It’s only 3 weeks away! The start of June marks the start of the 20 Books of Summer challenge! I am so not ready, how can it be only 3 weeks away? The 20 Books of Summer is a lovely challenge created by Cathy at 746 Books where you read 20 books in the summer months from Monday, June 3 to Monday, September 3rd. Read only 5, 10 or the full 20 – the choice is yours!
What might this year’s list look like? I feel I should pick only 10 and then let the rest organically find their way to me like they always seem to do over the course of this challenge…although I could easily find 20 from my shelf and mainly review books from Netgalley, etc. So let’s go with the “Full Monty” of 20 for now and we’ll see how it shakes down over the course of this summer. (You know I’m going to stray from this list!)
Like I said, I could easily fill this list with my Netgalley books since there are so many that feel like perfect summertime reading. I will also put a couple of the books that have appeared each year on this list, but remain unread by the end of the challenge such as, Middlemarch and East of Eden. I WILL read Middlemarch this summer because it just feels like it’s the kind of book I’m craving and needing right now.
This was what I planned on reading last year. I did also start this challenge the year before, but didn’t write anything up about it. I did take a picture however of what I planned on reading, which is below. When I look back on this picture, I can say that I’ve read quite a few of them! Mind you, not for that particular summer challenge though… ;-)
I have read Elegy for Eddie by Jacqueline Winspear, Into the Water by Paula Hawkins. Deafening by Frances Itani (wait I did read that in the summer?), I know I read The Golden Legend by Nadeem Aslam in the summer. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver (LOVED it) and The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert (LOVED it too!). So hey – not bad really from this list! So it makes me feel great that I am reading through books that I have on my shelves.
From last year’s list…pretty abysmal effort there however — I was easily distracted last year! I did read The Heaviness of Things That Float by Jennifer Manual, A Student of Weather by Elizabeth Hay and The House at the Edge of the Night by Catherine Banner. But that’s it from my original list of 20!
What’s on the list for 2019? (And I’m going to list more than 20 because there are books on my Kobo and on my shelf that I want to try and get to this summer.)
If we take the ones that were on the list previously:
I’ve got some books that would make for great summer reading on my Kobo and in paperback and some also fit nicely into the Reading Women Challenge I’m quite behind on:
The rest are Netgalley books, but oh there are so many that I’m really looking forward to reading and sound like great summertime books too!
July 2019 
July 2019
Okay, not too many extras – I added 3 for a total of 23 books. I’m going to read more than 23 over the three months I’m sure, so I’ll have to monitor myself and really hope I stick with this list – it’s a good one for this year I think?!
There’s a lot of great and epic sounding books here. I’m finding I’m begging for these epic and all-consuming books lately. I’m praying for wonderful hits this summer like the one book I will always associate awesome summer reading with – The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson. Oh how I swooned for that one. I said it was great, sweeping, epic and wonderful. I so desperately want that with my whole everything. I’m really, really, really hoping Hoffman’s newest delivers that swoon too. It certainly sounds like it could – I’m all tingly with anticipation that the writing inside The World That We Knew is like the buttery greatness found inside The Dovekeepers. Same goes for This Tender Land by William Kent Kreuger. Ordinary Grace was a 5-star read and one I said was splendid and fully invested in when reading. I’m hoping This Tender Land delivers another fantastic reading experience like Ordinary Grace.
Calling all book hangovers! Hoping these 23 books give me all the book hangovers I can handle!
18 Comments
Lots of very tempting stuff on your list! I’m reading Middlemarch at the moment and enjoying it, though it’s not quite grabbed me quite as much as I’d hoped yet – I’m hoping that my blogging break will let me concentrate on it more and get fully involved. East of Eden is on my TBR but didn’t make the cut for my summer list – maybe autumn. However I will be reading a Steinbeck over the summer – a short one, The Pearl. And I was tempted by the Tea Obreht, but just couldn’t fit another review copy in so had to restrain myself from requesting it.
Good luck – hope this is the year you succeed! But more importantly, enjoy your reading!
Yes definitely! That’s what I’m going (try) to focus on – just read and enjoy and not getting worked up about meeting any imposed deadlines (made by myself probably). I’m interested in the Obreht – it’s been so long since The Tiger’s Wife….will be interesting to see what her new one will be like. I hope Middlemarch starts to grab you soon!! Thanks for stopping by FF!
Great choice of books – I love the variety. I tried to avoid filling mine up with just NetGalley reads, but like you I could have :D
Happy Reading!
I’m joining in too – https://onemoreword.uk/2019/06/02/20-books-of-summer-2019-20booksofsummer-amreading-books-summer/
Thanks Jules! Your list looks great too – I feel like I’m already going to stray but I’m trying my very best to stay focused!!
A great idea to use this challenge as a way to clear the NetGalley backlog. Wish I’d thought of that
There’s still time to get one organized! :-)
Niiiiiiice!!!!!
LOL! The trick will be to read them and not get distracted! And then there’s the Reading With Style Summer Challenge too…I can fit some in there! (Will I FINALLY read Middlemarch and East of Eden?!?!) :-)
I love looking at these lists so many new books to discover! I have not heard of these so excited to know how you get on!
Yes! Reading everyone else’s lists are just as much fun as compiling them! I will make sure I update as I go along Thanks Zoe!
Maybe this summer will be better for distraction, errr for not-so-many of them, I mean. It made me giggle when you said that you did read most of them, just not in the summer. That’s the kind of thing that happens to me all the time! Enjoy your stacks!
Thanks BIP! I’m hoping for the best! Either way I’ve great reading planned! ;-) Hope to see your list soon?
This is such a great list! Looking forward to seeing how you get on. Thanks for taking part x
No suggestions on what to start with Cathy?! Come on now! :-)
What a lovely list. Good luck.
:-) Thanks Cath! I’m probably going to be distracted again, but I’m really hoping not too much!
The covers and titles alone of a lot of these books have me intrigued! Hope you find lots to enjoy this summer. Looking forward to your thoughts.
I’m moving along pretty good through this list – have only swapped out one so far! hahaha I know – it’s just the start of it, I know I will more than likely be swapping out more. ;-)