So it’s that time of year again. Devised by Cathy at 746Books the aim is to read 20 books between 1 June and 1 September. I have taken part for the last four years. I think I’ve only made it once!
You can read about the challenge on Cathy’s excellent blog here.
I think I’m doomed to failure before I start but I need to make a dent in the TBR and this challenge gives me the push I need. This year I’ve done things a bit differently. I’ve selected a pile of books I want to read and I’m going to read 20 from them. Well that’s the aim. I may swap some of these out if I change my mind or find I can’t read them. I may even swap a lengthy book for a shorter one if I’m running out of time. Some are books I’ve agreed to review or are future releases, others simply because they caught my eye when I was scanning the TBR. I’m very much a mood reader though so I may also swop any of the ones I have listed as I find I have to read according to my mood, or the desire to read tends to disappear.
I’ll be reviewing all of the books I manage to read and I’ll be using the 20 books of Summer logo picture on each one. I’ll also link back to my reviews on here so I can keep track of how many I have read.
So here’s what I’ve selected.
- Invisible Agents by Nadine Ackerman
- The Therapist by Helene Flood.
- The Holdout by Graham Moore.
- Kate and Clara’s Curious Cornish Craft Shop by Ali McNamara.
- Green Sun by Kent Anderson.
- The Favour by Laura Vaughan.
- Silence is a Sense by Layla AlAmmar.
- The Plague Letters by V.L. Valentine.
- The Black Dress by Deborah Moggach.
- The Lost Storyteller by Amanda Block.
- Between Two Evils by Eva Dolan.
- Widow Land by C.J. Carey.
- One Ordinary Day at a Time by Sarah J Harris.
- How to Live. What to Do by Josh Cohen.
- The Stranding by Kate Sawyer.
- The Gospel of the Eels by Patrik Svensson.
- girl, 11 by Amy Suiter Clarke.
- The Wonderous and Tragic Life of Ivan and Ivana by Maryse Conde.
- Death and Croissants by Ian Moore.
- The Good Neighbours by Nina Allan.
- A Road to Extinction by Jonathan Lawley.
- Miss Ranskill Comes Home by Barbara Euphan Todd.
- Miss Buncle Married by D.E. Stevenson.
- Good Evening, Mrs Craven by Mollie Panter-Downes.
- Fifty Sounds by Polly Barton.
- Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny.
- The Mis-Education of Evie Epworth by Matson Taylor.
- Three Women and a Boat by Anne Youngson.
- Late Summer in the Vineyard by Jo Thomas.
- Hermit by
- Domestic Bliss and Other Disasters by Jane Ions.
- People of Abandoned Character by Clare Whitfield.
- The Lock In by Phoebe Luckhurst.
- Happy All the Time by Laurie Colwin.
- The Other Bennet Sisterby Janice Hadlow.
- Death Goes on Skis by Nancy Spain.
- The Others by Raul Garrigasait.
- The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer.
- The Darker Arts by Oscar de Muriel.
- The Rosary Garden by Nicola White.
- Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers.
- The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed.
- Arabella by Georgette Heyer.
- The Blank Wall by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding.
- Greenery Street by Denis Mackail.
- The Corpse in the Waxworks by John Dickson Carr.
- The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie.
- Crooked House by Agatha Christie.
- Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons.
- The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie.
So 50 to narrow down to 20. It’s a good job I stopped browsing the shelves when I did. I wonder how many of these I will read? I wonder how many other books instead of one of these I will read instead? We shall find out…
Have you read any of the books I’ve selected? Will you be taking part in #20BooksofSummer2021? Do let me know.
From First Page to Last 
I think that’s definitely the best way to go, and if I was attempting this I would have to give myself a pool to pick from! I have read Death goes on Skis, Fifty Sounds, the Sayers, the Christies, The Blank Wall and the John Dickson Carr – and I would recommend them all! 😀
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The trouble will be deciding which to read. I keep looking at the pile and there are at least 10 I want to read immediately. And I can’t start until the 1st!
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I’m glad you cheat as well, my ’20’ is from the around ‘100’ non-review books in my bedside bookcase.
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I may cheat a bit more and add some others as book post arrives!
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What a fab stack of books! I think we need to get you a new 50 Books of Summer challenge 🙂
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Ha! I’ll probably end up reading 10, and 5 of them will be books not on the original pile!
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Ha! Nice to see you’re about as decisive as I am. May I put a plea in for Early Morning Riser? It’s an absolute joy!
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It is one of the ones I want to dive into first. I’m trying to resist temptation and start it earlier!
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Good look with both challenges, I’d be stumped at having to pick 20! Can I recommend The Miseducation of Evie Epworth to make the shortlist, I loved it!
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Good to know, thanks. I’ll steer it to the top of the pile 🙂
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It’s also set in God’s Own County 😉
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Yes, that is the only way to handle this challenge: give yourself a wider pool of choices. Now that I hear about your 50, though, I’m wondering if my 30 are too few…
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There’s still time to add a few more. I’ve added two since I posted this…
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I like this approach! I’m terrible for swapping my chosen books out 🙂
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I usually do wildcards but I couldn’t even narrow it down to ten to pick from so I turned it all on it’s head and left a very long list! Which will no doubt change as the summer goes on…
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Sounds a good approach Janet! I thought Good Evening, Mrs Craven was excellent, I hope you enjoy it if it makes the final 20.
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It’s one of the ones I want to read first. Or along side another. That’s the great thing about short stories, they can fit in around other reads.
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I never have before but I’m tempted this year!
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I always find it fun, and a bit of a push to read a few more. It doesn’t reduce the TBR by much but it does make a small dent 🙂
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I’ve gone for the ‘pool of candidates’ approach too though managed to restrain myself to 30 books. I’ve learned the hard way that if I write a list of 20 books I immediately lose interest in the list
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I’m the same. If I feel like I have to read a book it soon starts to feel like homework. Good luck choosing from your 30.
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Good idea to pick a bunch and narrow it down depending on what you feel like. Think I’ll do the same next year.
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If it works this year I may stick with it. We shall see. No doubt the pile will get higher before it gets lower.
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I think the rule of TBR stacks is that they get higher. Full stop. 😂
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This sounds like the ideal way to approach Cathy’s 20 Books of Summer challenge as it gives you plenty of scope to flex your reading. Lovely to see a few Agatha Christie mysteries in your longlist of 50, always a good bet!
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They are a lovely bit of escapism. I’m trying to read the ones where I can’t recall what happens. Hopefully these fit the bill.
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You could always show us all up by reading and reviewing all fifty! 😉 I’ve read and loved the Christies and the Heyers. Cold Comfort Farm is a lot of fun – I think you’ll enjoy it. And I loved The Corpse in the Waxworks – these Bencolin books have become firm favourites for me. Looking forward to seeing what ones make the cut – have fun!
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I’ll surprise myself if I manage 10 of these let alone 50! 🙂
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Good luck narrowing them down. I made a list of 30 to choose from as 20 was just too difficult and I kept finding things I really wanted to read soonish.
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I had to stop there otherwise I’d have found loads more I wanted to read! Good luck choosing from your selection.
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Fifty to choose twenty? Sounds perfect to me. Good luck!
I’m hoping to read twenty of my 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up.
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Sounds like a great way to do the challenge. Good luck 🙂
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I haven’t read any of these, but The Darker Arts caught my eye. Good luck with your summer reading!
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It does sound good. My reading has slowed to nothing so I’m not holding out much hope of reading all 20!
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