elizabeth's 999 challenge

I really want to expand my current reading selection back to what it was when I was in college.

So my topics are:
1. Pennsylvania Authors
2. Meant to Read- Books I own but never read
3. 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
4. Jewish Fiction
5. Historical Fiction
a.Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
b.Ransom My Heart by Meg Cabot
c.A Bride in the Bargain by Deeanne Gist
d.Pirates!by Celia Rees
6. Plays
a. Enemy of the People Henrik Ibsen
7. Lost Book Club
a. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
b. Y the Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan
8. Juvenile Books (not Y.A. and not picture)
a. Shooting the Moon by Frances O'Roark Dowell
b. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
c. Loser by Jerry Spinelli
d. Owly: Tiny Tales by Andy Runton
e. Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Petersen
f. Matilda Bone by Karen Cushman
g. The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman
h. Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale
i. Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin
9. Recommendations
a. Dead until Dark by Charlaine Harris
b. Locas: The Maggie and Hopey Stories by Jaime Hernandez
c. The Best American Comics 2008 by Lynda Barry
d. Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee

What PA authors are you going to be reading? I think I only know children's PA authors, off the top of my head. I'll be interested to see what is out there.

I'm doing the Lost Book Club too. I'm excited about that! We'll have to chat about 'em.

I'll be interested in which children's books you choose to read, also your jewish fiction thread. I have a classic children's books category - books that I should have read when I was much younger!

I'll also be following your Jewish fiction thread. What kind of Jewish fiction interests you? My favorite is fiction by contemporary Israeli authors.

i haven't really decided. i had wanted to take a jewish literature class in college but couldn't fit it it. i might end up doing more jewish american fiction but if you can recommend anything, i'd appreciate it.

I might go off the Pennsylvania Center for the Book's Literary map- http://www.pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/index.html

I'll have to do some research.

Jewish literature is such a broad topic. I'd really need too know more about what facets of Jewish literature interest you before I could begin to recommend anything specific to your tastes.

No matter. How about a really fun starter (and very different) Jewish book? It's a graphic novel called The Rabbi's Cat by the French comic book artist Joann Sfar. It's probably unlike anything you've ever read (if you've not read graphic novels before). Enjoy it!

thanks! i always wanted to read it!

I suggest The Liberated Bride by A.B. Yehoshua.

I might read the 'classics'. I might do a mix though too. I was thinking of reading something like the evolution of the spunky girl in children's literature. So start with pippi longstocking, harriet the spy, ramona quimby, and others like that.

Might I recommend the probably more YA since she's in middle school Confessions of a Closet Catholic. It's about a Jewish girl who gives up being Jewish for Lent in order to be more like the new girl in her class at school.

And another children's series, Chet Gecko. They were recommended to me by a children's librarian who said they are super hot with the 3-5th grade boy set. They are hilarious.

spunky girl books sounds great. I have to mention Kevin Crossley-Holland's Gatty's Tale - it's about Welsh pilgrims travelling to Jerusalem in the year 1202 and Gatty is a fantastic character - impulsive but brave she is the ideal heroine. In the States the title is Crossing to Paradise I think. One of my favourite children's books from last year.

I really liked Confessions of a Closet Catholic. It was interesting because I had gone through a similar phase when I was a young teen where I becamse very interested in Judaism.

We have one of the Chet Gecko series. They aren't too popular where we are but I will have to read it.

We don't have either title in our library. I'll have to look into that. thanks!