BJ's 999 Categories and Books

I have tentatively decided on my categories for my 999 Challenge. They are:

I. Book to Screen (Movie or TV)
II. 1001 Books to Read Before You Die (Old or New List)
III. Dewey Decimal Challenge Books
IV. SFF/Speculative Fiction
V. Collections (Short Story, Poetry, Essay, Myths and Legends, Etc.)
VI. In Translation
VII. Humor
VIII. LT Reading Group or Recommendations
IX. Mixed Bag

As you can see, I have borrowed ideas from many other people. One category that I don't have that I was thinking about having is TBR. I will have to think about whether to create this as a category or just fit these books into other categories. I could put it in instead of the Collections category and just put those books in Mixed Bag. I am not sure what I will do yet. I am not going to list my books out in advance, because I am not sure what I will read, and 81 books is just too much planning for me. I am excited about starting this challenge, but first I have to finish my 888 challenge. :)
--BJ
Edited to change the Children's or Young Adult Lit. to Humor. :)

I just remembered that I had wanted a humor category, too. What to do, what to do? I guess I still have time to think about it. :)
--BJ

You still have plenty of time to work things out. When I was doing my categories I looked at my TBR and tried to group them so that I could read as many as possible for the challenge.

I like your Translation category. Before 2008 I wouldn't have considered it for myself. But this year I read three Russian novels and a few Japanese ones. I've found out that the translator can make all the difference between a good book and a God-help-me-to-get-through-it book!

Hi, VictoriaPL!
Yes, I did not realize that the translator had such an important job until I started LT. I am not sure how everyone knows which is the best translation. I love the Russian novels! What Japanese ones have you read? I haven't read any of them yet.

I am still thinking about those categories. I guess I will try to decide by Christmas!
--BJ

I hope I didn't get your hopes too high. I didn't read any of the great literary masters. I figured I would start with modern popular works and then work my way backwards if I had the chops for it.

The Russian books:
The Night Watch, Day Watch and Twilight Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
I enjoyed them very much. I was amazed at how easy they were to read. It must be a very good translation. I had a little trouble with the names. The author switched back and forth between the given and the diminutive forms. And I know that we do this in English too, but since I was not familiar with Russian names sometimes I had trouble following the action. I'm sure that will get better as I read more.

On the Japanese side:
(some of these don't have touchstones)

I really enjoyed Naoko, The Diving Pool (by Yoko Ogawa) and After Dark.

I read Vampire Hunter D just for laughs. It's intentionally campy but the language flows so well.

Spring Snow was a little more difficult to follow, but I'm still glad I read it as it is considered a classic. And it does have an epic feeling to it.

Dark Water and Loop by Koji Suzuki. Both felt a little awkward at times.

I was disappointed by Ju-On (by Kei Ohishi). It had punctuation and spelling errors throughout, like they didn't even proofread it before printing. Very distracting. I also had a problem because three or four of the characters had names beginning with a K. I couldn't keep them straight.

Boy that was long. Sorry. I'll be checking back to see what books you're reading. Maybe I'll borrow a few.

Thanks for all the suggestions. :) I have trouble with the Russian names, too. My girls read Crime and Punishment in high school, and the teachers handed out a listing of the various forms of everyone's names. I thought that was a good idea. I recently read a short Russian novel, and I had forgotten how confusing the names can be. But I love those books! I haven't read any Dostoevsky yet and that is on my tbr: Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamozov. I had been wanting to read some Japanese novels and just did not know where to start. I like books that are just for laughs, too. In fact, I need some of them. I have been thinking about putting that humor category in, just not sure where yet.

I can't wait to see what books you will be reading, too. That's one of the best parts of LT -- all the suggestions.
--BJ

I love Asian fiction, and I love Japan, but I find Japanese fiction more challenging than, say, Chinese, because their cultural values are so very different and those assumptions can be really subtle and difficult to spot in their writings.

For Japanese novels, I would almost suggest starting with a few books by Westerners. I read Memoirs of a Geisha some years back, and I think it's a fine starting point. Aside from the arguments about how accurately it portrays the lives of geishas (I don't know), it has the advantage of explaining a lot of ideas that are germane to Japanese culture from the point of view of us, the outsiders. (At least, that's what I remember.) Another great little book is Lost Japan by Alex Kerr. He's lived in Japan for oodles of years and has a lot of great insights into how Japan is modernizing and aspects of their culture that are interesting and different.

Japanese authors: I really enjoyed The Makioka Sisters by Tanizaki. It's on the long side, and felt a little slow, but I did enjoy it. He's definitely considered one of the 20C masters -- yet I never could get into his other books. YMMV. Snow Country by Kawabata is another classic. It's short, and Kawabata won the Nobel some years back. Last year I read The Ruined Map by Kobo Abe -- decidedly bizarre! He's also considered one of the 20C masters, but I can't see most Westerners reading it and enjoying it. I still don't know if I liked it or not.

And Russian lit? I loved The Master and Margarita and Doctor Zhivago. I tried Crime and Punishment and, much to my embarrassment, couldn't get into it. I'd love to know what you think. I'd like to try the Brothers Karamazov too.

Eek-- didn't mean to ramble so badly!

Hi, mcalister!
Thanks so much for all of the suggestions! I think that my girls read Memoirs of a Geisha in high school, so I think that I have a copy of that around here somewhere. I think that maybe they made a movie of that. I also loved Doctor Zhivago and have been thinking about rereading it sometime soon. I have never read The Master and Margarita, but it seems like everyone loves it. Other translations that I have been thinking of are In Search of Lost Time, although I must admit that it intimidates me somewhat, and Labyrinths. Please let me know if you think of any other suggestions. Happy Reading!
--BJ
P.S. What Chinese books do you recommend?

Hmmmm.... I've actually enjoyed all the Chinese fiction I've read. Most of them have been about the Cultural Revolution, so that if doesn't interest you, you probably wouldn't enjoy them so much. My personal favorites are In the Pond and War Trash by Ha Jin, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie, Becoming Madame Mao by Anchee Min, and To Live by Yu Hua. Ha Jin won't work for your In Translation category, though; he writes in English, which is pretty stunning since he didn't move to the US until he was an adult.

The Asian History prof. at my uni is having her undergrads read Spider Eaters this term, though again, Cultural Revolution. It's on my TBR list.

And boy, you're brave if you're going to tackle In Search of Lost Time! Would you read all the volumes? I've been thinking I should read something by Emile Zola and something by Tolstoy this year. And maybe Don Quixote -- another classic I've not read. So many books, so little time, eh?

Thanks for the suggestions of the Chinese books. I am actually pretty interested in the Cultural Revolution. I think that my daughter has a copy of Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. I did not realize that this was written by a Chinese author. I guess that I did not check. But since I can borrow this book, I will definitely add it to my list. As for Proust, I was just going to start with Volume 1 and see how it goes. I think that there are 6 volumes, but I don't want to commit to read all of them this year. I have also been wanting to reread Don Quixote. I have long lost my copy, but my other daughter has a copy that I can borrow. She is planning to read it in Spanish at school, though, and might need to hang onto her English copy until she takes that course. What are you going to read by Emile Zola? Thanks for all of your suggestions. I will look into all of them. :) I love that LT opens up the world of books for us!
--BJ

Anchee Min is a favorite of mine. I really enjoyed Katherine and Red Azalea. Natsuo Kirino is a Japanese author who writes very dark thrillers. I loved Out, although it isn't cheerful and is somewhat graphic (not more so than an American thriller, though).

If you tackle The Brothers Karamazov, I'll put it in my ReRead category--I read it years and years ago and have vague memories of a long slog that I enjoyed. Mainly, I had the impression that Demitri was hot and Fyodor sensitive--reasons why certain books should be kept from teen-age girls--I could turn anything I read into chick-lit!

RidgewayGirl, you crack me up! :) Thanks for the suggestions. And I'll let you know about The Brothers Karamazov. But I have been wanting to read it for a couple of months now. I think it sounds like a good book for January. I am getting excited about the 999 Challenge! I still have about 7 books to finish for the 888 Challenge and I want to finish it first. However, I am beginning to think that I will get them read.
--BJ

I like your choices! I especially like the book - movie category. I will have to remember that one next time. I look forward to seeing which books you choose.

I read BK back in high school and remember it taking a while to sort out all the characters, with all the patronymics and nicknames and that. It made it seem like there were twice as many characters!

Hi, kiwiflowa and cmbohn!

#13 I actually copied the book to screen category from someone else -- I think from the 888 Challenge. Reading over the books listed, I realized just how many movies came from books. I also like to watch movies, so if I can find them, I might watch the movies after reading the books. I am also including books connected to tv. For my 888 Challenge Science/SFF category, I read two books about the science of star trek (and the second one also included Star Wars, Independence Day, and Men in Black). So I might count something like that, too. I don't know yet. I don't like to pick my books out in advance too much, because there are so many possibilities out there and I don't want to be locked in.

#14 The Russian names are tricky. I have heard of people making charts and family trees. Actually I recently reread The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey. This book involved British royal family members and lots of them were named after each other. I got confused with all the similar names, but it included a chart, so I kept referring to it. Of course, if my knowledge of the history of Great Britain were better, I probably would not have gotten confused. :)

I am so excited about this challenge! Happy Reading! :)
--BJ

I don't like to pick my books out in advance too much, because there are so many possibilities out there and I don't want to be locked in.

I like to pick out my books in advance and then just completely ignore my list and read other ones! Or at least, that's what always seems to happen.

Hi Billiejean

I've been watching, but can't seem to figure out what you consider a Dewey Decimal challenge book?

Hi, Zoe and tututhefirst!
#16 That is so funny! I guess I could pick out some books in advance, if that is an option. Picking out in advance has been the hardest part of the tbr challenge; however, since it only requires 12 books, it is possible.

#17 The Dewey Decimal Challenge is an LT group set up by Zoe (#16) to read the 1000 numbers of the dewey decimal system. I would give you a link to the group, but I don't know how to do it! I joined the group, but I haven't started my challenge list yet because I am trying to finish the 888 Challenge. Having it on my 999 list will help me work toward this goal. I am not sure that I can finish that one, but it will be fun trying! :)
--BJ

Picking out in advance has been the hardest part of the tbr challenge

Heh, I have the opposite problem! I love picking out books and making lists, I just can't seem to stick to them. I think it's almost time to deem my TBR challenge a failure (but then again, there are still two months left...).

The Dewey Decimal Challenge group is here. (You can make a link by typing (a href="www.whatever.com")text of link(/a), but with triangular brackets.) I have to say, though, I can't take credit for thinking of the idea of that group--but I'm really glad Morphidae came up with it! It's more of a lifetime reading goal than a one-year challenge; I think if I live to be 100 I can just about manage it.

Thanks for the link. I agree that it is a lifetime challenge, like the 1001 books group. And I have read so many fewer books than everyone else in the group! That is why I put the category in my 999 Challenge.
--BJ

Way back up there someone suggested a Japanese novel for your translation category--I would like to second that nomination! After Dark by Haruki Murakami would be a good place to start--it is interesting and unusual--with a touch of "magical realism" and, very important when you plan to read 81 books in this challenge alone, it is not a long, taxing book. I found it strange but alluring and in the end, satisfying.

Thanks for the suggestion, Musicmom! Do you recommend a particular translator? Maybe there is only one. My oldest daughter is studying to be a translator. She is immersed in Spanish literature these days. :) Whenever I find a book in Spanish, I pick it up for her. There aren't that many around here which I find surprising.
--BJ

After Dark is so recent I would guess there is only one English edition. I think it was published in 2007 but I'm no sure--but that is when the Savannah Book Group picked it to read and I think it was his newest at that time.

I changed my Children's/YA Lit. category to Humor. I want to read more funny books this next year.
--BJ

I. Book to Screen (Movie or TV)
1. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway.
2. A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry.
3. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier.
4. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
5. Run Silent, Run Deep by Commander Edward L. Beach.
6. Love Story by Erich Segal.
7. Our Town by Thornton Wilder.
8. The Stand (The Complete and Uncut Edition) by Stephen King.
9. Dances with Wolves by Michael Blake

II. 1001 books to Read Before You Die (Old or New List)
1. Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
2. Atonement by Ian McEwan
3. Get Shorty by Elmore Leonard
4. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
5. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
6. Dracula by Bram Stoker.
7. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.
8. The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy.
9. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh.

III. Dewey Decimal Challenge List
1. It's a Zoo Out There by Rachael Hale (779.32 HALE)
2. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat who Touched the World by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter (636.8092'9 dc22)
3. Mark: A Devotional Commentary: Meditations on the Gospel According to St. Mark edited by Leo Zanchettin (226.3/077 21)
4. His Excellency George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis (973.4'1'092 dc22)
5. L'etranger (The Stranger) by Albert Camus, translated by Matthew Ward (843'.914)
6. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi (741.5'944 -dc21)
7. Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction by David Macauly (726.6)
8. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Living Catholic Faith edited by Jack Canfiels et al. (810.8/02/09283 2008939489)
9. It is Time to Meet St. Philomena by Mark Miravalle (270)

IV. SFF/Speculative Fiction
1. The Magic Lands by Mark Hockley.
2. A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge.
3. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.
4. Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress.
5. Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper.
6. The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper.
7. Greenwitch by Susan Cooper.
8. The Grey King by Susan Cooper.
9. Silver on the Tree by Susan Cooper.

V. Collections (Short Story, Poetry, Essay, Myths and Legends, Etc.)
1. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling
2. The Newest Peruvian Poetry in Translation edited by Luis A. Ramos-Garcia and Edgar O'Hara (Volume 1)
3. Why a Son Needs a Mom: 100 Reasons by Gregory E. Lang
4. I'm Nobody! Who are You? Poems by Emily Dickinson
5. The Gift of the Magi and Other Stories by O. Henry
6. Edward Lear's Complete Nonsense by Edward Lear
7. Anne Frank's Tales From the Secret Annex by Anne Frank.
8. A. R. Ammons: Selected Poems by A. R. Ammons.
9. The Children's Own Longfellow by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

VI. In Translation
1. Pere Goriot by Honore de Balzac; translated from French by Ellen Marriage.
2. The Leopard by Guiseppe Tomasi di Lamedusa; translated from Italian by Archibald Colquhoun. (Trouble with touchstone.)
3. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky; translated from Russian by David Magarshack.
4. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Anonymous; translated from Old English by Simon Armitage.
5. Ritos de Muerte (Death Rites: A Petra Delicado Mystery) by Alicia Gimenez-Bartlett; translated from Spanish by Jonathan Dunne.
6. Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos; translated from French by P. W. K. Stone.
7. The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra; translated from Spanish by John Rutherford.
8. Platero and I (Platero y Yo) by Juan Ramon Jimenez; translated from Spanish by Eloise Roach.
9. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy; translated from Russian by Louise and Aylmer Maude.

My first book for this category will be Swann's Way. Wish me luck!
--BJ

VII. Humor
1. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.
2. The Princess Bride by William Goldman.
3. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.
4. Eyebeam, Therefore I Am by Sam Hurt.
5. Eenie Meenie Minie Tweed . . . Eyebeam and the Real World by Sam Hurt.
6. . . . I'm Pretty Sure I've Got My Death-Ray In Here Somewhere! by Sam Hurt.
7. Our Eyebeams Twisted: The First and Foremost of Fourth Eyebeam Books by Sam Hurt.
8. It Came From the Far Side by Gary Larson.
9. Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding.

VIII. LT Reading Group or Recommendations
1. Farthing by Jo Walton. Group Read -- SciFi
2. The Coffee Trader by David Liss. The Highly Rated Book Group
3. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. The Highly Rated Book Group
4. Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov. Group Reads -- Literature.
5. Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon. Group Reads -- SciFi.
6. Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis. 75 Book Challenge Group Read.
7. Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin. The Highly Rated Book Group.
8. The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin. The Highly Rated Book Group.
9. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Mark's 50 Book Challenge Group Read.
My first book for this will be The Coffee Trader by David Liss. I ordered it from amazon.com with super saver shipping, so I hope that it arrives in time. :)

IX. Mixed Bag
1. Praying the Family Rosary by Father Thomas P. Looney, CSC.
2. Peep: A Little Book About Taking a Leap by Maria van Lieshout
3. You Can Be Anything! by Charles M. Schulz
4. Spain and Portugal: Tourist & Motoring Atlas by Michelin
5. Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
6. Holy Hour of Reparation by CMJ Marian Publishers.
7. Naked in Death by J. D. Robb
8. Rules of Prey by John Sandford.
9. Grave Goods by Ariana Franklin.

Thanks to a suggestion from LibraryLover23 in another group, I started my reading year with The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. This is a book that my kids read in school that has been hanging around the house for a long time, because I want to read all the books that they read in school that I missed out on when I was in high school. I listed this in the Book to Screen category, but it could also have been in the 1001 Books category or LT Recommendations. (I reserve the right to change categories later, if I need to in order to meet my challenge goal!) This was a quick read, but it was magnificent. The story of man against nature was told simply but powerfully. I loved the main character Santiago. Two different movies have been made of this -- one with Spencer Tracy and one with Anthony Quinn. I hope that I will be able to see the movie sometime.
--BJ

Hey billiejean - saw your post in my 888 challenge! I like your categories and wish you luck in the 999. I'm particularly interested in your speculative fiction category.

I wrote a comparison paper in college of The Old Man and the Sea and Life of Pi. That might be another book for you to look into. And not to give things away, but perhaps it would work in multiple categories for you.

Hi, Karen Marie!
Thanks for the luck. I think that 81 is quite a lot of books for me, so I have started with a couple of really short ones. The SFF/Speculative fiction section is so that I can read all the recommendations from my two daughters who love that genre. I am trying to choose between Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Ender's Game for the first one. Any thoughts on those two? I am about to start Farthing for a group read.

Speaking of really short books, I just read a wonderful book for my Dewey Decimal category called It's a Zoo Out There! by Rachael Hale. She is a New Zealand photographer who put together a book of animal portraits. They are wonderful. At the end, she had a few thougtful words about each subject. This was a wonderful gift from my family for Christmas!
--BJ

Well, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is fabulous and, as I keep saying, I am not a fan of the genre. Also, it's available as an audio book as it was made into an excellent radio play that is true to the spirit of the book and could be an easy way to get some extra "reading" done while you drive or clean or make dinner. My library has them, maybe yours does too? If not, the book is a quick, easy, amusing read, but you may want to read the others in the four book trilogy once you've finished the first.

ShannonMDE, Thanks for the suggestion on Life of Pi. Interestingly, that is another school book that at least one of my girls read in high school that I have never read. I know that it is around here somewhere. Thanks for the suggestion! :) I think both that and The Old Man and the Sea are on the 1001 list. If I need to cross-list, I definitely will later on.

RidgewayGirl, thanks for the suggestion on The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Quick, easy, and amusing sounds good. :)

Thanks again, both of you!
--BJ

BJ, I loved Santiago too, and his young helpmate, so loyal! And #36Shannon I like your linking Old Man and the Sea to Life of Pi, they are both such good internal struggles as well as external.

I'm glad to see you made room for the humor category, I have one too and look forward to seeing what you select.

Well, I just finished a book that I borrowed from my daughter for the Dewey Decimal Challenge category. I don't know why the touchstones aren't coming up for this book, but I will try again. The book is Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat who Touched the World by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter. I am really a dog person, but reading this book, I loved this cat. This story is both happy and sad. I am glad that I read it. I had been wanting to ever since I heard about it. Myron tells her own story along with Dewey's and their stories are both compelling.
--BJ

I finished my first book in the SFF/Speculative Fiction category. This book is by LT author Mark Hockley. The name of the book is The Magic Lands, (I am having trouble with the touchstones, but will try to edit later to fix it). It is a fantasy book about two friends who find themselves on a journey in the magic lands where dreams and reality merge. On this journey, they learn about the battle of good and evil, and the importance of honor, truth, friendship, love, and faith. This book was a real page turner, drawing me in more and more the farther I got into the story. I wrote a review in my library, but I don't know how to link to it.
--BJ

37 & 38 > I've read, and love, _Ender's Game_. I'm reading _Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_ right now. If you're familiar with SF/F TV shows & movies, the former is more like ... maybe "Star Wars" meets "War Games," the latter more like "Red Dwarf." Very different ambiance.

One correction: the radio show of _Hitchhiker's Guide_ came first. When he got the book deal, Adams was script editor for "Doctor Who." The DVD extras from Tom Baker-era DW episode 105, 'City of Death' (which Adams co-wrote), include interviews with and about Adams. A couple of people who comment include incoming DW script editor Steven Moffett (LOVE his episodes, especially 'The Girl in the Fireplace'), and one of LT's own, Rob Shearman .

Renee

Thanks for the info, Renee Marie! I have seen both Star Wars and War Games and loved them. I haven't seen Red Dwarf or Doctor Who. (Am I the only person who hasn't seen Dr. Who?) Once I get a little caught up in all the group reads that I am doing, I am going to read both of those books. I can't choose!
--BJ

I finished a book for the Group Read -- SciFi group. This book is a Brit Lit murder mystery with a twist. It takes place in an alternative history where Great Britain has negotiated a peace with Hitler allowing him full reign in Continental Europe in return for leaving Britain alone. The attitudes in Britain appear to be moving in the direction of Hitler's attitudes. This has a third person narrative focusing on the police inspector and a first person narrative from the point of view of the wife of the only Jewish person at the scene of a murder. The ending does not follow the typical Agatha Christie format. This could also have been categorized as SFF/Speculative Fiction, I think, because of the alternative history.

Also, I wanted to mention that The Old Man and the Sea could also have been listed on the 1001 Books category. I want to list alternate categories in case I need to move things around later or do overlaps.

--BJ

ET fix typo!

My first book for my In Translation category is a book that I read for the Group Reads -- Literature group called Pere Goriot by Honore de Balzac, translated from French by Ellen Marriage. (I know what you are thinking -- what happened to Swann's Way? I still haven't started it yet!)

This book is interconnected with a number of novels written by Balzac which comprise his The Human Comedy, in which 2500 characters move in and out of the various books. This one is definitely not a comedy, but a tragedy. It revolves around and, in my opinion, indicts early 19th Century Paris society. It reads somewhat like Dickens but is only 300 pages which is a plus! However, it only has 4 chapters, which is different. Although I will probably check out some of the other books, I will need to read something happy first! :)
--BJ

I forgot to mention that this book (Pere Goriot) could also have been in the group reads category or the 1001 books category. I am just hedging my bets in case I need to move things around later. :)
--BJ

I finished a book for the Dewey Decimal Challenge category Mark: A Devotional Commentary: Meditations on the Gospel According to St. Mark edited by Leo Zanchettin (226.3/077 21). I read this book as part of my journey to read the entire Holy Bible. The first part that I read was the Pentateuch (the first 5 books) which covers from creation through the life of Moses. I recently finished that part and found that the references to it were popping up everywhere, so I was glad that I read it. Now I am reading the Gospels.

The second book that I read was for my Group Reads category. I read The Coffee Trader by LT author David Liss for the Highly Rated Book Group. This was historical fiction set in 17th Century Amsterdam in the world's first commodities exchange. I really liked this book. The characters were diverse and unpredictable. The book was a fun and quick read!
--BJ

I read my first book for the 1001 category: Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson. Once I got into the story, I really enjoyed it. I have not read that many adventure books, but I think I will read more now. I am especially interested in The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers, both of which my daughters recommend. I am working on my 4th book for the Dewey Decimal Challenge (who would have thought?) and another for either In Translation or 1001.
--BJ

I read my fourth book for category III Dewey Decimal Challenge. I am almost halfway through this category! The book was His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis (973.4'1'092 dc22). This biography of George Washington was wonderful. His story is amazing and I am so glad that I read it. I do need to work on the other categories though.
--BJ

I just have a question about that category, how do you choose those books for the Dewey Decimal Challenge? I assume you find the Dewey Decimal in the front of the book. Sorry I have just seen a few of these categories and was wondering how you chose them.

To tell you the truth, I just check out the dewey decimal number of any nonfiction book that I happen to be reading. The DD# is only sometimes in the front of the book. Fiction books also have DD# but not as many different categories. I know that some people are making the category so that they read one book from each of the 100s, but I just count any book # that I have not already filled in the Dewey Decimal List that I have. Sometimes the DD# in the front of the book is wrong. My copy of The Trial, which I read last year, had two numbers reversed. So I found that right number from the Library of Congress site. Also, there are several people who have posts in the Dewey Decimal Challenge group. They have read many more books than I have and I can get suggestions by looking at what they have read. Another thing I sometimes do is browse my public library which uses the Dewey Decimal system.

I read my first book for my Collections category. This book is a collection of Wizard Fairy Tales, The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling. This book was quite short, but I am immersed in a number of lengthy books and I was curious about this one. I borrowed it from my daughter. Although I liked it some, I did not love it. I think that I should have read the HP books first -- they are on my tbr. Of the tales, the last one was my favorite.
--BJ

Okay. I now know that I have one book done in the DD challenge, since I read The Tales of Beedle the Bard. I know this is going to take me awhile to compose a list of all the numbers, and categories. I am looking over the threads in the DD challenge and getting ideas on how to keep track of everything.

Thanks again for all the help and suggestions, and keep up the great reading!!

C4R/Monica

#53 Hi, Monica, I have been trying to discover the DD# for The Tales of Beedle the Bard without success. I tried the Library of Congress and tried to cross-reference the LC# with the DD#, no luck. If you find the number, let me know.

I finished a book for my Humor category, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I could also have placed this in SFF or Book to Screen (this copy also included a section on the making of the movie, which was interesting!), or 1001 books. I guess this was a very versatile book! I read this on recommendation from my girls and it was quite fun.

Have a great weekend!
--BJ

BJ...since Beedle the Bard is fiction, written by a British author, it's probably (99 dewey libraries out of 100) going to be shelved in the fiction area simply under R for Rowling. If you need a dewey number, it would be the generic 823 for English Fiction.

#55 tututhefirst: Thanks for the DD#! I was looking in front of my daughter's copy of Don Quixote and noticed that the DD# was one that I had not filled in yet (although, I actually read this book a long time ago), so I always wonder about fiction numbers -- especially being a collection of short stories, not a novel. However, I really think that you are right. The fiction ones are the toughest to find, because no one uses them. By the way, what do you think about the periodical numbers? Do you think that reading a periodical for a year under the topic is enough to count that number as read?
--BJ

I had never thought about using a periodical to meet the challenge, but I think you might be on to something. If you view the challenge as reading something in each subject, then a good solid periodical, are you thinking professional journals for example? should meet that criteria. I however, you are thinking of the challege as having to read a book, then ....??????

Personally I enjoy LT challenges because they make me challenge MYSELF, so I think I can "score" them anyway I want. As I've said before, what are they going to do? Take away my birthday?

Wouldn't let me ETA above....I have read several professional journals that were much meatier (and sleep inducing) than books, and they were at least as lengthy, so I'd say go for it!

Yeah, I was actually thinking more for the Dewey Decimal Challenge where there is a category for periodicals. Don't know why I posted here about it. I think I did post over there once. I guess that it is actually listed as "Serial Publications." There is one in each of the 100s categories, I think.

By the way, I have seen people list literary journals as books before, and really, like you said above, they can be pretty meaty.
--BJ

The next book is from my book to screen category. It is A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. I remembered that I had the book when I saw that the movie with Sidney Poitier was on tv the other day. This book is actually a play that was written in the late 50s, her first. It is magnificent! Of course, I had seen the movie long ago, so I was familiar with the story, but I loved reading it.
--BJ

I read my second book for the Humor category, The Princess Bride by William Goldman. This book could also have gone into the Book to Screen category. This book was a delight! It was clever, fun, and funny. This is the "Good Parts" abridged version of Morgenstern's classic tale of love and adventure in Florin, with abridging comments. I borrowed this book from my daughter and loved every minute of it.
--BJ

I read my second book for the In Translation category, The Leopard by Guiseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, translated from Italian by Archibald Colquhoun. It could also be listed under 1001 Books and Book to Screen. I read this book about an aristocrat facing Italian unification for the Group Reads -- Literature group. I especially enjoyed the characterization of the Prince and all of the animal metaphors. I would have ended the book with chapter 7 and skipped chapter 8; however, some people especially liked chapter 8.
--BJ
(Still problems with the touchstone. Will try back later.)

I finished my second book for the collections category, The Newest Peruvian Poetry in Translation, edited by Luis A. Ramos-Garcia and Edgar O'Hara (Volume 1). This could also have been listed in the In Translation category or the Dewey Decimal Challenge category. This book has the poem in Spanish on the left and in English on the right. I think that poetry must be the hardest thing to translate, so I enjoyed getting to see it in action, although my Spanish is quite rusty. This is a book which I bought when a student at the University of Texas. I have since given it to my daughter who is now a UT student and a Spanish major. I was looking for another book on her bookcase here at home and ran across this and decided to reread it.
--BJ

I finished my second book for my scifi/speculative fiction category. This book could also be listed under the group reads category as I read it for the Group Reads -- SciFi Group. I thought that A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge was a terrific book! It has a sweeping story and won the Hugo award. I especially enjoyed the world of the tines -- the wolf pack persons with cooperative thinking and acting.

Now I must catch up on The Brothers Karamozov!
--BJ

I finished my first book for my mixed bag category: Praying the Family Rosay by Father Thomas P. Looney, CSC. It might have worked in my Dewey Decimal Challenge category, but I have not found a number for it yet, and it looks like it could overlap with some that I have already read. This book was recommended by our Parish priest for Lent and I enjoyed it. I finished two more books for the In Translation category. This first is the long-awaited The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, translated from Russian by David Magarshack. This book was difficult in parts, but ultimately rewarding. I enjoyed the race to the conclusion and am glad that I finally read my first book by Dostoevsky. It could also have been listed under Book to Screen, Group Reads, and 1001 Books. My last book is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Anonymous, translated from the Old English by Simon Armitage. This was a fun addition to the lore of King Arthur and I enjoyed it.

I hope that I will be able to complete this challenge. I seem to be just barely on track. Maybe April will be better for me. Have a great day, everyone!
--BJ

Hi BJ... here's a link to the OCLC Dewey Browser for listings similar to your book on the rosary. I didn't find your specific book, but it sure looks like 242.74 would do just fine for your Dewey Challenge. Wikipedia lists 242 as devotional practices. Hope this helps.

I wouldn't worry about being on track, You have finished some really deep books, so you should be proud. Anyone who can get thru Brothers K has my admiration.

Thanks so much for your help with the DD numbers. I don't know why I have so much trouble with it. I wonder if the Library of Congress is a lot easier? I think you are right that 242.74 would be fine. I have other books with no real number and was wondering if estimating would be ok. Now I think it might be, just so I can complete that challenge.

Thanks again so much and have a wonderful day!
--BJ

By the way, tututhefirst, what a fabulous link! I am adding it to my favorites. I have been using worldcat with mixed results. You are wonderful!!
--BJ

We aim to please maam!

65> Forgive me if you already know this, but often fiction and nonfiction books contain what's called CIP (cataloging-in-publication) data.

It's generally found, in books that include it, on the reverse of the title page. It looks a bit like a mini-card catalog card and in addition to title, author, and LCSH (Library of Congress subject headings) info, lists ISBN, Dewey, and LOC numbers.

Your rosary book may not have it, not all books do, but it's worth a check if you're doing the Dewey Decimal Challenge.

I was going to recommend WorldCat, which I've found very useful, but it looks like it's not your cuppa.

Hi, ReneeMarie!
Thanks so much for the dewey decimal tips. This book did not have the info in it. Seems like lots of the religious books -- maybe just the Catholic ones -- don't include it. (But, on the other hand, I think that the Bible commentary I read a while back did have it!) I actually do like World Cat, but so many libraries don't use DD# anymore, that sometimes I can't find the number there. I tried to figure out the MARC, but have not met with much success. The World Cat and Library of Congress were the two sources that I used the most.

Are you doing the Dewey Decimal Challenge, too? I need to review what others are reading to find numbers. Thanks again so much for all your help. I really appreciate it. :) Have a super day!
--BJ

71> Are you doing the Dewey Decimal Challenge, too?

Not doing it, but like the idea of it. I often read history for research purposes, and love looking at CIP data for LCSHs to pivot on. Knowing how LCSHs are formed helps my searches at the bookstore, too: even though the information isn't explicit/visible in our database, it seems to be in there somewhere.

Dewey came to my rescue at the library last night. There's a book I've checked out before about planning your own course of study as an adult voluntary learner. I could remember it was tan. Thought it was closer to the front of the library (lower in the Deweys). But could NOT remember any part of the author's name at first, nor any word in the title.

I went to the reference desk, fully aware I was behaving like one of those people, and described the content after trying some searches on their database that didn't pull up anything useful. Not even when I tried the LCSH "Adult learning." One of the reference librarians mentioned that education was in the 370s. I went to browse the stacks (where knowing it was tan came in handy :-), and found the book.

(In case you're curious, the book was Peak Learning by Ronald Gross. I may have to get my own copy.)

What a great story! And the book looks pretty good, too. I had never heard of it before. I am going to check it out. :)
--BJ

Well, I lost my post, so I hope this one makes it! I just finished a book for the Book to Screen category called Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. Coincidentally, the movie has been showing on tv quite a bit lately. Now I can watch it. This book was an amazing Civil War story, which tells the story of a soldier walking home from the hospital paralleled with the story of the woman he loves learning to make a living off the land. I can't believe that this is a first novel; it was terrific!
--BJ

I read Gawain and the Green Knight last year and I Loved it! It was a harder read than some of my others last year; at least, it took a while to get used to the language. But I just loved it.

I just finished a book for the group reads category called The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. I read this for The Highly Rated Book Group. It could also be listed as a 1001 Book. This was my first book by Margaret Atwood, and she is quite an accomplished author. It has a multi-layered story within a story approach where the reader pieces together the story from the various parts. This was quite a tragic story, which at times I needed to put down for a break. The ending saved the book for me, but I think it will be a while before I am ready for another of her books.
--BJ

As the perfect follow-up to the last book, I read Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett for my humor category. This book was laugh out loud funny. It is a funny take on The Omen and I loved it. I read this on recommendation from my daughter who let me borrow her copy. I will definitely read more by these authors. This is becoming my favorite category. I am afraid that I will fill it up too fast.

Have a great day!
--BJ

I just finished a book for the Group Reads category, Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov. It could also have been in the humor category or the 1001 books category. This was my first book by Nabokov and was definitely interesting. I read this for the Group Reads -- Literature group. The book was clever and humorous, but not laugh out loud funny for me like Good Omens was. One character has written a poem in 4 Cantos. Another character has had it published with his own foreward and commentary. The story plays out in those parts. Because of this style, I did have some difficulty getting into the book at first. But I stuck with it and finally did get drawn into the story. This was interesting and I am glad that I read it, but I am not sure that this was the best starting place for a Nabokov book.
--BJ

I just finished another book for the Group Reads category, Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon. This category is now past the halfway mark and my fullest one so far. This book could also go in the SFF/Speculative Fiction category. I read this for the Group Reads -- SciFi group. It was totally different from my idea of a novel. No real plot, no real ongoing characters, and only a page and a half that included dialogue! This is the story of the 18 evolutions of man told by one of the last men to one of the first men. Anyone interested in the book, I recommend that you try to read a few pages first to see if it is for you. I don't really read much SF, so I am not sure if this is typical of the genre.

Next stop, Frankenstein!
--BJ

I finished a book of comic strips from my days as a UT student written by fellow student Sam Hurt. I loved seeing them again and reliving those great times. The book is for the humor category and is called Eyebeam, Therefore I Am by Sam Hurt. I have started Frankenstein, but am only at the beginning. I have noticed that some categories are filling faster than others. I guess I should work on that. :) Have a great day!
--BJ

Yet another Eyebeam comic strip book: Eenie Meenie Minie Tweed . . . Eyebeam and the Real World by Sam Hurt. This is for the Humor category, the fifth book. This category is filling up dangerously fast. Good thing I added this category in at the last minute! :)
--BJ

I finished another book, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. I was going to list this under the 1001 category; however, I discovered that more film adaptations of this book have been made than of any other work of fiction. So I just had to list it in book to screen. This was a terrific book and still timely today.
--BJ

Here is my fifth book in the Dewey Decimal Challenge category: L'etranger (The Stranger) by Albert Camus, translated from French by Matthew Ward (843'.914). This book could also have gone in the In Translation category. It is somewhat similar to The Trial by Kafka which I read last year. It was my first by Camus, and I thought that it was a good translation.
--BJ

My sixth book in the Humor category is ... I'm Pretty Sure I've Got My Death-Ray In Here Somewhere! by Sam Hurt. This is my third Eyebeam book to read, and I only have one more left. This was book 1 of the series and introduces all the main characters. The early drawings were interesting to see. I keep returning to the Humor category and will be sad when it is all full.

Have a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day to all moms out there!
--BJ

My 6th book in the Group Read/LT Recommendations category is Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis. I read this with a 75 Book Challenge Reading Group. This book is a retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche. This is my first time to read a retelling and it was wonderful. Most of all, this is a story about discovering the true meaning of love. It had a terrific message and an engaging story. I really, really liked this book. :)
--BJ

Thanks for reminding me about those eyebeam books; I keep forgetting to look for them when I get to the store. I just went down to my basement to find my water heater leaking, so I'm needing a FULL dose of humor right now!

Edited to correct a spelling.

Omigosh, Bonnie!! I am so sorry! We have been thinking of going to the tankless hot water heater, but about a year and a half ago we lost power for several days. And a hot shower was the only good thing that happened. So I delayed on that change.

I finished another book, but I haven't decided which category to put it in. I will check back in when I decide.
--BJ

I really enjoyed Til We Have Faces, but it's been a while since I read it. Maybe I'm due for a reread.

Sigh! I don't even want to go into all the work that needs to be done to, and in, my house! I'm going to be reading nothing but funny, escapist function for the next few weeks. B.

#88 Hi, cm! This book was tremendous. I am so glad that I found out about the group read because I had never heard of it before. All of the characters in the book were wonderfully drawn. It will be one that I come back to. But kind of a hard act to follow, you know?

#89 Hi, Bonnie! Have you read Good Omens? It is laugh out loud funny. Also, I just found the movie Bridget Jones Diary. When I had both girls at home we all watched it together and just laughed and laughed. I think that there is a book of it that must be hilarious. Did I already tell you this? I was telling someone about funny books, but I can't remember who. My memory is short. But in the interest of not leaving out another funny book, I am planning to read Get Shorty by June at least. That movie is funny. Last funny movie and one of my personal favorites My Cousin Vinny. Also, I think I told you this already but the Eyebeam books are definitely college humor. A few of the comics I thought Hmm, I forgot about this one. :) But overall I just love those books and I think I will hunt up that last one that I have. Good luck with your basement.

Have a great week! I'll check back in on the weekend. :)
--BJ

I loved both the movie and the book Get Shorty even though that's not a genre that I'm normally interested in. Thanks for the recs; I'll try Good Omens though I have so much to do that probably the only reading I'll be doing for awhile is LT.

Good luck, Bonnie! I will be thinking about you and all your sweat equity.

4 more books to add:

To the Dewey Decimal Challenge, I added Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi (741.5'944 - dc21). This could also have been listed under the category In Translation. Although the translators were listed, the language was not. I am guessing either French or Farsi. This is a graphic (as in drawn) memoir of her childhood during the Islamic Revolution in Iran. This is worth reading for sure.

To the SFF/Speculative category, I added Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. I read this on recommendation of my younger daughter and it was terrific. It is about a young gifted child who is chosen to train to defend the world.

To the Collections category I added a collection of reasons a son needs his mother. The book is called Why a Son Needs a Mom by Gregory E. Lang. I received this from my daughter's boyfriend when I went to his Confirmation in Austin. I was his Sponsor and he changed the title to Why a Godson Needs a Godmom. What a great guy. I loved this book. :)

Finally, to the Mixed Bag category, I added Peep: A Little Book About Taking a Leap by Maria van Lieshout. I got this book (Great for Grads!) for my younger daughter and it is pretty cute. Really more of a child's book, but I loved it.

That is all for now. Maybe I really will finish this challenge by the end of the year. Have a great day!
--BJ

Moving right along BJ!!

The Ender's Game is a book that was recommended to me by my daughter's boyfriend. He actually had 2 copies of the first book and gave me one then decided to trade it in at an used book store so that he could get some more books. I can't blame him. I will be looking for Ender's Game sometime. I have so many books to read that are in series that I just don't know if I want to start a new one just yet.

I think you will finish this challenge by the end of the year. I am not sure about mine though. Have a great day!!

Hey, Monica! Good to see you over here at 999! I think I can finish because I am including some pretty short books. Otherwise I would never make it. Of course, we will have to see what happens when I fill up some of my more used categories, too. I think that you will like Ender's Game, and I also think that you could treat it as a stand alone book if you did not want to read another series. The other books in the series are loved by some and not by others here on LT. I haven't yet decided if I am going to read the other ones or not. I hope you have a wonderful day, too! :)
--BJ

I have finished two more books. One is You Can Be Anything by Charles M. Schulz (no touchstone). This goes into the Mixed Bag category. It is another graduation book around here. I cannot resist Snoopy -- my fav! The other book was for the 1001 Books list category and is Atonement by Ian McEwan. This book could also have been in the Book to Screen category. This book was read by my girls in high school English and I am trying to read all of those books. Although I did not think that I would like this book, I ended up being totally drawn into the story. Lots of books left to read and not sure what I will read next. Have a great day!
--BJ

I finished my 5th book in the Book to Screen category: Run Silent, Run Deep by Commander Edward L. Beach. This is a story of a submariner in the Pacific Ocean during WW2. This is a great story and has a lot of realistic details about submarines. I will be checking out his other books. Plus, I want to see the movie based on the book.
--BJ

Billie Jean...I'd forgotten about Ed Beach's books...they're quite good, and the movie is also a winner.

Hi, tututhefirst!
I had never even heard of him until recommended to me by usnmm2. The book is out of print and was a little hard to track down. But I loved it. I am glad to hear that the movie is good. I usually watch all submarine movies, so I can't imagine how this one escaped me. However, it doesn't seem to come on tv very often.

I finished another book for the Humor category: Our Eyebeams Twisted: The First and Foremost Among Fourth Eyebeam Books by Sam Hurt. This is the last one of my Eyebeam books, and I just had to go ahead and read it. I think that I liked this one the best. I only wish that I had more of them. Now my Humor category is almost finished.
--BJ

I finished a book for my Collections category: I'm Nobody! Who are You? Poems by Emily Dickinson. I read this on recommendation from my daughter, and it was a delight! Here is a part of one poem on antique books:

His presence is enchantment,
You beg him not to go;
Old volumes shake their vellum heads
And tantalize, just so.

I just loved that one. I don't know what I will read next. I keep starting books one after another without finishing first. I hope that I will finish one before starting any more. :)
--BJ

You start books over and over without finishing, too?? I keep telling myself to only keep two books going at any one time -- one "regular" book and one audiobook (I am in the car most of the day, so audiobooks are my version of multi-tasking).
Somehow the best laid plans never pan out! I come home and there will be an ARC sitting on my front door, and I start it. Then the used book store down the street will have their semi-annual sale and I get an armload of books and start two of those. Then something new will be recommended on my Kindle, and I quickly download that.... it is a never-ending cycle!!!
So many books, so little time.

Hey, BoltChick!
I am glad that I am not the only one. I told my daughter yesterday, right after I started another book, I just have to finish one before starting any more!! I wish that I could read as fast as my girls do!
--BJ

Wow you are doing great billiejean!! I have done that with books. Start one and then another and another and then forget about the first book. Then I wind up going back to the first book and start over and then realize that I had read that part. I am trying to only read one book at a time (yeah right). I had started Book Lust and I haven't picked it up since I bought it home from the store. Good luck on finishing a book before you start a new one.
Monica

I always have about 4-5 books going at once (at least one audio), but what is really bad is when, all of a sudden, you find that you have actually finished all but one book, and then instead of sitting down, finishing that book, you go off and start about 3-4 more. That happened to me just last night and now I'm trying to decide which one of the 299 in my "TO READ" collection (don't we love collections?) I want to start up. Some are dictated by reading groups I'm in, others by needing to ER or ARC reviews, and others by when they're going to expire at the library and have to be returned. But as my sister is fond of quoting "I was put on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things. I'm so far behind I'll never die" either that or St. Peter better have a good library ...

Hi, Monica and tututhefirst!
I remember reading this one book that if I put it down for two minutes, I could not find my place again. Since I was reading it for a group read, I persevered but I bet I read at least 150% of that book!

I am so glad that you brought up Book Lust, Monica, as I have a coupon to Borders for 25% off of everything, and I really want to get that book. Speaking of picking up those extras, tututhefirst, I am about halfway through two books, and I found myself looking for more to start today. Calculating categories. There is no hope. I hope that you are right about St. Peter. If so, I know my mom is supremely happy. And I will be, too! :) By the way, I have been looking for more books by Beach at B&N, but they did not have any. I will check Borders for that, too. Somehow, I want to find the time to put my wishlist on LT. I think it will be so much more organized if I do. Of course, I don't have my library all on LT yet either. Hope y'all have a wonderful weekend. :)
--BJ

Hey, BJ! You might want to think about a favorite book or author and see what Nancy Pearl has to say about it before you buy her book. You might be a really good match for her actually, but I'm not. I really like her personally and she's a kick to listen to on the radio. Did you know that she started the "If all of _______ read one book" challenge right here in Seattle? I was even lucky enough to have her come to my small book group a few years ago to recommend books especially for us (my best friend bought our "date" with her at an auction and all six of us got to benefit). Here's the sad (for me) truth: I found that what I liked/didn't like just didn't match up that well with her. Darn!

Hi, Bonnie!
What a wonderful story! And what a good idea! I will look something up in the book to help decide. Or I have at least a 100 other books that I want. I could just choose one of those. OK, one more question. Is she the Pearl rule person? I never seem to be able to stop at 50 pages. Sometimes after 100 I suddenly find that I love the book. Or at least, I like it enough to want to finish it. I guess I agree with the rule in theory, but I am not able to put it into practice. Thanks so much for your insight. And have a wonderful day of reading. :)
--BJ

>106 billiejean:: Yes, but librarians have been saying this for years--and Nancy Pearl was a librarian first. From her web site:

The Rule of 50
One of Nancy's strongest held beliefs is that no one should ever finish a book that they're not enjoying, no matter how popular or well reviewed the book is. To solve that problem, she has developed The Rule of 50, which she explains in Book Lust:

"Believe me, nobody is going to get any points in heaven by slogging their way through a book they aren't enjoying but think they ought to read. I live by what I call 'the rule of fifty,' which acknowledges that time is short and the world of books is immense. If you're fifty years old or younger, give every book about fifty pages before you decide to commit yourself to reading it, or give it up. If you're over fifty, which is when time gets even shorter, subtract your age from 100. The result is the number of pages you should read before deciding.

"Sometimes, your mood has a lot to do with whether you'll like a book. "I always leave open the option of going back to a book that I haven't liked (especially if someone I respect has recommended it to me) sometime later. I've begun many books, put them down unfinished, then returned a month or two, or years, later and ended up loving them. This happened with Matthew Kneale's English Passengers, John Crowley's Little, Big, and Andrea Barrett's The Voyage of the Narwhal."

And I should clarify, it's not that I disagree with her about everything; it's that when I looked up my very favorite books, we weren't on the same page. I still always enjoy listening to what she has to say though.

I think I will just browse the book when at the store. We have quite the storm going now, so it will have to pass before I leave. We must be way above our usual rainfall totals for the year. The garden likes it, though!
--BJ

You might want to think about a favorite book or author and see what Nancy Pearl has to say about it before you buy her book. You might be a really good match for her actually, but I'm not.

good advice! LTers already give me waaaay too many new possibilities for terrific reads, so I've been holding off on Book Lust until I get my TBRs to a manageable number (ha!!). So it's worth a look at it next time I'm in the store to see if it even belongs on my wishlist.

> 109 -- "TBRs" and "manageable" in the same sentence.. now THAT made me laugh!!!! Those two words are mutually exclusive!

>110 TheBoltChick:: Laughing with you, though with a bit more bitterness--oh the freedom I felt before encountering LT! Was that only last fall that I could skip into a store and naively pick out any book I wanted? And it's only going to get worse for me now that I can just click a book into my Wish List!

Hi, detailmuse, BoltChick, and Bonnie!
I have to agree that manageable numbers and tbr and wishlist are an oxymoron. But how fun is that? I glanced through Book Lust and decided that I really did want it. I also browsed and picked up a book that I had never heard of before: The Color of Water by James McBride. Oh, I just love going to the bookstore. :)

I finished the 5th book in my In Translation category: Ritos de Muerte (Death Rites: A Petra Delicado Mystery) by Alicia Gimenez-Bartlett; translated from Spanish by Jonathan Dunne. I got this book on recommendation from alalba and it was a great read. The crime was committed in Barcelona, Spain and Petra is put on the case -- which is quite different than her regular work in Documentation. The characters in this book were quite interesting. I haven't read anything like this in a long time, and I really did enjoy it.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!
--BJ

Hi BJ!!
You are really progressing on your challenge. I have to comment on the Book Lust book. I have purchased it but still have yet to really sit down and read the book. I have so many books right now that I want to read that I am afraid that if I read Book Lust I would just add more books to my wish list and TBR pile.

Now about the 50 page rule. I have never tried this because I am usually afraid that I may just like the book if I read another 50 pages. I actually should have used the 50 page rule for a book that I recently read. It was an awful book but I felt that I had to finish it and be truthful with my review since it was a member giveaway from an author on here. I may decided to try the 50 page rule on some books now. (Even though I hate to leave a book unfinished)

Have a great day!!

Monica

Glad Book Lust was a good fit, BJ! I've read The Color of Water. He's not a great writer, but it was an interesting read. Being from the south, you'll enjoy it that much more I'm thinking. (Do you consider yourself from the south?)

Hi, Monica and Bonnie!
I just could not resist Book Lust because of all the comments about books in it! I always take things with a grain of salt if I don't agree with it. But I love reading about books. The wishlist problem could, however, be significant.

I could see how you would have to finish a book if it were an ARC so that you could do the review. I feel that way about pretty much every book I start anyway. I just keep giving it another 50 pages or so. Usually, I like the book more as I go along. I have never participated in the ARC program, but it seems to be a good one.

I grew up in Texas which is really part South and part Southwest. At times, I would identify with the South and at times, not. Now I live in Oklahoma, which lots of people consider Midwest. But it is also a lot like Texas, except not as hot. :) Does that make any sense? I saw this book (Color of Water) on the table of books for the school requirements over the summer and had never heard of it. As I have mentioned before, a lot of the books that I have been reading lately have been books that my girls read in English class throughout high school. These books have every one been excellent so far. So I decided to browse that table at the bookstore.

Hope y'all are having a wonderful day!
--BJ

...the table of books for the school requirements over the summer ... at the bookstore

I love that table! But it too is one I can only peek at out of the corner of my eye, too many books! When I wonder if book publishing is going to crash and burn, I remind myself of all the classics that I'd love to get to.

ETA: I can't believe I'm such a liar! I just remembered that I browsed that table just last Friday and, on Saturday, buckled and put in an order for The House on Mango Street and Man's Search for Meaning.

Hi, detailmuse!
I wonder about book publishing myself. I know that things are all going digital, but I just love to browse through real books. I like to hold them in my hands. My daughter noticed that the store we went to no longer had any music. All of that is going digital, too. But she likes the cds because of the liner notes which you don't get on itunes.

When I went to the bookstore, I promised myself that I would only get one or two, but I got four. Three of them I had just heard about on LT. And there were several that I looked for but could not find, too. Honestly, I will have to just not go there at all this fall during my attempt to cut back.
--BJ

Honestly, I will have to just not go there at all this fall during my attempt to cut back. LOL! Good luck with that. As fellow addicts, none of us will remind you of this comment in the fall--or even next month when you find more great books you just have to buy! :-)

I, too, love to see, touch, and even smell new books! I worry that bookstores are going to go the way of the music stores, given Kindles, and that you can only buy books for it from Amazon.

I can feel myself weakening already!

I read another book for the Book to Screen category, which is filling up fast, Love Story by Erich Segal. I am having slow touchstone loading problems. I will try to come back and fix it later. Anyway, this book was not really what I intended to read, but it was just sort of looking at me. I usually don't go for the tear-jerker, but this time I did. Now I need something completely different! :) Happy Reading!
--BJ

I love your Book to Screen category. I should have done that one this year. I have so many books to read that have been made into movies and I keep putting off reading them. Now I just added another book to my wish list.

I too have been thinking about getting a Kindle it is just that I don't want to spend that much money just yet. I love books and to really feel the pages in my hands. I may be able to talk my hubby into buying one for me by saying it will be less books in the house. Heeheehee.

Hi, Monica!
Sometime last year I realized that almost every movie came from a book. That was why I decided on the Book to Screen category. It has been a lot of fun, but I think that I will fill it too early.

I would love to hear what you think of the Kindle if you get one. Keep me posted. Have a great day!
--BJ

Hi BJ --
I will chime in on my Kindle.. I love it! And similar to Monica's idea, I didn't buy it for myself, my boyfriend bought it for me. (I wanted it, but was afraid to invest so much money into it.) He knows how much I love to read, and I live in a 600 square foot duplex. Books stacked everywhere!
I have to tell you it is my favorite gift ever! Don't get me wrong, I still have plenty of books everywhere, but I now have many more on my Kindle. I love the portability. I am never without a book, no matter where I am. If for any reason I were to finish all the books on there, I can quickly buy and download another one immediately.
Another great feature (in my estimation) is that many of the older classics are available either through Amazon or an extension of Project Gutenberg for free. I never wanted to invest the money in Jane Austen or Tolstoy, because I wasn't sure I would like them. Now I have both on the Kindle and they cost me nothing. (And it beats trying to carry around the bigger, heavier books.)
I still like the feel of a real book, but I can honestly say they will have to pry my Kindle out of my cold, dead hands before I will give it up! I want the best of both worlds!!
(Getting off soap box and leaving my two-cents worth.. lol!)

Hey BoltChick!
I am so happy to hear your thoughts on the Kindle. As much as I love holding books, I think that I could also learn to love the Kindle. I think that it is somewhat different than sitting in front of a computer screen, which I find tiring. The top thing is the total number of books in a compact space. You can take so much with you on a trip! Someday, I will probably get one of them, too.

I finished a book for my SFF/Speculative category: Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress. This could also have been in my Group Reads category as I read it for the Group Reads - Science Fiction group. This book is about genetic modification allowing people to live without ever sleeping. The two groups Sleepers and Sleepless have difficulties integrating, splintering the society. This was a fascinating, quick read and I enjoyed it.
--BJ

Hey BJ
Indeed, the Kindle is far less tiring than a computer screen. Since it is not backlit, I can read for hours with no eyestrain. Not to mention that the font size can be adjusted to six different levels. I actually find that I can read longer with the Kindle than normal print books because of that fact alone. I am noticing at my age, my eyes get more tired than when I was younger! By making the font one size bigger, I have been able to continue reading comfortably for hours.

Beggars In Spain sounds interesting. I did just finish two books (and will post reviews later after I get my errands run), so it may be time to start another one. Take care.

I'm considering getting a kindle for my mom for her birthday 'cas she's finding it much harder to read lately and that's what's bothering her more than anything else about getting older. And if she doesn't like it (I think she will), guess who gets a Kindle--guilt free!

Hi, BoltChick and Bonnie!
I thought that they were backlit. Thanks for letting me know. That does sound nice about the font. I also find it hard to read small print. I still read best without my glasses even though I have bifocals. But that tiny print can put me off. I have a few paperbacks that wear me out to read.

And how nice to buy your mom a kindle, Bonnie. I am sure that she will love it. And then maybe she will get one for you, too!

I finally started a book that I have been wanting to read for months -- Get Shorty. I was inspired because my daughter and I watched the movie today. That movie always makes me laugh. And I think it will go in my 1001 Books category. Or humor. Or book to screen. It is certainly versatile.

Have a great day!
--BJ

I don't usually like that genre--in movies or books--but loved Get Shorty! The movie always makes me laugh too--even the most violent part--I guess I'm just sick! LOL! So BJ, "Look at me!" It should definitely go in the humor category!

Edited to give John Travolta his credit due for creating a line that became a part of the public vernacular.

Hi, Bonnie!
I just finished Get Shorty. It was hilarious! It was a little different from the movie, but not that much. All the best lines are in both. I was definitely going to put it in my humor category, but then I saw that I have already read 7 there and only 2 in my 1001 category, so I ended up putting it there. There is too much year left not to have more humor. What a terrific book. I also have the sequel, which I hope to read later this year.
--BJ

Bonnie, I bet your mom will love the Kindle. A friend of mine just bought one for her mom. Her mother was having trouble seeing, and because of arthritis difficulty holding the book open and turning pages. Now she can just lean the kindle on her lap desk and turn pages by touching a button.

BJ -- I just finished Beggars In Spain after reading what you said about it. I needed a quick, but still complex read and it definitely fit the bill. While I realized that the story itself was a commentary the moral responsibilities of society, I just couldn't get over the horrible parenting! I remember thinking the same thing while reading The Golden Compass. Where do these authors come up with these parents?!

I have Get Shorty, Be Cool, and Up In Honey's Room all in my TBR pile. Maybe I should read at least one of them before I buy any more Elmore Leonard books!

Hi, BoltChick!
You are right about the parenting that was exhibited in the book -- right from the beginning with the dad who only liked one daugther and the mother who only liked the other daughter. I haven't read The Golden Compass, but I think that my girls have. I wonder what they thought of it?

You will love Get Shorty, I think. It is just so funny. So many books out there are so serious, that I liked this change of pace. I hope you like it!

I read a book for the Group Reads category called The Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin. This historical murder mystery was solved by a female doctor trained as a medical examiner. The murders were quite gruesome, but the main character was quite interesting. And I loved that it took place during medieval times. I read this for the Highly Rated Book Group Summer Reading Group. They always choose such interesting books. Now I am switching to some of my longer books for a while, so I probably won't finish one for a while. Have a great day!
--BJ

I added Our Town by Thornton Wilder, a play which later became a movie, to the Books to Screen category. I read this as one of those books that my girls read in high school that I had never read. It won the Pulitzer Prize and I quite liked it. I shows the lives of people in small town New Hampshire in the early 1900s. Only two left for this category, which is one of my favs.
--BJ

I enjoyed Long Day's Journey Into Night, which is also a play that became a movie starring Katherine Hepburn.

Loved both of them.

Hi, cmbohn and LA12Hernandez!
I have never read Long Day's Journey Into Night, but I have always heard of it. I will have to check it out. I do have Death of a Salesman on my tbr. I have really been enjoying the plays that I have read this year. Have a great day!
--BJ

Oh, I read "Death of a Salesman" last year. you should really enjoy it.

Thanks for the recommendation of Death of a Salesman. I have enjoyed all of the plays that I have read this year.

I have read three more books. The first book is for the SFF category, but could also have been in the Group Read category. I read Susan Cooper's book Over Sea, Under Stone, the first book in the Dark is Rising fantasy series. I read this as part of the 75 Book Reading Group. This was a great story and I loved it.

The next two books were both in the Mixed Bag group. This first one is Spain and Portugal: Tourist & Motoring Map by Michelin. This was ok for motoring from one town to the next, but when town looms ahead, forget it. I poured over this atlas for our trip and found it less than perfect. On the other hand, the next book Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz was unputdownable because it was such a great story. I read this for the psychological suspense genre for the 2009 Genre Challenge and it lived up to the promise!
--BJ

I read Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction by David Macaulay (726.6) for the Dewey Decimal category. This book was recommended by my daughter to aid in my understanding of The Pillars of the Earth, which I am reading as part of a group read. I found it quite interesting. Y'all have a great day!
--BJ

I was so enthralled the first time I read Odd Thomas. I agree - unputdownable!

Hi, CM!
Did you read any of the other Odd Thomas books?
--BJ

I finished The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins for the 1001 Books category. This could also have been in the Group Reads category as I read it with the Group Reads -- Literature group. This was a great book, full of suspense with interesting characters and I loved it.
--BJ

Time to update my challenge! For the SFF/Speculative Fiction category, I read The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper. This could also have been listed as a group read as we are reading the entire series in the 75 Book Challenge Reading Group. This was a great read. And one of the favorites of both of my girls. I am excited to read the whole series. (Still searching around my house for that pesky third book, though!) For the Mixed Bag category, I read Holy Hour of Reparation by CMJ Marian Publishers. I use this for my Wednesday prayer time, among other things. And I filled a category at last!!! For my Reading Group category, I read The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin for the Highly Rated Book Group. This is book two of the Adelia Aguilar, medieval medical examiner mysteries. It was a fun read. And also for the Group Read category, I read The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett for Mark's 50 Book Challenge Group Read. This book also takes place in medieval England around the building of a cathedral. This book was also a great read, although it did have some significant violence in parts. I enjoyed both of those books.

I need to update sooner next time! Have a wonderful time during this end of summer.
--BJ

I read Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, translated from the French by P. W. K. Stone. I put this in the In Translation category. It could also have gone in the 1001 Books category, but looking ahead I thought this would be the better place to put it. I read this for a 1001 Books Group Read and really enjoyed reading this book along with everyone else. It is told in letters and is both witty and tragic. It was a fairly quick read, too.

I am on track to finish by the end of the year as long as the books I read fit into my remaining slots okay. I am thinking about next year and would like to do the challenge where you read one book in category one all the way to ten books in category ten. That is the right size challenge for me as I like to also participate in other challenges. Thanks to those who came up with a category challenge that I can possibly meet. :)
--BJ

139 - Yes, and they were still good, but not quite as good. I liked Brother Odd the best out of the next books. Odd is just a great character.

I read The Dark is Rising with my son. That was a good one!

Hi, CM and Bonnie!
#143 Thanks for the tip on Brother Odd. I wonder if my daughter has that one? It kind of rings a bell.

#144 There is a group in the 75 book challenge that is reading all of the Susan Cooper series in order. Next is Greenwitch. My girls both love The Dark is Rising so I was really glad to finally read it. Bonnie, are you doing this challenge next year? I was so glad that there was a way to do it reading fewer than 100 books. Now I can read other books, too. :) I might have more fun with the categories also knowing that it is not so many books.
--BJ

I wasn't going to do it, but then saw the 1-2-3...version and thought that would work for me too. Like you, I want fore flexibility to read books that LT-ers are talking about during the year.

I know you've been busy with family visits but have you watched Get Shorty yet? A great, fun movie for the whole family--even hubby!

Yes, Get Shorty and Be Cool have both been on tv lately. I watched both even though I have not yet read Be Cool. I loved both movies, but Get Shorty was my fave. It cracks me up. The Cadillac of minivans. And I have noticed lately how often Rio Bravo is on tv, too, so I have watched that lately also. John Wayne plays John Wayne.

Bonnie, I have got to get caught up on your thread!! This summer of travels has really put me behind on LT. But I should have time to catch up now. Have a wonderful day!
--BJ

Don't worry about it, BJ! I haven't caught up with my threads either--I'm way behind in posting the books I'm reading. And I've been sick all week, so feeling grouchier than usual. I'm sort of regretting a rant. Oh well, that's what I was thinking that day. I did read a book the other day that was so horrid that it made me appreciate all the good books I've read this year, even the ones I criticized.

I hope you are feeling better, Bonnie! A week is a long time to be sick. Take care.
--BJ

Well, there were different levels of "sickness" so not that bad. I even saw all my students (since I didn't have a fever) and they all loved using the antibacterial gel with me and were so good because I could only squeak or whisper.

Hey, Bonnie!
I have been telling my girls to use that antibacterial gel lots these days what with the bad flu season predicted. Hope you are all better now.

I finished my seventh book in the In Translation category: The Ingenious Hildalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. It was translated from Spanish by John Rutherford. This is a great story in two parts (two books in one) about the adventures of the knight errant Don Quixote and his faithful squire Sancho Panza. It was a wonderful read and easy to dip into from time to time throughout the year.

I am working on two more books to finish out this category, both by Tolstoy. I am almost finished with Anna Karenina but have a long way to go with War and Peace. Still, I think I can finish them both this year. I am planning to finish this challenge by the end of the year. I just can't read that many books by 9/9/09 -- which is just around the corner!
--BJ

Well, change of plan. I decided to stay in Spain and read Platero and I (Platero y Yo) by Juan Ramon Jimenez, translated by Eloise Roach from Spanish for the In Translation category. This book, a gift from my dad when I was a girl, which I have now given to my Spanish major daughter, is touching, heartbreaking, and simply beautiful. It is a series of vignettes on the life of Juan and his donkey Platero in Moguer, Spain.
--BJ

I read the seventh book in the Mixed Bag category, and now it is almost full. I read Naked in Death by J. D. Robb (AKA Nora Roberts). It is the first book that I have read by her and has been recommended to me by several people here on LT. Although it is more explicit than what I usually read, I did end up enjoying it. This is the first book in a series and I might go on to read others, but I won't before I get this challenge under control!! Next, I am reading a book for my poor Collections category which needs help! :)
--BJ

I finally finished the 5th book in the Collections category, a book of short stories by O. Henry. I loved this collection which starts with The Gift of the Magi, a favorite of mine. I had never read any of the other stories, so it was lots of fun to read them all for the first time. Every story has a twist at the end. The book is The Gift of the Magi and Other Stories by O. Henry. The touchstone goes to another collection of O. Henry stories, but it is just not loading right now.

I have started Remains of the Day for my other barely started category, 1001 Books. I have read others but elected to put them in other categories. This would could go in Book to Screen, but I really need to add one to 1001. I am still at the beginning of this one. So far, so good. :)
--BJ

I was about 40 pages in to Remains of the Day and was ready to give up, but then all of a sudden, the story just sucked me in. I ended up really loving the book. Exquisite.

Good to hear that about Remains of the Day, it happens to my on my list for next year.

Hi, CM and Victoria!
It really is a wonderful book. I cannot wait to finish it. :)
--BJ

I just finished The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro for my 1001 category. I can see why this book made the list for sure. It will be one of my top reads of the year. Really a discussion of the plot cannot explain how this book touched me. Suffice it to say, that it is about a man reflecting on his life so far and what it means to him and then looks forward to the remaining life before him. I highly recommend this book!
--BJ

I just finished a book for my Collections category: Edward Lear's Complete Nonsense by Edward Lear. This book could also have gone in my Humor category, but my collections category needed it more! This book is a collection of several nonsense publications that Lear wrote and illustrated. My favorites of the book were The Owl and The Pussycat, The Jumblies, the Nonsense Alphabets (all of them!), and the wonderful Nonsense Botany.

I still have around 18 books to go to finish this challenge, but I think I can do it by the end of the year if I hang in there.
--BJ

I read the next installment of the Dark is Rising sequence for the SFF/Speculative Fiction category. The book was Greenwitch by Susan Cooper, and although it did not win any awards, I think that I like this one the best so far.

Not sure what I will tackle next.
--BJ

I finished the 8th book for my Mixed Bag category: Rules of Prey by John Sandford. I was worried that I would find it too scary, but I did not and was even able to read it at night! :) Now my Mixed Bag category is almost filled. I need to try to work on some of the other ones.
--BJ

Glad to hear about the Sandford book...I have a stack of his, and have been afraid to try them (maybe a flashlight under the covers? with hot chocolate?--but then I'd spill it in the bed!

Thanks to your encouragement, I'll give them another look.

LOL! Yes, that is exactly how I approached the book. And there were some disturbing parts, but overall I thought it wasn't too bad. I have one more of the books, and I know that I'll read it now. Thanks so much for stopping by!
--BJ

I finished my In Translation category with Anna Karenina by Leo Tolsoy, translated from Russian by Louise and Aylmer Maude. This could have been in the 1001 category, but I decided that I wanted to finish a second category for the feeling of progress! :) When I added the book to the list above, I lost all of my touchstones. Maybe I will go back and fix them later. I don't know why this seems to be happening lately to my edits. Anyway, I loved this book. I have read it before, but not in a long time. I just love Tolstoy!
--BJ

Congrats on finishing Anna Karenina! It's definitely one of those books that you can read more than once and still get carried away by the writing and the story. As much as I've enjoyed reading it before, I haven't been able to get up the motivation to read it again. I think that's mostly because I keep getting distracted by all the new titles, you LT-ers keep recommending.

I've been hearing about people losing all their touchstones, but haven't had that problem myself. (I hope I'm not jinxing myself!) One thing I do automatically, though, because I used to have less reliable internet service, is that I highlight and "copy" (but don't "paste") any posting before I submit it. That way, if something goes wrong, I can just paste it again, but if nothing bad happens, I can just keep going. *highlighting, copying...smiling*

That's a good idea, Bonnie! I never think of that. It was a wonderful book to read. I probably would not have reread it this year if not for the group read on the 75 book challenge group. It seems like for those really long ones, I need to read along with someone else to motivate me to stick with it. I have to admit though, that one of the long books that I was reading for a group read never got finished. I hope that I still get it done before the year is over, but the group read has long since concluded. For some reason, I feel the urge to finish this challenge, even though I knew at the beginning that no way could I finish before the end of the year. I think that as my categories are starting to fill, I am finding that I want to read more and more things that are not going to fit into my categories. I have already started two books that whichever one I finish first will fill my Mixed Bag category. Then I will really have to be disciplined -- which is not my strong suit. Thanks for the suggestion and have a great day!
--BJ

Then I will really have to be disciplined -- which is not my strong suit.

Should I be laughing? I'm laughing because the same could be said of me. I definitely need to join Avoiders Anonymous.

Bonnie, I don't know why I can't be on top of things. I like so much when things are organized, yet I am incapable of getting them there. And once there, incapable of keeping them there. :D Anyway, I keep looking over my lists and thinking: What am I about to read that can finish up this or that category? The really ridiculous thing I did was make only one ticker for both this and my 75 book challenge, because I figured that 81 was about the limit of what I can read (if I can read that much). Now, if I read something not on the 999, I don't know what to do about my ticker. I am glad that I will have fewer books for the challenge next year. And next year I will have two separate tickers. And, hey, I am ready to join Avoiders Anonymous with you! :)
--BJ

I finished my Mixed Bag category with Grave Goods by Ariana Franklin. This is the third Mistress of the Art of Death mystery. I liked the King Arthur angle to it. Now I have three categories finished.
--BJ

I finished my Dewey Decimal Category with Chicken Soup for the Soul: Living Catholic Faith edited by Jack Canfield, et al. (810.8/02/09283 2008939489) and It is Time to Meet St. Philomena by Mark Miravalle (270). I also read a book for the humor category It Came From the Far Side by Gary Larson. I only have one more book left for this category and I have already started it.
--BJ

I finished my Humor category with Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding. This could also have gone in the Book to Screen category. Now I have finished 5 categories and have 4 to go.
--BJ

Read book 6 in my 1001 category and lost all of my touchstones. I read Dracula by Bram Stoker. It could also have gone in the book to screen category for sure, but my 1001 category needed some help.
--BJ

You are moving right along billiejean. You will definitely finish this challenge before I do. I need to just sit down tonight and read instead of exercising. I should have done a category for books to film because I have so many of those books to read.

Hi, Monica!
I have been feeling like I haven't read that much lately. But I definitely want to go ahead and finish this challenge. I think that I need to exercise instead of reading. My elliptical is calling me. The books to screen (I said screen to include tv, too) category has been the most fun for me. And I have been amazed that some of the books I read were movies! Also, the humor category has been lots of fun. I added that one at the last minute. Are you doing the 1010 one? I signed on but only a short version of it (1 in 1, 2 in the next up to 10 in the 10th category). But I haven't started on a thread for it yet. I am beginning to think that I have signed up for too many different challenges and I can't get them done. This has been a fun one, though. Thanks for stopping by!
--BJ

Hi BJ!
I know I haven't been reading that much at all. I had some shoking thing happen in July and it just hit me hard and I haven't been able to get back into reading like I was. I have slowly started to read again. Plus I have needed to loose weight for myself. I have only read about 33 books for my challenges this year. I think I need to finish my YA/Kids category to feel like I am actually reading. I think I will definitely be doing a book to screen category for the 1010 challenge. I just haven't thought about how I am going to set it up just yet. Part of me wants to try for 10 in each category and then I also want to do the step ladder just to make it a little bit easier. I am still working on my categories for the 1010 challenge so once I figure them out then I can decide how I want to approach that challenge. Happy reading!!
Monica

I am sorry that you had such a bad experience, and I know how things can get away from reading. They did for me for years and years. I really like reading young adult and kids books. There are so many good choices there. I will look for you over on the 1010 when I get over there. Take care!
--BJ

I finished book 8 for my SFF/Speculative Fiction category. I read The Grey King by Susan Cooper, the fourth book in The Dark is Rising sequence. It was a great read and I know that I will want to read the last one of the set.
--BJ

I finished book 8 for my Book to Screen category, The Stand (The Complete and Uncut Edition) by Stephen King. Once again, I lost all of my touchstones. I wonder why? Anyway, I read this as part of a 75 Book Challenge group read and really enjoyed it. I don't really read Stephen King books anymore, but I liked this one alot.
--BJ

I finally finished War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy for the 1001 books category. And amazingly, the touchstones on this list came back. Yeah! I love Tolstoy and enjoyed this book, but it is definitely on the long side. This could also have gone in the Book to Screen category, and I have heard that the movie is quite good. I will have to watch it sometime. :)
--BJ

Oh that is one book I have yet to tackle. I think the length is what scares me that I don't read it. Glad to see you finished it.

Hi, Monica!
Thanks so much for the congrats. You are right, this is a really long book. The only reason that I was able to finish it was that I joined a group read that has taken it really slowly -- about 150 pages a month or so. And those 150 pages are full of fairly tiny print. I loved that this group did not barrel on ahead at top speed. Especially because I got all behind when my daughter graduated from high school. So I have been reading this book since January -- a long, long time. It has a good story though. The only problem is that at the beginning there are so many characters who are all called about 4 different names and several of them have the same name. Once you get past that, it gets easier. And then at the end there is a long theoretical essay on "laws of history" and "free will" that were not as much fun to read. :) I have another long book that I have been wanting to read forever -- Moby Dick. My daughter read it, but I have been reluctant to tackle it without a group read. I just need that kind of support for the really long books. Have a great day!
--BJ

I finished the 7th book in my Collections category, Anne Frank's Tales From the Secret Annex by Anne Frank. This is a collection of stories and essays/memories written by Anne Frank. She has a lot of insight, and I enjoyed reading the book.
--BJ

Hi BJ,

I think joining a group read for some books is a great idea. I am actually going to join a group read for Les Miseralbes. I think I will read it if I know others are reading it too. Moby Dick is another one that I would read with a group too. The long books are just easier that way. I love to read books about Anne Frank. I have read the Diary of a Young Girl so many times plus have seen the movie too. I am going to have to look for Anne Frank's Tales from the Secret Annex in my stack of books. I have been wanting to read it and seeing it here just reminded me of that.

Happy Reading

Monic'a

Hey, Monica!
I think that the long books especially call for a group read to keep motivated. Right now I am reading a book that I started with a group read but fell behind and never finished. It's The Forsyte Saga. I might also join the Les Miserables group read. My girls just love that book. I need to give it another try. :) Hope you enjoy the Anne Frank book. Have a great day!
--BJ

I haven't read The Forsyte Saga. Let us know how you like it.

Hi, cmbohn!
I just finished The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy for the 1001 Books category. Only one left to go in this one. I liked the book which is a trilogy about turn of the 20th Century Britain, especially the third book of it. It takes you through the generations of the Forsyte family which has established itself by accumulating capital/property. I think that I need a shorter book next, though. I am feeling the need to finish up this challenge. Only 5 more books to go!!!
--BJ

You are doing great BJ!! You will definitly finish this challenge. I need to get reading because I have only 35 books read so far. Good Luck!!

Monic'a

Thanks for the encouragement. I definitely need to hang in there!! I saw that the Les Miserables group has already started, so I probably won't join in. I am not going to start on the 1010 until January.

Two more books for the Collections category, which finishes it off! Yea! The first is A. R. Ammons: Selected Poems by A. R. Ammons. This is a poet that I had never heard of before. I liked some of the poems and others I didn't. The other book was also a book of poetry, The Children's Own Longfellow by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. I liked these poems, but I wondered why "The Wreck of the Hesperus" was included in a children's book; it was grim!
--BJ

I have never read a collection of stories or poems before. I should probably check some out at the library to get a taste for them.

I will try to read Les Miserables I just don't know if I will be participating in the group read. I just need to find my book first.

We will both finish our challenges!!

Monic'a

You are so close! Keep it up!

Hey Monic'a and CM!
Y'all really made my day!! I think that I might read Les Mis next year. I have my daughter's copy which is a little worse for the wear, just because she loved it so much. I started the last book in the Dark is Rising sequence for the SFF category -- which seems to be more fantasy than scifi. Then I am going to read Brideshead Revisited for the 1001 category, I think. I might change my mind. And then probably Dances with Wolves for Book to Screen. I was going to read The Count of Monte Cristo for 1001, but I think that will take all the way to the end of the year to finish. But I am still going to read it. :) I have heard that it is great. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
--BJ

I have 10 books left in my challenge, 5 from my "long books" category ... 1 longish*, 3 long**, 1 looong***. It's often harder to get into a long book, but once engrossed, I really enjoy the extended stay. Though 5 in the two months ahead may be pushing it :))

* Half of a Yellow Sun

** American Wife, Something Happened, The Charm School

*** The Pillars of the Earth (ok, I may be swapping this one out to 2010!)

eta: When I'm tackling a long book solo (not a group read), a progress ticker (see my profile) can be very motivating!

>192 detailmuse: It does take a while just because of the number of pages, but The Pillars of the Earth moves smoothly and I read it fairly quickly. I know that there are many 400- page books that have taken me just as long to read.

>billiejean: You're really in sight of the end! I don't doubt that you'll finish with time to spare.

Hi, detailmuse and ivyd!
Thanks for stopping by! I also found Pillars of the Earth to be a pretty quick read for such a long book. Looks like you have lots of good titles on your list, detailmuse! I like that suggestion of a ticker for progress on really long books. I will give that a try next year for Moby Dick! Have a great day and happy reading! :)
--BJ

I finished up the SFF category with Silver on the Tree, the final book in The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper. It was another winner. I started Brideshead Revisited for the 1001 category (barely).
--BJ

Wow you are almost done. I think I will stay away from LT so that I can get caught up on my reading. I haven't finished a book in about a month. That is very bad..

You are going to finish this challenge soon!!

Monic'a

Hey, Monic'a!
I know how reading postings on LT can put a dent into time for reading books! :) I have slowed down some myself with working on my two Church classes. But I must admit that I am enjoying them tremendously. I am enjoying Brideshead Revisited, but I have not gotten far enough in to be totally immersed in it. And it is almost Saturday, which is football day for me. I saw that you already have a thread on the 1010. Have you picked out books or just categories? I can't pick all the books out in advance, because I would never stick with it. So I just choose categories. It seems like every time I say that I will definitely read a certain book next that pretty much guarantees that I won't. Maybe I am just contrary. Have a great day and happy reading!
--BJ

Hi BJ,
I have cut back a little bit on reading the posts on LT. I have been very busy in real life that I haven't taken the time to read. I have now started going to the gym and reading a book while I ride the bike, just to get in some reading. For the 1010 challenge I have just picked out my categories. I have never tried picking out books first because then I am afraid that if I do that I won't read the books I have chosen. I still have to worry about reading books for my 999 challenge, 50 book challenge and my ABC challenge (ABC I just started so no rush on that one.) and who knows what other ones I may decide to join. I am going to read a little tonight before I go out to the movies. Have a great day, night, weekend and happy reading!!

Monic'a

I am working on my categories for the 1010. Once I finish this one up, I will start a thread. Are you going to see a scary movie? I saw that Night of the Living Dead has been digitally remastered and will be on tv. But that movie is too scary for me!! I have been exercising on an elliptical, but I can't figure out how to read. I watch tv, but somehow can't really focus that well. All this exercise isn't exactly paying off yet, and I am getting impatient. I hope your weekend is also terrific!
--BJ

I will check out your thread for the 1010 challenge when you do start it. I actually saw Couples Retreat. It was a great movie. There wasn't anything really scary showing that I wanted to see. I haven't seen Night of the Living Dead. As long as I watch a scary movie with others I am usually fine. My son is always watching scary movies and is never scared. Be patient with the weight loss with exercising. I have lost 22 pounds and it takes awhile. plus I have also changed my eating habits, by that I mean I eat healthy foods and have cut back on the junk i.e. cookies, cake, chips, ice cream etc. I love the elliptical but I can't read on that either. I saw a woman with this thing that held the book open while she was doing the elliptical. If I see here again I am going to ask her where she got it because I may just buy it to try and read while doing the elliptical. Well I am off to the gym and to read, since I didn't get any reading done last night. Have a great weekend too!!

Monic'a

Jumping in here to say nice job on the weight loss, Monic'a! and Happy Halloween.

Hi, Monic'a and CM!
I am also eating a lot better. 22 pounds sounds awesome! I hope that I get there someday. Happy Halloween!!! :)
--BJ

I finished the last book in my 1001 Category, Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh. This book has been on my tbr for 20 years, so I am really glad that I have read it at last. Now I only have one more book to read from the Book to Screen category, and I have it picked out. I hope to finish it soon. Then I will be ready to list the top read from each category that I read.

It is funny, reading over the beginning of my thread how I did not read the same books that I thought I would at the beginning. But it has been a good year of good books. :) Have a great day!
--BJ

I did not read the same books that I thought I would at the beginning

Same for me; I'm really looking forward to taking a close look at that when I finish.

Enjoy your 81st book!!!

I am kind of excited about the next book which is Dances with Wolves, which is something totally different for me. I have another book that I need to read more of for a group read, but I want to at least start it tonight. Thanks so much for stopping by!
--BJ

Started my last book this weekend as well. It's a good feeling.

Congrats to you, AHS-Wolfy!! I am not exactly moving at the speed of light with my book but I am enjoying it. Maybe I will finally see the movie after I finish.
--BJ

>205 billiejean:: That was such a great movie! I never thought of reading the book. Can't wait to hear what you think.

I am glad that you liked the movie, Bonnie! I am still in the setting up the book part and I like it so far.
--BJ

I finally finished book 81, the last one for the Book to Screen category. It was Dances with Wolves by Michael Blake and it was wonderful. Now I will have to see the movie which apparently has a different ending.

And now for my Best of Each Category awards:

I. Book to Screen (Movie or TV): The Old Man and the Sea by Earnest Hemingway, with Honorable Mention to the fabulous Dances with Wolves by Michael Blake.

II. 1001 Books (Old or New): The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.

III. Dewey Decimal Challenge: His Excellency George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis 973.4'1'092 dc22.

IV. SFF/Speculative Fiction: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.

V. Collections: Why a Son Needs a Mom: 100 Reasons by Gregory E. Lang.

VI. In Translation: The Ingenious Hildago Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, tranlated from the Spanish by John Rutherford.

VII. Humor: Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.

VIII. LT Reading Group / Recommendation: Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis.

IX. Mixed Bag: Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz.

Many other books not listed were wonderful. It was lots of fun! :)
--BJ

CONGRATULATIONS ON FINISHING BJ!! You sure have some great choices for your best of each category. I like that idea. I think I would have a problem in choosing just one book for each category.

Congrats on finishing! Love your best-of list, you've got a few of my favorites in there.

Nice job!

Hi, everyone!
Thanks so much for the congrats! I did have a hard time picking just one from several of the categories. And the funny thing is that Old Man and the Sea was the first book I read and Dances with Wolves was the last book I read. So they made great bookends. Thanks again!
--BJ

I see there aren't any reviews for Why a Son Needs a Mom. What can you tell me about it? And don't you just have daughters, BJ? Was the impetus for reading this son-in-law related? Or? Did we talk about this before? I could go back and look, but I'm just too lazy, so please tell me why you read this book and what you liked best about it. Remember, I have sons, so need all the reinforcements I can get! ;-)

This book is a list of 100 reasons why a son needs a mom with photos. I do have 2 daughters only. However, my older daughter's boyfriend was confirmed in the Catholic Church last Spring, and I was his sponsor. So he gave me this book with sticky notes to make the title Why a Godson Needs a Godmother. So this book is very special to me for sentimental reasons. And especially as I have no sons of my own. He is one terrific person -- he truly exemplifies what it means to be a man and stand up for what is right today. Can you tell that I am fond of him?
--BJ

Hey, Bonnie, drop a hint for this as a Christmas present. I think that you will like it! :)
--BJ

>216 billiejean:: Yep! Now I remember, that was a very special gift!
>217 billiejean:: You don't think that would be too pathetic? ;-)

#218 No, absolutely not. I always find that hints are welcome. And I always ask for lots of affection from my kids. Or, I also get books like that for myself, too. :) I always need lots of positive reinforcement to counteract all the negative in the world. And you are one terrific person, Bonnie! You share positive reinforcement with everyone, which I truly appreciate. Thanks so much for being you!!!
--BJ

The book Why a Son Needs a Mom sounds like a book I should look into getting/reading. I do have one son and my daughter has a boyfriend. I love to read books about positive things. I may just ask for it of buy it myself some time. I may just give the book to my son since he sometimes just ignores me and doesn't talk.

Thanks BJ.

Congratulations!

I picked up Dancing With Wolves and am excited about reading it.

Hi, Monic'a and Victoria!
Both books are wonderful. I highly recommend them, and I hope y'all like them.

I find that girls tend to be more chatty than boys. But even if I don't hear from my girls, I just call them up or text Please call me! My brother doesn't talk on the phone or even answer the phone. Once I called his home phone and two different cell phones and never got an answer or a call back. I don't like to answer junk calls, but I do answer calls from family. So, who knows?
--BJ