Lahochstetler's 888

Okay, I think these are going to be my categories:

1. British Authors
2. Religion/Spirituality
3. Travel
4. Psychology (loosely constructed)
5. Literary suspense/horror (also loosely defined)
6. Childhood and Adolescence in Fiction
7. Memoirs
8. Women Authors

Here's what I've read so far:

British Authors:
1. Playing with the grownups by Sophie Dahl
2. Astonishing Splashes of Colour by Clare Morrall
3. The Insomniac's Best Friend by Lynda Brown

Religion/Spirituality
1. Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott
2. Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott
3. Grace Eventually: Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott

Travel
1. A Writer's House in Wales by Jan Morris

Psychology
1. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
2. When You Eat at the Refrigerator Pull up a Chair by Geneen Roth
3. Feeding the Hungry Heart by Geneen Roth
4. Biting the Hand that Starves You by Richard Maisel
5. On the Edge of Darkness by Kathy Cronkite
6. Telling is Risky Business by Otto Wahl
7. Eating Our Hearts out by Leslea Newman
8. August by Judith Rossner

Literary Suspense/Horror
1. The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Childhood and Adolescence in Fiction
1. The Honey Thief by Elizabeth Graver
2. Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang by Joyce Carol Oates
3. At Weddings and Wakes by Alice McDermott

Memoirs
1. Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel

And I've already changed category 8 slightly to Women Authors
1. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
2. Floating in My Mother's Palm by Ursula Hegi

I recently finished August by Judith Rossner. It's a novel about a psychotherapist and one of her clients, as told through their sessions. The therapist, Dr. Lulu Shinefeld, is trying to rebuild her personal life after a divorce, and her client, Dawn, is trying to live some semblance of a normal life. This book was a very engaging read- Rossner is a great writer. While Dawn is not an especially sympathetic character, I found myself really looking forward to how the story would unfold.

I also recently finished up Alice McDermott's At Weddings and Wakes, which I read on an airplane while flying cross-country. The book tells the story of a trio of Irish Catholic siblings growing up in a somewhat dysfunctional extended family in 1950s New York. McDermott tells the family's story from the children's point of view, using a great deal of description, and jumping back and forth in time. This was certainly an engaging read, though sometimes heavy on description. Overall, it was enjoyable.

Arrrrrgh- just realized that when I edited my messages I lost all my earlier touchstones. Oh well.

In any case, I've decided I'm going to try and complete all eight categories without any overlaps, so I'm shooting for 64 books.

Some books to add:

Childhood and Adolescence in Fiction:
4. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

Women Authors:
3. What we All Long For by Dionne Brand
4. Self-Portrait with Ghosts by Kelly Dwyer
5. The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton
6. Between Here and April by Deborah Copaken Kogan

Literary Suspense/Horror/Mystery
2. Wild Nights by Joyce Carol Oates
3. Evil under the Sun by Agatha Christie

Travel
2. Imagined London by Anna Quindlen

Religion/Spirituality
4. Holyland USA by Peter Feuerherd

British Authors
4. Wife in the North by Judith O'Reilly

Memoirs:
2. Something like Beautiful by asha bandele

Women Authors:
7. What We All Long For by Dionne Brand

Literary Suspense/Horror/Mystery
4. Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland (that's if I use the term 'literary' very loosely)

British Authors:
5. My Life on a Plate by India Knight

Travel:
3. After the Dance by Edwidge Danticat

Religion/Spirituality:
5. When the Heart Waits by Sue Monk Kidd

Memoirs:
3. Crazy by Benjamin Lebert (a bit of a stretch, it's an autobiographical novel, but I'm going with it)

Women Authors:
8. A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons

Literary Suspense/Horror/Mystery
5. The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman
6. The Female of the Species by Joyce Carol Oates

Childhood/Adolescence in Fiction:
5. Sailor Girl by Sheree-Lee Olson (a little bit of a stretch- the heroine is a 19-year old college student)

I also seem to have read a number of books that don't fit into any of my categories.

So, taking stock now at the beginning of November, here's where I need to direct my attentions for the rest of the year.

Religion/Spirituality: 3 more. I'm in the middle of The Battle over the Meaning of Everything by Gordy Slack

Memoirs: 5 more. This appears to be where I need the most work, but I've got lots to choose from so I'm not too worried.

Literary Suspense: 2 more. This shouldn't be a problem.

British Authors: 3 more. Again, shouldn't be a problem.

Travel: 5 more. Some work needed here too. I'm currently in the middle of both Novel Destinations and Eccentric London, so that will be two more down.

Childhood/Adolescence in Fiction: 3 more. Again, shouldn't be too hard.

And I'm finished with two categories: Psychology, and Books by Women Writers.

Travel:
4. Hidden Carolinas by Stacy Ritz
5. Eccentric London by Benedict le Vay
6. Novel Destinations by Shannon Mckenna Schmidt

Childhood/Adolescence in Fiction:
6. The Inn at Lake Devine by Elinor Lipman
7. The Breakdown Lane by Jacquelyn Mitchard
8. Durable Goods by Elizabeth Berg

Memoirs:
4. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

Okay, so I tried to do this without cross-listing, but clearly, I didn't manage it. If I cross-list eight books, I wind up with:

British Authors:
6. Evil under the Sun by Agatha Christie
7. Wife in the North by Judith O'Reilly
8. Eccentric London by Benedict le Vay

Memoirs
5. Imagined London by Anna Quindlen
6. Grace Eventually by Anne Lamott
7. Plan B by Anne Lamott
8. Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott

Okay, so that's seven cross listed. That means I've finished the following categories:

Psychology
Books by Women Authors
Memoirs
British Authors
Childhood and Adolescence in Fiction

I've not finished:
Religion- 3 more needed
Travel- 2 more needed
Mystery/Suspense Fiction- 2 more needed

So, it looks unlikely that I'm actually going to finish these books. I have one religion book with me that I might finish. I could possibly finish the literary suspense category too- I shall see. Here's to doing better on 999.