Cathy at 746 Books is hosting a summer reading challenge (read more here) and I've decided to use this as motivation to read more from my stacks. I pulled 20 books off my shelves for a variety of reasons (book club picks, rereads, books with summer in the title, books I received for Christmas, BLM books, and a few that I've had for a long time but haven't made the time to read) and am going to attempt to read from this collection over the course of the summer, ending on Labor Day. Since I typically read 2-3 books in print (and 2-3 books on audio) each month, I'm setting the bar fairly high. Which would you recommend that I start with (or skip altogether)?
What a great pile of books!
ReplyDeleteRBG was great; I listened to Brown Girl Dreaming and that was an excellent format to appreciate the rhythms;
Thanks, raidergirl! My husband gave me RBG for Christmas this past year, so it's high on my list. I've heard that Brown Girl Dreaming is good on audio, so I may go with that if I decide to reread it someday. So good to see your comments here! I need to get back to visiting your blog. It's been far too long! Take care.
DeleteI liked State of Wonder, The Dutch House and The Good Neighborhood. All were engrossing and thought provoking- great reads! And of course you will enjoy Louise Penny.
ReplyDeleteCan you believe I've had the ARC of State of Wonder on my shelves for NINE years?! That's why it's on this list. :) The Dutch House is a book club selection and I'll probably do a read/listen combo since I love the fact that Tom Hanks reads the audiobook. The Good Neighborhood is another ARC from last year and I have heard very good things about it. Yes, Louise Penny is there so I have one a month (currently reading Glass Houses) before her new one comes out in September. Thanks again for popping in with TWO comments. :)
DeleteYou have selected a nice variety of books, I think. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Deb. Variety. Spice of life, right? :) I'm going to need all the luck I can find to finish all of these in the next three months!
DeleteI can’t comment on what you should, or shouldn’t, read from this particular list, but it is an exciting event! I have already read four from my list, on a streak of devouring Don Winslow’s books, but also loving Jenny Offill’s newest book, Weather. I do recommend that lovely work.
ReplyDelete(Just came back from the doctor with good news of no cancer, so I am most grateful. Thanks for your happy thoughts!)
Meredith, it's been a long time (years?) since I participated in a reading challenge, so I'm really excited about this one.
DeleteSo relieved to hear your good news about your neck! Thanks for letting me know.
Plenty of different choices here. I loved Notorious RBG and Nickel Boys and Stae of Wonder was good too. Enjoy. I picked 10 for summer and I'm doing pretty well.
ReplyDeleteDiane, I'm looking forward to Notorious RBG. I've watched a couple of documentaries about her and think this book will be very interesting. Nickel Boys was a gift, so I'm pleased to hear it was a good read. I have no idea why I've waited so long to read State of Wonder. Honestly, it's been in my stacks for almost 10 years.
DeleteLots of great books here. I loved a Homemade Life and made about 6 recipes from it. Ann Patchett is a new author to me and I loved Bel Canto and The Duthch House, that's all I have read of her work so far.
ReplyDeleteTina, I'm really excited about A Homemade Life. I bought the book when it first came out and my book group picked it for this year (my recommendation). I'm glad you found some good recipes! I loved Bel Canto, so I'm excited about The Dutch House. I also have State of Wonder on my shelf for this challenge, which I've heard is also very good by Patchett.
DeleteSome great choices here! I thought Notorious RBG was excellent - an interesting, accessible bio. If you still want more there are other more dense options. Also loved The Dutch House and Nickel Boys. State of Wonder was very good and my book club read A Homemade Life several summers ago. We all made one of the recipes for our annual potluck. I really enjoyed the audio version of Brown Girl Dreaming, too. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteJoAnn, I'm looking forward to RBG. My husband gave it to me for Christmas (or my birthday - they're both in December, so who knows) and read it right away. :) He really enjoyed it, so I'm pretty sure I'll like it, too. I started The Nickel Boys a day or so ago and am almost finished. It's a quick, yet disturbing, read. I feel as if I'm holding my breath the entire time I'm reading. Glad to hear that you loved so many others on my shelf. A Homemade Life is a book club selection and we were going to cook from the book, but I doubt that will happen now, due to COVID. :(
DeleteI loved The Confession Club (of course) and thought State of Wonder was very good. You've given me some more ideas to add to my list, especially A Homemade Life and The Dutch House. I'm reading Nothing to See Here right now and loving it! So thanks for that.
ReplyDeleteLaurel, I'm saving The Confession Club for when I need something somewhat light. I'm almost finished with The Nickel Boys, so I may dive right in! It's very good, but not the most uplifting. At least, not yet. A lot of people have expressed their enjoyment of State of Wonder, so that will move closer to the top of the stack, too. I'm so glad to hear that you're enjoying Nothing to See Here. I need to get a copy for Rod, since I think he'll enjoy it. He just finished Sapiens, which took him a couple of months to get through. I think he's ready for some light, fun reading at this point. Take good care.
DeleteYou can do it! I think having some Louise Penny books in there is good in case you end up with a not so good read in between. You have several books I want to read so definitely looking forward to your reviews.
ReplyDeleteIliana, you are so right about having a couple of Louise Penny books in the stacks. I know those will be worthy of my time and if her previous books are any indication, these last two will be great reads!
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