Bucketyell's 999 Challenge Part III

Before I really get into posting books for part III in my part II thread, I probably should open a new thread to avoid confusion. So, here are my new categories for part III:

1) He Said What?: Books reviewed by Robert Adams (change in topic) COMPLETED 01/11/09

2) And Then What Happened?: Sequels. I can finally finish the Outlander series in prep for the new one coming out soon (I need to re-read the first four and read the fifth one for the first time - kills a few spots in one go) COMPLETED 22/10/09

3) Things That Go Bump in the Night: Thrillers, suspense and/or horror. Seems to be the one staple category that I return to over and over again. Gotta love being spooked! COMPLETED 03/10/09

4) Homegrown Talent Eh: What can I say? I love my Canadian authors and I am always looking for new ones to add to the pile. COMPLETED 04/10/09

5) On a Deadline: Library books. They come in fast and furious so this is my chance to make room for them. COMPLETED 24/09/09

6) Now Why Would Someone Do That?: Social commentary and pop culture. I seem to have quite a few kicking around and now I can finally unlock the secrets of the human psyche. Watch out world, soon I will be armed and dangerous. COMPLETED 20/09/09

7) I Say Old Chap: Classics. They are always on my TBR list but never quite make it to the top. Now they will. COMPLETED 23/10/09

8) Now Where Did I Put That?: Speaking of TBR, these are ones that got so buried, I forgot I had them. Poor things. They desperately need sunshine and love. COMPLETED 25/10/09

9) Wait 'Til Your Father Gets Home: And the old fallback, family drama. I love reading about families more messed up than mine. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. COMPLETED 09/10/09

I have decided to change a category (not sure if it's considered cheating but my challenge, my new rules!) I have merged Deja Vu and And Then What Happened together and will now have a category called Books Reviewed by Robert Adams in A Love of Reading: Reviews of Contemporary Fiction and A Love of Reading: The Second Collection. There is a distinct Canadian bias to his selections so it fits my criteria nicely (plus I met him once and he gave me a free book so it's the least I can do--what can I say? I can be bought with free books!).

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry - I just finished and I am now really regretting that I put off reading this book for so long. It was great. He is a gifted author.
Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle
Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks - finally!
Felicia's Journey by William Trevor
Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang by Joyce Carol Oates
The Hiding Place by Trezza Azzopardi
A Love of Reading: Reviews of Contemporary Fiction by Robert Adams - figured I might as well include this book since I have now read all his reviews in this one!
Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod

And Then What Happened?

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
World Without End by Ken Follett - I finally finished this monster! Good but not as good as the first
The Monk Upstairs by Tim Farrington - sometimes it's not even a bargain at a $1 to find out what happened...
The Girl at the Lion D'or by Sebastian Faulks
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams
Life, The Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams
So Long and Thanks for all the Fish by Douglas Adams
Fire and Ice by J. A. Jance

Things That Go Bump in the Night

The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly
Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup
Physick Book of Deliverance Dane of Katherine Howe
Roadside Crosses by Jeffery Deaver
Jericho's Fall by Stephen L. Carter
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
Losing You by Nicci French
Alex Cross's Trial by James Patterson
The Last Temptation by Val McDermid

Homegrown Talent, Eh?

Galore by Michael Crummey
We Know What You Are Thinking: From Dollars to Donuts by Darrell Bricker
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
Factoring Humanity by Robert J. Sawyer
Children of my Heart by Gabrielle Roy
The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan
Fear the Worst by Linwood Barclay
Certainty by Madeleine Thien
The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood

On a Deadline

The Wishbones by Tom Perrotta - he is just an awesome writer.
A Plague of Secrets by John Lescroart
Best Friends Forever: A Novel by Jennifer Weiner
Doomsday Key by James Rollins
Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella - definitely not my favourite of hers but entertaining nonetheless
Nurtureshock by Po Bronson
Letters from Yellowstone by Diane Smith
Julie and Julia by Julie Powell
Day After Night by Anita Diamant

Now Why Would Someone Do That?

Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner. I really liked this one.
Altared edited by Colleen Curran
A Year Without "Made in China" by Sara Bongiorni - meh
100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating by Alisa Smith
Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior by Ori Brafman & Rom Brafman
How Sex Works by Sharon Moalem
The Guinea Pig Diaries by A. J. Jacobs
Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster by Dana Thomas
The Drunkard's Walk by Leonard Mlodinow

I Say Old Chap

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - how can one get through life without reading this? Short, sweet and somewhat disturbing all in one.
A Passage to India by E.M. Forster. I have finally finished this one (figured it was about time!)
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells - overall - meh.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Native Son by Richard Wright
Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow
Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Now Where Did I Put That?

Villa Serena by Domenica de Rosa
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
The Color of Light by Karen White
206 Bones by Kathy Reichs
Intervention by Robin Cook
The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
April and Oliver by Tess Callahan

Wait 'Til Your Father Gets Home

Bride Island by Alexandra Enders
While I'm Falling by Laura Moriarty
Another Mother's Life by Rowan Coleman
Bird in Hand by Christina Baker Kline
Buffalo Soldier by Chris Bohjalian
Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout
The Wife's Tale by Lori Lansens
The Godmother by Carrie Adams
Now & Then by Jacqueline Sheehan

Okay, I think I am organized now. I have read 8 so far and had 2 books from the last challenge that I somehow forgot to log anywhere.

I am not very good at this whole logging thing. I had a spreadsheet going from the start but didn't realize until I finished the first challenge and started tallying things up that I actually had 10 categories and 10 books in each. So, I read 100 books instead of 81 at first. This is why I started the second challenge (hey, I was already 19 books ahead!)

So at this point I know I have read 172 books so far this year... I just might make the 250 mark yet!

172?! That's awesome! I wish I had time to read that much - then, I may at least have a chance to put a dent in my TBR-pile. *envious* I'll be in your make-it-to-250 cheerleader-group!

Aw shucks... Thanks!

I am afraid to look at my TBR pile. There is just way too much to read and way too little time to finish it. I am very fortunate that I am a fast reader but I would have to retire now and dedicate the rest of my life to reading non-stop to make a noticeable dent. In the meantime, I will just keep shuffling them around so it looks like I am making a difference!

LOL! I noticed that I started my 1010 challenge thread already so that I could put some books in it and thus not have to worry about those particular ones this year. I'm loving my own delusions! :)

>14 -Eva-:: Lol! Great idea, bookoholic13!

bucketyell, I've already told you that I love your categories, but it's your new thread, so gotta say it again! Happy reading!

Delusions are what make the world go around so I say continue...

So, in keeping with my fascination with 'A year in the life' books, I have added two more to the pile. A Year Without Made in China was interesting but a little too basic. It was more a list of the things they couldn't/could buy as opposed to a real look at the retail industry.

The 100-mile Diet on the other hand, was really good. It was a good overview of the type of foods available locally plus it had aside about environmental issues (without being preachy about it all).

Why do I love this type of book so much? Who knows. I think it started the day I read The Know-It-All by Jacobs and has just grown from there.

#17
Have you read Jacobs' The Year of Living Biblically? It's written in the same typical Jacobs voice and is quite hilarious.

Yup! I enjoyed it but loved the first one better. I seem to be a sucker for gathering useless bits of knowledge so a whole book about someone who did that... per magic. I liked Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything for the same reasons (not just because I worship the man and his writing).

#19

"sucker for gathering useless bits of knowledge" Me too!! :)

I've tried to read Bryson, but he just doesn't work for me, unfortunately... :(

I don't usually like Bryson's work (although I think I should), but A Walk in the Woods is just fantastic.

#20 - Were you reading the earlier stuff or the lattter? I find that his earlier stuff is really humourous while the latter stuff tends to get a little preachy when he starts in on environmental issues.

I read Neither Here nor There while travelling by train by myself. I was almost in convulsions reading about him getting trapped in an airplane seat. You really do get a lot of weird looks when you laugh while reading!

ETA: I do love me some Katz Ridgeway Girl!

#22

Neither Here Nor There was one that I tried and pretty much stopped in the middle because his descriptions of Europe and Europeans were so stereotypical that I was actually wondering if he hadn't just made the trip up (for a laugh?) and that he made up stories that would fit the US audience's version of Europeans. Maybe I should give A Walk in the Woods a try - it seems to have a diffferent tone to it?

I can totally see that. He does go a little over the top sometimes but then he writes something that makes me pee myself. A Walk in the Woods is different but it includes a lot of asides about environmental issues etc. so if you want something humourous but with a serious side, this is a good book. I think Katz and Mary Ellen make the book though... Bryson is more of a secondary character in the whole thing.

#24
Cool - I'll give that one a try!

I liked that he so totally was not the kind of person to hike the entire trail. And Katz dumping things from his pack as he walked. There's a bit about bears that is one of the funniest things I've read.

I have been on a reading binge lately and have added a few more classics to the list. I just finished Clockwork Orange and loved it. Its strange and the language was hard to follow at first (until I found a glossary on-line) but overall, I really enjoyed it.

And I finally finished Passage to India. Despite a slow start, it picked up and I quite enjoyed it.

The biggest surprise to me was Native Son. I absolutely loved it up to the trial and then I was disgusted. The defence was a total farce and I actually found myself really hating Bigger and his whining. I know I was supposed to feel sorry for him but I just couldn't at the end. Very disappointing end to what looked like a great novel.

I also added to my Canadian authors pile with two offerings:

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. This is one that I picked up thanks to a recommendation and knew nothing about. I was very pleasantly surprised to meet Flavia, girl sleuth extraordinaire. She is a cross between Christopher Boone (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time) and Nancy Drew (well, Nancy's much darker, somewhat evil twin). Very well done.

Galore by Michael Crummey - it's not often that I finish a book and think "hunh? What was the point of that?" I kept reading because I was convinced that the story would reveal itself at some point but it never did. Crummey is a wonderful author but this book sucked.

Jericho's Fall had promise but it just never came together. I am disappointed because I still have a copy of The Emperor of Ocean Park in my TBR pile and I was really looking forward to reading it. It got good reviews when it came out so my fingers are crossed that it is good and this new one was just a bad fluke... :)

I have to say that I am really re-thinking my new mandate to finish everything I start. I just finished Now & Then by Sheehan and it was awful. I read Lost & Found by her and loved it. It was part romance, part mystery, part family drama -- everything I love all rolled into one! But this one? It's a very big departure for her. It's really two different stories all mangled together and neither of them are ever fully developed. You have a family drama -- son is a delinquent but comes by it honestly because dad doesn't know how to love due to his own crappy childhood. Then you have a time-traveling storyline where aunt and nephew go back in time to do something (never really did figure out why).

As two different stories, fleshed out properly? It had potential. But as one big ol' mangled up mess? It never stood a chance.

I enjoyed reading Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster. I am not sure I agree that it has decreased in popularity (good grief people spend a lot of money on silly things!) but she makes a good argument. The book looks at all the major players and examines how they got to the top of the pile and why people are so drawn to parting with a months pay for the privilege of owning a Gucci hand bag. Interesting but somewhat sickening at the same time.

Okay, so you write one book that people enjoy. It motivates you to write a second book that is good but not exactly great. And then, in an effort to pump out a third book in time, you cobble together a bunch of crappy little anecdotes, make it look like a book and hope it will sell? Seriously. I am glad The Guinea Pig Diaries is only 200 pages because I really couldn't stomach any more than that. Waste of time...

The Color of Light was awesome. It was a good mix of romance, mystery and even had a little supernatural thrown in. It's a light and easy read (needed that after the week I had!)

Bird in Hand: A Novel was disappointing. There were too many storylines going on and nothing ever got developed properly.

ETA.. I just realized that this last one is book #200 this year. I just might make 250!

>32 Yells:: I'm laughing and agreeing with your frustration. Even though I haven't read any of Jacob's books, I've had the same feeling/thoughts about other authors. Plus, I like that you got a little attitude going on there, Danielle. :-)

I find that quite a few of my old (and new for that matter) faves are jumping on the co-author/pump-it-out-in-record time/my name will sell anything bandwagon and it is really getting old. Yes James Patterson, I am looking at you.

No wonder I spend so much time seeking old new authors!

I just finished #201 for this year and it was an awesome, awesome read. I have been meaning to read A Fine Balance by Mistry but the length was a little off-putting. I wanted to find a free weekend so I could give it a good go and not have to stop and start. So, I began yesterday and literally couldn't put it down. What a powerful read!

A Fine Balance has long been a favorite of mine. I've read it twice and, in spite of its length, will probably read it again.

But now what do I read to follow something that good? I think I might start The Girl at the Lion D'Or so then I can read Birdsong next but I just don't know! That's the one problem when you read something amazing. Everything else seems to pale in comparison :)

I don't think that anything by Sebastian Faulks could disappoint!

I am a couple chapters in and liking it so far. I can't believe I own almost all his books and have so far managed to read a grand total of zero. My mid-year, new years resolution is to read the trilogy before reading anything else!

Okay, so I broke my mid-year new years resolution by reading The Lost Symbol (because it arrived and I couldn't leave it alone). And now, because someone goofed and sent me Echo in the Bone a week early (don't tell k?), I will be reading some Gabaldon this weekend.

Girl at the Lion D'or? Was really good! Sad but good. Once I get my 'new arrivals' fix taken care of, it's back to Birdsong and Charlotte Gray.

Why do I bother stating what I am going to read? I never follow any order! I just finished Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha and really liked it. I found the writing style (dashes instead of quotes) a little off-putting at first but once I got into the flow, I couldn't put it down. If you ever wanted to be privy to the random thoughts of a 10-year old boy, this is the perfect book.

And just to screw my TBR list up again, I read a library book called The Drunkard's Walk by Mlodinow. I am either really tired or really dumb but I just didn't get most of this book. I mean, it was interesting and the examples were neat but the rest was all technical jargon about probability (I almost failed that in university - squeezed by with a C+ and have no idea how I did that!). If you have a mathematical background, you would love it but for the rest of us? It was a little over my head.

Julie and Julia? Loved it! After a slow start, this book really picked up. It's not your typical year-in-the-life book (which I enjoy but like I have said before, can get boring real fast). It's quirky, fun and sometimes it even makes you hungry!

51 books into this challenge (good grief) and therefore I am up to 213 books read this year. I am getting there! At this rate, I should hit the 250 mark by end of October. Maybe I should press for 300? That would certainly help clear some space around here!

The Day the Falls Stood Still was booooring. I was intrigued by the cover and was hoping for an entertaining read but this one just did not deliver. Very disappointing...

4 categories down and 5 more to finish. I am hoping to be finished by the end of October.

The Year of the Flood by Atwood was strange but fascinating at the same time. Her stuff can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. This novel just has so much in it to play with--I will certainly have to buy a copy so I can re-read at leisure.

Buffalo Soldier by Bohjalian is meh. I really liked Midwives and The Double Bind but this one was okay.

That's too bad. But I guess even a very good writer will have "off" books. Skeletons at the Feast was excellent, I thought. I'm glad you liked The Double Bind since it's on my shelf waiting for me.

I liked Skeletons at the Feast too but I guess since it was such a departure for him, I forget that he wrote it! I also have The Law of Similars on my shelf so I think I might give that a go and see if he can't 'redemn' himself.

I had never heard of Felicia's Journey nor William Trevor but read this one based on a review. I must say, I really didn't like it. I can't quite put my fingers on why but overall, it just didn't come together. It's not a happy book and I certainly wasn't expecting a hollywood ending but I was left feeling like it just wasn't finished.

Yeah, William Trevor does not exactly write romantic comedies. Still, I find that his stories stay with me for a long time. All that depression and lost chances.

It was a powerful read but I just found that the ending didn't really sum it up for me. Not sure why I was felt that way but something was missing.

Of course, it could just be that I have a cold and my brain has shut down! Maybe I will try one of his other books when I feel better.

Why do people think that they can (or need to) write the next Da Vinci Code? If you write medical thrillers and have made your fortune writing medical thrillers, please don't get sidetracked and try to jump on a new bandwagon. Intervention by Cook was awful.

Wow! I really liked Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang by Oates. I love the fact that she can take just about any topic and write something compelling.

I would like to thank the wonderful person who took it upon themselves to censor my library's copy of the book. I am not sure why you think Oates is a 'sicko' as you so kindly quoted at the bottom of the page or why you thought the world would be a better place not knowing what was really written at the bottom of page 100 but I thank you deeply for you concern. Moron.

I'll bet ten bucks that the person who did that didn't even read the book!

No doubt. People are really irritating aren't they? It's bad enough that someone else was obviously using it for a project and underlined every other line in pencil but to permanently mark up a book like that? Just pointless and stupid. And, quite frankly, it made me curious enough to order a copy of my own just to see what was crossed off!

I am not counting this one in my total (because it's really, really short) but I just re-read 84 Charing Cross Road (I say re-read because I totally forgot that I read it years ago and just bought a copy at a used book sale). I had no idea it was a true story... Strange what comes to you the second time around!! I really should pay attention more.

My weekend project was to get through all four books in the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy trilogy. I started the first one a while ago and never finished but LOVED the movie so I gave it a go again. Adams has the most wonderful sense of humour and, despite the fact that I was lost a few times (he jumps around A LOT), it sucked me in until the bitter end. Now I have to go buy a copy of Mostly Harmless!

One big anthology--four spaces on my chart filled in. Life is good sometimes...

73 down, 8 more to go!

People of the Book by Brooks was one book that I was really looking forward to reading but I didn't like it. I hate when that happens! She is a very good writer but the story overall just didn't come together for me and quite frankly, the plot was boring. I have a copy of A Year of Wonders so I will give her another shot before I make my final judgment.

getting close!

I liked People of the Book (although I didn't love it), but I disliked Year of Wonders. The story in interesting, but the good characters all have modern outlooks and the bad guys have a belief system that is positively medieval. I know it's hard to write a sympathetic character who is down with burning witches, for example, but here I expected the main characters to change into jeans and grab a diet coke. If you read it, please let us know what you think!

I definitely will... I want to like her, I really do!

Yeah, usually I'm pretty quick to cut a writer off after a few tries, but I'm eager to read March, so go figure.

5 more to go... after today, I should have one more category open and then fingers crossed, I should be done by the end of October. Bitter sweet because although I am enjoying this challenge, I just want to be able to pick up whatever I feel like without always trying to creatively categorize it!

I read Herland by Gilman which I quite liked. I read some of the reviews on here about it and I think people are missing the point that this book was written almost 100 years ago. Feminism and the overall perception of women was a little different back then. This book is a little over the top with its message but it's fitting for the time.

I finished Her Fearful Symmetry by Niffenegger and I am of mixed feelings. Any one else read it?

All done the 999 X 3. I am still trying for 250 over here http://www.librarything.com/topic/73989#1591755. I am thinking that 300 overall is a reasonable goal this year.

Congratulations, bucetyell! That's a really impressive number of books!

re 65 Her Fearful Symmetry: I probably won't get to it until next year. I've had some misgivings about it based on the subject matter -- twins and ghosts -- but I was hoping that she might give it an original treatment, as she did with time travel.

I stoled this from someone else's review of the book (mabrown2 - thanks!) and it pretty much sums up how I felt about Her Fearful Symmetry:

"Her Fearful Symmetry had some pretty big standards to live up to after the success of "The Time Traveler's Wife." Perhaps I set my expectations too high but I was disappointed in Audrey Niffenegger's second novel. I felt it started strong and was moving in a good direction, but about two-thirds of the way through, things started to get weird. After that, the story felt disjointed and lost it's natural flow."

It really had promise and for the most part, it was good but I was bothered by the ending. Can't really say anything else without spoilering the book so I will leave it at 'it's worth a read but it's not TTW'.