I have thought about and watched how this challenge is going and have decided not to miss out on the fun:)

I am not going to read alphabetically but just fill in the ABC's as (and if) I start to read them. The tickers will move when I finish a book.

At the moment I am counting each book towards both title and author ABC's. This is because it feels like I am actually moving towards the target but eventually I will only count each book for either author or title (dependent on how the ABC's go and on the overlaps). So I will end up (if I can find a book for each letter) reading 52 books in the challenge.

Message edited by its author, Oct 28, 2009, 7:44am.

Author's




A

B Geraldine Brooks The People of the Book (read)

C Angela Carter Black Venus (read short story collection)

D Charles de Lint The Harp of the Grey Rose (read)

E

F

G

H William Horwood - Skallagrigg (read)

I

J Robert Jordan - The Gathering Storm (read)

K Katherine Kurtz - St Patrick's Gargoyle (read)

L Michelle Lovric The Floating Book : a Novel of Venice (read)

M Patricia A. McKillip Alphabet of Thorn (read)

N Andre Norton Forerunner Foray (read)

O Stephen Oppenheimer Out of Eden : The Peopling of the World (read - nonfiction)

P Terry Pratchett Unseen Academicals

Q Quercus Feline Friends

R

S

T

U

V

W A. N. Wilson My Name is Legion: A Novel (read)

X

Y

Z

Message edited by its author, Dec 28, 2009, 12:56pm.

Book Titles




A Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia A. McKillip (read)

B Black Venus Angela Carter (read)

C A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

D The Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb (read)

E

F The Floating Book : A Novel of Venice by Michelle Lovric

G The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan

H The Harp of the Grey Rose by Charles de Lint (read)

I

J

K

L

M My Name is Legion : A Novel by A. N. Wilson (read 29 Oct - 2 Nov)

N

O Out of Eden : The peopling of the world by Stephen Oppenheimer (read)

P People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (read)

Q

R Red Dog by Louis de Bernieres

S Skallagrigg by William Horwood

T Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams

U Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett

V

W

X

Y Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

Z

Message edited by its author, Dec 26, 2009, 7:40am.

Welcome to the challenge. Fun and tackling our respective mount tbr's are what it's all about. Have a good 'un!

Thanks for the welcome AHS-Wolfy! :)

The first book I am reading that will count for this challenge is

Title S for Skallagrigg
Author H for Horwood, William

This is a re-read of a British book first published in 1987. There are just over 100 copies on LT and no reviews. I think that this is a book that needs a LT review.

Yeah, you caved! Welcome and enjoy your challenge. Oh by the way, your TBR's are sure to grow in size but that's half the fun.

Hi Calm, nice to see you over here. Looking forward to seeing how you fill in your ABC's!

Hi Calm. Welcome to the challenge. I'm looking forward to reading your review for Skallagrigg. Will you please post it here as well?

Thankyou for the welcome. Very nice to have visitors (maybe I shouldn't spend so much time lurking on other people's threads and actually say hello myself!)

Carmenere - the TBR might grow but half the fun is knowing that the book exists and that maybe one day you will get to read it (before LT I walked around with a notebook with around 100 titles that I would like to read - if I could find a copy)

DeltaQueen50 - I think I get almost as much fun seeing what other people have enjoyed (or not) as I actually get from reading a book myself:)

RidgewayGirl - I will probably be doing something similar to my 50 book challenge thread; putting some thoughts about the book here straight after reading it and then posting a full review on the work page (if I can write one and when I am happy with it!)

Hi (and welcome) from a fellow lurker who is also looking forward to the review.

I know what you mean about writing quick reviews 1st then adding a full one later. Some of my 1st attempts just make me wince :)

Oct 28 I have finished Skallagrigg so here is a copy and paste of early thoughts from my 50 book challenge thread

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Initially all I am going to say is that this is not a comfortable book. If you know this author's works from his Duncton Wood books you might recognise some of the themes of darkness and suffering but here they are not filtered through a fantasy about moles. This is a graphic portrayal of life as a handicapped person and how attitudes and treatment change. There is one character committed to an asylum as a child in the 1920's and another born in the 1960's.

I have never been able to adequately explain why I think that this is a brilliant book and I am sure that many people will find it incredibly disturbing.

The simplest explanation is that I find its themes of hope and belief; the power of love and faith and friendship worth the struggle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So that is my first book in this challenge completed. Now I will take some time to think of the review and what I am going to read next.

Message edited by its author, Oct 28, 2009, 7:35am.

#12 nice review you have intrigued me, I am going have to search the library for a copy.

Thanks clfisha, not the full review yet just enough to give a reaction (though if you go to the Reviews Reviewed group you can see the first draft of the full review).

I hope you can find a copy. As it was originally published in the UK in 1987 I don't know how available it will be.

Hola Calm. Just stopping in. I saw you are reading The Dark Is Rising series from your profile. Those books were favorites when I was a kid.

Hello chrine yes I gatecrashed the 75 book challenge group read - one book a month. That means I will be reading Silver on the Tree along with some other people by 8 Nov. It is an interesting thread, sirfurboy has been putting up pictures and links to some of the real places that are settings in the books. Here's the link if you want to take a look.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/67054

Though you seem to have enough on the radar to keep you reading already:)

I am in one of my rare occasions of having more than 2 books in currently reading as I am planning on joining in on the group read of People of the Book (start 1 Nov)and, as stated above, also the one for Silver on the Tree (8 Nov). So

Black Venus by Angela Carter - a collection of short stories (I frequently have a short story collection that I dip into when I do not want to read a novel

Out of Eden : The peopling of the world by Stephen Oppenheimer - nonfiction about anthropology and human migration.

My Name is Legion : A novel by A. N. Wilson - a British satirical novel.

Hopefully I will have finished the novel in time to start reading the first section of The People of the Book this weekend to fit in with the group read in the 50 book challenge group.

Calm, I am planning on reading Over Sea, Under Stone for my 1010 challenge, so I plan on coming back here for that link to the group read, if you don't mind.

I too am trying to get through some books in order to be ready for the group read of People of the Book, so I'll probably see you over on that thread as well!

DeltaQueen50 why should I mind:).

It's great to see what other people make of a book. It is one of the things I am trying to get more involved with on LT and I am thinking of rearranging my 1010 categories so I fit in one just for various Group Reads.

Second book finished in this challenge
M title My Name is Legion
W author A. N. Wilson

(Copy and paste of the review)

This is a book I picked up as part of my summer "book splurge", a moment of madness in my local town when nearly all of the places you can buy second hand books practically give them away. My copy of this book has no publisher's blurb but is covered with snippets of reviews that led me to believe that I would be reading a modern satire (published in 2004) about Fleet Street. I read a couple of random paragraphs and added it to the pile of books that I wanted to read. It turned out to be much more.

A.N. Wilson takes a cast of characters and ties their stories together in such a way that you don't know whether there is any hope in the world. This is a story about the ability to manipulate the truth so that lives are built up and destroyed on a whim. It covers life in modern Britain; the media; religion; modern art; the politics of post colonial Africa; what people hope for in life and how our choices can destroy us into one amazing book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am just about to start People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks for the 50 book challenge Group read.

Message edited by its author, Nov 2, 2009, 9:45am.

#20 I loved that book when I read it last year - I hope you will, too.

#21 sjmccreary loving it;) I have read the first third and can't wait to start discussing this week's section. Wonderfully atmospheric snippets of history!

Edit to add the link to the discussion thread if anybody fancies joining in.
General thread
http://www.librarything.com/topic/73347
Part one thread (up to end of Feathers and a Rose)
http://www.librarything.com/topic/75851

Message edited by its author, Nov 3, 2009, 10:36am.

Third book completed in this challenge is
A title Alphabet of Thorn
M author Patricia A. McKillip

I gave this book 4 and 1/2 stars.

(copy and paste of review)

I love McKillip's use of language and imagery. This is a wonderfully layered fantasy with story unfolding within story. A wonderful, magical world where the stories of many characters and different lives collide and entwine. It is also a story of love tipping over into obsession. The love of books, language and knowledge within the library; the passion of first love; the love of country and what one might do to sustain love.

Message edited by its author, Nov 9, 2009, 7:05am.

double post!

Message edited by its author, Nov 9, 2009, 7:06am.

I think you get an extra point for reading a book with the word "alphabet" in the title!

#25 Maybe the extra point can be used to cover one of the hard letters - a sort of "get out of jail free" card

You've sold me on Alphabet of Thorn, I'm adding it to my wishlist.

Hello RidgewayGirl and sjmccreary. I am sure there are other alphabet books out there for your own ABC's ;)

DeltaQueen50, if you love fantasy and fairytales McKillip is a wonderful writer.

T title Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams. (read 9-12 Nov)

I already have a W author so this just counts for a title. Another fantasy, this time about cats. It is a quest novel but Tad Williams has created a mythology that explains a lot of cat behaviour. Believable characters and great description means that this merits 4 stars.

While I am taking part in the group read of The People of the Book I seem to be spending the in-between times reading fairly short fantasies so the next book completed in this challenge is

H tile The Harp of the Grey Rose
D author Charles de Lint

Charles de Lint's first completed novel. A fine first book rooted in a traditional style folk tale. This tells of the young orphan Cerin; his falling in love and his quest to battle evil. Most of the traditional elements are here and it shows the promise of de Lint's future work.

P title People of the Book

B author Geraldine Brooks

Read as part of the group read. So just a very brief comment.

Like the illustrations in the Haggadah Geraldine Brooks has created pictures of important points in Jewish history. Wonderful story telling and heartbreaking in places. Four stars.

D title The Dragon Keeper
H author Robin Hobb

The tenth book set in the world of the Six Duchies/ Bingtown/ the Rain Wilds. There are brief cameo appearances from the Vestrit sisters (Althea and Malta from the Liveship traders trilogy) but this is about a new cast of characters. This is about the rain wilds and the newly emerged dragons. Robin Hobb's return to this world is worth reading but ends abruptly and leaves me needing to read the next book (which is as yet unpublished).

O title Out Of Eden: The Peopling of the World

O author Stephen Oppenheimer

This is a synthesis of genetics, archaeology and climatology that looks at how and where our ultimate ancestors could have lived. Stephen Oppenheimer presents a plausible theory about the earliest days of man. It is categorised as popular science but it is not always an easy read and, for me, some of the chapters dragged. Worth reading but I do not think it should be read without some knowledge of the topic.

F title The Floating Book : A Novel of Venice
L author Michelle Lovric

Historical fiction that melds fictional characters and real people from history in a recreation of the early days of the printing press and the coming of "quick books". One of the main themes of the book is the printing of Catullus's poetry. The book focuses on several characters involved with this; their lives and relationships. Each section of the book is prefaced by a snippet of Catullus's life and relationship with Clodia (the inspiration for much of his poetry) these reflect aspects of the Venetian story.

I must say that the voices of the various characters were not always distinct (it sometimes took a paragraph or two to decide who was speaking). Apart from that minor quibble I really liked this book. The author created wonderfully evocative images of Venetian life.

#33 This is one of my favorite topics, so I've added it to the wishlist and will attempt it, in spite of your warning that it might be difficult. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!

J author Robert Jordan
G title The Gathering Storm

I loved it, I am back in a world which I discovered nearly 20 years ago. The characters were well written; the plot moves on apace and I think that having Brandon Sanderson continue this epic was a brilliant decision.

K author Katherine Kurtz
another S title St Patrick's Gargoyle
(so it doesn't add to the count)

I picked this up after reading about it on another LT thread thinking it was a dimly remembered book I read around 20 years ago. It's not that book but it was an enjoyable visit to Dublin to meet some very interesting characters. A different take on urban fantasy where the gargoyles are not what they seem; also an interesting look at religion, church history, angels, life and death. Highly enjoyable.

N author Andre Norton
another F title Forerunner's Foray (so it doesn't add to the count)

Enjoyable SF from the 1970's, reminded me of why I loved Andre Norton way back then. Time to look for more of her books:)

C authors Angela Carter
B titles Black Venus

I find it difficult to review short story collections. A couple of these stories just miss for me but most are little gems. A wonderful use of language to create evocative scenes, some of them surreal and dream-like; others read like snippets of history; rambling and succinct at the same time. Four stars.

Message edited by its author, Dec 4, 2009, 1:55pm.

One addition to the authors and two to the titles this time.

P author Terry Pratchett
U title Unseen Academicals

Brilliant, don't miss, five stars!

Terry Pratchett is a brilliant social commentator, taking aspects of our society and sprinkling them with Octarine and reflecting them back on us. In Unseen Academicals he takes a look at community, race and prejudice and delivers his usual magic.

and

R title Red Dog by Louis de Bernieres

I picked up this collection of short stories after some one asked about books about Australia. From memory I had rated it as a 4 star book, on re-reading it has been reclassified to 5!

This is about the life of Red Dog, a stray dog in a Western Australian mining town in the 1970's. As the community grows Red Dog is the connection that brings this town to life. Louis de Bernieres has a wonderful eye for character and description. If you haven't read any of his work this might be a good place to start; if you have don't miss this one!

I managed to add another title so

Y title Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

After reading People of the Book earlier this year I wanted to read this novel and I wasn't disappointed. When the Great Plague of 1665 hits a small English mining village they make the decision to isolate themselves rather than spreading the disease. This novel takes the few facts known about a real town that made this choice and gives us a truly wonderful story. The various reactions of the villagers to the deaths of family, friends and neighbours feel real. Definitely my kind of historical fiction.

Message edited by its author, Dec 21, 2009, 4:03pm.

I loved Year of Wonders. It was the first of her books that I read and my favorite one so far. I am hoping to read March next year for my 1010 challenge.

#41 The only Brooks book I've read was People of the Book, which I loved. I've wanted to read another, but couldn't decide which. I think it will have to be Year of Wonders. Thanks for the recommendation.

#42 & 43

Everywhere I looked I kept coming across March but, not being familiar with Little Women or knowing much about the American Civil War, I didn't fancy reading that one. If I do get to read Little Women (which is on my TBR shelf) this year I might give March a go.

#44 I've read Little Women - as an adult, so it didn't blow me away as much as it seems to do when read as a child - and I did a lot of reading about the civil war this year - and it's gotten tons of positive comments - but I just haven't been able to commit to reading March. Not sure why, but it leaves me open to read YofW instead.

Another letter off the title list!

C title A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

What does one say about such a well known story. It is a timeless story of the importance in the way we live our everyday lives; that love, family and community are more than money or material possessions.

Nearly every year I watch one (or more) of the film versions. But, even if you think you know the story, I recommend that you still read the book. Coming back to Dickens' own words adds a depth to the story. The richness of his descriptive language and his ability to paint a scene in a few words is wonderful. One well worth revisiting time and time again.

#46 And a timely choice it is!

and another author (though this might be a slight cheat) I believe that the name is that of the publisher and most of the book is photographs!

Q author Quercus Feline Friends

A short book consisting of photographs of cats and quotations from various sources. Quotes from nursery rhymes, proverbs and poems and general musings on cats that match the photos beautifully. A lovely addition to any cat lovers library.

Message edited by its author, Dec 28, 2009, 1:03pm.