Retrogirl's 1010 Challenge

I'm only half-way through my 999 Challenge but am already thinking about what to read next year! For starters, here's my 10 categories and I'll get around to listing my reads a little later.

Coming To A Theater Near You - Books To Movies
Doorstopers - 500 Pages Or More
A Book People Praise But Don't Read -- Classics
Femme Fatale - Seductive Women
Once Upon A Time - Fantasy
To Be Young Again - Young Adult
'Cause This Is Thriller - Mysteries/Thrillers
Fact Or Historical Fiction? - Historical Fiction
Days Of Their Lives - Memoirs/Biographies
Anything Goes - Catch All

Coming To A Theater Near You
1. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Doorstopers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

A Book People Praise But Don't Read
1. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczky
2. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Femme Fatale
1. No Angel by Penny Vincenzi
2. The Bad Seed by William March
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Once Upon A Time
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

To Be Young Again
1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
3. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
4. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
5. Do you know what I'm going to do next Saturday? by Dr. Seuss
6. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
7.
8.
9.
10.

'Cause This Is Thriller
1. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Fact Or Historical Fiction?
1. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Days Of Their Lives
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Anything Goes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

love your category titles, and your categories - looks like a good list.

We share a couple of categories so I will be interested to see how you fill them. Good luck with your challenge.

Ah! vamps and vamps (femme fatales). I'll definitely be hanging around to see your books!

I agree, great category titles and I can't wait to see what you'll be reading! Do you plan on filling the books in ahead of time, or filling in as you go along?

Good categories! I'm doing several of the same ones, so I'll definitely be checking in to see what you're reading!

Thank you!
LauraBrook -- With my 999 Challenge I've been filling in my categories as I go along but I have an idea in the back of my head of what I'd like to read - I love making lists!

1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

The war against Voldemort is not going well; even Muggle governments are noticing. Ron scans the obituary pages of the Daily Prophet, looking for familiar names. Dumbledore is absent from Hogwarts for long stretches of time, and the Order of the Phoenix has already suffered losses.

As in all wars, life goes on. Sixth-year students learn to Apparate -- and lose a few eyebrows in the process. The Weasley twins expand their business. Teenagers flirt and fight and fall in love. Classes are never straightforward, though Harry receives some extraordinary help from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince.

As I saw Sarah Palin in Dolores Umbridge in The Order of the Phoenix I've found Barack Obama as Harry Potter in The Half-Blood Prince. Let's start with the basics shall we? Both Harry and Barack have been dub "The Chosen One" bringing hope and the thought of change to their respected communities. Second, is Potter and Obama sticking to their guns about what they believe in without backing down, even though each are heavily scrutinized for it; Barack Obama with his reform for health care and Harry Potter's claims that Voldermort has returned {although this was more prevalent in book 5}. Thirdly, Potter hits a dead end with the Horcruxes when the locket he and Dumbledore discovered turned out to be a fake. This also compares to Obama trying to get the Senate to pass his health care bill, as he is continually bumping heads with congressmen and filibusters detouring his desired route. Cornelius Fudge and Albus Dumbledore could also represent the Republican and Democratic parties. Fudge, who is judgmental and skeptical about what he is seeing from this figure and Dumbledore, who has complete faith in our hero.

2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

The heart of Book 7 is a hero's mission--not just in Harry's quest for the Horcruxes, but in his journey from boy to man--and Harry faces more danger than that found in all six books combined, from the direct threat of the Death Eaters and you-know-who, to the subtle perils of losing faith in himself.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a fantastic conclusion to the story of The Boy Who Lived. Tying up all lose ends of what happened on the fateful Halloween night and has the reader looking at some of the beloved characters in different and sometimes disconcerting light.

While reading Deathly Hallows I could not help but notice some similarities to two other classic novels; one being the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and the Tale of King Arther's Excalibur. One of the Horcruxes that Harry, Ron and Hermione must destroy is a locket, with each taking turns wearing it to be sure of its safety. While possessing the cursed token, they who wears it begins to experience morbid thoughts and becomes very paranoid. This reminds me of Frodo's relationship with the One Ring, and Ron's behavior has a hue of such nature. I even saw a glimpse of Sam in Harry, while he is not the sidekick of the book he manages to keep his cool and his companion on the quest at hand. Even, when the locket had to be destroyed Ron had difficulty proceeding with the task, as did Frodo upon reaching the Fires of Mordor.

This leads us to Excalibur, To break the spell upon Horcuxes one must either use venom form a basilisk or the force of a very powerful sword once owned by Godric Gryffindor. Harry and Ron discover said sword in the water while in the Forest of Dean and must dive in the fringed water to claim it. As Only a true Gryffindor could achieve claiming of a valued sword, only the true King could pull Excalibur from the stone, with the impression that it would only be used in good.

And that's what this book was, a good read and an excellent ending to a series ten years in the making.

3. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Bon Temps, Louisiana; where the living mingle with the undead and synthetic blood is a staple at the local bar. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life-and one of her coworkers checks out....Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't such a bright idea

Realizing that the Twilight series came out after Sookie Stackhouse I still couldn't help but notice the similarities between the two. In Dead Until Dark, Sookie has a "disability" she can read peoples minds making her somewhat of an oddity, but this gift excludes the "undead" better off known as vampires which also happens to included her boyfriend Bill. In Twilight, the roles are reversed, the vampire Edward can hear others thoughts and like Sookie the only one mind he cannot enter is that of his girlfriend Bella. The second glaring coincidence is that both girl's best friend is a shape-shifter. Jake who transforms into a werewolf and Sam who can change into any animal on the full moon, but prefers a collie as it is little easier to shift to; also I sense a paranormal love triangle in the making.

Despite these mere comparisons I thoroughly enjoyed this introduction to the Southern Vampire Series. It is a fast paced amusing mystery read, with cute barmaid Sookie, using her wits and special talent to help apprehend the person who is murdering girls in her hometown who have had relationships with local vampires, and works to prove both her boyfriend Bill and brother Jason's innocence in the crime.

All the characters where so fun, and look forward to seeing them grow, especially those of Bill and Sam with their relationships to Sookie; and look forward to reading the rest of the series.

4. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczky

In the year 1792, Sir Percy and Lady Marguerite Blakeney are the darlings of British society—he is known as one of the wealthiest men in England and a dimwit;she is French, a stunning former actress, and “the cleverest woman in Europe”—and they find themselves at the center of a deadly political intrigue. The Reign of Terror controls France, and every day aristocratsin Paris fall victim to Madame la Guillotine. Only one man can rescue them—the Scarlet Pimpernel—a master of disguises who leaves a calling card bearing only a signature red flower. As the fascinating connection between the Blakeneys and this mysterious hero is revealed, they are forced to choose between love and loyalty in order to avoid the French agent Chauvelin, who relentlessly hunts the Scarlet Pimpernel.

I went into The Scarlet Pimpernel knowing who was the true Scarlet Pimpernel, so while there was no surprise there still kept me on the edge of my seat. Baroness Orczk's novel is at once a tale of espionage,suspense, action and even a little romance. At first I had a strong dislike Lady Marguerite Blakeney, for while it was done unknowingly, betrays her husband for the safety of her brother; therefore, trading one brave man's life for another, also it made me curious because if Armond St. Just had joined the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel he would have done so knowing the consequences and would he really want to be saved? Lady Blakeney does redeem herself after realizing the true identity of the mysterious figure and I found the discovery of this information to be very cleverly executed. What ensues is quite literary a cat and mouse chase between Marguerite Blakeney agent Chauvelinin a race to capture the elusive Scarlet Pimpernel. The conclusion is exquisite, and the only reason that I gave this book a 4/5 rating is because I guessed Scarlet Pimpernel's final disguise, but is still a phenomenal read.

nice review. I have been toying reading the Scarlet Pimernel for my 1010 challlenge so you may have just swing my decision! All I can visualise is the campy (but great) 1930s(?) film.

Glad I could help swing your vote, it's a great read! I've seen the '82 adaption with Anthony Andrews which was okay, but haven't seen the 1930s one; I love Leslie Howard though so will have to see it at some point.

5. Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne Marie Le Prince de Beaumont

A merchant with three daughters loses all his fortune and after a return from a journey to try to reclaim some of his wealth, becomes lost in the forest and stumbles upon a palace which houses a beast within its walls. After innocently pick a rose from the master's garden is threatened with death or to return one of his daughters in his pace. Beauty, being the devoted daughter exchanges places with him and while she is first taken aback but his hideous appearance soon learns to love him for his inner beauty.

Beauty is given full reign of the house with the Beast's only request is that she join him for dinner every night in which he asks her to be his wife and every night she politely declines. Soon, it is reveled that her father is sick and asks to go to him with the condition that she returns in a week. Upon her arrival a trunk magically appears filled with fine clothes but when she suggests that they be given to her siste's as a gift the disappear as mysteriously as they arrived. Beauty exceeds the promised week returning to find the Beast dying from longing of her; where upon she declares that she loves him and will marry him as well. At these words the curse is broken and the Beast turns into a prince with the message of beauty being in the eye of the beholder.

This is a lovely fairy tale and while it has the storyline we all know and love is still quite different; with alterations of the ending having magic exceeding that of which is usually associated with the tale. Jeanne Marie Le Prince de Beaumont's enchanting story is eerie and dare I say it? Beautiful.

What a great review - looks like I have another addition to my TBR pile!

I love Fantasy books that take fairy tales and give them a twist. I will be on the lookout for Beauty And The Beast.

I've watched the Leslie Howard version of The Scarlet Pimpernel umpteen times and love it. I also really enjoyed the really recent one with Richard E. Grant and Elizabeth McGovern, although apparently the reviews were not great.

Good to hear! I will definitely have to watch the 1930s one now.

6. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife -- between desire and danger.

What to say about Twilight? I read this a few years ago because of all the hype it was receiving and wanted to see what it was all about. I must of gotten caught up in the book's popularity and entertaining storyline to realize how poorly it is written; very simple sentences and had a tendency to be pretty repetitive when describing the gorgeousness of Edward {he's extremely good looking and immortal already, we get it!} I saw Stephenie Meyer on Oprah a few months ago and in her interview claims that before the books knew nothing or had any interest in Vampires, which I find hard to believe; and also said the scene in which Edward shows Bella what he really is came to her in a dream, well if that's true it's a pretty incredible dream. I guess that if I did ever read Twilight again it would be purely as a guilty pleasure.

7. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

On July 16, 1942 thousands of Jewish families where taken from their homes and held at the Vélodrome d'Hiver outside the city of Paris before being transferred to Auschwitz. This story centers around 10 year old Sarah Starzynski, who upon realizing they are being taken locks her four year old brother Michel in their secret hiding place, thinking she will return shortly to let him out; obviously that is not the case.

Now in 2002 reporter Julia Jarmond and her family move into an apartment once occupied by a Jewish family who were arrested the day of the Vélodrome d'Hiver. It is also the sixtieth year anniversary of this tragic event and has been assigned to write an article on it; which adds fuel to they fire to find out the identity of the apartment's former tenets.

This book was so incredibly sad and no matter how fictional tore your heart. Also, I thought Tatiana de Rosnay did a good job describing the backdrop of that time in history getting the point across of these horrid times. Even though I found the end result of Sarah's brother to be a little predictable, it still touched me with the devotion and determination the girl had in recovering her brother with a tragic ending.

Through, Julia we get the aftermath of the discovery of Sarah's secret hiding place and the fate of Sarah Starzynski. Not only does the Vélodrome d'Hiver become retold but also adds salt to the wounds of those who survived and witnessed this parade of sorts bringing memories who wished to be lost up to the surface.

Sarah's Key is a wonderfully written story that keeps you thinking throughout and is very moving in general, with a key to a cupboard as concrete evidence that it occurred.

Wonderful review. I am wait-listed for this book at the library. Sound likes it will be worth the wait.

8. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

After Bella's near death experience last spring and Edward's brother Jasper losing control over a paper cut, the Cullens decide that it is in Bella's best interest to leave Forks as if they never existed. Of course this doesn't sit well with Bella and she goes into major depression until she rekindles a friendship with Jacob Black, taking her out of stupor. Unfortunately, Edward's brilliant idea comes to nothing as she takes an interest in extreme sports and her best friend turns out to be a monster of a different sort. But of course, this is a vampire love story so the vampire and human reconcile realizing they cannot live without one another, but ironically almost kill themselves in the process.

I had mixed feelings throughout this book, going back and forth on whether I liked it. I have come to the conclusion, that I am a Jacob fan and enjoyed the parts with him as Bella's sort of new love interest rather than the chilling cold but vampire with a heart of gold. While both boys care and despite her klutziness would never let any harm come to her, I get a little tired of hearing how perfect Edward is and I find the whole "Bella you are my life now" to be a little creepy, can we say stoker! In general, Jacob is just so sweet and for the most part is human, which also means he has a beating heart.

I think because of my liking for Jacob and I know the ending, I'm not sure if I will read the other two in the series. Mainly because while it ends the way Bella would like, it's not the way I would of preferred.

9. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

14 year old Susie Salmon, like the fish, is raped and brutally murder on December 6, 1973 after taking a shortcut home from school. The remainder of The Lovely Bones is told from Susie's view point while looking down on her family from heaven, watching them cope with their loss, while her killer roams free a few houses down from them.

In Susie's Heaven they play a game called "the perfect murder" very similar to the board game "Clue" {Professor Plum, in the study, with the revolver} Susie always chooses the icicle as her weapon of choice because it melts away; this is ironic and most probably intentional because both Susie's body and her killer dissolve leaving only a small puddle of evidence behind.

I actually read this several years ago after it first came out, but was very hesitant at first because of the subject matter. Do I really want to read about a 14 year old getting raped and murdered? Especially since I was only a few years older than Susie at the time. But, as I did this time as well, I ended up loving it. The thing I was most worried about was the explicit detail of the crime, when in fact while Alice Sebold gave the reader enough information to get a good picture of the act left the more gruesome parts to your imagination having the focus of the book be about solving the crime and her family and friends coping with their grief.

The Lovely Bones reflects on almost ten years after the murder with both the dead and undead dealing with this transition they have been given; and because of the longevity of the book grew a strong attachment to the characters. Ray, Susie's first boyfriend who has difficulty getting over his first love becoming the "loner type" to her younger brother Buckley, who was to young to comprehend what was going on and now becomes frustrated with his parent's lack of ability to let go of his big sister, and Susie's sister Lindsey who walks around known as "the dead girl's sister. This is truly a heart wrenching, moving book, but in the end proves that life does go on.