20 Books of Summer

I’m going to be taking part in 20 Books of Summer again this year. It’s hosted by Cathy at  746 Books,  and it’s quite flexible, you don’t have to read 20 books, it can be less, but I’m usually well able to read 20 books during June, July and August.

Below is a list of the books I intend to read, but some of them might change.

1. The Wrench by Primo Levi (for The Classics Club)

2. The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory

3. Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata

4. Post After Post-Mortem by E.C.R. Lorac

5. The Redemption of Alexander Seaton by Shona MacLean

6. Gideon Ahoy by William Mayne

7. Mr Mac and Me by Esther Freud

8. Dissolution by C.J. Sansom

9. The Secrets of Blythswood Square by Sara Sheridan

10. Where the World Ends by Geraldine McCaughrean

11. Mayland Hall by Doreen Wallace

12. The Little Bookroom by Eleanor Farjeon

13. The Runaway Summer by Nina Bawden

14. Making It Up by Penelope Lively

15. The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar

16. Five Children on the Western Front by Kate Saunders

17. Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers

18. The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson

19. The Hemlock Cure by Joanne Burn

20. The Fall of Kelvin Walker by Alasdair Gray

It’s quite an eclectic list I think, there’s only one which is a re-read for me, Gaudy Night.  It should be a good summer of reading!

 

14 thoughts on “20 Books of Summer

  1. I love the juxtaposition of some of the titles. They sound like title and subtitle with one haiku thrown in for fun.
    O Caledonia: Another Country,

    Post After Post-Mortem: The Redemption of Alexander Seaton

    Dissolution: The Secrets of Blythswood Square

    Making it Up: A Very Great Profession

    gaudy night
    yesterday morning
    somewhere towards the end

  2. Looks like a good list! I really enjoyed Post After Post-Mortem, and Dissolution is great! It’s not me who hosts this one though, it’s Cathy at 746 Books. ????

    • FictionFan,
      Doh – as they say! I questioned myself as I wrote it but talked myself into you being ‘it’, it must be my age!? I should have checked. Sorry. I’m glad to know that at least two of the books are good reads.

  3. This list looks as though you will definitely have a great summer. And I will look forward to all of your posts about them.
    I have a copy of Gaudy Night, buried deep on my Kindle somewhere, though I haven’t read it yet. Considering you’re reading it for a second time, I should give it some attention!
    I’m really interested in what you will find in Another Country–Hopefully many more books to seek out and report on.

    • Judith,
      I believe that a lot of books have been set in the Lake District, including most of the Arthur Ransome Swallows and Amazons series. We’re hoping to go back to that area later on in the year, which is why I want to read it now.

  4. Your list looks very good to me although there are some books I am not familiar with. I liked O Caledonia a lot, although it was depressing for me. The second book in C.J. Sansom’s Shardlake series is on my list of 20 books. I want to read more by E.C.R. Lorac, although I don’t have a copy of the one on your list.

    • tracybham,
      Jack really liked O Caledonia, I’m now intrigued because you found it depressing. It might be the first one that I read from the list for that reason.

  5. That’s definitely an eclectic list. The only one I know is Dissolution which I really enjoyed, not so much for the “crime/mystery” element but the way Sansome captures the essence of the Tudor era.

    • BookerTalk,
      I’ve just finished Dissolution and I’m looking forward to reading the next one soonish.

  6. Pingback: The Runaway Summer by Nina Bawden – 20 Books of Summer | Pining for the West

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