UK Book Club discussion

Keeping it fairly simple after 2015's mega-challenge, this year I'll be sticking to just 2 lists - New To Me Authors and One Word Titles. Suggestions for one word titles are very welcome, especially for the more difficult letters!

A-Z of New (to me) Authors
Start Date: 1/1/16
Progress: 26/26
Date Completed: 4/8/16

A. James Anderson - The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy (8/1/16)
B. Julianna Baggott - The Miss America Family (20/2/16)
C. Tammy Cohen - Dying For Christmas (1/1/16)
D. Louise Douglas - The Love of My Life (17/1/16)
E. Martin Edwards - The Frozen Shroud (6/4/16)
F. Cornelia Funke - Inkheart (12/1/16)
G. Jim Gallows - The Christmas Killer (3/1/16)
H. Paula Hawkins - The Girl on the Train (15/4/16)
I. Kazuo Ishiguro - The Remains of the Day (10/2/16)
J. Tove Jansson - Finn Family Moomintroll (3/2/16)
K. Jean Hanff Korelitz - You Should Have Known (16/6/16)
L. C.S. Lewis - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (8/1/16)
M. Ngaio Marsh - Vintage Murder (4/3/16)
N. Hilary Norman - Eclipse (5/6/16)
O. Carol O'Connell - It Happens in the Dark (12/4/16)
P. Maureen Peters - Goodbye Holly Jane (7/7/16)
Q. Anthony Quinn - Curtain Call (22/1/16)
R. Jean Rhys - Wide Sargasso Sea (12/1/16)
S. Dorothy L. Sayers - Whose Body? (2/1/16)
T. A.R. Torre - The Girl in 6E (22/4/16)
U. Cathi Unsworth - Weirdo (14/1/16)
V. Jules Verne - Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (4/8/16)
W. Horace Walpole - The Castle of Otranto (10/7/16)
X. Diana Xarissa - Aunt Bessie Assumes (10/7/16)
Y. Margaret Yorke - A Question of Belief (17/2/16)
Z. Koethi Zan - The Never List (18/6/16)

A-Z of One Word Titles
Start Date: 1/1/16
Progress: 26/26
Date Completed: 13/9/16

* = New to me author

A. Allegiant - Veronica Roth (21/3/16)
*B. Beloved - Toni Morrison (23/8/16)
*C. Carmilla - Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (29/3/16)
*D. Divergent - Veronica Roth (6/1/16)
E. Emma - Jane Austen (4/9/16)
*F. Forgotten - Catherine McKenzie (22/7/16)
G. Gone - Lisa Gardner (13/9/16)
*H. Holes - Louis Sachar (26/1/16)
I. Insurgent - Veronica Roth (3/3/16)
*J. Jet - Russell Blake (11/8/16)
*K. Katherine - Anya Seton (26/4/16)
L. Lifeless - Mark Billingham (1/2/16)
M. Matilda - Roald Dahl (2/2/16)
*N. Normal - Graeme Cameron (1/3/16)
O. Othello - William Shakespeare (30/6/16)
P. Persuasion - Jane Austen (27/6/16)
*Q. QUICK - Billy Kring (26/6/16)
R. Rubbernecker - Belinda Bauer (2/7/16)
S. Spellbound - Jane Green (12/3/16)
T. Tarnished - Julia Crouch (25/1/16)
*U. Unless - Carol Shields (7/2/16)
V. Vanished - Tim Weaver (28/4/16)
*W. Wreathed - Curtis Edmonds (16/2/16)
X. X - Sue Grafton (11/9/16)
*Y. You - Caroline Kepnes (23/2/16)
*Z. Zugzwang - Ronan Bennett (21/7/16)

I see you mean to hit the ground running :) I was going to put mine up 1 Jan :) One word titles should be interesting.

Linda wrote: "I see you mean to hit the ground running :) I was going to put mine up 1 Jan :) One word titles should be interesting."

I like to be prepared and I probably won't get much chance to be on here over the next week so thought I'd set up now. I have to give credit for the one word title idea to Kate (I may also be poaching a few ideas from her completed list!).

Ha ha! Good luck with the One Word Titles Caroline and yes by all means feel free to poach ideas! Its great fun. :)

Quite fancy the 1 word titles - not done that before. :). But I must finish my USA travels this year!!!

Some ideas for One Word Titles


Avenged / Accused / Affinity / Awakening
Blacklands / Birdsongs
Carrots / Codex / Closure
Dominion / Divergent
Emma / Emma / Exile
Fangirl / Fludd / Found
Glue / Garnethill
Her / Holes / Hamlet / Hate / Heartstone
Inkheart / Imago / Imhotep
J
Kidnapped / Katherine
Lazybones / Lamentation / Landline / Lifeless
Misery / Matilda / Middlemarch / Moonfleet
Nevermore
Outside / Othello
Persuasion / Pollyanna / Pinocchio
Q
Rubbernecker / Resolution / Reflection
Senseless / Sacred / Sacrilege / Sail / Sawbones
T
Unless / Unbroken
Vanished / Villette
Wool / Weathering / Weirdo
Xanadu
Y
Zade / Zendegi

and some that I came across while looking for ideas. I've already read them so won't be using myself but thought they might be handy for anyone who is also attempting this :)

Angel / Aftermath / Afterwards / Atonement / Alone / Angels
Blindsighted / Broadchurch / Broken / Broken / Bloodline / Breathless
Cuckoo / Criminal / Creep / Caught / Complicit / Coraline
Dissolution / Daughter / Derailed / Dracula / Dreamer
Echoes / Everblue / Enigma
Faith / Fingersmith / Faithless / Frankenstein / Fallen / Fatherland / Five
Glitz / Genesis / Gone
Hideaway / Hidden / Hannibal / Heidi / Hide
Indelible / Invisible / Icebound / Inferno / Intensity
Junk
Kisscut / Kept / Kiss
Lullaby / Lolita / Lifeguard / Lightning
Midnight / Mockingjay / Max / Malice / Mercy / Mine
Nemesis / Nameless / Neverwhere
Oceanswept / Octavia
Priceless / Phantoms / Possession / Prophecy
Quake / Quentins
Relentless / Run / Rebecca / Retribution / Revelation / Room
Sleepers / Sanctus / Sister / Stardust / Sacrifice / Severed / Shelter
Triptych / Tracks / Target / Thirtynothing / Toys / Twilight
Unleashed / Unseen / Ugly
Vendetta / Vanish / Velocity / Virals
Wonder / Wanted / Wasted / Watchers / Watermelon / Whispers
X / Xingu
Y
Zorro / Zoo

I'd be grateful for any suggestions to fill in the blanks - J, Q, T, U, W, X, Y, Z

Wood and zade. Still working on the others! Thanks for the ideas.

Sue wrote: "Wood and zade. Still working on the others! Thanks for the ideas."

Thanks - I forgot you mentioned Zade to me already. Have added it to the ideas list. Who is Wood by? I can't seem to find it.

Caroline wrote: "Sue wrote: "Wood and zade. Still working on the others! Thanks for the ideas."

Thanks - I forgot you mentioned Zade to me already. Have added it to the ideas list. Who is Wood by? I can't seem to ..."
I had it noted by hugh harvey. Cant find it either but did see Weathering, which looks good.

Ok thanks, will have a look :) Found Weathering - does look interesting. Did you possibly mean Wool - Hugh Howey? :)

Forgot Xanadu and Xingu by Edith Wharton.

Caroline wrote: "Ok thanks, will have a look :) Found Weathering - does look interesting. Did you possibly mean Wool - Hugh Howey? :)"
Probably! :)

Not sure how I missed Xingu as I read it last year! Added both suggestions to list. Between us we should have enough ideas to do the challenge several times each! :)

There's also a Listopia list of One Word Titles here

Caroline wrote: "Some ideas for One Word Titles


Avenged / Accused / Affinity / Awakening
Blacklands / Birdsongs
[book:Ca..."

Fantastic list, what about 'Unbroken' for U?

Liz wrote: "Fantastic list, what about 'Unbroken' for U? "

Thanks Liz, who is it by?

I found Unless for u. Don't think I have read anything by Carol Shields before.

Thanks, I'll take a look and add it to the list.

I read quite a good crime novel this year Weirdo
which got me a U in my A-Z of authors.

Thanks Andrew that does sound good.

on my phone so can't give proper reference but a book called Y is a reasonable read. By Marjorie Celonia (sp?). Didn't see it listed on GR but found it at my library.

Thanks Ellie. I read that last year. Good book :)

Good, but a shame as well - will keep my eye out for others

Caroline wrote: "Thanks Liz, who is it by?"

Unbroken is by Laura Hillenbrand. (It's the WW2 biography that was recently turned into a film by Angelina Jolie).

Thanks Liz, I'll check it out.

Kicking off my new authors with Tammy Cohen - Dying For Christmas .

First 5 star read of the year! I very rarely give 5 stars (I'm mean like that) but I thought this was absolutely brilliant. I could not put it down. So many twists and turns that I didn't see coming. Loved it.

Second new author Dorothy L. Sayers - Whose Body?

I was hoping that DLS might fill the gap left by my finishing all of Agatha Christie's books but I don't think it's going to happen. It was good but not great.

Caroline wrote: "
I was hoping that DLS might fill the gap left by my finishing all of Agatha Christie's ..."

I prefer the Lord Peter stories that also have Harriet Vane. Especially Gaudy Night which is superb. I've read that multiple times even though I haven't read all the Lord Peter books. Though it would be best to read two preceding books with Harriet in them first, to get their backstory and to build up to to Gaudy Night.
First there's Strong Poison, and then Have His Carcase

Thanks Leni, I might give them a go at some point :)

Third new author Jim Gallows - The Christmas Killer .

Fast-paced serial killer thriller. A little bit gruesome in one or two places but a pretty good read.

Caroline, you must read very fast!

I actually just checked my page count and I've averaged 350 pages a day so far. I have had a couple of lazy reading days though - done nothing but cook dinner, take down my Xmas decs and read! Pretty sure my page rate will drop slightly from tomorrow when 'normal life' resumes :)

First one word title done - Divergent - Veronica Roth .

Wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did, I only downloaded it because it was on special offer and I wanted to see if it lived up to the hype but found myself racing through it.

Ohh I have Divergent on my list this year, I can't wait. 350 pages a day - I could never match that.

Hope you enjoy Divergent - I have added the two sequels to my ever growing TBR! Both would work for one word titles though so that's handy.

My page rate does depend on the book I'm reading and what else I've got going on but I do read a lot as I hardly ever watch television and I'm a very bad sleeper so I have plenty of time to get through books :)

Ahh, I watch loads of TV - LOADS - and I always have stuff recorded to catch-up on :) Sorry about the bad sleep, I know that sucks - I had trouble sleeping a few years ago when I had some health problems and was very stressed out.

Linda wrote: "Ahh, I watch loads of TV - LOADS - and I always have stuff recorded to catch-up on :) Sorry about the bad sleep, I know that sucks - I had trouble sleeping a few years ago when I had some health pr..."

I go through cycles of sleeping plenty and then hardly sleeping at all. At the moment I tend to be falling asleep on the sofa really early but the minute I get into bed I'm wide awake again. And when I do finally fall asleep I wake up a couple of times in the night and then really early in the morning. It's horrible. But I do get a lot of reading done!

4th new author - James Anderson - The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy .

Really enjoyed this light-hearted country house murder mystery.

Managed to squeeze a short one in this afternoon for new authors -
C.S. Lewis - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe .

Liked it but didn't love it - probably would have enjoyed it more when I was younger. Will still finish the series though because I've been meaning to read them for years.

2nd one word title - Inkheart - Cornelia Funke

I've been meaning to read this since I saw the (in my opinion, disappointing) film a few years ago. Finally got around to it and as I suspected, it was much better than the film.

*Have decided to use this for new author instead as I have read another one word title for I.

Steven Brust has a lot of one word titles. The second book in his series starts with a Y. Yendi
I'm not sure how well that will work without having read the first one, Jhereg.
It's been years since I read them, but I remember liking them a lot (but then, I do like the fantasy genre). I stopped reading them after the fourth one, I think, because they were so short and I had too little money to spend on books so I preferred to buy bigger books. :P

Thanks Leni. Still looking for a J and a Y so they might be handy :)

I just realised that Jhereg one links to a German translation. For some reason that's the most popular one? lol The books are originally in English though.

Y could be a possibility.
No j yet!

Leni wrote: "I just realised that Jhereg one links to a German translation. For some reason that's the most popular one? lol The books are originally in English though."

That's good to know! Don't think the one German lesson I took in school would be enough for a whole book!

Sue wrote: "Y could be a possibility."

I read that last year. It is good. Definitely recommend it :)

New author - R - Jean Rhys - Wide Sargasso Sea .

Not sure if I liked this or not. I'll come back on that one when I've processed it.

Update - I really wanted to like it because I liked Jane Eyre so much and was intrigued by the idea of learning more about the "mad woman in the attic". Unfortunately I don't feel like I did learn anything new from this book. There were parts that were good but overall I felt it was a little bit chaotic and confusing and almost felt unfinished. Disappointing.

New author - U - Cathi Unsworth - Weirdo

I'd originally planned to use this for one word titles but realised I have a couple of other options for W and nothing lined up for a U author. So new authors it is.

I rated this 4 stars although it's actually more like 3.5. I was totally gripped all the way through but felt the slightly muddled ending let it down a bit. Still a good read though.

Thanks to Andrew for the recommendation.