The Reading Challenge Group discussion

This one is a twist on the Alphabet Soup challenge; however, for this one you are looking for books titles that are MISSING a particular letter.

Mission: 26 books, each missing one letter of the alphabet

No A-
No B-
No C-
No D-
No E-
No F-
No G-
No H-
No I-
No J-
No K-
No L-
No M-
No N-
No O-
No P-
No Q-
No R-
No S-
No T-
No U-
No V-
No W-
No X-
No Y-
No Z-

I'm going to try this one too.
Completed: 6/26

No A-
No B- Alice in Wonderland
No C-
No D- Great Expectations
No E-
No F- Ivanhoe
No G-
No H-
No I-
No J-
No K-
No L-
No M-
No N-
No O-
No P-
No Q-
No R- Little Women
No S- The Catcher in the Rye
No T-
No U-
No V-
No W-
No X-
No Y-
No Z- Tess of the D'Urbervilles

This one sounds interesting. I think I'll give it a try.

No A-No One in the World
No B-
No C-Big Girls Drama
No D-Schemes
No E-
No F-The Escort Next Door
No G-The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
No H-
No I-
No J-Deeper Than the Dead
No K-
No L-
No M-
No N-
No O-
No P-
No Q-
No R-
No S-
No T-
No U-
No V-
No W-
No X-
No Y-
No Z-

This is going to be fun. I have been doing the regular A-Z of titles long before I joined this group, so I like this twist on the challenge.

No A - Miss Hickory by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey
No B - The Cow-Tail Switch: And Other West African Stories by Harold Courlander
No C - Adventures in Understanding by David Grayson
No D - Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
No E - Storm-blast by Curtis Parkinson
No F - Deutsche Unsinnspoesie
No G - The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
No H - Over Prairie Trails by Frederick Philip Grove
No I - Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze by Elizabeth Foreman Lewis
No J - Das vergnügliche Leben der Doktorin Löhnefink by Konrad Beste
No K - The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare
No L - Barometer Rising by Hugh MacLennan
No M - Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay
No N - Water Rat by Marnie Laird
No O - Grain by Robert J.C. Stead
No P- Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
No Q - The Cay by Theodore Taylor
No R - The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
No S - The Pearl by John Steinbeck
No T- Before Adam by Jack London
No U- The Twits by Roald Dahl
No V - The Sorrow Of War by Bảo Ninh
No W - On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder
No X - The Waste Land and Other Poems by T.S. Eliot
No Y - Solaris by Stanisław Lem
No Z - My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara

I'll give it a go. It should be interesting.

No A-Solitude Creek 1/10/2017 (author: Jeffery Deaver)
No B-Opening Hearts 1/21/2017 (author: Iona Finley)
No C-Her Naughty Holiday 2/12/2017 (author: Tiffany Reisz)
No D-Becoming Lisette 2/7/2017 (author: Rebecca Glenn)
No E-Nobody But You 1/13/2017 (author: Jill Shalvis)
No F-Hart's Desire- A Lowcountry Seduction 2/14/2017 (author: Chloe Flowers)
No G-The Question of Max 2/1/2017 (author: Amanda Cross)
No H-Crome Yellow 1/23/2017 (author: Aldous Huxley)
No I-Her Halloween Treat 1/11/2017 (author: Tiffany Reisz)
No J-All the Ugly and Wonderful Things 2/16/2017 (author: Bryn Greenwood)
No K-Explicit Encounters 2/22/2017 (author/editor: Elizabeth Coldwell
No L-Hard as Rock 2/3/2017 (author: Olivia Thorne)
No M-Hollow City 1/26/2017 (author: Ransom Riggs)
No N-Rock Me Hard 1/17/2017 (author: Olivia Thorne)
No O-Wanna Get Lucky? 1/12/2017 (author: Deborah Coonts)
No P-Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk 2/14/2017 (author: Ben Fountain)
No Q-The Girl Before 2/24/2017 (author: J.P. Delaney)
No R-Shadows and Ghosts-1/24/2017 (author: Barbara Froman)
No S-Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table- 1/8/2017 (author: Ruth Reichl)
No T-She Made Me Laugh: My Friend Nora Ephron- 1/7/2017 (author: Richard Cohen)
No U-Rock All Night 1/29/2017 (author: Olivia Thorne)
No V-A Street Cat Named Bob: How One Man and His Cat Found Hope on the Streets 2/23/2017 (author: James Bowen)
No W-Q Road 2/17/2017 (author: Bonnie Jo Campbell)
No X-Tutt and Mr. Tutt 2/25/2017 (author: Arthur Cheney Train)
No Y-The Woman in Cabin 10-1/19/2017 (author: Ruth Ware)
No Z-Secrets of Men in a Lifeboat 2/28/2017 (author: Todd R. Baker)


26/26
Completed 2/28/2017

This sounds like an interesting challenge.
26/26- finished 6-18

No A- Cinder
No B- The House of Hades
No C- Rebel of the Sands
No D- Thirteen Reasons Why
No E- Crown of Midnight
No F- A Dog's Purpose
No G- Cress
No H-Room
No I- Throne of Glass
No J- Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race
No K- Traitor to the Throne
No L- The Night Circus
No M- Scarlet
No N- The Girls
No O- City of Glass
No P- Things I Should Have Known
No Q- So Far From Home: the Diary of Mary Driscoll, an Irish Mill Girl, Lowell, Massachusetts, 1847
No R- Flame in the Mist
No S- The Mark of Athena
No T- Gone Girl
No U- Caraval
No V- Daughter of the Pirate King
No W- A Court of Thorns and Roses
No X- Separated @ Birth: A True Love Story of Twin Sisters Reunited
No Y- Fairest
No Z- Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

I'm totaly going to do this one!

No A-
No B-Where The Heart Is ~ 1/3/17
No C- The Bell Jar ~ 1/4/17
No D- The Last Mile ~ 1/13/17
No E-
No F-The Picture of Dorian Gray - 1/11/17
No G- Miracle in the Andes - 1/12/17
No H-
No I-
No J-I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban

No K-
No L-
No M-
No N-
No O-
No P-
No Q-
No R-
No S-
No T-
No U-
No V-
No W-
No X-
No Y-
No Z-

I'm in for this as well!

No A: The Wind in the Willows (1/14/17)
No B: The Real Liddy James (1/23/17)
No C: Little House in the Big Woods (1/25/17)
No D: Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis (2/6/17)
No E: Room (10/15/17)
No F: Alice in Tumblr-land (1/3/17)
No G: Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History (1/28/17)
No H: Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption (2/13/17)
No I: Farmer Boy (2/4/17)
No J: Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began (1/29/17)
No K: Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice (2/15/17)
No L: The Brain: The Story of You (3/6/17)
No M: All Quiet on the Western Front (2/22/17)
No N: Death Comes to Pemberley (3/4/17)
No O: Karnak Café (1/3/17)
No P: Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic (2/16/17)
No Q: The Lightning Thief (3/11/17)
No R: The Expats (1/17/17)
No S: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (3/8/17)
No T: A Man Called Ove (4/22/17)
No U: The XYZ Affair. (1/8/17)
No V: Little House on the Prairie (3/13/17)
No W: Sense & Sensibility (2/28/17)
No X: The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun (2/20/17)
No Y: Ella Minnow Pea (1/15/17)
No Z: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking (1/2/17)

I will give it a try.

No A - Hooked into Murder by Celeste Bennett
No B - The Mirror in My Dorm Room
No C - A Body in the Bargain
No D - Putting on the Witch by Joyce and Jim Lavene
No E - Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs
No F - Still Surviving Henry by Erin Taylor Young
No G - Fractured by Katherine McKenzie
No H - Breaking Point by C. J. Box
No I - Earnest by Kristin Von Kreisler
No J - goodnight, nobody by Jennifer Weiner
No K - Hotel Iris by Yoko Owaga
No L - I've Got You Under My Skin by Mary Higgins Clark
No M - The Bronxville Book Club by Pam Hobson
No N - "J" is for Judgement by Sue Grafton
No O - Specimen 313 by Jeff Strand
No P - "I" is for Innocent by Sue Grafton
No Q - Graverobbers Wanted: No experience Necessary/Jeff Strand
No R - Home by Harlan Coben
No S - Everywhere That Mary Went by Lisa Scottoline
No T - Final Appeal by Lisa Scottoline
No U - The Ghost Writer by Damon Norko
No V - The Twenty Three by Linwood Barclay
No W - One Mile Under by Andrew Gross
No X - Meg: Nightstalkers
No Y - Force of Nature by C. J. Box
No Z - The Last Town by Blake Crouch

I'm also in

No A-
No B-
No C-
No D-
No E-
No F-
No G-
No H-
No I-
No J-
No K-
No L-
No M-
No N-
No O-
No P-
No Q-
No R-
No S-
No T-
No U-
No V-
No W-
No X-
No Y-
No Z-

I'm in!
No A- Iron Kissed
No B-The Serpent King
No C-
No D-
No E-
No F-
No G-
No H-
No I- Bone Crossed
No J-
No K-
No L-
No M- City of Bones
No N-
No O-
No P- Silver Borne
No Q-
No R- City of Ashes
No S-
No T-
No U-
No V-
No W-
No X-
No Y-
No Z-

So fun & challenging!

No A- The Prison Book Club
No B- 2001: A Space Odyssey
No C- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
No D- Bones to Ashes
No E- Good Harbor
No F- Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
No G- Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
No H- American Gods
No I- Antony and Cleopatra
No J-All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation
No K- One Good Friend Deserves Another
No L- Shine Shine Shine
No M- The People of Forever Are Not Afraid
No N- The Witches of Eastwick
No O- Light Years
No P- The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: A Fable about Fulfilling Your Dreams and Reaching Your Destiny
No Q- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
No R- A Place at the Table: A Novel
No S- Tamarind Mem
No T- Break No Bones
No U- A Soft Place to Land
No V- The Queen of Katwe: One Girl's Triumphant Path to Becoming a Chess Champion by Tim Crothers
No W- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
No X- Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
No Y- The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
No Z-The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson

What a fun twist! Hopefully I will hit all 26.


No A- The Reptile Room finished 2/8
No B- The Wide Window finished 3/15
No C- The Bone Labyrinth finished 3/11
No D- The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear 1/23
No E- Jackaby 7/3
No F- The Last Oracle 5/24
No G- Murder on the Orient Express 7/25
No H- Livia Lone 8/13
No I-
No J- The Bad Beginning 1/28
No K- A Good Marriage 9/20
No L- Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch 10/23
No M- The Facts of Life and Death 11/15
No N- The Beautiful Dead 11/27
No O- The Mermaid's Sister 12/6
No P-
No Q-
No R-
No S-
No T-
No U-
No V-
No W-
No X-
No Y-
No Z-

Sounds fun and interesting.
No A-
No B-
No C-
No D-
No E-
No F-
No G-
No H-
No I-
No J-
No K-
No L-
No M-
No N-
No O-
No P-
No Q-
No R-
No S-
No T-
No U-
No V-
No W-
No X-
No Y-
No Z-

Renee, At last an alphabetical game where the end of the alphabet is EZ! I'm going to challenge myself to do this list in order.

No a. Common Sense by Thomas Paine
No b. The Small House at Allington
No c. The Writings of Thomas Jefferson
No d. The Last Chronicle of Barsetshire
No e. Distant Star
No f. The Kingdom by the Sea
No g My First Summer in the Sierra
No h. July's People
No I. Rachel Ray
No j. The Innocents Abroad
No k. A Little Swiss Sojourn
No l. Unbeaten Tracks in Japan
No m Daybreak
No n. The Spell of Egypt
No o. The Scarlet Pimpernel
No p. Gilead
No q. The Problem of China
No r. The Laughing Policeman
No s. Act III in Patagonia
No t. Ru
No u. The Woodlanders
No v. The Old Gringo
No w. The Death of Ivan Ilyitch
No x. The Greek View of Life
No y. Outlander
No z. My Brilliant Career

I will try this

No A- Cinder
No B- The Iron King
No C- Bridge to Terabithia
No D- City of the Lost
No E- The Diary of a Young Girl
No F- Ella Enchanted
No G- City of the Lost
No H- Old Yeller
No I-
No J-
No K-
No L-
No M-
No N-
No O-
No P-
No Q-
No R-
No S-
No T-
No U-
No V-
No W-
No X-
No Y-
No Z- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 & 2

Linda wrote: "Renee, At last an alphabetical game where the end of the alphabet is EZ! I'm going to challenge myself to do this list in order.

No a. Common Sense by Thomas Paine
No b. The Small House at Allingt..."

Wow! That makes it more of a challenge. Good luck. Me, I just eliminated the most popular letters (vowels, S, T, N, etc.) first.

I'm in on this

No A- The Scribe by Elizabeth Hunter
No B-Protector by Diana Palmer
No C-The German Girl by Armando Lucas Correa
No D- The Fury by L.J Smith
No E-Night Born by Lynn Viehl
No F- Winter by Marissa Meyer
No G- Real Murders by Charlaine Harris
No H-Masques by Patricia Briggs
No I-A Seal's Oath by Cora Seton
No J-Wicked 2 Legacy & Spellbound by Nancy Holder
No K-Shatter Me by Taheteh Mafi
No L-The Cowboy Inherits A Bride by Cora Seton
No M-Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman
No N- Dead Over Heels by Charline Harris
No O- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Colline
No P-The Awakening by L.J Smith
No Q-The Julius House by Charline Harris
No R-Come Sundown by Nora Roberts
No S-The Girl With Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
No T- Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris
No U- Three Bedrooms,One Copse by Charlaine Harris
No V-The last battle by C.S Lewis
No W- Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris
No X-The Obsession by Nora Roberts
No Y-Wicked 1 -Witch & Curse by Nancy Holder
No Z- Cress by Marissa Meyer

Done

Nancy wrote: "Linda wrote: "Renee, At last an alphabetical game where the end of the alphabet is EZ! I'm going to challenge myself to do this list in order.

No a. Common Sense by Thomas Paine
No b. The Small Ho..."

Nancy, It's fun, isn't it...however you limit it. I'm getting to know the alphabet in a whole new way.

Just finished my first round of anti alphabet :)

Great work!

Congratulations, Amber.

I just completed the first round of anti-alphabet challenge as well. I am going to try to do it again, this time in order.

Congratulations, Rosemarie and Nancy!

Anti-alphabet (in order)
No A-Circling the Sun--Paula McLain 3/11/2017
No B-Going for Kona--Pamela Fagan Hutchins 3/12/2017
No C-Die Like an Eagle--Donna Andrews 3/16/2017
No D-Big Little Lies--Liane Moriarty 3/19/2017
No E-Last First Kiss--Lia Riley 4/13/2017
No F-Tangled Threads--Jennifer Estep 4/16/2017
No G-Banished Love--Ramona Flightner 4/17/2017
No H-Craving for Love--Violet Vaughn 4/19/2017
No I-Lease on Love--Violet Vaughn 4/22/2017
No J-I Saw a Man--Owen Sheers 4/23/2017
No K-From Glowing Embers--Emilie Richards 4/27/2017
No L-Man and Boy--Tony Parsons 4/30/2017
No M-Spider’s Revenge--Jennifer Estep 5/2/2017
No N-Rescue--Anita Shreve 5/5/2017
No O-By a Thread--Jennifer Estep 5/7/2017
No P-Widow’s Web--Jennifer Estep 5/9/2017
No Q-The Story Keeper--Lisa Wingate 5/14/2017
No R-The Confession of Stella Moon--Shelley Day 5/15/2017
No S-Neighborhood Watch--Cammie McGovern 5/17/2017
No T-Good Guys Love Dogs--Inglath Cooper 5/26/2017
No U-When Breath Becomes Air--Paul Kalanithi 5/27/2017
No V-Deadly Sting--Jennifer Estep 5/29/2017
No W-One for the Money--Janet Evanovich 6/1/2017
No X-Family Tree-Susan Wiggs 6/8/2017
No Y-Queen of the Trailer Park by Alice Quinn 6/12/2017
No Z-Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson 6/14/2017

26/26 Round Two completed

25/26

Nancy wrote: "Congratulations, Amber.

I just completed the first round of anti-alphabet challenge as well. I am going to try to do it again, this time in order."

Great job Nancy! I actually like the idea of trying it in order for the 2nd time around; I think I'm going to try it that way too.

Amber wrote: "Nancy wrote: "Congratulations, Amber.

I just completed the first round of anti-alphabet challenge as well. I am going to try to do it again, this time in order."

Great job Nancy! I actually like ..."

Thanks Amber. I have already found it is more difficult. I just finished a book (Thaw by Satya Robyn) that wouldn't work for the A. So I will have to be careful with what I read and in what order. Good luck Amber with your challenge as well.

I too am doing it in order. It is a little tricky, especially where I am now (MNOP), but I like the challenge of it. I feel like a chess player, lining up my moves/reads in advance. :)

Good luck with the rest of your challenge Linda. Yes, it does feel that way sometimes with all of the challenges doesn't it? :)

That's true Nancy-I've noticed that already too. I read a couple books before finally reading one that has "No A"

Update:

Message 14

All done - that was fun! Great challenge.

Way to go, Sam. Which book did you like the most? And which the least, if there was one?

Rosemarie wrote: "Way to go, Sam. Which book did you like the most? And which the least, if there was one?"

I think if I had to pick, I really enjoyed The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson. I love non-fiction and I really enjoyed learning about the time period, the impact of the Chicago's World Fair on so much of our daily lives, mixed with the true crime story. It was fascinating!

I read the Larson book last year, and I thought parts of it were really creepy. I enjoyed the part about the building of the fair.

Rosemarie wrote: "I read the Larson book last year, and I thought parts of it were really creepy. I enjoyed the part about the building of the fair."

Sooooooo creepy! It's hard to believe what happened during that time. It's scary to think what he was able to build and do without anyone suspecting anything.

I've got Larson's other book to read soon too. I'm looking forward to it. He seems to present a history narrative in an easy to read way.

Amber wrote: "Good luck with the rest of your challenge Linda. Yes, it does feel that way sometimes with all of the challenges doesn't it? :)

That's true Nancy-I've noticed that already too. I read a couple boo..."

We could probably really up the challenge if we did this with author names. Maybe next year?

Lol. The purpose of this one was to have a less challenging, fun alternative to Alphabet Soup. (We tried a couple of things with author names over the years and they didn't really take.) But I love that you're thinking creatively, Nancy, and I'll definitely take it into consideration for 2018.

What can I say, Renee? I love a challenge particularly this one as it is less challenging. I was surprised I finished so quickly and decided to do it again. Of course, with the weather (hopefully) improving, I probably won't read as much. Hibernation is for the bears and readers.

Nancy, I agree with you about hoping winter will end soon. I also read more during the winter time.

It's one of the best things about winter!!

Definitely!

I managed to read in anti-alphabetical order until T. From now on I will just record titles in first available space. The letter T was a stickler.

I am having trouble with S, since I am doing them in order too.

Okay. I'm back in the game after my next book.

I get so obsessed with setting up challenges in January that I forget to post my own. Here's mine to date...

Renee's Anti-Alphabet Challenge

No A- Little House in the Big Woods**
No B- A Town Like Alice**
No C- The Bell Jar**
No D- Framley Parsonage**
No E- Hot Dog**
No F- Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress**
No G- The Quiche of Death**
No H- Rise of Empire**
No I- The Jungle**
No J- The Old Curiosity Shop**
No K- Still Life**
No L- Theft of Swords**
No M- Heir of Novron**
No N- Life After Life**
No O- Hide**
No P- The Neverending Story**
No Q- A Passage to India**
No R- Eugene Onegin
No S- Brown Girl Dreaming**
No T- Alone**
No U- Bel Canto**
No V- The Woodlanders**
No W- The Game of Kings**
No X- Heidi**
No Y- The Good Soldier**
No Z- The Swans of Fifth Avenue**

I've been basically posting in order, but skipping if the most currently finished book isn't missing the next letter... Which is why I have nothing in E.

Am considering both Solaris and Lolita for April. Then probably doing this again. :D

Renee, it looks like you completed the E In Every Title Challenge. :)

I'm going to follow your rule the next time around, go in order but ok to skip too.

I just read a great book titled Ru by Kim Thuy, a Canadian author who grew up in Vietnam. Solved my No T problem. :) And, if anyone is looking, solves 24 other problems.

Completed my list. May try again.

Lol. I'll definitely look into that one, Linda!

I decided to go with a children's book called Hot Dog that I read for the Elementary, My Dear challenge. Entirely because I want to start this over again today, April 1st. ... And I'll have a "No E" all lined up already. So sly!