How's everyone doing on the challenge?

How is everyone finding this challenge? I find that I keep changing my categories, which sometimes feels like failure, even though I know its permitted. I think I might have bitten off more than I can chew, assigning myself War and Peace, Clarissa, The Woman in White, and Villette along with everything else I wanted to read this year. :)

I think that my problem with the challenge is that I'm reading lots of fiction and not enough nonfiction. Still, I have plenty of time to finish the nonfiction half of my challenge if I make it a priority for a while. Certainly I'm reading more nonfiction than last year so that's a gain.

I feel on track and am even making room for some off-Challenge reads. (Though there's a little letdown when finishing one of them ... no ticker to update!!) I've swapped out a few titles for new ones, but each time it's been accompanied by a little discovery about myself or about books I thought I'd like, which is interesting.

I'm making an effort to read from my TBR shelves and I took a look recently to see how I'm doing. About 2/3 of my list is from TBRs, which is ok (though I'd prefer higher). But only 1/2 of what I've read so far is from those TBRs, so I want to keep an eye on that.

I think I'm doing pretty well so far. Every one of my categories has at least one book read in it-some I'm over halfway through with. I gave up trying to stick to a list, though-that was a useless endevour for me. But having 11 categories instead of 8 is working well for me.

Edit:
Just had to check my list to see how I was doing so far...

1. Books I own in my TBR Pile (2/8)-probably more, but I'm trying to stick to books that have been in that pile for a long time.
2. History (3/8)
3. Social Science (2/8)
4. Religion and Philosophy (4/8)
5. Education (2/8)
6. Language and Literature (5/8)
7. Fiction-American (6/8)
8. Fiction-non American (3/8)
9. Science and Medicine (3/8)
10. Memoirs/Humor (6/8)
11. Books for work (3/8)
So 36/88

>3 detailmuse:, I kinda feel like I'm having the opposite problem. All I am reading are non-challenge reads.

>4 kaelirenee:, wow, I am impressed - you're really going the extra mile & those categories seem pretty meaty! Go you!

I'm having a lot of fun with this "challenge". I put challenge in scare quotes because it's really not much of a challenge--I find it so easy to follow. (If only dieting were this easy!) I'm really happy with the categories I picked. I didn't pre-select my books though: I'm not one to fill up the list in January and set my exact reading list for the year. I had about 6 books that I knew I wanted to read in '08, and the rest I fill in as I go. So far I've read at least 2 books from each of my categories, and I've completed the 6 or so books that I set out to read when I wrote up the plan. The 888 has been especially helpful at getting me to choose books out of my TBR pile. And I'm looking forward to next year, 'cause I've come up with a couple of new categories that I'm anxious to add to the 888.

>6 Nickelini:, I know what you mean about already planning for next year, Nickelini. Isn't that sad? I can barely get through my challenge for this year and already I am thinking about 2009. I think one thing I will definitely do is to follow your approach and not try to fill everything out in advance. Having done that this year, I can already tell that reading these books feels less like fun and more like homework than it should. These are books I WANT to read! What's wrong with me?!!! ;)

I do find myself taking on all sorts of non-challenge reads, but I don't let myself feel too guilty about it. As it stands, I don't know what the odds are I'll get through it by the end of the year. I did start out with a set list, but I've let myself play with it. I have avoided messing with the categories, so not everything I pick up on the side can be placed in the challenge. I do have some categories that look like they could use some attention, though.

I'm really loving the challenge. I did have to do a bit of switching out to get my ER books in, plus I made one very easy category because I was feeling stressed. Since this is supposed to be FUN, I wanted to reduce the stress level. I still may change out some books if it starts getting stressful again.

Books that I should have read by now 2/8
1001 books to read before you die 3/8
Started but never finished 1/8
Award winners 1/8
Nonfiction 3/8
Biography/memior 3/8
Bookclub and just for fun 4/8
Edmund Crispin 4/8

So, let's see 21/62 (two in two categories) 34% done. Speaking of non-challenge reads, I've read 40 books so far this year, so that says quite a bit about challenge vs non-challenge books. (sigh)

For next year, will it be 889 (8 books in 8 categories for 2009) or 999 (9 books in 9 categories in 2009) or something else? Inquiring minds want to know, because I've already been thinking about 2009 too!

We could make 2009 whatever the most people want to tackle.

I ended up adding a "random" category to handle books that didn't really fit in. I'm so far not doing very well in terms of numbers, but once my exams are done in a couple of weeks I'm hoping to make more progress.

I think 999 would be fun for next year, though I know I wouldn't actually read that many books.... I figure it doesn't hurt to try!

I should've known that I'm not an "assignment" person. I'm far from my targets, but am enjoying what I'm reading. I'm hoping I'll catch up and bust out of the slump but I found myself looking for short books--and that's not what I want to motivate my reading.

Hmmm. I love the list-making and list-keeping, but I dislike the sense of being forced to read a particular set of books. I added a "First In Series" category because so much of my non-challenge reading was falling there. I may or may not get rid of another. It sure is odd to be a book neurotic, good thing I've found others here at LT.

Progress:
1. Young Adult - 3/8
2. If At First You Don't Succeed - 0/8
3. Walking a Mile - 3/8
4. Fantasy/Vampire - 2/8
5. Better Fiction - 3/8
6. Series Mystery - 7/8
7. Religion/Spirituality - 4/8
8. GLBTQ - 2/8
9. First in Series - 3/8

I'm halfway (37/72) through my nine categories. I've changed them a lot since my original lists in January. I most recently changed Pulitzer winners to Women Pulitzer winners after reading Avaland's post about them in Girlybooks.

1. Writers Who are New to Me 6/8
2. Women Pulitzer Winners 3/8
3. Memoirs/Biographies 3/8
4. Western United States 4/8
5. Medicine 2/8
6. Current Events 5/8
7. Around the World 6/8
8. Bathtub Books 4/8
9. New Genres 4/8

I am currently reading Stiff for my medicine category.

I'm a little over a quarter through. I'm not worried if I "complete" my challenge. I'm just enjoying reading a wide range of books, which was my purpose in deciding to do this challenge.

I'm over half-way done with my challenge, but I have changed a couple of the categories along the way (mainly because I was reading or planning on reading too many outside the challenge). It feels sort of like cheating, but I'm much happier with my new choices, so I'm not going to beat myself up about it.

My progress:

1. Authors New to Me: 7/8
2. Children's Lit / Young Adult: 5/8
3. Novel to Film (changed from award winners): 3/8
4. Mystery / Suspence: 7/8
5. Sci-Fi / Fantasy: 5/8
6. Advanced Release Copy for Review (changed from Travel): 1/8 (working on the second now)
7. "1001 Books" Books: 2/8
8. Books from my TBR Pile and/or recommended by Someone I Love (changed from Christian Fiction): 3/8

It's all working well, now, and I think I'll stick with the rest of my categories, though I may change a title or two.

Totally agree, Morphidae.. After looking at my reading for last year I seemed to forget that there were other genres besides children's and YA. Of course being a librarian with that as an interest, I had to stay current. With a change of job, now I'm more in adult services. For me the purpose of the challenge was to broaden my reading. Try new genres, read new titles, read more non-fiction, read the authors my patron's go nuts over, etc..

#16 - it's all in the terminology. Don't be so hard on yourself and think of it as "cheating." Think of it as an adjustment.

I read way too much so the actual "challenge" aspect hasn't been a problem so far. I just enjoy having a reason to pick up books I may not have otherwise. Since I've already completed all but two of my original categories I've started four more and expect to start another four soon.

1. Victorian-Era Novel 8/8 (just changed to Authors so 6/8)
2. French Novels 8/8
3. Philosophy 4/8
4. Nobel Laureates 12/8 (I need retool the category a bit)
5. Contemporary Authors 8/8 (I'm trying to double up on these)
6. Female Authors 8/8
7. Playwrights 8/8
8. Short Story Authors 5/8

EX: 1001 Books 8/8
EX: Spies & Private Eyes 3/8
EX: Other Languages 6/8
EX: Speculative Fiction 8/8

I'm planning on starting a Dystopian category next which will give me a little more room in Speculative Fiction. I also just finished All the Pretty Horses so I'll probably end up with a Western category as well. As a non-genre reader it's been a nice way to mix things up this year.

I have fallen behind quite a lot because War and Peace has been taking up so much time. Now that the end is in sight, I have more motivation to read multiple books at once.

1. Classics 0/8
2. James Patterson Novels 2/8
3. 1,001 Books You Must Read 5/8
4. Children and YA Fiction 3/8
5. Books Made Into Movies 3/8
6. Non-Fiction 3/8
7. TBR Pile 2/8
8. New Authors 3/8

I have so many James Patterson novels that I had to change to only him. I love his writing too much to pass some of them up.

Making some progress now.

I'm probably about halfway through, but only because I've been allowing myself to count some books in different categories. I made that decision though back when I was way way behind....now I'm thinking it was a bit hasty, so I just won't allow myself to count one book more than once next year. I am behind on memoirs/biography and science fiction/fantasy though, so I have to pick up on those this summer. I have a feeling I'll be quite a bit over on fiction though; I was being picky, but since all of the ER books I've gotten lately have been gen. fiction, as well as each assignment from the Go Review that Book group, that category has gotten a bit lopsided.

I'm enjoying it. Without eliminating duplicates (of which there are many right now), here's where I am:

Major Award Winners - 4
Foundational Works (no 2 in the same original language) - 7
World Poetry written in English (no 2 from the same country) - 1
Audio Books - 7
Books from Recently Discovered Authors - 2
Islamic Culture & History - 7
Indian Subcontinent - 3
Epics - 6

I am finding that the challenge is changing my reading habits a bit, and staying more "on subject". I like that right now. I am lagging in a couple categories, and these are things I want to get back to. The "recently discovered authors" is, especially, one that I will refocus to make. If not for the "Major Award Winners" category, I'd be reading a lot less 20th century fiction this year (there just weren't many award winners in sixteenth century China!).

I only have a couple of works that I've read that didn't fit a category, but, then, my categories are pretty broad.

I decided to use the challenge as a way of hacking away at my bloated TBR list. I knew I wouldn't stick to it exclusively, but I wanted to have a clear idea of what books I had on hand in particular categories. I've been keeping track of my progress with my predetermined reads, plus seeing how many other books I read in each category.

So far I'm at:

Mysteries - 4/8
Short Fiction Collections - 3/8, plus four others
Historical Novels: 0/8, plus two others
Non-Fiction: 4/8, plus three others
Mythology & Folklore: 2/8, plus one other
Children's/YA Novels: 5/8, plus twenty-two others
Science Fiction: 5/8, plus three others
1001 Books List Selections: 3/8, plus one other

Well, first of all I decided it was a good idea to put books on my list that I didn't have and had no idea at all how to get hold of. Then I decided to remove books from the list if I didn't enjoy them. Then I decided that other books on my shelves looked a lot more interesting (which they did) however as I kept on dipping in & out of them (re-reads mostly) I couldn't count them. ??why do I do this to myself. Actually, just being dramatic really (it's in the blood). I'm fairly happy with how I'm going.

Fantasy / SF - 2/8 (this one surprised me greatly, I thought it'd be the first to be completed)
Just for Fun - 2/8 (about 2 reading hrs off finishing another one)
Popular Science / History 2/8
Other Classics - 3/8
Poetry / Plays - 3/8
Reading Globally - 4/8
Western Canon - 2/8
YA Fiction - 4/8 + 1 (read my 'alternate' - still want to try to finish all the listed but I know of at least one I'll have to swap out)

I'm working my way through another 10 (in addition to the one I've just about finished) so really, it's more my usual case of lack of faithfulness.

(edited as I left out a category - goombah!!!)

For some sections I'm doing rather poorly, and other sections rather well.

1: Books on the 1001 books you must read before you die - 3/8
2. Young Adult - 5/8
3. Pre 1900s - 0/8
4. Female Authors - 4/8
5. Graphic Novels - 7/8
6. 100 Best Modern Library - 0/8 (May change this category
7. Random TBR - 5/8
8. Soon/Recently made into film - 0/8

Bringing me to 24/64. Not bad considering I'm doing a double degree at Uni so don't have too much time to read these days. And I didn't start the challenge with high hopes of completing it either. So every book read is good for me.

I've finished ONE of my categories

I. Science/Nature/History 3/8
II. Memoirs/Writing Memoirs 4/8
III. YA 4/8
IV. Pure Fluff and Icky Stuff! 8/8
V. Languages Other Than English 3/8
VI. Religious/Philosophical/Monastic 6/8
VII. Suggestions from this site 2/8
VIII. What ever does not fit elsewhere 2/8

Added:
IX. Just Can't Finish It -- 6/8
- which includes books I read 1/2 of or most of and just can't get the willpower to finish, were not what I expected them to be.

Guess that puts me about 1/2 way through which is right on schedule even though my reading has slowed a LOT. I like this challenge better than the 50 book challenge (for which I'm doing 100) because it has encouraged me to read things I don't normally read. And I'm retitling YA "Young AGAIN". I've always loved YA books.

Author edited because I remember incorrectly.
Sorry.

Well, I'm not quite on track to do all 64. Given, I think I may have been a bit overambitious from the start. Luckily, I don't feel guilty tweaking my selections to make it easier.

The total so far.

Gothic Classics - 3/8
Short Story Collections - 2/8
Long Books - 4/8
Libros en español - 5/8 (prob 6/8 after a minor tweak)
Nonfiction, General - 2/8
Literary Criticism & Biography - 5/8
Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror - 1/8
Longtime TBR - 1/8 (and mostly still TBR)

So, there's definitely some categories I need to get cracking on.

I am so behind on this challenge; I've only completed 13 so far!

1001 Books YMRBYD: 3/8
British Classics: 0/8 (with 2 currently in progress)
Random Books from the TBR Pile: 1/8 (this category is a recent addition)
YA Reads: 3/8
Books Released in 2008: 2/8 (third almost completed)
Books by Authors New to Me: 0/8
Historical Fiction: 2/8
Non-Fiction: 1/8 (though I have another two that are on the verge of being completed)

The YA category would take me almost no time to complete if I'd just sit down and get on it. And I really need to get to work on some of the others. The 1001 books category is the only one I've consistently worked at all year, which of course isn't reflected by the number. Luckily, it's summer time, and there is *nothing* worth watching on TV in the summer, so I'll have plenty of reading time.

I am behind on this challenge too. And thinking of revising my categories/books again.

But here's where I currently stand:

Classics: 1/8
Works of Speculative Fiction (Dystopia, Time Travel, Alt. Reality, etc.): 4/8
Books I Already Own, Any Genre: 2/8
Social Histories & Social Commentaries: 3/8
YA Literature & Graphic Novels: 7/8
Recommended on LT or Well Reviewed: 4/8
Short Story Collections: 0/8
New Countries: 1/8

The only category that I'm doing really well on is my easiest category (YA and graphic novels), which sort of scares me. But, like shootingstarr77 said, its summer and there is nothing worth watching on TV (assuming I can stop myself from watching CSI marathons - my guilty pleasure).

If I can finish a collection of Akutagawa stories by the end of the week I will only be four books away from completing my original challenge :D

1. Early 20th Century Children's Literature (4/8)
2. Contemporary Children's / YA Literature (1/8)
3. Native American (0/8)
4. Non-fiction (4/8)
5. Shakespeare (1/8)
6. Historical Fiction (4/8)
7. Margaret Maron (10/8)
8. Contemporary Fiction (6/8)

It seems to me that I'm having mixed success. I've finished 30 books as of the end of May, so I seem to be on track (ahead of last year) for completing at least 64 books, but it's looking as though they may not fit very well into my categories. I'm feeling an urge towards Shakespeare and Native American, so those categories may pick up, but I think I need to change my Contemporary YA category. Though there are some that I want to read, I already have, and/or would prefer to read, books in other categories, at least for now. Since Contemporary Fiction is what I read most, it would be logical to further sub-divide that category (my last 3 categories are all essentially contempory fiction), but I haven't figured out exactly how to do it.

At last count, I was doing let's see, what's the word-abysmally. lol. I've read about a handful of the books on my 888 list, nearly everything else I've read this year has been Pratchett or school related. There's still hope though!

I'm further behind on this than I wanted to be, but seeing as how I'm a big procrastinator, I may do more of my reading in the last part of the year than I'm going to get down now. Summer is a difficult time for me to get reading done. We'll see...

1. TBR (5/8)
2. 1001 books (2/8)
3. Non-fiction (6/8)
4. Books->Movies (1/8)
5. Memoir/Autobio (2/8)
6. Women (5/8)
7. Around the World (2/8)
8. Favorite Authors (5/8)

Grand total = 28/64 *sigh*

My plan had been to read 80 books this year (8 books in 11 categories with 8 overlaps), instead of 64, but having only read 28 so far, I'm revising my categories once again and going back to 64.

My revised categories are:

1. Classics (2/8)
2. New Authors (4/8)
3. Favourite Authors (3/8)
4. SF/Fantasy (5/8)
5. Mystery (5/8)
6. Non-fiction (3/8)
7. Rereads (3/8)
8. Borrowed books (2/8)

That's only 27 out of 28 because I'm not sure what category to put We Have Always Lived in the Castle in...

28/64 doesn't seem so bad, as compared to 28/80!

So far I've only read 11 out of my 64. I did think upfront that it was about two years worth of books at the rate I read (somehow slower as I get older). I'm trying to vary what I read among my 8 categories, but I'm not making much headway in the hardcore non-fiction stuff (science & politics). Too much of an escapist, I guess!

Anyway, the Challenge is still a good strategy for me to get around to these books I've had sitting around unread, some for years.

I just passed my halfway mark for my variation of the challenge-I'm doing a total of 88 books and I just finished 46.

>36 kaelirenee:, congrats - that's great! Given that we're halfway through the year, seems like you're right on track

I'm doing okay. I've completed:
1. British Authors- 3/8
2. Religion- 3/8
3. Travel- 1/8
4. Psychology 8/8 (done!)
5. Literary Suspense and Fiction- 1/8
6. Childhood and Adolescence in Fiction- 3/8
7. Memoirs- 1/8
8. Women Authors- 2/8

I am currently at least halfway done with 1 book in religion, 2 in women authors and 1 in childhood/adolescence in fiction. I've finished 22, which is a bit behind, but I'm a teacher and now on summer break, so reading pace should pick up).

I have 5 1/2 books to go. I almost took one to the pool today, but I took another instead that isn't on my list. Still, getting very close.

You folks that are already finished make me think that starting in June wasn't such a crazy idea after all. I think I'm doing okay, so far, though summer vacation is when I'll really get my read on.

Non-European/American 0/8
Books that Changed the World .5/8
Historical non-fiction 3/8
Books in Japanese 2/8
Poetry Collections 0/8
Someone Else's favorite book 0/8
Books Older than Dirt 0/8
Just Cause I want to 1/8

The last category looks like it might become "Classics" or something like that. There's a lot of those I want to read.

...and done (waves small victory flag). Now to double-up and finish my extra credit categories.

Well, I am not where I thought I would be by now. I have read 12 (almost 13) books from my 888 Challenge. I have read 23 books so far this year though. I made my list based on books that I would like to read and have wanted to read for a while. Unfortunately, I keep stumbling upon books at the library that grab my attention and read them instead of what is on my list. As others have said, it is now summer, the kids are finally getting out of school today and I should have much more time to get some reading finished. My two boys both wrestle and February was a crazy month with meets, tournaments, etc. that I really didn't get much reading done at all. That schedule put me very far behind on my list since I think I only finished 2 or 3 books that month. Of course, I have about 4 books (or more) out from the library right now and none of them are on my list. Oh well, what can I say - I have an illness but I think it is a good one and I wouldn' want things any differently.

I am half-way through. Finished 32 books so far.

I have been slow lately, and there are at least a couple of big books ahead... as is the other half of the year.

I'm at about 14 books for the year, which is pretty slow, but some have been more meaty than others and I've done some international travel which didn't allow for much reading. Should go a little faster from now on!!
I have more than 8 categories (to see how it all pans out) and so far I have:

1. Youth Literature (3/8)
2. Middle East/Interfaith (2/8)
3. Non-Fiction (2/8)
4. Award Winners (1/8)
5. Favorite Authors (1/8)
6. Published in 2008 (4/8)
7. From my Sister (6/8)
8. Holocaust/World War II (0/8)
9. Re-Reads (1/8)

But that adds up to 20, so I guess 6 are already overlaps!! Will have to keep plugging away....

I've done a lot of reading lately, so I thought I would update my stats.

1. Classics (0/8)
2. James Patterson Novels (3/8)
3. 1,001 Books (7/8)
4. Children and YA (6/8)
5. Books Made into Movies (5/8)
6. Nonfiction (5/8)
7. TBR Pile (2/8)
8. New Authors (5/8)

I've been filling up the 1,001 Books with all the Classics I read, so one of these days I'll actually put something in that category. All in all I've read 33/64. I think I'm on track.

3 left, I think. This has been fun!

I think that I am on track to finish by the end of the year. Some of the books are rather short and a few were kind of squeezed into categories.

1. 1001 Books - 3/8
2. Children's/YA Lit - 6/8
3. Poetry - 4/8
4. Suspense - 5/8
5. Spy - 5/8
6. Science/Exploration - 4/8
7. Religious - 5/8
8. Biography/Diary/Memoir - 5/8

Total read:37/64

I am halfway through another and hope to finish it before the end of July.
--BJ

Another update since the beginning of the month. I've finished 5 books since my last post (July 8)

1. Classics (0/8)
2. James Patterson Novels (3/8)
3. 1,001 Books (8/8)
4. Children and YA (8/8)
5. Books Made into Movies (6/8)
6. Nonfiction (5/8)
7. TBR Pile (2/8)
8. New Authors (6/8)

Puts my total at 38/64.

I just joined the challenge one month and two days ago. So far I've read 11 books -- about 17%. Not *too* shabby, except there are three categories for which I have not completed a single title (I have started them, though).

I've also changed my categories from what they were when I began. I think they're set broadly enough now to catch the majority of my reading.

Renee

I'm doing OK, despite the fact that I have read almost nothing in July.

Classics 5/8 (or 6/8 counting crossovers)
1001 To Read Before You Die 3/8 (or 8/8 counting crossovers)
Rereads 4/8
Non-fiction 6/8
SF/Fantasy 5/8
Histical Fiction 4/8
Mystery 4/8
Hugo Winner/Nominee 4/8

I'm almost done with my 5th reread. I am finding that most of my classics are also on the 1001 list, but I would rather take more books off my TBR and have less crossovers if time permits.

35/64

I'm through 43.

1. Books based in England 3 / 8
2. Books by Joyce Carol Oats 5 / 8 (one underway)
3. Books based in Massachusetts 7 / 8
4. Mysteries 6 / 8
5. Crime Dramas 7 / 8
6. Books in which a Lawyer is the Protagonist 5 / 8
7. Books involving Time Travel 4 / 8
8. Books involving the Supernatural 6 / 8

Doesn't Fit In A Category: 5

I am throughly enjoying this. It's helping me to be a bit more focused in what I'm readng - without being too focused! I'm struggling with my "time travel" category. First, I've been reading HUGE books in that category, which isn't helping me fill it out quickly. Now I'm struggling to find enough of these books which I haven't already read. Suggestions are appreciated.

I've picked up the pace a little, but I think I'll have to keep focusing on 888 books to finish by the end of the year. The only category I feel really behind on is my TBR stack.

Gothic Classics 5 / 8
Short Story Collections 4 / 8
Long Books 4 / 8
Libros en Espanol 7 / 8
Nonfiction, General 5 / 8
Literary Criticism & Biography 5 / 8
Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror 4 / 8
Longtime TBR 1 / 8

OneMore -- If you can find it, I'd recommend The Dealings of Daniel Kesserich by Fritz Leiber. It's a pretty short work, probably novella-length, about time travel.

I’m at 36 out of the 64 for the challenge. Halfway through August now, I should be at 40 … so I’m here trying to get organized and keep on track :)

Biography/Memoir 4/8
I’ve Started and Want to Finish... 5/8
By My Favorite Writers 6/8
Children's/YA 5/8
Nonfiction 5/8
Short Stories 4/8
On Writing 3/8
Discovered on LibraryThing! 4/8

My challenge began mainly to clear my TBR shelves. I want previously owned books to comprise two-thirds of books slotted … but I’ll be satisfied with at least half. Currently, 39 (61%) are from TBRs.

Another update. I've finished 10 books since my last post (July 28)

1. Classics (5/8)
2. James Patterson Novels (4/8)
3. 1,001 Books (8/8)
4. Children and YA (8/8)
5. Books Made into Movies (6/8)
6. Nonfiction (6/8)
7. TBR Pile (3/8)
8. New Authors (8/8)

Puts my total at 48/64. 3 categories are finished.

I. Classics (5/8)
II. Historical Fiction (3/8)
III. Pirates in Fiction and Nonfiction (0/8)
IV. Novels for Young People (0/8)
V. Fantasy (1/8)
VI. General Fiction (7/8)
VII. General Nonfiction (6/8)
VIII. Science Fiction (2/8)

Only 24 out of 64 done. I thought I was doing better than this. I noticed two "ACK!!!" inducing categories while typing this, so I know what I need to look for at the library again. The sixth and seventh categories are encouraging, though, and they tell me what genres I should either break up more or just devote more space to next time.

SpiraledStar,
Maybe you need to change a couple of categories, broaden them or just plain pick something else! That pirate category sounds hard to fill.

My update:
I'm 40/64 not counting any crossovers.

Why am I not surprised the category I seem to be most lacking in is the books I own? I'm not much of a book buyer, and I am a HUGE library user. Most of the books I have read that I own were books I've bought since starting the challenge.

I've made some progress on the list during the last few months.

1001 Books: 5/8
Books from the TBR: 5/8
British Classics: 1/8
Books Released in 2008: 6/8
Austen Addiction: 2/8
YA Novels: 5/8
Historical Fiction: 2/8
Re-Reads: 5/8

My British classics category is still in need of some work, as are my Austen Addiction and Historical Fiction categories. But I can actually move some books from the Released in 2008 category if necessary to Historical Fiction, since I've bought a fair amount of historical fiction that was released this year.

I'm planning to finish the YA category in the next week or so.

I actually own most of the pirate books in my list, and I love the subject, so now I need to find a couple at the library to fill the rest of the list, sit down, and read a few. I keep getting distracted by my copy of Lovecraft's stories...
Also, I have most of the books from my fourth category lying around as well, so I need to pick one and read it. I actually just got back from the library, and I think I picked up enough books to finish the categories, so now I just need to read them!

Historical Novels 0/8
Biographies 0/8
Classics 0/8 Reading Bleak House
1001 Books 0/8
Literary Criticism 0/8
Religion and Philosophy 4/8 Reading two others
Short Story Collections 2/8
Serendipities! 2/8

As I only began this challenge this month I have only read so far 8/64, so this will go on into the 889 or 999! Challenge.
For my 1001 category I have lined up On Beauty and for my Classics category after Bleak House The Age of Innocence, then I am going to start on my other categories. This is a great challenge as it broadens my reading (been reading a lot of religion and philosophy lately, which will continue alongside my other categories) and also helps to reduce Mount TBR!

- TT

I'm doing pretty well, over halfway finished.

1. Southern - 7/8
2. Mystery 6/8
3. Titles with numbers 5/8
4. Vampires 6/8
5. Nonfiction 4/8
6. Historical fiction 3/8
7. Set in New York 3/8
8. New-to-me authors 4/8

I just started the challenge properly in July although I included the few books I'd read earlier in the year in there and I am allowing myself the 8 overlaps.

1. 1001 Books to Read Before You Die - 2/8
2. Non-Fiction 5/8
3. Authors new to me 6/8
4. Crime and Detectives 4/8
5. As Seen On Screen (books with television/film adaptations) 3/8
6. Prize Winners and Nominees 2/8
7. Book Club Reads 3/8
8. Books by Authors whose other work I've enjoyed 3/8

The 1001 Books and Prizes categories are a bit of a worry - these are definitely the most challenging.

The New To Me Authors and Non-Fiction parts are perhaps too easy and next time around, I would probably divide these up further, perhaps by subject matter.

I revised my categories last week, and it made me feel much better about the challenge, even though I'm still behind. I think my new categories are more meaningful and let me distribute my books more evenly, which seems good all around. I had been reluctant to change categories so late in the year, but now I'd recommend it to everyone!

I've read:
1. 4/8 Dewey Decimal Challenge
2. 2/8 Ancient World
3. 1/8 Math/Science
4. 6/8 Fantasy
5. 4/8 Historical Fiction
6. 3/8 Other Fiction
7. 3/8 Other Non-fiction
8. 0/8 Already Started

I haven't been cross-listing any books, so I could probably be 8 further along if I did that--though it might require renaming "other fiction" to plain "fiction", and likewise for non-fiction".

I'm moving along very nicely. Have five (5) categories down and a long list of books I still want to read by the end of the year.

I've Read
1. Classics (8/8)
2. James Patterson Novels (5/8)
3. 1,001 Books (8/8)
4. Children and YA (8/8)
5. Books Made into Movies (8/8)
6. Nonfiction (7/8)
7. TBR Pile (5/8)
8. New Authors (8/8)

So far I haven't used any book twice and at this rate I don't think I will need to. In fact, I'm sure that most of my categories with have extra books by the time December rolls around.

I haven't been doing nearly as well as I would like. Although I have read about 40 books or so this year, they just haven't been on my lists. I have started concentrating more on the challenge so it may work. I do have a few really long ones still to go which worries me a bit. Here is how it looks so far:

1. Non-fiction (4/8)
2. Agatha Christie (2/8)
3. Short Stories (3/8)
4. 1001 Books (1/8)
5. Award Winners (1/8)
6. Classics (0/8)
7. YA (4/8)
8. Books Made Into Movies (1/8)

I may make some adjustments to my list as Atonement is covered by both 1,001 books and books made into movies but we will see. I currently have three books from the library that are on my list which will definitely help. At worst, I won't make it and will have a jump on my list for next year.

(edited because I was apparently sleeping when I typed this post)

66 - That's a good way to look at it. I am done, but I kind of want to find a new challenge. I'm trying to expand my reading, but I have a hard time coming up with new books on my own. This challenge was good because it made me read some I had sitting around for a long time. Now I don't really have any new ideas, I just sort of browse through the library and it's hit or miss.

cmbohn, have you tried the Dewey Decimal Challenge? It would certainly help expand your reading, and I don't think you'd have to worry about finishing too quickly--it involves 1000 books in all different genres ;)

After being sick as a dog (and not reading anything more than dosing instructions for medicine), I'm finally back to reading...
Books I own in my TBR Pile: 2/8
History 5/8
Social Science 5/8
Religion and Philosophy 5/8
Education 2/8
Language and Literature 8/8
American Authors' Fiction 7/8
Non-American Authors' Fiction 5/8
Science and Medicine 5/8
Memoirs and Humor 6/8
Read for Work 5/8

Totals: 55/88

I joined late but am trying to incorporate what I've read from January onward. I'm in the middle of about 10 books right now, so the numbers should grow pretty soon:

1- 1001 Books: 4/8
2- History: 2/8
3- Biography/Memoir: 2/8
4- Historical Fiction: 4/8
5- Jane Austen: 3/8
6- Anglophile Fiction: 7/8
7- Borrowed: 7/8
8- Poetry: 1/8

I. I see dead people: 6/8
II. China: 2/8
III. 500+: 4/8
IV. I spy with my little eye: 4/8
V. Vlaanderen: 4/8
VI. Each country a detective: 5/8
VII. Bella Italia: 8/8
VIII. Funny books: 7/8

Doubles: 6/8

I'm doing just fine!

I'm stuck. I'm reading more in the categories I've already finished rather than finishing categories with holes in them. Hmmmm. I finished my other challenge. I still have 4 months, so I guess I shouldn't panic yet.

Well, you can always revise your categories to match what you're actually reading ;)

I find that there are a few categories I'm avoiding... LOL But I did this challenge to broaden my reading horizons so I'm going to persevere!!

Also, I've read as many books so far this year as I did in the whole of 2007! That's a good thing. :o)

I wish I were better about writing reviews, thoughts and/or taking notes on al of these fun books I'm reading, though.

I started mid-July and I'd hoped to have 20 done by the end of August. Then another 11 a month would see me finished. Not quite managed, but I think I'm OK to finish IF I don't do something like come down with something like this stupid Chicken Pox again. It seems to have fried my brains, so that I'm limited to easy reading.

Have added quite a few books to the piles. I've already started overfilling categories before finishing some, but I just can't help it.

I've Read
1. Classics (8/8)
2. James Patterson Novels (6/8)
3. 1,001 Books (10/8)
4. Children and YA (8/8)
5. Books Made into Movies (9/8)
6. Nonfiction (7/8)
7. TBR Pile (5/8)
8. New Authors (8/8)

Still no books used twice. I should have the other categories filled up quickly.

I still haven't finished any categories, but I think I'm on track to complete the challenge by the end of the year.

Stats so far:
I Gothic Classics 5/8
II Short Story Collections 5/8
III Long Books 5/8
IV Libros en Español 7/8
IV Nonfiction, General 5/8
VI Literary Criticism & Biography 6/8
VII Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror 5/8
VIII Longtime TBR 2/8

As soon as I finish two books I'm presently in the middle of I'll only be eight books away from doubling my original challenge categories. Hopefully, come October, I'll be down to just my extra credit categories.

1. 8 Victorian-Era Novels - 16/16
2. 8 French Language Novels - 16/16
3. 8 Philosophical Works - 14/16
4. 8 Nobel Laureates - 16/16
5. 8 Contemporary Authors - 16/16
6. 8 Novels by Women - 16/16
7. 8 Playwrights - 10/16
8. Short Stories by 8 Authors - 16/16

Life challenges have meant that my progress has been somewhat slower than I had expected. However I am optimistic but will probably have to use the overlaps allowed to complete *this* challenge!

Women and War 6 out of 8 read
Book Around The World 8 out of 8 read
Book Awards 4 out of 8 read
Spiritual 1 out of 8 read
Richard and Judy 6 out of 8 read
Newbery Winners Project 1 out of 8 read
Catch My Eye 7 out of 8 read
Women Writers 2 out of 8 read


35 / 64 books. 55% read!

Well, I have currently only finished 17 books (although I have read about 47 so far this year, just not from my 888 list) and am working on my 18th right now. I don't hold out much hope that I will finish the extremely long ones on the list such as Bleak House (what was I thinking?) but I should be able to make quite a dent in the remaining shorter works as long as things in my life continue on as now. (I probably just jinxed myself there.) I think that, by the end of the year, I can complete most of my categories by going back over selections that I have read and switching those with some on my list that I just won't get to this year. Still enjoying it though!

Here is the current status of my categories:

1. Non-fiction (4/8)
2. Agatha Christie (2/8)
3. Short Stories (4/8)
4. 1001 Books (1/8)
5. Award Winners (1/8)
6. Classics (0/8)
7. YA (5/8)
8. Books Made Into Movies (1/8)

I am currently reading one of my short story selections and hope to finish it by the end of the week.

I have read more books not on my challenge list (30+) than on my challenge list (22 or so).

Maybe I should redo a category!

I think I'm going to throw in the towel on this challenge. I've been reading so many books outside of the challenge, and I'm beginning to balk at the idea of trying to fit what I'm reading into the categories.

I'll still kind of keep an eye on what categories the books I'm reading are filling, but I'm not going to lose any sleep if I end up not working this out.

Having looked at what books I read and fit some in categories and swapped 1 category, I am now at 35/64 - might just manage :)

I've made quite a bit of progress since I posted last month, although I have now used up my 8 overlaps. I'm feeling fairly confident now that I will finish the challenge and I may have time to get rid of some of the overlaps too.

1. 1001 Books to Read Before You Die - 6/8
2. Non-Fiction 7/8
3. Authors new to me 8/8
4. Crime and Detectives 8/8
5. As Seen On Screen (books with television/film adaptations) 7/8
6. Prize Winners and Nominees 3/8
7. Book Club Reads 4/8
8. Books by Authors whose other work I've enjoyed 4/8

Any thought on a similar challenge for next year? 999?

I'll double, at least, the fiction part of my challenge. However the nonfiction categories are going to be a bit difficult. I'm reading three nonfiction books at the moment which will fit and at least two of them should be done in a week or two, if I don't go off an another fiction binge. At least I am reading more nonfiction this year which was one of my goals.

I've finished another book in my short story category so I have now completed 5 out of 8 there. I am currently working on The Book Thief from my YA list and have Andersonville and The Magnificent Ambersons waiting in the wings. Seriously, though, next year I think I am going to look at the length of the books I put on my list. Each one of the three books has at least 400 pages if not more as did the last one I read. That certainly doesn't make it any easier to make progress on my categories.

bookaholicgirl - I know exactly what you mean. I read War and Peace back in January. No regrets though - it was brilliant, engrossing and very rewarding.

I'm over halfway done:

1. Classics I Should Have Read by Now (2/8)
2. 1001 Books to Read Before You Die (3/8)
3. Biography/Memoir (4/8)
4. Non-Fiction (8/8)
5. Award Winners (4/8)
6. Just for Fun and Bookclub (8/8)
7. Started but Never Finished (1/8)
8. Edmund Crispin (5/8)

35 out of 63 (1 duplicate). Better than I thought, but I've actually read 73 books this year and listened to 22 on audiobooks.

I think I'll change one category to ARCs and ERs, probably (sigh) Started but Never Finished since every time I pick one of those books up I put it down for an ARC (or ER book).

But, since this is not supposed to be stressful or depressing, I'm coming along and have read some great books i might not have read otherwise this year.

I'm only 27 for 61, so I need to read more and read faster. Or at least pay more attention to the books in my categories. One thing that I worried a little about in the beginning was that I would feel stifled sticking to lists, but that hasn't happened because the books I picked for my categories are really books I have wanted to read, some for a long time, and the categories are all fun to read in.

I've got 13 books left for my original challenge but they are all nonfiction. While it is possible I 'll finish this many in three months it will only happen if some are very short.

I've read 41 of the 56 books for my categories (BIG fan of the duplicate). One of my categories, Books for My Bookclub, was a washout because we cancelled meetings and read books I'd already read. Lesson: don't give yourself a category that depends on other people! So now my total to read is 50, and I should be able to complete it right around the end of December. I'd call the 888 challenge a success!

I am 3/4ths of the way through the 888 Challenge and should finish by the end of the year. I did tweak my categories again to be more inclusive. I also slowed down from reading a number of longer books. I haven't totally finished any of my categories yet, but I am getting close on some. I need to spend some more time on my poetry category.
1. 1001 Books (Old or New List) 7/8
2. Children's Lit or Young Adult 7/8
3. Poetry 5/8
4. Suspense or Mystery 6/8
5. Spy (Fiction or Nonfiction) 6/8
6. Science / Exploration / SFF 6/8
7. Religious 7/8
8. Biography / Diary / Memoir 6/8

As you can see, I added science fiction/fantasy to my science category because the science reading has been slow and difficult for me and because I have been reading science fiction which I haven't in a long while.

--BJ

I've read 25 of my 64 books. No way I'll get through the rest this year, but I'm reading some great books!

Well, I've gotten through 46 of my 64 books so far, so if I can keep reading at least 6 books/month for the next three months, I'll just make it. I do have some really long ones left, so I should try not to slack off.

Since Halloween is coming up, I think I'll try to finish off my Gothic Classics category this month. (Or at least finish two books and be into a third.)

I haven't finished off any categories yet, though I'm down to one book in both Short Stories and Books in Spanish, and almost all the other categories only have two or three left. The only one that I'm really behind on is Longtime TBR.

I finished my original challenge after getting sidetracked reading books that belonged in other categories. I did add 2 more for a total of 10 categories but I don't fear in finishing them in the next couple months.

I think I have 9 left to finish in the new challenge.

I can almost see the end of the challenge now!

1. 1001 Books to Read Before You Die - 8/8
2. Non-Fiction 7/8
3. Authors new to me 8/8
4. Crime and Detectives 8/8
5. As Seen On Screen (books with television/film adaptations) 8/8
6. Prize Winners and Nominees 7/8
7. Book Club Reads 6/8
8. Books by Authors whose other work I've enjoyed 8/8

So I just need to complete 4 more books plus six more to get rid of any overlaps which I may or may not do depending on finding books I want to read that fit,

I have enjoyed this a lot and am eager to get on with the 999!

Current status: 54/64 (yay!)

Biography/Memoir 8/8
I’ve Started and Want to Finish 6/8
By My Favorite Writers 8/8
Children’s/YA 7/8
Nonfiction 8/8
Anthologies 5/8
On Writing 4/8
Discovered on LT 8/8

I’m optimistic about finishing. The two biggest challenges have been the sheer number of books, and keeping the list at least half from my TBR shelves. Considering all my reading over the year, I’ll probably finish at ~85 books … waaaaay over the 48 that I think was my previous high. I love the planning and organizing in this kind of challenge, but I really think I'm more of a 50-60-books-a-year kind of girl.

I have finished 5 categories and need to read an additional 5 books to complete the remaining 3. I wasn't sure that I would make it to the end, but now I think that I can!
1. 1001 Books (old or new list) Done
2. Children's Lit or YA Done
3. Poetry Done
4. Suspense or Mystery 7/8 -- need one more
5. Spy (Fiction or Nonfiction) 6/8 -- need two more
6. Science/ SFF Done
7. Religious Done
8. Biography/Diary/Memoir 6/8 -- need two more.
When I complete the challenge, I am going to list my "awards" of my favorite book from each category. I signed up for the 999 Challenge, but I think reading 81 will be tough for me. But it is more about the journey than the destination, right?
--BJ

I've read 47 out of 64. I'm reading the 48th right now, and I just may put it in a second category to help myself along (it fits in both 1001 Books and Award Winnners - Independent People by Halldor Laxness.)

I may or may not get everything read this year, but it's been a great ride so far.

3 read Classics I Should Have Read by Now
4 read 1001 Books to Read Before You Die
5 read Biography/Memoir
5 read Edmund Crispin
6 read Award Winners
8 read Non Fiction
8 read Just for Fun and Bookclub
8 read ARCs and ER Books

I've finished 50 books and have two in progress. No overlaps so far, but I think I will have to use some in the end. With those, I think I can finish the challenge by Dec 31. I didn't want to use overlaps, but its been busy at work and now I am glad to have them!

I've read more this year than in the last several and am already looking forward to the 999 challenge!

I'm almost done--four more books to go. I plan to read those in December, so I'll clean up the 888 challenge and move onto 999 on Jan 1.

BKieras--overlaps are a good thing. They're a sign of efficient reading and effective planning. :-)

I smushed together two of my categories (I had 11, now I have 10).
Books I own in my TBR Pile: 4/8
History 7/8
Social Science 8/8
Religion and Philosophy 6/8
Language and Literature 8/8
American Authors' Fiction 7/8
Non-American Authors' Fiction 6/8
Science and Medicine 6/8
Memoirs and Humor 7/8
Read for Work 8/8

I think I can do 13 by the end of the year. And if not, there is plenty of overlap. Then it's on to the 999 challenge.

I still have 8 books to go:

Dewey 000-099: two remaining

Philosophy/religion/mythology: 4 remaining - two started

History/language: two remaining

This is doable if I put fiction on the back burner and choose fairly short books. OK since I've read some pretty long books this year.

I have really enjoyed seeing what everyone else has read and enjoyed (or not!) with this challenge.

I was doing fine...then hit a snag (called work and kid). I have 21 books to go...game on! I am reading two at the moment. I've had a difficult time finding several books on my list so I may have to trade out for some shorter reads. I wish you the best on finishing and a prosperous holiday season!

#102 - Then why do I feel so GUILTY Nickelini??????

#107 - You're doing it to yourself :-) so you need to reprogram the way you think about the challenge. For me, the 888 was a way to organize reading that I was going to do anyway, so the overlaps were just part of the planning process. I was sorry I didn't do more of them. For the 999 challenge, I'm not limiting my overlaps at all. The point--for me--isn't to read a whole pile of books. I'm more interested in reading books that match my interests. So if a book overlaps more than one interest area, that's a really good thing. As I like to say: viva la overlaps (I guess that should be "viva l'overlaps"). Hope that helps.

Just doubled my Original Challenge.

I've got half of my categories closed out, so my total count comes to:

I Gothic Classics 9/8
II Short Story Collections 7/8
III Long Books 6/8
IV Libros en Espanol 7/8
V Nonfiction, General 7/8
VI Literary Criticism & Biography 8/8
VII Horror & Horror-slash 9/8
VIII Longtime TBR 4/8

So, I still have 9 books left, but I think I'll get them done just by the end of the year.

No offense, but it's kind of nice to see I'm not the only one running behind. ;) I'm really scrambling to finish my 888 challenge, but to be honest, I doubt I'll make it. ( http://www.librarything.com/topic/31071 )

1) Anthologies/Short Story Collections (6 out of 8 read)
2) Juvenile Books from the '80s (6/8)
3) TV/Movie Tie-Ins/Novelizations (3/8)
4) Nonfiction (7/8)
5) Set in the UK (5/8)
6) Set During a Holiday (4/8)
7) Vampire (5/8)
8) Animal Protagonist (8/8)
---------------------
TOTAL: 44/64

I finished my final book for the challenge yesterday. I'm feeling rather pleased with myself as I only joined in July. I have found the challenge really helpful as I had been in a bit of a reading rut before but having these categories gave me lots of inspiration when I was looking for things to do.

I can't wait to get started on the 999 challenge next and am feeling confident that I can do it.

I'm another one who's running behind, but I'm still pretty satisfied with my progress overall. I haven't included any overlaps yet.

I've read:
6/8 Dewey Decimal Challenge
4/8 Ancient World (but I can complete this category with overlaps if necessary)
1/8 Math or Science
7/8 Fantasy
5/8 Historical Fiction
6/8 Children's or YA Fiction
4/8 Just Because
0/8 Already Started

Once I include overlaps, I think I'll complete six of these categorys--Math and Already Started are looking pretty hopeless at this point, but I think 6 of 8 is still decent. I'm glad that my reading has been spread evenly enough that I didn't complete any categories too early.

One book to go!

I struggled to find anything by an author I would be reading for the second time - bad category - but I have just started Glass of Time by Michael Cox and so far it seems to be a great way to round things off.

46 of 64 so far but I've got a quite a few more that'll be finished by year end. I think it'll be the 'Classic Lit' section that really lets me down - the books I picked there were just so much longer than the others and I only happened upon this challenge half-way through the year so the early year reading wasn't as well-planned! But it's been such a great year of reading and this has certainly made me read a broader cross section of books!

Well done FleurFisher, sanddancer and the rest of you that actually have the end in sight! *bows before them with appreciation for the achievement*

>113 _Zoe_: Zoe
ha, I also have a category of already-starteds ... seems like we'd whooooosh through those books, yes? But I'm also still working on them ... and none are clunkers! I'd put most aside for so long that I did start again from the beginning, but still... :))

>116 detailmuse: Haha, yup! I don't think I could bring myself to start them again, though. I'm still telling myself that if I'd just pick them up again, I'd get through them quickly since I'm already partway through.... but I guess I stopped reading those books for a reason, because they don't seem very appealing right now!

I finished my last book for the challenge on Sunday! I feel so free now; I can read whatever I want!

Oh, I won't make it, due to one category in particular, but here's my "stats":

1. Major Award Winners 8/8
2. Foundational Works 8/8
3. World Poetry in English 1/8
4. Audiobooks 8/8
5. Books from Authors I first read in the last two years 6/8
6. Islamic Culture and History from all sides 7/8
7. Indian Subcontinent 8/8
8. Epics 8/8

But the above includes overlaps, of which I still have 14, so there's much to be read...

Getting close now. I finished up Science last night.

I still have 6 to go.

Theology - no problem

Needlework - no problem. Two new knitting books arrived this morning.

Other non-fiction - I have more than one in the works right now.

For the final three I have to read either

3 books on India. But I don't have any prodding me right now, and I could keep the ones I have in BTR for next year

OR

5 Austria - I have three started, and a fourth waiting to be picked up at the library, so this is very likely to happen. And I can move one from Travel to Austria if I read another about Iceland or Venice, which will happen if it comes in my way. Only hitch might come because three of the ones mentioned above are in German, and I read German a lot more slowly than English, and then get impatient. (Luckily the one in English is lightening up. The book is Austrian Fantasy, and over half way through the book I finally found a story that was neither morbid or macabre, but merely wierd.)

Finished my extra credit categories, quadrupling my original challenge.

Three weeks and three and a third (of a book) books to go.

One of the not even started yet books is Ulysses so I guess I'll be reading the last one by the end of the year.

What Is 888 ? challenge

I'm also down to the wire on the challenge. I've got only two categories and three books left, and I don't think I should have a problem finishing up if I stay focused through the end of the year. Two of my books are part of my Long Books (500+ pages) challenge, so I suspect I'll be finishing very close to 2009.

I'm not overlapping, so I'm only at 31 of 64 titles read for the challenge. It's unlikely I'll get much read before the end of the year. I've also been on a DVD binge lately, when I haven't been reading my book group titles or trying to add more of my library to LT.

I hope to do better next year, when I'll be joining in at the beginning, rather than in the middle. I've already been thinking about categories. Still, I don't want to feel like I *have* to be spending all spare minutes reading when there are other things in this world I enjoy doing, too.

Renee, who just finished watching "The Thin Man Goes Home" and has "Harvey" in the DVD player, and who's considering a "classic era Hollywood biographies" category....

#125 -- so I'm only at 31 of 64 titles read for the challenge.
--------------------

ReneeMarie--if you joined half-way through the year, by my calculations, you're one book from reaching your goal. Good job!

> 125 and 126

That was my thought too!

I'm probably going to miss by a book or two unless I go for very short or YA level books for the last couple but I've read way more nonfiction than usual. Since that was the real goal I'm feeling pretty good about the challenge as a whole.

126 & 127 > Thanks for the kudos. I'll try to look at it that way. It seems like the more time I have, the less wisely I fill it.

From 1995 to 1999 I was working 70 hours a week at two jobs (and taking vacation days to go work at a 3rd). One of those years I kept track of how many books I read. The total was 196. Of course, if I was in line at the grocery store, I was reading. If my car had to stop at a rail crossing, I was reading.

Have to see if I can finish that last book after all, I guess. If I do, it'll be Smith by Leon Garfield. Not sure if I heard about it at LT, but it's probable. I'm loving it: children's historical fiction starring a 12-year old pickpocket named Smith who steals something that turns his life -- such as it is -- upside down. Very funny.

I finished the 63rd book in my challenge last night. Only one to go :-)

I have one more book to read and I started it today. I hope I can get it finished before we go out of town.
--BJ

I am a positive, forward looking, 'glass half full' type of person and dived into this challenge with great enthusiasm. Unfortunately and, rather sadly I have had a very challenging year much of which has deflected me from my reading so I have not achieved my goal but I loved the thinking, planning and the reading! In fact I am going to my spread sheet right now to make my final count =)

Edited to complete my tally so far.

Using my 8 books that span more than one category (thereby reducing the total to 56 - I have made it to 50 as follows

Women and War 7/8
Book Around The World 6/8
Book Awards 4/8
Richard and Judy 6/8
Catch My Eye 7/8
Spiritual 2/8
Women writers 8/8
Newbery Project 1/8

The spiritual category is a disappointment - I tend to read a daily bit of wisdom and as a christian, my bible but I was looking forward to reading more in this category. On reflection - it is a broad category and personally I see lots of spirituality in many books I read. The Newbery project has taken a low profile this year so I need to pick those up.

At present I am reading Christine SOE Agent and Churchill's Favourite Spy by Madeleine Masson. If I get that finished I should get to 51 and complete my women and war category!

I just finished the challenge! Yea, me!

Congratulations, Nickelini! And everyone else who has finished!

I'm afraid that there's no hope for me: I'm on book #63, but I'm 2 short in non-fiction, and it's highly unlikely I'll read them in the next 2 weeks.

#132 Congratulations, Nickelini! Yea!!
--BJ

I finish today. I have about 15 pages left to go in my last Theology book. I had two half full categories vying for the honour of being my 8th - but I figured out in the night that if I have a category 'countries I have lived in' I can include both the India and Austria books I have read.

Congratulations, MarthaJeanne!
--BJ

Finished another one last night which leaves four to go. The two I've started will be finished but the last two may spill over a bit into next year. I decided that will be OK since I didn't begin posting until the middle of last January and I do want to finish these before making a final decision about my 999 categories.

ETA: Congratulations to everyone who has finished!

A big hooray to all of you who've finished the challenge.

I will not. I was overly ambitious for a first-time challenge. For the coming year I will aim for a total of fifty books and, perhaps complete the categories I laid out for the 888.

To all of you just a few titles away--go, go, go!

Although I didn't play by my proposed category rules, I did read 60 books, mostly nonfiction. Time is running out, but I suppose there's still hope that I'll cross the finish line. Originally I had planned to write a short review of each book as I finished it, but that project fell by the wayside rather early on.

I believe it was Thoreau who wrote that "books should be read as deliberately and reservedly as they were written".

Four books a month would probably be a realistic target for me, especially given that I read a lot of magazines, periodicals and blogs on line. Neverthless, I've signed up for the 999 Challenge. Silly me.

#139 Yeah, I signed up for the 999 Challenge, too. What was I thinking? But it should be fun, right?
--BJ

I finished today! Yeah! ;-)

I finally finished my last book for the challenge tonight, and it was a good one! Tamar by Mal Peet.
--BJ

I am ready now, after 61 books (+two overlaps), to try to tackle the Last Book of this Challenge: Ulysses by J Joyce. I don't think I'll finish it in a week. I'd rather say that if I am not still reading it in January, I'll must have dropped it. Wish me luck.

Congratulations, everyone! I'm honored to join your ranks. And keep going, eairo -- what a substantive book to finish with!

I finished just now. The hardest parts of my 888 Challenge?

2) reading 64 books in a year; my previous high was 48, and I admit that I have nearly a year's worth of unread magazines heaped in 3 towering piles :)

1) keeping my emphasis on reading from my TBRs; I wavered a hundred (a thousand??) times, but finished today with the proprotion at exactly 50% (32 books)

Good job, Detailmuse!

I've just finished book #63 and am going back and forth between using my possible overlap to finish or reading another short book. Either way I'm about ready to start the 999!

Am I the last one to finish 888?

Took me more than a month to read Ulysses. I read some almost every day and practically nothing else on the side; slow book, slow reader.

Congrats on finishing! I think at least one person is continuing on but most who persevered have declared victory.

Thanks, hailelib.

I guess most of the rest of you are already doing 999. I'll have to skip that, even though this was fun. What I liked was the category-thinking, loose planning ahead of my reading. But 60+ books were a bit too much for me, and 81 absolutely is (or 72).

So, I'll do a round-the-world reading tour instead. I'll comment or review the books in the Reading Globally group. See you there!

Who cares how long it takes? Congrats on finishing Ulysses--that's a whole challenge in itself. That book scares me. Anyway, it's not about how fast you read, or how many you read--I think, anyway--it's about how much you enjoy your reading. My $.02, for what it's worth.

Congratulations, eairo. You read some interesting books, so I'll be following your reading on the Reading Globally Group.