A-Z Title Challenge - 2015

[Sarah]

I'm hoping to finish that one today. If you and Nathan both enjoyed it then I'm particularly anxious to finish :)

[Laurie]

Glad to hear that The Quiet American is good. It is my Q book also.

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

The Quiet American was my Q book for last years challenge and you are right the story is excellent.

[Pink]

I've added a couple more books to my list this week for the letters E and Y.

Eros Unbound by Anaïs Nin and Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim

[Janice]

hello all
I just found this threat today...wow, what great reading lists.
I have a few of these I just picked up from library loan but I can't imagine I would get 26 books read by december

how/where do you pick your book titles from to provide all ltrs from a-z ... to you go to your tbr or 'borrow' from other G/R members? This is an interesting challenge to me --- the bingo challenge scares me...! and is it all on your own time?

[Pink]

Hi Janice, I love this challenge as I read a lot, but I can imagine it might look daunting otherwise. I just read books as normal, then check them off against the A-Z list every so often. When I get stuck on the last few letters then I look for ideas from other members, or search through my tbr.

If you'd like to join in with a challenge that can be made shorter to suit your needs, have you considered our Old and New classics challenge? We originally picked 12 books each, with 2 alternatives, but members can adapt depending upon when they join. As we're already into August I guess you could choose 4 books for your challenge, 2 old and 2 new classics perhaps?

Here's the link to the challenge folder if you want to take a look. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Or Just go ahead and add the books that you have read so far this year that would fit in the A-Z title challenge and use the rest of the year to finish it up.

Like Pink said, we have several different fun challenges. Find one that you like and join in now -- we would love to have you included.

[Janice]

RE: 57/58

I would love to join
Pink - as my first Challenge, I'll follow your lead.
2 OLD / 2 NEW and 1 alternative right?

Pity that Old carry much the same and as I'm still learning the classics I don't know who else to draw
from what qualifies as new classic?
and alternative? anything I fancy???

Kathy:
I'm currently reading Margaret Atwood, can i include currently reading into my alternatives AND also books I've read this year?
thanks ladies...

[Pink]

Janice, yes that sounds about right. 2 old classics (anything before 1900) 2 new classics (anything YOU consider to be a classic between 1900-1999) and 1 alternative (anything you like, irrelevant of age or genre). You can browse through other people's lists, then create your own thread in the folder I linked above. Choose whatever books interest you the most. These lists can be quite good if you're searching for ideas https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

If you start the Old and New Classics challenge from now, you can include any books you're reading from now onwards, so Atwood would count for New School classic (if it's before 1999) or as your alternative (if it's published after 2000)

As for the A-Z challenges, this is a yearly challenge, so you can include any books you've already read this year.

Just ask if you've got any more questions :)

[Janice]

Pink wrote: "Janice, yes that sounds about right. 2 old classics (anything before 1900) 2 new classics (anything YOU consider to be a classic between 1900-1999) and 1 alternative (anything you like, irrelevant ..."

Pink: '60'

that's great - thank you.
I've not yet learned to record the books I've read but I'll certainly try to remember them all and see where they will fit in.
I'm anxious to start this...if I like this stint, I'll def do 2016...my gosh ... did I just say that out louD?!???!?!?

[Pink]

There's no pressure Janice, join in with whatever suits you for now and learn how things work ready for 2016!!

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Agree with what Pink has told you, Janice. So glad you are here and it's never too early to start planning for next year's reads. :)

[Anetq]

Update: All done!
My A-Å Titles (danish has 3 extra vovels: æ ø å, so I'll try those as well):
A An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth ✔
B Brave New World ✔
C Content Strategy for the Web ✔
D Dead Souls ✔
E The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon ✔
F F ✔
G Gavrilo Princip ✔
H Han er tilbage (Er ist wieder da / Look who's back) ✔
I The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks ✔
J Just Kids ✔
K Et knald til ✔
L Løgneren (The Liar) ✔
M Mesteren og Margarita ✔
N Now You See It: Simple Visualization Techniques for Quantitative Analysis ✔
O Over Muren ✔
P Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics ✔
Q Quite Ugly One Morning ✔
R Rebecca ✔
S The Strange Library ✔
T To the Lighthouse ✔
U A Universal History Of Infamy ✔
V The Visual Display of Quantitative Information ✔
W The Word Exchange ✔
X Xingu ✔
Y Yahya Hassan ✔
Z Zero History ✔
Æ Æter ✔
Ø Øst, Vest ✔
Å Åbne sår ✔

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Welcome Anetq -- looks like you are doing great so far this year.

[Anetq]

Btw. I realize that reading in more than one language is an advantage here! Some letters are hard in all my languages, but there are helpful variations - X and Z are hopeless in danish, whereas U is not really a problem...

[Anetq]

Kathy wrote: "Welcome Anetq -- looks like you are doing great so far this year."
Thanks - yes good thing I have a serious head start ;)

[Pink]

Anetq wrote: "My A-Å Titles:
A An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth
B The Blackhouse
C Content Strategy for the Web
D Dead Souls
E [book:The Everythin..."

Your list looks great, there's a few books that I'm interested in too, especially A, D and J.

I'm glad having more than one language is working in your favour, the list is nearly complete!

[Anetq]

Pink wrote: "Anetq wrote: "My A-Å Titles:
A An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth
B The Blackhouse
C Content Strategy for the Web
D Dead Souls
E [book..."

A and J are really great easy reads Dead Souls was part of my Russian Classic Binge - and most of it is great - but it took me a while to get around to the "Second book", which is also half burned by the author... Strange - but go for it :)

[Marleny]

Well, I can't say I'll get through this A-Z challenge seeing as it's already August but I'd like to give it a go using the books I've read so far. :) Too bad some of the books I read this year are duplicate letters, oh well.

Having completed what I've read so far, by playing this challenge I know what my next book will be.

A. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
B. Bridget Jones's Diary
C. Counting by 7s
D. Duncton Wood
E. 84, Charing Cross Road
F. Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm
G. [book:The Grey King
H. In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex
I. I Capture the Castle
J. Jane Eyre
K.
L.
M. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
N.
O.
P. The Princess Bride
Q.
R. The Rosie Project
S. The Silence of the Lambs
T.
U. The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
V.
W.
X.
Y.
Z.

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Welcome Marleny. Looks like you have a good start.

[Marleny]

Kathy wrote: "Welcome Marleny. Looks like you have a good start."

Thank you Kathy. Yes, I'm more than halfway thru and given that I'm such a slow reader, I think I'm in pretty good standing.

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

In the Herat of the Sea was a great book. More proof that truth is sometimes stranger then fiction, what a story of survival. Nice list of books Marleny, good luck finishing.

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Bob wrote: "In the Herat of the Sea was a great book. More proof that truth is sometimes stranger then fiction, what a story of survival. Nice list of books Marleny, good luck finishing."

Yes a very nice read.

[Marleny]

Thank you all, for your kind words. In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex was probably my favorite book that I read this year and possibly on my top ten list of all-time faves. I found myself hurrying to finish my evening chores so I could curl up with the book and see what was happening next. One could almost feel their desperation to hang on and to survive out in the open sea with food and water dwindling by the second. I was captivated.

[Sarah]

And I'm done! Woo hoo!!!

[Pink]

Well done Sarah!!

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Congrats Sarah.

[Sarah]

Thanks guys :)

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

Congrats Sarah
I'm always surprised by how many books I read that start with the same letter. I'll have to focus if I'm going to complete mine. Again Congrats.

[Sarah]

C!!!! I had no idea I read so many books that start with a C! It was so frustrating.

[Amanda]

Yay Sarah!

I just finished mine as well :)

[Sarah]

Awesome Amanda!

[Pink]

Well done Amanda!

[Pink]

Just read Xingu for my X book.

Still have 6 letters to go.

[Sarah]

Is Xingu any good?

[Anetq]

Sarah wrote: "Is Xingu any good?"
I think so! I just read it for X as well. Nice short story!

[Pink]

Sarah wrote: "Is Xingu any good?"

I really liked it, very quick read and free on kindle.

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Sarah wrote: "Is Xingu any good?"

I think so too -- used it in a prior year for my X book.

[Sarah]

Thanks guys :)

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

I thought Xingu was good and very humorous.

[Teanka]

Congratulations to all those who have already finished their challenges!

I didn't plan on participating in this one, but when I checked the books I read this year, I noticed that I have only 6 letters left... so why not try and finish the challenge now?

26/26 completed - 30. 12. 2015

A All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
B The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
C City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett
D The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham
E Euphoria by Lily King
F The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
G Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
H Half a King by Joe Abercrombie
I In the Night Garden by Catherynne M. Valente
J Jazz by Toni Morrison
K The King's Blood by Daniel Abraham
L Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford
M My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
N Neuromancer by William Gibson
O Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham
P Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan
Q The Quincunx by Charles Palliser
R Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
S Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
T The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin
U Updraft by Fran Wilde
V Vacuum Flowers by Michael Swanwick
W Wool Omnibus by Hugh Howey
X The X Factor by Andre Norton
Y The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany
Z Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates

[Connie]

Love this challenge. While looking for the more difficult letters I find books I never would have read. Most recently for "z" was Zeitoun It is a nonfiction account of one family's experience during Hurricane Katrina. Excellent book!

[Anetq]

Teanka wrote: "Congratulations to all those who have already finished their challenges!

I didn't plan on participating in this one, but when I checked the books I read this year, I noticed that I have only 6 let..."

Welcome aboard! Looks great already!

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

As of this morning I have completed 24/26, I only have Q and Y left.

[Janice]

Bob wrote: "As of this morning I have completed 24/26, I only have Q and Y left."

Bob, do you have books picked out for each?
I've heard Quiet is interesting, but not read it.
Y - Old Yeller

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Good Tips, Janice and way to go Bob

[Anetq]

All done! Finished off with a piece of experimental theater written by one of the greatest danish poets. - which I would probably never have read if it hadn't been entitled Æter (=ether).
Other "reading bonuses" from this challenge: Salman Rushdie's Øst, Vest (East, West), I always found the author so oddly annoying and arrogant I never read any of his books, but I recently heard him read and discuss someone else's work on the New Yorker's podcast, and really liked it, so I gave it a go and liked it) Another thing I might never have discovered is the Q: Quite Ugly One Morning - which was a great rollercoaster of action.
So it's been a great challenge, definitely had me reading things I otherwise wouldn't have! (See all books above in message 64)
...Now on to the author A-Z!

[Pink]

Well done Annette! Sounds like you've found some great books you wouldn't have read otherwise, I love it when that happens.

[Julie]

Anetq wrote: "All done! Finished off with a piece of experimental theater written by one of the greatest danish poets. - which I would probably never have read if it hadn't been entitled Æter (=ether).
Other "re..."

Congrats Anetq - maybe I should consider including Æ, Ø and Å in my challenge as well, even though I'm only missing a 'V' book to be done :-)

[Anetq]

Der er ingen tvang :)