999 Challenge Update: End of August

I've not posted in ages due to a new job and various other stresses. I've also lapsed on the 999 challenge reviews over on the challenge website, so this update is merely a list for now. I'm quite close to completing the challenge with four categories completed, although it now getting tougher to get hold of books to fit the categories.


1001 Books to Read Before You Die
1. Black Water by Joyce Carol Oates
2. The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien
3. Slow Man by J M Coetzee
4. The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M Cain
5. Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham
6. Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
7. The Successor by Ismail Kadore
8. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
9. Mr Vertigo by Paul Auster


Fiction Authors that are New to Me
1. Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann
2. Underground Man by Mick Jackson
3. The Flood by David Maine
4. The Man who was Thursday by G K Chesterton
5. Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
6. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
7. The Girls: A Novel by Lori Lansens
8. When I was Five I Killed Myself by Howard Buten
9.The Other Hand by Chris Cleave


Crime and Detectives around the world (each one from a different country)
1. Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg (Greenland)
2. Real World by Natsuo Kirino (Japan)
3. Ice Moon by Jan Costin Wagner (Finland)
4. Right as Rain by George Pelecanos (Washington DC, USA)
5. Messenger of Athens by Anne Zouroudi (Greece)
6. The Snack Thief by Andrea Camilleri (Sicilly)
7. Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith (Soviet Union)
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Theme: Dystopia
1. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
2. The Declaration by Gemma Malley
3. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
4. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
5. Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
6.Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
7.The Giver by Lois Lowry
8. We by Yevgenry Zamyatin

Retro: Beats, Hippies, 1960s and Counter-Culture (fiction and non-fiction)
1. Retro Retro: Fictional Flashbacks by Amy Prior
2. 1968: the year that rocked the world - Mark Kurlansky
3. Hippie by Barry Miles
4. Trout Fishing in America by Richard Brautigan
5. I think therefore who am I by Peter Weissman
6. When I Was Cool - Sam Kashner
7. In Watermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan
8. Willard and his Bowling Trophies by Richard Brautigan
9. Hippie Hippie Shake by Richard Neville


Around the World (fiction set outside of the UK and USA - each one from a different country)
1. Cloudstreet by Tim Winton (Australia)
2. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini (Afghanistan)
3. Distant Star by Roberto Bolano (Chile)
4. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (Dominican Republic)
5. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria)
6. Tropical Fish: Tales from Entebbe by Doreen Baingana (Uganda)
7. Elegy for Easterly by Petina Gappah (Zimbabwe)


Non-Fiction
1. Shakespeare by Bill Bryson
2. Los Angeles without a Map by Richard Rayner
3. The Natural History of Unicorns by Chris Laver
4. The Suspicions of Mr Whicher by Kate Summerscale.
5. Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell
6.The Last Shot by Darcy Frey (sports related book picked by my OH)
7. Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell
8. Hippo Eats Dwarf by Alex Boese



Complete Works of - T C Boyle
1. East is East
2. Inner Circle
3. A Friend of the Earth
4. Talk Talk
5. Budding Prospects
6. Riven Rock
7. World's End


Themed Titles - Animals (a different animal in each title)
1. The Boy Who Kicked Pigs by Tom Baker
2. White Tiger by Aravinda Adiga
3. Giraffe by J M Ledgard
4. Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks by Christopher Brookmyre
5. The Book of Chameleons by Jose Eduardo Agualusa
6 The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa
7. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
8. Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall
9. Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman

999 Challenge: Update End of April

I didn't update at the end of March as I was away. My reading has slowed but I'm still on target to finish and not doing too bad a job at keeping the categories balanced.

1001 Books to Read Before You Die
1. Black Water by Joyce Carol Oates
2. Third Policeman by Flann O’Brien
3. Slow Man by J M Coetzee
4. The Postman Always Rings Twice - James M Cain


Fiction Authors that are New to Me
1. Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann
2. The Underground Man by Mick Jackson
3. The Flood by David Maine
4. The Man who was Thursday by G K Chesterton
5. Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
6. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield


Crime and Detectives around the world (each one from a different country)
1. Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg (Denmark and Greenland)
2. Real World by Natsuo Kirino (Japan)
3. Ice Moon by Jan Costin Wagner (Finland)
4. Right as Rain by George Pelecanos (USA)
5. The Messenger of Athens by Anne Zouroudi (Greece)


Theme: Dystopia
1. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
2. The Declaration by Gemma Malley
3. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
4. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
5. The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham


Retro: Beats, Hippies, 1960s and Counter-Culture (fiction and non-fiction)
1. Retro Retro edited by Amy Prior
2. 1968: The Year that Rocked the World by Mark Kurlansky
3. Hippie by Barry Miles
4. Trout Fishing in America by Richard Brautigan
5. I think therefore who am I by Peter Weissman


Around the World (fiction set outside of the UK and USA - each one from a different country)
1. Cloudstreet by Tim Winton (Australia)
2. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini (Afghanistan)
3. Distant Star by Roberto Bolano (Chile)
4. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (Dominican Republic)
5. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria)
6. Tropical Fish: Tales from Entebbe by Doreen Baingana (Uganda)
7. Elegy for Easterly by Petina Gappah (Zimbabwe)


Non-Fiction
1. Shakespeare by Bill Bryson
2. Los Angeles without a Map by Richard Rayner
3. The Natural History of Unicorns by Chris Laver
4. The Suspicions of Mr Whicher by Kate Summerscale.
5. Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell


Complete Works of - T C Boyle
1. East is East by T C Boyle
2. The Inner Circle by T C Boyle
3. A Friend of the Earth by T C Boyle
4. Talk Talk by T C Boyle


Themed Titles - Animals (a different animal in each title)
1. The Boy Who Kicked Pigs by Tom Baker
2. White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
3. Giraffe by J M Ledgard
4. Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks by Christopher Brookmyre
5. The Book of Chameleons by Jose Eduardo Agualusa

999 Challenge Update: End of February

My aim at the beginning of the month was to have read three books in each category by the end of the month. This plan went awry. Numbers-wise I'm still on target, but I have been enticed by books in the Around the World category at the expense of others.


1001 Books to Read Before You Die
1. Black Water by Joyce Carol Oates
2. Third Policeman by Flann O’Brien
3. Slow Man by J M Coetzee


Fiction Authors that are New to Me
1. Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann
2. The Underground Man by Mick Jackson


Crime and Detectives around the world (each one from a different country)
1. Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg (Denmark and Greenland)
2. Real World by Natsuo Kirino (Japan)
3. Ice Moon by Jan Costin Wagner (Finland)


Theme: Dystopia
1. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
2. The Declaration by Gemma Malley
3. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury


Retro: Beats, Hippies, 1960s and Counter-Culture (fiction and non-fiction)
1. Retro Retro edited by Amy Prior
2. 1968: The Year that Rocked the World by Mark Kurlansky


Around the World (fiction set outside of the UK and USA - each one from a different country)
1. Cloudstreet by Tim Winton (Australia)
2. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini (Afghanistan)
3. Distant Star by Roberto Bolano
4. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
5. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
6. Tropical Fish: Tales from Entebbe by Doreen Baingana


Non-Fiction
1. Shakespeare by Bill Bryson
2. Los Angeles without a Map by Richard Rayner


Complete Works of - T C Boyle
1. East is East by T C Boyle
2. The Inner Circle by T C Boyle
3. A Friend of the Earth by T C Boyle


Themed Titles - Animals (a different animal in each title)
1. The Boy Who Kicked Pigs by Tom Baker
2. White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
3. Giraffe by J M Ledgard

999 Challenge: Update End of January

Quite a good start to the year. I’ve read at least one book in each category plus I’ve even read a few things outside of challenge.

My reviews are can be read on the 999 Challenge blog by clicking on the titles below.


1001 Books to Read Before You Die
1. Black Water by Joyce Carol Oates
2. Third Policeman by Flann O’Brien


Fiction Authors that are New to Me
1. Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann


Crime and Detectives around the world (each one from a different country)
1. Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg (Denmark and Greenland)
2. Real World by Natsuo Kirino (Japan)


Theme: Dystopia
1. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
2. The Declaration by Gemma Malley


Retro: Beats, Hippies, 1960s and Counter-Culture (fiction and non-fiction)
1. Retro Retro edited by Amy Prior
2. 1968: The Year that Rocked the World by Mark Kurlansky


Around the World (fiction set outside of the UK and USA - each one from a different country)
1. Cloudstreet by Tim Winton (Australia)
2. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini (Afghanistan)
3. Distant Star by Roberto Bolano


Non-Fiction
1. Shakespeare by Bill Bryson


Complete Works of - T C Boyle
1. East is East by T C Boyle


Themed Titles - Animals (a different animal in each title)
1. The Boy Who Kicked Pigs by Tom Baker
2. White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

999 Challenge: I'm in!

Having enjoyed the 888 challenge so much, I was pleased when the 999 challenge was proposed.

The rules are much the same as last year, but with 9 books in 9 categories with 9 overlaps allowed.

A 999 challenge blog has been started for participants to chart their progress and post their reviews, so I'll be posting over there too.

My categories for the challenge will be as follows:

1. 1001 Books to Read Before You Die
2. Fiction Authors that are New to Me
3. Crime and Detectives around the world (each one from a different country)
4. Theme: Dystopia
5. Beats, Hippies, 1960s and Counter-Culture (fiction and non-fiction)
6. Around the World (fiction set outside of the UK and USA - each one from a different country)
7. Non-Fiction
8. Complete Works of: T C Boyle
9. Themed Titles: Animals (a different animal in each title)