The Reading Challenge Group discussion

One of my favorites! This will run all year.
26 Books in one year, each beginning with a different letter of the alphabet. (Not counting articles like "a," "an" or "the") to create your own special Alphabet Soup.

For example:
A- And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic
B- Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
C- The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
Etc.

You may use books that are from other challenges.
You may want to create a post with just the alphabet, then fill in books as you read them. Or create a "master list" of what you plan to read, then check them off as you finish each.

This thread is also the place to come for ideas on titles for letters that are trickier to find.

XXX- see below for new criteria for this letter

The letter X is always a special challenge. Here are some suggestions for dealing with this exasperating letter:
1) A book title that starts with X
Example: Xingu
2) A title in which X plays a prominent part
Example: The Autobiography of Malcolm X
3) A "number" title
Example: 1984

Template...

Alphabet Soup Template


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-

Please count me in!

Running Total: 13/26

A- Autobiography of a Super-Tramp by W.H. Davies (23/03/19)
B- Bookshop, The by Penelope Fitzgerald (21/01/19)
C- Conversations with Wilde by Merlin Holland (05/05/19)
D-
E- Edible Woman, The by Margaret Atwood (11/11/19)
F- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (31/08/19)
G- Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The by Mary Ann Shaffer (05/02/19)
H-
I- Intimate Ties: Two Novellas by Robert Musil (24/01/19)
J-
K-
L- Le Bal; And, Snow in Autumn by Irène Némirovsky (15/10/19)
M- Millstone, The by Margaret Drabble (23/04/19)
N-
O-
P- Public library and other stories by Ali Smith (08/01/19)
Q-
R- Reasons to be Cheerful by Nina Stibbe (26/06/19)
S- Starling Days by Rowan Hisayo Buchanan (26/08/19)
T- Testaments, The by Margaret Atwood (16/09/19)
U-
V-
W-
X-
Y-
Z-

I'll try for this again! I only missed 4 letters last year haha!

I'm in for this

A- Alice In Wonderland
B- Blame It On Bianca Del Rio
C- Civil War
D- (The) Dinosaur's Packed Lunch
E-
F- (The) Fixer
G- Geekhood: Close Encounters of the Girl Kind
H- (The) History of Mary prince A West Indian Slave
I- In a Dark Dark Wood
J-
K- Kisscut
L- (The) Last Days Of Archie Maxwell
M- Me And Mr J
N- Neverwhere
O-
P- Prophet
Q-
R-
S- Spider-Man Coming Home
T- (The) Tattooist Of Auschwitz
U-
V-
W- (The) Woman In Cabin 10
X- (The) Poet X
Y-
Z-

Ooof. This one gets the best of me every year. I was only about 3 letters shy in 2018 and am going to work towards completing this challenge in 2019!

A-All the Light We Cannot See (4/28)
B-Becoming (1/19)
C-Crimes Against a Book Club (8/20)
D-Digging In (7/24)
E-The Elegance of the Hedgehog (3/24)
F-The First Four Years (3/9)
G-The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (7/23)
H-
I-The Island of Sea Women (5/25)
J-Just-So Stories (1/1)
K-
L-The Long Winter (1/23)
M-Mary Poppins (1/3)
N-
O-
P-Paris for One and Other Stories (2/9)
Q-
R-
S-The Secret Garden (3/7)
T-These Happy Golden Years (2/16)
U-
V-
W-
X-
Y-
Z-

I'm in

A- All Dressed In White (1\6)
B- Blood Bond 1 (1\ 24)
C -The Choice (2/20)
D-Dark Lover (1\20)
E- Epitaph (3/20)
F- First Impressions (5/11)
G- The Great Santini (6/9)
H-Heartache Falls ( 6/16)
I- Irish Rebel (6/26)
J- Justice for Mackenzie (9/4)
K- King of Ash And Bone (9/11)
L- Lawman (7/17)
M- Murder On The Mediterranean (01/27)
N-Next Summer (4/9)
O- Of Blood And Bone (02/4)
P-Past Midnight ( 01/30)
Q- The Queen of the Damned (10/14)
R-The Rock Child (3/22)
S- Small -Town Homecoming (1/9)
T- Two By Two (3/31)
U- Under Currents ( 7/24)
V- Vision (6/26)
W- Wicked (2/11)
X- Xanadu (10- 18)
Y- You Only Love Twice Are (9/28)
Z- Zeus (1/16)



Done

I'd like to join this one

Running Total: 4/26
(view spoiler)[
A-
B- Bad Blood 4/5
C-
D-Dracula 4/25
E-
F-
G-
H-Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 1/10
I-
J-
K-
L-
M-
N-
O-
P-
Q-
R-
S- Soul Eater, Vol. 06 3/25
T-
U-
V-
W-The Waiting Room 2/11
X-
Y-
Z-
(hide spoiler)]

I would like to join in.

Alphabet Soup Challenge:

A-
B-
C-
D-
E-
F-
G-
H-
I-
J-
K-
L-
M-
N-
O-
P-
Q-
R-
S- (The) Secret of the Indian by Lynne Reid Banks
T-
U-
V-
W-
X-
Y-
Z-

Total: 1/29

A-
B-
C-
D-
E-
F-
G- (The) Girl In The Spider's Web (cr)
H- Hunger; A Memoir of (my) Body (cr)
I-
J-
K-
L-
M-
N-
O-
P-
Q-
R-
S-
T-
U-
V-
W-
X-
Y-
Z-

Sounds fun 😮 count me in!!

Ok, I'll try
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-

Count me in for this one!

I have failed the A-Z challenge the last two years, and I want to break that streak! Count me in!

Alphabet Soup Template


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-

Sounds good

A
B
C
D
E - (The) English Patient
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P - Public secrets
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

Finishing these 2 and then will get some more

Renee’s Alphabet Soup : FINISHED!


A- The Absentee**
B- Blood Rites**
C- Crooked House**
D- Death Masks**
E- Equal Rites**
F- Faking It**
G- The Grey Woman**
H- A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership**
I- I Capture the Castle**
J- Jar of Hearts**
K- The Kiss Quotient**
L- Love Among the Chickens**
M- The Murder at the Vicarage**
N- Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg**
O- Ordeal by Innocence**
P- Piccadilly Jim**
Q- The Quick and the Dead**
R- A Rather Lovely Inheritance**
S- Something Fresh**
T- Turtles All the Way Down**
U- Undead and Unemployed**
V- Very Good, Jeeves!**
W- The Woman in Cabin 10**
X- 4.50 from Paddington**
Y- You Belong to Me**
Z- Zero Visibility**

Mo’s Alphabet Soup

A- Audition by Ryū Murakami *Read 18 Feb*
B- Beyond Bullets: Creative Journaling Ideas to Customize Your Personal Productivity System by Megan Rutell *Read 7 Jan*
C- Cults, Conspiracies, and Secret Societies: The Straight Scoop on Freemasons, the Illuminati, Skull & Bones, Black Helicopters, the New World Order, and Many, Many More by Arthur Goldwag *Read 28 Mar*
D-
E- Extraordinary Hand Lettering: Creative Lettering Ideas for Celebrations, Events, Decor, More by Doris Wai *Read 17 Jan*
F- Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella *Read 7 May*
G- The Good Soldier Švejk by Jaroslav Hašek
H- How to Bullet Plan: Everything You Need to Know About Journaling with Bullet Points by Rachel Wilkerson Miller *Read 13 Jan*
I- I, Claudius: From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, Emperor of the Romans, Born BC 10, Murdered and Deified Ad 54 by Robert Graves
J- Jane Austen's England by Roy A. Adkins *Read 24 Sep*
K- Knead to Know: The Real Bread Starter by Real Bread Campaign *Read 21 Jun*
L- Lethal White by Robert Galbraith *Read 18 Jan*
M- Mansfield Park by Jane Austen *Read 12 Mar*
N- Newcomer by Keigo Higashino *Read 26 Aug*
O- One, Two, Buckle My Shoe by Agatha Christie *Read 5 Feb*
P-
Q- Queens of the Conquest by Alison Weir *Read 15 Mar*
R- Raven by Tim Reiterman *Read 22 Feb*
S- South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami *Read 5 Feb*
T- Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson *Read 15 Jul*
U- The Ultimate Brush Lettering Guide: A Complete Step-by-Step Creative Workbook to Jumpstart Modern Calligraphy Skills by Peggy Dean *Read 22 Jan*
V- Vacant Possession by Hilary Mantel *Read 3 Feb*
W- Without Pity: Ann Rule's Most Dangerous Killers by Ann Rule *Read 27 Jan*
X- Cult X by Fuminori Nakamura *Read 13 Jan*
Y- Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!: The Beatles, Beatlemania, and the Music that Changed the World by Bob Spitz *Read 17 Nov*
Z-

I'm in.

A- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
B- Brave New World
C- A Christmas Carol
D- Dark Matter
E- Evil and the Mask
F- The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm
G- The Garden of Evening Mists
H- The Hunger
I- I don't want to kill you
J- Jin Vol 1
K- Kare Kano Vol 1
L- Lord of the Flies
M- A Man called Ove
N- Nothing Left To Lose
O- Over Your Dead Body
P- The Princess Bride
Q- QP Vol 1
R- The Red Notebook
S- The Secret Life of Bees
T- Temeraire
U- Uprooted
V- The Vegetarian
W- The Winter of the Witch
X- xxxHolic Vol 1
Y- Yumeiro Patissiere Vol 1
Z- Zetsuen no Tempest

Completed December 20th!

Mary Anne’s Alphabet Soup 2019
Updated 10/31/2019 - FINISHED!

Completed 26 of 26

A - An American Marriage 2/3/2019
B - Beneath a Scarlet Sky 2/14/2019
C - The Color Purple 5/31/2019
D - Dog Songs 2/24/2019
E - Educated 9/9/2019
F - Flatland 7/21/2019
G - God Save Texas: A Journey Into the Soul of the Lone Star State 4/14/2019
H - Harry's Trees 1/30/2019
I - Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love 6/3/2019
J - Jukebox Joyride 7/9/2019
K - Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI 9/30/2019
L - Less 2/3/2019
M - My Man Jeeves 1/26/2019
N - The Nightingale 2/20/2019
O - The Overdue Life of Amy Byler 5/10/2019
P - A Place for Us 1/24/2019
Q - The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy and Women's Work 4/24/2019
R - A River in Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea 1/9/2019
S - Station Eleven 2/8/2019
T - This Is the Year I Put My Financial Life in Order 1/18/2019
U - Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption 5/11/2019
V - A Very Large Expanse of Sea 6/14/2019
W - Where'd You Go, Bernadette 4/16/2019
X - The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle 1/5/2019
Y - You do You: Proud to Be Fabulous 6/29/2019
Z - The Zookeeper's Wife 10/31/2019

I’m keen!! Hopefully I’ll get further through it this year
A- Anne of Avonlea
B- Bridget Jones's Diary
C- City of Fallen Angels
D- Dracul
E- Eleanor & Park
F- Fangirl
G- Gates of Paradise
H- Heir of Fire
I- The Iron Trial
J- J M Barrie: The Short Stories
K- The Kiss Quotient
L- The Longest Climb
M- Milk and Honey
N- Neverwhere
O- The Old Man and the Sea
P- Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man's Fundamentals for Delicious Living
Q- Queen of Shadows
R- The Rosie Project
S- The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants/The Second Summer of the Sisterhood
T- The Tattooist of Auschwitz
U- The Uncanny X-Men: An Origin Story
V- The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
W- Wild Magic
X- Essential Classic X-Men, Vol. 1
Y- You're Never Weird on the Internet
Z- The Zero

Count me in! :)

I’ll try this again.

A- Anne of Green Gables
B- Broken Homes
C- Coffin Road
D- Daddy Long-Legs:
E- Everything Under
F- Fatal Finds in Nuala
G-
H- Heart of Darkness
I- I Am Heathcliff: Stories Inspired by Wuthering Heights
J- Jacob's Room
K-
L- Lark Rise to Candleford
M- Mr. Dickens and His Carol
N- The Nightingale
O- Orlando: A Biography
P- The Provincial Lady in America
Q- The Question of Red
R- The Road From Coorain
S- The Snow Leopard
T- The Thirteenth Tale
U- An Unwanted Guest
V- The Voyage Out
W- The Wheel Spins
X-
Y-
Z-

I’m see Lethal White and The 7.5 Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle showing up on lists. I’ve been wondering about both. Hope to hear good things.

Alphabet Soup 2019


A-As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner
B-Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
C-The Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II by Liza Mundy
D-The Dinner by Herman Koch
E-Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman/Evicted by Matthew Desmond
F-Fives and Twenty-Fives by Michael Pitre
G-Glory Over Everything by Kathleen Grissom
H-How To Grow An Addict by J.A. Wright
I-Into the Water by Paula Hawkins/I'm fine...and other lies by Whitney Cummings
J-The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
K-The Kinship of Secrets by Eugenia Kim
L-Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult/ Little Deaths by Emma Flint
M-My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout/Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
N-No Exit by Taylor Adams
O-One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus
P-Pieces of Her by Karen by Karin Slaughter/The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton
Q-The Quiet Game by Greg Iles
R-Rescue by Anita Shreve
S-Still Life by Joy Fielding
T-Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare year1623
U-The Upper Room by Mary Alice Monroe
V-The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith
W-Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens/The Woman Inside by E. G. Scott
X-The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (Beautiful/Powerful book)
Y-Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes ( I LOVE THIS BOOK)
Z-Zero Day ( John Puller,#1) by David Baldacci

I'll take a whack at it! I've already read some books this year, so I'll see where those can fill in letters.

Alphabet Soup Challenge

A- Aru Shah and the End of Time
B- Brimstone and Broomsticks
C- Castle in the Air
D- Dream Things True
E- Eternal Soul
F- The Fire Prophecy
G- Give the Dark My Love
H- Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven
I- Idol Thoughts
J- June
K- Kill the Queen
L- The Lost Books: The Scroll of Kings
M-Harley Merlin and the Mystery Twins
N- The Night Realm
O- Oblivion
P- Pirate Nemesis
Q- Queen Heir
R- The Royal Treatment
S- Shifted
T- Trance
U- [The] Uncooperative Warrior
V- Voice of Power
W- Wishes to Burn
X- Seven Nights in Hell: Ruthless
Y- You Need A Bigger Sword
Z- Zawsze in Love

Alphabet Soup Titles 2019

9/26

A-
B-
C-
D-
E-Every Heart a Doorway
F-Firstlife
G-
H-
I-Illusive
J-
K-
L-The Last Academy
M-The Maze of Bones
N-
O-One False Note
P-
Q-
R-The Rose That Grew from Concrete
S-Splintered
T-Tweak: Growing Up On Methamphetamines
U-
V-
W-
X-
Y-
Z-

Started January 2019

A-Archangel's Enigma
B-Body of The Crime
C-Crimes of Cupidity
D-Dark Instincts
E-Exponent 2c
F-For the Love of Cupidity: A Valentine's Day Novella
G-The Gift
H-House of Darken
I-
J-Je Suis à Toi
K-
L-Lust
M-Midnattskronan
N-Nikolai
O-One Apocalypse
P-Prince Of Persuasion
Q-Quintessentially Q
R-Ropet från andra sidan
S-Signs of Cupidity
T-Tears of Tess
U-The Unearthly
V-Vega
W-When Sinners Kneel
X-
Y-Yes, Please
Z-

Covers (in order)

Question- I cannot find a book starting with Z. I do have The Lost City Of Z however. Could that count?

I think that’s fine. The Z is very prominent.
It’s a pretty cool book, too. :)

If anyone is looking for a Z book, Zorro by Isabel Allende is a really fun read. It is the story of Zorro and has a wide cast of characters, including Sergeant Garcia from the Walt Disney Zorro series and his wonderful horse Toronado.

Thanks Renee! And that sounds cool Rose!

Alphabet Soup Challenge

A-Assassination Vacation
B-Bird Box
C-The Cellar
D- The Dollhouse
E- Escaping into the Night
F-Fade
G- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society
H- Hawthorne Inn
I-I'll Be Gone In the Dark
J-
K-
L-
M- Me Talk Pretty One Day
N-Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsberg
O-Once Hunted
P- The Prince and the Dressmaker
Q-
R- Room
S-Stay With Me
T-
U-Unfu*k Yourself
V- Vegan, Virgin, Valentine
W-Wake
X-
Y-Yes Please
Z-

Alphabet Soup Template


A- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
B- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
C- The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes
D- The Drowning Girl by Caitlín R. Kiernan
E- Explorations of a Cosmic Soul by Allie Michele
F- The Fever Code by James Dashner
G-
H- The Hound of the Baskervilles
I- Inheritance by Christopher Paolini
J-
K-
L- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
M- Map of Fates by Maggie Hall
N- Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
O-
P-
Q-
R- The Return of Sherlock Holmes
S- Shift by Em Bailey
T- Treasure Island
U-
V- The Valley of Fear
W- A World without Princes by Soman Chainani
X-
Y- Your Name by Makoto Shinkai and Ranmaru Kotone
Z-

ABC challenge
A-
B- Bird Box
C- Circe
D-
E-
F- Fliers
G-
H- Heir of Doom
I- Inkling
J-
K-
L-
M-
N-
O-
P-
Q-
R- Restless Girls
S- Stolen Songs
T-
U- Unfollowing You
V-
W- Words on the Bathroom Walls
X-
Y-
Z-

Alphabet Soup
To make this trickier I'm going to try and avoid titles beginning with 'The'.

A- Abhorsen
B- Beneath the Skin: Great Writers on the Body
C- Convenience Store Woman
D- Dark Days
E- Educated
F- From Here to Eternity: Travelling the World to Find the Good Death
G- Ghost Wall
H- Heart-Shaped Box
I- In Watermelon Sugar
J-
K- Kingdom of Needle and Bone
L- Lirael
M- Murder on the Orient Express
N- Normal People
O- Orbiting Jupiter
P- Pride and Prejudice
Q-
R- Ragnarok: the End of the Gods
S- Sourcery
T- Thunderhead
U-
V- Veins of Magic
W- We Should All Be Feminists
X-
Y-
Z-

Oooo! Good luck with that!

I’m doing pretty well with my soup. I’ve git two letters left (message 17) H & Z. For H, I’ve planned The Hundred Days and am looking forward to spending time with Jack and Stephen again. For Z, I’m going to try Zero Visibility, which is part of the Romance Package from Audible.

I know I've got at least a couple of letters lined up in my May tbr (Educated and Pride and Prejudice off the top of my head) so I should be able to keep checking these off!

FINISHED! (Message 17)
Happily, I’d already read an H in A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership

Ready for a second helping!

Congratulations Renee!

Thanks, Gena!

Way to go, Renee!

Now that we have a new criteria for X, I will give this one a try.

Alphabet Soup Challenge

A - Almost There by Nuala O'Faolain
B - The Book of Rio: A City in Short Fiction by Toni Marques
C - Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson
D - The Doom That Came to Sarnath and Other Stories by H.P. Lovecraft
E - Electric Delights by William Plomer
F - A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939-1940 by William R. Trotter
G - Ghost Stories and Legends of Prince Edward Island by Julie V. Watson
H - Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary
I - Istanbul: City of Majesty at the Crossroads of the World by Thomas F. Madden
J - Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
K - King Ottokar's Sceptre by Hergé
L - The Linden Tree by J.B. Priestley
M - The Manuscript Found in Saragossa by Jan Potocki
N - The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches by Matsuo Bashō
O - One Story, One Song by Richard Wagamese
P - Penrod and Sam by Booth Tarkington
Q - Quincas Borba by Machado de Assis
R - The Rise and Fall of Alexandria: Birthplace of the Modern Mind by Justin Pollard
S - A Strange Manuscript found in a Copper Cylinder by James De Mille
T - Tonio Kröger by Thomas Mann
U - Der Unfried by Ludwig Ganghofer
V - Village Of The Small Houses: A Memoir Of Sorts by Ian Ferguson
W - The Way of the World by William Congreve
X - The 12:30 from Croydon by Freeman Wills Crofts
Y - The Year of Reading Dangerously: How Fifty Great Books Saved My Life by Andy Miller
Z - Zwei Kuchenesser der alte Zeit by Theodor Storm

Great job, Renee!

Interesting challenge! I have no idea where I am at this point, but I'm going to see if I can get every letter by the end of the year. I'm sure X and Q will be particularly challenging, but hey, why not?
A- After You
B- The Battle of the Labyrinth
C- A Conspiracy in Belgravia
D- Dark Matter
E- Eligible
F- First Grave on the Right
G- The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder
H- Heaven Adjacent
I- The Island of Sea Women
J- Jukebox Joyride
K- Kado: Lost Treasure of the Kadohadacho
L- The Last Olympian
M- Me Before You
N- Nimona
O- Only the Good Spy Young
P- A Place for Us
Q- The Queen of Attolia
R- Relic
S- Shameless: A Sexual Reformation
T- The Titan's Curse
U- The Unseen World
V- A Very Large Expanse of Sea
W-What Alice Forgot
X- The Poet X
Y- You're Never Weird on the Internet
Z- Zathura

Good luck with the challenge, Eileen. Renee has made X easier to get this year (message 2).

Thanks Rosemarie! I saw that, but it'll still be a challenge! I think I found a book for Q (Queen of Attolia), and I am going to look for a better choice for "V" than what I have here. I just happened to read The Velveteen Rabbit last month, so it's there for now.

Does "To Kill a Mockingbird" count as "T" or "K"?

Technically a T. But if you get close to the end of the year without a K, you can totally slip it in. :) Although, I thought The Kiss Quotient was adorable.