20 Books of Summer

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Hooray, it's that time again, when we start planning our summer reading and Cathy posts her #20booksofsummer challenge!


Cathy says:
Can I keep up my winning streak and complete my 20 Books of Summer challenge this year?
From 3 June until 3 September I will be attempting to read my 20 Books of Summer. Why not join in with your own 20 (or 10, or 15!), read along with some of the books or just cheer me on as I try and get that dreaded 746 down by another 20 in just 3 months.
So I spent a happy evening checking out my TBR and library shelves, and here is the result.


 It was very difficult to pick 20 books and I wound up with 22, telling myself that two are alternates in case I hate some.  I was quite tempted to choose 20 books from different countries for my Reading All Around the World project, but I decided that I wanted a variety.  I wound up with 4 Around the World titles (that is, for countries I haven't hit yet), 12 Classics Club books, 6 from my TBR (3 from Adam's list and 3 random), 3 chosen for WIT in August, and a few just for fun because I want them.  I have plenty more if I run out.
  1. The Walls of Jericho, by Rudolph Fisher (CC)
  2. Four Birds of Noah's Ark, by Thomas Dekker (CC)
  3. Kalpa Imperial, by Angelica Gorodischer (WIT)
  4. Purge, by Sofi Oksanen (RAAtW, TBR, WIT)
  5. Paradise of the Blind, by by Duong Thu Huong (CC, RAAtW, WIT)
  6. The Book of Chameleons, by Jose Eduardo Agualusa (RAAtW)
  7. The Palm-Wine Drinkard, by Amos Tutuola (CC, RAAtW)
  8. The Inland Sea, by Donald Richie
  9. Arthurian Romances, Tales, and Lyric Poetry by Hartmann von Aue (CC)
  10. Secondhand Time, by Svetlana Alexievich (CC)
  11. A House Full of Females, by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich (TBR)
  12. Midnight Riot, by Ben Aaronovitch
  13. The Adventures of Roderick Random, by Tobias Smollett (CC, TBR)
  14. The Claverings, by Anthony Trollope (CC, TBR)
  15. The Wanderer (Anglo-Saxon bits and bobs) (CC)
  16. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut (CC, TBR)
  17. The Plague, by Albert Camus (CC)
  18. The Lais of Marie de France (CC)
  19. Jamaica Inn, by Daphne du Maurier (TBR)
  20. The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge, by Anderson and Yelchin
  21. The Pendulum, by Julie Lindahl
  22. Ganga, by Julian Hollick (TBR)
I sure hope I'll have more time for reading this summer than I have had lately!  There are so many fascinating books out there...and I find more at work all the time.  Right now, my brain is telling me to "stock up for summer" despite the piles of books all over the place.  I tried to resist but it didn't work very well.

Comments

  1. Cleo @ Classical CarouselMay 21, 2019 at 11:04 AM

    You're crazy, you know. I reached book 13 before I even recognized one. And there's only one that I've read before, The Plague. How you find all these obscure reads AND most of them see enjoyable, I'll never know! :-)

    Can I join with less than 20? I can hardly read 20 during the year so this challenge intimidates me. But it would also give me focus. Hmmm .....

    ReplyDelete
  2. ireadthatinabookMay 21, 2019 at 11:24 AM

    Looks like a great TBR list! I have wanted to read Alexievich for a long time but haven't got around to her yet.

    ReplyDelete
  3. JeanMay 21, 2019 at 11:35 AM

    Cleo, it's true! :D Funny you mention the Plague -- I've been meaning to read it for over 20 years but it's still sitting there. So clearly I'm not much good at hitting my ambitions. However, you absolutely CAN and should join up with a shorter list! Cathy is the most flexible challenger out there (and rarely makes her own goal of 20!).

    ireadthat, I have the same problem. I want to read a lot of Alexievich but have struggled with actually doing it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. reeseMay 21, 2019 at 2:04 PM

    I'm most looking forward to your reading Kalpa Imperial and Palm-Wine Drinkard, because I've thinking about reading them for a while!

    I read The Plague in high school, and I still have my badly-marked-up copy around here, which hasn't been read in 20 (plus) years. I think I remember liking it...

    ReplyDelete
  5. JeanMay 21, 2019 at 2:40 PM

    Oh good, we can trade opinions!

    ReplyDelete
  6. BronaMay 22, 2019 at 3:31 PM

    Fascinating list as always Jean. Jamaica Inn the only one I've read though.

    I love making this list every year...and seeing how many of them I don't end up reading :-)

    ReplyDelete

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