Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

A-Z Author Challenge
Jan.1-Dec.31, 2016
19/26 completed.

+A Antoine de Saint-Exupéry , The Little Prince. Anna Sewell , Black Beauty. Albert Camus , The Stranger. Ann Radcliffe , The Mysteries of Udolpho
+B Robert Burns , Collected Poems of Robert Burns
+C Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Yellow Wallpaper; The Wallpaper Replies
D
+E Ellis Peters , The Rose Rent
+FE.M. Forster , A Room with a View
+G George Eliot , Middlemarch
+H Horace Walpole , The Castle of Otranto ,Homer , The Odyssey
+IHenrik Ibsen, A Doll's House
+J Jane Austen , Persuasion.
+KFranz Kafka , The Metamorphosis
+L Leo Tolstoy , The Death of Ivan Ilych
+M Molly Guptill Manning , When Books Went to War: The Stories that Helped Us Win World War II
N
+OGeorge Orwell , Animal Farm
+PPearl S. Buck , The Good Earth
Q
+R Richard Adams , Watership Down
+S Selma Lagerlöf , The Wonderful Adventures of Nils
+TJ.R.R. Tolkien , The Lord of the Rings
+U Umberto Eco , The Name of the Rose
+VVikram Seth , The Golden Gate
+W Virginia Woolf , To the Lighthouse ; Willa Cather , A Collection of Stories, Reviews and Essays
X
Y
Z

Hi Elena. Welcome to the challenge.

Update for message 6.

My 23rd author was Eleanor Estes for her wonderful book The Hundred Dresses. It's one of the best children's books I've ever read. Here is a link to my review.

www.goodreads.com/review/show/1235906939

Duane wrote: "Update for message 6.

My 23rd author was Eleanor Estes for her wonderful book The Hundred Dresses. It's one of the best children's books I've ever read. Here is a link ..."

I love that book!

Matt wrote: "I decided to do a personal a-z challenge this year. I probably won't hit all the letters, but should be able to cover most of them."

Hope you enjoy the challenge.

Duane wrote: "Update for message 6.

My 23rd author was Eleanor Estes for her wonderful book The Hundred Dresses. It's one of the best children's books I've ever read. Here is a link ..."

I've barely read 23 books let alone 23 separate authors, outstanding.

Kathy wrote: "Hi Elena. Welcome to the challenge."

Thanks Kathy...

Finished my Q Author: Anna Quindlen's Miller's Valley. A good read.

So 17/26 so far this year.

Update message 6.

Completed author #24
Louisa May Alcott, Flower Fables.

I have always felt the A-Z challenges are the most difficult of our challenges. The author challenge to me is particularly daunting. To have finished 24 authors four and a half months into the year, to me is an outstanding accomplishment. Congrats!

Kathy and Duane...making amazing progress.

Thanks guys. With only D and N left, I should be finished this month.

This looks like a fun challenge. I'm going to join but I'll need some suggestions for tricker letters. Will post later.
Duane, I was going to get One Hundred Dresses for my girls. Thanks for reminder.

I read that (One Hundred Dresses) last year with my son. I'd never heard of it before, but it was on the Mensa reading list. It was very good. I'd buy it for my nieces, or the daughters of friends.

Ok, I'm in.
A- The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende
B- People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
C- Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
D- Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
E- Tropical Secrets a Story of the Holocaust by Margarita Engle
F- The Aleppo Codex by Mati Friedman
G- Calico Joe by John Grisham
H- Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
I
J
K- The Ritual Bath by Faye Kellerman
L- Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts
M- Enemies of the People: My Family's Journey to America by Kati Marton
N
O
P
Q
R- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
S- Murder at Wrigley Field by Troy Soos
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

I'm already half done. Would love hints for trickier letters. I hope to get ideas from my other challenge.

I've never done this particular challenge, but you are making really good progress!

Keep up the good work.

Andrea neither have I. My biggest obstacle is that in between heavier reads I'll read a whole mystery series or all the Isabel Allende books I have hence one author so harder to complete challenge.

Yes, you are making great progress. I keep reading the same letters and know I am going to have to make choices deliberately soon. If you want a good Z author read The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Thanks Sara. That will be in the fall most likely. I have Luis Alberto Urrea for U and short stories by Kristin Quade for Q, Jules Verne for V. Trying to do last names only.

Brina and Sara, our GR friend and GR author Malia Zaidi has a very good mystery A Poisonous Journey. A great way to fill your Z author challenge.

Duane I'll need help with N and O. I've never read Zafon so no I have a choice for Z.

Emile Zola is a classic too, if you feel like it - I read a collection of novellas for my Z

Brina, for O you always have George Orwell to fall back on. Also Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian is very good.

The Railway Children by E. Nesbit is a good for your N.
If you want something heavier, one of Nabakov's novels may suit you.

Brina, I read a Eugene O'Neill play for my O slot which also worked out well with bingo for me.

Good idea. I also read contemporary so I'm sure I'll find someone. I'm

Oh such great suggestion everyone, I might be using some of these!

I have 7 letters left and plans for most of them, but I'll take more suggestions for Q and U, first or last name!

Pink my mom who is in this group recommended the books of Luis Alberto Urrea to me. Once I get through my current batch of books I'm going to be reading Into the Beautiful North. Q- everyone says to read Anna Quinlen. My favorite of hers is Black and Blue.

Brina, thanks for passing on your Mum's suggestions to me! I didn't realise she was in the group too, who is she?

I haven't heard of either Urrea, or Quinlen, so now I've discovered two new authors. I'll take a look at their books, thanks :)

Thanks Pink. I might have spelled Quinlen wrong. Kathy posted that she read Miller's Valley so you can check there.
My mom is Lisa. She recently joined but hasn't joined any challenges or discussions yet but I'm sure she'd love to be involved.

That's okay, I found Quindlen's books and took a quick look at a few of them. None of them jump out at me as something that I might like, so I'll have to give it some more thought.

I do really like the sound of Urrea though and I've already added a couple of his books to my tbr. I'll have to see what I can find at the library.

I think your Mum might have added me as a friend and we've exchanged a couple of messages before. Unless it's a different Lisa of course! Hi anyway and I hope you join in too. I can always do with more book recommendations and discussions!

Anna Quindlen novel Black and Blue is on Guardian's list of 1000 books to read.

Pink I'm halfway done with this challenge see above. Duane I read Black and Blue years ago. I thought it was a good book but nothing special enough to put it on a top list. It's still worth trying though. Oh and for Q, Kristin Quade has been recommended to me as well.

Duane wrote: "Anna Quindlen novel Black and Blue is on Guardian's list of 1000 books to read."

I should probably read it then, but it just doesn't appeal. Maybe I'll pick it up later and be surprised!

My only Q thoughts for a classic at the moment are Confessions of an English Opium Eater by Thomas de Quincey.

In the past I've read and enjoyed The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

I've got a few other books to read first, before I get really stumped.

Urrea sounds very interesting. I have added two of his books to my TBR and probably found my "U".

Since we are opining on Quindlen, I do not think Black and Blue is her best work. I'd read Blessings or One True Thing. Both are excellent.

Just discovered a way to find difficult letter authors (and titles is on Gutenberg.org.

Just for fun, here's some possibilities:

Arthur Quiller-Couch
Naughts and Crosses
On The Art Of Reading

and

Evelyn Underhill
Practical Mysticism: A Little Book for Normal People

I got my Z author with In Defense of a Liberal Education by Fareed Zakaria. It was a little dry, but since it argues that a liberal arts education is still important in our high-tech, specialized education world, I enjoyed reading it. So now I have completed 11/26.

Update Message 82: 17/26
Finally finished the Decameron so moved Theophile Gauiter to T and Giovanni Boccaccio can slot in at G.
I also read a 'bid for fortune by Guy Newell Boothby' but even with 3 names that didn't get me any closer ;) .

Having trouble finding O, P, W, X, and Y.

Just a few ideas of authors I've read for these letters-

O- George Orwell
P- Patricia Highsmith
W- Evelyn Waugh, H.G. Wells
X - Xenophon, Malcolm X
Y- Yeats

I'll suggest Xinran for an X author,
Jane Yolen for Y


Book Browse is a nice site to find authors by name -- here is a link for O: https://www.bookbrowse.com/read-alike...

Thanks for ideas. I read Number the Stars as kid so anything Jane Yolen wrote should be good. I'm trying to do last name only otherwise Patricia Highsmith is good too. Try for someone other than James Patterson, not that he's bad but looking for more substance.

Brina wrote: "Thanks for ideas. I read Number the Stars as kid so anything Jane Yolen wrote should be good. I'm trying to do last name only otherwise Patricia Highsmith is good too. Try for someone other than Ja..."

I've got The Legend of Bagger Vance: A Novel of Golf and the Game of Life by Steven Pressfield on my list for my P author.

Thanks Kathy. I'm going to read that one as well. I remember when movie came out but I never saw it or read book. Bonus, it's about sports :)

Did you read Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae by Steven Pressfield....its very good.

siriusedward wrote: "Did you read Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae by Steven Pressfield....its very good."

Yes -- I agree, a very good book.

Gates of Fire is good. If you've seen the movie, 300, it's about that battle

Pink wrote: "A-Z Author Challenge 2016

The challenge is to read 26 books, by 26 different authors, one for each letter of the alphabet.

The books can be any genre or publication date and you may use the aut..."
A Arthur Conan Doyle- A Study in Scarlet
B Bram Stoker- Dracula
C
D
E Edgar Allan Poe- The Murders in the Rue Morgue
F
G
H
I
J John Steinbeck- The Grapes of Wrath
K K.P. Yohannan- No Longer a Slumdog
L
M Mary Shelley- Frankenstein
N
O
P
R
S Samuel Taylor Coleridge- Christabel and Kubla Khan
T T.S. Eliot- The Wasteland
U
V
W Walt Whitman- Leaves of Grass
X
Y
Z Zane Grey- Riders of the Purple Sage

Reading Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea for my U.

Brina wrote: "Reading Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea for my U."

That sounds like a wonderful read. Let me know how it ends up for you.