Hello everyone,
I am really hoping to finish my A-Z of books by the end of the year, so I have decided to combine some of letters for my remaining posts. It was an easy decision, especially when there are not many things to read about beginning with Q. Fun fact…Q is the only letter not found on the periodic table!
So most of the names, settings, and titles on this list start with P for Platinum, Phosphorus, Plutonium, and Lead. Let us commence…
Painkiller
A random book by an author called N.J. Fountain that I got from the library and read back in 2018. I remember relatively little about it, but almost all the chapters began with the words ‘I wake up…’ It was a quirky, mind-bending thriller about a woman who suffers from chronic pain.
Pandora
The debut novel by Susan Stokes-Chapman, which I read in 2022 and as the name might suggest, it is partially inspired by Greek mythology – although it is more about antiquity. Pandora – Dora for short – is the name of the main character, and it involves the discovery of an ancient storage jar called a Pithos in the basement of her uncle’s curio shop.
Paris
The capital of France, and the setting for a few books I have read including The Gilded Wolves and A Song Of Isolation.
Paris is also the name of a character in Greek mythology; the man who was allowed to live as a child despite the prophecies and went on to take Helen away, events which would lead to the Trojan War.
The Paris Library
Another book largely set in Paris, as the title would suggest, this is about a young woman who works at the American Library in Paris and finds happiness, only for that to be challenged by the outbreak of the Second World War.
Pasiphae
The queen of Crete in Greek mythology, Pasiphae is formidable, fearsome female character. I have come across her in passing while reading a few books, most notably Circe by Madeline Miller.
The Passengers
A breathless, edge of the seat thriller by John Marrs that imagines a futuristic society where driverless cars proliferate and any deaths caused by them are referred to a committee where human error is blamed. Here, someone hacks into the technology and causes mass carnage.
Pastoral
A rural community of people in A History Of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw, who shun society and live away from civilisation. Led by the dictatorial Levi, residents are told that they will die if they leave. Detective Travis Wren arrives there to investigate the disappearance of author Maggie St. James.
Patrice
The mother of PC Donna de Freitas in Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series. She begins a pretty sweet relationship with her daughter’s senior officer.
Patrick
A character in The End Of Her by Shari Lapena. He is blackmailed by his former partner, who also tries to get into the head of his new wife Stephanie.
Patrick Ness
The author of A Monster Calls, one of the most popular and well-known young adult titles. He wrote it after the author who dreamt up the original concept passed away, and it has been adapted into a film.
Patroclus
The narrator of The Song Of Achilles and lover of the titular character. Patroclus accompanies Achilles throughout most of his exiled childhood and they enter the Trojan War together. It is his voice that makes the book so interesting. He also appears or is mentioned in some other retellings I have read.
Paul Dexter
A character in These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong. He crosses paths with Juliette Cai and tries to strike up a deal amid the Madness that afflicts Shanghai, but he ends up being more influential than we realise.
Paula
An interfering woman who causes problems for the main character Jo Blackmore, in The Escape by C.L. Taylor. She begins with some idle threats that Jo’s daughter could be taken away, and inevitably these gradually escalate.
Peach
An obsessive friend of Guinevere Beck in You by Caroline Kepnes. Her possessiveness poses a problem for the even more obsessive Joe Goldberg, who eventually takes matters into his own hands.
Pekka Rollins
An underworld criminal boss who rules the city of Ketterdam in Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. He is the main adversary of Kaz Brekker, who has not forgotten how he wronged him and his brother when they were children.
Peleus
The father of Achilles in Greek mythology. He appears prominently early on in The Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller.
Pendle
An area of the English county of Lancashire, and the site of many famous 17th century witch trials. This setting features prominently in The Familiars by Stacey Halls, where a noblewoman employs a maid who becomes suspected of being a witch.
Penelope
The wife of Odysseus, who appears most notably in A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes. There are monologues in this book directed towards her husband, imploring him to finally come home from fighting in the Trojan War.
Petronella Brandt
The main character in The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton. A young woman from a rural Dutch town who becomes the wife of an Amsterdam merchant and arrives to find a dysfunctional household and an unconventional husband.
Known as Nella for short, she owns a parakeet called Peebo, and also appears in the sequel, The House Of Fortune.
Phaedra
A princess of Crete, the younger sister of Ariadne. She makes plans to escape the island with Ariadne and Theseus after he kills the minotaur, but she ends up being left behind. Phaedra appears as a co-narrator of Ariadne by Jennifer Saint, and is just as likeable and compelling as the title character.
Philadelphia
A city in the US state of Pennsylvania. It is the setting for Elizabeth Acevedo’s With The Fire On High, which was one of my favourite reads of 2020.
Phineus
A rebellious and slightly damaged teenage boy in The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell. He is the son of David Thomson, an abusive man who starts a cult inside a house in London.
Phoebe
One of the three narrators of One Of Us Is Back by Karen M. McManus, who becomes embroiled in a deadly game of truth or dare. She also becomes romantically involved with a shy boy called Knox.
Piet Bekker
A South African medical scientist in The Waiting Rooms by Eve Smith. An enigmatic character, Dr Bekker is implicated in the antibiotic crisis of the present timeline which leads to the suspension of medical treatment for persons aged over 70.
Pietro
One of the apprentices of the author Raphael, who gets caught up in the relationship between his master and his lover and muse Marguerite in The Woman In The Painting by Kerry Postle. Pietro is the narrator, and at times he can be quite deceitful, even if his intentions are not necessarily sinister.
Ping’er
The attendant for the moon goddess Chang’ee and a carer for her daughter and narrator Xingyin, in Daughter Of The Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan. When Chang’ee is exiled by Celestial Kingdom at the start of the book, Ping’er is forced to escape with Xingyin.
Piotr
The king of Ravka at the start of the Shadow and Bone trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. Most of what we see and hear of him is second hand, but we are left in no doubt that he took advantage of women in the royal court.
Pip Williams
The author of The Dictionary Of Lost Words, a coming of age novel about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary. I read the book in 2022 and was captivated by the story of Esme and the beautiful prose.
Pippa Fitz-Amobi
The main character in the A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder trilogy by Holly Jackson. She attempts to solve the seemingly closed case of the murder of Andie Bell for her sixth-form project, and fastidiously interviews all the suspects. Pippa has a very strong sense of justice, something that carries her into incredibly dark territory further down the line.
The Plot
A book by Jean Hanff Korelitz, which I read in 2021. It came with a lot of hype, but was ultimately disappointing. The blurb promises a lot, but it does not really deliver.
The Poet X
The debut novel by Elizabeth Acevedo, told almost entirely in poetic verse. An influential and groundbreaking book which I read in 2019, it tells the story of a girl called Xiomara, who uniquely voices her insecurities.
Poppet
A very likeable and charismatic character from The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. One of the performers alongside her brother Widget, Poppet is excitable and energetic, striking up a close relationship with the curious Bailey. She is one of the reasons why the book is a great dose of escapism.
Poppy
A character in Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell. The main character’s daughter Ellie has been missing for a few years, and when Laurel meets and falls for a man, she finds that his daughter Poppy looks just like Ellie.
Poppy O’Farrell
A missing girl whom the plot of Her Last Breath by Tracy Buchanan revolves around. Cue some surprising revelations!
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
A group of nineteenth century artists including Dante Gabriel Rosetti and Ford Madox Brown, who shunned contemporary art movements and looked to evoke the more realist paintings of the Renaissance period. They feature prominently in The Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal, in which main character Iris becomes a muse and lover to fictional artist Louis Frost.
Principal Gupta
The principal of Bayview High School in One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus.
Priya
One of the six people trapped in a room with a ticking time bomb in All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban. I do not remember loads about her, but I recall finding her pretty tragic.
Queen of Hearts
The main antagonist of Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland. She is very willing to hand out death sentences for the most trivial of things, and she likes to play croquet with flamingoes and hedgehogs as the equipment.
Dr Quinn
The smooth, authoritative, and somewhat badass tutor at Ellingham Academy in the Truly Devious series by Maureen Johnson.
Quinn
One of the Detective Sergeants in DI Adam Fawley’s team in Cara Hunter’s police procedural series. He has a good instinct, but is also a total womaniser, not to mention quite arrogant and occasionally unprofessional. A makes for entertaining reading, especially as Hunter writes certain passages as if she is sharing a joke with you.
Quinton
Amari’s brother in Amari & The Night Brothers by B.B. Alston. Quinton has been missing for a while, but it turns out (no spoiler) that he is a member of the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs.
Let’s Chat
Have you come across any of these books, settings, authors, or characters? Let me know in the comments!
Happy reading 🙂
Stephen Reads Books 