20 Books of Summer

Published on by Margaret

Cathy at 746 Books is hosting her 20 Books of Summer Challenge again this year. The challenge runs from June through August. There are options to read 10 or 15 books instead of the full 20. And you can swap a book, or change the list half way through if you want.

You can sign up here.

During previous summers I’ve taken part in this challenge and never managed to read the books I’ve listed, although I’ve read over 20 books during the summer months. It seems that listing books I want to read somehow takes away my desire to read them – or it maybe that other books demand to be read when the time comes. The solution seems to be don’t list the books – but that’s not the challenge!

For now these are 20 books I want to read this summer, subject to change. I’ll be pleased if I read 10 of them:

  1. Winter Garden by Beryl Bainbridge
  2. The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
  3. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
  4. In Too Deep by Bea Davenport
  5. The Riddle of the Third Mile by Colin Dexter
  6. Islands of Abandonment: Life in the Post-Human Landscape by Cal Flyn
  7. Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith
  8. Killing the Lawyers by Reginald Hill
  9. A Tapping at My Door by David Jackson
  10. Death in Berlin by M M Kaye
  11. The Hiding Place by Simon Lelic
  12. The Children Act by Ian McEwan
  13. I’ll Never Be Young Again by Daphne du Maurier
  14. Undercurrent by Barney Norris
  15. Maigret and the Ghost by Georges Simenon
  16. Spoon-Fed by Tim Spector
  17. King Solomon’s Carpet by Barbara Vine
  18. The Key in the Lock by Beth Underdown
  19. The Invisible Man by H G Wells
  20. The Reason Why by Cecil Woodham-Smith

What will you be reading?

24 thoughts on “20 Books of Summer”

  1. Such fantastic choices, Margaret! I’ve always liked Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse series, and there’s nothing like Beryl Bainbridge and Daphne du Maurier for building atmosphere and suspense. Highsmith, too, for the matter of that. And you’ve got Hill and Simenon, too…. So much great reading is in the cards for you, I think.

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  2. I’ve not read any of these Margaret, but they look great.

    And I kow exactly what you mean about suddenly going off the idea of reading the books you’ve listed – something else on the shelves always seems to look more enticing. But I do enjoy making the list anyway.

    Good luck with the challenge!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I considered whether to bother this year, but in the end I decided I would give it another go. I’m aiming to be relaxed about it and remember that I don’t ‘have’ to read them – I want to read them. 🙂

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  7. That’s a good list! Not sure I’ve read any of them apart from The Invisible Man. I shall be doing the challenge, I just haven’t made up mind whether to list 20 books and read as many as I can ‘or’ to be more realistic and just go for 10 books. The thing is, I have a ‘lot’ of books I fancy reading and I’ll have 10 on the list in no time. LOL We’ll see.

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  10. Good luck! I enjoyed The Silence of the Girls, Death in Berlin and I’ll Never Be Young Again. I’m still working on my own list, but Strangers on a Train is a possibility for me too as it’s on my Classics Club list.

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  12. I can sympathis. I’ve done this challenge for several years now or rather I should say I have attempted it since I’ve hardly ever succeeded. Just as you say, the act of making a list seems to have the effect of making me want to read everything other than what is on the list!

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  13. I’m intrigued by your list of books, looks like a nice mix. I’m not familiar with the Daphne du Maurier title. I’ve been wanting to read her work beyond Rebecca (one of my favorites). Good luck and have fun with the challenge!

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