20 Books Of Summer 2026 – Final Update #20BOS26

Summer’s officially over and therefore so is the 20 Books of Summer reading challenge for another year. Thanks to Annabel at AnnaBookBel for being our host for the event.

I usually try to stick to my original list and not take advantage of the option to swap books in and out. Invariably it ends in failure. This year I allowed myself the option, swapping in eight books most of which were August and September publishing ARCs or book club picks I needed to read. In hindsight, I should have put them on my list from the beginning. I’m pleased that I actually managed to read twenty-seven books over the period of the challenge. Let’s not talk about how many reviews I still need to write though…

Links from the titles will take you to the book description on Goodreads or my review.

  1. Prey by Graham Hurley
  2. Dwell by Rue Baldry
  3. A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie
  4. Deception by Alan Parks
  5. Country People by Daniel Mason
  6. Murder at the End of the World by Akane Araki, translated by Jesse Kirkwood
  7. A Fatal Love by Louisa Treger
  8. Throw Away the Key by Jason M. Hough
  9. Daughters of Naples by Diana Giovinazzo
  10. Land by Maggie O’Farrell
  11. Where are the Kings by Donal Ryan
  12. Invitation from a Dictator by Rory Clements
  13. The Millionaire Waltz by Anthony Quinn
  14. The Eagle and the Wolf (Age of Attila #1) by Gordon Doherty
  15. The Draw of the Sea by Wyl Menmuir
  16. The Knife Maker of Venice by David Gilman
  17. Little Spark by Jess Kidd
  18. Conqueror (Agricola #4) by Simon Turney
  19. A Shroud of Snow by Sarah Hawkswood
  20. Fair Play by Louise Hegarty

If you took part in 20 Books of Summer, how did you get on?

#TopTenTuesday Books With Nationalities In The Title #TuesdayBookBlog

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

The rules are simple:

  • Each Tuesday, Jana assigns a new topic. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want.
  • Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own Top Ten Tuesday post.
  • Add your name to the Linky widget on that day’s post so that everyone can check out other bloggers’ lists.
  • Or if you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic is Books With Nationalities In The Title, a topic suggested by…me! It turned out to be more difficult than I thought, especially since I set myself the challenge of finding ten different ones. Links from each title will take you to my review or the book description on Goodreads.

  1. French Windows by Antoine Laurain
  2. The English Führer by Rory Clements
  3. The Persian Boy by Mary Renault
  4. The American Agent by Jacqueline Winspear
  5. Greeks Bearing Gifts by Philip Kerr
  6. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
  7. The German Messenger by David Malcolm
  8. The Spanish Girl by Jules Hayes
  9. The Swiss Spy by Alex Gerlis
  10. Canadian Occasions by John Buchan