Recommending One Book For Every Letter of the Alphabet

26 book titles from A to Z, summarized in only a few sentences

“I read a book one day and my whole life was changed.”―Orhan Pamuk, The New Life

I’ve read over 600 books during my life so far.

After seeing lots of book recommendations, I decided to organize my list a little bit differently: alphabetically.

So, these are some of my favorite books, organized A through Z, summarized in only a few sentences.

A: Animal Farm by George Orwell

Mistreated animals start an uprising and take over their farm from the humans to create an ideal paradise of equality and justice.

B: The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

Liesel steals books from Nazi book-burnings while her family hides a Jewish man in their basement. Told through the perspective of ‘Death’, in Nazi Germany, 1939.

C: Clarissa by Samuel Richardson

Alienated by her family and forced into a marriage she does not want, Clarissa escapes with Robert Lovelace. The ‘reformed rake’ does not have pure intentions though, as he views Clarissa as a conquest to be won. The narrative is written through letters.

D: Divergent by Veronica Roth

In a dystopian world where people are divided into five factions based on values — Erudite, Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity — Beatrice Prior must choose which place she belongs. And the secret she carries with her might kill her and the very foundation her society is built on.

E: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Oskar’s father died in 9/11. When Oskar discovers a key in his late father’s closet, he decides to set out on a mission throughout New York to solve the mystery.

F: Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

Audrey’s anxiety has gotten to the point that she struggles to even leave the house. With a little help from friends, family, and her therapist, Audrey learns how to find herself again.

G: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Wealthy Jay Gatsby attempts to win over his new love Daisy Buchanan. A glimpse into the lavish life of New York in the 1920s.

H: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The murder of Starr’s best-friend Khalil is national news, but some people are labeling him as a drug dealer or gangbanger. Starr knows the truth. She was there with Khalil when the cops shot him that night.

I: Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Krakauer investigates the mystery of Christopher McCandles: a man who abandoned nearly all his possessions, donated his life savings to charity, burned the cash in his wallet, and moved to Alaska in 1992.

J: Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Annabel’s life may seem perfect on the outside, but it’s not. After what happened last year, her best friend has decided to dump her and her sister is struggling now more than ever. When Annabel meets Owen, his truth-telling and friendship are a breath of fresh air. And with his help, she may just be able to face what happened that night.

K: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Set during the Great Depression in Alabama, six-year-old Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch narrates the story. Her father, Atticus Finch, is a lawyer defending Tom Robinson, a black man wrongly accused of raping a white woman.

L: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

When Percy Jackson starts seeing monsters around him, his mother sends him to Camp Half Blood, a safe place for Demi-Gods. There, he learns that he is the son of Poseidon, the Greek God of the Sea, and is sent out on a quest across the United States to the gates of the Underworld.

M: The Martian by Andy Weir

Mark Watney is stranded on Mars. A dangerous dust storm forces his crew to flee the planet without Mark, barely making it out alive. With no way to contact Earth, and minimal supplies and food, Mark has to get creative if he wants to survive.

N: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Vivianne is a rule-follower and her sister Isabelle is rebellious. They haven’t seen eye-to-eye since their mother died when they were young. In German-occupied France during World War II, we see how each sister plays a different part in the war effort.

O: O Pioneers by Willa Cather

A Swedish-American immigrant family moves to Nebraska at the turn of the 20th century. Alexandra Bergson learns how she must balance her love, life, and family in order to take care of the farm.

P: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

Best friends Alex and Poppy always made time to go on vacation together every year. That is until two years ago when their friendship fell apart. Now, Poppy convinces Alex to go on one last trip in order to save their relationship.

Q: The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz, Translated by Elisabeth Jacquette

Set in an alternate, near-reality dystopian world in Egypt, citizens must go to the ‘Gate’ to get permission for each aspect of their life. But the Gate never opens and the line keeps getting longer. Among those waiting in line is Tarek, a doctor who struggles between following protocol or taking matters into his own hands to save others.

R: Room by Emma Donoghue

At five years old, Jack has only lived in one room. For Jack, Room is home, but for his mother, it’s where she’s been held captive for seven years by ‘Old Nick.’ Jack’s mother has a plan to escape but she’ll need Jack’s help to do it. This book is told from the perspective of Jack.

S: Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen

Marianne and Elinor are opposites. Where Marianne holds her heart on her sleeve, Elinor conceals her emotions. But they do have one thing in common: they’re both falling in love and afraid of what will happen when it’s lost.

T: The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien

Fictional stories inspired by real-life experiences of American soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War and returning home.

U: The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

When Andie’s politician father gets caught up in a scandal, her perfect summer unravels before her eyes. Her internship is canceled and she’s stuck at home in her father’s house, spending time with a man she barely knows. But with the help of her friends, a new boy, and a job as a dog-walker, Andie learns that she doesn’t have to plan out her future so far in advance. And that her dad isn’t so bad after all.

V: A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi

In 2002, a year after the events of 9/11, it’s difficult to be a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl in America. Shirin is tired of being stereotyped and has built up a protective wall that doesn’t allow anyone but her family to get close to her. That is until she meets Ocean, someone who for the first time seems to actually want to get to know Shirin.

W: When the Wales Leave by Yuri Rytkheu, Translated by Ilona Yazhbin Chavasse

Every morning Nau watches whales gather at the shore. One day, a whale transforms into a human, Reu, through the power of ‘The Great Love’. Together Nau and Reu become the parents of mankind. When Reu dies, Nau continues to tell this story, but as the generations grow, her decedents become more and more skeptical of their beginning. A retelling of the origin story of the Chukchi, indigenous people who inhabit the Chukchi Peninsula.

X: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Xiomara or ‘X’ finds solace in slam poetry as a way to understand her mother’s religion and her struggles growing up in Harlem, New York. Written in verse.

Y: You are Here: Around the World in 92 Minutes by Chris Hadfield

Chris Hadfield’s tour of the Earth through pictures he took while on the International Space Station.

Z: Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury

Essays on how to write and anecdotes on his journey, from Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451.

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