999 Challenge - Finished!

I finished the 999 Challenge yesterday with O Velho que esperava por D. Sebastiao, a collection of short stories I picked up at the book fair in Coimbra (a snip at 2 Euros). It was nice to finish with a Portuguese book, as I am living in Portugal just now. Although I only had 9 books in my 1001 Book group, I was pleased to read many more and was able to slot them into other categories. I have now read over 50 1001 Books this year, something that was made possible with this challenge, it has been good to focus the mind. I flew through the beginning of the challenge, but slowed down when I had to wait to get books. I used Bookmooch and Bookcrossing to help complete categories, but friends and family were also great. I read 9 books for each category, but have put below the top reads for each group, though this was harder in some groups than others. You can see my challenge here: soffitta1's 999 Challenge

I look forward to 10/10/09, when I will start the 1010 Category Challenge, this time 10 books per category. Right now, I am trying to stay away from the temptation of reading the books I have earmarked for that challenge, but it's so hard! ;)

Group 1: Oceania and Islands

I chose this group as I was planning an Oceania and Islands Bookbox.

Top Reads - Reef Mr. Pip The Book Thief

The Flamboya Tree Masters of the Dew Theft A Love Story
Mr. Potter The House at Riverton The Pirate's Daughter

Group 2: Portugal
Books about Portugal or written by Portuguese speaking writers. I have recently moved to Portugal and feel I should get to know more about the people and culture. This has really been a fun and enlightening group, I have discovered a whole other world!

Top reads: The Journal of Beckford in Portugal and Spain Night Train to Lisbon Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon

O Velho que esperava por D. Sebastiao 50 years of dictatorship Dona Flor and her two husbands
Brida The Return of the Water Spirit (African Writers Series) Ossobo

Group 3: 1001 Books

I am trying to read as many of the 1001 books as possible (from both lists), not just for the sake of it, but to expand my reading and read some of those classics I should have already read. This group was easy to complete thanks to the 1001-library.

Top Reads: On Beauty Possessing the Secret of Joy

Intimacy Les Liasons Dangereuses Mansfield Park & Northanger Abbey
The Turn of the Screw: AND The Aspern Papers (Penguin Classics)
The Yellow Wall-paper and Other Stories (Oxford World's Classics) London Fields

Group 4: Children's Books

To get in touch with my inner child :)

Top Reads: The 13 Clocks (Childrens Collection) Good-Bye, Mr. Chips

Aesop's Fables (Wordsworth Children's Classics)
Thanks to Pete for the books from A series of Unfortunate Events : Mau Começo (Desventuras em Serie, Livro Primeiro The Bad Beginning - Book 1 of A Series of Unfortunate Events The Reptile Room (Series of Unfortunate Events) The Wide Window (Series of Unfortunate Events) The Miserable Mill (A Series of Unfortunate Events No. 4) The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events No.5)

Group 5: British Authors

I wanted to read more authors from home, including some 1001 books.

Top Reads: The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel (new author)The Moonstone (Penguin Popular Classics) (new author)

When Will There be Good News? The Second Plane: September 11, 2001-2007
Enduring Love: A Novel Evelina ( Everyman library no. 352.) (new author)
Emotionally Weird(in Portuguese) Amsterdam To the Lighthouse (new author)

Group 6: Controversial

I found a list online of banned books and was very surprised at some of the entries.

Top Reads: Brave New World (Reading Guide Edition) Petals of Blood

The Satanic Verses A Clockwork Orange (Essential Penguin) Beloved
Gulliver's Travels (Wordsworth Classics) Lolita One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest
Their Eyes Were Watching God

Group 7: Travel

My favourite hobby

Top Reads: The Emigrants The Old Patagonian Express: By Train Through the Americas Snow (Vintage International)

Wall to Wall: From Beijing to Berlin by Rail Facing it Something of Samoa (Penguin 60s)
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano: Written by Himself (Bedford Series in History & Culture) Four Corners: A Journey into the Heart of Papua New Guinea Blood River

Group 8: Canongate

A great Scottish press, printing great British and international writers.

Top Reads: The Earth Hums in B Flat A Night Out with Robert Burns: The Greatest Poems The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus (Canongate Myths)

The Poison That Fascinates The End of Mr Y Tsotsi
Rembrandt's Whore Being Emily Binu and the Great Wall of China (Myths)

Group 9: Historical

-either non-fiction or with a historical setting.

Top Reads: The City of Falling Angels The Go-between (Penguin Modern Classics) Tipping the Velvet

Blood Meridian: Or, the Evening Redness in the West (Picador Books) Montenegro: A Novel
World's End Swift as Desire The Last Concubine The Forgotten Garden

I decided to challenge myself to one book a week to try and make a solid dent. I am reading from both the original and updated lists of books. I have now completed the challenge, one that I really enjoyed. It has been a very mixed bag of books, from recent ones to old ones, fact to fiction. I couldn't have done this without the 1001-library, as the various members have kept me well-stocked for books. I plan to do this again next year, not just to knock off books from the list, but also to expand my own reading. There are many books I never would have considered if they hadn't come to me with recommendations from other readers or just because I requested another book.

Here is my list so far:
1.Tipping the Velvet
2.Blood Meridian: Or, the Evening Redness in the West (Picador Books)
3.Evelina (Everyman's Library)
4.London Fields
5.Enduring Love
6.Intimacy (1001 book)
7.The Go-between (Penguin Modern Classics)
8. + 10Mansfield Park & Northanger Abbey
9.The 13 Clocks
11. On Beauty
12.The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories
13.A Clockwork Orange (Essential Penguin)
14.The Emigrants
15. The Turn of the Screw: AND The Aspern Papers (Penguin Classics)
16.The Satanic Verses
17.Petals of Blood
18.Amsterdam
19.Their Eyes Were Watching God
20.The Moonstone (Penguin Popular Classics)
21.World's End
22.Gulliver's Travels (Wordsworth Classics)
23.Possessing the Secret of Joy
24.Snow
25. Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Classics)
26.Aesop's Fables
27.To the Lighthouse
28.Brighton Rock
29.The Child in Time
30.The Stone Diaries (The Perennial Collection)
31.Beloved
32.The Kingdom of This World
33.The Cement Garden
34.Kokoro
35.The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano: Written by Himself (The Bedford Series in History and Culture)
36. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
37. Lolita
38+39.Three Gothic Novels: The Castle of Otranto, Vathek, The Vampyre
40.El extraño caso del Dr Jekyll y Mr. Hyde
41. The Maltese Falcon
42. Morvern Callar
43. The Garden of the Finzi-Continis
44. A Morte de Ivan Ilitch
45.Mrs Dalloway
46. The Wings of the Dove
47. Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon
48. Sons and Lovers
49.The Poisonwood Bible
50.One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Picador Books)
51. Regeneration (Penguin Celebrations)
52. The Ghost Road (The regeneration trilogy)

Top reads - I enjoy reading Amado's work, so Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon is up there.
Not only because they were last read, but I would thoroughly recommend the Regeneration series from Pat Barker.
Snow, a great insight into Turkey.
Petals of Blood - life in Kenya laid bare.

Disappointments:
Beloved - this just never grabbed me.
Gullivar's Travels - I didn't have sufficient knowledge of the history behind the story.