Almeta's High Octane ABCs

[Almeta]

52 of 182 books read (in proper order!)

Task 1, Author’s last name


✔A - Peter Abrahams, Oblivion 1/17
✔B - Christopher Brookmyre, The Sacred Art of Stealing 2/14
✔C - Andrea Camilleri, The Shape of Water 2/17
✔D - John Douglas, Shawnee Alley Fire: A Novel 3/8
✔E - Aaron J. Elkins, The Dark Place 3/13
✔F - Shamini Flint, A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder 3/30
✔G - Christine Gentry, Mesozoic Murder 4/2
✔H -Robert Hough, The Final Confession of Mabel Stark 4/9
✔I - Greg Iles, Dead Sleep 5/15
✔J - Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth 5/29
✔K - Mary Beth Keane, Fever 6/22
✔L - Lisa Lutz, The Spellman Files 6/24
✔M - Keith Miller, The Book on Fire 6/25
✔N - Bonnie Nadzam, Lamb 6/26
✔O - Håkan Östlundh, The Viper 6/30
✔P - Ann Patchett, Bel Canto 7/1
✔Q - Qiu Xiaolong, Death of a Red Heroine 7/27
✔R - Mary Roach, Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal 7/31
✔S - Alexander McCall Smith, Friends, Lovers, Chocolate 8/10
✔T - James Thompson, Lucifer's Tears 8/14
✔U - Michael Underwood, Hand of Fate 8/15
✔V - Barbara Vine, A Dark-Adapted Eye 9/9
✔W - Ann Woodward, The Exile Way 9/10
✔X - Xu Xiaobin, Feathered Serpent: A Novel 9/15
✔Y - Brenna Yovanoff, The Replacement 9/16
✔Z - Carlos Ruiz Zafón,The Prisoner of Heaven 9/27

Task 2, First Word of the Title
✔The Ax 10/3
✔The Book of Night Women 10/4
✔Claire DeWitt and the Bohemian Highway 10/5
✔The Dog Who Knew Too Much 10/7
✔Elegance of the Hedgehog 10/25
✔Farewell, My Lovely 10/30
✔Gone With a Handsomer Man 10/31
✔Heart-Shaped Box 11/7
✔In The Company Of Liars 11/10
✔Joyland 11/19
✔Kiss of the Spider Woman 11/20
✔The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey 11/21
✔Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children 11/23
✔The Necromancer 11/29
✔Our Man in Havana 12/1
✔Purge 12/2
✔Quarry (aka The Broker) 12/3
✔The Ruins 12/5
✔Speaking from Among the Bones 12/6
✔The Terra-Cotta Dog 12/7
✔The Unbearable Lightness of Being 12/8
✔Varjak Paw 12/10
✔The Weight of Water 12/11
✔The Xibalba Murders 12/12
✔You Bet Your Life 12/15
✔Zone One 12/29

[Janice, Moderator]

Ahh, Almeta, if you are doing the high octane, you have to start with Task 1... not Task 7. But I have no doubts that you'll be tackling Task 7 in no time.

Meany Moderator says - back to the drawing board! *evil laugh*

[Almeta]

Janice wrote: "Meany Moderator says - back to the drawing board! *evil laugh*..." Wow! That changes everything. I was just whipping through the books I have at home that need to be read!!! OK

must be a minimum of 200 pages long


Task 3, First Name of the Author
Andrew Gulli, No Rest for the Dead 5/30
Brom, The Child Thief 8/20
China Miéville, Railsea 6/16
Diana Wynne Jones, Dogsbody 8/24
Earl Derr Biggers, The Black Camel 8/16
Filip Florian, Little Fingers 11/16
Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain 8/25
Helen R. Myers, Dead End 5/3
Isabel Allende, Zorro
Joe Hill, NOS4A2 7/12
Kenneth J. Weber,More Five-minute Mysteries: 34 New Cases Of Murder And Mayhem For You To Solve 6/4
Laini Taylor, Daughter of Smoke & Bone 7/29
Max Brooks, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War 7/20
Neil Gaiman, Stardust 9/3
Oliver Potzsch, The Dark Monk
Poppy Gee, Bay of Fires 11/13
Quentin Anderson, The American Henry James
Richard Matheson, Somewhere In Time 8/4
Stephanie Bond, Party Crashers 7/17
Tracy Chevalier, Girl With a Pearl Earring 12/23
Uwe Timm, Midsummer Night
Valerie Martin, Mary Reilly
W. Bruce Cameron, A Dog's Purpose 9/5
Xinran, Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet
Yann Arthus-Bertrand, 6 Billion Others: Portraits of Humanity from Around the World 1/26
Zoë Sharp, Killer Instinct 5/6

Task 4, Setting by Country
Australia Peepshow
Bosnia Sarajevo, People of the Book
Canada Still Life 7/24
Dominican Republic This Is How You Lose Her 5/6
England, J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan 9/30
France Jean de Florette & Manon of the Springs
GreeceThe Song of Achilles
Hong Kong The Piano Teacher 11/29
Holy See Daniel Silva, The Fallen Angel 12/27
Italy Tomato Rhapsody: A Fable of Love, Lust & Forbidden Fruit 5/26
Japan, Memoirs of a Geisha
Kenya,Deadly Safari by Karin McQuillan
Laos, Curse Of The Pogo Stick(Dr. Siri Paiboun, #5), Colin Cotterill 12/14
Mexico Robert James Waller, Puerto Vallarta Squeeze
Nairobi Hour of the Red God 9/13
Oman, The Icarus Agenda
Polland The Boy in the Striped Pajamas 8/17
Qatar, My Life in Doha: Between Dream and Reality
Russia, Snowdrops
Scotland, The Orkney Scroll
Tibet. Lost Horizon 7/8
United States of America, Christopher Moore, Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings 9/8
Venezuela, Consider Her Ways 5/13
West Sahara, See How Much I Love You
Xianggang (Hong Kong), Reflecting the Sky
Yugoslavia,The Black Mountain, Rex Stout 12/29
Zimbabwe , The Girl Who Married a Lion: and Other Tales from Africa 12/20

Task 5, Author’s Country
Austria The Piano Teacher
Brazil,The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Columbia Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude 8/31
Denmark, Jussi Adler-Olsen, A Conspiracy of Faith
England, James Herbert, Fluke 9/6
France, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See 12/31
Germany The Reader
Haiti, Moondogs by Alexander Yates
Iceland, Sjón, From the Mouth of the Whale 9/24
Jamaica, Marlon James, The Book of Night Women 10/4
Kenya One Day I Will Write About This Place: A Memoir, Binyavanga Wainaina
Lithuania Marija Gimbutas,The Language of the Goddess
Malawi, Dark Matter by Michelle Paver
Norway Karin Fossum, In the Darkness
Oman no authors born there Sandstorm by James Rollins
Poland The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman by Andrzej Szczypiorski
Qatar no authors born here!
If the Sun Doesn't Kill You, the Washing Machine Will is set in Qatar, but only 192 pages.
Quebec Edward O. Phillips, Sunday's Child
Russia, Yevgeny Zamyatin, We
Sri Lanka Michael Ondaatje, The Cat's Table 9/25
Turkey The Black Bookby Orhan Pamuk
United States of America Jeanne Ray, Calling Invisible Women9/6
Venezuela Alberto Barrera Tyszka, The Sickness
Wales, Tipping the Velvet 11/24
Xianggang (Hong Kong), Colin McAdam, Fall
Yisra'el (Israel), The Saturday Morning Murder: Psychoanalytic Case, A Batya Gur 12/17
Zimbabwe, Alexander McCall Smith, The Sunday Philosophy Club 7/21

✔Task 6, Main character’s name (either first or last)
Ashley Adams, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore 1/24
Babette, Babette's Feast and Other Anecdotes of Destiny 10/26
Cadfael, One Corpse Too Many 10/19
Dino, The Queen's Gambit 10/17
Endicott a character in The President's Man by Elliott Roosevelt 3/3
Festa, Thirteenth Night 10/18
Gilkey (John Charles), The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession 5/9
Hansen, A Fall in Denver, Sarah Andrews 2/26
Issac of Girona, Remedy for Treason 10/16
June Elbus, Tell the Wolves I'm Home 5/17
Kuisl(Jakob), The Hangman's Daughter 10/17
Levitt, Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything 11/8
Moll Flanders, Moll Flanders 6/15
Neumann (Ruth Sapphira), Drowning Ruth 3/17
Owens (Nobody), The Graveyard Book 10/21
Pinkerton, The Haunted Lady 2/3
Queenie Hennessy, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce 3/4
Romero de Torres, The Shadow of the Wind 11/5
Sisi, The Book of Flying by Keith Miller 3/3
Toklas (Alice B.), Murder Is Murder Is Murder by Steward, Samuel M. 6/18
Unwin, The Governess by Evelyn Hervey(HRF Keating) 1/27
Vanderbilt (Persia), Scent to Her Grave 6/10
Walker, In Cold Pursuit: A Mystery From The Last Continent by Sarah Andrews 2/28
Xavier (Angelique De ), The Sacred Art of Stealing by Christopher Brookmyre 2/14
Yu Peiqin, Qiu Xiaolong, Death of a Red Heroine 7/27
Zouche (Countess Ashby de la), Unnatural Fire 4/20

Task 7 Combination of the Mystery Genre
April Carstairs, Home Sweet Homicide 6/9
B - Bury Your Dead 6/28
C - The Church Of Dead Girls 6/12
D - Dark Places 10/12
E - Ellery Queen, The Roman Hat Mystery 5/16
F - Joanne Fluke, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder 8/23
G - Sara Gran, Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead 8/29
H - A Hell of a Woman 9/7
I - Italy, The Shape of Water 2/17
J - Cliff Janeway, Booked To Die 6/2
K - The Kill-Off, Jim Thompson 10/1
L - Lost And Found 11/3
M - Mystic River 6/14
N - The Nothing Man 10/8
O - Annie O’Sullivan, Still Missing 11/25
P - Ansel Phoenix, Mesozoic Murder: An Ansel Phoenix Mystery 5/10
Q - Spencer Quinn, The Dog Who Knew Too Much10/7
R - The Rival Queens 10/13
S - Gertrude Stein, Caravaggio Shawl 4/4
T - The Tree of Death 5/21
U - Up in Honey's Room, Elmore Leonard
V - Barbara Vine, A Dark-Adapted Eye 9/9
W - Wendell McCall, Dead Aim 6/29
X - Qiu Xiaolong, A Loyal Character Dancer
Y - The Yeare's Midnight: A Psychological Thriller
Z - M.J. Zellnik, Murder at the Portland Variety
Miss Zukas and the Library Murders (A Miss Zukas Mystery #1)

[Janice, Moderator]

I didn't want to make the challenge too easy. :)

[Pragya]

Wow, Almeta, you're already at work. My my!

[Almeta]

Pragya wrote: "Wow, Almeta, you're already at work. My my!"

Well I had a false start, but am now moving right along again. I am just going through the books I have here, which need to be read and sent out of my house.☻

[Snoozie Suzie]

Bloomin' 'eck! Whizzing ahead in the planning and the reading will catch up too. Enjoy!

[Amanda]

Terrific list Almeta! You sure put it together fast!

[Janice, Moderator]

There are lots of mysteries in your first task too.

[Kat]

Great going, Almeta! I just purchased Breed last night as someone told me it is very intense and I love a good horror! Anna Quindlen is a good pick too :-)

[Rusalka, Moderator]

I'll be interested to hear what you think of Peepshow too. The author keeps on popping up on things, but I haven't met anyone who's read any of her books though. You can be my guinea pig!

[Almeta]

Rusalka wrote: "I'll be interested to hear what you think of Peepshow too. The author keeps on popping up on things, but I haven't met anyone who's read any of her books though. You can be my guinea pig!"

Peepshow was one of the first Reds I selected for the Rainbow. Since I own it, it kept getting put aside for library due books and never got read.

I am actually looking forard to it. Like the premise...sounds sleazy!☺

[Janice, Moderator]

I love the fancy new ticker tapes you've added, Almeta!

[Amanda]

The Lizard King: The True Crimes and Passions of the World's Greatest Reptile Smugglers, now that's a different kind of mystery. Although I'm so scared of snakes/reptiles I'm not sure I'd be brave enough to read it!

[Ava Catherine]

Almeta, looking at all your lists could give me a complex! Mercy!
Congratulations on all your research, Almeta!

[Janice, Moderator]

Almeta, you're a great resource. :)

[Ava Catherine]

Amen!

[Almeta]

Ah, gee, thanks!

Author's Country is going to be a really tough one for me. Hope some just show up along the way.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Almeta, you should have a look at the Around the World group a few of us belong to. There is a *HUGE* master list of all the different countries, as well as everyone's individual lists. Not everyone is reading authors from those countries, some more stories set in those countries (also useful although you have a pretty complete list), but may help.

http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/5...

[Amanda]

The Around the World master list is really good, it helped me a lot when I was putting my lists together.

[Almeta]

Judy wrote: "And, thanks to you, Almeta, I see there is another Zusak to read."

Just planning ahead. It is not published yet, but expected in 2013.

[Janice, Moderator]

It's a good thing your ticker tape at the top of the page is a flame, because you are on fire!!

[Almeta]

Janice wrote: "It's a good thing your ticker tape at the top of the page is a flame, because you are on fire!!"

High Octane, Baby!!!

[Almeta]

Rusalka wrote: "Almeta, you should have a look at the Around the World group a few of us belong to. There is a *HUGE* master list of all the different countries, as well as everyone's individual lists. ..."

Thanks for the tip. I looked around a bit. I belonged to that group for a short while, but never got active (I had too many distractions at the time). Just re-joined.

[Janice, Moderator]

Almeta wrote: "I berloged to that group for shoty while..."

Is that a secret language? LOL! Glad you joined back up again Almeta. :)

[Almeta]

Janice wrote: "Almeta wrote: "I berloged to that group for shoty while..."

Is that a secret language? LOL! Glad you joined back up again Almeta. :)"

lol. What you didn't get all of that?

Corrections made!

[Rusalka, Moderator]

I completely knew what you were saying.

But yes! Glad you've joined us. Exploit all the resources!!!

[Janice, Moderator]

Rusalka wrote: "I completely knew what you were saying.

But yes! Glad you've joined us. Exploit all the resources!!!"

See, I thought it was a secret code between Almeta and Rusalka.

[Debra]

No Stephen King! I'm losing faith in you, Not-So-Constant Reader. Forget about Westlake! Knock off a few Sai King's books.

Love all the research you've done. You do know that some of us will be stealing some of your books for our own challenge! Generous of you to do a lot of our work for us.

[Almeta]

Well I started with books I already had on hand! Hopefully this will help me get these books out of my house. If any of them appeal to you, and are in my library, you are welcome to read them before they go to charity.

[Debra]

Sorry to point this out, but the book you have for country Qatar isn't long enough. It's only 192 pages long. That sux, because I was going to add it to my list when I noticed that.

I think the Meany should let us use it, since there are so few options for Qatar. I did find one about the country, but it isn't available for the library or MelLoan and is selling for $40 on Amazon! Arrgh!

[Almeta]

Debra wrote: "Sorry to point this out, but the book you have for country Qatar isn't long enough. It's only 192 pages long. That sux, because I was going to add it to my list when I noticed that..."

Rats!!!

[Debra]

I just checked and it's not available from the library or MelLoan anyway! Double rats!

[Rusalka, Moderator]

This may help for Qatar, if you haven't seen it already of course. http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/6...

[Almeta]

Rusalka wrote: "This may help for Qatar, if you haven't seen it already of course. http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/6..."

I did see this list. Not ones that float by boat!lol

[Almeta]

Judy wrote: "Haha! Love this title: If the Sun Doesn't Kill You, the Washing Machine Will."

Yeah I thought I might be able to get through it with very little pain! lol

[Janice, Moderator]

Almeta wrote: "Judy wrote: "Haha! Love this title: If the Sun Doesn't Kill You, the Washing Machine Will."

Yeah I thought I might be able ..."

I hate to tell you this, but it's not 200 pages. :(

[Almeta]

Janice wrote: "I hate to tell you this, but it's not 200 pages. :( ..."

Yeah, Debra brought that up (message 34)....hoping for sympathy!

[Debra]

When are you going to get started! January is almost 1/2 over and you've not read your first book! Get busy, lady!

[Debra]

Where did you find your flame ticker? I love it!

[Almeta]

Debra wrote: "Where did you find your flame ticker? I love it!"

AlternaTicker.com is a "Let's get pregnant" site, so the choices are pretty limited. Tickerfactory is the only site I know that allows the "counting of wigets".

You'd think the child focused sites would have "ABC blocks", but noooo. ☻

[Almeta]

Debra wrote: "When are you going to get started! January is almost 1/2 over and you've not read your first book! Get busy, lady!"

Yeah I made a comment about that somewhere else. Reading my first book now.

[Debra]

Come one slowpoke. Course I should talk, I started reading my S author on the 4th and am only 1/2 way thru it. I've just been too distracted and tired to read, lately... and busier.

[Ava Catherine]

Almeta, I love looking at your lists (and sneaking ideas, too!) LOL!

[Ava Catherine]

Debra certainly is harassing you. I'm going over to check out her thread. : )

[Almeta]

Connie wrote: "Debra certainly is harassing you. I'm going over to check out her thread. : )"

She has MUCH better concentration!☻

I've estimated that I will now need to read five books a week to complete this challenge. Doable; very little tine for anything else.

[Almeta]

THANK YOU!

Too bad they show such poor results. A half of a year gone and I am only on "J". :(

[Almeta]

With little time to spare, I finished two tasks in the Reading the Alphabet Challenge! ☺

Just out of curiosity, I kinda looked over the other tasks and placed dates read next to some of the books that I had read out of order. I didn't complete the "study"...but I feel sure that if I had any discipline I could have accomplished all of the tasks.

Let's hope that I learned my lesson for the 2014 Chunkseter Challenge.☺

Reading the Alphabet Challenge was a great challenge!☺

[Roz]

Quite impressive, Almeta!

[Cherie]

I am amazed at the amount of reading you have done, Almeta. I hope these links never go away - they are such a great source of information! Priceless.