Fancy a nose at my #20 Books of Summer?

June 2, 2017 by Sarah

For the past couple of years I have followed with interest the lists and progress of fellow bloggers participating in the #20 Books of Summer reading challenge, hosted by Cathy over at 746 Books. As I’m emerging from a bit of a Brexit/Trump-horror reading slump, this year, I thought I’d throw my hat into the ring too.

It’s been fun picking my titles but I’m concerned that I’ve got quite a few chunky ones in my pile that might slow down my progress. Also, I’m a fickle sort, so substitutions will most likely be made at some point. Here are my choices.

I do like to read around a place before visiting, so it’s no surprise to find so many Italian novels in my list as I’m off to a family wedding in a few weeks time. I’ve narrowed it down to four, some of which I’ll read before I go, some while there.

I’ve also got a couple of books out of the library which I want to read before returning them next week.

I’ve chosen a clutch of novels that I’ve been meaning to read for ages due to either rave blog reviews or personal recommendation.

I’ve also picked a handful of books by some of favourite authors, so I’m guaranteed some treats along the way.

Finally, I’ve added a few chunkier books to the pile, which may be my undoing, but I couldn’t resist. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin will be a re-read, but it’s been a number of years since I first read it, and having returned to Cephalonia last year, I’ve been meaning to return to this magical book ever since. I’m hoping to get at least the next instalment of Anthony Powell’s A Dance to the Music of Time finished, having read the first volume earlier in the year, but you never know I may manage two.

So here’s the list in no particular order:

1. Swing Time – Zadie Smith
2. Under the Udala Trees – Chinelo Okparanta
3. Klingsor’s Last Summer – Hermann Hesse
4. A Buyer’s Market (Vol 2: A Dance to the Music of Time) – Anthony Powell
5. Three Men in a Boat – Jerome K. Jerome
6. Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in many Lands – Mary Seacole
7. Excellent Women – Barbara Pym
8. The Talented Mr Ripley – Patricia Highsmith
9. Good Behaviour – Molly Keane
10. The Forty Rules of Love – Elif Shafak
11. An Awfully Big Adventure – Beryl Bainbridge
12. Emotionally Weird – Kate Atkinson
13. Black Narcissus – Rumer Godden
14. The Summer Book – Tove Jansson
15. Purple Hibiscus – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
16. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis de Bernières
17. The Angel’s Game – Carlos Ruiz Zafón
18. The Charterhouse of Parma – Stendhal
19. Invisible Cities – Italo Calvino
20. Madame Solario – Gladys Huntington

Last, but not least, here are the stack that came close, but didn’t make it to the final cut.

 

 

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