sherton's 999 challenge

Here's my list:
1. Books with Christmas in the title. I received 5 of these for a Christmas gift so it's a good start.
2. Books about cats
3. Classic Western fiction
4. Paranormal fiction
5. Books written by Iowans (I'm going to have to research this)
6. Memoirs/autobiographies
7. Classic Science Fiction
8. Random books from 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die by Peter Boxall
9. Christian fiction

As you will see, I don't necessarily read them by number order.

My ratings:
5 = Couldn't put it down!
4 = Very Good
3 = Above Average
2 = Average
1 = Not my cup of tea

*=public library
**=college library

Books With Christmas in the Title

1. The Christmas Train by David Baldacci 3 stars, (Completed 1/09)
2. The Paper Bag Christmas by Kevin Alan Milne
3. Engaging Father Christmas by Robin Jones Gunn
4. Christmas Around the World:A Popup Book by Chuck Fischer
5. The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror by Christopher Moore *
6. The Cat Who Came for Christmas by Cleveland Amory (Cross posted)
7. The Magical Christmas Cat by Lora Leigh (Cross posted)
8. A Virgin River Christmas by Robyn Carr
9. Christmas Jars by Jason Wright *

Books About Cats

1. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron 5 stars (Completed 1/09)
2. Whittington by Alan Armstrong *
3. Warriors: Into the Wild by Erin Hunter *
4. Cat Confidential by Vicky Halls *
5. It's a Cat's World . . . You Just Live in It: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Your Furry Feline by Justine Lee 4 stars (Completed 1/09)
6. The Magical Christmas Cat by Lora Leigh (Cross posted)
7. How to Live with a Neurotic Cat by Stephen Baker, 4 stars (Completed 1/09)
8. Something by Lillian Jackson Braun
9. The Cat and the Curmudgeon by Cleveland Amory (Thanks for the suggestion, fannyprice)

Other possibilities:
When Cats Reigned Like Kings by Georgie Anne Geyer
Feral by Bev Cooke

Classic Western Literature

1. The Pumpkin Rollers by Elmer Kelton *
2. The Collected Short Stories of Louis L'Amour by Louis L'Amour 5 stars (Completed 2/09)
3. I, Tom Horn by Will Henry *
4. Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey *
5. The Virginian by Owen Wister *
6. The Way West by A. B. Guthrie *
7. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy *
8. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry *
9. Trail of the Spanish Bit by Don Coldsmith *

Paranormal Fiction

1. The Legend Mackinnon by Donna Kauffman 5 stars (Completed 1/09)
2. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater 5 stars (Completed 10/09)
3. Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton *
4. Summon the Keeper by Tanya Huff *
5. The Trickster by Muriel Gray *
6. Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
Something from the Nightside by Simon R. Green
7. All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris *
8. Undead and Unwed by Maryjanice Davidson
9. Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison

Other possibilities:
Blue Moon by Laurell K. Hamilton *

Books Written by Iowans

1. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron 5 stars (Completed 1/09)
2. Witch Way to Murder by Shirley Damsgaard 3 stars (Completed 3/09)
3. And This Our Life: Chronicles of the Darcy Family: Book 1 by C. Allyn Pierson 4 stars (Completed 3/09)
4. Fatal Obsession by Stephen Greenleaf *
5. We Have All Gone Away by Curtis Harnack (Cross posted) *
6. A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley *
7. The Folks by Ruth Suckow *
8. Calamity Jayne by Kathleen Bacus *
9. Little Heathens by Mildred Armstrong Kalish (Cross posted)*

Memoirs/Autobiographies

1. In the Land of Cotton by Martha A. Taylor 5 stars (Completed 5/09)
2. Joker One by Donovan Campbell 4.5 stars (Completed 2/09)
3. Who Do You Think You Are? by Alyse Myers 5 stars (Completed 4/09)
4. We Have All Gone Away by Curtis Harnack (Cross posted) *
5. Behind the Mask...No More by Byron Nease 3 stars (Completed 4/09)
6. Sickened:The Memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood by Julie Gregory *
7. Annie's Ghosts: A Journey into a Family Secret by Steve Luxenberg 5 stars (Completed 6/09)
8. The Shipwreck of a Nation: Germany: an Inside View by H. Peter Nennhaus 3 stars (Completed 5/09)
9. 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff *
10. Little Heathens by Mildred Armstrong Kalish (Cross posted)*
11. Blest Atheist by Elizabeth Mahlou 3.5 stars (Completed 8/09)
12. The Chris Farley Show by Tom Farley 4 stars (Completed 11/09)
13. 700 Sundays by Billy Crystal

Classic Science Fiction Literature

1. A Martian Odyssey and Other Science Fiction Tales by Stanley G. Weinbaum **
2. Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany **
3. Before the Golden Age by Isaac Asimov *
4. Beyond Apollo by Barry Nathaniel Malzberg
5. Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore
6. Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold
7. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card *
8. Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson *
9. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell *

Random books from 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die by Peter Boxall

1. The Ghost Road by Pat Barker **
2. Where Angels Fear to Tread by E. M. Forster *
3. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger ** 4 stars (Completed 9/09)
4. Finnegan's Wake by James Joyce **
5. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides */**
6. The Glass Bead Game by Herman Hesse **
7. A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro **
8. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams **
9. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov **

Christian Fiction

1. Aprons on a Clothesline by Traci DePree 5 stars (Completed 1/09)
2. Boaz Brown by Michelle Stimpson *
3. Prime Choice by Stephanie Perry Moore 5 stars (Completed 2/09)
4. Line of Duty by Terri Blackstock *
5. Shepherds Abiding by Jan Karon 2 stars (Completed 2/09)
6. The Shack by William P. Young *
7. Monday Night Jihad by Jason Elam *
8. Journey to Forever by Carol Steward *
9. The Negotiator by Dee Henderson *

Other possibilities:

Looking for a Miracle by Wanda Brunstetter *
Doesn't She Look Natural by Angela Elwell Hunt *
A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers *

I love the Christmas category, I might have to steal that or adapt it slightly for one of mine lol!

Hi Sherton

I just finished The Christmas Train this month for a book club read. It was a fast read. Good, but not great. I love that you have a cat category. I have two, cats that is.

Hi Sherton,

Since you have both a Books about Cats category and a Books With Christmas in the Title
category, I *most highly* recommend that you read The Cat who came for Christmas by Cleveland Amory. Sadly, the author is no longer alive, but he did write many more books which I can now add to my wish list!

>13 SqueakyChu:, Good call SqeakyChu - The Cat Who Came for Christmas is wonderful. The Cat and the Curmudgeon, a follow-up, is also great!

I recently got The Cat and the Curmudgeon from BookMooch. I just need to find time to read it!

>11 MissDotty: The_Library_Nook - Steal away.. :) The pop-up book is gorgeous! If you have children or grandchildren, they will love it.

> 12 Hi, Chrine,

Thanks for your comments about The Christmas Train. I have 12 cats so I thought it was appropriate. I can see if I'm doing it right. :)

>13 SqueakyChu: Thanks so much, SqueakyChu. It's on my list. I appreciate any help I can get since I haven't even started to look for titles yet. I have 12 cats by the way.

>14 fannyprice:, Thanks for the suggestion, fannyprice. It's on my list!

>18 theeclecticreview:, OMG, sherton, 12 cats? How on earth do you manage? I have two that jealously steal all my free time. Fortunately they like to read too.

>15 SqueakyChu:, SqueakyChu, The Cat and the Curmudgeon is one of the only books that has made me cry. There's just something about people and their love of cats that kills me.

--> 3

I also want to read Dewey. That looks like it's a book so popular (and new) that it'll take me a while to get hold of a used copy. Too bad I didn't win a copy from the LT Early Reviewers program.

>20 fannyprice:, Yes, sometimes I can't believe we have 12 cats. Luckily my fiance loves cats as much as I do. When we first met I had two cats and he had two cats. Then a month before he moved in we were driving out in the country (I live in Iowa) and found 6, 3-three week old kittens dumped on the side of the rode (people are so cruel!). About a year after that we had a stray come to the door (#11) and then when we were working outside a few months later, we found #12. It really isn't different having 2 or 12. You just have more kitty litter to buy and scoop and more food. And, of course, everywhere you go there is a cat in the room.

The names are Kramer, Sadi, Roxy, Pickle, Dolby, Darcy, Squeek, Nugs, Tig, Bubby, Button and Oreo.

We were officially the weird cat people a long time ago. :)

My three feral cats are Mama Cat, Uglifruit, and Lord Bravery (my favorite). :)

... ...

I have a feral too! His name is Sakai. My other cat was found by a grad school classmate outside the dorms (in undergrad) during Christmas break. She had a new roomie who was allergic so I got him. His name is BIN. He was ginormous. Now he's just huge.

>23 SqueakyChu: What cute cat names!

>24 chrine: I have several huge cats. One of them is 20 pounds. It's hard to put one on a diet when there are just a few who are overweight.

Thanks. I always tell "Ugli" how pretty she is! :)

Mama Cat is the mom of the other two (females).

Aww, SqueakyChu, your cats are cuties. They have some nice fluff to their fur going on.

Sherton, you're the first person I've met who also has a 20 pound cat. BIN is holding steady at 20 pounds. He was a lot bigger when I got him. The vet put him on a diet.

Speaking of cats, I just picked up Dewey from the library. I don't know how I'm going to fit that book in this month (with all of my challenges), but I'll find some time to do so.

SqueakyChu, I also just picked up Dewey from the library. I'm reading it for my "Books About Cats" list. Dewey looks exactly like my Darcy!

Hi, chrine. My Nugs (the 20 pounder) has such short legs that when he runs his belly flops back and forth almost touching the floor. He is very active and chases his toy ball all over the house. He even talks to it.

Too funny Sherton. BIN has a bit of a floppy belly but he's very large in size (he would be a big cat even if he wasn't over weight) so it doesn't trouble him too much when he moves, which isn't too much. He's getting up in his years.

I have a beautiful gray and white ragdoll who is up to 18 pounds and is expected to reach 20 by the time she's one year old. The vet told us most ragdolls reach between 15 to 20 pounds. She stands 15 inches at the shoulder, is 24 inches from her head to the base of her tail and is only 8 months old.

Just added Doesn't She Look Natural by Angela Elwell Hunt and A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers to my Christian Fiction list. I'm going really slow on my reads, but I plan to make a selection from this list next.

1. Finished How to Live With a Neurotic Cat and it was a quick and fun read. A cute book written from the cat's perspective. One of my favorite quotes is "Explain the rules to your cat. Then follow his."

2. Finished The Christmas Train. Romance, mystery and Christmas. What more could you ask for? A nice, heart-warming Christmas story.

3. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World was the best book I've read in a very long time!

Vicki Myron has written a very heartwarming story about a wonderful cat who changed people's lives, especially hers.

Hailing from central Iowa myself, I understand what Ms. Myron means about the beautiful Iowa scenery and the wonderful, small-town Iowa communities.

Also, being an owner of 12 cats, I fell in love with Dewey.

A must read for cat lovers and people who love small-town living. It's sure to make you laugh and cry!

4. Thanks to those of you who suggested It's a Cat's World You Just Live In It by Justine Lee. This is a very informative book for people who are new to cats and people who think they are experts (like me). I was especially interested in the top 10 toxic household products and the top 10 toxic plants. Also, the part about looking for signs of illness in you cat was very helpful. The author has some strong opinions about how many cats you should own which I disagree with, but overall it is a must read for everyone who loves cats.

Hola Sherton

Another good informative book about cats would be one of the ones by Pam Bennett-Johnson. I have How to Raise a Well-Adjusted Feline and Cat vs Cat (cause I have two cats). Both were very informative for me. I'm going to check for the one you just reviewed next time I hit the book store.

>40 chrine:, Think Like a Cat is a great book by Pam Johnson-Bennett. We got it when we first got cats & following the tips in it meant we ended up with two incredibly well-behaved (but appropriately mischievous) cats. Cat vs Cat is interesting and funny but Think Like a Cat contains a lot of the same information.

---> 41

Hola Fannyprice

Think Like a Cat: That's it, that's the title of the first book I meant to be referring to. I found the books had a lot of overlap too, but I got Cat vs Cat first then Think Like a Cat so Think Like a Cat gave more additional information to some of the topics in Cat vs Cat. Thanks for having the title of the book and the author's name right for me.

5. The Legend MacKinnon is an interesting twist to paranormal romance. An ancient curse has sentenced the seventeenth-century MacKinnon brothers to terrible fates, and only the twentieth-century American Claren women can break the spell, but the two clans are long-standing enemies.

The story of each brother is separated into three different chapters and I had to keep reading to find out their fate.

Ya gotta love those Scottish highlanders.

>40 chrine:, 41, 42, Thanks for the recommendations. I need all the help I can get with 12 cats at home.

Hooray! I found a great collection of Louis L'Amour books and am replacing Sackett's Land with The Collected Short Stories of Louis L'Amour. It's next on my read.

6. The story of Aprons On a Clothesline hits very close to home. Without giving the plot away the major event that happens to Virginia Morgan affects not only her, but her family and friends as well. This is a great, thought provoking story that made me realize what my mother was feeling as she went through the same event as Virginia.

This was my first Christian fiction novel and I plan to put this genre on my long list of TBRs.

7. I was pleasantly surprised by The Collected Short Stories of Louis L'Amour.

Mr. L'Amour's characters are engaging: the frontier women are strong and the outlaws are sensitive. His historical settings of deserts, frontier towns and mining shacks are memorable. And his plots are fun, suspenseful and unforgettable.

I couldn't put it down. I'm officially a L'Amour convert.

I've never read anything by Louis L'Amour, but I think I will try him based on your comments. Thanks.

8. I really tried to finish Shepherds Abiding, but it just didn't catch my attention. I have enjoyed other books that jumped back and forth between characters, but this one was too confusing for me to keep up. Perhaps if I started with the first book in the series, I would have enjoyed it better. The main story of Father Tim refurbishing the nativity scene was just too slow for me. However, this does not in any way stop me from continuing on my Christian fiction quest.

9. Just finished Joker One and I think it is humbling to see a true personal account of the Iraq war from someone who was in the midst of it. This was a gripping story that opened the eyes of this reader. Well done.

10. Finished Prime Choice.

Perry Skky Jr. is in his last year in high school. He’s the star receiver on his football team, the envy of all of his friends, the top college recruiters are scrambling to get him on their team and, most definitely, a virgin. He is working on his relationship with God, but the peer pressure and all that life throws at him is make him question his belief and his choices.

This is a Christian, young adult fiction novel and it pleases me to see a strong adolescent male character who learns from his mistakes and tries to choose the right path. The characters are well developed and believable and Ms. Moore’s story is a pleasure to read. I believe that young adults as well as “older” adults will enjoy this coming of age novel.

11. Witch Way to Murder is an enjoyable read.

Ophelia is an uptight librarian in small town Iowa who keeps to herself and doesn't make any waves. And, did I mention she is a witch? Her grandmother, Abby, is also a witch and tells Ophelia that her life is in danger.

Enter Rick Davis, mysterious stranger, asking many questions around town. The events that follow are predictable, but the characters are fun and interesting.

Ms. Damsgaard is an Iowa resident, as I am, and her descriptions of Iowa life are on the mark.

12. If you like Pride and Prejudice, you will enjoy Ms. Pierson's And This Our Life which continues the lives of the Darcy and Bennet families.

It starts with Ms. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy's marriage and has Ms. Bennet helping Miss Georgiana find her way in society.

Ms. Pierson's historical research is superb and she catches the essence of time and place.

13. Behind the Mask...No More is both tragic and uplifting.

Byron "Bud" Nease was born into a family in turmoil and was wisked away by his actress/singer mother from his minister father and his sisters at a very young age to a life of abuse and confusion.

He spends most of his life explaining to his father that he is Christian and he is gay. Though his father is not happy with Bud's "choice", he does not banish him from his life. When Bud is diagnosed as HIV positive, it brings him even closer to his family.

As for Bud's professional life, he is a singer and actor who has many great famous friends who support him in his darkest moments.

I enjoyed Mr. Nease's story for his notable strength and perserverence for the many obstacles that he has overcome. The many photographs in his book are very telling and help the reader to visualize the people and places he loved. Though the book was written more like a diary which some people may not like, I found it an enjoyable read.

I wish Mr. Nease luck and much happiness!

14. Alyse Myers’s memoir, Who Do You Think You Are? is very personal, brave and honest.

This memoir was mainly about Alyse Myers’ rocky relationship with her mother. The eldest of three girls, Alyse adored her father, but hated her mother. Alyse was her father’s favorite, but her mother’s jealousy and anger at the attention he paid to Alyse was something that Alyse would carry with her for the rest of her life.

It begins with her mother’s funeral when she remembers a secured wooden box that her mother kept in her bedroom closet. This is the only item in her mother’s apartment that she wants, but she is afraid what it contains and waits to open it 12 years later with her 15 year old daughter present.

Most of the book is a flashback to the to her years growing up in the 1960’s in a poor section of Queens, New York, when her father was frequently away on business and her mother stayed at home with the children.

I was caught up in this book from the very the beginning and couldn’t put it down. The simple prose enlightens us that no family relationship is perfect and that everyone has their ups and downs. Alyse’s fight to find out who she is and to win her mother’s love is a true mark of perseverance and forgiveness. I highly recommend this book.

15. The Shipwreck of a Nation: Germany: an Inside View by H. Peter Nennhaus is full of historical information during WWII. It was a big scattered for my taste.

H. Peter Nennhaus grew up in Berlin during WWII; a volatile time in German and world history. The book is different in that he tells the story from a German boy’s point of view who saw things differently at that time in history. You can see Mr. Nennhaus’s interest in history by reading the historical events in this book. He tries to link these events to what was happening in his life at that same time.

A memorable scene was when his father, who worked for the German Ministry of Agriculture, was trying to deter the young 15-year-old Peter from wanting to join Hitler’s war.

It was not how he said it; he spoke with fatherly concern, earnest and like a friend. It was what he said. It not only contradicted my innermost feelings and desires, but it also violated my idealism, which had been burned and hardened in the patriotic kiln of war….I was on the threshold of what I had been waiting for these past five years, and now Father told me it was wrong.

Despite his dad’s hopes, Peter was drafted at 16 years old to attend pre-military training at the Adolf-Hitler School in the Swiss Alps and he finds out first hand that the war is going no where.

I found the book a bit choppy at best. The prose went back and forth from historical events to events happening in his families lives which only seemed to slow down my reading.

Mr. Nennhaus’s account of his life at this frightening time in history is very personal and heartbreaking and I commend him and his family for the courage and perseverance they displayed in trying to survive such a horrible event.

16. In the Land of Cotton by Martha A. Taylor

"In my parents’ and grandparents’ world skin color was an everyday reminder. In my world it had become the color of life." ~Martha Taylor

Martha Taylor’s autobiography chronicles her life in the South starting in 1956 through 1968. She is a lonely white girl in Tennessee who bonds with her black housekeeper, Lucy Boyd. When her father loses his job they have to let Lucy go and unbeknownst to her family, Martha follows Lucy to her home. Martha is taken in by Lucy’s family and meets Silas who is her first black playmate and the love of her life. Though Martha’s family moves to Texas, she keeps in touch with the Boyd family and especially, Silas, who goes to Chicago to get a better education and joins the service to fight in Vietnam. Ms. Taylor includes the history of the civil rights movement, from the Rosa Parks refusal through the assassination of Martin Luther King which is placed in context with the story.

It is a heartwarming, heart-wrenching, coming of age story that takes us back to a time of struggle and destiny. Ms. Taylor’s writing is unpretentious and beautifully written. A must read for old and young alike.

17. Annie's Ghosts: A Journey into a Family Secret by Steve Luxenberg

“Without really trying, I have become a collector of other families’ secrets.” –Steve Luxenberg.

Steve Luxenberg’s memoir reads like a mystery. In the Spring of 1995, Steve finds out that his mother, Beth, had a sister, Annie, who was mentally and physically disabled. This and other family secrets unfold in a number of shocking revelations and frustrating dead ends.

His story explores the history of mental institutions and how those patients had fewer rights than criminals. It explores the life of poor Jewish immigrants who tried to make ends meet the best way they knew how by sacrificing things they held dear. Most importantly it is a personal story of a man who wants to find answers to get closure from a life of secrets.

Steve is a journalist for The Washington Post and the perfect person to do research for his families’ story. Through interviews, letters, documents, and hospital records he traces Annie’s history which kept this reader on the edge of her seat. I commend Steve for telling such a personal story which helps us to reflect on what is important to us in our lives.

18. Blest Atheist by Elizabeth Mahlou

A story of a woman who grew up an atheist due to her horrible childhood and how she eventually found God.

19. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

A depressing look at a young man's journey into life.

20. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

A young adult, paranormal fiction novel about werewolves. A very interesting take on the whole werewolf/shapeshifter phenomenon. Who needs vampires? :)

I have this on my TBR and am looking forward to it. Did you enjoy it? Have you read Blood and Chocolate? That's the only other YA werewolf book I can think of right now...

>62 VictoriaPL: Yes, I really enjoyed the story. It was more about the romance between Sam and Grace and how they overcome the obstacles to finally be together forever. Stiefvater writes very well and places snippets of poetry in the story. I would like to read more by this author and I hear this is a series.

No, I have not read Blood and Chocolate, but it is on my TBR list.

Other YA werewolf novels I have on my TBR list are:

Dead is So Last Year by Marlene Perez
Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare (I think this is second in a series)

21. The Chris Farley Show by Tom Farley

This book was written by Chris Farley's brother and the contributors were his family, friends and co-workers on Saturday Night Live.

This book made me laugh and cry. Chris Farley was an extraordinarily talented and unselfish human being who unfortunately had an addiction to drugs and alcohol.

One of my favorite Farley movies is Tommy Boy and all of his friends and family said that Chris was playing himself. He cared so much about making people laugh that many did not know he was crying for help.

He died way too young and the world has lost a remarkable comedian and a truly spiritual man.