The 52 Book Club: 2026 Challenge discussion

September Mini Challenge - Professor Plum

Professor Plum is a famous character in the board game Clue (Cluedo). For this prompt, feel free to choose any book inspired by the word “Professor” or “Plum.”

If you’re inspired by the word “Professor”, you may choose a character who is a professor, a book set on a University campus, a book written by a professor, the word “Professor” in the title, etc.

You may also be inspired by the word “plum”. This could be the color, fruit, or any alternate definition of the word. You may choose a book with a plum-colored cover or a plum (fruit) on the cover. It could be a character who owns an orchard, the word “plum” in the title, or an author or character whose last name is Plum (or Plummer.) The Britannica also defines the word plum as “something that many people want or think is very good.” This definition could also play into the plot line or story.


Here is the link for our Goodreads List, feel free to add your suggestions to it!

The professor by Charlotte Brontë was the first to come to mind but I’m thinking of reading it for victober so won’t get to it in September. There’s also babel

I immediately thought of Ruth Reichl's Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir!

One of my Swedish history books I intend to read this fall has a plum coloured cover.

Katarina den stora: Rysslands upplysta despot by Tomas Blom



In my childhood home we had 4 sorts of plum threes in our garden: dark blue, lilac, yellow and sugar plums.

I have Butterfly by Yusra Mardini checked out from the library, and she's wearing a plum colored hoodie on the cover. So that's my pick.

I’m planning to read Plum Lovin by Janet Evanovich

I read When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt by Kara Cooney, an Associate Professor at UCLA.

I read Margo’s Got Money Troubles. Not only does it have a purple cover, but one of the characters is a professor. It is a quirky book so may not be for everyone, but it was 4 stars for me,

I read Professor Goose Debunks Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Paulette Bourgeois, 3 Stars

I read Love at the Sugar Plum Inn : A Pine Cove Springs Novella by Monique Brasher

I read 'Sons of Cain' by Peter Vronsky Ph.D for this prompt.

I read Six Years by Harlan Coben for this prompt. The main character is a professor.

Just finished Wives Like Us by Plum Sykes. Just a bit too fluffy for my taste, and I won't be reading anymore by her.

I have two books for this. One with a plum colored cover, Jupiter Rising, and one with a main character named Plum, Lotus Island. Since I would have read Jupiter regardless, I think I will use the Soontornvat book.

The protagonist of The Wedding People by Alison Espach is a college professor. And of course other people associated with her are part of the narrative.

I read the Name of the Rose by Umbrto Eco.

I read Babel by R F Kuang

I'm planning to listen to Murder at the University by Faith Martin It's the second in a series & I really enjoyed the first one.

I read The Plot, in which the main character is a professor, setting into motion the entire story. For bonus points, I also read Every Drop Is a Man's Nightmare, which mentions li hing seasoning in almosy every story (powdered plum, super-popular on fruit & shave ice in Hawaii, where the stories are set).

I read The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary.
Fascinating book about the writing of the OED.

I read Out of Character by Annabeth Albert. I really enjoyed this book - it a m/m romance where at least one of the leads is in college.

I just completed this one today. I read Body of Evidence (Kay Scarpetta, #2) by Patricia Cornwell; Dr. Scarpetta is a member of faculty at Virginian Medical Center (VMC).