The 52 Book Club: 2026 Challenge discussion

Our second prompt on our May 2024 mini-challenge is another opportunity to get super creative!

For this prompt, we’re looking for any book related to the word “alpha.” There are a lot of ways to interpret and play with this prompt, so feel free to think outside the box. Here are a few examples to get you thinking (this is not an exhaustive list!):

– Greek Letter: You may base your choice on the Greek letter, Alpha. You could interpret this as “Greek Life” with a character in a sorority or fraternity. You could also decide on a book set in or about ancient Greece. Greek letters may also be featured on the cover or tie into the story plot.

– Phonetic Alphabet: “Alpha” is the first letter in the phonetic alphabet, often used for radio communication. Therefore, you could interpret this prompt as a military thriller (Alpha team) or a character who works as a pilot, police officer, or in other emergency services or careers that use the phonetic alphabet.

– Characters: You might decide on a main character with an alpha personality — someone who is strong, powerful, and in charge. This may be a key part of the book (such as an alpha relationship in a romance or fantasy novel) or involve a secondary character or plot point. An alpha personality could also connect to the animal kingdom and feature an alpha animal (a dominant male or female at the top of their pack’s social hierarchy.)

– Theology: You may decide on a theology book based on the title for God, “Alpha” or “Alpha and Omega.”

– Alpha is a common term in mathematics and sciences (alpha radiation, alpha carbon, etc) so you may choose a book featuring these topics or a character who works in these areas.

– Alpha may also refer to something “first” or “primary.” You may choose the first book ever published by an author or the first book in a series.

– Any book with the word “Alpha” in the title or the phrase “A is for…” in the title will also work toward this prompt.

There are LOTS of options for this one, so get as creative as you like! Feel free to add any ideas to our Goodreads list "A is for Alpha" here.

How are you interpreting this prompt? Share your book choices below!

I started Coronation Year by Jennifer Robson earlier today and I plan on using it for this challenge. I figure the Queen fits as an alpha female.

I'm going down the Greek route and plan to read A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes

I checked the list, and found one I have at the top of a stack,

A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie by Kathryn Harkup

Low Midnight by Carrie Vaughn, in the Kitty Norville series, doesn't star Kitty, but she's in there, and she's the alpha female of her werewolf pack.

I am going to use the idea of using the first book by an author. As I’m all in on the Agatha Christie challenge, I’ve begun The Mysterious Affair at Styles.

I am reading Bride by Ali Hazelwood. It’s a romance between a vampire and an alpha werewolf.

I'm using this prompt for Empire of Ivory (Temeraire, #4) by sNaomi Novik. Laurence and Temeraire are both very much alpha characters.

I read G Is for One Gzonk!: An Alpha-number-bet Book by Tony DiTerlizzi, 3 Stars

I chose to read The Husbands by Holly Gramazio.
I'm using alpha as "first" since this was her debut novel.

I read Alpha Bette by Jennifer Robbins Manocherian.

I plan to read A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson It was the first book she published (2019) in a series, although she's since published a prequel (2021).

I'm trying really hard to read books I already have, so this fits the prompt (ish)

I was reading The Fury when the challenge came out and I thought it would work here if I went with the Greek theme since the setting is Greece.

Listened to the audio book "The Harrowing of Hell" by J.S. Jackson. It's about Jesus, calling himself the Alpha and the Omega, freeing the souls in hell and forgiving their sins. Jesus and the freed souls form an army to fight Satan's army for the reign over or freedom of humanity. Heavy read, but enjoyed it.

I read Taken by V.M. Black

I read This Impossible Brightness, a character uses radio communication throughout the book and is obsessed with getting a radio message from a missing person

I read In the Shadow of Demeter by Vic Malachai. I loved this book, Malachai retells the myth of Hades and Persephone, but only uses the original as a guideline. She changes what suits her and blends other myths into it to create a fully unique retelling. I highly recommend reading it and I'll be checking out Malachai's other work as well.

I decided to use the first book by an author and read The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff.

I went with Wolf at the Table by Adam Rapp, due to the obvious wolf connection.

Because I wanted to finish Cat and Mouse duet I picked Hunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton. I mean there’s no denying Zade is very much an Alpha lol.

I read The Constant Gardener by John le Carré - alpha males.

Hm...

I'll go with Pierce Brown's Red Rising. First in a series + an alpha protagonist.

I read Back Piece by L.A. Witt. This is the first book in a series.