*A-Z Author Challenge*

[Pinky_rocks]

A - Kathy Acker "Pussy King of the Pirates"
B - John Berendt "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"
C - Sandra Cisneros "House on Mango Street"
D - Roddy Doyle "Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha"
E - Janet Evanovich "Full Blast"
F - Joanne Fluke "Key Lime Pie Murder"
G - Gabriel Garcia Marquez "Love in the Time of Cholera"
H - Khaled Hosseini "A Thousand Splendid Suns"
I - Eva Ibbotson "A Song for Summer"
J - Judy Blume "Forever..."
K - Stephen King "Blaze"
L - Lionel Shriver "The Post-Birthday World"
M - M. T. Anderson "Feed"
N - Gina B. Nahai "Sunday s Silence"
O - Joyce Carol Oates "Big Mouth Ugly Girl"
P - Philippa Gregory "The Other Boleyn Girl"
Q - Julia Quinn "[On the Way to the Wedding:]"
R - Richard Milward "Apples"
S - Gena Showalter "Oh My Goth"
T - Ichikawa Takuji "Be With You"
U - John Updike "Rabbit Run"
V - Kurt Vonnegut "Cat's Cradle"
W - Elie Wiesel "Dawn"
X - Xenophon "Das Gastmahl"
Y - Banana Yoshimoto "Hardboiled Hard Luck"
Z - Zadie Smith "White Teeth"

the ones in bold print are the ones I read.

[Ester]

Agualusa, José Eduardo - Kreolska riket (Creole)
Bradley, Marion Zimmer - Stormqueen!
Christie, Agatha - They Do it with Mirrors
Dumas, Alexandre - De tre musketörerna (The Three Musketeers)
Equiano, Olaudah - Sold as a Slave
Flanagan, Richard - Death of a River Guide
Gamboa, Santiago - Förlora är en fråga om metod
Hauff, Wilhelm - Das kalte Herz (The Cold Heart)
I
Jones, Diana Wynne - House of Many Ways
Kemelman, Harry - På fredag sov han över (On Friday the Rabbi Slept Late)
Laxness, Halldór - Sein eigener Herr (Independent People)
Machfus, Nagib (Naguib Mahfouz) - Die Kinder unseres Viertels (Children of the Alley)
Nothomb, Amélie - Im Namen des Lexikons (The Book of Proper Names)
Oe, Kenzaburo - Reißt die Knospen ab... (Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids)
Pullman, Philip - Once Upon the Time in the North
Q
Rytchëu, Juri (Yuri Rytkheu) - Der Mondhund
Salich, Tajjib (Tayeb Saleh) - Eine Handvoll Datteln
Tolstaja, Tatiana - Därv (The Slynx)
U
Valdés, Ana Luisa - Albatrossernas krig
Wollenhaupt, Gabriella - Grappa im Netz
X
Y
Z

[[deleted user]]

Asher, Jay - Thirteen Reasons
Bryson, Bill - A Walk in the Woods
Chbosky, Stephen - The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Diamant, Anita - The Red Tent
Esquivel, Laura - Like Water for Chocolate
Flynn, Gillian - Sharp Objects
Gavigan, Christopher - Healthy Child, Healthy World
Hammett, Dashiell - The Thin Man
I
Juster, Norton - A Dot and a Line: a Romance in Lower Mathematics
Knowles, John - A Separate Peace
Lowry, Lois - The Giver
McEwan, Ian - Atonement
Niffenegger, Audrey - The Time Traveler's Wife
O
Picoult, Jodi - Nineteen Minutes
Quinn, Karen - Holly Would Dream
Raskin, Ellen - The Westing Game
Schroeder, Lisa - I Heart You, You Haunt Me
T
U
Vanauken, Sheldon - A Severe Mercy
Walls, Jeannette - The Glass Castle : A Memoir
X
Y
Zusak, Markus - The Book Thief

Planned reads to meet challenge:
I: A Prayer for Owen Meany/ John Irving
O: The Gravedigger's Daughter / Joyce Carol Oates
T: Once upon a day / Tucker
U: The space between us / Umrigar
X: Why doesn't my funny bone make me laugh / Xenakis
Y: My Life on the Run / Bart Yasso

[Ashley]

Great idea to open minds. Really helps not to judge a book by its cover or even the summary on the back or inside flip. I plan to read 50 books by January 2009. I am already starting my book challenge with letters A, D, H, and T.

[TheReadingKnitter/]

I think I'm going to give this challenge a shot at the start of next year. :)

[Julianne]

Retrospectively, here's what I have (bold). In italics are books I plan to read for the fall. I'm gonna have to review people for the letters I need. I can't believe I have hardly any "T" authors at all!!

Also, I'm impressed that more than 2/3 of these authors are new to me in 2008.

A: Nancy Atherton-Aunt Dimity's Death
B: David Baldacci-Saving Faith
C: Drew Curtis-It's Not News it's Fark
D: Eleanor Druse-The Journals of Eleanor Druse
E: Janet Evanovich-Fearless Fourteen
F: Ken Follett-The Pillars of the Earth
G: Tess Gerritsen-Harvest
H: Joe Hill-Heart Shaped Box
I: John Irving-The Cider House Rules
J: Iris Johansen-
K: Stephen King-Cell
L: Billie Letts-Shoot the Moon
M: Yann Martel-Life of Pi
N: Audrey Niffenegger-The Time Traveler's Wife
O: Maggie O'Farrell-The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox
P: James Patterson-Along Came a Spider
Q:
R: Richard Russo-Empire Falls
S: Christina Schwarz-Drowning Ruth
T: Mark Twain (something)
U:
V: Jules Verne-Around the World in 80 Days
W: Peter Walsh-Does this Clutter Make my Butt Look Fat
X:
Y:
Z: Markus Zusak-The Book Thief

[Buffheart]

Here's mine. I am also working on "X," "U," and "P"

A-Z Author List
A
B-Baglio, Ben M (Kitten Crowd)
C
D- Dessen, Sarah (Dreamland
E- Eliot, Eve (Ravenous and Insatible)
F- Faulkner, William (As I Lay Dying)
G- Grahame, Kenneth (The Wind in the Willows)
H- Hornbacher, Marya (Madness)
I- Ihimaera, Witi (The Whale Rider)
J- Jackson, Joshilyn (Between, Georgia)
K
L- Levenkron, Steven (The Best Little Girl in the World)
M
N- Newman, Leslea (Fat Chance)
O- Orr, Wendy (Peeling the Onion)
P
Q
R- Rowling, J.K. (Harry Potter series)
S- Sebold, Alice (The Lovely Bones)
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z- Zenko, Darren (Ghost stories (animals))

[Carrie]

A: Douglas Adams
B: Ray Bradbury
C: Douglas Coupland
D: Stephen R. Donaldson
E: Jeffrey Eugenides
F: Al Fanken
G: Philippa Gregory
H: Karen Hancock
I: Alexandra Ivy
J: P.D. James
K: Rutiger Knox
L: Matthew Gregory Lewis
M: Kathleen Morgan
N: Barry Nazarian
O: James O'Barr
P: Sylvia Plath
Q:
R:
S: Bertrice Small
T: J.R.R. Tolkien
U:
V:
W:
X:
Y:
Z:

[Lynlee4]

I've been working on this for another group and have read many books I wouldn't have found otherwise. My A-Z author bookshelf is here

A-Atwood, Alias Grace
B-Bohjalian, Before You Know Kindness
C-Chevalier, Falling Angels
D-Diamant, Last Days of Dogtown
E-Ehrenreich, Nickel and Dimed in America F-Flagg, Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man
G-Gaiman, Anansi Boys
H-Hosseni, Thousand Splendid Suns
I-Isles, Sleep No More
J-Johansen, Stalemate
K-Koontz, Velocity
L-Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
M-Meyer, Twilight
N-Nemirovsky, Suite Francaise
O-Orwell, Animal Farm
P-Pratchett, Light Fantastic
Q-Quick, Vivialdi's Virgins
R-Reichs, Break No Bones
S-Scottoline, Running From the Law
T-Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
U-Ullmann, grace
V-Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse 5
W-Warren, Lifetime of Secrets
X-Xinran, Sky Burial
Y-Young, Ovation by Death
Z-Zailckas, smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood

This challenge was great fun!

I plan to do this challenge again in 2009.

[Katie]

A friend of mine told me about this challenge, and I went through my list... (Thank God I keep a list of all the books I've read for the year. Otherwise this would be impossible!) I'll list the first author I came to with the letter, and add in another in parentheses if I really like someone else and want to recommend. I've got most of these people on my book list here, but some I just haven't updated onto GR. But the ones I recommend are definitely in the list, so please check them out if you don't know them already!!

Oh! And I'll star the ones that are new to me this year, too, for good measure.

A
Brown, Hester* (see also Balliett, Blue)
Cabot, Meg (see also Colfer, Eoin)
D
E
Fleming, Ian*
Greyson, Devin* (with Rucka, Greg)
Harrison, Emma*
I
Johnson, Maureen*
Kinsella, Sophie*
Lewis, C.S.*
McLaughlin, Emma* (with Nicola Kraus)
N
O'Neil, Dennis*
Peterfreund, Diana* (see also Pearson, Ridley)
Quesada, Joe* (with Chen, Sean and Martinez, Alitha)
Robinson, Alex* (Not recommended.)
Shakespeare, William (see also Simone, Gail)
T
U
Von Ziegesar, Cecily (see also Vaughan, Brian K.)
Whedon, Joss (Love him! See also White, Dave.)
X
Y
Z

I'm currently working on N, too. So ten more left for me!

Good luck everybody! Happy reading!

[Tien]

This challenge looks interesting... I've kept a record of books I've read since end of June so hopefully it'll make some of it up.

A: Stewart Lee Allen; Jane Austen; Isable Allende; Belinda Alexandra
B: Augusten Burroughs; Anthony Burgess; Stephanie Barron; Kristen Britain
C: Alison Croggon; Agatha Christie; Patricia Cornwell; Caleb Carr
D: Diane Mott Davidson; Harvey Diamond
E: Barbara Erskine
F: John Flanagan
G: Simon R Green; Al Gore; John Grisham; Kerry Greenwood
H: Laurell K Hamilton; Joanne Harris; Joni Lamb
I: Kazuo Ishiguro
J: Tove Jansson
K: Barbara Kingsolver; Elizabeth Kostova
L: CS Lewis; Richard Laymon; Robert Ludlum; Mercedes Lackey
M: LM Montgomery; Rohinton Mistry; Sinear Moriarty; Miyamoto Musashi; Stephanie Meyer; Toni Morrison
N: Garth Nix; Audrey Niffenegger; Azar Nafisi
O: George Orwell; Jamie Oliver; Michael Ondaatje
P: Terry Pratchett; Susan Elizabeth Phillips; Ann Patchett; James Patterson; Tamora Pierce
Q: Julia Quinn
R: Nora Roberts; JK Rowling; Lisa Marie Rice; Kathy Reichs
S: Neal Stephenson; Sir Walter Scott; Noel Steatfeild; Bram Stoker
T: Naoko Takeuchi
U: Lisa Unger
V: Jules Verne
W: Jeannette Walls; Jacqueline Winspear; Alice Walker
X: Li Cunxin
Y: Banana Yoshimoto
Z: Marcus Zusak

Completed as of 20/12/08

[Carrie]

A: Douglas Adams
B: Ray Bradbury
C: Douglas Coupland
D: Stephen R. Donaldson
E: Jeffrey Eugenides
F: Al Fanken
G: Philippa Gregory
H: Karen Hancock
I: Alexandra Ivy
J: P.D. James
K: Rutiger Knox
L: Matthew Gregory Lewis
M: Kathleen Morgan
N: Barry Nazarian
O: James O'Barr
P: Sylvia Plath
Q:
R: Willo Davis Roberts
S: Bertrice Small
T: J.R.R. Tolkien
U:
V:
W: Tracy Anne Warren
X:
Y:
Z:

[Lauren]

Here's my A-Z authors reading list for the year. The books in bold I have already read.

A: Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale
B: Bradbury, The October Country
C: Chevalier, Falling Angels
D: Dunant, The Birth of Venus
E: Edwards, The Memory Keeper's Daughter
F: Frey, My Friend Leonard
G: Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha
H: Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God
I: Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go
J: James, The Portrait of a Lady
K: Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees
L: Lamb, I Know This Much is True
M: Mawer, The Gospel of Judas
N: Niffenegger, The Time Traveler's Wife
O: Oates, We Were the Mulvaneys
P: Parkhurst, The Dogs of Babel
Q: Quick, The Paid Companion
R: Rice, Exit to Eden
S: Setterfield, The Thirteenth Tale
T: Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
U: Ullman, Before You Sleep
V: Vonnegut, Slaughthouse-Five
W: Wroblewski, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
X: Xinran, Sky Burial
Y: Young, The Shack
Z: Zusak, The Book Thief

[Kimberly]

New to the site and community but here's my list so far :)

A:Kelley Armstrong
B:Max Brooks
C:Jacqueline Carey
D:
E:Jeffrey Eugenides
F:Jared Fogle
G:Margaret George
H:Charlaine Harris
I:
J:Diana Wynne Jones
K:Dean Kootnz
L:
M:L.E. Modesitt Jr.
N:Audrey Niffenegger
O:
P:Richard Preston
Q:
R:Ayn Rand
S:Lynsay Sands
T:
U:
V:Katherine Valentine
W:Connie Willis
X:
Y:
Z:

[Linda]

I'm changing my list because the first time I didn't limit my list only to books I read this year. So starting from the beginning of 2008:
Austen, Jane - Northanger Abbey
Bauer, Joan - Hope Was Here
Cather, Willa - O Pioneers
Dickens, Charles -Bleak House
E
Fleischman, Sid - Seedfolk
Gunther, John - Death Be Not Proud
Hinton - The Outsiders
Irving, John - The Cider House Rules
J
Kesey, Ken - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Lowry, Lois - Gathering Blue
McEwan, Ian - Saturday
N:
Oke, Janette - Love's Abiding Joy
Park, Linda Sue - The Kite Fighters
Q:
Ryland, Cynthia - Missing May
Steinbeck, John - Cannery Row
Tan, Amy - The Joy Luck Club
U
Vonnegut, Kurt - Slaughterhouse Five
Wharton, Edith - House of Mirth
X: Malcolm X
Yann Martel - Life of Pi
Zusak, Marcus - The Book Thief

[Heather]

Here is what I've read so far this year for authors:

A- Frank Abagnale, Mario Acevedo, Mitch Albom, Jane Austen
B- Frank L Baum, Rick Bragg, Bill Bryson
C- Henri Charriere, John Connolly
D- Roald Dahl, Sandra Dallas, Patrick Dennis, Emma Donoghue
E- Eve Ensler
F- Joshua Ferris, Stona Fitch, Karen Joy Fowler, Ariana Franklin, Cornelia Funke
G- Neil Gaiman, Mike Gayle, Emily Giffin, Philippa Gregory, Allan Gurganus
H- Jane Hamilton, Thomas Harris, Alice Hoffman, Tom Holt, Nick Hornby
I-
J- Kate Jacobs, Penn Jillette
K- Jeanne Kalogridis, Rudyard Kipling, Marie Kiraly
L- Catherine Landis, Sarah-Kate Lynch
M- Ian McEwan, Alison McGhee, Stephanie Meyer, China Mieville, Martin Millar, Haruki Murakami
N- Mary Norton
O-
P- Philip Pullman
Q-
R- Ruth Reichl, Celia Rivenbark, Mary Roach
S- Jane Sigaloff, Lemony Snicket
T- Kathleen Tessaro, Kim Thompson
U- Brady Udall
V- Sarah Vowell
W-
X-
Y- Banana Yoshimoto
Z- Markus Zusak

So, I gess that just leaves me with I, O, Q, W, & X. Anyone have any good recs for these letters?? I might still be able to finish by the 31st of Dec!

[Kelly]

Completed List:

A. Kingsley Amis - Lucky Jim (2/8/08)
B. Charlotte Bronte - Jane Eyre (8/3/08)
C. Humphrey Carpenter - J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography (8/10/08)
D. Jude Devereaux - Remembrance (9/1/08)
E. Louise Erdrich - Tracks (6/23/08)
F. F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Beautiful & Damned (1/19/08)
G. Diana Gabaldon - Lord John and the Private Matter (10/21/08)
H. Ernest Hemingway - The Sun Also Rises (2/14/08)
I. Washington Irving - Rip Van Winkle (2/12/08)
J. Henry James - Daisy Miller (5/6/08)
K. Franz Kafka - The Metamorphosis (7/16/08)
L. E. Lockhart - The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks (10/20/08)
M. Toni Morrison - Jazz (3/7/08)
N. Nella Larsen - Passing (3/4/08)
O. Andy Owens - Fray (7/5/08)
P. James Patterson - Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride, Book #1) (9/4/08)
Q. Michel Quint - In Our Strange Garden (11/23/08)
R. J. K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (3/15/08)
S. Graham Swift - Waterland (2/26/08)
T. Henry David Thoreau - Walden (2/21/08)
U. John Updike - A&P (6/5/08)
V. Brian K. Vaughan - No Future For You (5/24/08)
W. Virginia Woolf - Mrs. Dalloway (7/23/08)
X. Blia Xiong - Nine-in-One, Grr! Grr! (11/23/08)
Y. Jane Yolen - The Devil's Arithmetic (12/19/08)
Z. Markus Zusak - The Book Thief (12/19/08)

[Lucy]

I want to play! I want to play!!! Okay I'm not going to count the ones I've already read and will be starting this in strict order from the next book I read (one book a month will be a challenge book)! I'm going on author's surname.

A:
B:
C:
D:
E:
F:
G:
H:
I:
J:
K:
L:
M:
N:
O:
P:
Q:
R:
S:
T:
U:
V:
W:
X:
Y:
Z:

[Laura]

I decided to do the A-Z author challenge as well, and here's how it stands as of November:

ALBOM, Mitch - Tuesdays With Morrie
ANDERSON, Laura Halse - Speak

BARR, Nevada - A Superior Death
BERG, Elizabeth - The Year of Pleasures
BERG, Elizabeth - The Art of Mending
BERG, Elizabeth - Never Change
BERNSTEIN, Jane - Bereft
BRASHARES, Anne - The Last Summer (of You & Me)
BRUNDAGE, Elizabeth - The Doctor's Wife

CHAPPELL, Fred - I am One of You Forever
COOMER, Joe - The Loop
CORNWELL, Patricia - Predator

DIDION, Joan - The Year of Magical Thinking
EDGERTON, Clyde - Walking Across Egypt
FOSSUM, Karin - Black Seconds
GRISHAM, John - Playing for Pizza
HOLLON, Frank Turner - The God File
I -
JACKSON, Joshilyn - The Girl Who Stopped Swimming

KIDD, Sue Monk - The Secret Life of Bees
KUIPERS, Alice - Life on the Refrigerator Door

LEWYCKA, Marina - A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian

MARTIN, Steve - Shopgirl
MCEWAN, Ian - On Chesil Beach

NASH, Jennie - The Last Beach Bungalow
NOBLE, Elizabeth - The Reading Group
NOTARO, Laurie - The Idiot Girls' Action Adventure Club

OATES, Joyce Carol - The Tattooed Girl

PEREZ-REVERTE, Arturo - The Queen of the South
PRADHAN, Monica - The Hindi Bindi Club

QUINDLEN, Anna - How Reading Changed My Life
R -

SARTON, May - As We Are Now
SHEA, Suzanne Strempek - Becoming Finola
SHREVE, Anita - A Wedding in December
SMITH, Zadie - On Beauty

TSUKIYAMA, Gail - Women of the Silk
U -
V -

WELLS, Rebecca - Little Altars Everywhere
WELLS, Rebecca - Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

XINRAN - Sky Burial
YOUNG, Elizabeth - Asking for Trouble
ZARR, Sara - Story of a Girl

I hope to finish by the end of the year, but I don't know that it will happen with the holidays. However, I'm planning to do it again in 2009.

Laura
Chatt TN

[Laura]

Heather - author recommendations to complete your alphabet challenge:

IRVING, JOHN - A Widow for One Year
OATES, JOYCE CAROL
QUINDLEN, ANNA - How Reading Changed My Life
WEST, MICHAEL LEE - Mad Girls in Love, Crazy Ladies
XINRAN - Sky Burial (4 stars)

[Laura]

Jamie - I read and loved Excellent Women by Barbara Pym. She also wrote Quartet in Autumn, which is excellent as well.

Laura

[Laura]

Kelly -

Check out Xinran's Sky Burial for your X book. Anna Quindlen will work for Q. Also, I noticed that you read Fitzgerald's The Beautiful & Damned - what a great book. I LOVED it when I read it (years ago now). How did you enjoy it?

[Lynlee4]

I thought Sky Burial was a great book, too!

[Kelly]

Laura -
Thank you for the X recommendation, I'll look for it. The others I find while browsing the library's database for X authors and I mostly found non-fiction which I'm not the biggest fan of. I read The Beautiful & Damned for an English class last spring and I enjoyed it. Mostly what I liked about it was how Fitzgerald writes. I remember loving how he put things.
How did you like Anna Quindlen's "How Reading Changed My Life"? I read it for a highschool project several years ago and absolutely loved it.

[Angie]

Well it's almost the end of 2008, but this sounds fun. Hope nobody minds if I start now. I've challenged myself to read everything that I haven't read on my bookshelf. I have plenty to choose from there, so I suspect I can find one for most letters there.

A -
B - Bill Bryson; I'm a Stranger Here Myself Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away (April 2009)
C - Suzanne Collins; The Hunger Games (June 2009)
D - Richard Henry Dana Jr.; Two Years Before the Mast (June 2009)
E -
F -
G - Nancy Goldstone; Four Queens The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe (March 2009)
H -
I -
J -
K - Rudyard Kipling; Baa Baa, Black Sheep and The Gardener (November 2008)
L -
[image error] M - Stephanie Meyers; Twilight series (February 2009)
N -
O -
P - Dorothy Parker; Big Blonde and Other Stories (November 2008)
Q -
R - Franklin D. Roosevelt; Fireside Chats (March 2009)
S - Brian Swann, ed.; Native American Songs and Poems An Anthology (May-June 2009)
T - Henry David Thoreau; Walden; Or, Life in the Woods (March 2009)
U -
V -
W - Oscar Wilde; The Happy Prince (April 2009)
X -
Y -
Z -

[Betty]

Betty's A-Z Title List from Feb. 2008

A Archangel Project, The by C.S. Graham
B Bone Hunter by Sarah Graves
C Copper Indian, The by J.P. Morgan
D Devil's Bones, The by Jefferson Bass
E Eagle Catcher, The by Margaret Coel
F Flint and Feather: The Life and Times of E. Pauline Johnson, Tekahionwake by Charlotte Gray
G Gargoyle, The by Andrew Davidson
H Haunted Ground by Erin Hart
I Immortalists, The: Charles Lindbergh, Dr. Alexis Carrel, and Their Daring Quest to Live Forever, by David M. Friedman
J Justice Denied by J.A. Jance
K Killrod: the Cross of Lorraine Murders by Bill Ison
L Laughter of Dead Kings, The by Elizabeth Peters
M Monsters of Templeton, The by Lauren Groff
N Now Silence: A Novel of World War II by Tori Warner Shepard
O Orkney Scroll by Lyn Hamilton
P People of Darkness by Tony Hillerman
Q Quiche Before Dying, A: A Jane Jeffry Mystery by Jill Churchill
R Rosetta Key, The by William Dietrich
S Sister, The by Poppy Adams
T Time Traveler’s Wife, The by Audrey Niffenegger
U Unnatural Selection by Aaron Elkins
V Voices Under Berlin by T.H.E. Hill
W Where Am I Wearing? by Kelsey Timmerman
X Xibalba Murders, The: An Archeological Mystery by Lyn Hamilton
Y You’ve Got Murder by Donna Andrews
Z Zookeeper's Wife, The: A War Story by Diane Ackerman

[Laura]

Kelly,
I enjoyed Quindlen's How Reading Changed My Life a lot, and I related very much to how she felt about books. She didn't say anything "new" per se, but she did articulate in an entertaining and accessible way what reading does (and is) for bookworms.

[Betty]

I should have said in my list Betty's A-Z Title List from Feb. 2008, that my reading began in February. I just noticed it could seem like my list was finished in February 2008! I thought I could do it this way since the challenge started in Jan & I do reviews on almost every book I read so I have it all on my computer. The Zookeeper's Wife I'm in the middle of & will finish this month... my husband keeps taking it away to read when I'm not looking because it is a war story, but he is a much faster reader than I am & will no doubt finish it within two days. (Then he'll probably be searching for another war story, but I think I've run out, he'll have to read his own!)

[Terri]

Will this be 'officially' starting again on 1 January? If so, I'll wait til then to start, otherwise I'll start on 1 December ....

[Fiona (Titch)]

A= Ahern, Ceceila - PS I LOVE YOU
B= Brown, Eric - REVENGE
C= Calman, Stephenie - CONFESSIONS OF A FAILED GROWN UP
D= Denham, Holly - HOLLY'S INBOX
E=
F= Fox, Kathryn - MALICIOUS INTENT
G= Gerritsen, Tess - THE MEPHISTO CLUB
H= Hemingway, Ernest - THE OLD MAN & THE SEA
I=
J=
K= Kernick, Simon - SEVERED
L=
M= Moriarty, Sinead - PERFECT MATCH
N=
O= O'Neill, Gilda - EAST END TALES
P= Parks, Adele - HAPPY FAMILIES
Q=
R= Richardson, E.E - DEVIL FOR SALE
S= Sebold, Alice - THE LOVELY BONES
T=
U= Unger, Lisa - BEAUTIFUL LIES
V=
W= Webb, Sarah - BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
X=
Y=
Z=

[Jared]

Here are the author/letters I've read so far.

Arthur C. Clarke: Childhood's End
Baty, Chris: No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days
Coelho, Paolo: The Alchemist
Dunning, John: Two O'Clock Eastern Wartime
Ellis, Peter Berresford: Celtic Myths and Legends
Farland, David: Of Mice and Magic
Gaiman, Neil: Anansi Boys
Harrison, Harry: A Stainless Steel Rat is Born
Ian Fleming: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Jasper Fforde: The Eyre Affair
Kluger, Steve: Last Days of Summer Rev Ed: A Novel
Lukeman, Noah: The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile
Maitland, Barry: The Marx Sisters: A Kathy and Brock Mystery
Nancy Kress: Write Great Fiction: Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint
Orson Scott Card: Ender in Exile
Pratchett, Terry: Wintersmith: A Discworld Novel
Q
Rothfuss, Patrick: The Name of the Wind
Sanderson, Brandon: Elantris
Thal, Lilli: Mimus
Ursu, Anne: Spilling Clarence
Vonnegut, Kurt: A Man Without a Country
Willis, Connie: To Say Nothing of the Dog
X
Yolen, Jane: Owl Moon
Zelazny, Roger: Bring Me the Head of Prince Charming

[Alyssa]

Suzie- i noticed a few people jumping in late so i'm thinking it's cool to just go from december to december....i'm going to start now :)

[Alyssa]

ok, my list: I'll add the name of the book when I finish
A- Maya Angelou
b- John Boyne The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
c- Michael Crichton Congo
d- David Bach
e- Ralph Ellison
f- Michael Faber
g- David Guterson
h- Khaled Hosseini The Kite Runner
i- Ian McEwan
j- Julia Alvarez
k- Barbara Kingsolver The Bean Trees
l- Liz Berry
m- Stephanie Meyer Eclipse
n- Neil Gaiman Stardust
o- George Orwell
p- Manuel Puig
q-
r- Robert Cormier
s- William Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet
t- Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie
u-
v- Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
w- Robert Penn Warren
x-
y-
z- Zora Neal Hurston

[Bill]

Finally finished. I never would have thought I'd struggle to find an "N" that I wanted to read, but I finally did. (Linda Nagata - The Bohr Maker)

[Carly]

I'm adding these to my 2009 to-read list.

A – Chinua Achebe – Things Fall Apart
B - Charles Baxter - Burning Down the House
C - Miguel de Cervantes - Don Quixote
D – Don Delillo – White Noise
E - Umberto Eco - The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana
F – Gustave Flaubert – Madame Bovary
G – Graham Greene – Our Man in Havana
H - Joyce Hinnefeld - In Hovering Flight
I – Henrik Ibsen – The Wild Duck
J - Shirley Jackson - We Have Always Lived in the Castle
K - Milan Kundera - The Art of the Novel
L - Margo Lanagan - Black Juice
M - Haruki Murakami - The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
N - R.K. Narayan – The English Teacher
O – Flannery O’Connor – The Habit of Being: Letters
P – Marcel Proust - Swann's Way
Q - Daniel Quinn – Ishmael
R - Erich Maria Remarque – All Quiet on the Western Front
S – Gertrude Stein - The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas
T - Adrian Tomine - Shortcomings
U - John Updike - Rabbit, Run
V – Kurt Vonnegut – Slaughterhouse Five
W – Virginia Woolf – Mrs. Dalloway
X - Malcolm X - The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Y – Richard Yates – The Easter Parade
Z – Emile Zola – Doctor Pascal

[Angie]

Angie's A to Z Author Challenge

A: Ahern, Cecelia - P.S. I Love You
Albom, Mitch - Tuesday's With Morrie
Auel, Jean M - The Clan of the Cave Bear
B: Bryson, Bill - Shakespeare: The World as a Stage
Bryson, Bill - Bill Bryson's African Diary
Bryson, Bill - The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
C:Courtenay, Bryce - The Persimmon Tree
Coelhe, Paulo - The Fifth Mountain
D: Dahl, Roald - Boy
Dahl, Roald - The BFG
Dengate, Sue - Fed Up
E:
F: Forbes, Esther - Johnny Tremain
G: Grahame, Kenneth - The Wind in the Willows
Gear, W. Michael and Gear Kathleen O'Neal - People of the Wolf
H: Hopkins, Roz - Lonely Planet: The Travel Book
Hosseini, Khaled - The Kite Runner
Heyer, Georgette - Cotillion
I:
J:
K: Kinsella, Sophie - Shopaholic and Baby
Kinsella, Sophie - Remember Me?
L: Le Carre, John - The Spy Who Came in From the Cold
Lewis, C.S. - The Magician's Nephew
Lewis, C.S. - The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
Lewis, C.S. - The Horse and His Boy
M: Meyer, Stephenie - Twilight
Maguire, Gregory - Wicked
McLaughlin, Emma and Kraus, Nicola - The Nanny Diaries
Meyer, Stephenie - New Moon
N:
O:
P: Paterson, Katherine - Bridge to Terabithia
Pilkington, Doris and Garimara, Nugi - Follow the Rabbit-proof Fence
Patterson, James, You've Been Warned
Q:
R: Rushdie, Salman - Midnight's Children
S: Sebold, Alice - The Almost Moon
T:
U:
V:
W: Weiler, Julia and Leo, Jennifer L. - More Sand in My Bra
Winton, Tim - Breath
X:
Y:
Z:

[Cynthia]

I have decided to take up both the A-Z authors challenge and the A-Z title challenge for 2009. I will not count any book twice. I hope this challenge forces me into some unknown reading territory and out of my rut!

[Melissa]

I'm fairly impressed with my progress on this challenge, as I really wasn't trying very hard or looking for specific authors but still managed to knock most of the letters out of the park by June. So I"m going to bat clean-up (and lighten up on the baseball metaphors) in 2009 by filling in the letters I didn't get to: I, O, Q, U, X, Y, and Z.

Status monitored here:
I:
O: Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama
Q:
U:
X:
Y: Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
Z:

[Cynthia]

Here's the beginning of my 2009 A-Z author challenge. I will update as i go along.
A-Amick,Steve- Nothing But a Smile
B-Baker, Tiffany- The Little Giant of Aberdeen County
C-Castillo, Linda - Sworn to Silence
D
E-Evanovich, Janet- Plum Spooky
F-Fisher, Carrie-wishful Drinking
G-Greeley, Andrew- The Archbishop in Andalusia
H-Hoffman, Alice- Blackbird House
I
J- Jarrar, Rhonda- A Map of Home
K
L
M- McCall Smith, Alexander - The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday
N- Nafisi, Azar - Things I've Been Silent About
O
P- Pool, Hannah-My Father's Daughter
Q
R
S
T - Tippett, Krista - Speaking of Faith
U - Uhlberg, Myron - Hands of My Father
V-Vowell,Sarah- The Wordy Shipmates
W-Willig, Lauren-The Temptation of the Night Jasmine
X
Y- Yglesias, Rafael- A Happy Marriage
Z

[Beth]

I am going to try this for 2009 - I am going to try to use the author's last name but might change this if needed.
A-Agee, Jonis (The River Wife)
B-Bradbury, Jennifer (Shift)
C-Cast, PC (Hunted)
D-Davidson, Andrew (The Gargoyle)
E- Evanovich, Janet (Plum Spooky)
F-Fields, Terri (My Father' Son)
G- Godbersen, Anna (Envy)
H-Hoffman, Alice (The Third Angel)
I- Castellucci, Cecil (Geektastic) +++had to fudge this one a bit
J-Jaffe, Michele (Kitty, Kitty)
K-Kenny, Jeff (The Last Straw)
L-Lynch, Jim (The Highest Tide)
M- Marchetta, Melina (Jellicoe Road)
N- Ness, Patrick (The Knife of Never Letting Go)
O- Oppel, Kenneth (Starclimber)
P-Pfeffer, Susan Beth (Life as we knew it)
Q-Quinn, Spencer (Thereby Hangs a Tail)
R-Rabin, Staton (The Curse of the Romanovs)
S-Smith, LJ (Night World 2)
T-Turner, Max (Night Runner)
U-Mull, Brandon (Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary) +++had to fudge this one a bit
V-Von Ziegesar, Cecily (Gossip Girl)
W-Walls, Jeannette (The Glass Castle)
X-Knox, Elizabeth (Dreamquake) +++had to fudge this one a bit
Y- Young, Willam (The Shack)
Z-Zevin, Gabrielle (Love is Hell)

Completed enough for me!! Yeah 2009!

[Melissa]

I am going to try this for 2009! We'll see how it goes!

A-
B- Libba Bray
C- Meg Cabot
Ben Carson
D-
E-
F-
G- Kate Gosselin
H-
I-
J-
K-
L-
M- Stephenie Meyer (to read)
N-
O-
P- Christopher Priest
Q-
R-
S- Garth Stein (to read)
T-
U-
V- Sarah Vowell
W-
X-
Y-
Z-Markus Zusak (to read)

[Shary]

My 2009 Author Challenge:
A-
B-
C-
D-
E-
F-
G-
H-
I-
J-
K-
L-
M-Stephenie Meyer (Twilight)
N-
O-
P-
Q-
R-
S-
T-
U-
V-
X-
Y-
Z-

[Shary]

My 2009 Author Challenge:
A-
B-
C-
D-
E-
F-
G-
H-
I-
J-
K-
L-
M-Stephenie Meyer (Twilight)
N-
O-
P-
Q-
R-
S-Bernhard Schlink (The Reader)
T-
U-
V-
X-
Y-
Z-

[Charity]

2009 A-Z AUTHOR CHALLENGE


A:Richard Adams (Watership Down)
-- Sherman Alexie (The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian)
-- Kingsley Amis (Lucky Jim)
-- Martin Amis (Dead Babies)
-- Sherwood Anderson (Winesburg, Ohio)
-- Jane Austen (Emma; Pride and Prejudice)
B:Iain Banks (The Wasp Factory)
-- Elizabeth Bowen (The House in Paris)
-- Geraldine Brooks (March)
-- Pearl S. Buck (Mandala)
C:James M. Cain (The Postman Always Rings Twice)
-- Truman Capote (A Christmas Memory; One Christmas; The Thanksgiving Visitor)
-- Michael Chabon (Wonder Boys)
-- Vikram Chandra (Sacred Games)
-- Chris Cleave (Little Bee)
-- Pat Conroy (The Prince of Tides)
D:Kavita Daswani (Salaam, Paris)
-- Charles Dickens (A Christmas Carol & Other Stories; Great Expectations)
-- Fyodor Dostoevsky (The Brothers Karamazov)
E:Umberto Eco (The Name of the Rose)
F:E.M. Forster (A Passage to India; Where Angels Fear to Tread)
G:Whitney Gaskell (Good Luck; Mommy Tracked; Pushing 30; She, Myself & I; Testing Kate; True Love (and Other Lies))
-- Julie Gregory (Sickened)
H:Charlaine Harris (Club Dead; Dead Until Dark; Living Dead in Dallas)
-- Joseph Heller (Catch-22)
-- James Hilton (Goodbye, Mr. Chips)
-- Nick Hornby (Housekeeping vs. The Dirt; Shakespeare Wrote for Money)
-- Aldous Huxley (Brave New World)
I:
J:James Jones (From Here to Eternity)
-- James Joyce (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
K:Daniel Keyes (Flowers for Algernon)
-- Stephen King (Misery)
-- Mindy Klasky (Magic and the Modern Girl)
L:Jhumpa Lahiri (Interpreter of Maladies)
-- Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird)
-- Sinclair Lewis (Babbitt)
M:Betty Mahmoody (Not Without My Daughter)
-- Yann Martel (Life of Pi)
N:
O:
P:Chuck Palahniuk (Diary)
-- Nancy Pearl (Book Lust)
-- Arturo Pérez-Reverte (The Club Dumas)
-- Edgar Allan Poe (The Complete Poetry of Edgar Allan Poe)
Q:
R:Alexandra Robbins (Pledged)
-- Arundhati Roy (The Cost of Living)
S:Marjane Satrapi (Embroideries; Persepolis; Persepolis 2)
-- Vikram Seth (A Suitable Boy)
-- Tom Shachtman (Rumspring: To Be or Not to Be Amish)
-- Scott Smith (The Ruins)
-- Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn (One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich)
-- Tori Spelling (Mommywood; sTORI Telling)
-- John Steinbeck (Burning Bright; In Dubious Battle; The Moon is Down; The Pearl; The Red Pony)
-- Vikas Swarup (Q & A)
T:
U:John Updike (The Witches of Eastwick)
V:Kurt Vonnegut (Slaughterhouse-Five)
W:Tobias Wolff (This Boy's Life)
-- John Wyndham (The Day of the Triffids; The Midwich Cuckoos; The Secret People)
X:
Y:Richard Yates (Cold Spring Harbor; Revolutionary Road; A Special Providence; Young Hearts Crying)
Z:

[Lynlee4]

I'm in running from 1/1/09 - 12/31/09

A- Alcott Louisa M, Little Women
B- Ann Brashares, Second Summer of the Sisterhood
C- Mary Higgins Clark, Deck the Halls
D- Roald Dahl, Matilda
E- Laura Esquivel, Like Water for Chocolate
F-
G- Neil Gaiman, Sandman-Endless Nights
H- Catherine Ryan Hyde, Year of My Miraculous Reappearance
I-
J-
K-Kathleen Kent, Heretic's Daughter
L-Lois Lowry, The Giver
M-Stephenie Meyer, New Moon
N-
O-Ally O'Brien, The Agency
P-Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar
Q-
R-Josh Russell, Yellow Jack
S-David Sedaris, When You are Engulfed in Flames
T-Gioia Timpanelli, What Makes a Child Lucky?
U-
V-
W-Oscar Wilde, Picture of Dorian Gray
X-
Y-Banana Yoshimoto, Kitchen
Z-

[Shary]

My 2009 Author Challenge:
A-Mary Kay Andrews - Hissy Fit
Cecelia Ahern - If You Could See Me Now
B-Elizabeth Berg - Open House
Scott Blackwood - We Agreed to Meet Just Here
Charles Bukowski - Post Office
C-Peter Carey (His Illegal Self)
Jennifer Crusie - Crazy for You
Mary Jane Clark - When Day Breaks
PC Cast and Kristen Cast - Marked
PC Cast and Kristen Cast - Betrayed
Chelsea Cain - Heartsick
Dan Chaon - Await Your Reply
Elizabeth Costello - JM Coetzee
D-Barbara Delinsky - Looking for Peyton Place
E-Janet Evanovich (Plum Spooky)
F-Lori Foster - Causing Havoc
G-Charlotte Perkins Gilman (The Yellow Wallpaper)
Jane Green - the Beach House
Neil Gaiman - The Graveyard Book
Tess Gerritsen - The Mephisto Club
H-Charlaine Harris - Dead and Gone
Charlaine Harris - Grave Sight
Charlaine Harris - Grave Surprise
Charlaine Harris - An Ice Cold Grave
I-
J-
K-Dean Koontz - The Husband
L-Stieg Larsson - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Jonathan Lethem - Motherless Brooklyn
Laura Lippman - What the Dead Know
M-Stephenie Meyer (Twilight)
Christopher Moore (A Dirty Job)
Toni Morrison (The Bluest Eye)
Ian McEwan (On Chesil Beach)
Cormac McCarthy - The Road
Stephenie Meyer - New Moon
N-Audrey Niffenegger (The Time Traveler's Wife)
O-
P-James Patterson (Double Cross)
Jodi Picoult (Nineteen Minutes)
Jodi Picoult (Harvesting the Heart)
Jodi Picoult (My Sister's Keeper)
Q-
R-
S-Bernhard Schlink (The Reader)
Nicholas Sparks (The Rescue)
Lisa Scottoline - The Vendetta Defense
T-
U-
V-
W-Tina Wainscott - Until the Day You Die
X-Gao Xingjian - Buying a Fishing Rod for my Grandfather
Y-Richard Yates (Revolutionary Road)
Z- Carlos Ruiz Zafon - The Shadow of the Wind

[Niesha]

Will you be doing this again for 2009?

[Angie]

I'm going to jump in for 2009. Here's what I have so far.

A - Margaret Atwood
B - Dan Brown
C - Rachel Caine
D
E
F
G - Allen Ginsberg
H
I
J - J.R. Ward
K - Kelley Armstrong
L - John Ajvide Lindqvist
M - Christopher Moore
N
O
P
Q
R - Richelle Mead
S - Stephenie Meyer
T
U
V
W - Joss Whedon
X
Y
Z

[Niesha]

A- Mariano Azuela "The Underdogs"
B- Anne Bronte "Agnes Grey"
C- Wilkie Collins "Jezebel's Daughter"
D- Gavin de Becker "Fear Less"
E - John Eldredge "Wild at Heart"
F - Amanda Foreman "Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire"
G- Philippa Gregory "The Other Boleyn Girl"
H- Khaled Hosseini "A Thousand Splendid Suns"
I
J - Joshilyn Jackson "The Girl Who Stopped Singing"
K- Sue Monk Kidd "The Secret Life of Bees"
L
M - Tova Mirvis "The Ladies Auxiliary"
N- Audrey Niffenegger "The Time Traveler's Wife"
O
P- Matthew Pearl "The Last Dickens: A Novel"
Q
R - Mary Roach "Stiff"
S- Bryan Sykes "The Seven Daughters of Eve"
T- Stephanie Tolan "Surviving the Applewhites"
U- Laurel Thatcher Ulrich "A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard"
V
W - Pat Williams "Coaching Your Kids to Be Leaders"
X
Y
Z

[alicia]

A-
B-
C-
D-
E-
F-
G-Gwendolen Gross(The Other Mother)
H-
I-
J-
K-Dean Koontz(Forever Odd)and(BROTHER Odd)
L-
M-
N-
O-
P-
Q-
R-
S-
T-
U-
V-
W- Ayelet Waldman (Nursery Crimes)
X-
Y
Z-