I am posting this not as a brag, but people who write usually read a lot. I have read mystery stories, ever since the Hardy Boys and Sherlock Holmes in elementary school. Add that mystery reading love to my Christian reading and it amounts to a lot of books.
In 2015, I accomplished something that I had tried to do in 1996. I read 26 books (actually a lot more) with an author whose last name started with each letter of the alphabet. In 1996, I could not find an “X”. Thanks to Chamblin’s Book Mine in Jacksonville, FL, I found the “X”, actually two. Thanks to the Jackson Street Bookstore in Omaha, NE, I have found a few more. In 2018, I have accomplished the feat for the fourth consecutive year, and I have a few more “X” authors to keep the string going, by now I have read my last “Q”. I guess it is back to the bookstore for an Ellery Queen.
Regarding the “X” authors, the “X” authors are Chinese writers. Their last name is their given name and their first name is their family name (Common among most Asian cultures). But that doesn’t change the feat when considering “last names”.
Note: The last entry in my spreadsheet for completed books is Jo Nesbo’s The Snowman. I started keeping my spreadsheet in 1993 when a friend asked, “Just how much do you read?” Never ask an engineer a question like that. Nesbo’s novel is entry number 1,900 in the spreadsheet.
Here is a list of one book for each letter this year, 2018. Note, most of the books mentioned are the only book from that letter for this year. More and better ones may follow. The table that follows will show books for 2017. For 2015 and 2016, use this link to last year’s post. In some cases, the book is the only representative for that letter of the alphabet. In other cases, the book was memorable for one reason or another.
The Alphabet Challenge of 2018
| AUTHOR | BOOK | COMMENTS | |
| A | Albom, Mitch | The magic strings of Frankie Presto | Only Albom can write a history of 20th Century music and weave it into a magical novel. |
| B | Box, C. J. | The Highway | My wife and I love the NW of the USA, Box is excellent |
| C | Cavender, Joh | A Pizza to Die For | Cozy mysteries revolving around a pizza parlor |
| D | Dixon, Franklin W. | The Secret of the Caves | Hardy Boys are still good reads at age 60+ |
| E | eriksson, kjell | The demon of dakar | A restaurant/bar – not the location |
| F | Fforde, Jasper | The Big Over Easy | Jack Spratt and Mary Mary solve the murder of Humpty Dumpty – not a children’s story, but very amusing |
| G | Graham, Billy | Where I Am | His last book, classic Billy Graham |
| H | Hagge, John | Four Blood Moons | A little dated since the blood moons are past tense, but interesting information |
| I | Iles, Greg | Mississippi Blood | The satisfactory conclusion of the Natchez Burning Trilogy – see photo above |
| J | Jance, J. A. | Downfall | My wife and I both love the Joanna Brady series. This one changes things if you have read older ones in the series. |
| K | Kingsbury, Karen | The Friends of Jesus | A fictional story that weaves the lives of actual Biblical characters to make one connected story, well done |
| L | Lewis, C. S. | Till We Have Faces, God in the Docks, Miracles, Letters to Malcolm | My Lewis books for this year. So far. |
| M | Metaxes, Eric | Miracles | Similar, but different from the C. S. Lewis book of the same name – In this slot, I could have used Creston Mapes, Poison Town – excellent mystery |
| N | Nesbo, Jo | The Snowman | Best Harry Hole mystery yet, in my opinion |
| O | Oliphant, B. J. | Death and the Delinquent | Shirley McClintock when not in Colorado, NM this time |
| P | Patterson, James | Hope to Die | Second half of the Alex Cross book, Cross My Heart |
| Q | Queen, Ellery | The Four of Hearts | A nice Ellery Queen puzzle |
| R | Robb, J. D. | Calculated in Death | Nora Roberts’ futuristic Eve Dallas series |
| S | Stout, Rex | How Like a God | A non-series novel |
| T | Thoene, Bodie | Munich Signature | Zion Covenant, Part 3, intrigue in Nazi held Europe |
| U | Upfield, Arthur | Wings above the Diamantina | Napoleon Bonaparte solves another case |
| V | Van der Wetering, Jan | Death of a Hawker | A Dutch author, de Gier and Grijpstra in a very interesting mystery |
| W | Wuok, Herman | War and Remembrance | The conclusion of Winds of War |
| X | Xingjian, Gao | One Man’s Bible | Another Autobiography of a Chinese Dissident |
| Y | Yancey, Philip | The Bible Jesus Read | Very interesting study of several Old Testament books |
| Z | Zadoff, Allen | I Am the Traitor | Teen adventure with “Boy Nobody” |
Total Books = 40 as of 6/13/2018
Total pages thus far = 14,616
The Alphabet Challenge of 2017
| AUTHOR | BOOK | COMMENTS | |
| A | Albom, Mitch | For one more day | Heartwarming, nice mother’s day book |
| B | Baantjer, A. C. | DeKok and the Romantic Murder | A Dutch author, funny |
| C | Coehlo, Paulo | The Spy | A Biography of Mata Hari |
| D | Deaver, Jeffery | Watchlist | Deaver only wrote part of this grand experiment. What would happen if you wrote a chapter of a book and then handed it to another author? You get two great novellas. |
| E | Elkins, Aaron | Dead Men’s Hearts | I’ll add some Janet Evanovich later, but this Gideon Oliver story was good. |
| F | Francis, Dick and Felix | Crossfire | I have Ian Fleming, Jasper Fforde, and others in the queue. |
| G | Goldsborough, Robert | Fade to Black | I love Nero Wolfe, even when not written by Rex Stout. |
| H | Hiaasen, Carl | Double Whammy | A Florida adventure with Al Garcia and Skink |
| I | Iles, Greg | The Bone Tree | 2nd in Natchez Burning Trilogy |
| J | Jeremiah, Dr. David | Is This the End? | A study of Revelation prophecy and the state of our world today. |
| K | Keller, Timothy | The Prodigal God | In depth study of Jesus’ parable |
| L | Ludlum, Robert | The Ambler Warning | A good spy story |
| M | Metaxes, Eric | Bonhoeffer | Biography |
| N | Nesbo, Jo | The Redeemer | A good Harry Hole mystery |
| O | Oliphant, B. J. | Deservedly Dead | Shirley McClintock at it again |
| P | Patterson, James | 12th of Never | Behind on the Women’s Murder Club Series |
| Q | Queen, Ellery | Player on the Other Side | A nice Ellery Queen puzzle |
| R | Rankin, Ian | Resurrection Men | John Rebus, getting into trouble |
| S | Simenon, Georges | Belle | An American novel by the author of Maigret |
| T | Thoene, Bodie | Prague Counterpoint | Zion Covenant, Part 2, intrigue in Nazi held Europe |
| U | Upfield, Arthur | Murder Down Under | Napoleon Bonaparte solves another case |
| V | Van der Wetering, Jan | The Maine Massacre | Another Dutch author, de Gier / Commissaris go the USA, leaving Grijpstra behind |
| W | Woods, Stuart | Worst Fears Realized | A good Stone Barrington |
| X | Xianliang, Zhang | Getting Used to Dying | Fictional Autobiography of a Chinese Dissident |
| Y | Young, Karen | Belle Point | Ugly politics and secrets of a MS Delta family |
| Z | Zerries, A. J. | The Last Van Gogh | Recovering art stolen by Nazis |
Total Books = 116
Total pages thus far = 37,968
Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley 
quite the accomplishment…and I might add, I love Sherlock Holmes…I’ve got my dad’s old books!
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I love reading — but I couldn’t do this. I have a pastor friend who reads one a week. Perhaps I am a slow reader. Perhaps I read the wrong sorts of books. I like to let them marinate a bit I guess. But what you have done is surely impressive. Ann
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I will admit. I fail to let many of the books marinate, although I take a lot of notes while reading the Christian books. They often become subjects for my posts.
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