTERS
--Johnstown Flood by David McCullough

Right now, I am reading McCullough's Johnstown Flood on my Kindle (about 15 percent finished) and Paretsky's first mystery, Indemnity Only, as my regular book (also about 15 percent finished). I will save the Rex Stout book for last.

However, I really, really need to finish my overdue ER book, The Good Doctors, so I am trying to read that during my regular 10 to midnight reading slot. Fortunately, I am finally starting to get into that one and hope to finish it within the next few days.

You go, girl! Rex Stout is always good to save for last--I love dessert! Trio for Blunt Instruments is one of his later books. Since I'm reading (or rereading when necessary) all the Nero Wolf books in order I won't get to it for quite a while. However, I've read many of them in my life and never met one I didn't enjoy.

Dewey is a very fast read--even for me--I read it last winter. I really enjoyed it.

I'm anxious to see how you like Indemnity Only--I'm thinking about starting that series. The Merry Heart is in my library and supposed to be read for my Books about Books category this year--so I'll be looking for your comments on that one, too. I just added Johnstown Flood to my wish list so I'll also be interested in seeing what you say about that one.

This is eerie! Every book on your final five is also on one of my lists! :-D I hope you have a great time with them--that will bode well for me, too!

That IS eerie, MusicMom. That's great that you are reading all the Nero Wolfe's in order. I've read most, but not all, and plan to track down the ones I haven't read.

I'm planning to do that for a few authors, including Anne Perry and a few others for whom I have read only a few, at most.

I figured Trio for Blunt Instruments must be a later one. I picked it up for my Vintage Mysteries category, which I call anything before I was born, and I discovered it is not as old as I am.

Once I settled on my categories, I was amazed at how many of these books are ones I probably would've read anyway.

I probably would've read more cozy mysteries, baseball books, and general nonfiction books than I have but that's ok because these three categories are the only holdovers for my 999 x 2 challenge.

Message edited by its author, Jul 16, 2009, 12:39am.

re Nero Wolf--He was "born" before you were so you have my permission to call it vintage. :-)

I'm eager to find out what you think of The Merry Heart.

Five to go! And you've started another challenge and you're reading your way through the states. Impressive.

#170, MM, I kind of think that way, too. Someone just a few years older than I am isn't vintage but, if most of them are from before I was born, I think that makes them vintage. Unless I've personally met the author.

#171, RidgewayGirl, not to mention doing the presidential challenge. That has proven to be my surprisingly fun category. I'd read quite a few presidential bios but now am reading the presidents in order. I usually toss in a few others from that period as well.

I got my father John Adams because of your review. He's an American History nut and seemed really pleased.

Still stuck at five books left to go. I've had almost zero time to read this week and have been grabbing only a few minutes here and there this week. I've advanced a bit in McCullough's Johnstown Flood this week but no other 999 progress.

At least I've been doing fun stuff: ballgames, dinners/get-togethers with friends, and oh, the Elton John/Billy Joel concert at Wrigley Field.

I'm fairly close to finishing that ER book that has been hanging over my head and then will resume my 999 challenge. This week's lack of reading makes it unlikely that I will finish I'll finish my 999 this month but maybe early August. Who knows? Even so, the end is in sight on this first one.

Linda - I'm also stuck at 5! I'm reading two of them right now, but have really gotten side tracked by ARCs - I've got them in the 2nd 999, but need to finish the first. Unfortunately, like you, I seem to have let summer interfere...ball games, out of town visitors, gardening (I'm listening to a lot of audio books, but they don't seem to fit the 1st 999).

But ELTON JOHN AND BILLY JOEL....I'd almost give up reading for a month to go to that one! How lucky you are. How jealous I am

Stick to it, we'll get them finished...we're way ahead of the deadline and the whole point is to ENJOY.

I'm hoping to finish The Good Doctors tonight and then return to my 999 challenge on Monday. Not as busy this week so I should get more reading in this week.

FOUR LEFT TO GO!!!
7th Category Finished

The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough

On May 31, 1889, a dam at the South Fork Fishing & Hunting Club above Johnstown, PA broke, flooding the town. It's believed that 2,209 people died in this catastrophe. David McCullough, in one of his earlier books (from 1968), does a masterful job explaining what happened and why.

I thought the book started out slowly, but later realized that this background was necessary. Some of the stories he includes were amazing. I guess I always assumed that a massive flood would be a wall of water, but never really considered all the debris that it could contain, like here, where there were train cars, lots of barbed wire, houses, and people in the big wave. One of the more heartrending stories, I thought, was how debris piled up at the stone bridge, trapping people inside the pile when fire broke out.

This was the ninth book I've read this year about disasters and I believe it's one of the better ones.

Message edited by its author, Jul 21, 2009, 9:43pm.

#177 This sounds like a great book. I'm not necessarily interested in books about disasters, but I'm always fascinated by things that have happened and why. I've enjoyed all the McCullough books I've read, but have never gotten one of his early ones. This title goes on the wishlist.

Sandy, I don't think The Johnstown Flood was as good as John Adams, for instance, so I can definitely see that he improved over the years. However, very good.

After reading Tina's review of The Library at Night, I've taken Dewey off the "Final Four" and replaced it with The Library at Night.

I still have The Merry Heart, Indemnity Only (with a long bus ride to the ballgame on Friday to get further into this one), and Trio for Blunt Instruments as the last one.

The end is really in sight! I still can't my remaining books on my fingers! (15 left)

I understand what you're saying about McCullough writing having improved through the years. Another of his early books that has tempted me is the one about the Panama Canal.

My end may never get here! I've read 67 books in my 999 challenge and still have 29 more to go to complete the challenge! :-) There's nothing wrong with my math--I've just read too many books in some categories and not enough in others. And I used to be so good at following the "rules."

Poor MusicMom! Maybe you can get creative and rearrange the categories.

Unless you're determined to get it all done by Sept. 9th, we still have some time to go. I've decided that I enjoy this forum more than I would finishing and moving on.

MM, sorry to hear that. The fun is in the quest, I believe. That's why I've added a second 999 challenge, even though it's doubtful I could finish that one.

A second quest would keep me here at 999, which is probably my favorite group.

#182, 183, & 184

I'm not fretting. Message #181 was true--but said in a joking way--you just didn't ear my LOL. :-)

I'm enjoying my reading--I divided 3 categories into 2 lists for each and added a 10th category early in the year when Whisper1 was reading all those Newbery books--so I have about 13 categories now (my favorite number!) with at least 3 of them than finished adn 3 more very close to finished, I think.

At the end of the year I'll just arrange all the books I've read and name the categories I read in this year. That's much easier that trying to fit the books into pre-named categories! (I just hope the 999 police don't catch me!) :-D Let's face it--I'm an impulsive reader as well as a compulsive buyer.

At the end of the year I'll just arrange all the books I've read and name the categories I read in this year. That's much easier that trying to fit the books into pre-named categories!

LOL! Next year--if I even do a 999 challenge--I'm going to have to do it that way too.

I've already collapsed two categories into one since I had eleven categories anyway. I'll do the same thing again in a bit and end up with a curious collection of everything,

THREE BOOKS LEFT TO GO!!!

Indemnity Only by Sara Paretsky

This is the first in Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski series and is set in Chicago in 1979. As a lifelong Chicagoland resident and mystery buff, I guess it was a bit surprising that I really hadn't read this series but I finally did and am glad.

The book is grittier than my usual but I love the Chicago setting and, in particular, the references to the Chicago Cubs of the day. (I haven't thought about those late 70s Cub players like Kingman or Biitner in a long time).

The mystery itself was just ok but there's definitely enough potential here, along with some engaging characters, to keep me interested.

TWO BOOKS LEFT TIL I FINISH THE FIRST 999 CHALLENGE

The Library at Night by Alberto Manguel

The is a, at times, delightful book filled with the author's ramblings on all things library-related. The most moving to me were sections dealing with bookburning/bookbanning as well as the role of books in the Nazi concentration camps.

This book has gotten rave reviews and I can certainly understand that. However, Manguel spends quite a bit of time on ancient libraries, a subject that is not of all that much interest to me. At times, I wanted to say out loud "all right, already, let's move on to something else" because I was bored with it. Overall, though, I thought it was pretty good.

It had to happen...

I truly planned to make a Rex Stout book my last 999 challenge book but one problem--while I'm enjoying The Merry Heart, once again, it's one of those books of essays about books that I just can't read over a short-time period. This definitely is a book I can read a few pages in every night but that's about it.

Soooo, I plan to go ahead with the Rex Stout and keep reading a few pages of The Merry Heart every day. I'm certainly not putting this challenge aside, not with just two books to go!! but finishing by the end of July is just not a possibility.

ONE BOOK LEFT TO GO!!!!!

Trio for Blunt Instruments by Rex Stout

This is a collection of three Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin novellas, written in the 1960s. Maybe because they're written/set 20 years later than most of the others I've read in this series but, for some reason, these stories lack the zing or spark of others I've read.

They're not bad but just not what I'd usually expect. I liked the first one, involving a boot black who is accused of pushing a corporate executive (at a bobbin company) out of a window, killing him, the best.

The second one, involving the murder of a man who delivered corn to the Wolfe household, was a bit odd, as it involved a woman from Archie's past. This one did not hold together well.

The third one, involving a blood-stained tie sent via the mail to Archie, was ok.

Message edited by its author, Jul 31, 2009, 1:22pm.

That's one I don't have and haven't ever read--but since I'm only up to 1949 it will be a while before I get there. My next one will be The Second Confession and now I'm motivated to dig it out and read it this summer while I'm being "lazy".

I agree I think in most cases the earlier the earlier Nero Wolf novels and stories were better than some of the later ones--he was a "man of his time". But possibly the reason you didn't like Trio as well as the others you've read is because, imo, the novels are generally far superior to the novellas and short stories. Most of the fun in the Nero Wolf novels is watching him work, the by play between Archie and Wolf and the development of the story--all of which get short shrift in the shorter forms. (Can you tell I'm a big fan?!) :-)

ETA Congratulations on nearly reaching your goal. Skip work and read Dewey today and you will make it by the end of July!

Message edited by its author, Jul 31, 2009, 1:20pm.

JULY RECAP

July was a pretty good month. I read 12 books total, including 9 that counted towards my first 999 challenge.

I completed 4 of my remaining 5 categories and have only one more book yet to read to finish this first challenge.

Below is where I stand in each category, along with the books I read for each, in July.

Cozy Mysteries--READ 9 OUT OF 9
Category Completed in April

Professional Sleuth Mysteries--READ 9 OUT OF 9
Category Completed in July

--In a Dark House by Deborah Crombie
--Indemnity Only by Sara Paretsky
--Trio for Blunt Instruments by Rex Stout

Vintage Mysteries--READ 9 OUT OF 9
Category Completed in June

Baseball Books--READ 9 OUT OF 9
Category Completed in June

Books About Chicago--READ 9 OUT OF 9
Category completed in July

--The Right Place, The Right Time: Tales of Chicago Symphony Days by Donald Peck
--The Thing of It Is: With Reflections on Chicago and the Problem Society by John Callaway

American Presidents--READ 9 OUT OF 9
Category completed in July

--James Madison by Garry Wills

Books About Books/Libraries--READ 8 OUT OF 9

--The Library at Night by Alberto Manguel

Books About Disasters--READ 9 OUT OF 9
Category completed in July
--Category Five by Philip Donlay
--The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough

General Nonfiction--READ 9 OUT OF 9
Category Completed in April

Message edited by its author, Jul 31, 2009, 1:24pm.

#193, MM, what a coincidence!! I ordered The Second Confession from Amazon this week and it arrived yesterday. Let me know when you pick it up and I might read it as well. (I "needed" one more book to take advantage of their 4 for 3 offer, after buying a book each for my visiting niece and nephew and another Rex Stout, Black Orchid, I think.)

I probably would've finished today but I agreed to join a friend for the Jeff Dunham show tonight. He is a stand-up comic/ventriloguist on Comedy Central. Not my usual but she was in a pinch as the person who was going to go couldn't, due to a death in the family. Oh well, I can wait til Aug 1 or 2 to finish!!

Hope you had rip-roaring fun yesterday and am assuming that you'll finish your 999 challenge today, so let me be the first to say: Congratulations! I keep forgetting about my categories when choosing books to read, but should be able to finish mine in September as planned. Your Best of the 999?

Thanks bonniebooks. I didn't get back to my hotel til 1:30 am but I'm home now and, after I unpack my bag, I plan to start reading Dewey, my last 999 book.

I brought it along last night but I was too tired to even open it after the concert.

999 challenge is finished!!!

Dewey by Vicki Myron

I read this charming book about the much-loved library cat of Spencer, Iowa, pretty much in one sitting and I don't even like cats. It's hard not to be touched by Dewey Readmore Books and how much he meant to the people of the town. I really enjoyed this one!!

Though I was a bit sniffly at the end, this was a nice book to finish my first 999 challenge.

My favorite from each of my 999 categories were:

Cozy Mysteries: Hard to say since I enjoyed all but one of the books in this category but probably Oolong Death by Laura Childs.

Professional Sleuth Mysteries: A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny

Vintage Mysteries: Again, hard to say as I enjoyed all the books in this category but probably The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen

Baseball Books: The Road to Cooperstown: A Father, Two Sons, and the Journey of a Lifetime by Tom Stanton

Books About Chicago: Chicago Death Trap: The Iroquois Theatre Fire of 1903 by Nat Brandt

American Presidents: John Adams by David McCullough

Books About Books/Libraries: A Passion for Books by Harold Rabinowitz and Rob Kaplan

Books About Disasters: The Survivors Club by Ben Sherwood

General Nonfiction: Match Day: One Day and One Dramatic Year in the Lives of Three New Doctors by Brian Eule

BEST OF THE BEST!!!
John Adams by David McCullough

My least favorite book in each category:

Cozy Mysteries: Cooking Up Murder by Miranda Bliss

Professional Sleuth Mysteries: no duds whatsoever in this category

Vintage Mysteries: No duds in this category either

Baseball Books: Confessions of a She-Fan by Jane Heller

Books About Chicago: A Chicago Tavern: A Goat, a Curse, and the American Dream by Rick Kogan

American Presidents: Herbert Hoover by William E. Leuchtenburg

Books About Books/Libraries: Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption by Laura J. Miller

Books About Disasters: Frozen in Time: The Enduring Legacy of the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating Team by Nikki Nichols

General Nonfiction: No real duds here either

WORST OF THE WORST
a tie between (1) A Chicago Tavern: A Goat, a Curse, and the American Dream by Rick Kogan and (2) Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption by Laura J. Miller

Favorite categories:
--Cozy mysteries
--Baseball books
--General nonfiction

Category least likely to return for 2010:
--Books about books/libraries

Categories that pleasantly surprised me:
--Books about disasters
--Books about American Presidents

Congratulations on completing the first 999!
You'll probably beat me at the second as well but I'm having fun trying to keep up with you and Tutu!

Message edited by its author, Aug 2, 2009, 12:07pm.

Congratulations, Linda!

I love your best / worst summing up! I guess I should move John Adams higher on my wish list..

Congratulations, but I am glad you've started a second challenge (as well as the fifty States Challenge)--we'd miss you if you just left!

Thanks, everybody!!

No reading for me the next few days. My 6-year nephew and 8-year old niece are staying here for a few days so about all I will be reading are kids books.
I think we are going to read a book about hurricanes first.

MANY congratulations......I love your wrapup and may steal it from you.

Linda...you might introduce the 8 yr old to Dewey....my 8 yo granddaughter latched on to my copy the day she arrived, and ended up taking it home with her...she loved it, and loved that she was allowed to read a 'grownup' book.

Message edited by its author, Aug 3, 2009, 3:28pm.

Congratulations, Linda

I also loved you best and worst lists - I hope everyone will adopt them.

Thanks, Sandy and Tina. I was going to donate Dewey to the library but I think I will give it to my niece. She loves animals.

I probably won't be doing much more with this first challenge but look for me over at 999 x 2, which is at:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/64075

Congratulations! linda

John Adams by McCullough is one of my favorites ever, also! Loved your summary.

Are we still on for 2nd confession by Rex Stout next week? I'm going on vacation after cchurdch August 9 and looking for some "fun" reads for those two weeks.

Sure, starting when?

Now that my niece and nephew are going home today (after visiting me at work), I will have time to read again.

(I don't understand how mom's with little kids handle it--I am so tired from just a few days.)

It's because you're not used to it. We moms are a multitude of Lance Armstrongs -- so well adapted and trained that we do not feel the pain (ok, sometimes at the end of a rainy day we do).

Yes - the secret is getting them when they're newly hatched. They sleep a lot then. Plenty of time to get used to the extra work, since it just adds up gradually. By the time they're in school, it actually seems much easier - they can feed and dress themselves (not to mention performing all the bathroom-related chores). That's probably why their mother was willing to ask you to let them visit.

The bottom line, though, is - did you enjoy having them stay?

Yes, I loved having them stay. The good really outweighs the bad. The time they acted up in public was while we were waiting a long time in line to take the tour at the Jelly Belly factory. We adults (grandma, grandpa and I) were hot and bothered and griped about it and the kids showed their hot and bothered feelings by fighting with each other.

They also came to my office yesterday. My niece was interested in what we do (we're a large legal publisher) but she was most fascinated by the rubber fingers on my desk. Hmmm, actually, she was most fascinated by the fact that we googled her name and found that she had been quoted in a newspaper article about winter vacation when she was in first grade. He was most fascinated by my stars screen saver.

I feel a lot better today, too. I was really tired and achy yesterday and generally run down.

Message edited by its author, Aug 5, 2009, 11:53am.

Hmmm, my niece was not interested in Dewey. She likes Junie B. Jones as well as a series about fairies (she mentioned something about weather fairies, knowing that I like to read books about the weather).