A - Z Challenges so far

[Lynne - The Book Squirrel]

Just read my O book a quick read book by Sheila O'Flannagan - Maggie's Story

[Zoe, UK Book Club Founder]

I read a few of Sheila O'Flannagan's books when I was younger, quite liked them but they seemed to all be very similar. Has been a while since I read any of hers though so may give them another go! Would you recommend Maggie's Story?

[Lynne - The Book Squirrel]

It's not bad at all Quick Reads are about 100 pages and nice to read in one go. I got mine from the library and have since got another lot out too by different authors. Nice as tasters if you want to try a new author.

[Zoe, UK Book Club Founder]

Cool! May have a look at them when I next go to the library!

[Jirinka (sony08)]

My list of books read so far:

A - The BookWith No Name by Anonymous 6/10
B - The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry 9/10
C - Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie 9/10
D - The Firemaster's Mistress by Christie Dickason 10/10
E - A Quiet Belief in Angels by R.J.Ellory 10/10
F - The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler 4/10
G - The Saddest Girl In The World by Cathy Glass 10/10
H - Crazy as Chocolate by Elizabeth Hyde 7/10
I - The World According to Garp by John Irving 10/10
J - Vince & Joy by Lisa Jewell 08/10
K - The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver 10/10
L - Candy Kisses by Freda Lightfoot 05/10
M - Silver Bay by Jojo Moyes 9/10
N - Fen by Freya North 6/10
O - Revenge of the Wedding Planner by Sharon Owens 8/10
P - Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult 10/10
Q - Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl by Tracy Quan 7/10
R - Beautiful Dreamer by Liz Ryan 6/10
S - The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold 9/10
T - Chasing Daisy by Paige Toon 8/10
U -
V -
W - Fingersmith by Sarah Waters 10/10
X -
Y - Making Mischief by Liz Young 7/10
Z - Finding Monsier Right by Muriel Zagha 9/10

[Liz, Your Friendly Moderator]

Louise wrote: "Here's my progress...


J. The Outcast, Sadie Jones

K. The History of Love,..."

How was The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? I've been meaning to give it a go....

[Liz, Your Friendly Moderator]

Thanks, I'm curious!

[Jirinka (sony08)]

finished my F and starting on my G - Cathy Glass

[Jirinka (sony08)]

Finished G and started H - Crazy as Chocolate by Elizabeth Hyde

[Jirinka (sony08)]

Finished H and Started I - John Irving

[Liz, Your Friendly Moderator]

Which book? My favourites are The Cider House Rules & A Prayer for Owen Meany. Both brilliant!

[Jirinka (sony08)]

World According to Garp - liking it so far.I have read The Cider House Rules and loved it.

[Liz, Your Friendly Moderator]

I read it a while ago, it's good. Let me know what you think when you get to the end!

[Jirinka (sony08)]

Will do!

[Jirinka (sony08)]

Liz wrote: "I read it a while ago, it's good. Let me know what you think when you get to the end!"

Liz I absolutely loved the book. It felt so long at times but I really enjoyed it. The characters were so real and the books was written with such a mmatter of fact style it made it very easy to read.

[Liz, Your Friendly Moderator]

It's been a few years since I read The World According to Garp, but I remember it well (a good sign!)

I especially loved the character of his Mum, who dresses as a nurse the whole time, but actually is'nt one!

Despite the often surreal events the book feels very real - I was genuinely distressed with what happened to his wife...

I have to say, I haven't enjoyed all the John Irving books I've read: The Hotel New Hampshire is great, but I didn't enjoy the 'last act' and A Widow for One Year starts really well, but loses it at the halfway point.

I strongly recommend A Prayer for Owen Meany, it is in turns funny & moving and one of my favourite reads. (And The Cider House Rules which I know you've already read!)

[Jirinka (sony08)]

Liz wrote: "It's been a few years since I read The World According to Garp, but I remember it well (a good sign!)

I especially loved the character of his Mum, who dresses as a nurse the whole time..."

I will look out for more of his books - I have The Fourth Hand at home - I have tried to read it couple of years back and remember being bored, but will have another go and really want to read Prayer for Owen Meany.

Thank you for the advice!!

[Jirinka (sony08)]

Finished J and starting K - Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible.

[Liz, Your Friendly Moderator]

That's on my 'to read' list too....

[Liz, Your Friendly Moderator]

I keep reading letters I've already done, so this is slow progress:

A- Jane Austen & Seth Grahame Smith - Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
B- Ray Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451
C- Beatrice Colin - The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite
D- Guy Delisle - Pyongyang A Journey in North Korea
E- Kim Edwards - The Memory Keeper's Daughter
G- Neil Gaiman - Stardust
H- Neil Humphries - Notes From an Even Smaller Island
L- John Adjvide Linqvist - Let the Right One In
M- Hilary Mantel - Wolf Hall
R- Salman Rushdie - Midnight's Children
S- Kathryn Stockett - The Help
T- Scarlett Thomas - The End of Mr Y
W- David Wroblewski - The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
X- Xinran - The Good Women of China Hidden Voices
Z- Carlos Ruiz Zafon - The Shadow of the Wind

Just about to start my O- Joseph O'Neil - Netherland

I still need F,I,J,K,N,P,Q,U,V & Y

[Timothy]

Hi Liz,
For 'P' try 'the day the ravens died' By Timothy Pilgrim. Go on, try something different! You don't have to buy the book, that is a paper one, you can get the E-Book at 'authors on line'.
I'll own up, 'Ravens' is my curent offering, but it would be 'nice' if someone would check it out.
All the best, Paul Rix [oldgeezer:]

[Liz, Your Friendly Moderator]

Thanks Paul, I will see if I can track it down...

[Timothy]

Hi Liz,
It's on Amazon as well as 'Authors on Line' although the E-book is only available from A.O.Line.
Sorry about the shameless self promotion, see you at Winchester maybe?
All the best Paul Rix [oldgeezer:]

[Jirinka (sony08)]

Finished Poisonwood Bible - loved it. Started and easy read by Freda Lightfoot - so far not very impressed but will carry on.

[Liz, Your Friendly Moderator]

Glad to hear The Poisonwood Bible is good, I'm looking forward to reading it...

[Jirinka (sony08)]

Finished L and starting M - Jojo Moyes - Silver Bay

[Rhian]

Intrigued to start my list and discover some new authors, so here's my (currently very short) list:

M - Stephanie Meyers, The Host
S - Alice Sebold, The Lonely Bones

[Terri]

Four months late in posting this but i hope it's still ok to join in =]

G - Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha
L - Stieg Larsson, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest
Z - Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

I'm about to start B - A.S Byatt - The Children's Book

Edit: Another one to add,

T - Scarlett Thomas, The End of Mr Y.

[Lynne - The Book Squirrel]

Here's my updated list!

A - Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austin
B - Agatha Raison and the Love From Hell - MC Beaton
C - Could it be Forever - David Cassidy
D - Fish out of Water - MaryJanice Davidson
F - Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Scott Fitzgerald
G - Wizards First Rule - Terry Goodkind
H - Dead until Dark - Charlaine Harris
J - Children of Men - PD James
K - In Coldest blood - Jim Kelly
L - Lady Chatterley's Lover - DH Lawernce
M - Girl Goes Ape - Chris Manby
N - The Vampire Maid - Hume Nisbet
O - Maggie's Story - Sheila O'Flannegan
P - All These Lonely People - Gervase Phinn
R - The Circle Series - Nora Roberts
S - Dissolution - C J Sansom
T - The Queen and I - Sue Townsend
V - The Bronte Project - Jennifer Vandever
W - The Velveteen Rabbit - Margery Williams
X - Miss Chopsticks - Xinran
Z - The Shadow in the wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

[Jirinka (sony08)]

Finished M and loved it and will start on N - Fen by Freya North

[Jirinka (sony08)]

Finished N and will be starting on O in the morning.

[Jirinka (sony08)]

Finished O and will be starting P - Jodi Picoult's Handle with Care

[Lynne - The Book Squirrel]

Added my 'Q' The Toymaker by Jeremy De Quidt

Only a few more to do now - E, I, U and Y

[Donna]

I'm going to do this in A-Z order so that I don't read all the ones I most like first and then be left with ones I might struggle to get through. At the moment I am on A!!!

A= Atkinson, Kate When Will There be Good News? - currently reading

[Em]

My A-Z of new authors in 2010...


A: When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson
B:The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister
C: Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
D: Feminine Gospels: Poems by Carol Ann Duffy
E:I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman by Nora Ephron
F: The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber
G: Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
H:Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
I:A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood
J:The Rapture by Liz Jensen
K:
L: The Girl with the Dragon Tattooby Stieg Larsson
M: The Sweet Scent of Blood by Suzanne McLeod
N:
O:
P:
Q:
R: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
S: The Planets by Dava Sobel
T: The Darkness of Wallis Simpson by Rose Tremain
U:
V:
W: Poison by Chris Wooding
X:
Y:
Z:

[Donna]

Ok, so I've just started and have read one book so far!! I'm now on number 2.........

A - Kate Atkinson - When Will There be Good News? - READ
B - Erica Bauermeister - The Monday Night Cooking School - READ
C - Bob Curran - Bloody Irish: Great Irish Vampire Stories - READ
D - Doyle, Arthur Conan - The Lost World: Being an Account of the Recent Amazing Adventures of Professor E. Challenger - currently reading

P - Mark Powell - Quantum Breach - READ

[Em]

I just got The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister from Amazon but I think it must be the same book with a different name! I wonder why the change?

[Donna]

Em wrote: "I just got The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister from Amazon but I think it must be the same book with a different name! I wonder why the change?"

The paperback has the different title for some reason. Unless its something do do with being published in different countries, mine is a UK paperback copy.

[Em]

Ah yes, looking at it - it is priced in dollars on the back cover - though pretty sure I ordered it from UK. That explains it anyhow.

[Donna]

Em wrote: "Ah yes, looking at it - it is priced in dollars on the back cover - though pretty sure I ordered it from UK. That explains it anyhow."

Erica is a Goodreads author so I contacted her, and got a reply. She said the British publisher changed the name. This is a link to all the book covers on her Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid...

[Em]

Thanks Donna, I have the US Paperback version - it's a pretty cover but they were all good, would make me pick them up!

[Jirinka (sony08)]

Finishied P and will start on my Q today - Tracy Quan

[Liz, Your Friendly Moderator]

Normally I like the UK names for things, but in this case, I think 'The School of Essential Ingredients' grabs me more.
Hmmm, never thought I was particularly swayed by titles..... (Says she, who definitely followed up The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite after hearing the title!)

The real question: is it any good?

[Em]

Is it any good? That's the most important thing... it looks good so I'm hopeful.

On the blurb it says "Exquisitely written and heartbreakingly delicious. It's a luscious slice of life.... and you enjoy every bite." and also that it's a "remarkable debut". Not that you'd expect them to write anything that wasn't complementary on the actual book!

[Jirinka (sony08)]

Finished Q and R and will start on S tonight: Almost Moon by Alice Sebold

[Sam]

Finally done another one with my O with Kakuzo Okakura, The Book of Tea. Hopefully I'll manage to get some more for this on the go soon.

[Donna]

I'm not doing too badly since I started at the end of April.

A - Kate Atkinson - When Will There be Good News?
B - Erica Bauermeister - The Monday Night Cooking School
C - Bob Curran - Bloody Irish: Great Irish Vampire Stories
D - Doyle, Arthur Conan - The Lost World: Being an Account of the Recent Amazing Adventures of Professor E. Challenger
E - Ekman, Kirsten - The Dog
F - French, Nicci - Until its over
G - Gately, Stephen - The Tree of Seasons
H - Howe, Katherine - The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
I - Izner, Claude - Murder on the Eiffel Tower
J - James PD - The Children of Men
K - Kostova, Elizabeth - The Swan Thieves
L
M - Meyer, Stephenie - Breaking Dawn
N - Niffenegger, Audrey - Her Fearful Symmetry
O -
P - Mark Powell - Quantum Breach
Q -
R -
S -
T -
U -
V - Vonnegut, Kurt - Galapagos - currently reading

[Donna]

Liz wrote: "Normally I like the UK names for things, but in this case, I think 'The School of Essential Ingredients' grabs me more.
Hmmm, never thought I was particularly swayed by titles..... (Says she, who ..."

Well I'm not a fan of chicklit and I would put that in this category. It was ok I guess.

[Em]

I'm inclined to say it's chick-lit(ish) too. I'm not a big reader of that genre either but I think the descriptive writing gives it a slightly different spin from the norm. I thought it was good - 3* in the end.

[Lynne - The Book Squirrel]

Finally done my E! Wildthorn by Jane Eagland

Not many to go now!