51. A book whose title refers to person(s) without giving their name

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

We love to follow trends in the publishing world, and this one sticks out more than most, especially in the world of thriller books. This week, you are looking for a book that refers to a person in the title without giving their actual name.

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Suggestions:

Search through your TBR for words like "mother", "husband", and "daughter".

Here's some suggestions from the listopia:
My Sister, the Serial Killer
The Clockmaker's Daughter
The Silent Patient
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
The Martian
The Stranger
The Kite Runner
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

ATY Group Listopia

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Optional Questions:
1. What are you reading for this category?
2. Do you read a lot of titles with this format?
3. What book would you recommend to others for this prompt?

[Thomas]

I will be reading A Woman of No Importance but I am also reading The Housekeeper which would also fit

[Nancy]

I'm trying to work through the books on my Kindle that were Kindle First books, so I have The Lioness of Morocco planned for this, as of now.

I would recommend pretty much every book Emily listed above, though I haven't read The Clockmaker's Daughter.

Other recs:

The Woman in White
The Miniaturist
The Grammarians
The Girls at the Kingfisher Club
The Island of Sea Women
The Nickel Boys

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

(I probably wouldn't recommend The Clockmaker's Daughter lol. Not my favorite Kate Morton book!)

[Sam]

I'm going for The Water Dancer for this prompt.

Other recs:
The Good Lord Bird
The Book Thief
The Muse
The Committed

[Kelly Sj]

This year I read The Locksmith's Daughter by Karen Brooks and enjoyed it, so I preordered The Lady Brewer of London and will save it for this prompt. I believe this is an updated edition of the book The Brewer's Tale which was released in Australia (and perhaps other countries) in 2014.

[Viktoria]

I'm going to read A Gentleman in Moscow.
I have read 8 from the first 100 books on the list and at least 5 are on my TBR

[Jillian]

Emily wrote: "(I probably wouldn't recommend The Clockmaker's Daughter lol. Not my favorite Kate Morton book!)"

I also would not recommend The Clockmaker's Daughter. It is the one Kate Morton book to skip.

[Serendipity]

I think Valerie Martin’s Property would work here since it’s about slavery which makes me think the title probably refers to those enslaved.

[Marie (UK)]

I too have read a lot of these but The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is on my one day shelf

[Marie (UK)]

I can Recommend Vinegar Girl

In fact most of the Hogarth series are worth the read

New Boy
would also fit here

[Kristina]

I think I'm going to read The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women for this prompt since I'm planning on reading in for Women's History Month. But I have a ton of other options for this prompt as well:

Scrappy Little Nobody
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Witch's Daughter
The First Girl Child
A Gentleman in Moscow
The Snow Gypsy
The Penny Thief
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
The Jester
The Historian
The Girl with the Louding Voice
The Circle Girls
Orphan Number Eight
The Storyteller's Secret

My Recommendations:
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Golem and the Jinni
The Girl With All the Gifts
Those Who Wish Me Dead
The Girl on the Train

[Alicia]

For those reading A Gentleman in Moscow, I found it a bit hard to get through at first but push through! It's worth it.

The writing is different and takes time to get used to, but it's so beautifully done.

[SadieReadsAgain]

1. What are you reading for this category?
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
2. Do you read a lot of titles with this format?
I don't think I've ever thought of it before!
3. What book would you recommend to others for this prompt?
The Little Friend, The Time Traveller's Wife, The Bookseller of Kabul, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

[Gina]

Would a book with him, her, they or us in the title satisfy the prompt?

[Lizzy]

Gina wrote: "Would a book with him, her, they or us in the title satisfy the prompt?"
I think it would.

[Gina]

Gina wrote: "Would a book with him, her, they or us in the title satisfy the prompt?"

Thank you!

[Deborah]

1. What are you reading for this category?
The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis

2. Do you read a lot of titles with this format?
I don't know that I would say a lot, but I did have a list of at least 10 books from my TBR list. I did not need to look somewhere else.

3. What book would you recommend to others for this prompt?
Since my list was so long I will only suggest the books I have already read and know are good books.

The Hero and the Crown
The Noble Servant
The Little Prince
The Goose Girl
The Giver
The False Prince



reply | flag *

[star_fire13]

1. What are you reading for this category?
The Girl at Midnight

2. Do you read a lot of titles with this format?
Surprisingly, it turns out that I do!

3. What book would you recommend to others for this prompt?
The Girl on the Train
The Arsonist
Long May She Reign
The Downstairs Girl

[JenniferAustin]

Emily wrote: "We love to follow trends in the publishing world, and this one sticks out more than most, especially in the world of thriller books. This week, you are looking for a book that refers to a person in..."

I am currently reading The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James.


One of my absolute favorite reads from a couple of years ago would also work well -- Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata.

Other things I have read and enjoyed that could work well:
Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison (an amazing book!)
A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole (fluffy & fun!)
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (especially excellent audiobook)
The Snow Queen by Joan Vinge (an SFF classic)
The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett (a must-read!)
The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy (great book!)

[Severina]

1. What are you reading for this category?
I read The Wizard's Butler by Nathan Lowell

2. Do you read a lot of titles with this format?
More than I expected. I took a glance through my last 100 or so books read and there were about 12 or so that would fit this prompt.

3. What book would you recommend to others for this prompt?
Definitely not the one I read! But it would absolutely recommend Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. If you have ever been involved in fandom, and especially if you've ever written fanfic, this is the book for you. It's about the most accurate portrayal of how fandom feels than anything I've ever read.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

I had a lot of options and went with The Housekeeper and the Professor. It's a short and uplifting book.

[Anne]

I am reading 'Me before You' by Jojo Moyes. I don't mind reading books in this format. I can recommend 'The Time Traveller's Wife' by Audrey Niffenegger.

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads)]

I read Renegades for this prompt.

I never really thought about whether I read this title format much! I know haven't read most of the really popular books with the almost formulaic variations on this idea.

I guess I read a few though, because I found some to recommend from my read list!

The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story
The Paper Magician
Princess of Thorns
Wives and Daughters
The Martian
Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend
Redshirts
The Ordinary Princess
A Little Princess

[Misty]

1. What are you reading for this category?
I am planning on reading The Witch Hunter. My daughter bought me four different books for Christmas, and this is one of them. She spent time talking to people and looking for books that she thought I would enjoy. I am really looking forward to digging into them all.

2. Do you read a lot of titles with this format?
As someone before said, there were more than I realized when I looked through my books.

3. What book would you recommend to others for this prompt?
The Bookseller
The Girl on the Train
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Phantom of the Opera
The Heretic's Daughter
Doctor Sleep
Black Girl Lost
The Gunslinger
Crazy Rich Asians

[Jen K]

1. I read The Secret Lives of Church Ladies and highly recommend

2. I must as I had quite a few options.

3. Recommendations:
The Girl With All the Gifts
The Girl with the Louding Voice
Anxious People
Hench
Earthlings
Death Comes for the Archbishop
The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary

[Stacey]

1. What are you reading for this category? I read The Tea Lords by Hella S. Haasse
2. Do you read a lot of titles with this format? Yes!
3. What book would you recommend to others for this prompt?
A Gentleman in Moscow
Say Her Name
The Snow Child
The Orchardist
The 19th Wife
My Brilliant Friend
The God of Small Things

Nanette and Nikki made me think of another great "girl" novel:
The Girl in a Swing

[Nikki]

I read Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier. This is a reread for me. I first read it in 2003 & loved it; this time I loved it just as much, being quickly drawn into the plot and characters.

[Arunimaa]

The Witches


Going to go with a Roald Dahl for this one.

[Karen]

I read The Widow for this prompt. It was a decent thriller, but not particularly memorable.

Other books I would recommend for this prompt are
:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (or any of the other books in the series)
The Woman in the Window
The Snow Child
The Girls

[Sherri]

1. What are you reading for this category? Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
2. Do you read a lot of titles with this format? Just this one so far this year.
3. What book would you recommend to others for this prompt? The Daughters of Erietown by Connie Schultz

[Tsipi]

I have read the following books this year, though I haven't decided which will fill this prompt yet:


- Brown Girl in the Ring (5★)
- The Riddle-Master of Hed (4★)
- Harpist in the Wind (4★)
- The Girl with Ghost Eyes
- Sister of Mine (4★)
- The Perfect Nanny (4★)
- Convenience Store Woman (5★)
- The Twentieth Wife

I also recommend (all 5★ ratings):
- The Reader
- Bastard Out of Carolina
- A Wizard of Earthsea
- Woman on the Edge of Time
- Woman at Point Zero
- The Handmaid's Tale
- The Time Traveler's Wife
- Native Son
- The Goblin Emperor
- The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

[Samantha]

1. What are you reading for this category? Black Widows
2. Do you read a lot of titles with this format? It does seem to be pretty easy to find books like this but don't go out of my way to find them.
3. What book would you recommend to others for this prompt?
Invisible Girl
Girl A
Anxious People
Lab Girl
Nine Perfect Strangers

[Wendy]

I just finished Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival by Velma Wallis for this category and I'd highly recommend it. The story comes from indigenous oral tradition and centers around two seemingly helpless old women who are abandoned by their clan during a bad winter, but who rediscover some lost inner strength to be able to survive together. It's a short, quick read and is also featured on the "500 Great Books by Women" list.

Other books I'd recommend for this prompt are:
- The Survivors by Jane Harper
- The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
- The Lost Man by Jane Harper
- Barkskins by Annie Proulx
- The Spy Who Came In from the Cold by John le Carré
- A Man by Keiichirō Hirano
- My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
- My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

[Laurel]

I read Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai. If you like romances, I’d recommend this one.

Other books I’d recommend for this prompt include The Lord of Stariel (fantasy), I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter (YA), The Compton Cowboys: The New Generation of Cowboys in America's Urban Heartland (nonfiction), and Children of Blood and Bone (fantasy).

[Alyssa]

1. What are you reading for this category?
2. Do you read a lot of titles with this format? Yes I mostly read/listen to audiobooks
3. What book would you recommend to others for this prompt? "Girl Gone Viral" was a great book about technology and how AI and other things going digital can be divisive.

[RaLynn]

I just finished Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows and will use it for this prompt. Its not just a single person but works for me. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows

[LeahS]

1. What are you reading for this category?

The Birdwoman's Palate by Laksmi Pamuntjak. A woman travels through Indonesia working for a NGO investigating bird flu cases and also indulging in a culinary adventure with three friends. I learned a lot about (a small part) of Indonesia and the bird flu part was obviously pertinent. Much of what was said about corruption/cronyism was also pertinent.. I wish there had been a glossary to help with the sensual food descriptions.

2. Do you read a lot of books in this category?

There are so many about at the moment. I don't look out for this category but think I've read at least 21 this year.

3. What books would you recommend to others for this prompt?

The Girl with the Louding Voice; Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS; The Wayward Daughter; The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

[Tsipi]

I've read a LOT of books that fit this category so far this year so I won't list them all, just the top picks:

* The Perfect Nanny by Leïla Slimani
* Convenience Store Womanby Sayaka Murata
* The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison
* My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
* Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson


Books I've read before and recommend:
* Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
* A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
* Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi
* Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy
* The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
* The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

[Jill]

What are you reading for this category?
I read The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Pötzsch

Do you read a lot of titles with this format? Some, I think it was a fashion to catch reader's attention

[NancyJ]

I read The Girl Who Wrote in Silk by Kelli Estes

I guess I do read a lot of books with the format.
This year I also read:
The Silent Patient - female criminal
The President's Daughter - my longest book so far
The Henna Artist- India
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

Read Last Nov/Dec
The Girl with the Louding Voice
Convenience Store Woman
Paper Wife
Lab Girl

[Andrea]

I read CONSTABLE ON THE HILL a perfect feel-good read from one of Britain's best-loved authors by Nicholas Rhea for this prompt. The subtitle and pseudonym also cooperate in that they refer to the author without using his actual name!

[Pearl]

City of Girls
The Girl Who Drank the Moon
The Henna Artist

[JessicaMHR]

I finally got the book The Chicken Sisters by KJ Dell'Antonia that I had on hold, and after reviewing what reading prompts I had left I realized it worked for this topic.

[Suzanne]

1. What are you reading for this category?
The Billionaire's Fake Fiancée

2. Do you read a lot of titles with this format?
It appears that I do.

3. What book would you recommend to others for this prompt?
Somebody's Daughter
The Secret Bridesmaid
The Good Sister
The Wife Upstairs
The Last Mrs. Summers

[Marie]

1. What are you reading for this category?
Roomies by Christina Lauren
2. Do you read a lot of titles with this format? Quite a few it looks like!
3. What book would you recommend to others for this prompt?
The Mad Scientist's Daughter
The Conjurer Princess
The Two Princesses of Bamarre
Daughter of the Blood
The Princess Bride
The Queen of the Tearling
Rose Daughter

[Duygu]

Do you think would fit this prompt?

[LeahS]

If the one to watch is a character in the book, yes, I think it would fit.

[Duygu]

Leah wrote: "If the one to watch is a character in the book, yes, I think it would fit."

Thank you!

[Pam]

1. What are you reading for this category?
I think I will read Persona by Genevieve Valentine. I'm not sure if the title refers to the main character or not. I'm reading the book for book club so I'm hoping it fits! Some other options include:
-The Fortune Hunter
- We the Living
- The Island of Sea Women
-The Perfect Gentleman: A Muslim Boy Meets the West

2. Do you read a lot of titles with this format? Not really.

3. What book would you recommend to others for this prompt?
The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu