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For each letter of the alphabet, read a classic book with a character whose first name, surname or job title starts with the letter. For example, in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, the character Joe Gargery could used for one of
J - first name Joe
G - surname Gargery
B - job title Blacksmith

Complete the template with the book title & author, date finished & character details.

Template

A - Z characters
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F
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What a lovely challenge Tr1sha <3

A - Z characters
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A Paulina Anson The Angel at the Grave by Edith Wharton (1901) January 7, 2024 4*
B
C
D
E
F Professor Fesseden Fessenden's Worlds by Edmond Hamilton (1937) January 7, 2025 4*
G
H Hermann The Queen of Spades by Alexander Pushkin (1834) March 1, 2025 4*
I Ivan A Lost Opportunity by Leo Tolstoy (1885) April 4, 2024 5*
J Joe - Call Me Joe by Poul Anderson (1957) April 14, 2025 5*
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R Tom and Frank Reckenthorpe The Two Generals by Anthony Trollope (1863) February 8, 2025 4*
S
T
U
V
W Francis Weed The Country Husband by John Cheever (1954) February 4, 2024 3*
X
Y Richard Young The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier (1969) March 22, 2025 5*
Z

B C D E
G
K L M N O
P Q S T
U V X
Z

📚A - Z characters 📚
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A
📚B Superintendent Battle, Towards Zero, Agatha Christie, 5/30/25, 4*
C
D
E
F
G
📚H Hercule Poirot, The Murder on the Links, Agatha Christie, 3/9/25, 3*
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
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📚W Frona Welse, A Daughter of the Snows, Jack London, 1/15/25, 3*
X
Y
Z

A - Z Characters 2025

A - Asey Mayo (New England Sherlock): The Cape Cod Mystery by Phoebe Atwood Taylor✅
B - Mr. Bedford (Writer): The First Men in the Moon y H.G. Wells✅
C - Captain in the Coast Artillery (Edgar): The Dance of Death by August Strindberg ✅
D -Dodson, Matt (Space Cadet): Space Cadet by Robert A. Heinlein ✅
E - Ernest Everhard (Revolutionist): The Iron Heel by Jack London✅
F -White Fell(Werewolf): The Were-Wolf by Clemence Housman✅
G - Goodwin, Archie (Private Detective): Fer-de-Lance by Rex Stout✅
H - Henry Jones (Clerk): Cousin Henry by Anthony Trollope✅
I - Rachel Innes (Aunt): The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart ✅
J - Jerusha Abbot (Student): Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster ✅
K - Inspector Kendall: Seven Dead by J. Jefferson Farjeon ✅
L - Lawyer (Perry Mason): The Case of the Shoplifter's Shoe: A Perry Mason Mystery by Erle Stanley Gardner✅
M - Montgomery, Ellen (Orphan): The Wide, Wide World by Susan Bogert Warner✅
N - Na hee lah (Princess): The Moon Maid by Edgar Rice Burroughs✅
O
P- Private Detective (Miss Silver): Miss Silver Deals With Death by Patricia Wentworth✅
Q
R - Rufus Moffat (Little boy): The Moffats by Eleanor Estes ✅
S - Student (Carney): Carney's House Party by Maud Hart Lovelace✅
T
U
V - Vicar (Mr. Primrose): The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith✅
W - Whitsby, Prudence (Aunt): Death Lights a Candle by Phoebe Atwood Taylor✅
X
Y
Z -Zeb Rawlings (Sheriff): How the West Was Won by Louis L'Amour✅

P E C I S
Z J A D W G M
L K B N M V F

A - Z characters

22/26
✅ Finished 🟦Currently reading

✅A - Albert Graumann (engineer) - The Case of the Registered Letter - Auguste Groner (pseudonym of Augusta Groner) (1902) 1/7/25
✅B - Simone de Beauvoir - A Very Easy Death - Simone de Beauvoir (1965) 3/19/25
✅C - Cora - The Postman Always Rings Twice - James M. Cain (1934) 3/6/25
✅D - Darcy - Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen 2/28/25
✅E - Elinor - The Annotated Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen (1811) 1/6/25
✅F - Frank - Murder After Christmas - Rupert Latimer (1944) 1/12/25
✅G - Sarah Gittings (nurse) - The Door - Mary Roberts Rinehart (1930) 1/11/25
✅H - Alice Humphrey - The Wide, Wide World - Susan Bogert Warner (1850) 3/7/25
✅I - Ivan Karamazov - The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoevsky (1880) 3/27/25
✅J - Jean (valet) - Miss Julie - August Strindberg (1888) 2/22/25
✅K - Krogstad - A Doll's House - Henrik Ibsen (1879) 1/18/25
✅L - Luna - “Advancing Luna--and Ida B. Wells” in You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down: Stories - Alice Walker (1971) 2/6/25
✅M - Milly Hoggin - “The Nemean Lion” - The Labors of Hercules - Agatha Christie (1939)
✅N - Nero Wolfe - Fer-de-Lance - Rex Stout 3/20/25
✅O - Octave Mouret - The Ladies’ Paradise - Émile Zola (1883)
✅P - Prudence Whitsby - The Cape Cod Mystery - Phoebe Atwood Taylor (1931) 2/9/25
Q
✅R - Linus Rawlings - How the West Was Won - Louis L'Amour (1962) 3/16/25
✅S - Reuben Smith - Black Beauty - Anna Sewell (1877) 4/11/25
✅T - Trilby - Trilby - George du Maurier (1894)
U
✅V - Francine Veyrenattes - The Easy Life - Marguerite Duras (1947) 3/28/25
✅W - Waldo - The Story of an African Farm - Olive Schreiner (1883) 4/3/25
X
Y
✅Z - Thesaurus Zosimos (Prince) - The Hearing Trumpet - Leonora Carrington (1974) 3/15/25

J Q U V X Y

A - Z characters
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B
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A - Z characters
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A ✅Inspector Alan Grant from The Man in the QueuebyJosephine Tey -1929
B✅Bartholomew Farrell from Brat Farrarby Josephine Tey -1949
C✅Cousin AmybyW. Somerset Maugham-(author 1874-1965)
D✅ Darius Clayhanger from ClayhangerbyArnold Bennett- 1910
E✅ Etheria(can be spelt two other ways)from Thomas Merton on Pilgrimage to the Holy LandbyThomas Merton Taken from Thomas Merton's recordings as Master of Novices in Gethsemane Abbey,1965-1967
F✅ Flag from The YearlingbyMarjorie Kinnan Rawlings- 1938
G✅Gabriel from Go Tell It on the MountainbyJames Baldwin- 1953
H✅ Hannah Jane from Hannah JanebyDavid Ross Locke-1881
I✅Irena Nikolayevna Arkadina fromThe Seagullby Anton Chekhov-1895
J✅ Jesus Maria from Tortilla Flat-1935
K✅ Betty Kane from The Franchise AffairbyJosephine Tey
L✅Lydia Languish from The RivalsbyRichard Brinsley Sheridan-1775
M✅ Margaret Eager from her memoir Six Years at the Russian CourtbyMargaret Eager- 1906
N✅ Corporal Nym from Henry Vby William Shakespeare
O✅Caleb Oriel from Dr ThornebyAnthony Trollope-1858
P✅ Pyotr Andreyich Grinyov from The Daughter of the Commandant by Alexander Pushkin-1836
Q✅Monsignor QuixotebyGraham Greene-1940
R✅Sir Walter Raleigh in Here Was A ManbyNorah Lofts-1936
S✅ Shylock in The Merchant of VenicebyWilliam Shakespeare-1596
T✅ Tevye in Tevye the MilkmanbySholom Aleichem-1894
UUrsulabyHonoré de Balzac
V✅ Queen VictoriabyE. Gordon BrowneIn his biography of Victoria and the achievements of her reign.-1915
W✅ James Wormold from Our Man In HavanabyGraham Greene-1958
X
Y
ZQueen Zixi of Ix: The Story of the Magic CloakbyL. Frank Baum

A
B
C
D
E- Eleanor Vance from The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
F
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Characters:
Names. Surnames. Vocations.
❤️A. Alex: Anthony Burgess - A Clockwork Orange 1962
❤️B. Batchei, Petr: Valentin Kataev - Зимний ветер 1960
❤️C. Curé Georges Bernanos - Diary of a Country Priest 1936
❤️D. Dargelos Jean Cocteau - The Holy Terrors 1929
❤️E. Estanislao Balder: Roberto Arlt - El amor brujo 1932
❤️F. Frank Friedmaier: Georges Simenon - The Snow Was Dirty 1947
❤️G. Gospel Singer: Harry Crews - The Gospel Singer 1968
❤️H. Horace Pirouelle Philppe Soupault - The Voyage of Horace Pirouelle 1925
❤️I. Inspector Barlach: Friedrich Dürrenmatt - The Judge and His Hangman 1951
❤️J. Alexander Jessiersky Alexander Lernet-Holenia - Count Luna 1955
❤️K. Kornelius Isaksen William Heinesen - The Lost Musicians 1950
❤️L. Miss Lonelyhearts Nathaniel West - Miss Lonelyhearts 1933
❤️M. Mattis Tarjei Vesaas - The Birds 1957
❤️N. Theophilus North Thornton Wilder - Theophilus North 1973
❤️O. Major O’Mara James White - Hospital Station 1962
❤️P. Peregrine Tyss E. T. A. Hoffmann - Master Flea 1822
❤️Q. Quoin – sailor William Hope Hodgson - The Ghost Pirates 1909
❤️R. Richard Roe Henry Green - Caught 1943
❤️S. Seryozha Aksakov Sergei Aksakov - A Russian Schoolboy 1852
❤️T. Titus Groan Mervyn Peake - Boy in Darkness 1956
❤️U. Gabriel John Utterson Robert Louis Stevenson - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1886
❤️V. Kornél and Angéla Vizy Dezső Kosztolányi - Anna Édes 1926
❤️W. William Halloway Ray Bradbury - Something Wicked This Way Comes 1962
❤️X. Xenia Karova Mark Aldanov - The Escape 1931
❤️Y. Yaninochka Valentin Kataev - The Embezzlers 1926
❤️Z. Pedro Zamora Juan Rulfo - The Plain in Flames 1953

Tr1sha wrote: "For each letter of the alphabet, read a classic book with a character whose first name, surname or job title starts with the letter. For example, in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, the chara..."

Trisha,I'm having trouble with X-any ideas?Many thanks!

Vicky wrote: "Tr1sha wrote: "For each letter of the alphabet, read a classic book with a character whose first name, surname or job title starts with the letter. For example, in Great Expectations by Charles Dic..."
Xerxes by Jacob Abbott or other books about him.

Vicky wrote: "Tr1sha wrote: "For each letter of the alphabet, read a classic book with a character whose first name, surname or job title starts with the letter. For example, in Great Expectations by Charles Dic..."

Good question! But most groups are flexible about the most difficult letters X & Z - they can be in a word, not necessarily at its beginning. So you could use a name like Alex or Alexander. (When you need locations with X, Oxford is useful!) For Z, an obvious choice is Elizabeth, Lizzie, etc.

I’m a long way behind in this challenge, I haven’t read many classics recently but will catch up eventually!