Category: 20 Books of Summer

20 Books of Summer Reading Challenge 2019

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20 Books of Summer 2019

This annual challenge is run by my namesake Cathy at 746 Books.  This year it takes place between 3rd June and 3rd September.  I participated for the first time last year but didn’t manage to organise/discipline my reading enough to complete my list. I’m determined to do better this year.

As Cathy explains, the rules are simple.  Take the Books of Summer image, pick your own 10, 15 or 20 books you’d like to read and link back Cathy’s master post at 746 Books on 3 June 2019 so she knows that you are taking part.  The rules are accommodating as well.  Want to swap a book? Go for it.  Fancy changing your list half way through? No problem.  Deciding to drop your goal from 20 to 15? She’s fine with that.

In putting together my list, I decided to concentrate on four categories:

  • Blog tour commitments I have from June onwards
  • Review copies sent to me by lovely publishers or won in giveaways run by Readers First
  • Books from my TBR pile
  • Unread books received in my monthly Reading In Heels subscription box

You can find my list below with links to the book description on Goodreads. I’ll update the list with links to my reviews when (note, not if) I’ve read them.

  1. The Playground Murders by Lesley Thomson Read and reviewed 
  2. The Serpent’s Mark by S.W. Perry Read and reviewed
  3. Birdie & Jude by Phyllis H. Moore Read and reviewed
  4. A Modern Family by Helga Flatland Read and reviewed
  5. Motive X by Stefan Ahnhem Read and reviewed
  6. The Mathematical Bridge by Jim Kelly
  7. Fled by Meg Keneally  Read and reviewed
  8. Improvement by Joan Silber
  9. The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle Read and reviewed
  10. The Narrow Land by Christine Dwyer Hickey
  11. Transcription by Kate Atkinson
  12. Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce
  13. In My Life by Alan Johnson Read and reviewed
  14. The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce
  15. Munich by Robert Harris
  16. Ponti by Sharlene Teo
  17. Liar by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen
  18. House of Beauty by Melba Escobar
  19. The Outrun by Amy Liptrot
  20. Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton

 

 

 

 

 

20 Books of Summer Reading Challenge 2018: Final Update #20booksofsummer

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20 Books of Summer Reading Challenge

This annual challenge is run by my namesake Cathy at 746 Books.

The rules are simple…and accommodating.  Pick your own 10, 15 or 20 books you’d like to read between 1st June and 3rd September.  Want to swap a book?  Go for it.  Fancy changing your list half way through?  No problem.  Decide to drop your goal from 20 to 15.  Cathy’s fine with that.

In putting together my original list, I decided to concentrate on four categories:

  • My Classics Club list which has been rather starved of attention lately
  • My other reading challenges all of which could do with a little help
  • My pile of review copies sent to me by lovely authors who, in addition to their writing talents, also possess seemingly limitless patience waiting for my reviews
  • Blog tour commitments I had in the next month or so

Over-confidence – what a thing that is, eh? After much soul searching (as it did seem a bit like cheating), I allowed myself to take advantage of the flexibility offered to change my list part way through, as you can see below.  I’ll be honest, if I hadn’t done that I’d have been nowhere near completing the challenge and, as it is, I only managed to complete 18 of my 20.  However, the challenge has allowed me tick off a few books from my Classics Club list and to make a couple of authors happy by reading and reviewing their books.

Clicking on the title will take you to my review of the book, or the book description on Goodreads if I’ve either not yet written my review or haven’t finished reading the book.

1 – The Half-Hearted by John Buchan          Read and reviewed

2 – The Watcher by the Threshold by John Buchan    Read and reviewed

3 – The Dark Tide by Vera Brittain         Read, not yet reviewed

The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood
4 – Replaced with Huntingtower by John Buchan      Read and reviewed

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
5 – Replaced with Heat and Dust by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala    Read and reviewed

The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
6 – Replaced with The Promise by Michelle Vernal    Read and reviewed 

The Assassin of Verona (William Shakespeare Thriller #2) by Benet Brandreth
7 – Replaced with Old Baggage by Lissa Evans     Read and reviewed 

8 – Diamond Cut Diamond by Jane Jakeman (What’s In A Name Reading Challenge)   Read and reviewed

Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee (TBR Pile Challenge)
9 – Replaced with The Mistress of Pennington’s by Rachel Brimble   Read and reviewed

10 – Six Stories by Matt Wesolowski (When Are You Reading? Challenge)  Read, not yet reviewed

11 – Spirit of Lost Angels (The Bone Angel #1) by Liza Perrat    Read and reviewed

12 – The King’s Daughter by Stephanie Churchill    Read and reviewed

A Queen’s Spy (The Tudor Mystery Trials #1) by Samantha Burnell
13 – Replaced with The Secrets of Primrose Square by Claudia Carroll   Read and reviewed 

14 – Choose to Rise: The Victory Within by M. N. Mekaelian    Currently reading

15 – Money Power Love by Joss Sheldon    Currently reading

16 – A Woman’s Lot (Meonbridge Chronicles #2) by Carolyn Hughes  Read and reviewed

17 – Forsaking All Others by Catherine Meyrick   Read and reviewed

18 – Summer of Love by Caro Fraser  Read and reviewed

19 – Call of the Curlew by Elizabeth Brooks    Read and reviewed

20 – The Emperor of Shoes by Spencer Wise     Read and reviewed

If you participated in the 20 Books of Summer Reading Challenge, do leave a comment or link to your list to let me know how you got on…