Friday, June 22, 2012

A to Z Book Challenge

So a while back (on my old blog), I started up one of those "101 in 1001" lists. And while I basically failed miserably*, it was definitely a good challenge that helped me to start being a little more goal-oriented.
*(I think I completed maybe 25 of them? And the official end date is in less than two months.)

Anyway, one of the items on the list was to read 26 books, one by an author whose last name starts with each letter of the alphabet. I am already a major book lover, but I wanted to explore and find books I might not normally gravitate toward. So while I gave up on the 101 in 1001 thing, I'm still working on this A to Z book list. I've chosen all 26 books (and let me tell you, it was NOT easy finding books that looked remotely interesting by authors with Q, U and X names); now it's just a matter of reading them!

For the record, I'm reading a lot more than just 26 books; these are just the ones related to this challenge. If you want to see my entire virtual library, find me on Goodreads!

I'll update this post to keep track of my progress; currently I've read 21 of 26. (The numbers in parentheses next to the books denote the order in which I've read them.)

AThe Summer We Fell Apart, by Robin Antalek (6)
BThe Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley (7)
CLittle Bee, by Chris Cleave (11)
DSarah’s Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay (8)
EA Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan (17)
FSurely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!, by Richard Feynman (4)
GThe Magicians, by Lev Grossman (14)
HBetween Sisters, by Kristin Hannah (3)
IAngry Conversations with God, by Susan Isaacs (to-read)
J13 Little Blue Envelopes, by Maureen Johnson (20)
KThe Winter Sea, by Susanna Kearsley (21)
LGrace [Eventually]: Thoughts on Faith, by Anne Lamott (5)
MThe Forgotten Garden, by Kate Morton (12)
N —  One Day, by David Nicholls (18)
OBefore I Fall, by Lauren Oliver (9)
PKeeping Faith, by Jodi Picoult (2)
QEvery Last One, by Anna Quindlen (to-read)
RHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by J.K. Rowling (15)
S — The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer (1)
TThe End of Mr. Y, by Scarlett Thomas (16)
UThe Miracle Life of Edgar Mint, by Brady Udall (19)
VTimequake, by Kurt Vonnegut (to-read)
WI Am Not a Serial Killer, by Dan Wells (10)
X Message from an Unknown Chinese Mother, by Xinran Xue (to-read)
YThe Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors, by Michele Young-Stone (to-read)
Z The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (13)

4 comments:

  1. I love Jodi Picoult! I see that she was your "P" author. My friend and I got really into her right after high school. I haven't read Keeping Faith, what'd you think?

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    1. It was really good! Super emotional, but aren't all her books? :-P I've read a few and I have a few more that I've bought but haven't read yet. Her books are sort of formulaic but I love 'em.

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  2. this is great! I might do this later on in the year :)

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