The Book Vipers discussion

Here is my list. I'm going for all Classics and all 26.
Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice
Emily Bronte - Wuthering Heights
Agatha Christie - And Then There Were None
Charles Dickens - The Old Curiosity Shop
Ralph Ellison - Invisible Man
Gustav Flaubert - Madame Bovary
Graham Greene - Orient Express
Thomas Hardy - Jude the Obscure
Washington Irving - Old Christmas
James Joyce - Dubliners
Franz Kafka - The Metamorphosis
DH Lawrence - Lady Chatterley's Lover
Margaret Mitchell - Gone with the Wind
Vladimir Nabokov - Lolita
George Orwell - The Road to Wigan Pier
Boris Pasternak - Dr Zhivago
Thomas de Quincy - Confessions of an English Opium Eater
Arthur Ransome - Swallows and Amazons
John Steinbeck - The Grapes of Wrath
JRR Tolkein - The Hobbit
Eros Urides - The Planet Mars and its Inhabitants
Jules Verne - Journey to the Centre of the Earth
Edith Wharton - House of Mirth
Cao Xueqin - The Golden Days
WB Yeats - Folk and Fairytales of the Irish Peasantry
Emile Zola - The Joy of Life

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Well first one finished.
A- A god in ruins. Kate Atkinson
B - SPQR: A history of ancient Rome. Mary Beard
C -Don't Tell Mum I Work on the Rigs, She Thinks I'm a Piano Player in a Whorehouse. Paul Carter
D- A dying light in Córdoba Lindsey Davis
E - Dark tides by Chris Ewan
F Claire Fuller. Our endless numbered days
G- Problem to solution. Evan George et al
H - Leap In: A Woman, Some Waves and the Will to Swim. Alexandra Heminsley
I The horse boy, Rupert Isaacson
J Sculptors daughter. Rove Jansen
K-You are therefore i am. Satish Kumar
L - A house in the sky. Amanda Lindhout
M - The Tidal Zone. Sarah Moss
N- Liz Nugent. Lying in Wait
O- Natural causes. James Oswald
P-Rest. Why you get more done when you work less. Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
Q Freya. Anthony Quinn.
R-Set in darkness. Ian Rankin
S- The January Man. Christopher Somerville.
T - The 12 lives of Samuel Hawley. Hannah Tinti
U- Die for you. Lisa Unger.
V- Mr Golightly's holiday. Salley Vickers
W - Watching Eddie. Camilla Way
X- Xinran Sky Burial
Y-Six Four. Hideo Yokoyama
Z-The lady of sorrows. Anne Zouroudi

Oops Hannah Tinti needs to be added. How do I edit the post Paul?

Please.

Not sure in the app, on the web site there will be an edit option in the bottom right

I don't think you can edit posts on the app.

Ok. May try that. Thanks.

It worked! Thanks

Think I have finalised my list - although knowing me I'll probably change a couple as I go along! These are all books that have been on my shelves in real and ebook forms for a while - bar 2 that i've had to get for Q and X - so am looking forward to getting stuck in!

A - Lyrebird by Cecilia Ahern
B - 2am at the Cats Pajamas by Marie-Helene Bertino
C - Call of the Undertow by Linda Cracknell
D - Julius Winsome by Gerard Donovan
E - Doorways by Robert Enright
F - The Somnambulist by Essie Fox
G - Little Girl Lost by Janet Gover
H - Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig
I - The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
J - 183 times a year by Eva Jordan
K - Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
L - The Original Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig
M - The Moth Snowstorm by Michael McCarthy
N - Uprooted by Naomi Novak
O - Wesley the remarkable owl by Stacey O'Brien
P - The Breakdown by B.A. Paris
Q - Exercises in Style by Raymond Queaneau
R - The bookshop on the corner by Rebecca Raisin
S - The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
T - The Secret Library by Oliver Tearle
U - The Witchfinders Sister by Beth Underdown
V - Sex Object by Jessica Valenti
W - Girl Reading by Katie Ward
X - The Good Women of China by Xinran
Y - A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Z - Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Here's my list for this challenge. I'm using books I already have in hard copy or on my Kindle. I will have to fill in 8 letters with new books. Oh, darn. ;-) And DONE!

Adams, Thelma: The Last Woman Standing READ
Brooks, Geraldine: Year of Wonders READ
Cheng, Eugenia: How to Bake Pi: An Edible Exploration of the Mathematics of Mathematics READ
Dempsey, Diana: Falling Star READ
Endo, Shusaku: Silence READ
Farris, Sandra: Can You Hear the Music? READ
Gelasimov, Andrei: Into the Thickening Fog READ
Hamett, Dashiell: The Maltese Falcon READ
Irving, John: A Prayer for Owen Meany READ
Jonasson, Jonas: The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden READ
Konnikova, Maria: Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes READ
Lewis, M.G.: The Monk READ
Machado, David: The Shelf Life of Happiness READ
Nugent, Liz: Unraveling Oliver READ
Orwell, George: Animal Farm READ
Perrin, Kathleen: The Keys of the Watchmen READ
Qureshi, Nabeel: Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity READ
Robison, John: Be Different: Adventures of a Free-Range Aspergian READ
Swift, JonathonGulliver's Travels READ
Toalson, R.L.: The Secret READ
Underwood, Michael: Goddess of Death READ
Verne, Jules: 20000 Leagues Under the Sea READ
Weil, Andrew: 8 Weeks to Optimum Health READ
Xinran, Xue: Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet READ
Yohannan, K.P.: The Road to Reality: Coming Home to Jesus from the Unreal World READ
Zahariades, Damon: To-Do List Formula: A Stress-Free Guide To Creating To-Do Lists That Work! READ

I have tried my best to combine this list from books I already own, so will also encompass the dusty bookshelf challenge K, N, Q, V, X and Y, I will have to find, so these may change.


Margaret Atwood – The Blind Assassin Read
Charlotte Bronte – Villette
Wilkie Collins – The Dead Secret
Sarah Dunant – Blood & Beauty: The Borgias
Umberto Eco – The Name of the Rose
F. Scott Fitzgerald – Tender Is the Night
Jasper Gibson – A Bright Moon For FoolsRead
Khaled Hosseini – The Kite Runner
Kazuo Ishiguro – When We Were OrphansRead
P D James – Death Comes to Pemberley
Sue Monk Kidd - The Secret Life of Bees
Choderlos De Laclos – Dangerous LiaisonsRead
Haruki Murakami – Norweigan WoodRead
Sylvia Nasar – A Beautiful Mind
Lauren Owen – The Quick
Edgar Allen Poe – The Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe: Tales... - Scholar's Choice Edition
Kwei Quartey –s Wife of the Gods
Edward Rutherfurd – Sarum: The Novel of England
Berhard Schlink - The ReaderRead
Donna Tartt - The GoldfinchRead
Alfred Uhry – Driving Miss Daisy
Kurt Vonnegut – Slaughterhouse-FiveRead
Alice Walker – The Color Purple
Gao Xinjain – Soul Mountain
Richard Yates – Revolutionary Road
Carlos Ruiz Zafon – The Prisoner of Heaven

Saffron, I really like your book list!

I'm going for books on my kindle so only 7 to start with

M - A Game of Thrones George R.R. Martin
C - The Masked City Genevieve Cogman
N -Sabriel Garth Nix
P - Z 2135 Sean Platt
R - Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable GuideJ.K. Rowling
W - The Submission Amy Waldman
F - The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald

Thank you Christine

Saffron wrote: "I have tried my best to combine this list from books I already own, so will also encompass the dusty bookshelf challenge K, N, Q, V, X and Y, I will have to find, so these may change.


Margaret At..."
You're missing an S!

Well spotted Patricia thank you. I had so many to choose from I left it out completely!

Love this challenge Paul. I'm starting by committing to two rows (but I expect I'll end up reading more).

Can someone remind me what the blue blocks mean? I can't remember what they meant in the game to guess how I should treat them in the challenge?

I think you treat them as completed, so you can use them when completing your row.

Thanks Charlotte. They are fillers, so either a free move or an extra book

I really like your list too, Saffron! Some grest choices. May borrow some of the ideas for when K do mine when I get back from the north!

Thanks Paul. I'm never one to take a free pass so will treat them as a free choice book.

My first row will be:

X- Qui Xiaolong Death of a Red Heroine READ
Free Choice- Neil Gaiman Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fiction and Illusions READ
H- Alice Hoffman The Museum of Extraordinary Things READ
P- Orhan Pamuk A Strangeness in My Mind READ
R- Ransom Riggs Library of Souls READ
W- Ruby Wax A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled READ
K- Katie Kirby Hurrah for Gin: A book for perfectly imperfect parents READ

Paul, as always your list looks really interesting. Where do you find so many interesting books?

Saffron, I love your list too! I loved both "The Secret Life of Bees" and "Norwegian Wood".

Tea, "A Game of Thrones" is the book that got me back into reading after I had my son, and is a fatastic book. The Sabriel series is one I studied at university and it remains a firm favourite- i just reread them all before Christmas including the latest book in that series. I'd love to know what you make of it when you read it.

Thank you Charlotte. There is a lot more well written non fiction these days, and it is almost a sixth sense now when scouring the publishers catalogues.

I've never scoured a publishers catalogue- that's clearly where I've been going wrong!

Just do what I do...read what Paul reads. :-)

That seems like a viable alternative!

Jason wrote: "Just do what I do...read what Paul reads. :-)"

Charlotte wrote: "That seems like a viable alternative!"

Ha ha! You're going to like this year then

I'll go for all 26 letters. Some of them are difficult but I'll do my best. I'll fill them in as I go because I have no idea what I'll be reading this year and how they might fit in (I do know they will all be fiction because the only non-fiction I read are maths textbooks which are a little dull)

A
B
C
D
E
F - The Silver Dark Sea Read
G
H
I
J
K
L - Hex on the Beach
M - The Ship of Brides Read
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

Lisa wrote: "I really like your list too, Saffron! Some grest choices. May borrow some of the ideas for when K do mine when I get back from the north!"

Thank you and Charlotte, I spent my whole New Years Eve compiling it, just what us book types do for fun I guess. And I read one today already too.

Saffron- I spent most of my New Years Eve sorting my books out!

OK, found a few more. And have included a couple of children's books this time. Trying hard to pick from what I already have on the shelf or on Audible/Kindle.

A - Kill Me Again by Rachel Abbott
B - The Muse by Jessie Burton
C - Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan
D - What We Didn't Say by Rory Dunlop
E - The Mirror World of Melody Black OR The Empathy Problem by Gavin Extence
F - My Beautiful Friend by Elena Ferrante
G - A Dying Fall by Ruth Galloway
H - The Lie Tree by Francis Hardinge
I - Natchez Burning by Greg Iles
J - Looking Good Dead by Peter James
K - Himself by Jess Kidd
L - The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
M - Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty
N - Holding by Graham Norton
O - Animal Farm by George Orwell
P - Thin Air by Michelle Paver
Q - Man on Fire by A J Quinnell
R - Three Martini Lunch by Suzanne Rindell
S - Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens
T - The Ice Twins by SK Tremayne
U - An Expert in Murder by Josephine Upson
V - Something by Mario Vargas Llosa
W - Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk
X
Y - I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
Z

Here is my Bookbuster list - or at least a first draft... - I will be curious to see which of these books will make it to the final list and which ones are going to be replaced by different titles as I go along!

It is mainly a mix of fiction books - I tried to include those already waiting on a 'dusty bookshelf'/kindle, some translations and books written in Polish (which is my first language). However I’ve also added some non-fiction titles, as per my recent resolution to read more of these in 2017.

A -Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
B - Sweet Caress by William Boyd
C - Confessions by Jaume Cabré
D - Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty
E - The Green Road by Anne Enright
F - Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl
G - Przeznaczeni by Katarzyna Grochola
H - Carol by Patricia Highsmith
I - The Notable Brain of Maximilian Ponder by John Ironmonger
J - Dirty Old London: The Victorian Fight Against Filth by Lee Jackson
K - When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
L - The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain
M - Lives of Girls and Women by Alice Munro
N - Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
O - The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell
P - Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
Q - All the World's Mornings by Pascal Quignard (subject to availability - not in my library and difficult to find a cheap copy)
R - The Year of Living Danishly: My Twelve Months Unearthing the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country by Helen Russell
S - The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks
T - House of Day, House of Night by Olga Tokarczuk
U - On Black Sisters Street by Chika Unigwe
V - The Other Side of You by Salley Vickers
W - Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World by Mark Williams
X - Message from an Unknown Chinese Mother: Stories of Loss and Love by Xinran
Y - Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
Z - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Rivers of London is superb

I nearly went with Rivers of London. It was 50/50 choice for A.... may swap that one.

I was hesitating between Rivers of London and the Japanese Lover by Isabelle Allende or Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood for A - decided to go with Aaronovitch to expand my horizons :-) as I haven't yet ready any of his books.

I am doing an 8-book line, a convoluted route to take in some vague reading plans. Hope to do more though if I can make them fit, but I've learned my lesson about overstretching myself on challenges by failing to finish the 2016 one!

M - A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin – READ
C –
N – Unravelling Oliver by Liz Nugent - READ
P – Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett (and Neil Gaiman) - READ
R –
G – Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman - READ
I –
L – Sister by Rosamund Lupton – READ

Listing others in case I can do more lines!

A – Life After Life by Kate Atkinson – READ
K – Hurrah for Gin: A book for perfectly imperfect parents by Katie Kirby – READ
F – We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

Aneta wrote: "I was hesitating between Rivers of London and the Japanese Lover by Isabelle Allende or Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood for A - decided to go with Aaronovitch to expand my horizons :-) as I haven..."

So many good As! I really want to read more Atwood – I didn't have time to do the recent group read – and everyone keeps telling me about that Aaronovitch too (Paul is a strong advocate and knows what he's talking about!)

I really like your list, Aneta, and look forward to hearing your thoughts on your books as you read them.

I am tempted to nominate it in March

Atwood is great. She had a brief spell when she was too clever for me. Now she's back to what I can understand, and care enough about to bother with if I don't.

Lisa wrote: "Aneta wrote: "I was hesitating between Rivers of London and the Japanese Lover by Isabelle Allende or Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood for A - decided to go with Aaronovitch to expand my horizons ..."

I am a massive Margaret Atwood fan, reading The Blind Assassin at the moment, she is the best kind of eccentric genius.

I am going to update my list as I go as I change my mind a lot!

I am going to read 20 but try and do 26

A- AJ Arlidge Eeny Meeny
B- James Benmore Dodger
C - Mary Higgins Clark The Sleeping Beauty Killer
D -Terry Deary Dangerous Days in Elizabethan England
E -DaveEggers The Wild Things
F - Carrie fisher The Princess Diarist
G - Neil Gaiman- Norse Mythology
H - Paula Hawkins Into the Water
I - Washington Irving- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
J -Diana Wynne Jones - Charmed Life
K -Marian Keyes The Brightest Star in the Sky
L- Stephen Leather Nightfall
M- Erin Morgenstern The Night Circus
N- Jo Nesbo The Devil's Star
O - Hollie Overton Baby Doll
P - James Patterson Private
Q - Kate Quinn Mistress of Rome
R -Christopher Ransom Beneath the Lake
S - Tina Seskins The Honeymoon
T - Paul Tremblay A Head Full of Ghosts
U - Lisa Unger Ink and Bone
V- Jules Verne 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and other Classic Novels
W -Ruth Ware The Woman in Cabin 10
X-Xinlan Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet
Y - ying ying - Starting with Max
Z- Carlos Ruiz Zafon The Midnight Palace
* Jodi Piccoult Small Great Things
* Walter Moers The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear

I am doing one diagonal row, 7 books. (I haven't seen the game show, is a diagonal row acceptable?)

1/7

E: The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
J: Daisy Miller by Henry James
S: Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
V: Candide by Voltaire✔
R: The Ghost Writer by Philip Roth
W: The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
F: Aspects of the Novel by E.M. Forster

Annika wrote: "I am doing one diagonal row, 7 books. (I haven't seen the game show, is a diagonal row acceptable?) ..."

That is fine Annika

Lisa wrote: "Aneta wrote: "I was hesitating between Rivers of London and the Japanese Lover by Isabelle Allende or Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood for A - decided to go with Aaronovitch to expand my horizons ..."

Another contender for an A author, already waiting on my bookshelf, was Kate Atkinson's 'A God in Ruins' as I really enjoyed 'Life After Life'.

Saffron wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Aneta wrote: "I was hesitating between Rivers of London and the Japanese Lover by Isabelle Allende or Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood for A - decided to go with Aaronovitch to expand..."

The Blind Assassin and the MaddAddam trilogy are my favourites Atwood's books:-)

"A God in Ruins" is a fantastic book.

Here's my list. I've got a few "heavy" ones in here, plus others that I'm either already reading or plan on reading this year for other groups. It's an ambitious list but hopefully I'm able to finish!


A – Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
B – Trail of Broken Wings by Sejal Badani
C – Wild Boar by Candace Chong
D – All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
E – The Education of Dixie Dupree by Donna Everhart
F – Last Things by Betta Ferrendelli
G – What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell
H – From Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon
I – 50 Life and Business Lessons from Steve Jobs by George Ilian
J – All the Flowers in Shanghai by Duncan Jepson
K – The Mutual Admiration Society by Lesley Kagen
L – The Story of our Life by Shari Low
M – The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham
N – Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
O – The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy
P – The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Q – One for the Books by Joe Queenan
R – A Mother’s Confession by Kelly Rimmer
S – The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
T – Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
U – In the Beauty of the Lilies by John Updike
V – The Free by Willy Vlautin
W – Chu Ju’s House by Gloria Whelan
X – Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet by (Xue) Xinran
Y – The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds by Selina Siak Chin Yoke
Z – The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

***EDIT: I just realized I put the wrong book for U...I was thinking John Irving rather than John Updike. Updated with correct book...

Good choices

I've not quite completed my first row, but lining up the second I committed to. At the current rate I may increase my challenge.

Q- Ernesto Quinonez Chango's Fire READ
A- Naomi Alderman The Power READ
S- Melinda Salisbury The Sin Eater’s Daughter READ
V-
G- Ben Goldacre Bad Science READ
Free Choice- Hilary Mantel The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher READ
U-

I haven't determined my rows yet, just getting a few books read and then will see which rows look most likely ones for me, so I have no update of my A-Z list of likely candidates. There are some great lists here, brilliant inspiration for the trickier letters.

Storied Life of A J Fikry is a good call for "Z", Bkwmlee, though any excuse to read another Zafon is also fine by me.