ABC Reading Challenge

So, I was inspired by Jill Williamson's post on Go Teen Writer's today. She posted an ABC reading challenge. She challenged herself (and anyone else who's interested) to make an alphabet reading list, and read them through the year. Because of all the books I have to read, I'm not sure if I can make it through in a year, but I think it would be fun to read through anyway. Also, we'll see if I read in alphabetical order. So here's my list! These are books that I/my family own and have yet to read, or library books.

A - Angry by Laura L. Smith
The author very sweetly sent me this book, so I'm excited for the chance to read it. (Other books starting with "A" that I recommend... Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore, Anne of Green Gables by L. Maude Montgomery, Anathema by Colleen Coble, Alone Yet Not Alone by Tracy Leininger.)

B - Before Midnight by Cameron Dokey
 I started reading this a few months ago, but got busy and never finished. Since I'm still near the beginning I decided it would count. :) (Other books starting with "B" that I recommend... By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson, Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale, Band of Sisters by Cathy Gohlke, The Bridge by Jerri Massi.)

  C - Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula by Elise Stokes

  I downloaded this on kindle awhile ago because I thought it would be interesting to read sometime. Turns out this is the perfect opportunity. (Other books starting with "C" that I recommend... Curse of the Spider King by Wayne Thomas Batson, Chasing Jupiter by Rachel Coker, Captives by Jill Williamson.)

D - Dorothy's Double by G.A. Henty 
My family has been encouraging me to read books by G.A. Henty for a long time. He's an old writer from years ago who wrote historical novels. Seems like a good time to try him out. (Other books starting with "D" that I recommend... The Door Within by Wayne Thomas Batson, Don't Judge a Girl By Her Cover by Ally Carter, The Destiny of One by Sarah Holman.)
 
E - The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict by Trenton Lee Stewart
 I love the Mysterious Benedict Society series, so when this prequel came out I was definitely excited. My mom finally picked it up for me last Saturday, so this is going into the E spot! (Other books starting with "E" that I recommend... Enna Burning by Shannon Hale, The Errant King by Wayne Thomas Batson, Elephant Run by Roland Smith.) 

F - The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson
  If you couldn't tell already, I love fairytale retellings. And Melanie Dickerson does an excellent job with them. She takes the base story, and makes it her own, even adding in a Christian aspect. I've read one of her medieval retellings, so I'm excited to get my hands on this Snow White retelling! (Other books starting with "F" that I recommend... The Fairytale Detectives by Michael Buckley.)

G - Godiva by David Rose
 This is a book I received for Christmas a few years ago from my brother-in-law. I read almost the entire thing, but ended up sidetracked. So, since it's been so long, I'm just going to re-read the entire book. I also had trouble finding a G book for some reason. Go figure. (Other books starting with "G" that I recommend... The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, Gods and Kings by Lynn Austen, Go Teen Writers: How To Turn Your First Book Into a Published Book by Stephanie Morrill and Jill Williamson.)


H - House of Dark Shadows by Robert Liparulo 
  I've been wanting to read this book since the NextGen writer's contest last summer. I found it at Ollie's a couple months ago, and just haven't gotten to reading it yet with all the books I had to read. I'm excited for this one! (Other books starting with "H" that I recommend... Hangman's Curse by Frank Peretti, The Hallelujah Lass by Wendy Lawton, The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis.)

I - In Between: A Katie Parker Production by Jenny B. Jones
I've heard a lot about Jenny B. Jones. This is another one that I have read a bit of, but haven't finished. So let's give it a go! (Other books starting with "I" that I recommend... Isle of Swords/Fire by Wayne Thomas Batson, Interrupted: Life Beyond Words by Rachel Coker, It's Complicated by Laura L. Smith.)

J - Just Beyond the Clouds by Karen Kingsbury
 I don't normally read much Kingsbury, but in an effort to find a J book, I decided to give this book a try. :) (Other books starting with "J" that I recommend... Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes.)

K - Kidnapped by Dee Henderson
I haven't read much Dee Henderson either, though I have listened to her O'Malley series, and read one of her books. She's great with suspense, so I'm pretty sure this will be a good read! (Other books starting with "K" that I recommend... The Kathleen Series by Tracy Leininger Craven. All start with K. First is Kathleen's Shaken Dreams.)

 L - Lightkeeper's Ball by Colleen Coble
 I love a good Colleeen Coble book. And since I was able to enjoy the first book in this series, The Lightkeeper's Daughter, this one is bound to be good as well. (Other books starting with "L" that I recommend... The Lightkeeper's Daughter by Colleen Coble, A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis.)

M - The Maze Runner by James Dashner
 I've had this one for a few months, a Christmas present from my sis, and I've heard a lot about it. So I'm going to read it at last. :) (Other books starting with "M" that I recommend... The Mysterious Benedict Society (and sequels) by Trenton Lee Stewart, The Merchant's Daughter by Melanie Dickerson, The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis.)

N - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
 I'm not sure about this one entirely, but since it's an N title, I'll check it out and see what it's like. :) (Other books starting with "N" that I recommend... The Negotiator by Dee Henderson, The New Recruit by Jill Williamson.)

O - Out of Control by Mary Connealy 
This one looks pretty interesting, and O books are so hard to find! (Other books starting with "O" that I recommend... Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, The Orphan King by Sigmund Brouwer.)

P - Paradise Valley by Dale Cramer
 Normally, Amish fiction isn't my cup of tea, but for some reason or another this story about an Amish community fleeing Mexican because of almost religious persecution has caught my interest. So we'll see how it goes. :) (Other books starting with "P" that I recommend... Princess Academy by Shannon Hale, Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale, The Problem Child by Michael Buckley, Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis.)
 
Q - The Quest Begins by Erin Hunter
 I don't know a lot about this book either, but it's about bears, and sounds like it might be a cute read. It might be a kids book, but those are nice now and again. (Other books starting with "Q" that I recommend... Quiet Little Woman by Louisa May Alcott.)

R - Redwall by Brain Jacques
Yes, I've never read Redwall. I've wanted to, though. And now I have it downloaded on kindle, and it's just waiting to be read. I've seen the cartoons, however. ;) (Other books starting with "R" that I recommend... Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, Replication by Jill Williamson, The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet by Stephanie Morrill, Raiders From the Sea by Lois Walfrid Johnson.)

S - Set Apart Femininity by Leslie Ludy
 This was sent to me by a friend. I love books that encourage girls in the Lord, and other areas in their life. This is the first non-fiction book on my list. I had a few fiction choices, but decided this was the best for now. And I really want to read it too. (Other books starting with "S" that I recommend... The Scarlet Thread by Francine Rivers, Shadow of His Hand by Wendy Lawton, The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis.)

T - The Tiphereth Trilogy by Katie Hepner
This is a book written by a fellow teen writer, so of course I'm excited to have the opportunity to read it. It also looks like a good plot. (Other books starting with "T" that I recommend... Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow, The Tide of Unmaking by Wayne Thomas Batson, To Darkness Fled by Jill Williamson.)

U - Unenchanted by Chanda Hahn
Another book series about people related to the brothers Grimm? Sounds pretty cool. I'll see what it's like! :) (Other books starting with "U" that I recommend... The Unusual Suspects by Michael Buckley, The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Anderson.)

V - Viewer by Scott Hawthorne
 Another interesting looking book about people able to see great technology, including some teens who are held hostage by a man who wants to use their talents to create advanced weaponry to take over the world. (Other books starting with "V" that I recommend... Venom and Song by Wayne Thomas Batson, The Voice in The Wind by Francine Rivers, The Voyage of The Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis.)

W - While We're Far Apart by Lynn Austen             
 I like Lynn Austen. Her Gods and Kings series was really good, and I just think she's a good writer. I'm excited to read this book. I've actually started it, but not been able to finish it because of other things before, so it will be nice to have it as a priority.  And the cover's so pretty! (Other books starting with "W" that I recommend... Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren, The Witness by Dee Henderson, Word of Honor by Terri Blackstock.

X - XYZ A Detective Story by Anna Katherine Green
 So this one isn't complete novel length. I suppose it's more of a novella, but I don't own any X books, as far as I'm aware, and neither does my library! So this story I found on kindle will just have to do. (Other books starting with "X" that I recommend... Uh... I don't know any! Not really. I suppose we need to write some X books! :P)

Y - Young Indiana Jones and the Princess of Peril by Lester M. Schulman or Young Samurai by Chris Bradford.
I actually found a couple, but can't decide! Indiana Jones, or a boy who has to learn martial arts because his family was murdered? What do you think? (I don't really know many Y books either...)

Z - Zero Gravity by Dave Roman or Zel by Donna Jo Napoli
Zero Gravity looks like a comic book. But for some reason I'm having trouble finding Z books. ;) However, I stumbled across the book Zel, and it sounds like the type of book I'd read. The only way I'll get this one, though, is to buy it. But I suppose I might have the money by the time I get to Z, so here's hoping! :)

Wow, this blog post took a long time to write! Who knew? All of the books on the list are subject to change, if I find a book of that letter that I really, really want to read. But I'm pretty excited about this! I have a few books to finish, and then I can get started on Angry! I'm hoping to have a review of each book, and those will probably be posted on Thursday's as I finish them. :)


Do you have any book suggestions? Especially for the really hard letters?

~ a rambling author