Bookcrossers discussion

Happy New Year!

I think that we all deserve an easy reading challenge this year ...
so here it is - The Alphabet Challenge.
Simply read a book starting with one letter of the alphabet - A - Z.
You have from Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, 2021 to complete this challenge.
Come play in the stacks with me by signing up below.
Please mark your books as Currently reading, Finished or TBR.
Ready? Set? READ!

A. - Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler - Finished

B. - Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce - Finished

C. - Ceremony in Death by J.D. Robb - Finished

D. - The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson - Finished

E. - Everything's Eventual by Stephen King - Finished

F. - Freedom™ by Daniel Suarez - Finished

G. - Grave Goods by Ariana Franklin - Finished

H. - Hiroshima by John Hersey - Finished

I. - Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore - Finished

J. - The Jeweled Daughter by Anne Maybury - Finished

K. - Kill Switch by Neal Baer, Jonathan Greene - Finished

L. - Loving Frank by Nancy Horan - Finished

M. - Mudbound by Hillary Jordan - Finished

N. - Night Tales by Nora Roberts - Finished

O. - Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love by Larry Levin - Finished

P. - The Prodigal Spy by Joseph Kanon - Finished

Q. - Quiet Walks the Tiger by Heather Graham - Finished

R. - Rhineland Inheritance by T. Davis Bunn - Finished

S. - Someone to Watch Over Me by Judith McNaught - Finished

T. - The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke - Finished

U. - Upon the Head of the Goat: A Childhood in Hungary 1939-1944 by Aranka Siegal - Finished

V. - A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons - Finished

W. - The Woman in Black - Susan Hill - Finished

X. - X-Rated Bloodsuckers by Mario Acevedo - Finished

Y. - The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion - Finished

Z. - Zombie: A Love Story by Patricia Lee Macomber - Finished

A. Again, Alabama by Susan Sands (finished)
B. Born Creative by Nita Leland (finished)
C. Cometh the Hour by Jeffrey Archer (finished)
D. Dating a Cougar by Donna MacDonald (finished)
E. Educated by Tara Westover (finished)
F. Following You by Eva Lesko Natiello (finished)
G. Ghost Cats by five authors (finished)
H. Hiroshima by John Hersey (finished)
I. Indulgence in Death by J.D. Robb (finished)
J.
K. Kindred in Death by J.D. Robb (finished)
L. Last of the Red Hot Firefighters by Jessie Evans (finished)
M. Mobituaries by Mo Rocca (finished)
N. Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping by Judith Levine (finished)
O. Once Upon a Curse by various authors (finished)
P. Promises in Death by J.D. Robb (finished)
Q.
R. Russian Hill by Ty Hutchinson (finished)
S. Spellbreaker by Charlie N. Holmberg (finished)
T. The Pearl by Tiffany Reisz (finished)
U.
V.
W. Winner Takes All by Nora Roberts (finished)
X.
Y. You and Me and Us by Alison Hammer (finished)
Z.

Sounds doable!


A.

B. Becoming Someone by Anne Goodwin (Finished)

C. Conversations with a Rock by Roy Freeman (Finished)

D. The Dalai Lama's Cat by David Michie (Finished)

E. Every Body Yoga: Let Go of Fear. Get On the Mat. Love Your Body by Jessamyn Stanley (Finished)

F. Finally A Vegan: My journey to Veganuary and beyond by Stephanie Jane (finished)

G .The Gift: 12 Lessons to Save Your Life (Finished)

H. H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald (Finished)

I. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer (Finished)

J.
K. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (Finished)


L. The Lost Soul by Olga Tokarczuk, Joanna Concejo (Finished)

M.
N.

O. Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis (Finished)

P.
Q.
R.

S. Social Anxiety : Easy Daily Strategies for Overcoming Social Anxiety and Shyness, Build Successful Relationships, and Increase Happiness by James W. Williams (Finished)

T.
U.

V. Vegan Intermittent Fasting: Lose Weight, Reduce Inflammation, and Live Longer—The 16:8 Way—With over 100 Plant-Powered Recipes to Keep You Fuller Longer by Petra Bracht, Mira Flatt (Finished)

W.

X. Xingu by Edith Wharton (Finished, but really short. Will try to read another book for X if I have get a chance)

Y. Yoke: My Yoga of Self-Acceptance by Jessamyn Stanley (Finished)

Z.

reply | flag *

Edwina wrote: "Happy New Year!

I think that we all deserve an easy reading challenge this year ...
so here it is - The Alphabet Challenge.
Simply read a book starting with one letter of the alphabet - A - Z.
Yo..."
I'll join in this year! Retirement will hopefully up my reading game:)

A. Archer's Quest--Linda Sue Park

B. A Bone to PIck--Charlaine Harris

C.

D. Death of a Dreamer by M.C. Beaton (finished)

E. The Empty Envelope--Ron Roy (finished)

F. Farewell to Manzanar--Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston (finished)

G. A Good Yarn--Debbie Macomber

H. The Hundred Secret Senses--Amy Tan

I.

J. Julius and Macy: A Very Brave Night--Annelouise Mahoney

K. Kissing Christmas Goodbye by M.C. Beaton (finished)

L. Love, Lies and Liquor: An Agatha Raisin Mystery by M.C. Beaton (finished)

M. Morality for Beautiful Girls--Alexander McCall Smith (finished)

N.

O.

P. The Penultimate Peril--Lemony Snicket (finished)

Q.

R.

S. Spook by Mary Roach (finished)

T. (In the) Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez (finished)

U.

V.

W. The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag--Alan Bradley (F)

X.

Y. You're All Right--Joy Wilt (finished)

Z.

I'm up for the challenge. Let's see how it goes! Thank you, Edwina :)



A - Aunty Lee’s Chilled Revenge by Ovidia Yu (F)

B – Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (F)

C – Chinese Relic Writing by Francois Cheng (F)

D – Death Leaves the Station by Alexander Thorpe (F)

E – Emotional Female by Yumiko Kadota (F)

F – Fragile Monsters by Catherine Menon (F)

G – The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng (F)

H – Honeybee by Craig Silvey (F)

I – Into the Water by Paula Hawkins (F)

J – Jane Harley was here by Heather Taylor Johnson (F)

K – Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (F)

L- Lost and Found by Brooke Davis (F)

M – Meddling and Murder by Ovidia Yu (F)

N – The Night Guest by Fiona MacFarlane (F)

O – On Us by Matt Scott (F)

P – Phosphorescence by Julia Baird (F)

Q – Quicksand by Nella Larsen (F)

R – The Rose Code by Kate Quinn (F)

S – The Surviviors by Jane Harper (F)

T – The Trauma Cleaner by Sarah Krasnostein (F)

U – The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (F)

V – The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (F)

W –Windsor Knot by S J Bennet (F)

X – Xingu by Edith Wharton (F)

Y – You have arrived at your Destination by Amor Towles (F)

Z – The Zoo by Christopher Wilson (F)



(Dec 28, 2021) All done!! Thanks Edwina ... it was heaps of fun.
All the best for the New Year everyone!!!

I'll try!
Ed. January 2022: 14 out of 26 achieved; didn't focus on this challenge after a while; hard to find books with the rarer letters (e.g. 'X') but will place all my 2021 reads here, primarily to see title first letter distribution. Looking forward to the 2022 challenge!

A. Apollo's Fire: Igniting America's Clean Energy Economy by Jay Inslee and Bracken Hendricks (F)
Amazing Grace: The Story of America's Most Beloved Song by Steve Turner (F)

B. The Book of Salt by Monique Truong (F)
The Birds by Tarjei Vesaas (F)
By the Book by Julia Sonneborn (F)
The Book of V. by Anna Solomon (F)
Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America's Favorite Guilty Pleasure by Amy Kaufman (F)

C. Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood (F)
Confessions of a Recovering Environmentalist and Other Essays by Paul Kingsnorth (F)
Chemistry by Weike Wang
City Life: Urban Expectations in a New World by Witold Rybczynski (F)
The Crime of Olga Arbyelina by Andreï Makine (F)
Chourmo by Jean-Claude Izzo (F)
The Collapse of Western Civilization: A View from the Future by Naomi Oreskes (F)
Curious Baby Counting by H.A. Rey (F)

D. The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives by Leonard Mlodinow (F)
The Dead Girl in 2A by Carter Wilson

E.

F. The Future of Success by Robert B. Reich (F)
Feminist Thought: A Comprehensive Introduction by Rosemarie Tong (F)
The French: Portrait Of A People by Sanche de Gramont (F)
For the Right Reasons: America's Favorite Bachelor on Faith, Love, Marriage, and Why Nice Guys Finish First by Sean Lowe (F)

G. Gravestones/Lapidas by Antonio Gamoneda (F)
Grooks 1 by Piet Hein (F)

H.

I. Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino (F)
Integration Nation: Immigrants, Refugees, and America at Its Best by Susan E. Eaton (F)
It's Not Okay: Turning Heartbreak into Happily Never After by Andi Dorfman (F)

J.

K.

L. Life in the Sloth Lane: Slow Down and Smell the Hibiscus by Lucy Cooke (F)

M. Scotty Philip, The Man Who Saved The Buffalo by Wayne C. Lee (F)
Mai-Li's Surprise by Marjorie Jackson (F)
Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong (F)

N. The New Yorker Book of Cat Cartoons by The New Yorker (F)
A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cossé (F)

O.

P. Personality Not Included: Why Companies Lose Their Authenticity and How Great Brands Get It Back by Rohit Bhargava (F)
The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen (F)
The Perfect Theory: A Century of Geniuses and the Battle over General Relativity by Pedro G. Ferreira (F)
Publish and Perish: Three Tales of Tenure and Terror by James Hynes (F)

Q.

R.

S. Song of a Captive Bird by Jasmin Darznik (F)
Surviving Autocracy by Masha Gessen (F)

T. To the End of the Land by David Grossman (F)
Turning Texas Blue: What It Will Take to Break the GOP Grip on America's Reddest State by Mary Beth Rogers (F)
A Thin Cosmic Rain: Particles from Outer Space by Michael W. Friedlander (F)
This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America by Morgan Jerkins (F)
Third Worlds: The politics of the Middle East and Africa by Heather Deegan (F)
Tinder Nightmares (F)
A Tour of the Calculus by David Berlinski (F)

U.

V.

W. Wherever You Go: A Guide to Mindful, Sustainable, and Life-Changing Travel by Daniel Houghton (F)
What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton (F)
The World's Embrace: Selected Poems by Abdellatif Laâbi (F)
With Fondest Regards by Françoise Sagan (F)
Weapons of Mass Distortion: The Coming Meltdown of the Liberal Media by L. Brent Bozell III (F)

X.

Y.

Z.

I’ll have a go

A - At the Bay - Katherine Mansfield (Finished)
- Awaken - Priscilla Shirer (Finished)
- A Dogs Purpose - Bruse Cameron (Finished)
- After Me - Kate Sawyer (Finished)

B - Beneath a Billion Stars - Julie Carobini (Finished)
- Before He Kills - Blake Pierce (Finished)
- Born Evil (Finished)
- Becoming the Woman God wants me to be (Finished)

C -Cutting for Stone - Abraham Verghese (Finished)

D - Deep Lake Mystery - Carolyn Wells (Finished)

E - Emma - Jane Austen (Finished)

F - Forgotten Evidence - Al Macy (Finished)

G - Girl in Trouble -Stacy Claflin (Finished)

H - Hold Back the Night - Axel Blackwell (Finished)
- Holy Bible:One year Bible - anonymous (Finished)

I - Interrupted - Pansy (Isabella Arden) - (Finished)
- Its OK that you're not ok - Megan Devine (Finished)
- Is it Just Me - Miranda Hart (Finished)

J - Justified - Carolyn Arnold (Finished)

K - Keeping Secrets - L.A. Dobbs (Finished)

L - Life Application Study Bible NIV, Anonymous (CR)
- Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts -Lucy Dillon (Finished)

M - Mansfield Park - Jane Austen (Finished)
- Madness in Ruins - John A Connell (CR)

N - Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen (Finished)

O - The Other House - Henry James (CR)

P - Prayers, Coffee and Tears - Mary Brewer (finished)
-Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (Finished)
- Persuasion - Jane Austen (Finished)
- Perfect Couple, The - Elin Hilderbrand (Finished)
- Private Face of Murder - John Bonett (Finished)
- Plumdog Path to Perfection, The - Emma Chichester Clark (finished)

Q - Quintus Oakes: A Detective Story (finished)

R

S - Sense and Sensibility (Finished)
- Slip of the knife - Denise Mina (Finished)
- Secrets We Keep - Nolon King (Finished)

T - Through the Year with Joyce Huggert (CR)
- The Truth about Melody Browne - Lisa Jewell (CR)

U - Under Your Skin - Rose McClelland (Finished)

V - Veronica - Johanna Spyri - (finished)

W - Who She Was - Braylee Parkinson (Finished)

X - XYZ - A Detective Story (finished)

Y - Yielding, The - Tamara Leigh (Finished)

Z

Chana's A to Z

A.

B.

C.

D. DANCING with the Virgins by Stephen Booth (finished)

E. The EXCHANGE of Princesses by Chantal Thomas (finished)

F.

G.

H. HUNTING Midnight by Richard Zimler (finished)

I. IMPERFECT Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony by Jeff Ashton
(finished)


J.

K.

L.

M. MIDWINTER Blood by Mons Kallentoft (finished)

N.

O.

P.

Q.

R. RACHEL Calof's Story by Rachel Calof (finished)

S.

T.

U.

V.

W.

X.

Y.

Z.

Hopefully this will help force me to read some of the oldest books on my shelf that hang around making me feel guilty, even though I registered them myself.
A. A Sense Of Belonging - Erica James [#6 Finished 9 Feb.] https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

B.

C. A Certain World: A Commonplace Book by W.H. Auden [CR]

D. Diamonds Are Forever by Ian Fleming #3 - finished https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Husband’s book

E. Een zachte dood Une Mort Très Douce by Simone de Beauvoir. TBR since June 2009 [#4 Finished 2 Feb.] https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

F.

G.

H.

I. Ik ben niet meer met jou alleen by Noor Smals [CR] TBR since ?

J.

K.

L. The Library at the Edge of the World by Felicity Hayes-McCoy (library book) [#2 - finished 16 Jan] https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Lost Heart Of Asia - Colin Thubron TBR since 1995ish [+ Finished 24 Feb.] https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

M.

N.

O.

P. Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle. TBR since March 2012 [#7 Finished 12 Feb.] https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Q.

R.

S. Secret Smile by Nicci French. TBR since ? [#5 finished 6 February] https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Het sexleven van kannibalen The Sex Lives of Cannibals by Maarten Troost. TBR since April 2015. [+ Finished 16 Feb.] https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

T.

U.

V.

W. What Happened at Hazlewood - Michael Innes. TBR since Feb. 2009 [#1 Finished 5 Jan.] https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... I had two copies of this, so two books to release! Also, the cover of one of them and the Goodreads link both spell it incorrectly as Hazlewood, whereas throughout both texts it’s spelled Hazelwood.

X.

Y.

Z.

Since I also have a ridiculous number of books on the 1001 BYMRBYD list, I’m going to list those separately as a good way to motivate myself to read more of those, since a lot of my ‘oldest on the shelf books are too obscure to be on any ‘best of’ list.

A. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie [part read, want to finish]

B.

C.

D. Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee #3 [finished] https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

E.

F.

G.

H.

I. Ignorance by Milan Kundera [CR]

J.

K.

L. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez [CR]

M. Middlemarch by George Eliot #1 [finished] https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

N.

O. The Old Devils by Kingsley Amis #2 [finished] https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

P.

Q.

R.

S.

T.

U.

V.

W.

X.

Y.

Z.

What the heck, Edwina. I thought about it and I will do duo Challenges, with you.

A. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson

B. The Brief and Wonderous Life of Oscar Woo by Junot Diaz

C. The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory

D. Dark Prince by Christine Feehan

E. Elevation by Stephen King

F. The Fox Inheritance by Mary Pearson

G. The Good Women of China by Xinran

H. Hornet's Nest by Patricia Cornwell

I. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

J. Jackalope Wives and other stories by T. Kingfisher

K. Kiss Carlo by Adriana Trigiana

L. The Light Years by R.W.W. Greene

M. The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom

N. Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

O. Ogre Castle (Last of the Spell Wars #1) by F.J. Hale

P. The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care - - and How to Fix It by Marty Makary MD

Q. Q is for Quarry by Sue Grafton

R. The Road by Cormac McCarthy

S. Star of Persia by Jill Eileen Smith

T. Tirra Lirra by the River by Jessica Andersen

U. The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards by Kristopher Jansma

V. The Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft

W. Watch Your Back by Karen Rose

X. Xenocide by Orson Scott Card

Y. The Year the Cloud Fell by Kurt R.A. Giambastiani

Z. Zorro by Isabel Allende

I still need to read 2 more books to finish this challenge but I think I'll get them read by the 31st.
I've really enjoyed this challenge.
Anybody up for doing a repeat of it next year?

wonder how i have done

A. After She's Gone
B. The Book of Joe
C. Childhood Under Siege
D. Drive Me Wild
E. The Education of Mrs. Bemis
F. Far From The Tree
G. Giants in the Earth
H. Hunting Midnight
I. Island of Lost Girls
J. Juneteenth
K.
L. The Life We Bury
M. Mid-Winter Blood
N.
O.
P.
Q.
R. Ravensong
S. Shopaholic to the Stars
T. Through the Eyes of the Judged
U.
V.
W. What She Left Behind
X.
Y.
Z.

If this challenge is repeated for the coming year I hope to do better

I'll play in 2022

I was also curious how I have done without really doing this challenge and not that bad actually:

A. All the Missing Girls
B. Behold the Dreamers
C. Crash into You
D. The Daughters of Kobani
E. The Eighth Life (for Brilka)
F. Fahrenheit 451
G. Graduates in Wonderland
H. Heart of Bachelor
I.
J. ჯინსების თაობა
K. The Kiss Qu0tient
L. Loved You Once
M. The Museum of Abandoned Secrets
N. The Newcomer
O.
P. A Promised Land
Q. The Queen's Gambit (CR)
R. Rescuing Emily
S. Solar Plexus: A Baku Saga in Four Parts
T. Trading Reality
U. Untraceable
V. Vilcēni
W. The Woman in the Window
X.
Y.
Z. Zirgs, kurš pazaudēja brilles

I counted ჯ for J as that is how it is transliterated and phonetically it is the same sound.

Finished this challenge with only a few hours to spare.
Whew! :D

I'll take a shot at this in 2022.

Sign up for this challenge in 2022 by going to the link below.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...