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When completing the challenge, you can write a list here of the books you read if you wish.

Drum-roll please....

I've FINISHED the A-Z Challenge!

A- Jane Austen & Seth Grahame Smith - Pride and Prejudice and Zombies ***
B- Ray Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451 ****
C- Beatrice Colin - The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite ****
D- Guy Delisle - Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea ****
E- Kim Edwards - The Memory Keeper's Daughter ***
F- Anne Frank - The Diary of a Young Girl ****
G- Neil Gaiman - Stardust ****
H- Neil Humphries - Notes from an Even Smaller Island **
I- Kazuo Ishiguro - Never Let Me Go
J- Hillary Jordan - Mudbound
K - Ishmail Kadare - The Palace of Dreams **
L- John Adjvide Linqvist - Let the Right One In ***
M- Hilary Mantel - Wolf Hall
N- David Nicholls - One Day ****
O- Joseph O'Neil - Netherland **
P- Annie Proulx - The Shipping News
Q- Qiu Xiaolong - Death of a Red Heroine ***
R- Salman Rushdie - Midnight's Children ****
S- Kathryn Stockett - The Help ****
T- Scarlett Thomas - The End of Mr. Y ***
U- John Updike - The Witches of Eastwick ***
V- Salley Vickers - Miss Garnet's Angel **
W- David Wroblewski - The Story of Edgar Sawtelle ****
X- Xinran - The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices ***
Y- Taichi Yamada - Strangers **
Z- Carlos Ruiz Zafon - The Shadow of the Wind

What a wonderful list of books! I've read a few and others are on my TBR list; really like the idea of this challenge.

Well done Liz! I just have U to read will have to get a move on and finish!

Congratulations, Liz. :0)

Fantastic! So when are you starting your next A-Z??

Em wrote: "Fantastic! So when are you starting your next A-Z??"

Ho, ho, ho - very droll. Not for a while....
Too much work at the moment, my reading's taking a hit. Gotta pay the rent, I suppose!

Congrats on finishing. I thought "the help" was a brilliant book. I actually found myself reading the book in a southern accent. Lol. The maid was a brilliant character. Good luck with the next challenge

Finally read the last one! Here's my completed list.

A - Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austin
B - Agatha Raison and the Love From Hell - MC Beaton
C - Could it be Forever - David Cassidy
D - Fish out of Water - MaryJanice Davidson
E - Wildthorne - Jane Eagland
F - Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Scott Fitzgerald
G - Wizards First Rule - Terry Goodkind
H - Dead Until Dark - Charlene Harris
I - The Gates of Rome -Conn Iggulden
J - Children of Men - PD James
K - In Coldest blood - Jim Kelly
L - Lady Chatterley's Lover - DH Lawernce
M - Girl Goes Ape - Chris Manby
N - The Vampire Maid - Hume Nisbet
O - Maggie's Story - Sheila O'Flannagan
P - All These Lonely People - Gervase Phinn
Q - The Toymaker by Jeremy de Quidt
R - The Circle Series - Nora Roberts
S - Dissolution - C J Sansom
T - The Queen and I - Sue Townsend
U - The Glory of Ippling by Helen M Urban
V - The Bronte Project - Jennifer Vandever
W - The Velveteen Rabbit - Margery Williams
X - Miss Chopsticks - Xinran
Y - It Waits and It Waits Again - Robert M Yelverton
Z - The Book Thief by Markus Zusack

Well done Lynne! There's a huge variety of stuff on that list too, I may be stealing a few... :o)

Congrats, Lynne. There is a nice mix there.

GemS wrote: "Well done Lynne! There's a hige variety of stuff on that list too, I may be stealing a few... :o)"

That's ok GemS, hope you find something you want to read.

Thanks Bill!

Good going, Lynne! How long did it take to complete? I fancy having a go next year - I've got enough books to choose from I think!

It has take about 18 months I think as I read lots of the same letters! It's hard to find different authors to finish it. I did enjoy reading new genres and authors though.

I've just finished my challenge this morning. I started last April 2010 with Kate Atkinson and did it mostly in alphabetical order but finished with Xinran.
This is what I read:

A = Atkinson, Kate - When Will There Be Good News?
B = Bauermeister, Erica - The Monday Night Cooking School
C = Curran, Bob - Bloody Irish: Great Irish Vampire Stories
D = Doyle, Arthur Conan - The Lost World
E = Ekman, Kirsten - The Dog
F = French, Nicci - Until It's Over
G = Gately, Stephen - Tree of Seasons
H = Howe, Katherine - The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
I = Izner, Claude - Murder on the Eiffel Tower
J = James, P D - The Children of Men
K = Kostova, Elizabeth - The Swan Thieves
L = Laski, Marghanita - The Victorian Chaise-Longue
M = Meyer, Stephenie - Breaking Dawn
N = Niffenegger, Audrey - Her Fearful Symmetry
O = O'Flynn, Catherine - What Was Lost
P = Powell, Mark - Quantum Breach
Q = Quigley, Sheila - Every Breath You Take
R = Rayne, Sarah - The Death Chamber
S = Slater, Nigel - Toast
T = Talbot-Ponsonby, Spud - Two Feet, Four Paws: Walking the Coastline of Britain
U = Unger, Lisa - Sliver of Truth
V = Vonnegut, Kurt - Galapagos
W = Wolpert, Howard - Smart Pumping
X = Xinran - The Good Women of China
Y = Yates, Richard - Revolutionary Road
Z = Zafon, Carlos Ruiz - The Prince of Mist

Well done Donna! I think I'll have a go at this next year.

You can start any time Angela, I started last year in the middle of April!

Well done Donna

Donna wrote: "You can start any time Angela, I started last year in the middle of April!"

Thanks for telling me. I might start sooner!

Well done Donna, I keep reading authors with the sme letter!

Finished my A-Z... at long last!!

A: When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson
B:The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister
C: Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
D: Feminine Gospels: Poems by Carol Ann Duffy
E:I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman by Nora Ephron
F: The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber
G: Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
H:Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
I:A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood
J:The Rapture by Liz Jensen
K: On the Road by Jack Kerouac
L: The Girl with the Dragon Tattooby Stieg Larsson
M: The Sweet Scent of Blood by Suzanne McLeod
N: One Day by David Nicholls
O: Organized Simplicity: The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living by Tsh Oxenreider
P: The Sterkarm Handshake by Susan Price
Q: The Beloved Son by Jay Quinn
R: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
S: The Planets by Dava Sobel
T: The Darkness of Wallis Simpson by Rose Tremain
U: The Ruby in Her Navel by Barry Unsworth
V: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
W: Poison by Chris Wooding
X: Miss Chopsticks by Xinran
Y: The Shack by William P. Young
Z: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Well done Em! Great books by the way!

Congratulations Em....I'll bet it feels great to finish.

Well done Em.....very colourful as well

Congratulations Em ... love your list!

Congrats!

Em wrote: "Finished my A-Z... at long last!!

A: When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson
B:The School of Essential Ingredients by [author:Erica Bauermeis..."

Excellent! Well done - great list!

Woo hoo, done it! What a great way to read books I wouldn't otherwise have chosen. Thoroughly enjoyed this and will do it again after I've finished the Round the World challenge, which will probably take all of next year.

Here's my list:

Got the challenge off to a poor start as the first 4 books I read this year were all by the same author. Hey ho.

A: Case Histories - Kate Atkinson
B: Mystery Man - Bateman
C: Pirate Latitudes - Michael Crichton
D: My Fabulous Divorce - Claire Dowling
E: High Society - Ben Elton
F: The Hanging Shed - Gordon Ferris
G: The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B - Sandra Gulland
H: The Binding Chair - Kathryn Harrison
I: Lords of the Bow - Conn Iggulden
J: Caligula, the Tyranny of Rome - Douglas Jackson
K: Mini Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella
L: Through a Glass Darkly - Donna Leon
M: The Timetravellers Guide to Medieval England - Ian Mortimer
N: The Snowman (+3 others) - Jo Nesbo
O: At My Mother's Knee - Paul O'Grady
P: A Court Affair - Emily Purdy
Q: Mistress Of Rome - Kate Quinn
R: Wednesday's Child - Peter Robinson
S: That Bear Ate My Pants! - Tony Slater
T: Fatal Majesty - Reay Tannahill
U: On Black Sisters' Street - Chika Unigwe
V: Easter Island - Jennifer Vanderbes
W: Boogie up the River - Mark Wallington
X: The Lost & Forgotten Languages of Shanghai - Ruiyan Xu
Y: Brethren - Robyn Young
Z: The Doctor of Thessaly - Anne Zouroudi

Congratulations, Kate. Great stuff!

Well done, Kate! Quite a variety :)

That's the beauty of this challenge - it "forced" me to read books I almost certainly wouldn't have bothered with, and a couple were really good. I enjoyed On Black Sisters' Street and The Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai, and I would never have considered them if I hadn't needed U and X. Having said that, I also read a few for the sake of it, just because I didn't have the letter, so it is wise to be selective if you can.

Well done Kate.

Finished! Didn't think I'd make it this year! Next year going to read the 'difficult' letters earlier!

A Dorian Amos* - The Good Life
B Belinda Bauer - Finders Keepers
C Willa Cather - The Professor's House
D Caitlin Davies* - The Ghost of Lily Painter
E Yvette Edwards* - A Cupboard Full of Coats
F Jamie Ford* - Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
G Jane Gardam - Old Filth
H Victoria Hislop - The Thread
I Eowyn Ivey* - The Snow Child
J Sadie Jones - The Uninvited Guests
K Susanna Kearsley* - The Rose Garden
L Alison Littlewood* - A Cold Season
M Syd Moore* - The Drowning Pool
N Jo Nesbo - Phantom
O Maggie O'Farrell - The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox
P Michelle Paver* - Dark Matter
Q Anna Quindlen* - Blessings
R Sarah Rayne* - Property of a Lady
S Elizabeth Sanxay Holding* - The Blank Wall
T Paul Torday* - Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
U *Lisa Unger- Black Out
V Vendela Vida* Let The Northern Lights Erase Your Name
W Kate Williams* - The Pleasures of Men
X Xinran - What the Chinese Don't Eat
Y Louisa Young* - My Dear I Just Wanted to Tell You.
Z Farahad Zama* The Marriage Bureau for Rich People

* new to me authors

Congratulations to other finishers - will be borrowing some of your authors next year.

Congratulations, Sue. I still have three or four letters to go; will probably never finish.. Nice to see some people can. :0)

Thanks Bill - I had UVX and Z left. Knew Z was coming up in library book group, had read a Xinran which I loved and went along the shelves in the library for the others! Lisa Unger got me Florida as well so that was a bonus!

Well done Sue and Kate.

I feel a bit daunted now as I've only read 3 on Sue's list and 2 on Kate's and due to rushing around at lunch getting things on a list that seems to get bigger every day and in evening wrapping and writing cards my reading has slowed down a bit. Still well done I hope to make it onto this order of merit one day! The joy though is I am seeing so many books i fancy trying in 2013!

Well done, Sue:)
I'm afraid my A-Z challenge will need to be continued! Seem to have been so busy since the Autumn, that reading has slowed right down. Hope to have more time after Christmas.

sorry its late as was trying to sort out minor technical problems but steve finished 2012 A-Z challenge:
steve 2012 A-Z author challenge

A-The Handmaid's tale by margaret atwood
B-The emperor's tomb by steve berry
C-Mr briggs' hat by kate colquhoun
D-vanished kingdoms by norman davies
E-Look at me by Jennifer egan
F-A Bali conspiracy most foul by shamini flint
G-fatal colours: towton 1461 by George Goodwin
H-where's your caravan by chris hargreaves
I-Madensky Square by Eva Ibbotson
J-The unlikely pilgrimage of harold fry by R joyce
K-Spartacus by ben kane
L-Scream if you want to go faster by russ litten
M-The cross by scott G mariani
N-In the shadow of a tainted crown by fran norton
O-Hotel iris by Yoko Ogawa
P-Last tango in aberystwyth by malcolm pryce
Q-Where had I gone by pauline quirke
R-A magnificent obsession by helen rappaport
S-Scholes:my story by paul scholes
T-The Anatomy of ghosts by Andrew Taylor
U-A Blessed child by Linn Ullmann
V-last man standing by Richard Van Emden
W-before I go to sleep by SJ Watson
X-message from an unknown chinese mother by xinran
Y-my dear I wanted to tell you by louisa young
Z-smashed:growing up a drunk girl by Koren Zailckas

Well done Steve.....and btw Happy New Year.

Well done Steve - some inspiration on your list!

Ian wrote: "Well done Steve.....and btw Happy New Year."

happy new years Ian , just been busy with work and hospitals as uncle is currently having chemo treatment

Stephen wrote: "sorry its late as was trying to sort out minor technical problems but steve finished 2012 A-Z challenge:
steve 2012 A-Z author challenge

A-The Handmaid's tale by margaret atwood
B-The emperor's t..."

Congrats Steve!

Liz wrote: "Stephen wrote: "sorry its late as was trying to sort out minor technical problems but steve finished 2012 A-Z challenge:
steve 2012 A-Z author challenge

A-The Handmaid's tale by margaret atwood
B..."

started the challenge again for 2013 , just missed out in 2011 as was 2 short in the end

Well done Liz, Stephen, Lynne and everyone else who completed their challenges! I am ashamed I can't even manage to come up with one much less complete it!


Liz wrote: "Drum-roll please....

I've FINISHED the A-Z Challenge!

A- Jane Austen & Seth Grahame Smith - Pride and Prejudice and Zombies ***
B- Ray Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451 ****
C- Beatrice Colin - The Lumin..."

Well done everyone. I've just started with the book I'm reading now. Think it'll be easier NOT to do in alphabetical as I have some great xmas pressie books waiting for me. This is my only NY's resolution :)

GemS' Author A-Z Challenge (started Dec 2010)
26/26 done! FINISHED! Won't be doing that again.

A: Purple Hibiscus by Chimamamda Ngozi Adichie
B: The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
C: Fire by Kristin Cashore
D: Zoo Station by David Downing
E: Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
F: Alone In Berlin by Hans Fallada
G: Thief With No Shadow by Emily Gee
H: An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris
I: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
J: The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
K: The Swallows of Kabul by Yasmina Khadra
L: The Last Stormlord by Glenda Larke
M: Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
N: The Snowman by Jo Nesbo
O: The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell
P: Dark Matter by Michelle Paver
Q: Every Breath You Take by Sheila Quigley
R: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J K Rowling
S: The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood
T: Address Unknown by Kressmann Taylor
U: The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike
V: Red Gloves by Beth Vaughan
W: The Legacy by Katherine Webb
X: Miss Chopsticks by Xinran
Y: Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
Z: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Congrats!! :-)

Well done Gem :)

Well done Gem, great list of authors too.