Who loves a summer reading challenge?
Summer is probably the one time when I have huge aspirations to read a LOT, but then I remember, halfway through the summer, that I am a mom to young children, and they’re loud and hang off of you and generally don’t care if you read a book or not.
But fear not! This summer, I have a plan!
Well, the plan is to use the 20 Books of Summer Reading Challenge as motivation to get to the books on my bookshelf, but a plan nonetheless!
Cathy hosts this reading challenge over at 746 Books. I just visited her blog recently after hearing about this challenge at Laura’s blog, and I love the premise of why she started her blog. She says that in 2013, she counted her unread books one day and came out with a whopping 746 and started the blog as a way to be held accountable for reading those books.
I should probably do the same, but honestly, I’m terrified of the number I’d get!
Anyway, I’m just hearing about this readathon via Laura’s blog over at Reading In Bed (Hey, Laura! Remember me?), and so my starting date will be a little later than when it should be. Rather than starting on June 1, I’ll be starting on June 22, the day after the summer solstice, which gives me a whole lot less time, but that’s the fun of it, right? RIGHT?!?
When I thought about the 20 books I’d like to read, I had these requirements for myself:
- I’d like to have at least 3-5 classics, which include at least TWO Agatha Christie books.
- I want to throw in some romance for some lighthearted reads.
- I don’t want anything too long – I feel like that’s just a recipe to throw me into a reading slump.
Here are the 20 books from my bookshelves I would LOVE to read this summer:
- The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
- A Cosmic Kind of Love by Samantha Young
- The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
- Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
- The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang
- November 9 by Colleen Hoover
- Yours, Truly by Abby Jimenez
- Pages and Co: Tilly and the Bookwanderers by Anna James
- I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez
- The Forgotten Home Child by Genevieve Graham (Canadian)
- The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
- Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes
- The Deepest of Secrets (Rockton, #7) by Kelley Armstrong (Canadian)
- The Patient’s Secret by Loreth Anne White (Canadian)
- Don’t You Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane
- Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese (Canadian)
- The It Girl by Ruth Ware
- Lord of the Flies by William Golding
- Crooked House by Agatha Christie
- Murder at the Vicarage (Miss Marple, #1) by Agatha Christie
Things to keep in mind:
- I will also be reading a lot of Canada in July, so I’ll be trying to take advantage of audiobooks for a lot of that. I’m not including a lot of Canadian authors on this list, but hopefully, I’ll read those on top of these.
- I am sometimes terrible at sticking to lists for reading challenges, so take this list however you will – it’s bound to change.
Follow along with everyone’s progress using the hashtag: #20booksofsummer23
Do you love a good challenge? Feel free to check out the other challenges I’m doing in 2023.
Great list! Thanks for taking part. I loved Where’d You Go, Bernadette and Lord of the Flies is epic! Best of luck and happy reading.