999 Challenge #1 Completed

I have finally finished my first 999 Challenge and (SURPRISE, SURPRISE!) there were 50 books there were on the list at the end that were on the list at the beginning so I actually read more than half of the original list.

Here is the final breakdown of how I perceived my Challenge.

By Category:
Best of New books in an Old Series - Winter Study
Worst of New books in an Old Series - Candy Cane Murder(not really bad)

Best of Classics - Inferno by Dante
Worst of Classics - Northanger Abbey (Can't believe it, Jane Austen)

Best of Mysteries - Déja Dead (I understand why this is a TV series)
Worst of Mysteries - Shop til you Drop - not bad, but not great either

Best of Biographies/History - [Patriarch: George Washington and the New American Nation
Worst of Biographies/History - [James Madison] :The Presidents Series

Best of Award Winners: Mistress of the Art of Death
Worst of Award Winners : American Sphinx

Best of Surprise Books: My Sisters Keeper
Worst of Surprise books: Getting Old is Murder (not really bad)

Best of Harry Potter related : Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Worst of harry Potter related : The science of Harry Potter

Best of Favorite Authors: Shadow Queen (Language of Bees) a close 2nd
Worst of Favorite Authors: The Silver Needle Murder (not up to par)

Best of Found Books: Crocodile on the Sandbank
Worst of Found Books: The Lost Art of Towel Origami (I was really disappointed.)

Best Category overall: Award Winners (4 of my Top Ten are from this category)
Worst Category overall: Classics
Easiest Category to read: Favorite Authors
Hardest Category to Read: Classics
Category that surprised me the Most: Biographies/History
Category with no surprises: New Books in an Old Series
Category you wished you hadn't read: Classics
Category you wished you read more: Surprise- Books I found I want to read

Needless to say, I will not be having a Classics category next year!

My Top Ten of the 999 Books read are:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Patriarch: George Washington and the New American nation (it surprised me too that this beat McCullough, I think it was the man more than the writing)
Mistress of the Art of Death
John Adams
Shadow Queen
Time Traveler's Wife
My Sister's Keeper
Still Life
Crocodile on the Sandbank
Sunrise

Ten Most Disappointing of the 999 Books read are:
Grandma Gets Laid
Northanger Abbey
The Lost Art of Towel Origami
New Clues to Harry Potter Book 5: Hints from the Ultimate Unofficial Guide to the Mysteries of Harry Potter
Don Quixote
A funny thing happened on the way to the White House
The Maltese Falcon
The Innocence of Father Brown
Benjamin Franklin
Shop Till You Drop

Mysteries - 39
History/ Bios 11
Fantasy/Children lt/YA 11
Fiction 12
Romance 6
General 2

Audiobooks 33

Surprises: When I looked at all these totals, it surprised me that...
1. I only read 39 mysteries because I felt like I was constantly reading mysteries (but maybe that's in 999X2).
2. I read 11 childrens books - I don't have kids!
3. I only read 6 romances - usually that's most of what I read.
4. I actually finished by 9/09/09 and half of another 999 challenge.

What didn't surprise me was that….
1. I really enjoyed the experience (so much so that I'm doing it again!)
2. I was able to stick with my original categories throughout the entire Challenge (I have good organizational skills, or so I've been told.)
3. but most of all, I made such wonderful friends along the way.

How could I not try again next year! Vivè 101010CC!

MR CAVENDISH, I PRESUME by Julia Quinn

Read: Aug 30- Sept 1
Category: Favorite Author
Pages: 384

MR. CAVENDISH, I PRESUME is the sequel to THE LOST DUKE OF WYNDHAM however, the latter is the story from Jack's POV and this book is from Thomas' POV.
Lady Amelia Willoughby has been engaged to the Duke of Wyndham, Thomas Cavendish since she was in the cradle. Just when things between are about to come to fruition, and they begin to take an interest in each other, along comes a long lost cousin who can supplant Thomas as the Duke.
The story evolves showing how this change in situation effects the Thomas Amelia and their relationship. The outcome is not different than in The Lost Duke of Wyndham, but there is a resolution that a reader of that book is not aware until after reading this one.
It was interesting to see the effects of the situation from both sides, however, as much as I adore Ms. Quinn's writing, this one fell a bit flat. The Heroine here (Lady Amelia) is very 2 dimensional and Thomas seems lonely and unable to become his own person until the ducal robes are removed. I think that this story would have been much better if all POV were hatched out in one book instead of rehashing in this one. Thomas and Amelia's story deserved better .

The CAPTIVE HEART by Bertrice Small

Read: Aug 29 - 30
Category: Favorite Author
Pages: 402

Alix Givet is the daughter of Queen Margaret's physician and as they are fleeing the Yorkists, the band of refugees seek shelter with Sir Udolf Watteson. Her father, ill, can go no farther, so a bargain is made where Alix will marry his son Hayle and the two will remain. However, Hayle doesn't want a bride, he only wants his mistress, so he mistreats Alix for the entire time that they are wed. Her father agonizes over her situation but dies before she is freed when Hayle's mistress dies and he kills himself, Alix is forced to flee when her father-in-law decides that he will marry her because he now needs an heir.

Setting off on foot by herself, Alix crosses the border to Scotland where she is found near dead and taken to the keep of a brooding border lord. The Love story that follows twists and turns to an unusual ending.

This was not one of Bertrice Small's better books. I saw a re-write of Skye O'Malley at the beginning and some of her other themes in the middle. The writing was a bit staid in this one, and the characters were not as well defined as normal. Normally, Small gets 4 stars from me, but this one is only a 3.

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

Read: Aug 18 - 27
Category: Favorite Author
Pages: 534

Have you ever held on to something simply because you thought it brought you good luck?

Logan Thibault was a marine in Iraq when he found a picture of a young woman wearing a T-shirt with the slogan Lucky Lady across her chest. He tried to find who it belong to, but when no one claimed it, he put it in his pocket. His luck began to change. He survived 3 tours in Iraq before he went home. His buddy from the marines felt that the picture had kept Logan safe and when his buddy was killed in a fishing accident in the boat right next to him, Logan began to think that he needed to find the girl.

Logan left his home in Colorado and starting walking… ending up in Hampton, NC. Along with his dog, Zeus, Logan not only found the girl, the reason that he was meant to find her.
I've read nearly all of Nicholas Sparks' books. I liked the idea of this one, but the beginning was slow and sometimes it was too wordy. I liked it, but not as well as some of his others.

GUILTY PLEASURES by Laura Lee Guhrke

Read: Aug 25 - 28
Category: Book Finds
Pages: 384

This is the story of an orphan woman, Daphne Wade, who presents herself to the Duke of Tremore in place of her father to catalog and repair ancient artifacts that are being unearthed on his estate. Daphne falls in love at first sight but the Duke doesn't even register that he is a woman.
The story is a typical romance and proceeds as the reader would expect. Nothing to write home about but entertaining in the normal romance genre way.

Déjà Dead by Kathy Reichs

Read: Aug 19 - 25
Category: Mystery
Pages: 411

This book, set in Montreal, Canada, centers around the efforts of Temperance Brennan to solve the brutal murders of 5 woman. It probably would have been easier for her if the Quebec police, namely Luc Claudel, believed her when she pointed out that there was a serial murderer on the lose. But since she is just an anthropologist and a woman to boot, she has a hard time showing them the connections that her instincts tell her are there.

It was thrilling to go with Tempe as she struggled to find all the connections of the different victims, so that she could finally give these women and their families peace found in the criminal being brought to justice, however, she may need to rethink her process in the future.

The characterizations are interesting, showing a previous existence which expands the readers knowledge of the characters, but doesn't get in the way while enhancing the plot. We see the strengths of the Temperance as well as her weaknesses which only make you more interested as she battles to protect herself and those she loves.

The details that are used throughout this book are extensive but sometimes feel a bit overwhelming. Constantly relating street after street didn't improve the story, but got to a point where it drove this reader a bit nuts, some editing here could have helped. I liked the way that French was interspersed (never overdone) with the English, giving it a nice French feel, or should I say Quebec feel.

The Edge of Desire by Stephanie Laurens

Read: Aug 6 - 22
Category: Romance
Pages: 648

The Bastion Club is a series of romances revolving around aristocratic men who served in the special services during the Napoleonic wars and have returned to their "normal" lives and are settling down to love and marriage. This is the seventh installment and centers on Christian Allardyce, the 6th Marquess of Dearne and his lost love Lady Letitia Vaux Randall.
Letitia's husband George Randall is murdered and her brother Justin is the prime suspect, so She sends to her former lover for assistance in clearing his name. They haven't been together for 12 years but the sparks are still there and Christian is determined to discover not only the murderer but the reason why Lady Randall married her husband in the first place.
What surprised me about this book is that normally Ms Laurens writes a romance with a bit of intrigue, but this book has a full-blown mystery which she leads you through along with the characters, revealing the clues to you at the same time as the characters receive them. The reader searches at the same pace as Christian and Letitia not just for love and forgiveness but for resolution of the problem that keep them apart.
However, I do feel that Ms Laurens, in this book, seems to be stretching out the love scenes a bit too long. They are as steamy and sensuous as always, but drag in certain places. That doesn't mean that I'm not reading them, I am.
Can’t wait for the last of this series.

Death Qualified: A Mystery of Chaos by Kate Wilhelm

Read: Aug 4 - 18
Category: Mystery
Pages: 438

Lucas Kendricks disappeared 7 years ago. Suddenly he's back after escaping a nightmare where he was "Tom" where he hadn't remembered his family in Oregon but before he has a chance to start his life over, he's dead and his wife is charged with his murder.
Barbara Holloway is in Arizona trying to live the simple life when she receives a phone call from her father and is dragged back into the legal world that she had left 5 years before in disgust, unable to agree with the bargains and compromises of defenders and prosecutors.
This book starts off in chaos and only seems to come together when the courtroom drama begins. There is way too much emphasis on the "chaos theory and psychological research" than a normal reader would want to know. This diversion encompasses most of the book but doesn't stop the reader from foretelling the conclusion. There are a few events at the end that re somewhat predictable.
The courtroom portion of the book was excellent, but the beginning and end left something to be desired.

Thyme of Death by Susan Wittig Albert

Category: Coy Mystery
Pages: 308
Read: August 12 - 16

This book is the first in the China Bayles series. China is an attorney who has given up the high paced legal jungle to pursue the quiet town living of an herbalist. That's what she says, but she gets caught up in the investigation of a murder which the police see as a suicide of one of her best friends.
The story is well woven around the characters in the small town of Pecan Springs, TX. What amazes me is the way the writer leads the reader down a path leaving subtle clues but misdirecting you in other areas so that when the resolution comes to light, you say to yourself - DAH! I should have seen that, but everything points that other way. Definitely a series I want to continue.

BLACK BEAUTY BY Anna Sewell

Read : Aug 4-11
Category : Classics
Pages : 275

I have to admit that in my youth I never read Black Beauty. I wish I had. The style of this book, written in the first person, telling how the life of a horse can be pleasurable or miserable was truly delightful. It may me stop to think that it is a shame that so many people don't take into consideration an animal's feelings. Maybe if it was made mandatory reading for children, we wouldn't have mistreated animals in this world.

THE SILVER NEEDLE MURDER by Laura Childs

Read : Aug 8-9
Category : Favorites Author's books I haven't read yet!
Pages : 260

This was the 9th installment of the India Tea Shop Mysteries and my first disappointment from the author, Laura Childs. I love this series but not this book. I still have questions even though I have finished and re-read the ending, I still have questions.

First of all, I knew who the killer was at page 100 simply because this person kept popping up without any need to be there. Second, there were numerous incidents throughout that were not explained at the end and the motive was definitely not clear. So all in all, even though I enjoyed the story, I didn't like to the book.

MURDER ON ASTOR PLACE by Victoria Thompson

Read : Aug 7 - 8
Category : Books I found out about on the Internet (LT)
Pages : 278

This is the first in the Gaslight Mysteries set in turn of the Century(1900) New York City. The central character is Sarah Brandt, a midwife who was born to the aristocracy but married "beneath her station" and now that she s widowed must earn her way in the world.
The mystery centers around a young woman who is strangled in a boardinghouse. Our heroine's involvement is that she recognizes the victim as being the sister of an acquaintance of her youth. Sarah makes every effort to assist Detective Sega rent Malloy in apprehending the murderer.
The twisting and turns which reveal social taboos of the day lead to a gruesome ending but not something that is surprising. IMHO, not a great mystery but readable.

A TALE OF TWO CITIES by Charles Dickens

Read : July 18-Aug 1
Category : Classics
Pages : 544

Dickens style of comparing the opposites is the theme throughout this classic. His contrasts of the "best "and "worst "of times, "Light "and "Darkness, "and "hope "and "despair" mirror good and evil that will persist throughout the novel in characters and situations. Resurrection of the physical person of Dr. Manette and the spiritual of Sydney Carton by his personal sacrifice reflect this as well.
The full story runs a little slow for me but as Classic go IMHO, it is better than most.

Catch up with my Challenges

I thought that a quiet Saturday morning and the first of a month would be a good time to review my status for all of my challenges so that I made sure that I was in good shape to complete them all.

1st in a series - This challenge was to read 12 books that are 1st in a series. I've done that twice over so far with 25 so I'm marking that one complete.
Support the Library - For this challenge I signed on for 50 books from the library. So far I've read 83 and have another 51 ready to go. So I'm marking this on COMPLETED!
75 Book Challenge - I finished the first 75 and am 26 books into the second 75. COMPLETED
100 Book Challenge - Earlier this week I finished my 100th book - COMPLETED
Great Summer Readoff - I wanted to read 40 books - so far 2/3 in I've read 26 - need to get a move on for this one.
999 Challenge #1 - I have 12 books left and am aiming for the 9/9/09 completion date.
999 Challenge #2 - I have 48 books to go and think I can manage to complete this before the end of the year.
President's Challenge - To stay on target for the 4 year completion I need to read through President Polk by the end of the year. That means I need to finish JQA and read Jackson, Van Buren, WH Harrison, Tyler, and Polk. The book for Jackson is over 1000 pages but the others should be not to big. I'm keeping my fingers crossed because I don't want to fall behind since most of next year is designated as a history year concentrating on the Civil War and Pre and Post eras.

SUNRISE by Jacquelyn Cook

Read : July 27-29
Category : Books I found I want to read
Pages : 293

History tells us that in 1849 William Butler Johnston, an elder railroad baron/banker, married Anne Tracy in Macon GA. SUNRISE brings their romance to life. The author has taken the journals and letters of this family and woven a tale of their lifelong love affair which started on their European Grand Tour honeymoon, endured the death of numerous children, family and friends, and survived the suffering of deprivation during the Civil War.

Johnston adored his Miss Annie so much that he built her "fairy castle" - the historical Johnston-Felton-Hay Mansion that still stands in Macon. The characters that the author has created in this book reflect not just the times but the spirit of the people. The characters were actually living breathing people who Ms Cook has given personality and feelings through extensive research.

This book read rather quickly, due to the fact that there were no long sweeping passages that you would expect from this genre bt read more like a journal telling the actually history of the time. There are a few times when it started to drag, but soon recovered and is well worth the time taken to read.
It's no Gone With the Wind, but since I enjoyed the historical information that was wound into the story so much, I rank it in good/great read category.

THE LANGUAGE OF BEES by Laurie R. King

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Read: July 21 - 26
Category : Favorite Authors Books I haven't read
Pages : 712

How ironic that Holmes and Russell return after a nearly a year to their home in Sussex at the same time that they return to us after a 4 year absence. Back at their beginnings, Russell is again the apprentice to Holmes as beekeeper. Missing bees, however, have to take second place, when confronted with the surprise appearance of Damian Adler, Holmes' son.Holmes must first reflect on this presence and then attend to the problem which brought the two together - the disappearance of Damian's wife, Yolanda with their 4 year old daughter, Estelle.

Disappearing into the night as Holmes frequently does, Mary is left to undertake the bee mystery. Finding a resolution that she feels will satisfy her husband, she heads to London to assist Holmes using her brand of logic (the feminine side).

Throughout her time with Holmes, Mary Russell has observed the strangest human behavior but this case, due to the family relationships involved, has its own kind of madness to observe. Russell employs her own special talents in the area of religious cults while delving into the skeletons in the closet of the missing young woman from Shanghai. The trail she must follow leads her to the Children of the Light and eventually the darkness that she must shatter.

I was disappointed that Russell was still lacking a bit in her self-confidence when she first arrived back, but understand her gradual return to self as the story progressed. I was glad to see that Mycroft had a larger part in this story. I particularly approve of the way Russell's concerns for Holmes' feelings were conveyed throughout. The story after the initial development was fast-paced and kept the reader driving or should I say "flying" to the end.

I regret that we had to wait four years for Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes to return to us. This series never fails to educate, entertain, and excite. I'm glad that the next is scheduled for 2010. As soon as I know the title, it will be on my wishlist.

DRAGONWELL DEAD by Laura Childs

Read : July 13 - July 17
Category: Favorite Authors
Pages: 290

Theodosia and her faithful friends of the Indigo Tea shop - Drayton and Haley - are confronted at an orchid auction they are catering with the untimely death of their friend Mark Congdon. Drayton is particularly affected since Mark and he were both Orchid collectors. As in the past, Theodosia doesn't set out to investigate the murder, but gets sucked in by circumstances. This mystery was the most action packed of the series so far, and a delightful read.

MY SISTER'S KEEPER by Jodi Picoult

Read : July 12 - July 16
Category : Surprise, Books I find want to read
Alex Award------------------------------
Pages : 528 pages

This book lived up to my expectations and more. This family drama about the ethics of creating a child to serve as a living donor for another child and the ramifications of the situation for all the members of the family took my breath away. The detail of the different viewpoints in the family showing the parents driving need to save their sick child, the donor child's search for identity, the sick child's need to just be normal, and the "unneeded" child's search for recognition was heart-wrenching.
The writer also managed to interweave the feelings of the legal participants. The guardian ad litem's ability to see both sides of the issue - Anna's need to choose and Kate's parents need to help their sick child, no matter what, was effectively written, while her inability to make a recommendation mirrored Anna's feelings of being unable to prevent herself from waffling from continuing her lawsuit and ending it. The Judge's loss of a child reflects the fear of Sarah and Brian who have been battling to preserve Kate's life since she was 2. And of course, there is Campbell, Anna's attorney. His presence only serves to magnify denial - his regarding his medical issues and the family regarding the imminent death of Kate.
What I found particularly interesting was having the story told at different times by different characters. Since the story always seemed to be in the first person, as if the characters were talking directly to you, the reader, the story seemed much more captivating then if it had been told in the third person or constantly from the same point of view. Needless to say, I'm glad that I read this book, and hope that I am never put in such a situation. I'm just glad that I've signed my donor card, have you?

Jodi Picoult confronts a stormy real-life debate with a polished compassion, sympathy and understanding.

THE SHADOW QUEEN : BOOK FIVE OF THE WORLD OF HETAR by Bertrice Small

Read : July 9 - July 12
Category : Favorites Author's books I haven't read yet!
Pages : 496 pages

Magnus Hauk is dead, but with his dying words he places the safety of the kingdom of TERAH into the hands of his fairie queen, Lara, until their son is ready to rule. This is extremely unusually, since Terah does not recognize women for governing ability. Lara will be a Shadow Queen hidden behind the Regency Council of Taj's uncles.
While Lara works to prepare her son for his future, her oldest daughter is spirited off by unknown magic and Lara with the assistance of her mentor, Shadow Prince Kaliq, must find what is happening in Hetar and prevent further infiltration by the Dark Lords.
Lara has to deal with petulant children, evil and dark magic, and the overwhelming greed and self-indulgence throughout the kingdoms of the Twilight Lords and Hetar.
This is the fifth book in the exciting tales of Lara the Fairie woman who captures the hearts of mortals and magical creatures alike. The erotic fantasy shows how even in fantasy, mothers can safeguard their offspring only so much and no matter how they may want to protect them, their children as they grow will make their own decisions and their own mistakes.
Those who have never met Lara and the World of Hetar will be spellbound and while realizing that there are many more adventures that they have missed, will go searching for the previous volumes of this series.
This volume , as all previous series selections, does not fail to captivate the reader.

FATALLY FLAKY by Diane Mott Davidson

Read : June 28 - July 1
Category : New Books in a Old Series
Pages : 474 pages

Bridezilla Billie is getting Goldy ready to tear her hair out. The bride has changed the date three times, the menu twice, and now in the middle of catering another wedding, Billie informs Goldy that she has added 50 additional guests for her wedding 2 days away which means that there has to be a venue change as well as more preparation cooking.

In the meantime, Goldy's old doctor is found dead at the bottom a ravine, which leads her dear godfather to investigating the cause. When he is found mugged at the reception for Bridezilla Billie, and later dies, Goldy takes over. Lead by clues from her godfather and her overwhelming need to find out what happens to her friend and loved one, Goldy gets involved in intrigue surrounding fraud, drugs and murder.This was a quick read because the story kept drawing you further and further into the web before your intuition glistens. Davidson never fails IMHO!