It’s Cathy’s 20 Books of Summer time again. Last year I managed to finish all twenty on my list so I hope I’ll be able to do as well this year. Mind you last year due to the pandemic there was no distracting holiday time, we’ll be staying fairly local this year, but all going well we’ll be out and about more, visiting people and actually having friends around, I’ll just have to see how it goes reading time wise. These books have almost all been languishing on my shelves unread for a good wee while, but a few are quite new to me and a few were written with children in mind, a few are real chunksters. There are only a couple of crime/espionage books, this is because I read those ones almost as soon as they get into the house – I need to get more! Have you read any of these ones?
1. Mamma by Diana Tutton
2. The Spring of the Ram by Dorothy Dunnett
3. The New House Captain by Dorita Fairlie Bruce
4. Julia by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
5. Henrietta’s House by Elizabeth Goudge
6. Tortoise by Candlelight by Nina Bawden
7. The Fascinating Hat by Isabel Cameron
8. The School at the Chalet by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
9. Lightly Poached by Lillian Beckwith
10. Appleby’s Answer by Michael Innes
11. The Feast by Margaret Kennedy
12. The Women of Troy by Pat Barker
13. Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian
14. The Shield Ring by Rosemary Sutcliff
15. White Boots by Noel Streatfeild
16. Neither Five Nor Three by Helen MacInnes
17. bag and baggage by Judy Allen
18. After a Dead Dog by Colin Murray
19. Cross Gaits by Isabel Cameron
20. The Grove of Eagles by Winston Graham
If you haven’t read P.D. James, I’d recommend these crime stories with a psychological twist. Great writing from a writer with a police background. Even worth re-reading, if you’ve read them before.
Aline,
I haven’t read any of hers for years so I probably have quite a few to catch up with by now. I read her Death Comes to Pemberley but didn’t like it all that much, but I don’t like Austen ‘rip offs’ in general – although I suppose people would describe them as being an homage.
Haven’t read any of them but I do have a copy of The Feast – I’ll probably not get to it till after 20 Books though. Have fun!
White Boots by Noel Streatfeild is a wonderful book, I read it over and over.
Sulie,
Thanks, I’ve just bumped this one up to the top for my next read as you love it so much. My copy has 286 pages but the print is really big so it shouldn’t take too long to read.
I am hoping you read and review the book by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles because I have only read a good number of her police procedural mysteries. Also the book by Michael Innes because I haven’t read one of those in years and years.
Otherwise these are all pretty new to me so that they will be interesting too. Except for Helen MacInnes, and it has also been a while since I have read any of her books.
I liked the title Lightly Poached and have no idea what is about. I love poached eggs.
So glad that you are doing the 20 books of summer, no matter how many you read.
tracybham,
I’ll definitely be reading Julia as I’ve had it on a shelf for some years now, it’s long overdue being read.
I suspect that the ‘poached’ refers not to eggs but to fish being poached from a loch. I’m with you on poached eggs though, very tasty.
I have read several of these and White Boots is my favorite. But I just looked up Julia because I have read several books by CHE and the plot looks a little crazy! I have definitely not read this one.
I own all those Dorita Fairlie Bruce books but have not read them all. I should retrieve them from the attic and read along with you.
Constance,
I bought that Julia book purely for the title as if we had had a daughter she was going to be called Julia, but we have two sons.
If you want I will let you know when I’ll be starting a Dorita Fairlie Bruce book, just in case you do want to join in.
I like the name Julia too; I chose it for my confirmation name, although it isn’t used except on that occasion.
I am not sure my DFB books are accessible, except for one called Sally’s Summer Term, but I will investigate.
Constance,
I had no idea that Julia was a saints name, I would have chosen it for myself if that had been possible. ‘She’ was also going to have Alice and Imogen as names too so it’s maybe just as well we had boys!
Don’t go to any bother to find the DFB books, I know what it’s like searching for them, they’re never where I thought they were.
I haven’t read any of the books on your list. I hope you enjoy them all!
Stefanie,
I’ve just realised that all of the authors on my list are Brits. How parochial of me!
I think MacInnes became a US citizen but am not sure.
Constance,
She did become a US citizen, she moved to the US when she was 30 when her husband got a job in the US. He also kept on his work in MI6 so I suppose he was a spy, I think that helped her with her plots!
The only on the list I’ve read is Goodnight, Mister Tom which is a lovely story (also a nice TV adaptation if you can track it down.) I have read other books by Streatfeild, Goudge, Graham, and Kennedy, so I’m very interested in the books on your list by those authors. Good luck with the summer reading!
Karen K,
Thanks, I’ve just realised that I meant to put a Trollope on my list and it could have counted towards Back to the Classics. I forgot to look at the books that were languishing unread on my Kindle!