999 Ritulias :)

My participation is a bit of a cheat. ^__^
The thing is that I read sooooo much that anticipate completing 3 rounds of 81 at least. In fact, my friends in a Russian 999 community (on diary.ru) tease me saying that I should aim at 999 books. :-D
By the way, if any Russian-speakers are interested, the community is here:
http://pay.diary.ru/~challenge999/
The community is called "Дочитаться до Апокалипсиса" (Read upto Apocalypse). :)
Anyway, because of the great number of books I mean to read this year, I created an approximate list of categories, a priori expecting to tune them along the way. For example, I originally had a category "re-read favourite authors", but there are so many books by each author, that I'll have split this category into several personal ones. The same is applicable to "Australiana: children's writers" - most likely I'll have to split it into authors, too. Or "unfinished (by me) series". Or... Well, you get the idea.

Ok, here are the original categories for the year. ^__^

1. Australiana: children's writers
Jackie French, Terry Denton, Morris Gleitzman etc

2. Religion
Mostly Islam.
Fictional and non-fictional.
Harun Yahya

3. Self-development (sic?)
Not sure if psychology should be extracted into its own category.
Depression and social phobia/anxiety
Владимир Леви
Fish! tales (management)

4. Audio-books
Chmielewska, Zelazny, Маринина, Wodehouse
I'm not a particular fan of audio book - listening is the worst part of my language skills. And I just can't combine listening to an audio-book with doing something else: usually a book totally takes me in, it's not like music which can easily be a background. But I'll try. Especially as someone recommended a site where there are books read by Zelazny, for example.

5. Jews (my love ^__^ )
Children and adult literature, fiction and non-fiction.
In this thread there are many interesting things recommended: http://ru.librarything.com/topic/53262

6. Survival and spies
For the moment, stuffed into one category, but most likely will split into two... or more. :)
- Brian's Saga / Gary Paulsen (Hatchet, The River / The Return, Brian's Return / The Call, Brian's Hunt)
- Gordon Korman (Island*3, Everest*3, Dive*3, The Twinkie Squad; if manage to find - other)
- Ryan, Chris (Alpha force*10, and more)
- Anthony Horowitz (Alex Rider*7+, and more)
- A. J. Butcher (Spy High*6+6)

7. Round-Potter'ish
- Rowling: Bard Beedle's tales
- Емец: Мефодий Буслаев *10?
- Жвалевский и Мытько: Порри Гаттер *4?
- Michael Gerber (Barry Trotter*3)
Well, since I'm already here, let there also be Henry N. Beard and Douglas C. Kenney (Bored of the Rings).
Maybe, some other parodies?.. I'll see what I can find.
- I'll also put here some fanfics. :-P Such as my favourite "Лес теней" by Constance Ice and "works collection" :-D by valley, in particular the Burglars' trip series.

8. History
Loyola, Torkvemada - bios
Валентин Иванов, Русь Изначальная и Повести древних лет

9. Series that I haven't finished for some reason

10. Favourite authors

11. Beloved England
"Heartbeat", "Upstair, downstairs", ...

12. Classic works, classic writers, school program and whatnot

13. Books recommended by others

14. Books from Early Reviewers list that interested me

15. Tutti-frutti
Whatever I feel like at the moment.
At first thought this is cheating, but eventually decided to log everything that I read.

That's the big plan. Now for the first round. ^__^

I. Round-Potter'ish
1. Емец, Мефодий Буслаев - 1

II. Roger Zelazny, Amber Chronicles
1-6. Желязны, Хроники Амбера, 1-6

III. Robert Asprin, Myth
1-6. Мифо-серия, 1-6

IV. Александра Маринина
1. Каждый за себя

V. Сергей Лукьяненко
1-2. Звезды - холодные игрушки и Звездная тень
3-4. Линия грез и Императоры иллюзий
5. Лорд с планеты Земля
6. Гаджет (сборник)
7. Геном

VI. Емец, Дмитрий Александрович (кроме Мефодия Буслаева и Тани Гроттер)
1-3. серия про капитана Крокса, 1-3

VII. Audio-books

VIII. Classic works, classic writers, school program and whatnot
1. Этель Лилиан Войнич, Овод
2. Борис Николаевич Полевой, Повесть о настоящем человеке

XI. Tutti-frutti
1. В.Войнович, Москва 2042
2. Леонид Каганов, Коммутация (сборник)
3. Ирина Волкова, Бюро убойных услуг
4. Sue Wilcox, Symbi
5. Фридрих Незнанский, Ночные волки (Марш Турецкого)

That's my progress so far: 31 books finished.

Update:

III. Robert Asprin, Myth
1-8. Мифо-серия, 1-8

VIII. Classic works, classic writers, school program and whatnot
3. Jack London, Where the trail forks

XI. Tutti-frutti
6. Иоанна Хмелевская, Две головы и одна нога

Total: 35

XI. Tutti-frutti
7. Иоанна Хмелевская, Бабский мотив

That's 36.

IV. Маринина, Александра Борисовна
2. Маринина, Пружина для мышеловки

VIII. Classic works, classic writers, school program and whatnot
4. Ф.И.Достоевский, Игрок

XI. Tutti-frutti
8. Nicholas Walker, Black belt

Total 39.

VIII. Classic works, classic writers, school program and whatnot
5. Frances Hodgson Burnett, Little Lord Fauntleroy

XI. Tutti-frutti
9. Laine Hall, Mind games
10. Ellen Howard, Edith herself

Total 42.

Hm. I need to reorganise my categories...

I read Little Lord Fauntleroy years ago when I was a kid and I loved it. Will have to reread this I think.

dianestm,
I love the three more famous stories of Burnett (Princess and Garden as well as Lord). But this one is probably the sweetest. Planning to re/read what I can find of hers and re/watch as well.

Ritulia, popped in to say hello because you're in the next suburb. We may have stood in the same queue at the Darebin library in Gower Street.

Hey Pam!
So what suburb are you in?
I saw in your profile that you are on BookMooch too. What about BookCrossing? I've just the other day joined our LT-BC group and Yahoo!Group and BookCrossing site. Still confused about things but hoping to get there. :)

43. Judy Blume, Are you there God? It's me, Margaret
44. Ceci Jenkinson, The Mum shop

45. Meg Cabot, The Princess Diaries : Mia goes fourth

Got stuck with Enid Blyton's The Wishing Chair Collection. While I love children books, this one seem just a bit too "young" for me... I'll try to finish at least the first of the three.
Meanwhile, grabbed Morris Gleitzman instead, Give peas a chance.
And having fun with fanfics. :)

Also, have two audiobooks going: Joanna Chmielewska's Сокровища and Paulo Coelho's Alchemist, the latter read by the wonderful Jeremy Irons. ^__^

Ritulia, The Wishing Chair books and The Magic Faraway Tree books were favourites of mine when I was about 8. Just loved them. But, as you say, eight is pretty young.

Pam, I love kids books in general. Heh, I've got me an excuse: I'm a library student, gotta know the stuff, right? ^__^ But this... Yeah, it's *really* young.

Ritulia, I read Are you there God? It's me Margaret by Judy Blume when I was a younger. I really enjoyed Judy Blume back then. Think I will have to reread some of her books. Hopefully I can get my 11 year old daughter interested in her. I also really enjoyed The Secret Seven books by Enid Blyton. Didn't really read any of her others. Might have to rectify that.

Diane, alas, one of my daughters once said "I am not reading Judy Blume!". *sigh* I suppose some kids prefer different kind of read. My eldest loved Princess diaries, in which I (after trying one myself) couldn't see a grain of sense. And my boy reads little at all, so with him my concern is more with interesting him at all.

46. Morris Gleitzman, Give peas a chance
47. Emily Rodda, Saint Elmo's fire (Teen Power Inc)
48. Emily Rodda, Finders Keepers
49. Emily Rodda, The Timekeeper
50. Judy Blume, Deenie

51. Francine Pascal, Ellen's family secret (Unicorn club)

52. Francine Pascal, Angels keep out (Unicorn club)

53. Constance Ice, Лес Теней (fanfic)
54. Александра Маринина, Закон трех отрицаний
55. Meg Cabot, The Mediator 5: Grave doubts (Mediator-5)
56-57. Robert Asprin, Myth 9-10
58. Катаев, Валентин, Сын полка
59. Сергей Лукьяненко, Дневной Дозор
60. Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl - audiobook

Another book abandoned:
A.J.Butcher, Spy High-1
While I really enjoyed the series the first time round (alas, it was not completed by then), this time gave up in the middle of the first book. And I planned for both series 1 and 2...

61. Голон Анн, Анжелика - маркиза ангелов

62. Roger Zelazny, Amber -7

63-64. Robert Asprin, Myth 11-12
65. Иоанна Хмелевская, Закон невезения
66. Morris Gleitzman, Then
67. Юлий Буркин, Бриллиантовый дождь

68. Анн Голон, Анжелика - 2
69. Юлий Буркин, Изумрудные росы

70. Aspen in the light, "A year like none other"
(HP fic of great quality and the size of War and Peace... and it's just the first part of the saga)

71. Terry Pratchett, Truckers

72. Сергей Лукьяненко, Танцы на снегу

73. Александра Маринина, Посмертный образ
74. Terry Pratchett, Bromeliad (Nomes) 2: Diggers

75. Roger Zelazny, Amber -8

76. kbinnz, "Harry's first detention" and "Harry's new home" (fics)
77. Януш Корчак, Король Матиуш Первый; Король Матиуш на необитаемом острове

78. Hauff's fairy tales

79. Charmed: Warren witches (collection)

2 books and you will have completed the challenge. Good for you and its only the beginning of June.

*blushes deeply* As I've said in the beginning - I'm a major cheat. So this is not so much a 999 as a reading log... But I'm planning to be good. Soon... ^__^
We've joked with friends that mine is going to be not 9x9, but 20x09. *giggles*
And you're not so far behind either. I've seen that some people has already finished the first round! *awestruck*

80. Джеймс Крюсс, Тим Талер, или Проданный смех

81. Иоанна Хмелевская, Лесь

Time to clean up the list. %)
And create a new, proper one.
*dances*

82. Иоанна Хмелевская, Дикий белок

Woohoo!! You got to 81. Look forward to the next list.

Patiently copypasting onto LT my reviews from 999-community on diary.ru. In Russian and English. Sometimes in Russian for a book in English... %)

83. Roger Zelazny, Amber-9
84. Анна и Серж Голон, Анжелика-3

This means that I need at least 17 more books to have 9 categories with minimum 9 books (they won't exactly be complete as some are series).

85. Terry Pratchett, Colour of magic

Keep re-designing the lists and categories. Hope the end is nigh...

Looks like not two rounds but two simultaneous threads/lists plus spill-overs.

86. Иван Яковлевич Франко, Крашеный лис

87. Дмитрий Емец, Мефодий Буслаев - 7: Лед и пламя Тартара

88. Michael Robotham, Lost

Another abandoned:
Khristian E. Kay, Highway Tourette's by proxy
Got via Member Giveaway (or was it ER?). Tried a few times, got as far as 20 pages. Absolutely not my kettle of fish. The cover was the right clue, should've paid heed...

*sigh* I'm officially off 999.
Like my freedom of choice too much for a thing like this. Prefer to read mostly whatever my left foot feels like at at given moment. %)
Better to have a log, a list "to read" (incl "recommended") and a small list "to read ASAP" (eg religion, health).
Will keep this thread as a reader's diary.

Fair enough for the second 81 to be your choice.

Ah Pam, alas - the first round was free choice, too. It just didn't work out. Hate forcing myself to do whatever, and especially with books - which I lovely dearly.
Writing now this and remembering school: each year before summer holidays you were given a longish list of books to read, the same for everyone. And that's aside from the main, literature subject. You were lucky to read a book before you *had to*, however great it was...

89. Сергей Лукьяненко, Кредо
90. Robert Asprin, Myth-13

91. Тургенев, Муму

92. Сергей Лукьяненко, Конкуренты
93. Александра Мариниа, Чувство льда
94. Terry Pratchett, Nomes/Bromeliad-3: Wings

95. Jacqueline Lichtenberg, Дом Зеора (House of Zeor)

96. Антон Павлович Чехов, Медведь
97. Асприн, MYTH - Миф-14

Another aborted (fourth):
Макс Фрай, Линор Горалик, Книга одиночеств

Massive edit for the sake of Touchstones. Got the hang. Not that they're completely working. But still, many more links for books and authors.

98. Сергей Лукьяненко, Недотепа

99. Stories from the Jewish world
100. Юрий Поляков, Апофегей

101. rakugan, Игрок (Сага о Лестрейнджах) - another great fanfic from the series of a great author
102. Deborah Ellis, Parvana's journey

Interesting fact: of the hundred books I've read this year almost half (47) are re-reads, furthermore: 32 of them are many-times re-reads... It seems I really live in my comfort zones.

103. Дмитрий Емец, Первый эйдос (Мефодий Буслаев - 8)
104. Макс Фрай и Линор Горалик, Книга одиночеств (after reading (and weeping over) the "main" part consisting of 2 pages, decided to include in the log)

Nothing wrong with re-reads. In fact, I've been so focused on reading new stuff there are a few "friends" I've neglected this year. I've decided if I do a challenge next year I will leave a category for re-reads so I can spend time with them and not feel guilty for reading off-challenge.

No, nothing wrong. And I certainly enjoy the warm fuzzy feeling when taking those books in my hands...
But it woudn't hurt to try new either. It's just the amount - half of my reading - that really got me surprised.
I did get a new favourite author this year, though! Discovered Michael Robotham's books. Lost was the first one (picked it due to the title - I'm a fan of the same-named TV series), now reading The night ferry and enjoying it very much.

*sniffs*
My frustrated comment at "Next Year" was soooo mis-taken and turned against me that I think I'm done with participating in discussions.
*sniffs, shuts up and crawls away*

*pats Ritulia's shoulder and hands her a tissue.

*considers deleting account* (hmm, seems impossible)
*sniff* Game continues. Same people elsewhere.
Never mind me. Just another sensitive freak using somebody's air.
It's not what we do but how we do it.

I'm sorry. I was a participant in that discussion and I regret that it made you uncomfortable. (I couldn't figure out how to leave a message on your profile)

Hi Ritulia, couldn't find where to leave a message either. Nothing you said on that thread deserved an aggressive response. Someone took your comment the wrong way.

Ditto what pamelad said.

Rereading books is comparable to chocolate, good comfort food.

Thanks to all kind people.
Still, I'm going.
Copied offline the many book recommendations, emptied catalogue, ready-set-go...