Reading the alphabet

[MiddlingMum]

If you were to read a novel by an author whose surname started with each letter of the alphabet, what would you read for Q, X and Y? Needs to be in English but translations would be fine.

Assume you don't like sci-fi, fantasy, chicklit or anything too thrillerish.

TIA

[Palegreenstars]

I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai is awesome

[MollyHuaCha]

Malala is great. But her book didn't appeal to me. Started it but didn't finish.

[MiddlingMum]

Thank you, but I was really looking for novels. I plan to read it anyway at some point.

Any other ideas anyone?

[Palegreenstars]

A little life by Hanya Yanagihara has gotten really good reviews - but it's quite long.

Stuck on X though

[MontyFox]

Maybe try Chinese authors for X?

[MiddlingMum]

Palegreenstars I'll look out for that, thank you. I don't mind long books at all - my current one is nearly 900 pages.

MontyFox that's a good idea. I'll see what the library have, although I'm quite a way off X at the moment!

Any ideas for Q?

[TempehTantrum]

Q: Thomas de Quincey 'Confessions of an Opium Eater'
X: Gao Xingjian 'Soul Mountain' - winner of the Nobel prize for literature in 2000
Y: Marguerite Yourcenar 'Memoirs of Hadrian'

Who do you have for 'Z' ? Zola 'Germinal' or Juli Zeh 'Dark Matter' are both good reads.

[MiddlingMum]

Tempeh Thank you, Soul Mountain sounds good, I'll have a look at that.

For Z I could read any Zola - I've read some but not others. I haven't read Germinal for a couple of decades. Also I have Markus Zusak's The Book Theif on my shelf but haven't read it yet. I'm allowing myself a few re-reads, but am planning mostly to read novels for the first time.

Does anyone else fancy doing this? We can compare notes

[MollyHuaCha]

The Book Thief is a beautiful book. Not seen the film, but the book is gorgeous.

[ThereAreNoGhostsHere]

I did an alphabet challenge a few years ago. Was interesting in that it took me to books I wouldn't necessarily have chosen otherwise, which is no bad thing :) My "x" was a Chinese author/journalist, Xinran.

[mmack]

The Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai by Ruiyan Xu is really good. Banana Yoshimoto and Anna Quindlin would cover Y and Q. I loved Nell Zink's two books if you are stuck for Z.

[MiddlingMum]

Ooh, lovely ideas, thank you everyone. I'll have a look in the translated fiction dept of our nearest big bookshop and see which of those I can find.

[quencher]

Thanks op, for giving me an idea of using alphabet as an encouragement.

I was looking for ideas to keep me reading and I will try what you are doing.

[MiddlingMum]

Hello quencher Are you starting with A soon? Most letters are quite easy and quite a choice, but some are harder!

It's quite a good motivation though

[quencher]

Am reading one at the moment. Once am done. I should start and see where it takes.

[DragonsToSlayAndWineToDrink]

Interesting! Am currently reading "Hagseed" by Margaret Atwood, so I could count this as my A...

[MiddlingMum]

Oh yes, Dragons you seem to have started by accident! What could you read for B?

quencher, that would be good, it's a bit like an armchair adventure

[DragonsToSlayAndWineToDrink]

Since "To Walk Invisible" was on TV, I have wondered about reading Wuthering Heights, so Emily Bronte could be my "B"...