20 Books For Summer
For the last few years I have followed the progress of other readers as they tried to complete the 20 Books For Summer reading challenge. This excellent initative was devised by Cathy at 746Books and the aim for the participants is to read 10 or 15 or 20 books between 1 June and 1 September. I have not taken part in any of the previous challenges but this year I am decidedly light on blog tour commitments and have far too many books in my TBR which I really want to make time to read.
I’ve identified all twenty I plan to read and will go through each of them here, briefly explaining the reason for adding them to the mix – some reasons will be much more sensible than others! Lets get stuck in…
Getting through all 20 books will be challenge enough so I don’t plan to tackle them in any particular order. I am a mood reader so if the mood is horror it means Lawrence Block will not be my first choice. Consequently there is no structure to this summary of my choices – lets start with Mr King and go from there.
Doctor Sleep and Elevation – Stephen King
The only author that features twice. Ten percent of the whole list. I have been trying to revisit lots of the King stories I read years ago (long before I started blogging) and I realised I have missed quite a few releases since I began blogging. I’ve picked up quite a few of the titles I haven’t read yet so this felt like the ideal time to phase some of the unread books into my reading plans.
When I Was Ten – Fiona Cummins
A book I saw many others reading (and loving) so I picked up a copy. I’ve read a couple of Fiona’s books previously and enjoyed them immensely so this was another easy choice to add to the mix. Plus…what’s the deal with the scissors???
The New Kingdom – Wilbur Smith
There’s going to be a fair few Wilbur Smith books featuring on the blog in the coming weeks. I will explain more in due course but The New Kingdom is not one of the many Smith books I read when I blitzed his back catalogue when I was in my 20’s – lots of more recent books for me to discover. This will be the first.
Strong Female Character – Fern Brady
I don’t read many non-fiction books but I have been looking forward to reading Fern Brady’s story of her autism diagnosis, her stories of growing up (not a million miles from where I live) and the other things she took pains to redact from the blurb. Expecting this to be shocking and hilarious in equal measure.
Moon Over Soho – Ben Aaronovich
Back in September I was on the panel of the Bloody Scotland Book Club. I had recommended we read Rivers of London – the first in the Peter Grant series which combines crime, fantasy and horror. Moon Over Soho is the second book in the series and I’ve been looking foward to reading my copy for ages – I had the good fortune to meet the author when he did a signing in Glasgow so it is time to (Carefully) read this book. My Bloody Scotland thoughts on Rivers of London can be seen here: https://youtu.be/sh2gxl_tY2A
Confidence – Denise Mina
A book I have been meaning to read but just have not found time for. I will often pick up a book purely down to who the author is. I haven’t read the blurb for Confidence and I have no idea what the story is about so I will be going in blind – I am expecting fun!
Nation – Terry Pratchett
It’s a Pratchett book I haven’t read. It isn’t a Discworld novel (which is why I didn’t immediately read it) but I bought this on release day and for some reason I never quite picked it up to read. Alarmingly it seems I have had this on a shelf for over fifteen years. IT IS TIME.
Containment – Vanda Symon
Love this series but I didn’t read Containment during the launch window as I didn’t want to do a review which clashed with the bloggers taking part in the blog tour (I always try to avoid official blog tours when sharing a review). I think it should be safe enough to read and review this book now.
Emily Noble’s Disgrace – Mary Paulson-Ellis and Life Science – A.K. Turner
Why are these two books grouped together? Two more books with a Bloody Scotland connection and both books in the pictures are my signed copies. The first panel I attended at the 2022 Bloody Scotland festival was Mary, Ali and Doug Johnstone talking about death. It was a lot more fun than it sounds and after the event was over I met all three authors and bought their books. I wanted to read them at the time and, if anything, I want to read them even more now.
The Secret of Cold Hill – Peter James
Back in the 1990s I discovered horror stories and I read all the chiller thrillers written by Peter James. This was long before Roy Grace became a fixture in our bookshelves. I always enjoyed Peter’s chilling tales so when The House on Cold Hill and then The Secret of Cold Hill slipped into the release schedules I was delighted.
Unpresidented – Jon Sopel
From one horror to another. The end of the (first?) Trump Presidency as captured by Jon Sopel who was the BBC correspondent in America at the time of this extraordinary period of American political history.
A Lesson in Violence – Jordan Harper and The Chalk Circle Man – Fred Vargas
Why are these two grouped together? These two books were recommended by two fabulous authors so I bought them. A Lesson in Violence was a recommendation made by Dom Nolan. Dom wrote Vine Street, my favourite book of last year, so when he started praising Jordan Harper’s novel I paid attention. The Chalk Circle Man was recommended by Sarah Hilary when she penned this piece for my Serial Heroes feature: https://grabthisbook.net/?p=1898
I Am Dust – Louise Beech
Just before the first Covid Lockdown I attended an Orenda Roadshow in Glasgow. I heard Louise talking about I Am Dust and the idea of a chilling tale set in a theatre really appealed…I just needed to actually get around to reading it. Can you see a theme developing here? Why are there so few hours in the day available for reading?
Chemical Code – Fiona Erskine
The only book in the twenty which isn’t officially published at the time I pulled my selections together. I wasn’t prepared to miss the chance to read the new Jaq Silver novel – Fiona Erskine’s an absolute gem and I love her writing. I am really looking forward to this one. Plus that cover is lush!
The Cabin at the End of the World – Paul Tremblay
A book which was getting overlooked too often when I plucked the next read from the shelf. I never watch horror films but I was aware of the buzz surrounding the movie which was based on this story. It made me realise I hadn’t read the book yet and as I will never see the film I can know the book is always better!
The Guards – Ken Bruen
Ken Bruen’s books were recommended by Paul Gadsby when he took part in my Decades challenge. When I shared Paul’s Decades choices there was a lot of love for Mr Bruen’s work – as I had never read any I picked up The Guards. I find I pick up quite a few books as I share more Decades posts.
The Burglar Who Traded Tad Williams – Lawrence Block
Finally the book which has been on my TBR pile longer than any of the other 19 titles. A Lawrence Block Burglar book. Fun guaranteed. I discovered this series while I was still at school, I will turn 49 during the course of this reading challenge. That’s a long pause for me to have between two titles in a single series.
I will tweet my progress as we go – follow me @grabthisbook