SpiraledStar's 999

I'm looking forward to working on this challenge! I have a lot of great books lined up, and I know that I'll find many more as the year goes on.

My categories:
I. The Big Blue Wet Thing
II. Vignettes
III. "You Have to Read This!"
IV. Parts of a Whole
V. Hahaha!
VI. Way Back When
VII. Arr!
VIII. To Another World
IX. Odds and Ends

I. The Big Blue Wet Thing: Naval fiction or nonfiction.
1. Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian
2. Mr. Midshipman Hornblower by C. S. Forester
3. The Prize of All the Oceans by Glyn Williams
4. Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
5. Under Enemy Colors by S. Thomas Russell
6. Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
7. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
8. H.M.S. Surprise by Patrick O'Brian
9. --undecided--

II. Vignettes: Anthologies and collections of short stories. Hopefully, I can find some great new authors by browsing the short fiction books.
1. Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
2. Nebula Awards Showcase 2008 edited by Ben Bova
3. The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories by H. P. Lovecraft
4. A Whisper in the Dark by Louisa May Alcott
5. Bed by Tao Lin
6. Amphigorey Again by Edward Gorey
7. Flash Fiction: 72 Very Short Stories by James Thomas
8. The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories by Susanna Clarke
9. The 13 Crimes of Science Fiction e. by Isaac Asimov

III. "You Have to Read This!": Books recommended by friends, relatives, LT, etc.
1. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
2. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
3. Jenna Starborn by Sharon Shinn
4. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
5. Boomsday by Christopher Buckley
6. Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's by John Elder Robison
7. Soul Music by Terry Pratchett
8. Bone by Jeff Smith
9. --still open--

IV. Parts of a Whole: Books from various series.
1. Doomwyte by Brian Jacques
2. Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett
3. Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
4. Mort by Terry Pratchett
5. Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
6. Scarlet by Stephen R. Lawhead
7. Small Favor by Jim Butcher
8. The Absolute Sandman, Volume Two by Neil Gaiman
9. The Absolute Sandman, Volume Three by Neil Gaiman

V. Hahaha!: Humourous books.
1. Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett
2. Amphigorey Again by Edward Gorey
3. Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones
4. Letters to Ebay by Art Farkas
5. The Dalek Survival Guide by Nicholas Briggs
6. The Traveling Curmudgeon by Jon Winokur
7. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
8. Antsy Does Time by Neal Shusterman
9. --undecided--

VI. Way Back When: Historical fiction, contemporary fiction written in a bygone era, or nonfiction focused on historical events.
1. The Great Stink by Clare Clark
2. The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier
3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
4. Shogun by James Clavell
5. The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo
6. The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl
7. Emma by Jane Austen
8. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
9. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

VII. Arr!: Fiction and nonfiction about pirates. A category I started last year but got sidetracked from. This year, I am determined to finish it!
1. The Pirates! in an Adventure with Ahab by Gideon Defoe
2. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
3. Under the Black Flag by David Cordingly
4. Empire of Blue Water by Stephan Talty
5. Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini
6. Jefferson's War by Joseph Wheelan
7. The Pirates Laffite by William C. Davis
8. If a Pirate I Must Be... by Richard Sanders
9. The Republic of Pirates by Colin Woodard (might also be cross-posted to the recommendation category)

VIII. To Another World: Books set in other planets, worlds, or dimensions.
1. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
2. The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
3. God's Demon by Wayne Barlowe
4. The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien
5. The Arrival by Shaun Tan
6. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
7. House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones
8. The Absolute Sandman, Volume One by Neil Gaiman
9. The Absolute Sandman, Volume Four by Neil Gaiman

IX. Odds and Ends: Assorted other books. Some don't fit in the categories, some are overflow, all are tbr. This category will have twice as many books as the other categories, as I have many books that I want to read that don't quite fit anywhere else, and my lit classes will add more books to my plate.
1. Darkmans by Nicola Barker
2. Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks
3. Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips
4. An Introduction to Elvish by Jim Allan
5. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
6. Eulalia! by Brian Jacques
7. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
8. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
9. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
10. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
11. The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue
12. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
13. Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley
14. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford by Ron Hansen
15. The Victorian Fairytale Book by Michael Patrick Hearn
16. Gil's All Fright Diner by A. Lee Martinez
17. --undecided--
18. --undecided--

Have you considered Republic of Pirates for your pirate category? It is a nonfiction that tells about the major players during the golden age of pirates in the early 1700's and describes the society they constructed in the Bahamas which was totally democratic. Evidently some think it may have been an inspiration for the US government which was established after the revolution just a few decades later. It also talks about the people and events which led to the downfall of the pirates, and the true events behind some of the enduring stereotypes we still have about pirates and privateers. Can you tell that I enjoyed it? :-)

I like your other threads, too, and will be watching for your comments this year.

sjmccreary: I'll definitely look for that book. Thanks for the tip! It looks quite interesting.

January Reads: 7
Stardust; Nebula Awards Showcase 2008; Coraline; Hamlet; The Traveling Curmudgeon; House of Many Ways; Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Category Progress
The Big Blue Wet Thing: 1/8
Vignettes: 1/8
"You Have to Read This!": 1/8
Parts of a Whole: 0/8
Hahaha!: 1/8
Way Back When: 0/8
Arr!: 0/8
To Another World: 2/8
Odds and Ends: 1/8

All reviews are posted here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/53185 .

February Reads: 1
Ouch, really? Only one? Hm...February was an awfully busy month, though I thought I read more. Ah, well.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Category Progress
The Big Blue Wet Thing: 1/9
Vignettes: 1/9
"You Have to Read This!": 1/9
Parts of a Whole: 0/9
Hahaha!: 2/9
Way Back When: 0/9
Arr!: 0/9
To Another World: 2/9
Odds and Ends: 1/9

I love the pirates category. It will be fun to see what you think of those.

March/April Reads: 8
Mort; Antsy Does Time; Pride and Prejudice; Anna Karenina; The Pirates! In an Adventure with Ahab; American Gods; The Road; Amphigorey Again

Category Progress
The Big Blue Wet Thing: 1/9
Vignettes: 2/9
"You Have to Read This!": 1/9
Parts of a Whole: 1/9
Hahaha!: 3/9
Way Back When: 2/9
Arr!: 1/9
To Another World: 2/9
Odds and Ends: 3/9

May Reads: 3
Gil's All Fright Diner; Flash Fiction: 72 Very Short Stories; Reaper Man

Category Progress
The Big Blue Wet Thing: 1/9
Vignettes: 3/9
"You Have to Read This!": 1/9
Parts of a Whole: 1/9
Hahaha!: 5/9
Way Back When: 2/9
Arr!: 1/9
To Another World: 2/9
Odds and Ends: 4/19

June Reads: 3
Boomsday, Soul Music, The Absolute Sandman, Volume One

Category Progress
The Big Blue Wet Thing: 1/9
Vignettes: 3/9
"You Have to Read This!": 3/9
Parts of a Whole: 1/9
Hahaha!: 5/9
Way Back When: 2/9
Arr!: 1/9
To Another World: 3/9
Odds and Ends: 4/19

July Reads: 4
Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's, The Arrival, Bone, The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories

Category Progress
The Big Blue Wet Thing: 1/9
Vignettes: 4/9
"You Have to Read This!": 5/9
Parts of a Whole: 1/9
Hahaha!: 5/9
Way Back When: 2/9
Arr!: 1/9
To Another World: 4/9
Odds and Ends: 4/18

August Reads: 6
The Absolute Sandman, Volume Two, The 13 Crimes of Science Fiction, Gods Behaving Badly, The Absolute Sandman, Volume Three, The Absolute Sandman, Volume Four, Letters to eBay

Category Progress
The Big Blue Wet Thing: 1/9
Vignettes: 5/9
"You Have to Read This!": 5/9
Parts of a Whole: 3/9
Hahaha!: 6/9
Way Back When: 2/9
Arr!: 1/9
To Another World: 5/9
Odds and Ends: 5/18