It's that time again for Cathy's (746 Books) 20 Books of Summer reading challenge. I don't expect to read all of these books by September, but I'm certainly going to give it a try. The first selection are the newest additions to my shelves and I've heard nothing but good things about all of them. The second group is comprised of books that I've owned for a long time and I'm looking forward to finally reading some of them. The final set of books is my "assigned" reading. The mysteries are part of my on-going "Deborah Crombie" marathon and the others are book club selections for June, July and August. These six books have priority over all the others, but I'm hoping to read at least 15 of the 20 that I've chosen. Wish me luck!
Have you read any of these? Which would you skip?
Click here for more details about this annual event.
I read and enjoyed Writers & Lovers; Anxious People; 28 Summers; Midnight Library; Perks of Being a Wildflower; Migrations; and The Overstory. Overstory and Migrations are, I think, brilliant.
ReplyDeleteDeb, I'm looking forward to reading Overstory and Migrations with my book group. The others you've read are high on my list, too.
DeleteI'd say that my favorite two were Overstory and Migrations.
DeleteI ended up really loving Anxious People although I wasn't sure of that when I first started to read it. Midnight Library was a little underwhelming and seemed like so many I've read before. Loved The Overstory. And the Russo book has been on my shelf for a long while. Actually,I think it's on my Kindle. Been awhile. I love Russo.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great list and I like how you split it up.
Ti, I'm glad to see another positive comment about The Overstory. It looks pretty daunting, but so many readers seem to have loved it, so I'm excited about it.
DeleteI've heard great things about Russo but have never read him! Thanks so much for taking part - good luck and happy reading!
ReplyDeleteCathy, I read Empire Falls by Russo many, many years ago and really enjoyed it. Straight Man and Nobody's Fool are also very good, but I couldn't get into Bridge of Sighs. We'll see how it goes with That Old Cape Magic...
DeleteVicki, Fredrik Backman has become one of my favorite authors, so I'm super excited to read this new book of his. I'm going to have to start making stacks in the order of the most highly recommended books for this challenge. Thanks for your opinion!
ReplyDeleteSo many good books! I loved Writers & Lovers, Anxious People (after a very slow start), and 28 Summers. After 50-75 pages, Monogamy was a little slower than I was in the mood for... but I'll try it again later.
ReplyDeleteI remember enjoying That Old Cape Magic... read it by the lake over a summer weekend. Classic Russo!
I have The Overstory on my tbr pile. Read the first story/chapter and thought it was wonderful, but had to return it to the library. I eventually purchased a copy, but still haven't gotten back to it. Hopefully soon...
Have fun making your way through the list!
JoAnn, I'm hoping to read the majority of these, but you know how it goes in the summer. I'll be patient with Anxious People and prepare myself for a slow start. I may wait on Monogamy until later in August so I don't get bogged down. I remember that you read That Old Cape Magic. That's how long I've had it! ;) The Overstory seems a bit daunting, so I'm glad it was chosen by my book group to motivate me. Now to figure out which of these to pack for our road trip. Can I read two a week? So I'll need to pack 10. In reality, I'll probably only need five...
DeleteI’ll echo the comment of Anxious People. I wasn’t sure at the beginning, but I was patient and ended up loving it. Perks is excellent, I read Fall on Your Knees many years ago in the midst of Oprah reads- loved the Cape Breton setting.
ReplyDeleteI want to read The Overstory as well!
Enjoy your summer!
Raidergirl, thanks for your comments about the books I've chosen! I'm arranging my stacks based on all of these comments, so I'm glad to know that Perks and Fall on Your Knees were good. They've been on my shelves for a very long time!
DeleteI've only read Anxious People from your list and I enjoyed it though the story is an odd one. I think I'll join this reading challenge.
ReplyDeleteIt should be a fun reading challenge. Thanks for your input. I'm guessing you are Helen? :)
DeleteI put Migrations on my list too (though it has a slightly different title here). Good luck with your summer reading!
ReplyDeleteEllie, I've heard such good things about Migrations and am glad my book club is reading it this year. Have fun with the challenge!
DeleteI don’t expect to read all of my list, either, but we shall remain hopeful, right? My dear sister in law told me about Combrie, whom I am eager to discover, yet I also want to read some of Louise Penny this summer as well. I have owned Overstory since before it won the Pulitzer, but have a I read it? No...I know we both love nature, though, so it promises to fulfill. ❤️
ReplyDeleteMeredith, half the fun is in the planning, right? Oh, start with Louise Penny before Crombie. Crombie is good, but Penny is outstanding. With that said, you can skip the first three books in her series. Or be patient and know that they get much better the further along you read. I'm excited about The Overstory now that I've read so many glowing reviews from fellow bloggers. Thanks for your comment. I've missed you!
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ReplyDeleteI'll be looking into several of these. I love Crombie and Russo--for such different reasons! I really liked One, Two, Three and hope you like it as well. :)
ReplyDeleteJenclair, I just finished the fifth book in Crombie's series and didn't enjoy it nearly as well as the previous mystery. I'm hoping I was just distracted. I'm excited about One, Two, Three. Her previous novel was outstanding!
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ReplyDeleteOh my goodness - so many of the books on your list for summer were winners for me: Monogamy, Anxious People, 28 Summers, Migrations, That Old Cape Magic and several others I enjoyed a lot. I also want to read One Two Three and The Overstory (forgot those on my summer list). Hope you summer is full of delightful reads. I posted my list today.
ReplyDeleteDiane, I have so many of these winners on my shelves, thanks to you! I'm excited about my summer reading and have already begun with next month's book club choice (A Door in the Earth).
DeleteLooks like you've got a great mix of books for your summer reading! This is such a great challenge. Maybe I need to join and focus on some of my long time shelf sitters. Hmm, going to think about it.
ReplyDeleteIliana, I'm excited about all the books I've selected for the next three months. It's nice to have somewhat of a plan, but I'm not going to feel guilty if I switch it up a bit as the summer months pass.
DeleteGreat list. I have read Writers & Lovers, Monogamy, and Migrations (perhaps my favorite) ... but haven't read your other picks. I really need to read The Overstory ... but I think it might take much time, hence I haven't picked it up yet. But I still think it'll be great. I've heard so much praise about it. I wish you good luck with them all!!
ReplyDeleteSusan, it appears that Writers & Lovers is a favorite with my blogging friends. I'll probably start in on that once I've finished Amy Waldman's novel, which I'm reading for my book group.
DeleteHow fun to have your summer booklist (and fun for me, too :-)). I'm currently reading That Old Cape Magic. And Anxious People is still on my library list. I'll have to check out more of the books on your shelves! Happy summer, and happy reading!
ReplyDeleteLaurel, I love making lists and it's nice to have a reading plan for the summer. What a coincidence that you're reading Russo's book! I don't know when I'll start that one; I'm currently reading one for next month's book club (A Door in the Earth), which is a bit slow. Not sure why I'm bothering since we'll be away for the meeting, but I'm already 100 pages in, so I'll keep going. Let me know what you think of That Old Cape Magic once you've finished. Have a lovely week!
DeleteWill be curious about your thoughts if you read The Midnight Library. I really enjoyed it, despite its serious subject matter.
ReplyDeleteI need to get back to reading Backman, I have several of his novels yet unread by me.
Carl, I will definitely read The Midnight Library, but not for a month or so. We're on the road and it's one of the books I left at home. I wish I had brought it since I've already abandoned two of my books for this challenge. Argh.
DeleteIf you haven't read Beartown, I can't recommend it enough. I thought it was amazing!