Favourite Book in Each Category?
Forum888 Challenge
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1sanddancer
Which book has been your favourite in each category? I thought this might be especially good for people doing the 999 challenge next year to see what books others have enjoyed in categories they have.
Mine are as follows:
1. 1001 Books to read before you die
The hardest category to choose a favourite as obviously contains some classics and some modern books I loved. But I think I'll pick The Outsider as I was pleased to finally read it, enjoyed it and can see why it is so highly regarded.
2. Non-fiction
The Hypocrisy of Disco: A Memoir by Clane Hayward. An unsentimental look at the author's unconventional childhood growing up in hippie communes. It was refreshing to read something that didn't have a rose tinted memory of this era and way of living, and showed how difficult it was being a child of unconventiional parents.
3. Fiction authors that are new to me
Very tough to pick from this category as I enjoyed pretty much everything here, but I think Fup by Jim Dodge just about wins. A wonderful quirky short book about an old man, his grandson and their giant duck. I've read nothing else like this.
4. Crime & Detectives
I really enjoyed everything in this section but King Suckerman by George Pelecanos was probably the one I liked most. I read all four of his Washington DC series, but I liked this one best because I loved the period detail of the 1970s.
5. As seen on Screen (books with films or television series)
84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff was my favourite here. A must-read for any book lover.
6. Prize Winners and Nominees
Last Orders by Graham Swift - a deserved winner of the Booker Prize (some more recent winners were very disappointing). Moving without being overly sentimental and great use of multiple narrators.
7. Book Club reads
This category was redeemed by the final book Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Subtly disturbing, brilliant depiction of childhood friendships. Loved it.
8. Books by authors whose other work I've enjoyed
Some of these books failed to be as good as the previous works I'd read by the same authors, but the one that surpassed my alreaady high expectations was Three to See the King by Magnus Mills. I'd read and loved The Restraint of Beasts but this weird little fable about men living in tin houses was even better.
Looking forward to reading everyone else's favourites.
Mine are as follows:
1. 1001 Books to read before you die
The hardest category to choose a favourite as obviously contains some classics and some modern books I loved. But I think I'll pick The Outsider as I was pleased to finally read it, enjoyed it and can see why it is so highly regarded.
2. Non-fiction
The Hypocrisy of Disco: A Memoir by Clane Hayward. An unsentimental look at the author's unconventional childhood growing up in hippie communes. It was refreshing to read something that didn't have a rose tinted memory of this era and way of living, and showed how difficult it was being a child of unconventiional parents.
3. Fiction authors that are new to me
Very tough to pick from this category as I enjoyed pretty much everything here, but I think Fup by Jim Dodge just about wins. A wonderful quirky short book about an old man, his grandson and their giant duck. I've read nothing else like this.
4. Crime & Detectives
I really enjoyed everything in this section but King Suckerman by George Pelecanos was probably the one I liked most. I read all four of his Washington DC series, but I liked this one best because I loved the period detail of the 1970s.
5. As seen on Screen (books with films or television series)
84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff was my favourite here. A must-read for any book lover.
6. Prize Winners and Nominees
Last Orders by Graham Swift - a deserved winner of the Booker Prize (some more recent winners were very disappointing). Moving without being overly sentimental and great use of multiple narrators.
7. Book Club reads
This category was redeemed by the final book Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Subtly disturbing, brilliant depiction of childhood friendships. Loved it.
8. Books by authors whose other work I've enjoyed
Some of these books failed to be as good as the previous works I'd read by the same authors, but the one that surpassed my alreaady high expectations was Three to See the King by Magnus Mills. I'd read and loved The Restraint of Beasts but this weird little fable about men living in tin houses was even better.
Looking forward to reading everyone else's favourites.
2_Zoe_
Great idea for a thread! My favourites were:
Dewey Decimal Challenge:
Empires of the Plain: Henry Rawlinson and the Lost Languages of Babylon--sometimes a bit too much detail, but really interesting if you like this kind of thing. Another book in this category that I really enjoyed, and that probably has broader appeal, is The Caliph's House, about a man who decides to pick up his family and move to Morocco.
Ancient World:
Black Ships. This is the only ER book that I've gone out and purchased when I wasn't selected to review it, and I'm really glad I did. The author takes problematic historical evidence and manages to construct a completely believable world, and the story is gripping too.
Math/Science:
Early Greek Science: Thales to Aristotle wins by default, because I haven't read any other books in this category. Oops.
Fantasy:
Elantris. I was completely absorbed in this book.
Historical Fiction:
I enjoyed The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits most, because I like the idea of writing short stories based on snippets of historical fact and explaining the history in a note at the end of each story. This was a tough call, though, because I think Year of Wonders was probably better-written.
Children's/YA Fiction:
This is another difficult decision. Life as We Knew It was a fantastic and powerful book about surviving after a world-wide disaster, but I really, really enjoyed New Moon and the rest of the the Twilight books (though I read Twilight itself last year). I rushed out to by the final Twilight book in hardcover, but I'm waiting for the companion to Life as We Knew It to come out in paperback....
Just Because:
Ella Minnow Pea. This is currently the only fiction book in this category, but it's still a good book even if it does have an unfair advantage for getting onto this list. It's a story of government oppression in the form of forbidding certain letters of the alphabet, so fewer and fewer letters are used as the story progresses.
Already Started:
Um, I haven't actually read any books in this category. Maybe this can make up for the fact that I chose more than one book in some of my other categories.
Dewey Decimal Challenge:
Empires of the Plain: Henry Rawlinson and the Lost Languages of Babylon--sometimes a bit too much detail, but really interesting if you like this kind of thing. Another book in this category that I really enjoyed, and that probably has broader appeal, is The Caliph's House, about a man who decides to pick up his family and move to Morocco.
Ancient World:
Black Ships. This is the only ER book that I've gone out and purchased when I wasn't selected to review it, and I'm really glad I did. The author takes problematic historical evidence and manages to construct a completely believable world, and the story is gripping too.
Math/Science:
Early Greek Science: Thales to Aristotle wins by default, because I haven't read any other books in this category. Oops.
Fantasy:
Elantris. I was completely absorbed in this book.
Historical Fiction:
I enjoyed The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits most, because I like the idea of writing short stories based on snippets of historical fact and explaining the history in a note at the end of each story. This was a tough call, though, because I think Year of Wonders was probably better-written.
Children's/YA Fiction:
This is another difficult decision. Life as We Knew It was a fantastic and powerful book about surviving after a world-wide disaster, but I really, really enjoyed New Moon and the rest of the the Twilight books (though I read Twilight itself last year). I rushed out to by the final Twilight book in hardcover, but I'm waiting for the companion to Life as We Knew It to come out in paperback....
Just Because:
Ella Minnow Pea. This is currently the only fiction book in this category, but it's still a good book even if it does have an unfair advantage for getting onto this list. It's a story of government oppression in the form of forbidding certain letters of the alphabet, so fewer and fewer letters are used as the story progresses.
Already Started:
Um, I haven't actually read any books in this category. Maybe this can make up for the fact that I chose more than one book in some of my other categories.
3kaelirenee
Nifty idea.
Books in my TBR Pile:
My favorite in this category was definatly The Venetian's Wife. I love Bantock's art to begin with, but I was also helping a student with a paper on Kate Chopin at the time and I kept seeing great parallels.
Books in History:
Kitchen Literacy was my favorite history book-informative, entertaining, and great up until the last couple of chapters.
Books in Social Science:
Hands down, The Meaning of Wife was my favorite in this category. It was informative, funny, and very thought-proviking. Heck, it was great for the cover alone.
Books in Religion:
Just because of how much it made me thing, God's Problem was my favorite.
Books about Language and Literature:
Despite the fact that I loved reading about children's literature this year, my favorite one book was Why not Catch-21?. Plus, I've used that book countless times for work.
American Fiction
The Red Tent is one of my favorite books anyways, so it's an obvious one for this category.
Non-American Fiction:
Perfume is one of the best novels I think I've ever read and I'm glad I stuck with it.
Science and Medicine:
Your Inner Fish was engaging and informative and the author is a wonderful story teller.
Humor and Memoirs:
Things I've learned from women who've dumped me-the title alone is enough to make me want to read it, but the content was actually good. And of course, it was funny-well, most of it was.
Books read for work:
The best one in this group was probably Humanism: What's That?, but that has as much to do with how bad some of the other books in the category were.
Books in my TBR Pile:
My favorite in this category was definatly The Venetian's Wife. I love Bantock's art to begin with, but I was also helping a student with a paper on Kate Chopin at the time and I kept seeing great parallels.
Books in History:
Kitchen Literacy was my favorite history book-informative, entertaining, and great up until the last couple of chapters.
Books in Social Science:
Hands down, The Meaning of Wife was my favorite in this category. It was informative, funny, and very thought-proviking. Heck, it was great for the cover alone.
Books in Religion:
Just because of how much it made me thing, God's Problem was my favorite.
Books about Language and Literature:
Despite the fact that I loved reading about children's literature this year, my favorite one book was Why not Catch-21?. Plus, I've used that book countless times for work.
American Fiction
The Red Tent is one of my favorite books anyways, so it's an obvious one for this category.
Non-American Fiction:
Perfume is one of the best novels I think I've ever read and I'm glad I stuck with it.
Science and Medicine:
Your Inner Fish was engaging and informative and the author is a wonderful story teller.
Humor and Memoirs:
Things I've learned from women who've dumped me-the title alone is enough to make me want to read it, but the content was actually good. And of course, it was funny-well, most of it was.
Books read for work:
The best one in this group was probably Humanism: What's That?, but that has as much to do with how bad some of the other books in the category were.
4ktruh
Great idea! I will check back regularly to see what others write.
Science:
It's a toss-up because I had some great books in this category. I may be going with Life at the Extremes by Frances Ashcroft because I'm still reading it so it's freshest. Ashcroft writes a chapter on each extreme--cold, altitude, speed--and discusses the physiology and history of the human body experiencing it.
Outdoors/Sports:
Another tough choice. I think I'll go with Touching the Void by Joe Simpson because it has stuck with me. The cliche "indomitable human spirit" comes to mind to describe Simpson's ordeal in the Peruvian Andes alone after a fall smashes his leg.
Issues:
An easier choice with Critical Mass: How One Thing Leads to Another by Philip Ball. Social behavior as the result or how it has to do with physics.
Next in favorite series:
My favorite is Kage Baker's Rude Mechanicals. I know this is my favorite because it's the series that I most hate to finish. I have one book to go, and it's the last in the series.
Travel:
Lonely Planet: Blue List is the book that gave me the greatest wanderlust.
History:
I haven't read enough in this category for my choice to be super compelling, but I did love Working IX to V about professions in the ancient world.
Strange Fiction:
A fun category and I enjoyed all the books. Fluke by Christopher Moore is close (love whales, love science, sf, humor), but I think Joplin's Ghost by Tananarive Due has stuck with me most. It's beautifully written and haunting.
Poetry:
Bounty by Derek Walcott is some of the most beautiful poetry I've read in a while.
Science:
It's a toss-up because I had some great books in this category. I may be going with Life at the Extremes by Frances Ashcroft because I'm still reading it so it's freshest. Ashcroft writes a chapter on each extreme--cold, altitude, speed--and discusses the physiology and history of the human body experiencing it.
Outdoors/Sports:
Another tough choice. I think I'll go with Touching the Void by Joe Simpson because it has stuck with me. The cliche "indomitable human spirit" comes to mind to describe Simpson's ordeal in the Peruvian Andes alone after a fall smashes his leg.
Issues:
An easier choice with Critical Mass: How One Thing Leads to Another by Philip Ball. Social behavior as the result or how it has to do with physics.
Next in favorite series:
My favorite is Kage Baker's Rude Mechanicals. I know this is my favorite because it's the series that I most hate to finish. I have one book to go, and it's the last in the series.
Travel:
Lonely Planet: Blue List is the book that gave me the greatest wanderlust.
History:
I haven't read enough in this category for my choice to be super compelling, but I did love Working IX to V about professions in the ancient world.
Strange Fiction:
A fun category and I enjoyed all the books. Fluke by Christopher Moore is close (love whales, love science, sf, humor), but I think Joplin's Ghost by Tananarive Due has stuck with me most. It's beautifully written and haunting.
Poetry:
Bounty by Derek Walcott is some of the most beautiful poetry I've read in a while.
5Nickelini
I'll play!
1. The Oldest Books in my Closet: The Color Purple, Alice Walker
2. Books for University: Survival in Auschwitz, Primo Levi
3. Canadian Literature: Bachelor Brothers Bed and Breakfast, Bill Richardson
4. Big Books: this was a hard one, but probably my fav was The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver. Runners up are Bleak House, Dickens and Alias Grace, Margaret Atwood.
5. Plays: Another hard decision. I'll go with Hamlet, Shakespeare, followed closely by Helen, Euripides and Antigone, Sophocles.
6. World Literature: Family Matters, Rohinton Mistry
7. 1001 Books: Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro
9. Eight More Books from my Closet: The Waves, Virginia Woolf
1. The Oldest Books in my Closet: The Color Purple, Alice Walker
2. Books for University: Survival in Auschwitz, Primo Levi
3. Canadian Literature: Bachelor Brothers Bed and Breakfast, Bill Richardson
4. Big Books: this was a hard one, but probably my fav was The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver. Runners up are Bleak House, Dickens and Alias Grace, Margaret Atwood.
5. Plays: Another hard decision. I'll go with Hamlet, Shakespeare, followed closely by Helen, Euripides and Antigone, Sophocles.
6. World Literature: Family Matters, Rohinton Mistry
7. 1001 Books: Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro
9. Eight More Books from my Closet: The Waves, Virginia Woolf
6ShannonMDE
Award Winners: oh this is hard. Award winners is the category where I'm having the hardest time choosing a favorite, but these books won awards for a reason. The Caldecott from last year was wonderful The Invention of Hugo Cabret but so was March. Happy ending or not? Probably March wins.
Children's: my one category left to finish, but The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School. Part Sideways Stories from Wayside School, part Aesop and it made me laugh.
Beverly Cleary: Henry and the Clubhouse because I love Ramona!!
YA: Ana's Story. My YA reading was only okay this year.
Own It: The Time Traveller's Wife
Turned Movie (or TV): The Soloist. I am very disappointed that this movie keeps getting pushed back. Robert Downey Junior and Jamie Foxx..
Audio: Goodnight Nobody. It most kept me from wanting to leave work at the end of the day. At the time I did a lot of listening to books while on the job.
New Books: Gods Behaving Badly really it's a tie between this and The Guernsey Potato Peel Pie and Literary Society and this but due to not nearly enough publicity for as good (and funny) as it is, I declare it the winner.
1st in a Series: Yes I read Twilight this year, but I liked The Big Over Easy Better.
Non-Fiction: The best non-fiction I read this year was Stiff but I counted it as an award winner instead of non-fiction. In which case the winner is The Year of Living Biblically.
Mystery: High Five
Children's: my one category left to finish, but The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School. Part Sideways Stories from Wayside School, part Aesop and it made me laugh.
Beverly Cleary: Henry and the Clubhouse because I love Ramona!!
YA: Ana's Story. My YA reading was only okay this year.
Own It: The Time Traveller's Wife
Turned Movie (or TV): The Soloist. I am very disappointed that this movie keeps getting pushed back. Robert Downey Junior and Jamie Foxx..
Audio: Goodnight Nobody. It most kept me from wanting to leave work at the end of the day. At the time I did a lot of listening to books while on the job.
New Books: Gods Behaving Badly really it's a tie between this and The Guernsey Potato Peel Pie and Literary Society and this but due to not nearly enough publicity for as good (and funny) as it is, I declare it the winner.
1st in a Series: Yes I read Twilight this year, but I liked The Big Over Easy Better.
Non-Fiction: The best non-fiction I read this year was Stiff but I counted it as an award winner instead of non-fiction. In which case the winner is The Year of Living Biblically.
Mystery: High Five
7detailmuse
GREAT thread! Of course, now I have open windows all over my computer screen -- placeholders for all your books that I want to look up :)
For me:
Biography/Memoir: Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman -- lovely memoir-ish essays about books and reading
I’ve Started and Want to Finish…: tie between A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers and Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer; both are wildly creative, both require some perseverance, both made me laugh and sob
By My Favorite Writers: The Gold Coast by Nelson DeMille -- often described as The Great Gatsby meets The Godfather, it’s much slower and more literary than DeMille’s usual thrillers (but I’d avoid its 2008 sequel, The Gate House); I recommend Plum Island to a DeMille newbie
Children’s/YA: The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak -- narrated by Death from WWII Nazi Germany, it’s clever, playful, heartwarming and heartbreaking
Nonfiction: The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan -- an exploration of today’s food industry; it’s gentle and curious, not sensationalistic
Anthologies: The Best of the Bellevue Literary Review -- anthology of essays, stories, and poems that are in some way (often quite peripherally) related to health; first-rate writing
On Writing: (not ready to report here yet)
Discovered on LibraryThing: Gardens of Water by Alan Drew -- a family trying to navigate religion, culture, and geography in 1999 Turkey; the writing evoked Khaled Hosseini
(Seems that I moved my favorite LT-inspired books into other categories (eg Ex Libris, The Book Thief, Best of the Bellevue Literary Review), so this category ended up a catch-all mostly for EarlyReviewer titles … a notoriously uneven group where Gardens of Water stood out)
For me:
Biography/Memoir: Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman -- lovely memoir-ish essays about books and reading
I’ve Started and Want to Finish…: tie between A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers and Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer; both are wildly creative, both require some perseverance, both made me laugh and sob
By My Favorite Writers: The Gold Coast by Nelson DeMille -- often described as The Great Gatsby meets The Godfather, it’s much slower and more literary than DeMille’s usual thrillers (but I’d avoid its 2008 sequel, The Gate House); I recommend Plum Island to a DeMille newbie
Children’s/YA: The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak -- narrated by Death from WWII Nazi Germany, it’s clever, playful, heartwarming and heartbreaking
Nonfiction: The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan -- an exploration of today’s food industry; it’s gentle and curious, not sensationalistic
Anthologies: The Best of the Bellevue Literary Review -- anthology of essays, stories, and poems that are in some way (often quite peripherally) related to health; first-rate writing
On Writing: (not ready to report here yet)
Discovered on LibraryThing: Gardens of Water by Alan Drew -- a family trying to navigate religion, culture, and geography in 1999 Turkey; the writing evoked Khaled Hosseini
(Seems that I moved my favorite LT-inspired books into other categories (eg Ex Libris, The Book Thief, Best of the Bellevue Literary Review), so this category ended up a catch-all mostly for EarlyReviewer titles … a notoriously uneven group where Gardens of Water stood out)
8SqueakyChu
Diese Nachricht wurde vom Autor gelöscht.
9SqueakyChu
Trying again... I'm not done my 888 .. but here's my list so far:
1. Biography or Memoir
Maus - Art Spiegelman - Both graphic novels I and II are examples of an amazing way to teach about a family's experiences before, during, and after the Holocaust
2. Books About Young People
Special Topics in Calamity Physics – Marsha Pessl - Many people found this book annoying, but I loved the eerieness and mystery surrounding it.
3. Books about Other Cultures
Beaufort – Ron Leshem - This book is about an Israeli Defense Force platoon leader stationed in Lebanon when the Israeli public was becoming more anti-war in its sentiment.
4. Early Reviewer Books
The Amish Cook at Home - Kevin Williams - The daughter of an Amish food journalist takes over her late mother's role and publishes a book with recipes, Amish culture, and gorgeous photography.
5. Nonfiction
Thanking the Monkey - Karen Dawn - A must-read book detailing animal rights and abuses and what individuals can do to corrrect this situation without becoming a totally off-the-wall, radical animal activist.
6. Short stories or Essays
There are Jews in the House - Lara Varnyar - This is an author I newly discovered who writes many included short stories from a child's point of view and expresses each child's feelings rather eloquently.
7. Books about Food and Beverage
The Omnivore's Dilemma - Michael Pollan - Here's an excellent overview of what is happening in the modern American food industry and how little the public knows of it.
8. Miscellaneous
Duma Key - Stephen King - This is now my all-time favorite King novel - even surpassing Hearts in Atlantis and The Green Mile. Way to go, Stephen King!!
1. Biography or Memoir
Maus - Art Spiegelman - Both graphic novels I and II are examples of an amazing way to teach about a family's experiences before, during, and after the Holocaust
2. Books About Young People
Special Topics in Calamity Physics – Marsha Pessl - Many people found this book annoying, but I loved the eerieness and mystery surrounding it.
3. Books about Other Cultures
Beaufort – Ron Leshem - This book is about an Israeli Defense Force platoon leader stationed in Lebanon when the Israeli public was becoming more anti-war in its sentiment.
4. Early Reviewer Books
The Amish Cook at Home - Kevin Williams - The daughter of an Amish food journalist takes over her late mother's role and publishes a book with recipes, Amish culture, and gorgeous photography.
5. Nonfiction
Thanking the Monkey - Karen Dawn - A must-read book detailing animal rights and abuses and what individuals can do to corrrect this situation without becoming a totally off-the-wall, radical animal activist.
6. Short stories or Essays
There are Jews in the House - Lara Varnyar - This is an author I newly discovered who writes many included short stories from a child's point of view and expresses each child's feelings rather eloquently.
7. Books about Food and Beverage
The Omnivore's Dilemma - Michael Pollan - Here's an excellent overview of what is happening in the modern American food industry and how little the public knows of it.
8. Miscellaneous
Duma Key - Stephen King - This is now my all-time favorite King novel - even surpassing Hearts in Atlantis and The Green Mile. Way to go, Stephen King!!
10A_musing
So difficult to choose, but here Goes:
Major Award Winners: James Agee, A Death in the Family - Light in August is a very close runner up
Foundational Works: Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote, with six close runners up (there is just one book in the category I'm not including!
Audio Books: Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood, because it perfectly uses the audiobook format; close runners up include Light in August, Beowulf, and Crime and Punishment, all great books, and the first two of which I think are particularly strong in Audio format
Books by recently discovered authors: Halldor Laxness' The Fish Can Sing; I'm not choosing Palace Walk because it's winning another category
Islam from all perspectives: Naguib Mahfouz' Palace Walk, though Menocal's Ornament of the World is oh so close on its heels
Indian Subcontinent: Kalidasa's Recognition of Sakuntala, a play that just blew me away. Any number of other great works, but this one is in rarefied atmosphere in my book
Epics: Cheng'en Wu The Monkey King - my 8 year old son and I read two versions and just purchased another! We're hooked. Not that the Mahabharata or Beowulf doesn't rank, but .... well, Monkey has been a great experience as well as a great book
Now to go look at Squeaky's list.
Major Award Winners: James Agee, A Death in the Family - Light in August is a very close runner up
Foundational Works: Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote, with six close runners up (there is just one book in the category I'm not including!
Audio Books: Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood, because it perfectly uses the audiobook format; close runners up include Light in August, Beowulf, and Crime and Punishment, all great books, and the first two of which I think are particularly strong in Audio format
Books by recently discovered authors: Halldor Laxness' The Fish Can Sing; I'm not choosing Palace Walk because it's winning another category
Islam from all perspectives: Naguib Mahfouz' Palace Walk, though Menocal's Ornament of the World is oh so close on its heels
Indian Subcontinent: Kalidasa's Recognition of Sakuntala, a play that just blew me away. Any number of other great works, but this one is in rarefied atmosphere in my book
Epics: Cheng'en Wu The Monkey King - my 8 year old son and I read two versions and just purchased another! We're hooked. Not that the Mahabharata or Beowulf doesn't rank, but .... well, Monkey has been a great experience as well as a great book
Now to go look at Squeaky's list.
11raidergirl3
I didn't participate over here in the 888, I was at the blog. It was a great accomplishment to finish, but I'm not brave enough to tacke 999!
My favorite in each category:
Canadian books - Crow Lake - Mary Lawson
Bookers (winners or shortlisted) - The Remains of the Day - Kazou Ishiguru
Books About Books -The Book Thief Markus Zusak
from the Something About Me Challenge - The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde
Mysteries from Around the World - Silence of the Grave - Arnaldur Indridason (Iceland)
Nonfiction (goes with the In Their Shoes challenge) - Brainiac - Ken Jennings
Young Adult Books - Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson
published in 2008 - Remember Me? - Sophie Kinsella
I must have read a lot of good books for this challenge, because that was hard to pick only one from each category.
My favorite in each category:
Canadian books - Crow Lake - Mary Lawson
Bookers (winners or shortlisted) - The Remains of the Day - Kazou Ishiguru
Books About Books -The Book Thief Markus Zusak
from the Something About Me Challenge - The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde
Mysteries from Around the World - Silence of the Grave - Arnaldur Indridason (Iceland)
Nonfiction (goes with the In Their Shoes challenge) - Brainiac - Ken Jennings
Young Adult Books - Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson
published in 2008 - Remember Me? - Sophie Kinsella
I must have read a lot of good books for this challenge, because that was hard to pick only one from each category.
12saraslibrary
I'm still hacking away at my 888 challenge, but right now, these are my favorites:
1) Anthologies/Short Story Collections: The Hot Blood Series: Kiss and Kill edited by Jeff Gelb and Michael Garrett. (Not perfect, but I love this series anyway.)
2) Juvenile Books from the '80s: Walk Through Cold Fire by Cin Forshay-Lunsford. (A close second would be The Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye.)
3) TV/Movie Tie-Ins/Novelizations: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Postcard Book by Joan Moloney (Kind of pathetic, since this isn't a full-fledge novel.)
4) Nonfiction: I Hate This Place: The Pessimist's Guide to Life by Jimmy Fallon and Gloria Fallon. (This one is very short--which I love!--otherwise, I would have nominated I Feel Bad About My Neck (And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman) by Nora Ephron.)
5) Set in the UK: Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison. (Hands down, one of my favorite series read this year.)
6) Set During a Holiday: The UnValentine by Sam Beeson. (An Early Reviewer snag that didn't suck. Yes!)
7) Vampire: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. (The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton would be a close second.)
8) Animal Protagonist: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. (The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse by Bruce Hale would be a close second.)
1) Anthologies/Short Story Collections: The Hot Blood Series: Kiss and Kill edited by Jeff Gelb and Michael Garrett. (Not perfect, but I love this series anyway.)
2) Juvenile Books from the '80s: Walk Through Cold Fire by Cin Forshay-Lunsford. (A close second would be The Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye.)
3) TV/Movie Tie-Ins/Novelizations: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Postcard Book by Joan Moloney (Kind of pathetic, since this isn't a full-fledge novel.)
4) Nonfiction: I Hate This Place: The Pessimist's Guide to Life by Jimmy Fallon and Gloria Fallon. (This one is very short--which I love!--otherwise, I would have nominated I Feel Bad About My Neck (And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman) by Nora Ephron.)
5) Set in the UK: Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison. (Hands down, one of my favorite series read this year.)
6) Set During a Holiday: The UnValentine by Sam Beeson. (An Early Reviewer snag that didn't suck. Yes!)
7) Vampire: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. (The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton would be a close second.)
8) Animal Protagonist: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. (The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse by Bruce Hale would be a close second.)
13ShannonMDE
I got to recommend Bruce Hale's books the other day at work.. Chet Gecko is such a clever character, and the puns at work are great. A school librarian I met recommended them to me as a great series for reluctant boy readers. Also recommended were the Hank Zipper series by Henry Winkler, but I've yet to read those.
14thatguyzero
As I doubled (and in some cases tripled) my categories, I'll offer one selection from each set of eight.
Victorian (1-8) Far From the Madding Crowd (9-16) Jane Eyre
French (1-8) Le Comte de Monte-Cristo (9-16) À l'ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs
Philosophy (1-8) Letters from a Stoic (9-16) Poetics
Nobel Laureates (1-8) The Magic Mountain (9-16) Cannery Row (17-24) One Hundred Years of Solitude
Contemporary (1-8) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (9-16) Post Office (17-24) The Crying of Lot 49
Novels by Women (1-8) The House of Mirth (9-16) The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Plays (1-8) The Glass Menagerie (9-16) Blithe Spirit
Short Stories (1-8) Ficciones (9-16) Interpreter of Maladies
Extra Credit:
1001 Remainders (1-8) The Third Policeman (9-16) The Sound and the Fury
Spies and Private Eyes The Innocent
Literary Traveler (1-8) The Confusions of Young Törless (9-16) A Hero of Our Time
Speculative Fiction Ubik
Dystopia A Clockwork Orange
The West Lonesome Dove
(Semi) Autobiographical Novels The Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man
Non-Fiction (1-8) The Gulag Archipelago (9-16) Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas
Series The Chronicles of Barsetshire
Literary Debris (1-8) The Street of Crocodiles (9-16) Sons and Lovers
Victorian (1-8) Far From the Madding Crowd (9-16) Jane Eyre
French (1-8) Le Comte de Monte-Cristo (9-16) À l'ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs
Philosophy (1-8) Letters from a Stoic (9-16) Poetics
Nobel Laureates (1-8) The Magic Mountain (9-16) Cannery Row (17-24) One Hundred Years of Solitude
Contemporary (1-8) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (9-16) Post Office (17-24) The Crying of Lot 49
Novels by Women (1-8) The House of Mirth (9-16) The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Plays (1-8) The Glass Menagerie (9-16) Blithe Spirit
Short Stories (1-8) Ficciones (9-16) Interpreter of Maladies
Extra Credit:
1001 Remainders (1-8) The Third Policeman (9-16) The Sound and the Fury
Spies and Private Eyes The Innocent
Literary Traveler (1-8) The Confusions of Young Törless (9-16) A Hero of Our Time
Speculative Fiction Ubik
Dystopia A Clockwork Orange
The West Lonesome Dove
(Semi) Autobiographical Novels The Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man
Non-Fiction (1-8) The Gulag Archipelago (9-16) Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas
Series The Chronicles of Barsetshire
Literary Debris (1-8) The Street of Crocodiles (9-16) Sons and Lovers
15hailelib
The books that stand out from my original categories are
YA/Children: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by B. Selznick
Mystery/Suspense: Masterpieces of Mystery and Suspense edited by Martin H. Greenberg
Favorite Authors (fiction): Force of Nature by uzanne Brockmann
Other fiction: Opening Atlantis by Harry Turtledove
Dewey 000-099: The Black Swan by N.N.Taleb and Finding Atlantis: A True Story of Genius, Madness, and an Extraordinary Quest for a Lost World by David King
Philosophy/religion/myth: Beyond the Blue Horizon by E. C. Krupp (The books by Campbell were more thought provoking but I enjoyed this one more as a reading experience, probably because of the illustrations.)
Science/Technology: The Toothpick by Henry Petroski and Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations by David R. Montgomery
History/Language: Time in History by G. J. Whitrow
Some standouts from all the extra fiction I read:
And Less Than Kind by Mercedes Lackey and Roberta Gellis
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
The Snow Queen by Lackey
The 'Guardian 'Books by Mary Jo Putney
The 'Ghostwalker' Books by Christine Feehan
Crystal Rain by Tobias S Bucknell
Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
YA/Children: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by B. Selznick
Mystery/Suspense: Masterpieces of Mystery and Suspense edited by Martin H. Greenberg
Favorite Authors (fiction): Force of Nature by uzanne Brockmann
Other fiction: Opening Atlantis by Harry Turtledove
Dewey 000-099: The Black Swan by N.N.Taleb and Finding Atlantis: A True Story of Genius, Madness, and an Extraordinary Quest for a Lost World by David King
Philosophy/religion/myth: Beyond the Blue Horizon by E. C. Krupp (The books by Campbell were more thought provoking but I enjoyed this one more as a reading experience, probably because of the illustrations.)
Science/Technology: The Toothpick by Henry Petroski and Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations by David R. Montgomery
History/Language: Time in History by G. J. Whitrow
Some standouts from all the extra fiction I read:
And Less Than Kind by Mercedes Lackey and Roberta Gellis
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
The Snow Queen by Lackey
The 'Guardian 'Books by Mary Jo Putney
The 'Ghostwalker' Books by Christine Feehan
Crystal Rain by Tobias S Bucknell
Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
16hailelib
In message 15 the author of Force of Nature is Suzanne Brockmann. (Don't want to fix all the touchstones that editing the message will mess up!)
Still have 6 books to go - 2 in each of three nonfiction categories. If a really great one shows up in December I'll post it here.
Still have 6 books to go - 2 in each of three nonfiction categories. If a really great one shows up in December I'll post it here.
17BeyondEdenRock
Virago Modern Classics: A Wreath of Roses by Elizabeth Taylor
I loved all of these and I’m looking forward to the same category in my 999 next year.
Historical & Period Fiction: The Crowded Street by Winifred Holtby
My “old” book of the year
Contemporary Fiction: Novel About My Wife by Emily Perkins and The Road Home by Rose Tremain
A dead heat – I thought I might struggle with this category but I found some great books.
Crime & Mystery: Dead Cold by Louise Penny
A very under-appreciated author.
First Time Authors (to me): The Rising Tide by Molly Keane
For years I though I wouldn’t like Molly Keane – I was wrong!
Second Time Authors (to me): Hunting and Gathering by Anna Gavalda and The Glass of Time by Michael Cox
The first is historical and the second is contemporary – both are brilliant!
Books I Won't Want to Keep After Reading: The Outcast by Sadie Jones
I should have kept it!
Non Fiction: Agatha Christie: An English Mystery by Laura Thompson
A wonderful biography – it made me want to go back and reread all of her books!
I loved all of these and I’m looking forward to the same category in my 999 next year.
Historical & Period Fiction: The Crowded Street by Winifred Holtby
My “old” book of the year
Contemporary Fiction: Novel About My Wife by Emily Perkins and The Road Home by Rose Tremain
A dead heat – I thought I might struggle with this category but I found some great books.
Crime & Mystery: Dead Cold by Louise Penny
A very under-appreciated author.
First Time Authors (to me): The Rising Tide by Molly Keane
For years I though I wouldn’t like Molly Keane – I was wrong!
Second Time Authors (to me): Hunting and Gathering by Anna Gavalda and The Glass of Time by Michael Cox
The first is historical and the second is contemporary – both are brilliant!
Books I Won't Want to Keep After Reading: The Outcast by Sadie Jones
I should have kept it!
Non Fiction: Agatha Christie: An English Mystery by Laura Thompson
A wonderful biography – it made me want to go back and reread all of her books!
18nancyewhite
I have 9 Categories, but I've not finished all of them. Nevertheless, I want to go ahead and do this now. I'll put the number I've read for each in parentheses next to the category.
Young Adult (7): We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Retrying Abandoned Books(5): Back Roads by Tawni O'Dell
Memoir/Biography (7):Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
Otherworldly (8):Duma Key by Stephen King
Literary Works (8): The Idea of Perfection by Kate Grenville - With one exception, I liked the books in this category the best and had the hardest time selecting a favorite. Not the outcome I would have expected had you asked me when I began the challenge.
Continuations in Series Mystery (8): Terminal by Andrew Vachss
First in Series (8):Jar City by Arnaldur Indridason
Religion/Spirituality (7):Life Lines: holding on and Letting Go by Forrest Church - This one is the most likely to be supplanted. I'm reading a historical consideration of Jesus by Marcus Borg that I think will be the winner in this category.
Queer/Trans (7):Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Edited to reign in runaway bolding.
Young Adult (7): We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Retrying Abandoned Books(5): Back Roads by Tawni O'Dell
Memoir/Biography (7):Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
Otherworldly (8):Duma Key by Stephen King
Literary Works (8): The Idea of Perfection by Kate Grenville - With one exception, I liked the books in this category the best and had the hardest time selecting a favorite. Not the outcome I would have expected had you asked me when I began the challenge.
Continuations in Series Mystery (8): Terminal by Andrew Vachss
First in Series (8):Jar City by Arnaldur Indridason
Religion/Spirituality (7):Life Lines: holding on and Letting Go by Forrest Church - This one is the most likely to be supplanted. I'm reading a historical consideration of Jesus by Marcus Borg that I think will be the winner in this category.
Queer/Trans (7):Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Edited to reign in runaway bolding.
19karenmarie
I haven't finished some categories, but here goes:
Classics I Should have Read by Now: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne.
1001 Books to Read Before You Die: Independent People by Halldor Laxness with honorable mention to The Quiet American byGraham Greene.
Biography/Memoir: The Glass Castle by Jeanette Wall.
Award Winners: I'm having difficulty here but will go with The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. The Road and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay were in strong contention.
Edmund Crispin: The Long Divorce.
Just for Fun and Bookclub: From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris.
Non-Fiction: The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell.
ARCs and ER Books: Stealing Athena by Karen Essex. Midwife of the Blue Ridge by Christine Blevins is a close second.
Classics I Should have Read by Now: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne.
1001 Books to Read Before You Die: Independent People by Halldor Laxness with honorable mention to The Quiet American byGraham Greene.
Biography/Memoir: The Glass Castle by Jeanette Wall.
Award Winners: I'm having difficulty here but will go with The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. The Road and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay were in strong contention.
Edmund Crispin: The Long Divorce.
Just for Fun and Bookclub: From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris.
Non-Fiction: The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell.
ARCs and ER Books: Stealing Athena by Karen Essex. Midwife of the Blue Ridge by Christine Blevins is a close second.
20billiejean
I have my award winners for each category, at last:
I. 1001 Books (Old or New List)
~A Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell
~Honorable Mention to Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset and The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
II.Children's Lit / YA
~Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson
III. Poetry
~Paradise Lost by John Milton
IV. Suspense / Mystery
~Beloved by Toni Morrison
V. Spy (Fiction or Nonfiction)
~Tamar by Mal Peet
~Honorable Mention to Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene
VI. Science / SFF
~The Radioactive Boy Scout by Ken Silverstein
VII. Religious
~Father Joe: The Man Who Saved My Soul by Tony Hendra
VIII. Biography / Memoir / Diary
~If This is a Man by Primo Levi.
The overall winner was a tie:
~Beloved by Toni Morrison
~If This is a Man by Primo Levi
This has been a great challenge and lots of fun!
--BJ
I. 1001 Books (Old or New List)
~A Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell
~Honorable Mention to Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset and The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
II.Children's Lit / YA
~Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson
III. Poetry
~Paradise Lost by John Milton
IV. Suspense / Mystery
~Beloved by Toni Morrison
V. Spy (Fiction or Nonfiction)
~Tamar by Mal Peet
~Honorable Mention to Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene
VI. Science / SFF
~The Radioactive Boy Scout by Ken Silverstein
VII. Religious
~Father Joe: The Man Who Saved My Soul by Tony Hendra
VIII. Biography / Memoir / Diary
~If This is a Man by Primo Levi.
The overall winner was a tie:
~Beloved by Toni Morrison
~If This is a Man by Primo Levi
This has been a great challenge and lots of fun!
--BJ
21cmbohn
Great questions! And I have loved looking at everyone's lists and seeing which books I have read and which I want to read now that I've seen your reviews.
My own lists:
1. Books gathering dust - A tossup between Diary of a Nobody and Goodbye to Poplarhaven. It makes me wonder why these books were stuck on my TBR shelf for so long.
2. Science/History books - Women Astronomers was an ARC, but I loved it! Really well done.
3. Teen/kids books - almost all were good. I love the Percy Jackson series and I've already mentioned The King's Swift Rider in another thread, so I'll pick The Thief of Always, my first book by Clive Barker.
4. Books about faith and religion - As I Have Loved You was a book about Kitty De Ruyter's experiences in Indonesia during World War II. I couldn't put it down. So inspiring, but not sappy.
5. Books With Little or No Redeeming Value - this category pretty much defies picking a favorite book, but the best of a somewhat uninspiring lot was The Lexicon of Stupidity, because while it was not exactly great literature, it did make me laugh.
6. Recommended by others - The Zookeeper's Wife was a great story that I would recommend.
7. Tried and true - was a list of my favorites, so it's hard to pick one, but I'll go with Charmed Life.
8. Books that Made Me Laugh Out Loud - I loved Leaven of Malice. I got it on audio at random at the library and it was hysterically funny in parts. I was sad to finish it. But even better was Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett. It's hard to pick a favorite by a favorite author, but Reaper Man along with Mort are the ones I would take if I could only have two.
My own lists:
1. Books gathering dust - A tossup between Diary of a Nobody and Goodbye to Poplarhaven. It makes me wonder why these books were stuck on my TBR shelf for so long.
2. Science/History books - Women Astronomers was an ARC, but I loved it! Really well done.
3. Teen/kids books - almost all were good. I love the Percy Jackson series and I've already mentioned The King's Swift Rider in another thread, so I'll pick The Thief of Always, my first book by Clive Barker.
4. Books about faith and religion - As I Have Loved You was a book about Kitty De Ruyter's experiences in Indonesia during World War II. I couldn't put it down. So inspiring, but not sappy.
5. Books With Little or No Redeeming Value - this category pretty much defies picking a favorite book, but the best of a somewhat uninspiring lot was The Lexicon of Stupidity, because while it was not exactly great literature, it did make me laugh.
6. Recommended by others - The Zookeeper's Wife was a great story that I would recommend.
7. Tried and true - was a list of my favorites, so it's hard to pick one, but I'll go with Charmed Life.
8. Books that Made Me Laugh Out Loud - I loved Leaven of Malice. I got it on audio at random at the library and it was hysterically funny in parts. I was sad to finish it. But even better was Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett. It's hard to pick a favorite by a favorite author, but Reaper Man along with Mort are the ones I would take if I could only have two.
22CarlosMcRey
Well, I'm not quite done but am far enough along with my last book that I think I can say which are my favorites.
Gothic Classics - Melmoth the Wanderer by Charles Robert Maturin
Short Story Collections - Waking Nightmares by Ramsey Campbell
Long Books - Tie: Los detectives salvajes by Roberto Bolaño and Cien años de soledad by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Libros en español - Cuentos Completos I by Julio Cortázar
Nonfiction, General - The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan
Literary Criticism & Biography - The Secret Life of Puppets by Victoria Nelson - whatever its flaws, it was a lot of fun
Horror & Horror-slash - Another Tie: The Etched City by KJ Bishop and The Other by Thomas Tryon
Longtime TBR - For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
Gothic Classics - Melmoth the Wanderer by Charles Robert Maturin
Short Story Collections - Waking Nightmares by Ramsey Campbell
Long Books - Tie: Los detectives salvajes by Roberto Bolaño and Cien años de soledad by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Libros en español - Cuentos Completos I by Julio Cortázar
Nonfiction, General - The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan
Literary Criticism & Biography - The Secret Life of Puppets by Victoria Nelson - whatever its flaws, it was a lot of fun
Horror & Horror-slash - Another Tie: The Etched City by KJ Bishop and The Other by Thomas Tryon
Longtime TBR - For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
