A Book with an Alliterative Title: Picks for TPL Reading Challenge 2023

Time to think back to grade school English because we're talking alliteration today! In case you haven't retained this concept, which is usually taught in the context of poetry, here is a quick definition:

"Alliteration: the repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighbouring words or syllables (such as wild and woolly, threatening throngs)." (I'm used Merriam-Webster because I'm the kind of person who has a favourite dictionary, and it's my favourite.)

Merriam-Webster even gave us examples — how nice! But if you need a few more, alliteration always makes me think of tongue twisters like "she sells seashells by the seashore." All those lovely repeating 's' and 'sh' sounds? That's alliteration!

These are my recommendations for books with alliterative titles:

Green Glass Ghosts by Rae Spoon

This semi-autobiographical novel from Rae Spoon tells the story of a young person estranged from their family as they try to survive and find community (and a home) in Vancouver. They link up with various other misfits, but their evangelical prairie upbringing sometimes makes it hard for them to relate with Vancouver natives, especially when it comes to their lack of social and economic support to fall back on when things go sour. Rae Spoon is one of my favourite musical artists, and I also highly recommend their other book First Spring Grass Fire.

Other categories:

a book about friendship
a book about survival
a book by a 2SLGBTQ+ author who is also part of another marginalized group
a book by a person living with a non-apparen't disability

Disappearance at Devil's Rock by Paul Tremblay

Paul Tremblay is one of my favourite horror authors out there today, and his writing ranges from zombie-adjacent horror to demonic possession and pure psychological makes-you-question-reality horror. In Disappearance at Devil's Rock, we are contending with the mysterious disappearance of a 14-year-old boy from a sleepover at Devil's Rock, a place steeped in creepy local folklore. When people start reporting seeing the teen's ghost around town, his mother isn't sure whether to take that as evidence that he's dead or that he's still alive but in hiding for some reason.

Other categories:

a book by a person living with a non-apparen't disability

Staff Recommendations

And here are recommendations from other staff members:

Truth Telling by Michelle Good

This book explores many issues that are currently affecting Indigenous people in Canada. Michelle Good incorporates her own experience and family's legacy in seven personal essays in this book. The essays range from issues of residential schools to missing and murdered Indigenous women to land claims. It is an eye-opener and lets the readers know that change is still needed in this country — not just apologies or land acknowledgments but to do something real.

Other categories:

a book you would recommend to your younger self
a book published this year
a book about a historical event you are unfamiliar with

—Pia, Branch Head

Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School #1) by Gail Carringer

The entire Finishing School series fits this category! It's a light-hearted romp through steampunk Victorian England with a wicked sense of humour and plenty of paranormal beings about. The audiobook narrator Moira Quirk is absolutely fantastic. And the other titles are also alliterative: Curtsies & Conspiracies, Waistcoats & Weaponry, and more!

—Morgan, Librarian

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

This monster of a book goes beyond 600 pages, but it is totally worth it! Taking place in three different time periods, the common theme is an ancient manuscript called Cloud Cuckoo Land and its protagonist Aethon, who transforms into a donkey, then into a fish, then into a crow. His aim is to fly into a utopian paradise in the sky. What I loved about this book is that every character in this book has an important relationship with a librarian, and Doerr recognizes that as a child, the library was a place where he always felt safe.

Other categories:

a book told from a child's point of view
a book with multiple timelines

—Debra, Librarian

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

A spicy, man-woman romance featuring a female lead with Asperger's syndrome, no-nonsense dialogue and a male escort. This book is a deeply satisfying read about a woman who wants to explore intimacy with someone who judges her lack of experience. Save your eye roll — her lack of experience is due to her autism, not some lame "good girl" or virgin trope. For fans of Ali Hazlewood's Women in STEM romance series, Helen Hoang's storytelling is smart and refreshing.

Other categories:

a book about friendship
a book by a person living with a non-apparen't disability
a book that makes you happy
a book about an optimistic future

—Reagan, Librarian

Savage Season by Joe R. Lansdale

Savage Season is the first book in the Hap and Leonard series. Hap’s ex-wife comes back into his life with the proposition of finding hundreds of thousands of dollars stolen from a bank, so he gets his best friend Leonard involved in the scheme. Although his wife works with a radical group to retrieve the money for a cause, Hap and Leonard hope to use the money to retire from their working-class lives. But, of course, things go sideways.

I’m not much of a crime reader, but the relationship between Hap and Leonard makes the series stand out in the genre as they’re completely opposite characters (racially, politically and even in their sexual orientation), yet they're best friends looking out for each other.

I discovered the book series through the criminally underrated TV adaptation of the first three books (TPL has Season 1). I think it's a hidden gem cancelled way too soon, and I highly recommend it.

Other categories:

A book about friendship

—Rathees, Librarian

The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1) by Lemony Snicket

I read the Series of Unfortunate Events as an adult and had a great time! You too can enjoy such titles as The Bad Beginning, The Hostile Hospital, and The Penultimate Peril. These quick reads are funny, sad and absolutely absurd. You may even pick up some new vocabulary while you read!

Other categories:

a book about survival

—Kate, Librarian

Recommendations from the Facebook Group

These are just some of the suggested titles from our Facebook TPL Reading Challenge 2023 discussion group. You can read all of the responses in the original post (get the link from our FB moderator). You do not need a Facebook account to read the suggestions.

French Recommendations

If you like to read in French, check out the list of recommended books for "un titre allitératif : suggestions pour le Défi lecture." There's a mix of books, ebooks and digital audiobooks to try.

What would you recommend for "a book with an alliterative title”? Add your suggestions in the comments section below.

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