I'm down to my last 8 letters of the alphabet and I don't have any books on my TBR list to meet the requirements. I need some ideas for authors with letters G, I, J, Q, V, X, Z. I generally read literature and historical non-fiction.

I have a copy of A Lion in Winter by James Goldman on my shelf. It's a leftover of my college days.  Don't know if plays would count for your challenge, though.

Diana Gabaldon wrote the wonderful "Outlander" series.  You might want to read the first in the series for your "G" author.   Also, Sandra Gulland wrote 3 books about Empress Josephine, hist. fiction, written in journal form.  I've read them-they're great.

Can't think of anymore offhand but if I do I'll come back to post.

One more idea, if you enjoy hist. fiction, maybe you could post your message down on the genre message boards.  There's one for hist. fiction and the people on there are usually big helps.

Here are my suggestions for some authors:

G=  Kay Gibbons (Ellen Foster); Sara Gruen (Water for Elephants)

I = John Irving (The World According to Garp, A Prayer for Owen Meaning, A Widow for One Year, Cider House Rules)

J = A.J. Jacobs (The Know-It-All, The Year of Living Biblically); Joshilyn Jackson (Gods in Alabama)

Q = Anna Quindlen (One True Thing)

V = The only one I can think of is Chris Van Allsburg who wrote the children's book The Polar Express.  Hey read it around the holidays!!  :)

 X = I've got nothing for X.

Z = Markus Zusak (The Book Thief , I Am the Messenger)

You probably wouldn't be interested but I thought I would mention I have Kelsey Grammar's book So Far...

Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

The Cider House Rules by John Irving

Paddy's Lament by Thomas Gallagher (Historical Non-fiction about Ireland in the 1800s)

Greg Iles is a fantastic author!

BLACK CROSS and SPANDAU PHOENIX both take place during WW2.

Both on my bookshelf if you want to check out plot line.

Kurt Vonnegut

I'd second Kurt Vonnegut for "V"

For "G" I'd look at William Goldman.  He wrote quite a number of books, including Marathon Man and its sequel Brothers as well as The Princess Bride.  Marathon Man was a bit darker than the movie, but it makes more sense and I'd recommend it to anyone.

Most anything else I could recommend would be science fiction, I guess...though I do have a double of The Turn of the Screw and Daisy Miller by Henry James on my shelf.  I can't stand Henry James' writing style, but he is classic fiction, and one of oly two Americans honored at Poet's Corner in London.

The Autobiography of Malcom X!

The Bestseller, Olivia Goldsmith

Deafening, Francis Itani

A Lesson Before Dying, Ernest Gaines

The Sky's the Limit, Steven Gaines

All of these just happen to be on my bookshelf!

this is a fantastic book but a little graphic:

The Captured: A true Story of Indian Abduction on the Texas Frontier by Scott Zesch

On New Year's Day, 1870, Adolph Korn, the author's ancestor and son of German immigrants, was captured by three Apaches near his family's cabin in central Texas. Adolph was traded to a band of Quahada Comanches, with whom he lived until November 1872, when the Comanches traded their captives for those held by the U.S. Army. Adolph was irrevocably changed. Considering himself Indian, he lived in a cave, and died alone in 1900. The author's search into Korn's sad life led him to the similar stories of eight other children captured in Texas between 1865 and 1871.

Try this site for author names

I ran X and there were 5 authors.  Its how I usually check out info on Fiction Authors.

There is a label on the far right to tell you the type of genre and it includes Contemporary -- I figure that is close to Literature in your original post.

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/

Since New Year resolutions are coming up soon . . . I like your idea of reading the alphabet. 

I can't remember what it was called, but the Autobiography of Malcom X reminds me of a report I read of the takeover of Attica by the prisoners in the '70s.  It was written by a "Brother Richard X" who was an inmate at Attica during the takeover.  The story was very interesting.

edit - the book does not appear to be in the system here.  I found it years ago in a college library, and I have no idea how old it might have been.

Soul Mountain (on my bookshelf -- shameless plug!) by author with last name Xingjian.   http://www.paperbackswap.com/book/details/9780060936235-Soul+Mountain

peace today, Lisa

Charlene,

What a site! Thanx for the link.

I plan on reading the alphabeth (titles) though probably not in order for 2009. Have pretty much decided which books. However, I do need something for X. That seems to be the hardest one.

Lisa,

Heading to your bookshelf.

G - Great nonfiction book - Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies and Why, by Laurence Gonzales

I - Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let You Go

J - It's not historical, but The Grizzly Maze: Timothy Treadwell's Fatal Obsession With Alaskan Bears, by Nick Jans is a very interesting read. 

Q - I'm currently reading Death of a Red Heroine, by Qiu Xialong.  Slow reading, but it's a really interesting picture of Chinese culture.

V - If you can handle gritty crime fiction, I love Andrew Vachss.  If you can handle fluffy cozy mysteries, try Elaine Viets.   :)

X - I really liked Sky Burial, by Xinran. 

Z - Markus Zusak was a great suggestion.  For mysteries I also liked Thomas Zigal. 

I'd recommend Anna Quindlen's Blessing for your Q book.  It was really well written.  Gish Jen's "Typical American" was an interesting read.  For G, Ernest Gaines "Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman" (excellent!), Margaret George's "Mary Called Magdalene", Arthur Golden's "Memoirs of a Geisha", or Sandra Gulland's "Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B." (historical fiction about Josephine Bonaparte)

This little book, written by a Holocaust survivor, so moved me that whenever I come across a copy, I buy it just to give it away.  I even searched out a Spanish translation to share with an E.L.L. student who was caring for her terminally ill mother.  In a nutshell, it's about how we choose to respond to  misfortune and tragedy; how those choices help us to survive--or not.  It's extremely well written, a quick read, and a keeper.