Hugo & Nebula Awards: Best Novels discussion

Kicking off the alphabet challenge for the new year! You can do by book or by author or both.

*** = planned book or author

BY BOOK TITLE
A. The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
B. Beggars in Spain
C. Cryptonomicon
D. Damnation Alley
E. Eco-Fiction
F. The Fall of Hyperion
G. Grass
H. *** Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
I. Immortality, Inc.
J. *** Just Like Home
K. *** Kraken
L. The Last Unicorn
M. *** Moonfall
N. No Enemy But Time
O. The Olympian Affair
P. The People of the Wind
Q.
R. The Rise of Endymion
S. Stranger in a Strange Land
T. To Your Scattered Bodies Go
U. The Uninvited
V. *** Valley of the Flame
W. The White Dragon
X.
Y.
Z. Zoo City

AUTHOR'S SURNAME
A. Poul Anderson
B. John Brunner
C. Vajra Chandrasekera
D. Philip K. Dick
E. Dan Egan
F. Philip José Farmer
G. *** Sarah Gailey
H. Robert A. Heinlein
I.
J. *** Simon Jimenez
K. Nancy Kress
L. *** Kelly Link
M. Anne McCaffrey
N.
O.
P. Christopher Priest
Q.
R. *** J.K. Rowling
S. Neal Stephenson
T. Sheri S. Tepper
U.
V. *** John Varley
W. Andy Weir
X.
Y.
Z. Roger Zelazny

I’ll try to do it by title again this year. For now I’ll populate the template with books I hope to finish this year.

Stephen’s Alphabet challenge

A. The Anome
B. The Ballad of Beta-2 / Empire Star
C. The Complete Ghost Stories of Charles Dickens
D. Don Quixote
E. E is for Evidence
F. Fourth Mansions
G. Gloriana, or The Unfulfill'd Queen
H. The High Sierra: A Love Story
I. The Islanders
J.
K.
L. Limbo
M. The Memory of Whiteness: A Scientific Romance
N. Nineteen Seventy-Four
O. Occupy Me
P. Pacific Edge
Q.
R.
S. Starfish
T. Titus Groan
U.
V. Vagabonds
W. Wodehouse: A Life
X.
Y.
Z.

I intended to finish Don Quixote in 2023 but stalled about 300 pages in. I’ll pick it up again.

Anyone else doing this?

Not me. I joined the first year we did it but didn't find it to be a meaningful enough challenge for me, so this is one I tend to pass on.

Yes, I'll likely join, just haven't gotten around posting yet. January was crazy.

I need to go back and fill in last year's!

The thing is, I will no longer make an effoet for titles starting with unusual letters. I read some bad. books. that way the first year

I just read what I read, see what letters I fill in, and maybe target a few books to fill the rest - though I've never completed it.

I’ll see where I’m at with books already read this year.

A - Adrift by Lisa Brideau
B - The Ballad of Beta-2 / Empire Star
C - The Claw of the Conciliator by Gene Wolfe
D - Death of a Salesperson and Other Untimely Exits by Robert Barnard
E - Eye of the Storm by Marcia Muller
F - The Faceless Man by Jack Vance
G - Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach by Kelly Robson
H - Hard to Be a God by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
I - The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
J - Joan of Arc by Mary Gordon
K -
L - Lenin on the Train by Catherine Merridale
M - The Man Whose Teeth Were All Exactly Alike by Philip K. Dick
N - Nothing Serious by P.G. Wodehouse
O - Old Babes in the Wood: Stories by Margaret Atwood
P - The Prestige by Christopher Priest
Q -
R - Resurrection Walk by Michael Connelly
S - The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera
T - Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
U - The Uninvited by Dorothy Macardle
V - Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich
W - Wilkie Collins by Peter Ackroyd
X -
Y - Year's Best SF 18 ed. David G. Hartwell
Z -

So I need K, Q, X, and Z.

(in cases where I had more than one book for an initial letter I mainly just picked the first one I saw.)

I've been tracking & updating periodically:

*** = planned or in progress

BY BOOK TITLE
A. The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
B. Beggars in Spain
C. Cryptonomicon
D. Damnation Alley
E. Eco-Fiction
F. The Fall of Hyperion
G. Grass
H. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
I. Immortality, Inc.
J.
K. Kraken
L. The Last Unicorn
M. The Mercy of Gods
N. No Enemy But Time
O. The Olympian Affair
P. The People of the Wind
Q.
R. The Rise of Endymion
S. Stranger in a Strange Land
T. To Your Scattered Bodies Go
U. The Uninvited
V. Valley of the Flame
W. The White Dragon
X.
Y.
Z. Zoo City

AUTHOR'S SURNAME
A. Poul Anderson
B. John Brunner
C. Vajra Chandrasekera
D. Philip K. Dick
E. Dan Egan
F. Philip José Farmer
G. Robert Graves
H. Robert A. Heinlein
I.
J.
K. Nancy Kress
L. Ursula K Le Guin
M. Anne McCaffrey
N.
O.
P. Christopher Priest
Q.
R. J.K. Rowling
S. Neal Stephenson
T. Sheri S. Tepper
U.
V. John Varley
W. Andy Weir
X.
Y.
Z. Roger Zelazny

As always, the last few will be the most difficult. The only candidate turned up in a quick scan of a nearby TBR shelf is The King's Peace by Jo Walton, and K was always going to be the easiest of the four anyway.

Stephen wrote: "As always, the last few will be the most difficult. The only candidate turned up in a quick scan of a nearby TBR shelf is The King's Peace by Jo Walton, and K was alw..."

I've been itching to read Kraken by China Miéville. Mieville is fun reading, I just haven't been able to squeeze it in yet.

For whatever it’s worth, Kraken didn’t thrill me when I read it some time ago. I do want to get to Iron Council which I guess this group read as part of a Mieville challenge a few years ago.

Stephen wrote: "For whatever it’s worth, Kraken didn’t thrill me when I read it some time ago. I do want to get to Iron Council which I guess this group read as part of a Mieville challenge a few year..."

Yes, we read Perdido Street Station in September 2020 & had a challenge for the other two. Iron Council was very good, but not quite as good as Perdido and The Scar. The latter was my favorite. Two words: mosquito people!!!

Actually I see I have a library hold on Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie, which should take care of K, and I’ve identified candidates for the other 3 letters as well.

knife is very good

I think I’m actually going to succeed on this. I recently read X by Sue Grafton, I have a library ebook copy of A Question of Belief by Donna Leon on hand, Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder is in transit to my local library branch, and I bought a Kindle copy of The Zero Stone by Andre Norton specifically to round out the challenge. I enjoy reading Norton from time to time.

Stephen wrote: "I think I’m actually going to succeed on this. I recently read X by Sue Grafton, I have a library ebook copy of A Question of Belief by Donna Leon on hand..."

That's great. I try to fill this in where I can. I enjoy a good Norton book now and then as well. Right now, I'm working to finish Kraken to fill K and I'm a few pages into short old SF Valley of the Flame for V. That leaves J-Q-X-Y if I can find a few to fit into those spots. Not much time left in the year with Anathem upcoming!

I hadn't even though about this challenge this year, so let's see . . .

A. All the Dangerous Things
B. Beggars in Spain
C. Christmas Pie
D. Doing Time
E. Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries
F. The Fourth Wing
G. Grass
H. Hard Time
I. Immortality, Inc.
J. Judgement Prey
K.
L. Left for Dead
M. Memory's Legion
N. Norse Mythology
O. Outlaw Mountain
P. The Past is Red
Q.
R. Red Side Story
S. Starling House
T. The Tusks of Extinction
U. The Uninvited
V.
W. What Moves the Dead
X.
Y. You Are Dead
Z.

A couple are mysteries. Also, I am not going to make an effort to read K, Q, X and Z books. I have read bad X books in the past to try to complete this challenge. Life is too short.

Also, sorry about lack of links. I need to do SOME stuff around the house today . . .

Oh my, I completely forgot about this, thank you for resurrecting this thread!

A. The Anomaly, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
B. The Butcher of the Forest, The Bones Beneath My Skin, The Brides of High Hill, Blood and Betrayal, Beggars in Spain, Bloodwitch
C. Can't Spell Treason Without Tea, Conspiracy, The City of Dreaming Books, A Civil Campaign
D. Dawnshard, Down Among the Sticks and Bones, The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, Deadly Games
E. Evocation, Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands, Every Heart a Doorway, Edgedancer, Elantris, The Expert System's Brother
F. Forged in Blood I, Fortuna Sworn, For the Wolf
G. Gods of the Wyrdwood
H. The Hungry Dragon Cookie Company, The Human Division
I. The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles
J.
K. Komarr
L. Linghun, Lost Ark Dreaming, Lion City
M. The Mercy of Gods, The Mimicking of Known Successes, Magic Bites
N. Two Necromancers, a Dwarf Kingdom, and a Sky City
O. Oathbringer, On a Red Station, Drifting, On the Fox Roads
P. Provenance
Q.
R. Rhythm of War, Rose/House, Restless Slumber
S. Somewhere Beyond the Sea, Station Eleven, Service Model, The Saint of Bright Doors, Sixth of the Dusk, Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell, Sightwitch, A Study in Drowning, Sabriel, Memory
T. Thistlefoot, Troll: A Love Story, Those Beyond the Wall, To Say Nothing of the Dog, The Tainted Cup, Truthwitch, Tress of the Emerald Sea
U.
V.
W. The Way of Kings, Words of Radiance, Windwitch, The Warm Hands of Ghosts, Winterfair Gifts
X.
Y.
Z.

Pretty good, just the few hard ones left!

Rebecca wrote: "Oh my, I completely forgot about this, thank you for resurrecting this thread!

A. The Anomaly, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi" . . .

I have a lot of books with letters I already matched, but I put the ones that I thought you all might find interesting. I really don't feel like putting up all the names right now. Rebecca, thank you for doing it, though, because I am going to check out some of these books that I haven't read but you have

Haha, ya that's me procrastinating by doing my "Goodreads work" and putting off responding to my actual work emails ;)

how does anyone read a good x book

I read a few X-Men anthologies a few years back, but it’s a tough one.

Looks like I will come up short by one letter. I was within four several months ago, and I’ve since taken care of K (Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder), Q ( A Question of Belief), and X (X, a mystery novel by Sue Grafton), leaving only the letter Z. I tried starting The Zero Stone by Andre Norton, thinking it would be an easy read, but I’m not in the mood and there’s only a week left. No doubt I could find something else but I won’t bother.

That’s really good. I’ll come up short by four: J, Q, X, Y. I’m sure I could’ve filled these in at some point during the year but this is more an incidental goal than something I’ll go too far out of my way to do. I tracked authors too & will come up 8 letters short.