Shannon's list

New Books (off the new books shelf at the public library)
First in a Series
Non-Fiction
Mystery
Award Winners
Children's
YA
Own it
Turned Movie (or TV)
Audiobooks

Award Winners -- done
The Invention of Hugo Cabret Jan.
Astonishing Splashes of Colour Feb.
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers April
Digging to America May
My Sister's Keeper May
March August
Year of Wonders September
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian November

Children's -- done + 1
The Thing About Georgie March
Henry Huggins May
Remembering Mrs. Rossi June
Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything in It July
The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School October
Soupy Saturdays with the Pain and the Great One October
The Winner's Walk November
Alvin Ho Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things December
Sea of Monsters December

Beverly Cleary -- done
Henry and Beezus May
Henry and Ribsy May
Henry and the Paper Route June
Henry and the Clubhouse June
Ribsy June
Muggie Maggie July
Mitch and Amy July
The Mouse and the Motorcycle October

YA -- done + 1
Hanging on to Max Feb.
Zen and the Art of Faking it Feb.
Born to Rock March
A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life May
Flight June
Slam June
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist September
Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope October
Girlology Hang-ups, Hook-Ups and Holding Out October

Own it -- done
The Story of Forgetting: A Novel Jan.
Memories of My Melancholy Whores April
The Time Traveller's Wife June
How to Make an American Quilt July
Then We Came to the End July
Where the Sidewalk Ends September
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life October
Repunzel's Revenge November

Turned into a Movie (or TV show) -- done + 2
The Cider House Rules Feb.
Marshall Hollenzer is Driving June
True Stories of Law and Order June
A Mighty Heart July
The Martian Child July
The Soloist August
Heroes, Volume One August
He's Just Not that Into You August
Meet Me in St. Louis October
Miracle on 34th Street December

Audiobooks -- done + 4
Goodnight Nobody January?
Can You Keep a Secret? March?
Bridge to Terabithia March?
Just Listen April?
1st to Die October
Freakonomics October
America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction October
Son of the Mob October
The Tenth Circle November
Emily's Runaway Imagination November
The Amateur Marriage December
The Lightning Thief December

What is Book Lust? Sounds interesting. Sammy's Hill was a good slice of Chick Lit and Lamb, well, it's Christopher Moore, you can never go wrong with Christopher Moore! If you haven't read The Stupidest Angel or Fluke they are also excellent reads.

I've had The Big Over Easy for some time now. I bought it for the cover. Let me know what you think of it when you've read it. I haven't tried yet.

Keep on keepin' on....

Book Lust, More Book Lust and Book Crush (touchtone isn't loading) are a series of books written by librarian, Nancy Pearl where she makes recommendations for reading. Nancy Pearl also has a radio show on the NPR station in Seattle where she talks about books. Her website is nancypearl.com

I haven't read any Christopher Moore books yet, perhaps if it goes well I'll read him again for my another book by the same author category.

I finished The Big Over Easy and it was pretty good. I liked seeing characters I knew like Jack Spratt, Humpty Dumpty, and others in unfamiliar ways.

Good to hear you liked Over Easy. I have tried to read Lamb several times and it just wasn't capturing my attention. Fluke was the 1st for me and what got me started in reading his books. Coyote Blue was great as well.

Let me know how you do with Lamb...maybe it's time I pick it up again.

I'm thinking about editing my categories again.. instead of Book Lust perhaps I'll read from libraries like mine.. See Librarything's list of people who have libraries like mine and pick my reading off of their lists.

That is a brilliant idea. Now I want to do that too. I already have a bunch of "inspired by lt" books so what's more, right?

I started Astonishing Splashes of Colour this morning. It was shortlisted for the Man Booker Award in 2003.

I just finished His Illegal Self by Peter Carey, an Australian writer. It was on the "New Book" shelf at the library. It was well written and interesting.

I'll definately read more by the author.

I just read Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story which is a children's non-fiction book about the first Asian American to win an Olympic medal. Sammy Lee was an Olympic diver in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics.

I also read Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride last night which is about Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt and an evening plane ride they took together. I LOVED the illustrations in this book!! Added bonus a cute story about two very brave and famous women. Great for younger readers.

Nothing I've tried to read these past few days has stuck. I lose interest and decide I don't want to read. Bah on this mood.
I did read Horton Hears a Who though which is being turned into a new animated movie. My mom said the cast was on Oprah yesterday but I missed it.

#15 - When all else fails, blame the weather. I haven't been sticking to my list at all, but pulling things to reread off my shelves. Oh, well. I'm still reading things on my list, just s-l-o-w-l-y.

The problem with that is that I live in Texas and it's 60 degrees here.

That's it then. It's too nice to be indoors reading.

I've been distracted lately by a class I'm taking on reader's advisory. I'm currently reading Ender's Game as my science fiction book. I still have to read Ice Station and The Viscount Who Loved Me before class starts on the 24th.

I am still reading Before Green Gables but so far I am pretty impressed and glad that someone on here recommended it.

How are people doing at staying on track with the challenge? Are you "sneaking" in reads outside of the challenge? Or staying to the categories you selected? It seems that for every challenge book I read I find I read one that doesn't seem to fit. But I do feel like the challenge is getting me to think outside the box a little on what I usually read.

-21

I intentionally left one category for miscellaneous reads. Unfortunately, this category is filling up faster than the rest. I also "sneak" reads outside the challenge. After I read a depressing book I like to reward myself with something lighter and less literary.

I did the challenge mainly to encourage myself to read books I already own instead of constantly acquiring new ones. I have been pretty sucessful doing this. For example, I'd owned Stone Diaries by Carol Shields for many years but it kept getting deeper and deeper into my TBR pile. Now I've read it for my Pulitzer category.

While I think these challenges are worthwhile, ultimately I think most of us will "cheat" sometimes.
That's the nature of reading.

>21 ShannonMDE:

I'm staying on track pretty well, I think. I've switched one category to misc. because I just couldn't see reading 8 travel books when I was having trouble finishing the first one. I decided I would rather change the category than try to force myself to read 8 books I wasn't all that into within one year. Other than that, though, I've been pretty good about my categories. I've changed out a title or two, when I've found something I'd rather read, but it has gotten me to read stuff I wouldn't have probably otherwise. I just finished Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, which aren't difficult, but they wouldn't have been on my list of TBRs probably were it not for my "1001 books" category.
And I've definitely read more books off my shelves than I would've. I generally buy 8 books, read 1 or 2, buy 12 more, read maybe 3 (but usually not)...and on the cycle goes. I think I've actually got fewer TBR books in my home now than I did at the beginning of the year, which is HUGE!

My list of rereads, which I deliberately categorize as outside the challenge (unless I really don't remember much about them) is getting pretty long.

I'm doing well, but I didn't make myself lists of books like some others did. I just set my categories and am completing them as I go. I find these categories are helping me keep to my reading plans, and like some people have said, the 888 challenge is helping to whittle down Mount TBR.

I have read a few other books that didn't fit into the 888, but I don't consider this cheating. Some I had to read for school, and others I just wanted to read. I realized when I set up the 888 that it wasn't going to cover my entire reading year, so I don't give it a second thought when I read something else.

Considering that I read about 200 books a year, I have no problem with reading books "off" my list. Even if my list were larger, I'd still read off list and not consider it cheating. I'm not letting myself feel that constricted by it.

I am not remotely sticking to my categories. But I'm a fast reader, so I hope that it's not going to keep me from finishing my lists. I have 3 books going right now, all on my lists. But then I read A Going Concern which isn't on any of my lists, just one I had to read last night because I wanted a 'comfort read.'

I'm the same as Morphidae, I read a fair bit more than my listed 72 each yr - I'm looking on the list as what I have to include amoung my other reading. Having said that, I've managed to list quite a few that I can't find copies of so I"m swapping in & out madly

I also generally read many more than the challenge requires so my off-challenge books don't bother me. The challenge has been successful so far because I've read a few books that I probably wouldn't have picked up otherwise and some of them have been unread books from my own shelves. On a different note, I do want to read more nonfiction in the next couple of months, especially ones already in the house.

Meant this to be in my other post but got interrupted big time!

I've noticed that two of the award winners that I've read are in fact not award winners, but titles that have been shortlisted. Astonishing Splashes of Colour was shortlisted for a Booker Prize, and Digging to America was shortlisted for the Orange Prize.

I was a bit nervous about reading My Sister's Keeper because it seemed to be getting mixed reviews around LT and I kept mixing up what I knew about the storyline in my head, confusing it with The Memory Keeper's Daughter. I finally read My Sister's Keeper and I thought it was a pretty good read. I've found myself recommending it at work to fans of John Grisham and Nicholas Sparks. I think it has the feel of early Grisham like A Time to Kill and The Client. Perhaps because it is more people focused instead of business or corporate focused, as his later work seems. And something about the youth point of view and the drama reminds me of Sparks, or enough to where I think someone who reads his books would like this one as well.

I am leaving to go out of town for a few days on Thursday. I brought Henry Huggins and Henry and Ribsy home from the library last night to tide me over until then so I can start on something longer for the plane ride.
It seems I plan my pre-travel reading almost as much as my travel reading. I don't want to be about a chapter away from finishing something and having to take it with me for only a few pages.
Anyway, my main point.. I'm excited about re-reading all of the Beverly Cleary books. Last year I re-read all the Ramona books in order, and the new Ramona book that wasn't around when I was little, Ramona's World. Hubby and I are contemplating a trip to Portland, Oregon this summer, and all I can think of is I get to go to the city where the Ramona books are set.

I'm totally stealing one of your categories. I love Book Lust! What a good idea.

I can't think of too many better ways to spend hot Sunday afternoons than hanging out in the AC in my bed with my dogs reading Janet Evanovich. I just finished reading High Five. I love how Stephanie Plum makes me laugh out loud.

I picked up Marshall Hollenzer is Driving at the library after seeing the author at a local bookstore. He was talking about how it is being developed into a movie that will star Martin Sheen and Tony Hale. Also Owen Egerton, the author, is a sort of local personality in Austin, TX as he is involved in the Master Pancake Theatre shows (i.e. faux Mystery Science Theatre) at the Alamo Drafthouse movie theatre in town.

I just finished True Stories of Law and Order which is pretty much what it sounds like, it tells the true stories of the episodes that are "ripped from the headlines". It was an okay book, covering mostly episodes from early seasons and many of the episodes are in frequent rotation on TNT. Most of the "ripped from the headlines" cases covered were true crime accounts from the 1960s - early 1990s. I wished the book would have been able to go into more detail comparing the episode to the real story but the book isn't authorized by Law and Order.

I finished up the Henry Huggins series by Beverly Cleary today. I remember reading some of the books in the Henry series when i was younger, but probably not all of them. I liked the Ramona series much better, and I liked it when Ramona made guest appearances in the Henry books. Probably my favorite book in the Henry series was Henry and the Clubhouse because you get the most Ramona.

I am reading another book in the category of "Own". I don't actually own a lot of books. Hubby and I actually have an empty bookcase in the house. Many of the books I owned I gave away when I moved across country or left behind at my mom and dad's house. I am not a big book buyer due to lack of space, funds and the hated task of moving books. It seems that the books I buy don't get read though because something always needs to get back to the library. So I am working in some books I bought because I am on the wait list for too many books at the library and they haven't come in yet.

I just finished Slam, a fairly new YA book by Nick Hornby and I really like his books for adults, but found this YA book to be a bit like every other YA book I've read about teen pregnancy. One thing he did differently was that the main character Sam saw flashes of his future throughout the book, which perhaps I would have liked if I hadn't just finished reading The Time Traveler's Wife.

I just finished Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything in It which won the Coretta Scott King Award this year. And like many books I've read about race it seemed a little too heavy handed. I find that off-putting. I think it is possible to write about race and not need to beat the reader over the head with it, even if that reader is a child / YA reader. In Brendan Buckley the author used a lot of mixed rocks / mineral / geology references when talking about mixed people. One or two of those metaphors would have been fine, but there were just too many for me.

We have a patron at work who all he ever wants to read are the Perry Mason mysteries by Erle Stanley Gardner. He reads them in order then he starts back at the beginning again, (and again, and again). I had never read any mysteries by this author, so I thought I'd give it a try. The story is very readable, even for me and I find pre-WWII books hard to get into sometimes. The Case of the Baited Hook appears to be 16 in the series and it has a copyright date of 1940.

Just looking at my YA reading list makes me realize that I have yet to read any really great YA lit this year. All the YA books I've read have been rather disappointing..

Currently reading A Mighty Heart. I was prompted to pick it up after reading several of the human rights articles that Mariane Pearl writes for Glamour magazine.

>42 ShannonMDE: I see The Book Thief is tagged unread in your library. Pull it out, make yourself comfortable. "Really great" will be an understatement :)

>44 detailmuse: I was going to make the same suggestion re The Book Thief!

I thought A Mighty Heart was a wonderful book about brave people and loved it right up to the epilogue where Pearl published letters that people had written her expressing their sympathy. I understand she was trying to say thank you to her well wishers during a difficult time, but it didn't seem like the letters fit into the rest of the story. I would have liked to have seen some of the articles written by Mr. Pearl instead if something extra needed to be added (which I don't think it did).

After stating in previous posts that I don't buy books often I've realized that two of the books in my "own" category, I didn't own when I started the challenge. I found a Borders gift card in my room while cleaning and spent it on Then We Came to the End. I got that book because out of that versus the other books I was considering purchasing hubby said he might actually read this one also. (Generally hubby and I have very different tastes in books.. he reads long classics or books he thinks people should read. I am a more popular item kind of reader in comparison.)

Started my early reviewer copy of Summer Blowout today. Oddly enough I'm not sure it's really an early review book since I saw it on the shelf at the book store.

I finished Summer Blowout in less than 24 hours. It was a very quick "summer" read. The characters had personality, there was a lot going on with the characters and it was sort of charming.

Bella is a recently divorced hair and makeup stylist. Bella has a large extended family that includes her brothers, sisters, half-siblings, stepmothers, father and mother. Her ex-husband is now in a relationship with her half sister. In the process of doing makeovers at a college recruitment fair Bella meets Sean and comes up with the idea of developing personalized makeup kits for teen clients teaching them the right colors and the how to's of makeup. Also interwoven into the story is a side story of real estate professionals trying to acquire the land where Bella's dad owns a salon, Bella's new love (a terrier mix) and Bella's nephew's wedding.

One of my bigger complaints about the story was all of the "product placement". The characters went to Starbucks, drove a Prius, used Paul Mitchell hair products, wore Maybelline, OPI, MAC, Almay, Bobbi Brown, Revelon, Estee Lauder, Loreal, Max Factor and Clariol. And sometimes Bella would mention the colors of the products she used too, such as Frankly Scarlett, Cha Cha Cha, Catfight, Red Hot Mama, and those are just a few of the colors mentioned.

I picked up Martian Child because John Cusack was in the movie and I wanted to see it but didn't get around to it before it left the theatre. The book was cute, and a fast read. One of Dennis' many problems in addition to being an ADHD, foster kid who's been abused and possibly has effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is that Dennis thinks he a martian.

From what I understand, in the movie John Cusack's character is a widow who decides to adopt a child, but in the book which is based on a true story by Sci-Fi / Fantasy author David Gerrold is a gay man who decides to adopt a child. This comes up several times in the book. There is a point in the story where the adoption committee is deciding who should tell Dennis his prospective father is gay, the scene where David tells Dennis, one of the arguments David has with his son is in a moment of anger Dennis (the son) gets mad with David because he will never have a mom, and then it comes up again later because Dennis is falsely accused of acting out sexually.

Just looking over my list.. I've realized that quite a few of the based on a movie books I've read this year have been nonfiction
i.e. A Mighty Heart
True Stories of Law and Order
The Martian Child

I started Twilight last night. After all the buzz, I thought I'd give it a try. I'm only 90 pages in to this 500 page book..

Finished Twilight. Hubby and his friend took to reading passages of Twilight out loud. Supposedly so I could hear how ridiculous it sounds. But all in all, it was a pretty good YA book. Not good enough where I am convinced I will read the whole series, but not bad. Hubby and his friend thought the book came across as racy as it dared while at the same time being anti-sex.

Finished Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon and the Journey of a Generation this morning. My dad gave me a copy of Court and Spark when I was 13, and a copy of Carole King's Tapestry when I was 16. (At the time I was a Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow, Lilith Fair attending music chic.) Last year I read Hotel California and I felt like this was the girl's side of the story, perhaps with more who's sleeping with who and the story behind they lyrics though. That being said I've been listening to Carole King and Joni Mitchell in my car all week and plan to download some Carly Simon this afternoon.

Just finished The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music. Great book, fast read. The book is about a former Julliard bass student (and mentally ill man) who was living on the street playing a violin that only had two strings in downtown L.A. As it happened he was playing near the L.A. Times office and a journalist there took an interest in him. This is the story of how Mr. Nathaniel Ayers uses his music as a means to encourage him to seek help for his mental illness and get off the streets, and how journalist Steve Lopez is changed by his work in helping Mr. Ayers.

This is being turned into a movie in November starring Robert Downey Jr. and and Jamie Foxx. And is yet another non-fiction, turned into a movie book for my list this year.

I had a friend tell me I'd like the TV show, Heroes. But it seems like a show where I should watch from the beginning. So I picked up Heroes, Volume One graphic novel in hopes to sort of catch up until I had a chance to get a copy of season one of the show. I thought this graphic novel was pretty good, and I usually don't read the superhero comic books (with the possible exception of Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

I forgot how great Where the Sidewalk Ends is for reading aloud!! There's a great flow to these poems. Some of them are a little bit dated (the book came out in 1974), but most of the poems would still get a giggle out of little kiddos.

The downside of Gods Behaving Badly is that I had to frequently refer to Wikipedia to review my mythology. I loved listening to Apollo and Neil fight and the scenes from the underworld were hilarious. Part Percy Jackson series, part Nick Hornby.

I can recommend Heroes, too. We actually watched volume two before volume one and it was slightly confusing. Now that we have seen all the episodes we intend, in a month or two, to order them from the library in order and watch them again. My husband describes it as a SF soap opera, but a very good one. Now, if we could find copies of season two...

Just this week I had a group of 7 year-olds in stitches over a Shel Silverstein book.

I am not usually a multiple book at once kind of girl, but I am casually reading through Where the Sidewalk Ends, Dreams from My Father, and He's Just Not That Into You. One was in prep for a job interview (youth services librarian position). I wanted to be able to read a poem outloud if asked to read something. One because it FINALLY came in from the library and there's a mile long request list after me, so I'm on a time crunch. (Yea Obama!!), and the other because I'm sort of embarrassed to be reading it, I am happily married but intrigued by the idea of a self-help book being turned into a movie starring Drew Barrymore, Scarlett Johansson, and Jennifer Aniston.

Finished He's Just Not That Into You this morning, and I will say that my favorite line was something along the lines of if there is a problem in your relationship he should be talking to you about it not putting his penis in some strange vagina about it. All in all alot of common sense and a lot of the person who you will be with eventually will appreciate that you didn't stay with the loser you were with, that guy who just wasn't that into you.

I've been thinking about the best books I've read this year. The top ones that are jumping out at me off the top of my head have probably been:
March

The Soloist: A lost dream, an unlikely friendship and the Redemptive Power of Music

The Time Traveller's Wife

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

I've found myself recommending March quite a bit at work lately, especially when people like Civil War books, or when they say they are just looking for a good novel. And I've also been recommending The Time Traveller's Wife to people looking for a good romance. We don't have the others recorded on audio yet, but we are working on recording The Soloist and there are already patrons I have in mind to recommend that title to.

I picked up a copy of The Laramie Project from the library. Just finished it. In college I had the opportunity to see the play acted out and to see Matthew Shephard's mother speak. It's hard to believe that this act of violence took place 10 years ago. I believe that the people doing the interviewing of the personalities and people involved in the case and trial, and just the people living in Laramie did a good job of showing the town as a complicated place and they showed both the good and bad in Laramie.

Finished Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks and I really wish it would fit somewhere in the Challenge, but unless I start extra credit categories I don't see it fitting. After reading March by Brooks I was so impressed I wanted to read more by her. I have only one more book by her I haven't read, then I'll have to wait and hope she comes out with more. It's been quite awhile since I've been so "I must read everything by this author" about someone. I highly recommend both Year of Wonders and March.

After taking a look at the note on LibraryThing about Year of Wonders it won the Alex Award in 2002. It fits the challenge.

How did I not realize I had 9 categories going? I have 65 out of 72 books read.

Just finished reading Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and I am so excited about the movie.
As a side note, I think it is interesting that Michael Cerra is finding a niche as the quirky guy who gets the girl.

I work in audiobooks for the state, but find that I rarely listen to them. I listened to some earlier in the year, but none since April. I'm going to try to make more of an effort.

There's a great line in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society about how, "Perhaps there is some secret sort of homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers. How delightful if that were true."
That reminds me of something I learned in library school, the "5 laws of Library Science" by Ranganathan. 1) Books are for use. 2) Every reader his book. 3) Every book its reader. 4) Save the time of the user. 5) The library is a growing organism.

Just finished The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker. I read a review for it recently, perhaps the NY Times. I liked how it had both economic criticisms of our country (effect of illegal immigration, management dishonesty / greed, discrimination, globalization, disappearance of pensions and healthcare for employees, etc..) with real life examples from American workers. As I was reading it, I thought how interesting it would be to hear the author's commentary on the current financial bailout.

Finished Ana's Story yesterday. It's by Jenna Bush. I was surprised to find what I considered not conservative views about sex in her book. She did say that abstinence is the only way to be safe, but more importantly you should decide for yourself when you're ready to have sex whether that is when you're older or when you're married. Also at the end of the book she listed resources that teens could look at to learn more and be more informed about abuse, AIDS, and just general helping others. She also listed discussion questions on how to use her book in a book club or in a classroom. Perhaps she believes that abstinence only education doesn't work?

I picked up this book because I had seen some of the talk show interviews when she was promoting her book, and was impressed with how she presented herself. While I may not agree with her father on many issues, I thought she wrote a better than average book.

I was glad to see that you read and liked Ana's Story. I also saw Jenna Bush promoting her book and was pleasantly surprised. I'm attempting to improve my rudimentary Spanish and I found a Spanish language version yesterday used.

I'm reading Girlology: Hang ups, Hook Ups and Holding Out which is basically a teen sex and dating book. It caught my eye because I recently read about challenges to that title because of the information provided. I'm only about halfway through it now, but the gynecology chapter (when to visit a gynecologist, what tests check for what, etc..) was useful even for me as an adult reader, and I thought the format of the writing made it very teen friendly.

I'm already starting to think about my categories for next year..
Drama
Non-fiction
New Books (08-09)
Audiobooks

I just started to read Meet Me In St. Louis. I'm from St. Louis and currently living in Texas. I've been invited to a "state" themed Halloween party next week. Perhaps I'll dress as the Arch, or foods that came to be during the 1904 World's Fair, Rocky, or sandwich board cut out outline of a state, a Dr. Pepper can (it's very Texan) hmm.. any other ideas?

Hi, ShannonMDE!
I am from Texas currently living in Oklahoma. I have been to St. Louis several times since moving here, and I have to say that the people of St. Louis are the nicest people anywhere.
I think dressing up as a Dr. Pepper can is a great idea. I was born and grew up near where it was invented. I drank DP long before anyone ever heard of it. I love it! Sadly, last summer I decided to give up my wonderful DP and all carbonated drinks. Sometimes though I can still taste it. :)
Happy Reading!
--BJ

Billiejean--I agree about people from St. Louis. I'm from Vancouver and have traveled all over Canada, the US, Australia and Europe, and in all my travels I think people in St. Louis were the friendliest people I've run into anywhere. So, ShannonMDE, what is it in St. Louis that makes people so nice?

New Books (2007 - 2008) -- done
A Hatred for Tulips Jan.
Before Green Gables March
Summer Blowout July
This Land is Their Land August
Gods Behaving Badly August
Dear American Airlines September
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society September
The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker October

First Read in a Series -- done
The Big Over Easy Jan
Ender's Game March
Size 12 is Not Fat April
Shadowland: Mediator April
Darkly Dreaming Dexter April
Buffy, the vampire slayer Omnibus, Volume 1 May
Twilight July
A is for Alibi November

Non-Fiction -- done + 1
The Year of Living Biblically Jan.
The Color of Water April
Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex June
Tell Me Where It Hurts July
Girls like Us August
Dreams from My Father September
The Laramie Project September
The Greatest Generation November
Manhunt: The 12 Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer December

Mystery -- done + 1
Two for the Dough Jan.
Four to Score Feb.
Size 14 is not Fat Either May
High Five June
Hot Six June
Plum Lovin' June
Three to Get Deadly July
The Case of the Baited Hook July
Home Fires November

My book list was getting too big.. It was taking forever for the touchtones to load and only half of them were loading. Moving the list into two files seemed to solve the problem. I'll have to keep that in mind for next year.

Oh, by the way since I was talking about Halloween costumes the other day. I gave up on the state theme idea. I'll go in costume just not theme to the party. I'm going to be Little Red Riding Hood.

I'm about 100 pages from finishing The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw. I have great respect for veterans, but I am not happy with the discussion / political views of the famous veterans he's talking about and describing in his book. Perhaps I'm misinterpreting their words, but to read that Andy Rooney thinks that only veterans who were wounded or seriously injured deserve benefits and that George Bush (the First) thinks that some veteran groups are wrong to ask for more benefits is horrendous in my opinion.

To know that my grandpa said that the best thing he ever did for his family was to take advantage of the GI Bill to get an education and to know that was available to him because of his service is something that I am very proud of. I speak to veterans everyday at work and have great respect for their contributions and if these are the opinions of members of the military who went on to be "famous" I'd rather hear from everyday people.

I agree with you!
--BJ

My own it category was sort of a bust.. as I bought 4 out of the 8 while completing the challenge and the goal was to actually read books that I owned but haven't gotten around to reading.

One book away from finishing my many categories and what do I do.. bring home a stack of books from the library in which none of them fit the missing book!!
Currently reading Manhunt: the 12 Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer because in the words of one of my patrons I might as well get on the bandwagon and read about Lincoln too since he's been in the news so much lately.

And not only am I one book away from finishing, I am one children's chapter book away from finishing.

I didn't know that Miracle on 34th Street was a book, but I'm finding it charming and just as cozy and happy as the movie (and I'm only up to the part where Santa talks to the little orphan girl in Dutch).
However I was surprised early on in the story to see that Santa said he'd be damned if he let them ship him to a sanatorium. Santa should NOT say damn!!

I guess it's official, I'm done..
Time to edit those categories over at the 999.

Congratulations, ShannonMDE!
--BJ