The A to Z reading challenge is a year-long challenge where participants can pick a letter of the alphabet and read books whose titles begin with that letter. Each participant can pick multiple letters to complete the challenge but can only read one book per letter. If a letter is already taken by someone else, no points will be awarded for reading a book starting with that letter. Participants are encouraged to read as many books as they can and keep track of their progress by filling out a Google Form after each book. Points are awarded based on the number of pages read, and a leaderboard is created and updated weekly.
Examples:
To participate, simply choose an available letter of the alphabet on a first come, first served basis. Once all letters have been selected and read, the challenge is complete. Participants can only read a book for one letter, and only books with English titles are considered. If a book title starts with an article such as "A" or "The," the second word's first letter is used for the selected letter.
Books in all formats, including audiobooks and eBooks, are also considered for the challenge. To submit a book, participants must fill out the Google Form with information such as the book title, author, page count, and selected letter. Participants can also choose to share a brief review of the book on the form, and if they share their review on social media and tag Papataka Book Club, they will receive an extra 10 bonus points!
At the end of the year, the participant with the highest number of points will be declared the winner of the A to Z reading challenge 2023. If you have already read a book, you can still submit it for the challenge as long as it was read in 2023. Good luck and happy reading!
| Position | Reader | Books Read | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Naseera Fathima | 8 | 2916 |
| 2 | Bharat C.Reddy | 4 | 1261 |
| 3 | Madhavi Gopinath | 3 | 1148 |
| 4 | Deepanwita Maitra | 5 | 1025 |
| 5 | Soumith | 4 | 717 |
| 6 | Gajoju Akshay Kapil | 1 | 256 |
| 7 | Gayathri Appanabhotla | 1 | 240 |
| Alphabet | Book Title | Finished by | Points Scored | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | As good as dead | Naseera Fathima | 469* | Review |
| B | Born a crime | Gajoju Akshay Kapil | 256* | It's an auto biography of Trevor Noah. It describes about his childhood in South Africa where inter racial discrimination was at a peak and he was born to interracial parents. Thus the title "Born a crime". He speaks up about his struggles, lifestyle, his mom's efforts in the period of apartheid.It's a very good book mixed with emotion and humour. |
| C | Can you keep a secret | Naseera Fathima | 368 | |
| D | Demon Haunted world | Bharat C.Reddy | 466* | Carl Sagan illuminates on science, Aliens, Alien abduction theories, superstitions, Mysterious appearance of Gods and Human faces everywhere (moon, fruits, clouds) and Crop cutting patterns, witch hunts of Medieval europe, Hallucinations, How Gurus, Religion leaders, Cults profess practices or continue superstitions under the guise scientific evidence- Pseudoscience. Then goes on to talk about skepticism and importance of questioning. Finally talks about scientific responsibility and education to enable new discoveries and prevent misuse. PS: Also gives a Baloney detection kit with to catch Pseudoscientific arguments and general mystery crap. It might get a bit boring at times, have patience, it totally changes your perception about the world. |
| E | Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine | Madhavi Gopinath | 400 | |
| F | Farewell to Gabo and Mercedes | Deepanwita Maitra | 176 | |
| G | The Girl on the train | Bharat C.Reddy | 426* | Its was thrilling to say the least. It made me use my imagination to the fullest, it almost felt like a movie with a great screen play. It subtly shows how the world is SO not like how we perceive it. Shedding light on complex human nature, relationship paradoxes, and shallowness in imposition of personal hopes and biases onto other people lives. |
| H | Hercule Poirot’s Christmas | Naseera Fathima | 251 | |
| I | Independence | Naseera Fathima | 358 | |
| J | Jungle Nama | Deepanwita Maitra | 88 | |
| K | Krishnamurti's Journal | Soumith | 120 | |
| L | Lajja | Soumith | 330* | Lajja by Taslima Nasreen is a thought-provoking novel that highlights the struggles of a minority family living in Bangladesh. The story is set after the Babri Masjid incident in India, which triggers a series of unfortunate events in Bangladesh leading to the persecution of minorities. As I read this book, I found myself questioning the safety of minorities in my own country and how the internal problems of a country can have a significant impact on the citizens of another country. Lajja is a powerful and important book that raises critical questions about communal violence and its impact on minority communities. It is a must-read for anyone interested in South Asian politics, religion, and social issues. |
| M | My Story | Soumith | 219 | |
| N | Name Place Animal Thing | Deepanwita Maitra | 198 | |
| O | Other words for home | Naseera Fathima | 318* | Review |
| P | Persepolis | Deepanwita Maitra | 353 | |
| Q | Quiet | Madhavi Gopinath | 363 | |
| R | The reason I jump | Deepanwita Maitra | 210 | |
| S | Socrates meets Jesus | Bharat C.Reddy | 165* | It is an apologetic. It tries to confront Christian theology with a rational mind in the form of Socrates. Discussions on specific topics are quite intriguing. As all works on religious thought, it won't give definitive answers, but gives a lot more clarity on beliefs that are generally taken for granted or personal interpretations of mythology and justifications thus made based on utilitarian significance of those myths. |
| T | The Thursday murder club | Naseera Fathima | 392* | Review |
| U | Undercover Jihadi Bride | Gayathri Appanabhotla | 240 | |
| V | Vera Wong’s unsolicited advice for murderers | Naseera Fathima | 334 | |
| W | Wrong time, wrong place | Naseera Fathima | 426* | Review |
| X | Xingu | Soumith | 48 | |
| Y | Yellowface | Madhavi Gopinath | 385 | |
| Z | Zero to one | Bharat C.Reddy | 204* | It is an interesting read offering great insights into startup world. It particularly demystifies all the gaga over entrepreneurship. It challenges many conventional ideas about monopolies, markets, capital, sales and founders, and offers new perspectives. Definitely not a one time read. |