#20BooksofSummer – The 2019 List!

Cathy at 746Books hosts the #20BooksofSummer challenge annually, and it’s basically the only challenge I participate in, mainly because it’s pretty much whatever you want it to be!  You don’t have to read 20 books – you can read 15 or 10 or 5!  You don’t have to read the 20 books you picked at the beginning of the summer – you can read whatever you want!  You can pick whatever 20 books you want for your original list, and you can end the summer having read 20 completely different books that than list.  It’s a super chill challenge that is always fun both to participate in and to follow along.  If you’re interested, you should definitely check out Cathy’s introductory post here.

I tend to be a ridiculous reader, so I try to find ways to add an extra challenge to my 20, mostly by creating a list and then trying to stick to it, even though I’m reading lots of other books in between.  As usual, for me the only reason for replacing a book on the list will be if I end up DNFing a book less than halfway through.

So, without further ado – the list!

1 – Cliff’s Edge by Meg Tilly

I read the first book in this series, Solace Island, back in April.  The second one has just been published and has come in on reserve at the library, so I am hoping to kick off the Twenty with this title.

2 –  Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills

I’ve read two of Mills’s books so far and thoroughly enjoyed both, so I’m really looking forward to this one.

3 – Dreamology by Lucy Keating

This one has a pretty high chance of being a DNF, as I’ve heard a lot of mixed reviews about it, but I’m still going to give it a chance.

4 – A Portrait of Emily Price by Katherine Reay

Do you ever have an author that you should like her books, but you just don’t quite?  I feel like Reay is one of those people for me.  I’ve read two of her books so far, and both were solid, meh, 3* reads, yet I still find myself keeping her books on my TBR because they sound like books I should like!  But seriously, if Emily Price is just as meh as the first two I read, I may just have to give it up.

5 – A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay

Barclay is one of those authors that I’m always seeing around but still haven’t gotten around to trying, so I’m looking forward to seeing how this one works for me.

6 – Life After Theft by Aprilynne Pike

This is another total wildcard off the way-back TBR.  Literally no idea what to expect from this one, and no idea how it ended up on the TBR I the first place!!

7 – Swallows & Amazons by Arthur Ransome 

I vaguely remember Dad reading this book to us out loud when I was really small, and it’s a classic I’ve meant to revisit for a long time, especially since I remember nothing except there is something about boats and also they had their own language that they had made up and “Drool” was what they said for “Goodnight” and for a long time all of us kids would yell, “Drool!  Drool!” on our way to bed every night haha  I didn’t realize until just recently that it’s actually the first book in a series, but since the library only has this one, if I enjoy it I’ll be on my own to locate the other eleven books…

8 – Shadow Magic by Patricia C. Wrede

I really love Wrede’s Enchanted Forest series (which I keep meaning to rereading), and also the Cecelia and Kate series, which she co-wrote with Caroline Stevermer.  Shadow Magic is the first in her Lyra series, which are the first books she ever published.  I got all five of them as a Kindle book for a dollar a long while back, and I think it’s about time to give them a read.

9 – Judgment Calls by Alafair Burke

After reading Burke’s Under Suspicion series (which she co-wrote with Mary Higgins Clark), as well as her standalone The Ex, I added several more of her books to my TBR.  Judgment Calls is the first in a series, so if I enjoy it I get a couple more bonus books as well.

10 – Lord Brocktree by Brian Jacques

The next Redwall book awaits – and it’s about the badgers!!

11 – The Siren Wars by K.M. Robinson

Robinson is one of those prolific Kindle writers who is always giving away books and I’m always sucker enough to take them even though I haven’t yet found her quality to be very strong.  Still, I’m giving this one a shot since it’s the first in a trilogy.  Maybe her writing will be better if she has more space to find her way?

12 – Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski

Lenski’s books about children around America are genuinely delightful, although it’s been years since I’ve read them.  I’m excited to revisit Strawberry Girl for the first time in probably twenty years.

13 – Gentian Hill by Elizabeth Goudge

I’m working my way through all of Goudge’s works.  This one sounds a little different from her other books that I’ve read, but I’m still going to give it a shot.

14 – Falling for Mr. Darcy by Karalynne Mackrory

I really enjoyed another variation by this author, Bluebells in Mourning, when I read it last year, so I’ve been meaning to check out more of her writing.

15 – At Fairfield Orchard by Emma Cane

This is another one that has been on the TBR for so long its origins are lost in the mists of time.  Still, I’m sure I added it because I love stories about people who own their own businesses, and since I work on an orchard – well!  There’s a sequel to this one, so if it’s any good I’ll get a bonus book!

16 – The Story of a Whim by Grace Livingston Hill

I’m the first to admit that Hill’s stories are frequently ridiculous, but I still enjoy picking one up from time to time.

17 – The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

I’m 98% positive that I read this book back in high school (mainly because that cover looks suuuuper familiar), but remember nothing about it.

18 – A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson

Despite the fact that I’ve had rather poor luck with the two Ibbotson books I’ve read to date, someone left a comment on one of my reviews urging me to give this one a go, and I have to admit that the synopsis does sound like my style – so we will see what happens!

19 – I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella

This is one of my most recent additions to the TBR, thanks to several reviews.  Somehow, I’ve never gotten around to reading any of Kinsella’s books, so hopefully this is a good place to start.

20 – My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

This was one of my very favorite books growing up, as I have always loved books about people surviving in the wilderness.  Sam was one of my heroes, as I also love birds and he tames his own falcon!  I think one of the things I loved about this book was that Sam didn’t have to survive off the land – he chose to try and do it, which really made him a role model for me!  I’m super stoked about rereading this one as it has been way too long.

So there’s the list!  There are a lot of other books to read in between these, so we’ll see what happens!  The challenge runs from June 3 through September 3 this year, so next week we’ll be off!!

Let me know if you’re participating in #20BooksofSummer!  I’ve been enjoying reading everyone’s lists.