LisaMorr's 999 Challenge

I'm happy to join the 999ers!

I'm not planning on starting until 1/1/09. I'm torn between actually making a reading list now or just adding the books as I read them. Perhaps a little bit of both!

Here is my category list for the 999 challenge:

A. Books bought in airport shops
B. Science Fiction
C. Fantasy
D. Anthologies
E. Mystery/Crime
F. Books in a Series
G. Non-US settings
H. Older than me
I. Graphic Novels

Edit: I will use an asterisk on all books I already owned when I put them on my lists. Supports my plan to work on the TBR pile!

Edited the mystery category to mystery/crime (the first book I read in this category did not quite fit!).

A. Books bought in airport shops

1. The Sanctuary* by Raymond Khoury READ
2. John Adams by David McCullough (supports the US President's Challenge)
3. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink READ
4. Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years by Michael PalinREAD
5. Obama: From Promise to Power by David Mendell (supports the US President's Challenge) READ - see msg 60
6. Cell by Stephen KingREAD
7. The Spellman Files by Lisa LutzREAD
8.
9.

B. Science Fiction

1. The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger -READ see message 52
2. Eon and Eternity* by Greg Bear
3. Time Storm* by Gordon Rupert Dickson
4. The Chameleon Variant* by Carol K. Mack
5. Mockingbird* by Walter Tevis
6. The Road* by Cormac McCarthy
7. The Speed of Dark* by Elizabeth Moon
8. Jumper* by Steven Gould
9. Down to a Sunless Sea* by David Graham READ

Selected my first book in this category from the "Pick a book you haven't read from someone's else's library" thread. Thank you dahilz! Thank you callmejacx!

C. Fantasy

1.The Merman's Children* by Poul Anderson
2.Darkmage* by Barbara Hambly
3.Queen's Own* by Mercedes Lackey; includes Arrows of the Queen, Arrows Flight, Arrows Fall
4.Deerskin* by Robin McKinley READ
5.Anno Dracula* by Kim Newman
6.DragonWorld* by Byron Preiss
7.Rincewind the Wizzard* by Terry Pratchett READ - see msg 66
8.The Golden* by Lucius Shepard
9.Lord Valentine's Castle* by Robert Silverberg

I just realized that The Ancient was the second book in a series, and I don't have the first book, so I will choose something else from my massive TBR pile to put in its place.

Edited to remove The Magic Toyshop, because I was mistaken about it being a fantasy - but I thoroughly enjoyed it!

D. Anthologies

1. The Mammoth Book of Short Horror Novels* - Mike Ashley
2. Hitler Victorious: Eleven Stories of the German Victory in World War II* - Gregory Benford READ see message 45
3. Virtual Unrealities* - by Alfred Bester
4. Dark Love* - Nancy A. Collins
5. Nanotech* - Jack Dann READ
6. The Year's Best Science Fiction - Fourteenth* - Gardner Dozois
7. Strange Candy* by Laurell K. Hamilton
8. Don't Open This Book* - Marvin Kaye READ
9. The Playboy Book of Science Fiction* - Alice K. Turner

E. Mystery/Crime

1. You Belong to Me* by Mary Higgins Clark
2. All Around the Town* by Mary Higgins Clark
3. I'll be Seeing You* by Mary Higgins Clark
4. Pretend You Don't See Her* by Mary Higgins Clark
5. katastrophe* by Randall Boyll
6. The Secret History* by Donna Tartt - READ see message 43
7. The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz READ
8. The Gardens of the Dead by William Brodrick READ
9. Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz READ

Edited category to include crime novels.

F. Books in a Series

1. Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone* by J. K. Rawling (yes, it's true, I have not read any, but plan to read all in 2009) READ msg 69
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets* READ
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban* READ
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire*READ
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*READ
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince*READ
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows*READ
8. The City of Ember* by Jeanne DuPrau
9. The People of Sparks* by Jeanne DuPrau

G. Non-US Settings

1. The Ministry of Special Cases* by Nathan Englander
2. knots* by Nuruddin Farah
3. The Kite Runner* by Khaled Hosseini READ
4. The Island of the Day Before* by Umberto Eco
5. The Storrington Papers* by Dorothy Eden
6. Devil May Care* by Sebastian Faulks
7. Prisoner without a Name, Cell without a Number* by Jacobo Timerman
8. Saffron Kitchen* by Yasmin Crowther
9. Heart of Darkness* by Joseph Conrad READ - see msg 63

H. Older than me

1. The Yellow Wallpaper* by Charlotte Perkins Gilman - READ see message 42
2. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia WoolfREAD
3. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton READ see msg 75
4. Brave New World* by Aldous Huxley
5. Jude the Obscure* by Thomas Hardy
6. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes* by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
7. The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman* by Laurence Sterne
8. Tom Jones* by Henry Fielding
9. The Return of the Native* by Thomas Hardy

I. Graphic Novels

1. Watchmen* by Alan Moore - READ see message 44
2. The Complete Maus by Art SpiegelmanREAD
3. V for Vendetta by Alan MooreREAD
4. Palestine by Joe SaccoREAD
5. Persepolis by Marjane SatrapiREAD
6. Fables: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham
7. The Rabbi's Cat by Joann Sfar
8. Exit Wounds by Rutu ModanREAD
9. Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil GaimanREAD

Hi, LisaMorr!
I haven't read the Harry Potter books either and I thought I was the only one! I am planning to read at least some of them next year, too. My girls love them and I have seen some of the movies, so I kind of know what they are about. I like your books bought in an airport category. :)
--BJ

Thanks Billie Jean - I travel a lot, and sometimes can't resist picking something up at the airport, even though I usually bring books with me. I get a lot read on planes. I'm kinda glad I didn't start Harry Potter until now - I don't have to wait for new books to come out but can just go right through the whole series. From everything I've heard, I ought to enjoy them! I understand they get better, too. You'll have to tell me what you think! - Regards, Lisa

Never having read any before, I've decided to make my last category Graphic Novels. I picked up Watchmen this year and so that will be first. I've looked around at other folks' lists and picked a few more, as well as some things on Amazon.

Would love to hear about anyone else's choices for must reads in this category.

Thanks!

I do enjoy graphic novels, both for the stories and as a break from novels and such. I usually think of them as my fluff reads. :) I know there are a lot out there that have great storytelling, I just tend to zero in on the silly/romance stories that I can read in two hours for pure escapism.

One series that I find rises to a higher level caliber than my usual choice is the Fables series by Bill Willingham. This series has very interesting plot lines and quality writing, I highly recommend it. The premise is that fairy tale/folk tale characters are all real, and are living incognito in New York City. I really enjoy fairy tale retellings, and this has become one of my favorites.

Thanks nmhale, I will add the Fable series to my graphic novels list. I like the premise!

I agree that graphic novels will be "fluffier" than the "regular" books on my list. Partly why I decided on that as my last category is because I think I will have a tough time reading 81 books next year, and a few of these will maybe make it a little easier to achieve....!

Understandable. I have a category of books read with my daughter, and she's five months old, so you see how easy that one will be! :)

I like "older than me" as a category !

I don't read graphic novels much but I rate Maus as one of my favourite books ever.

nmhale - May be an "easy" category, but how much fun and how gratifying to read with your daughter!

FleurFisher - Thanks for your opinion on Maus, good to know that it is a great read, regardless of its format!

Lisa - I'll suggest The Rabbi's Cat by Joann Sfar for your graphic novel section - it is very good, one of my favourites. I'm about to read Maus. One you might not have heard of is Ruth Modan's Exit Wounds.

avatiakh - Thanks for the recommendations. They both look interesting, and I shall add them to my Graphic Novel category. It's almost complete!

You picked some great Graphic Novels. I have read Maus, Persepolis, Fables, and the Rabbi's Cat and enjoyed them all. I will probably be adding V for Vendetta to my own list.

Good lists! And I envy you your first Harry Potter read. You should fly right through them.

Thanks shootingstarr7 - based on your comment, is it a series that I will want to read one right after another?

YES!!

Re: Graphic Novels. According to a comic nerd friend of mine, Watchmen is fantastic. As for me, I enjoyed Persepolis and LOVED (and even taught) Maus. If you're interested in Spiegelman and have not read it yet, you might add to your TBRs In the Shadow of No Towers about the aftermath of 911.

ShannonMDE - thanks for answer on Harry Potter.

And cocoafiend - thanks for your Spiegelman recommendation, looks really interesting!

#14 nmhale & #15 LisaMorr

I just read my first graphic novel over Thanksgiving at my son's house in Chicago. He suggested Fables for me because he thought I would enjoy reading about characters I already knew and because the stories are good. (He also has them all at his house so I could sample without buying!) I only had time to read the first one, but I was really surprised how much I liked it. I enjoyed the premise on which the stories are based and the art work was much higher quality than I remember from the comic books of my childhood. I also learned a valuable lesson--I'm usually very good at solving the mysteries I read before the "detective" does--but I missed a clue in this one because I didn't pay enough attention to the art work! I'm looking forward to continuing the series. Be sure to read the story at the end of the first volume (it's no graphic) because it tells you more about the characters.

I wish I had thought of graphic novels before I chose all my 999 categories!

Thanks MusicMom41 for your thoughts on Fables - I'm psyched about this category!

>23 LisaMorr:,
To echo ShannonMDE, you definitely will want to read them one right after the other. In the later books, there's a lot more that becomes confusing if you wait too long between reads. It's not as big a deal for the earlier books, but I was so charmed by them that I had to keep reading.

Thanks shootingstarr7 - now I need to think about when to slot in the Harry Potter experience next year!

I loved Heart of Darkness. I think Joseph Conrad is just amazing, although I will admit some of his books are not as good as others. But this one is one of his best. I also enjoyed Brave New World. They made a really lame movie of the book - don't bother, unless you want a laugh.

Thanks cmbohn. That's great to hear about Heart of Darkness, I don't really know what to expect. Brave New World I'm more familiar with - it's been on my list for awhile!

I have Brave New World on my list, as well.

Heart of Darkness is a wonderful read! But it is not everyone's "taste" as I've discovered on LT. But even if you subscribe to the Pearl rule (if you are not hooked by page 50 give it up) you should be able to finish it--since it's not much over 100 pages (in my edition, at least) it would be a shame to waste the effort you've already put in! ;-)

>33 MusicMom41: MusicMom41, I'm getting more intrigued, I'll have to read Heart of Darkness sooner rather than later. I don't think my OCD will let me not finish it. ;) It really has to have no redeeming quality whatsover, and as a classic and a 1001 book, it should have lots of redeeming qualities!

#34 LisaMorr

I'm just sorry I've already read it--I could put it in my Africa category or in Classics. I may read it again, because I loved it so much and you've reminded me of it.

Lisa,
You might want to add The Tales of Beedle the Bard to the Harry Potter group since it is actually related to the last book.

As for the timing, you might want to doing them in spring, to be ready when the new movie comes out!

I wish I had time to re-read the all.

Cheli

Thanks Cheli! I'll slip that in after I finish. Interestingly enough, I have not seen any of the movies - did you like them?
-Lisa

I liked the books better but I could watch the movies over and over again.

Some of my coworkers at the bookstore keep trying to get me to read graphic novels, but so far there's enough else out there that I'm not tempted. They tell me I would like Fables, too. And that Time magazine named The Watchmen one of the 100 best novels of the last century.

I'll be interested to hear what you think about Lord Valentine's Castle. That's one of my favorite fantasy novels.

Cheli - I'll have to do a Harry Potter movie marathon then!

ReneeMarie - I'll let you know what I think about my foray into graphic novels as well as Lord Valentine's Castle.

Needed to post because my thread does not show up anywhere!

I'm on vacation right now, returning on Friday. I brought a ton of books to read, but won't be starting the challenge until 1/1/09. So, since leaving for vacation on 12/20 (golfing in Tucson, AZ), I've read The Long Firm, The Last Lecture and Dark Matter by Greg Iles. I just started The Book Thief. The only other book I have that is not a 999 Challenge Book is The Winner. So, hopefully that will last me until 1/1!

Starting 1/1 and on the flying day home on Friday, I'll start with The Yellow Wallpaper, then Watchmen, NanoTech, The Secret History, The Time Traveler's Wife and A Thousand Splendid Suns. I also brought two more grapic novels with me, just in case I ran out - The Complete Persepolis and V for Vendetta. I'm going to try not to read them yet because at least for now I will try to read one from all categories before going back to a category. I may break that rule when starting my series novels! We'll see...

Well, I didn't start the Challenge until January 2nd - was still reading The Book Thief (loved it!) until late on 1/1/09.

So, made it quickly through The Yellow Wallpaper (older than me), a shortie but a goodie. Read it on the plane home yesterday. A very quick read. The VMC edition I had included an Afterword which was almost as long as the book itself!

I enjoyed this book (short story, or at most a novella). Written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, an early feminist, it recounts a wife's descent into madness.

The main character is the wife mentioned above; it is told in the first person, and the reader is not entirely convinced of what is real and what is in the narrator's mind.

This was a disturbing book - I felt helpless, like the narrator. A good book.

Then started on The Secret History (mystery - although now that I am reading it, I'm not 100% sure it is a mystery - what exactly makes a mystery a mystery?). I might revise my category to mystery/crime...

Edited to include review here (I'll just cut and paste from my 75 Book thread - I notice that I don't often go to other people's links, too many threads and not enough time!).

Finished The Secret History, one from my Mystery/Crime category.

The first half of the book went very quickly, a little slower through the second half. A crime novel, this book starts out talking about a murder of a college student by a group of his friends(?).

After this foreshadowing, you learn about the narrator, a young man from California, apparently not particularly special, who manages to get transferred to a small northeastern college. This young man wants to continue his studies in Greek, and upon finding this seemingly impossible, he starts to fixate on the Greek professor and the 5 students he teaches. Eventually, the narrator is able to join this clique.

It takes the first half of the book to make it to the foreshadowed event, and the first half was quick reading. After the murder, things get a little murky, relationships change, some spiraling out of control, but I found it to be a slower read.

The character development was very good, along with the descriptions in general. Not too flowery, but I felt like I could feel and smell and taste what was going on. The author uses a Greek or French phrase here and there, and they are usually clearly explained or understandable through context, but not 100% of the time.

I wasn't totally expecting what happened in the end, but a fitting ending I believe. Although slow going for a little while, I do recommend this book. It reflects on a number of themes including friendships, morals, pantheism and college.

Started Watchmen today, from my Graphic Novel category.

edited to paste review here

Finished Watchmen yesterday, from my Graphic Novel category.

Wow, not sure where to start with this one. On the plane home yesterday this guy saw me reading it and couldn't stop talking about how great it was and that it was the best book he ever read and that he was envious that I was reading it for the first time. I don't think I will put it in that last category, but it is a good book.

First, there is a lot going on in this book (graphic novel). You have to keep several story lines clear, one at least that is only peripherally linked to the main plot, which is that someone is killing off (or getting rid of) the superheroes.

The story takes place in an alternate historical era where Richard Nixon is president (and apparently gets away with Watergate). Superheroes were outlawed in 1977 (a law against vigilanteism) and most of them have retired from superheroics, with one active, and two working for the government. The story gets going with a former superhero getting murdered, and the one active superhero investigating the murder. Then more and more superheroes get murdered, framed, or in other ways gotten rid of. This affects the balance of power with Russia, and shortly World War III is almost upon us. The rest of the story is about how the world is saved.

It started out kind of slowly for me, but got better and better. The book definitely meets the definition of a "graphic" novel because there was lots of blood.

A couple of comments on the structure: there are 12 chapters and at the end of each chapter there is some non-comic book material. (Sorry to say comic book, just trying to differentiate from illustrated panels and other stuff). The material at the end of each chapter is very different - there is a memoir by one of the older superheroes, an essay on one of the superheroes, an essay on birdwatching, some newsclips, interviews, memos, a history of pirate comics (a continuing sub-story in the graphic part of the novel), arrest sheet, psychiatric evaluation of one of the superheroes, and more. Some of this material is very interesting and adds to the experience, and some I couldn't quite get through.

In the end, I liked it. The ending itself is not 100% tied off, and you wonder what is going to happen next, but it's not like a cliffhanger in that you need to go out and buy next week's issue (I don't think there is a direct sequel, but I could be wrong).

I gave it 3.5 stars. It's a good book.

Finished Hitler Victorious this morning from my Anthology category.

I really like short stories, but this was not a book of great short stories, more just stories around a theme. I was hoping for better.

Still, out of the 11 stories, there were some good ones, which I'll summarize here:

Two Dooms by C.M. Kornbluth - about the guy involved in the Manhattan project who discovers the critical information necessary to fast track the bomb, and has second thoughts.

Reichs-Peace by Shiela Finch - about how Hitler's widow tries to keep the peace

Never Meet Again - in a world where Hitler won, a German engineer wants to change the past because of what the state did to him

Enemy Transmissions - about the state's dream study program

Valhalla - about how Hitler has to pay in the end

So, half were above average, maybe one more about average. Glad I read it. It did link up well with the other WWII books I have read recently (The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich) and The Book Thief). That reminds me, one of the books mentioned in one of the stories was Shirer's The Rise of the Third Reich!

LisaMorr, I borrowed Hitler Victorious from the library after seeing it on your list. It was in the house about 15 minutes when my daughter, who has an interest in WWII, nabbed it. Hopefully I'll get it back soon and maybe we can compare notes.

BKieras - would love to hear what you think!

I just read The Magic Toyshop and I'll have to take it out of my Fantasy category. It's not a fantasy - probably my mistake in assuming it was - I received it as a gift from my Virago Secret Santa, who thought I would like it because I have a lot of fantasy books in my library. So, that doesn't mean it's a fantasy! Anyway, I liked it a lot, and shall review it on my 75 Book Challenge thread; if anyone is interested, here is the link: http://www.librarything.com/topic/51377.

I received an ARC (my first one ever!), Blown Coverage last week, so I feel obligated to get that read and reviewed ASAP. I'll be back into the 999 Challenge as soon as I finish it!

I picked up 3 books while transiting through DFW airport yesterday and have added them to my 'Books bought in airport shops' category: The Reader (heard a lot about on LT), Michael Palin Diaries 1969-1979 (I will get to meet him in April) and Obama: From Promise to Power (fit in with the US Presidents Challenge).

I read The Yellow Wallpaper in college, just the start of many, many stories about women going insane, or being miserable, or committing suicide. I hated that class. But this story was cool and creepy.

I have the image of her scuttling around the baseboard of the room impressed upon my mind!

I just finished The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. When I started it, I wasn't quite sure if it REALLY fit into my science fiction category, but after getting through it I see there is some science in this ficition.

Anyway, I really loved it - 5 stars!

It's (obviously) a story about a time traveler. I can tell you that much without giving anything away. It's really a great love story, and it goes back and forth in time, spanning the life of the time traveler and its intersection with the girl who eventually becomes his wife.

The way it is written is pretty neat. It goes forward in time from when the woman meets the man in his present and then criss crosses back to when he meets her as a young girl, and then back and forth, farther into the future, and also into the past. It was really elegantly done.

Love the characters - Henry is soooo funny, and so is Clare. I can picture everyone and everywhere - the depictions are great.

There is a lot of forewarning of what's going to happen (it works that way with this sort of time travel anyway), but I still was turning the pages and had to get to the end.

What a great first novel.

5 stars
Why I Choose this Book: I saw good reviews and comments here on LT.
What I'm Reading Next: Obama: From Promise to Power, from my Books Bought in Airport Shops category.

I have The Time Traveler's Wife on my TBR pile. I remember reading the review or snippets about the book on LT and some one was getting rid of it so I grabbed it up. I just don't know when I will get to read it. I have so many books that have been on my TBR pile a lot longer then The Time Traveler's Wife, so it will be awhile before I read it. I am glad to see that you have given it a great rating.

I also really enjoyed The Time Traveler's Wife, which I rated as one of my favorite books last year. I totally agree that

It was really elegantly done.

It will be interesting to see what she does next.

re53 crazy4reading: As I recall it's fairly long in terms of pages, but nevertheless it's a fast and satisfying read.

Absolutely second that, ivyd. Crazy4reading, it's 500+ pages and I finished about 300 pages today, and I'm no speed reader. It had quite an impact on me. I look forward to seeing what you think of it!

Wow you guys are making me want to move it up on my to be read pile. I know when I read the little review about it on here I liked it. I am going to go and read my other 3 books so that I can start it soon....

LisaMorr...I can't wait to read your review of Tom Jones. It's one that has always intrigued me, but I have yet to hear much of a good review. I'd be more willing to read it if someone gave a good review of it other than "it's kind of boring"...It's a classic!!! There's got to be more to say about it than that! Anyway...

If you like Persepolis you should try The Embroideries another graphic novel also by Marjane Satrapi (sorry if the touchtone doesn't work...I tried). It's a telling of the stories told to her by her mother, grandmother, and their girlfriends about being a woman in Iran. I loved it and read it in one very quick setting!

AWilkins, thanks for the recommendation; just taken a quick look at Persepolis and it looks great, so I definitely think I would enjoy The Embroideries.

I'll let you know what I think about Tom Jones - I'm interested in it, so hopefully it won't be just a boring classic!

January summary:

A. Books bought in airport shops
reading Obama: From Promise to Power
B. Science Fiction
1. The Time Traveler's Wife, 5 stars, msg 52
C. Fantasy
D. Anthologies
1. Hitler Victorious, 3.5 stars, msg 45
E. Mystery/Crime
1. The Secret History, 3.5 stars, msg 43
F. Books in a Series
G. Non-US settings
H. Older than me
1. The Yellow Wallpaper, 4 stars, msg 42
I. Graphic Novels
1. The Watchmen, 3.5 stars, msg 44

5 books read - a little slow here so far....

Average 3.9

As soon as I finish the Obama biography, I think I will read Heart of Darkness from the non-US settings category, and then something from the Fantasy list.

Finished Obama: From Promise to Power by David Mendell today, from my category, Books Bought in Airport Shops. I was really stalled on this. I read non-fiction slower than fiction, to be sure, but this just took me ages. I think also I've been incredibly busy with work, but still.....from January 25 to now to get through this!

So, I wanted to read a biography of Obama - I wasn't ready to read an autobiography until I read an outside party's perspective.

Mendell is a Chicago Tribune reporter who has been covering Obama since he began his campaign for the Senate.

Obama: From Promise to Power covers Obama's entire life, although it's much more detailed during the time Obama was in Chicago, and very detailed from the beginning of Obama's Senate campaign. It ends with Obama's announcement of his presidential campaign.

The book is heavily notated, with a great deal of material coming from personal interviews with Obama's family and people working on his campaigns. In addition, he does quote Dreams from my Father and The Audacity of Hope as well.

Mendell is not totally fawning, it does have criticisms of Obama, but I would say Mendell likes his subject. It does offer opinions different from Obama's own memoirs.

Although I was interested in learning more about Obama, this book did not hold my interest. At 387 pages, I expected to be through it pretty quickly. Yet I was mired down in the middle of the book, where eight chapters (albeit not very long ones) covered the bulk of his Senate campaign. It wasn't until the about the end of his campaign, and the chapter on his speech to the 2004 Democratic National Convention that the book started to move a little more quickly. Perhaps this was just a little too much detail for me.

Towards the end, there were three chapters on his trip to Africa, which I found very interesting, and then finally the last chapter leading up to Obama's declaration of his run for the presidency.

So, I liked parts of it and I learned a lot, but it was slow going. I'm going to give it 3 stars, taking into account that I've had an extremely tough last two weeks in terms of work.

3 stars
Why I Chose This Book: Looking for a presidential biography to fit with the US Presidents Challenge
What I'm Reading Next: Heart of Darkness from my Non-US Settings category.

Your list is really cool! I like your categories, and I have a couple of the same books as you - reading The Age of Innocence right now, in fact! Personally, I liked Tom Jones and didn't think it was boring at all. It's certainly very long, but it's also extremely witty, and Tom Jones gets involved in a lot of hilarious escapades. Then again, I'm sure it's not to everyone's taste - I just like books written in that time period.

Thanks ladyc! It will be neat to compare notes after I've read Age of Innocence and Tom Jones.

I finished Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad today. It's the first in my Non-US Settings category.

Wow - what a book. It's short - 117 pages, and I wanted it to be longer. I was savoring every page. The descriptions were amazing.

I was a little worried after reading 7-8 pages, it was very bleh. But as soon as Marlow started to get into his story, it was wonderful.

This story is told to the narrator, who is on a boat with Marlow, sitting on the Thames, waiting for the tide to turn. As they are waiting, Marlow tells his story about going up the Congo River, and his meeting with Kurtz, an agent of the company, renowned for finding so much ivory.

I had to read aloud this passage when I came across it:

He was a lank, bony, yellow-faced man, with big intense eyes. His aspect was worried, and his head was as bald as the palm of my hand; but his hair in falling seemed to have stuck to his chin, and had prospered in the new locality, for his beard hung down to his waist.

And this short book is filled with this! Turn the page, and it is filled with a description of the river, It was the stillness of an implacable force brooding over an inscrutable intention. It looked at you with a vengeful aspect.

This book is more about the narrative and the symbolism than the story. It starts out with Marlow musing about how the Romans found England to be when they first arrived - dark and uncivilized. And then segues into his trip up the Congo. And ends with him visiting Kurtz' fiance.

I didn't realize at first that Apocalypse Now was based on Heart of Darkness. I first saw that movie when I was 16, and I sat through it twice in the movie theatre, and that movie was about 2.5 hours long! In reading this, it's obvious Kurtz is the same. They talk about his method "being unsound" and his last words were, "the horror, the horror." The Dennis Hopper character is the same in the book too. It was sometimes hard to not have Marlon Brando and Dennis Hopper in my head.

Overall, I give it 4 stars - 1/2 star off for slow start and slow ending, and 1/2 star off for a little less story than I would like.

4 Stars
Why I Chose This Book: It's been on my shelf for almost 30 years, an Easton Press book, and it was time!
What I'm Reading Next: I started Rincewind the Wizzard last week, starting off my Fantasy category.

Your review has inspired me to read Heart of Darkness. I am just finishing up Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux and it is riddled with references to Conrad. I can certainly outdo your ignorance about links between literature and the movies...I only knew that Apocalypse Now was based on Heart of Darkness and am ashamed to say that I had always assumed it was a Vietnam war novel.

Glad to have inspired you tracyfox - now I hope you like it!

I finished Rincewind the Wizzard last week, first in my fantasy category.

I have heard a lot of good things about Terry Pratchett and the Discworld here on LT, and had this book in my library for some years, so thought I would give it a try.

This books includes The Colour of Magic, The Light Fantastic, Sourcery and Eric.

The Colour of Magic is Terry Pratchett's first Discworld novel. It introduces many characters that will continue to entertain us in Discworld novels. The story is about how Rincewind the Wizzard meets up with Twoflowers, the first tourist of Discworld. Rincewind is supposed to protect Twoflowers, but as Rincewind is not really a wizard, and quite cowardly as well, this is not very simple. Luckily, Twoflowers is very rich and has The Luggage, a large wooden chest that moves on hundreds of little legs and will snap at Twoflowers' enemies. Twoflowers is naive, and believes that no one would want to hurt him, which continuously frustrates Rincewind.

The story progresses with Twoflowers touring the world and the Luggage and Rincewind trying to protect him.

I didn't find that there was enough story to suit my tastes. It's funny, with lots of satire and current cultural references.

The next story was The Light Fantastic, which was a continuation of Rincewind's, Twoflowers' and the Luggage's adventures. I liked this one better - there was a little more of an overall plot, and it was wrapped up nicely.

Sourcery was next, and I think I liked this the best. It is about the 8th son of an 8th son (who is a wizard) which makes him a Sourceror (I think I've got that right...). Wizards deal with magic, but they are not amazingly all-powerful. A Sourceror, however, is the source of magic, and is extremely powerful. This story is about what happens when the Sourceror comes to Unseen University and wants to change things, and how Rincewind helps to save the day.

I mentioned how Pratchett introduces a lot of pop culture in his books - here's an example:
"The Current patrician, head of the extremely rich and powerful Vetinari family, was thin, tall and apparently as cold-blooded as a dead penguin. Just by looking at him you could tell he was the sort of man you'd expect to keep a white cat, and caress it idly while sentencing people to death in a piranha tank..."

I thought this story was a real page-turner, and enjoyed it.

The last story in the book is Eric. Eric is a demonologist who summons Rincewind, apparently accidentally, as Rincewind is not a demon. Eric refuses to believe Rincewind is not a demon, and expects him to grant three wishes. Interestingly enough, special things happen when Rincewind snaps his fingers. We travel around the world with Eric, Rincewind and the Luggage, ending up in Hell.

This story had a bit of a trick in it, and I found it somewhat confusing until the trick was revealed. It was OK, but not one of my favorites.

So, I enjoyed Terry Practhett's Rincewind the Wizzard and Discworld, but not all of the stories equally.
I will give the whole book 3.5 stars - 4 stars for The Light Fantastic and Sourcery and 3 stars for The Colour of Magic and Eric.

3.5 stars
Why I Chose This Book:Have seen lots of good reviews of Terry Pratchett, and since I had this book already, I slipped it in to the Fantasy category
What I'm Reading Next: Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone

February Summary:

Only 3 books read - it's a short month, and I guess I let work get in the way of reading....

A. Book Bought in Airport Shops
Obama: From Promise to Power, 3 stars, msg 60
C. Fantasy
Rincewind the Wizzard, 3.5 stars, msg 66
G. Non-U.S. Settings
Heart of Darkness, 4 stars, msg 63

February average: 3.5 stars

8 Books Read from 8 Categories

Currently reading a non-999 book, How the Scots Invented the Modern World; I think I will also start my last category, Books in a Series, with Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone

I only read 2 books in March (again letting work get in the way of reading) and neither one was a 999 Challenge book.

But, just finished Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone, a fun quick read.

No one probably needs a review, but I'll get around to adding my two cents anyway.

I finished Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone last week, the first in my Books in a Series category. With this book I have (finally) completed one book from each category, a grand total of ....NINE.... Ta Da! Yeah, I know, pretty lame since we're in April already. I have found that I haven't been able to read ONLY from my 999 categories. And that's OK.

So what can I say that hasn't already been said about the Harry Potter phenomenon...nothing much I imagine. It was a quick, fun read for me. From Rowling's writing I could imagine what was happening in good detail. I liked the long lists of things scattered throughout the book - the list of things to buy before going to Hogwart's, the piles of food on the table, all the different classes and what you learned in each one. I wished for a little more detail about some things, such as the Sorceror's Stone itself. But it wasn't so simple that I knew who the bad guy was before the end.

I think this is the shortest one in the bunch, and I am looking forward to the next.

I'm giving it 3.5 stars - a good story, well told, but a bit simplistic. It does draw me in to read the next one.

3.5 stars
Why I Chose This Book: I missed the Harry Potter phenomenon went it started. I heard good things about the books and learned that they weren't just for kids. I decided to wait until the entire series was written and completed so I didn't have to wait for books to finish and bought them all last year. And it was the last 999 category from which I needed to read a book.
What I'm Reading Next for the 999 Challenge: The Age of Innocence from my Older than Me category

I had just about the same feeling for the first Potter book, Lisa.

And I loved, loved, loved The Age of Innocence. When you finish, would you mind giving a bit of thought as to: Just whose "innocence" does the title refer to?

Have fun with it---

Just finished The Age of Innocence, bohemima, and am thinking about what to say in a review. I had about 100 pages left when I read your post, and I thought that maybe May was innocent, but I think now that if anyone was innocent, it was the Countess. Everyone else just worked very, very hard to appear innocent. I definitely enjoyed it.

>71 LisaMorr:

I think May was probably one of the least innocent characters! She appeared innocent on the outside, but she knew just what was going on with Newland and just how to manipulate him. I think she just put on the veneer of innocence so that she could get whatever she wanted. (Yeah, I'm not a big fan of May!)

I thought that Newland was the "innocent" one myself; of course, given Wharton's overall attitudes toward society, the title may be completely ironic. She was something else! I recommend her memoir, A Backward Glance. Most of her books are extremely depressing, although Age of Innocence didn't strike me that way.

Been very busy with work, but have read quite a few books since this last posting. Now need to catch up on posting and reading posts!

In April, I read The Age of Innocence, the second book in my Older Than Me category.

Written by Edith Wharton and published in 1920, this book is written from the point of view of a man, Newland Archer, (which I wasn't expecting) and takes place in 1870's New York. It is about the social mores of the time - what you can and can't do within the social structure.

Newland wanted the Countess Olenska, even though he publically disparaged her. You could FEEL how much he wanted her in this book.

Can't say a lot about this classic without saying too much, I suppose. I found the ending to be excruciatingly sad, although everyone lived relatively happily ever after.

I found it very interesting that just within Newland's life, radical changes had occurred within the social structure, such that his own son would be marrying someone who would've been inconceivable in Newland's earlier days.

Something I thought was very interesting throughout the book is that Newland would imagine an entire conversation with his fiance, and then take action on this imaginary conversation as if it actually occurred.

I think that there was only one innocent person in the whole book, and that was the Countess herself, who didn't seem to be pretending to be someone else, like everyone else was.

More than a month after finishing reading this book, and it still resonates with me, which I think is a sign of a great book. This book invoked feelings of frustration, longing and sadness. So, 5 stars!

5 stars
Why I Chose This Book: It's on the 1001 list.
What I Read Next for the 999 Challenge: The Python Years

edited to correct grammar...

73: Bohemima - I will definitely check out Wharton's memoir, thanks for the reference.

I've tallied them up, and updated my lists at the top of the thread, and while I suppose I could've done a better job by taking credit for some books in more than one category, and also I could probably have added in some more books that weren't on my original lists, and I could've counted Rincewind the Wizzard as 4 books...lol, but anyway, 36 books it is by this reckoning.
And that's OK!
I read lots of different genres, a new genre (graphic novels), and many new-to-me authors, and therefore, a success in my book (pun intended...haha).
Now off to the 1010 challenge!