Bridget's 999 in 2009 Challenge

Like some other posters, I am not starting this challenge until 2009. I'm still trying to finish up the 888 challenge! But I thought I would start a thread and think through my categories. Last year, mine were very broad and I didn't pick the books up front. I will probably operate the same this year, although my first two categories will lock me into a more narrow selection than last year. Drumroll please!

01/04/09 Update - I plan to use this post to keep a running list of what I have read, am reading, or plan to read. Mostly, I will choose books as I go or when I determine one that I really want on my list.

Jane Austen - I have NEVER read a novel by Jane Austen! Yes, shocking. So in 2009, I will read several of those (I think she has seven) and round the category out with books related to Jane Austen, ala The Jane Austen Book Club.

* Emma - Finished 01/08/09 (also 1001)
* Sense and Sensibility - Finished 03/14/09 (also 1001)
- Pride and Prejudice
- Northanger Abby
- Lady Susan
- Mansfield Park
- Persuasion


Books Selected or Recommended by Amber - Amber is my 17 year old daughter. She also enjoys reading, but her taste is somewhat different than mine. I thought it would be fun to have her to recommend books she has enjoyed or is reading school.

* girlbomb by Janice Erlbaum. Finished 01/13/09 (also Rainy Day Reads)
* The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. Finished 03/22/09 (also 1001)
- The Taming of the Shrew - Her second pick. She really enjoys Shakespeare and I'm not sure I've read any! Waiting to be read.
- Breakfast at Tiffany's - Amber loves both the book and the movie.
- The Last Madam

- The Scarlet Letter


Books from the 1,001 List - Because I intend to read as many of these as I can.

* Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. Finished 02/15/09 (also Not My Genre)
* Emma by Jane Austen. Finished 01/08/09 (also Jane Austen)
* Eline Vere by Louis Coupernous. Finished 01/30/09
* The End of the Affair by Graham Greene. Finished 02/22/09 (also Movies)
* Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. Finished 03/14/09 (also Jane Austen)
* The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. Finished 03/22/09 (also Amber's picks)


On the Job - Books to help me become more effective at work.

- Applying Use Cases by Geri Schneider. Have read some of this, will reread and then complete. Very timely with a project beginning at work this week. Waiting to be read.
* The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. Finished 02/27/09.


Kicked Off the 1001 List - A lot of books were removed when the second edition came out. Apparently, you only had to read them if you died before that edition was published! But I thought I would try anyway....

* Amsterdam by Ian McEwan - Finished 03/01/09


Is the Movie as Good? - We all know it never is. But I want to read some books that were made into movies and then watch the movie version.

* Jumper by Steven Gould. Finished book 01/17/09; Watched movie 02/22/09.
* Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie. Finished book 02/13/09; Watched movie 02/22/09.
* The End of the Affair by Graham Greene. Finished 02/22/09. Watched movie 03/07/09.


Not My Genre - My award category for the 888 challenge had me reading fiction that is not what I would normally choose. I plan to explore that a little more by reading some books in the western, sci fi, fantasy, etc genres. I'm open to suggestions!

* Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. Finished 02/08/09
* Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. Adventure. Finished 02/15/09 (also 1001)
* Blown Coverage by Jason Elam and Steve Yohn. Action. Finished 02/12/09 (also Rainy Day Reads)
* Shadow Music by Julie Garwood. Romance. Finished 01/10/09 (also Rainy Day Reads)
* The Girl of His Dreams by Donna Leon. Mystery. Finished 01/27/09 (also Rainy Day Reads)


Rainy Day Reads - Could be called "Guilty Pleasures". A nice Sue Grafton or James Patterson that I can knock out in one lazy Saturday.

* Shadow Music by Julie Garwood. Finished 01/10/09 (also Not My Genre)
* Blown Coverage by Jason Elam and Steve Yohn. Finished 02/12/09 (also Not My Genre)
* girlbomb by Janice Erlbaum. Finished 01/13/09 (also Amber's pick)
* The Girl of His Dreams by Donna Leon. Mystery. Finished 01/27/09 (also Not My Genre)


Dewey Decimal Classes - My nonfiction category! I practically have to force myself, but it's good for me. I plan to read a book from nine of the ten classes of the Dewey Decimal system.

* 001 Hippo Eats Dwarf by Alex Boese. Finished 02/17/09
* 170 Everyday Commitements by David Richo. Finished 03/10/09.

Hi Bridget. I hope you don't mind me posting here when you haven't filled out all the categories on your thread yet, but I just wanted to say that I'm in the same boat regarding Jane Austen - I've never read any of her books, and my plan is to read all 7 of them in my "Classics" category, plus another two unrelated books to fill out the category. Great minds think alike ;-) Also, your books recommended by your daughter category is an excellent idea, and such a fun way to read out of your normal comfort zone. I look forward to reading how your 999 challenge goes next year.

I don't you mind you posting at all, Elee. One of the things that I love about LT is the opportunity to interact with other readers. I hope we can compare our Jane Austen experience in '09. And I will let you know how the recommendations from Amber go - I think she might be looking forward to throwing me a few curve balls.

>1 BKieras:, 2
yep, I'm third in this growing list of Austen newbies! Pride and Prejudice is in my 999 Challenge and you're inspiring me to consider another one or two or... I'll be watching your lists for suggestions :)

#4 detailmuse

You didn't ask for advice but my children will assure you that I don't mind giving unsolicited advice. ;-)

I've read and love all of Jane Austen. If you are going to read only two (P&P is given--everyone should read this one) I would suggest Emma because it is another story about a strong female but the plot is quite different. Or if you want to read "something different" I suggest Austen's homage to the Gothics of her age, Northanger Abbey--it is a "hoot" and is the reason I want to include The Mysteries of Udolpho in my 999 series. I couldn't find it in print years ago when I read the Austen but I notice it is now available.

>5 MusicMom41: Thanks, I love recommendations! Now I want to move P&P up to the beginning of my 999 reads ... there are only 10 or 15 titles already competing for first in line :)

I've decided on my fourth category - "On The Job". I will attempt to read nine books that will help me be better at my job. That would include books on leadership, teamwork, general management, project management, business analysis, and software testing. I say attempt because 1) I am already so darn good ;-); 2) I work too much to have time to read and 3) those books can be B-O-R-I-N-G!!

OK, I have all my categories - they are in my first post. I'm excited about starting the new challenge.

I love some of your categories. Kicked off 1001 is a great one! The Genres category sounds interesting too.

I did a similar film category this year and surprisingly found a few were the film was actually just as good, but that may be because I picked a few books of films I really liked already.

I ought to reread the Austen novels. I have several of BBC videos of Austen that I iron to. My favorite is Mansfield Park. The Mysteries of Udolpho is certainly well worth having read if you like Austen. I'm glad I read it, but I don't think I would again.

Gone with the Wind is a classic in both the book and the film versions. One of the few cases where I like both and find that I can enjoy them near the same time. Name of the Rose I had trouble getting into until I had seen the film. Both are good, the movie a lot more accessable.

What great categories! I'm interested to see which books were kicked off the 1001 list.

>7 BKieras: books on leadership, teamwork, general management, project management, business analysis, and software testing

wow, you're in for a treat if you include some books by Jerry Weinberg (officially, Gerald M. Weinberg; touchstone not working so I linked by html).

His books are an integration of all of the above; they're fun and highly readable, never boring! Becoming a Technical Leader is a great entry point; Are Your Lights On explores how to define a problem; and Secrets of Consulting is applicable to any kind of advice-giving, from on-the-job to social.

Here’s a link to his website.

Although I don't plan to start until 1/1/09, I have my first set of books picked out for this challenge. This time I am planning in the crossover books and will remove them if by some miracle I read more than the bare minimum. Actually, I think it will be a miracle if I just read the bare minimum.

I've laid out Emma for Jane Austen and 1001 Books; Jumper for Not My Genre and Books Made Into Movies; Interesting Times for Not My Genre; Hippo Eats Dwarf for Dewey Decimal; Shadow Music for Rainy Day Reads; Girlbomb for Recommended by Amber; Applying Use Cases for On the Job; and Amsterdam for Kicked Off 1001. I actually started the use cases book earlier this year but never finished it, so I imagine I will at least skim the chapters I completed and then finish it up.

If I can finish all these in January - could happen! - I will be in great shape. I've just got to squeeze these in around my garden planning and that pesky job!

I'm including a Dewey Decimal category, too! Don't know if you're aware, but there's a Dewey Decimal challenge starting on Jan. 1 -- maybe you'd like to join us? You can check it out here.

Tammy

There's also a Dewey Decimal challenge group on LT, too. I can't do the link, but it should be easy to find.

I have a suggestion for your work category: What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith. I have a work-related category too, and those books can be a snore, but I devoured this one quickly. It's written for those of us who are so good at what we do no other book can help us. ;o)

Also, I think you're very brave to pick a category for an author you've never read before. I've never read any of her books either, but I'd be terrified to pick her for a category. What if I read one book and hated it?

Thanks for the great suggestions for my On The Job category. The nicest part is I can probably get my boss to pay for the new books I want to read!!

#16 - Oh goodness! It never crossed my mind that I wouldn't like Jane Austen. Oops! I guess I should read a book on risk management. ;-) But I am about 100 pages into Emma and it looks like I'll be okay! If I get a little worn out, I can always switch to a biography or one of the newer novels with a Jane Austen angle.

In addition to reading Emma, I am now listening to Treasure Island, which I downloaded from LibriVox. I don't think I've ever listened to an audio book, but it's pretty nice to have one going while I am fixing dinner. I also do some crocheting and cross-stitching and was inspired to try audio books by someone on another thread saying they listened while doing their needlework. I would imagine they'll be very nice come springtime when I am out in the yard!

Treasure Island will work for both my 1001 category and for Not My Genre. Wikipedia categorizes it as Adventure. I could also use it for my category on books made into movies. There are several movie versions. I loved Muppet Treasure Island!

So far, I've finished the following books for this challenge. I don't do full scale reviews, but here are a few thoughts...

Emma - I loved my first Jane Austen! This was a funny, romantic book.

Shadow Music - This could count under both Rainy Day Reads,as it went very fast, and Not My Genre, because I don't read romances very often. I used to love Julie Garwood, who is from the Kansas City area like me. The book was pretty good, but I don't think I'll get back into romances.

girlbomb was recommended by my daughter. I actually picked it up for her for Christmas, not realizing she'd read it previously. But she was happy to have her own copy and immediately put this on my challenge list. I thought it was pretty good - another quick read.

Jumper was so-so. It fits under my movie category and my genre category. I'm not much of a sci fi reader, although I'd say this just barely qualifies. The teleportation angle was the only thing sci fi about it and that seemed like a prop for the rest of the story, not a central theme. I really wasn't that impressed with this book.

I'm still working on the audio book version of Treasure Island. I've got some housework to catch up on, so I should make some progress there. I am enjoying this, perhaps more so having it read to me. I'm still working through the January chapters of Gardening in the Prairie Lands and it is making me long for spring! I have all my seeds just waiting....

Today I plan to start Eline Vere. The English translation is somewhat hard to come by, my I did get a copy via interlibrary loan. This will go under 1001 Books. It was added to the second edition.

For data analysis, have you ever read any of Edward R. Tufte's books? His seminars really are the best, but the books are wonderful. If I had to recommend a sort of brass tacks one, it would be The Visual Display of Quantitative Information - horrible title, wonderful information.

Frankly, it really should be called, "Just because there are a million features available to you to make things look snazzy, let's be honest, this is about presenting things in a manner that will make your audience want to read and process the information, NOT visually vomit, understand?"

Some of it isn't the most practical stuff, but it will have you looking for chart junk and really thinking of ways to combine information where you can. He also has great case study information.

Thanks for the recommendation stephmo! That sounds really good. I've put it on my wish list.

Last night, I finished Eline Vere. This is new to the 1001 list with the 2nd edition. There aren't many copies on LT and its hard to find in English, so I imagine not a lot of people have read it. I got an ancient copy through interlibrary loan. I thoroughly enjoyed it. One review here on LT indicated it might be difficult for modern-day readers, but I didn't find it so. No more difficult than any other 19th century novel translated to English.

I've stalled on my audio book version of Treasure Island and the January chapters of Gardening in the Prairie Lands, but I should be able to wrap those up this weekend. I need to check my pile of TBRs for this challenge to see what is up next.

Since my last post, I've finished Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett. I had hoped to really like his books, but I don't think that is going to work out. I found it hard to get into, although some of the writing was clever. Unless someone wants to recommend a better selection, I'm probably done with this author. This was for my Not My Genre category.

I also finished Blown Coverage, an early reviewer book I got through LT. Still need to post my formal review, but this will go under Rainy Day Reads. The story was good and moved quickly, but I had a few problems with this book. First and foremost was probably the product placement. It was everywhere! Shoes, cars, coffee.....I found it very annoying. It probably contributed to my second problem, the characters. They seemed contrived and I didn't really like them very much. Finally, the Christian overtones were out of place. I wouldn't have liked such a theme in any novel, but they were just dropped in at odd places and it was distracting.

I finished the audio version of Treasure Island. I really enjoyed this and I think I probably liked it better for being an audio version. The reader did a very good job making the story come to life. This will go in my 1001 Books category.

Next, I finished up Hippo Eats Dwarf, a book primarily about all the hoaxes people have pulled on the gullible public. This was a quick, entertaining read. In some places, it was laugh out loud funny.

On a long drive, I read Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. This was for my books made into movies category. I'm about half way through the movie. So far, they are about tied as far as which one is better. The movie deviates from the book in a number of places - some that make sense and some that don't. What I am liking about the movie is how it evokes the time and place of the story. I think the book didn't do that for me because it is set in China and I couldn't bring up those mental pictures very well.

I'm now reading The End of the Affair and continuing my year long read of Gardening in the Prairie Lands.

Finished The Girl of His Dreams by Donna Leon. I'd put this book on my list after reading a positive review on someone else's 999 thread. Unfortunately, I didn't like it nearly as much as that person. I don't remember which thread that was. I just couldn't get into the story or care much about what happened, and found myself reading it just to get it done. Oh well!

I'm putting this under Not My Genre since I don't read many mysteries. I'll cross-list it under Rainy Day Reads as I could have easily finished it in a day if I wanted to put myself through that.

Finished The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. Even if you work on a team that seems to be doing great, this is a thought provoking book. It's a quick read and I would encourage anyone who works on a team, particularly as part of a management team, to read it. Also good is The Three Signs of a Miserable Job by the same author.

This is my first book completed for my On The Job category. Yay!

After checking Wikipedia, I updated my genres category a bit. I changed the Terry Pratchett book to Fantasy (I had it as Sci Fi) and the Blown Coverage book to Action (from Thriller).

I found it interesting that the article on genres does not mention Young Adult. Would you all consider that a genre?

I consider YA a genre.

Young Adult is interesting - it's can be something an author explicitly sits down to write as in, "this is the audience I'm aiming for," but more often than not, it's a marketing tool. And not necessarily marketing in a bad way - marketing in the "appropriate for ages 12-18" kind of way.

Which is how you end up with books like A Thousand Splendid Suns and Roots classified as Young Adult even though they're read by adults everywhere. Plus YA has a genre above and beyond YA - you're going to be a mystery or fantasy or romance first and young adult second, right?

Neil Gaiman once had an interesting blog questionon the classification of Stardust as YA (someone objected to the cursing and "explicit" sex scene that her 12-year old daughter read) and he flat-out says that he didn't intend for it to be "young adult." So it seems that you can infer from that that authors really have no control over the YA classification.

25> For me young adult or any categorization by the age of the reader is not genre. For me it's a categorization by content/style. So there's fiction (general/mainstream) and then there are genres like romance, science fiction, mystery, western, etc.

"Literary" fiction can go both ways for me: in stores, it's usually in the general fiction section, but it could be argued that if you recognize literary fiction as a style when you read it, it's a genre.

The genres can also have subgenres, like mysteries being divided into cozy, hardboiled, etc. And books can cross genres, too. Gabaldon's books, for example, could be considered romance and fantasy.

Which is not to say you couldn't have your own definition of genre, as I have mine, and include young adult in it if you feel like it. This thread proves people have different definitions.

Finished my second Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility, which I really enjoyed.

I also finished Everyday Commitments which is a nice book about "choosing a life of love, realism, and acceptance." It's very short, with sections meant to be read one a day or one a week. I plan to buy a copy to keep - this one was from the library. It's one of those books with simple premises, but things we often forget as we clamor to get ahead in life.

Getting ready to go on a business trip and have selected the books I want to take with me...

The Things They Carried - a book my daughter selected for me.
Where Angels Fear to Tread - for Kicked off the 1001 list.
Applying Use Cases - for work. Will I ever finish this book???
User Stories Applied - also for work.

I have two audio books as well - on the new iPod hubby got me for my birthday. I'll be in San Diego, so I am hoping to take some nice long walks or sit in a sunny spot while I listen. Both recording are from Librivox (http://librivox.org/)
The Thirty-Nine Steps - for 1001
The Age of Innocence - also for 1001

OK, there is no way I will get through all of these! But I will enjoy choosing where to start...

#30 Oh, you have to have more than enough - much better than running out. Besides, you never know what you'll be in the mood for. Have a great trip. San Diego sounds nice, but if you're like my husband, whenever he goes to a beach location on business, they usually have stormy weather while it's beautiful at home. Hope you have better luck than he does!