46 - A book with no chapters / unusual chapter headings / unconventionally numbered chapters

[Ian]

Come with Me is one I'm reading right now that would work well for this prompt

[Lynette]

Lynette wrote: "I'm trying a new cozy mystery series, starts with Curiosity Thrilled the Cat.

The chapter headings are unusal, apparently designated by the cats. So you find yourself doing a little musing to translate the word choice into human vernacular and meaning.

Oh, and the cats are magical - must be little witch cats. Hahaha!"

Scratch that. ::grin::

The unusual chapter headings in this book are actually Tai Chi movements. Fun little cozy mystery if you want some fluff reading for the prompt.

[Jessica]

Transcription by Kate Atkinson has unusual chapter headings

[Johanna]

Allison wrote: "4 3 2 1 fits.
Although I couldn't get through it this year and have no plan to try it again next year."

I started that in 2017 and while I was intrigued by the whole thing and got about half-way through, I was very confused and kept mixing the stories up. I was trying to read straight through - maybe I should have gone 1.1, 2.1, 3.1 etc. Either way, I think it's a great suggestion for this prompt! Maybe I'll give it another go this year!

[Stephen]

I just started reading Sea of Rust and the chapter headings are in Binary - 1, 10, 11, 100, etc. because the characters are robots.

[SadieReadsAgain]

So, I guess what I'm struggling with in this one is what is "unconventional". Is conventional just chapter 1, 2, 3, etc? So we could pick any book that just has a say a quote or phrase or whatever as chapter heading, or does it have to be a bit more unusual than that?

Because I think I've got plenty of books that would fit that simplified version...which makes this prompt seem too easy. Am I just trying to overcomplicate this for myself (very probable).

[Johanne]

Sarah wrote: "So, I guess what I'm struggling with in this one is what is "unconventional". Is conventional just chapter 1, 2, 3, etc? So we could pick any book that just has a say a quote or phrase or whatever ..."

Hahaha, I´ve had the exact same thoughts... The only one I thought of that I think is perfect is this Danish christmas chapter book (that usually have 1-24 december chapter headings) Julemandens Død (The Death of Santa Claus), here the dates get jumbled up because of time travel.
But I´ve decided to just let it go, and see if I don´t read something that feels like it is a good fit.

[Nadine in NY]

Sarah wrote: "So, I guess what I'm struggling with in this one is what is "unconventional". Is conventional just chapter 1, 2, 3, etc? So we could pick any book that just has a say a quote or phrase or whatever ..."

yes, I'm reading "unconventionally numbered" to mean "anything that's not 1,2,3,4"

[Johanne]

...yes, I'm reading "unconventionally numbered" to mean "anything that's not 1,2,3,4"..."

Yeah, but I don´t really think that´s unconventional... But I know it´s just my brain making problems for itself, because it shouldn´t be that easy, right?

[Nadine in NY]

Oh you just have to make this harder, don't you?!! I'm sticking with my easy definition! I'm a slacker but you can certainly challenge yourself :-)

[Johanne]

Nadine wrote: "Oh you just have to make this harder, don't you?!! I'm sticking with my easy definition! I'm a slacker but you can certainly challenge yourself :-)"

I don´t really want to make it harder for myself, but I sort of feel like cheating if it´s not super-unusual (and I´m really glad to hear somenone elses brain worries about really inconsequential things...)
I´ll try and let it go and let it be super easy, like that "next in series" prompt from this year...

[Therese]

I just finished reading Walk Me Home by Catherine Ryan Hyde and more than halfway through I realized that there were no chapter numbers only divisions by location and date. I wish I had clued into that before I started, but if you like her writing, then I would recommend this book.

[Bookspective]

I think I'll start the new year with this prompt, I have Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe for this and I love it's unconventional chapter headings.

[SadieReadsAgain]

Johanne wrote: "Nadine wrote: "Oh you just have to make this harder, don't you?!! I'm sticking with my easy definition! I'm a slacker but you can certainly challenge yourself :-)"

I don´t really want to make it h..."

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks that way! Though I may channel Nadine's thinking if nothing on my TBR suits enough to fit my overthinking interpretation!

[Jess]

I'm currently reading The Good Girl and I think it would work for this prompt. The chapters are named after the characters (3 POVs) and whether the chapter occurs before or after a particular event and it switches back and forth throughout.

e.g. Eve Before

[Janet]

What do others think about books of letters falling in this group, like the recent Letters of Sylvia Plath? Sections are grouped by date - but no 'official' chapters. When I used Amazon to Look Inside at this book, there are no official Chapters.

[Katy]

Janet wrote: "What do others think about books of letters falling in this group, like the recent Letters of Sylvia Plath? Sections are grouped by date - but no 'official' chapters. When I used Amazon to Look Ins..."

I say go for it. If the chapters aren't "official" I think it fits.

[Lexii]

Invisible monsters remix might count by chuck palahniuk? The chapters skip back and forth but that’s one of my favorite books.

[Lisa]

I am doing "Curiosity Thrilled the Cat" by Sofie Kelly.

[Libby]

I think both Bluets by Maggie Nelson & 300 Arguments by Sarah Manguso would work for this - they're both books made up of separate, somewhat linked paragraphs.

Bluets is one of my favourite books - I would really recommend it for this chalenge!! Its beautiful. 300 Arguments was, in my opinion, awful - but it fits the prompt!

Maggie Nelson is a bit influenced by Barthes & so I might go for A Lover's Discourse: Fragments - from what I can tell, there's a verb and definition, and then a series of numbered paragraphs relating to it? Obviously 'fragments' is in the title and I feel like it fits the spirit of unconventional chapters?

[Nina]

I hesitate to mention it because I’ve never been able to make it past the first chapter, but Infinite Jest has very unusual chapter titles

[Nadine in NY]

It's been sitting right next to me on my computer desk for weeks now, but it never occurred to me:
Heating Cooling: 52 Micro-Memoirs by Beth Ann Fennelly

It's sort of like a memoir in very short (one or two page) bits, no chapter numbers, just titles for each micro-memoir. And lucky me, I haven't read it yet!! So this will probably be what I read. (This may not be unconventional though.)

[Tabitha]

The Stormlight Archives(first book is The Way of Kings) by Brandon Sanderson would fit this task, I think. It has these little epigraph things along with a little bit of artwork at the top of each chapter and so far for each book(can't say positively for 3, reading that this coming year for Multiple PoV task) they've been. . . different and fascinating. Also on the list of unusual he has points in the main story where he sorta lets the reader take a break called Interludes and they let you glimpse side characters that aren't necessarily really important, but you get glimpses of stuff going on in the world/to others that relates to the main story itself. It's really neat.

I'm not sure say The Mistborn books work for this cause oddly it won't let me look inside on Amazon, but I know Skyward and Legion doesn't fit.

[Nadine in NY]

Tabitha wrote: "The Stormlight Archives(first book is The Way of Kings) by Brandon Sanderson would fit this task, I think. It has these little epigraph things along with a little bit ..."

the Mistborn series is similar - there are excerpts from someone's journal to start each part, each excerpt gives you a little bit of additional information about how the world was created, and in each book you don't know whose journal it is until later in the book, so you really have to pay attention.

[Hinda Rochel]

My copy of Old Goriot by Balzac doesn't seem to have chapters.

[Sandra]

Griffin and Sabine?

[Rachelnyc]

The Overstory fits this prompt. The first several chapters have the names of characters of the story and the last few long chapters are named for the parts of a tree.

[Hinda Rochel]

Rachelnyc wrote: "The Overstory fits this prompt. The first several chapters have the names of characters of the story and the last few long chapters are named for the parts of a tree."

It sounds like this would also fit the cli-fic and multiple points of view, wouldn't it?

[HopeRose]

On the Road: the Original Scroll by Jack Kerouac is a phenomenal one for this. Kerouac actually wrote the whole thing in one sitting after taping hundreds of pieces of paper together into a scroll for his typewriter. It reads in a very rushed sort of way and I really enjoyed when I needed to read it for school. It does have some disturbing themes though, so be a bit careful if you're sensitive to that.

[Erin]

The Widow would work for this, because each chapter is titled based on which character POV (The Widow, The Detective, etc) and what day it's taking place.

Lauren Oliver also does a lot of unconventional chapter titles with her books, usually using character names and dates or "before" . "after" to tell you when in the story it takes place. Her novels are all also extremely well done. I think I'm going to do Replica by her for this one--it's two girls' stories in one, each half of the book from one girl's point of view, and you flip the book over to read the next chapter, then flip it back over to continue. OR you can read them both separately and put it all together at the end.

[Hinda Rochel]

Could someone who is familiar with the Pratchett books tell me which ones would fit this category? I will probably be reading them online via openlibrary, and can't know till I borrow the book.

Thank you so much!

[Mike]

Salixj wrote: "Could someone who is familiar with the Pratchett books tell me which ones would fit this category? I will probably be reading them online via openlibrary, and can't know till I borrow the book.

Th..."

Looks like all of them should work. Check out message 6 on the first page of this thread:


message 6: by Cendaquenta

Nov 10, 2018 08:30AM

Most of Terry Pratchett's books don't have chapters, as I recall. At least the Discworld books.

[Rachelnyc]

Salixj wrote: "It sounds like this would also fit the cli-fic and multiple points of view, wouldn't it?..."

Yes, it would fit both of those prompts as well.

[Shelley]

Salixj wrote: "Could someone who is familiar with the Pratchett books tell me which ones would fit this category? I will probably be reading them online via openlibrary, and can't know till I borrow the book.

Th..."

I've read most of them and I'm fairly certain that the The Wee Free Men Tiffany Aching series (his YA portion of Discworld) is the only one with chapters. If you're looking for a starting point, Mort, Equal Rites, or Guards! Guards! are all the starts of their own series. The Color of Magic is technically first, but it took a few books for him to hit his stride.

[LJ]

Elijah's Mermaid by Essie Fox (also works for a book with a two-word title and multiple POV)

[Heather L]

I can't remember if I saw this one mentioned, but for those who like mysteries, You've Got Murder by Donna Andrews would fit this category. It also has multiple POVs.

[Kym]

Marisa wrote: "Miriam wrote: "Would Thirteen Reasons Why work for this?"

Yes. They are named after her cassettes"

Great book too!

[Hinda Rochel]

Kym wrote: "Marisa wrote: "Miriam wrote: "Would Thirteen Reasons Why work for this?"

Yes. They are named after her cassettes"

Great book too!"
I have heard mixed reviews about the movie. Is the book better?

[Jessica]

I just started One Day in December by Josie Silver. It doesn’t have traditional chapters if y’all want to save this prompt for a December read next year.

[Hinda Rochel]

The Bee Season also doesn't seem to have chapters, unless I missed them.

[Megan]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think The Blind Assassin works for this.

[Kara]

Austenland by Shannon Hale would work. It's a nice easy read!

[Jenn]

I think I'm going to choose World War Z for this. I've been wanting to read it for years now. And since it's "an oral history" I'm going to make it my first audio book experience. I'm really looking forward to it!

[Nadine in NY]

Jenn wrote: "I think I'm going to choose World War Z for this. I've been wanting to read it for years now. And since it's "an oral history" I'm going to make it my first audio book experience. I'm really lookin..."

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed that book!!! I thought it sounded so gimmicky, but I gave it a try, and it was really great! (And it's really not much like the movie at all, so it's still worth a read even if you've seen the movie. Assuming one likes zombie stories, of course!) Good idea to try audiobook, I bet it is a good one (I'm assuming they have different voice actors for each entry?)

[Asia_k]

The Solitaire Mystery: A Novel About Family and Destiny by Jostein Gaarder has chapters with names of cards.
For Polish (or German) language readers: Król would fit (chapters titled with Hebrew letters)

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads)]

For anyone looking for a middle grade to YA book (I think the suggested age range overlaps the older side of middle grade and the younger side of YA) The Grimm Legacy should work. It's a fun book for anyone who loves fairy tales, and while it does have the typical chapter numbers and names, each chapter also has a small illustration of an object, usually with the library call number it has in the story.

[Laci]

Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King has no chapters (and is one of my favorites of his - more of a murder mystery and less metaphysical and creepy than his others).
Also, Use of Weapons by Iain M Banks (part of the Culture Series, can be read out of order) has unusual chapter numberings.

[Vivian]

I am currently reading and there is no chapter in this book

[Olivia]

The Living by Isaac Marion, the last in the Warm Bodies trilogy has chapters that are labeled with "we", "I" and I think "me". I consider this unconventional.

[AF]

A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult
It's chapter headings are times, but they are going backwards. It starts with the end, and then you find out what happened an hour before that, until it's the beginning of the day.