mzfrizzie 888

My eight categories are:

I. Over 500 pages
1. Rebel Angels -- Libba Bray (YA) 548p (August 2008)
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II. Science Fiction/Fantasy
1. Rocannon's World -- Ursula K. LeGuin 136p (August 2008)
2. Alphabet of Thorn -- Patricia A. McKillip 314p (October 2008)
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III. Foreign Authors (not American)
1. Roommates Wanted -- Lisa Jewell (London, England)461p (August 2008)
2. Second Class Citizen -- Buchi Emecheta (Lagos, Nigeria) 175p (August 2008)
3. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox -- Maggie O'Farrell (Edinburgh, Scotland) 245p (October 2008)
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IV. Mystery
1. Indemnity Only -- Sara Paretsky 244p (August 2008)
2. Killing Orders -- Sara Partetsky 277p (Audio Book) (September 2008)
3. Strangled Prose -- Joan Hess 183p (October 2008)
4. Sick of Shadows --Sharyn McCrumb 351p (October 2008)
5. One Coffee With -- Margaret Maron 196p (October 2008)
6. Death On Demand -- Carolyn G. Hart 213p (November 2008)
7. Dating Dead Men -- Harley Jane Kozak 476p (November 2008)
8.

V. Pot Luck
1. Bound for Canaan -- Fergus Bordewich 439p (September 2008)
2. Suck Your Stomach In and Put Some Color On! -- Shellie Rushing Tomlinson 290p (September 2008)
3. Blackbird House -- Alice Hoffman 225p (October 2008
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VI. Christian/Inspirational/Religions
1. Girl Meets God -- Lauren F. Winner 296p (November 2008)
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VII. Setting: North Carolina (Takes place in NC)
1. Miss Julia Takes Over -- Ann B. Ross 309p (August 2008
2. Garden Spells -- Sarah Addison Allen 290p (October 2008)
3. Lovely In Her Bones -- Sharyn McCrumb 221p (November 2008)
4. Simon Said -- Sarah Shaber 216p (November 2008)
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VIII. Historical Fiction
1. People of the Book -- Geraldine Brooks 372p (Audio Book) (October 2008)
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I will have to come up with 3 more categories. I would love some suggested reading and or categories. :-)

A couple of popular categories are from the list of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die and from TBR -- books on your own to be read list. I think that if you look down the list of topics, there might be one that compiles a lot of people's categories. Good luck with your challenge!
--BJ

Here are a few suggestions to perhaps give you ideas (and no, I didn't get this "creative" myself):

* BOOKS WITH NAMES IN THE TITLE
Examples: Carrie, Going After Cacciato, A Girl Named Zippy, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell

* BOOKS WITH NUMBERS IN THE TITLE
Examples: The Eight, A Thousand Splendid Suns, One for the Money, 1984

* BOOKS MADE INTO MOVIES
Examples: Northanger Abbey, Cold Mountain, To Kill a Mockingbird, Fight Club

* BIOGRAPHIES OF ___ (e.g., writers, politicians, actors, people-who-aren't famous)
Examples: Eden's Outcasts, Lincolns: Portrait of a Marriage, Chris Farley Show, Loose Girl

* BOOKS SET IN _____ (e.g., India)
Examples: Sharpe's Tiger, Shantaram, God of Small Things, Twentieth Wife, Beneath a Marble Sky

HTH, Renee

Thank you very much for the suggestion about 1001 Books. I have requested the book from my local library.

Thanks!

Wow, all of these books sound so interesting. I will have to check them out. Thank you for the suggestions!

I just finished listening to the audio book on cd: People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. It was absorbing. I only listened to the cds while in my car. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time parked in a parking lot in order to finish listening to an entire cd at a time. It was an excellent story that touched on many hardships in life, but at the same time it was not depressing.

I just discovered Brooks this year myself. Haven't read People of the Book but having read March and Year of Wonders I can say that they are very engaging, amazing, and I didn't want to put them down. (I know I have continually plugged these books on all sorts of pages since reading them, but they are that good!!)

I've checked out March from the library and I am looking forward to reading it. It sounds so interesting. I'm glad that others are recommending it as well.

I just finished reading Strangled Prose by Joan Hess. It was a mystery novel and I figured out who-dun-it by page 60 of a 183 page book. Other than that, it was a fun read that got several laughs or smirks out of me. I really enjoyed the main character's sarcastic way.

I read the book "The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox" by Maggie O'Farrell. This was a weird book. It was set in present day about a young woman. Then it would flash back 50+ years to another young woman's life. I had asked for recommendations for other books similar to "Garden Spells" and this one came up. It touched on the sister aspect but nothing else. It was so sad and talk about a cliffhanger ending! So many threads unanswered, but I've at least come up with my own inferences.

I also finished up the book "Sick of Shadows" by Sharyn McCrumb. This was a mystery about a murder that takes place instead of the scheduled wedding. I thought the main character was a little slow, but the other characters were so funny! Too bad they won't be in future books.

Finally I read "Blackbird House" by Alice Hoffman. A bunch of short stories that span a time frame of 200 years all taking place at this house. Some were so sad, but others showed there is more to life than just the bad stuff. Overall, I would say that I would try another book by Hoffman.

Recently I have read "One Coffee With" by Margaret Maron. It took awhile to get into the story, but I was glad that I stuck with it. It surprised me who actually murdered the victim by coffee. I think I will try reading another book by this author.

Another book that I finished reading was "Simon Said" by Sarah Shaber. A historian solves a 70 year old mysterious homicide with the help of a Police Legal advisor Julie McGlaughlin. During the investigation there were at least two attempts on Simon's Life. It was actually a pretty good story. Very plausible.

Finally, I read "Lovely In Her Bones" by Sharyn McCrumb. Elizabeth goes on a dig and the instructor is murdered. Elizabeth figures out who done it and gets a taste of forensic anthropology and archeology.

I haven't read One Coffee With or any other of the Sigrid Harald mysteries by Margaret Maron, but I read Bootlegger's Daughter about a year ago, and have now read all but the last of her Deborah Knott mysteries, as well as a couple of her non-series books.

I've (obviously) enjoyed them very much. The Deboroah Knott books are set in North Carolina, so would fit nicely into your NC category.

I have recently finished reading three books over the holiday. The first was "Girl Meets God" by Lauren F. Winner. I found this book to be very interesting. The woman was raised Jewish and even became Orthodox and then converted to Christianity. Between this book and the book entitle "People of the Book" I want to read up on Jewish history, people, topics, etc. Anyway, Ms. Winner talks about how she was wooed by Jesus and how she had to reconcile her pull to her Jewish past and somehow merge the two. I was fascinated by her choice of topics and would probably look into other books she has written.

Another book I read was "Death On Demand" by Carlyn G. Hart. This was a quirky book that was humorous and yet frustrating at the same time. The characters were funny and centered around book lovers and writers for the most part. The main character owns a book store and is accused of murdering an author that was in her store for a writers gathering. The owner sets out to clear her name and solve the murder(s) with help from a persistant old flame that just won't go out.

The last book I read was "Dating Dead Men" by Harley Jane Kozak. I really enjoyed this book. The main character was sassy along with her cohorts. She gets involved in a murder/mystery and is determined to solve it to protect her mentally ill brother who more than likely witnessed it.