Summer is coming and with it a reading challenge that I’ve never taken part in, but that I have been tempted to try for a while – the 20 Books of Summer, hosted by Cathy of the blog 746 Books. The goal is to read 20 books (or fewer) from our TBR during three months. This year’s edition runs from 1 June to 1 September, and I’m joining in! Besides endeavouring to read 20 books, it’s also possible to choose to read “only” 10 or 15 books. So why have I, as a slow reader who only finishes around two or three books per month, decided to read 20 books? There’s no reasonable explanation!
I do have a plan to try to be successful in this challenge, though. I’m not reading any books a few days before the beginning of 20 Books of Summer. The reasoning behind this is that I hope I’ll miss reading so much that I’ll feel like reading more pages a day than usual. Moreover, when making the list of books I plan to read during this period, I only selected short ones. I don’t think any of them is longer than 250 pages.
Although I don’t have a huge pile of unread books to pick from, since I’ve only been buying books as I read them, I do have more than 200 books on my wish list. From the ones that have been on that list for more than a year, I selected various short novels (some may even be classed as novellas), a graphic novel, plus short story and poetry collections. Four of them are translations of books written by women, because I also want to participate for the first time in Women in Translation month during August.
Will I manage to read all of the 20 books below?
- A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
- Animal Farm by George Orwell
- As Coisas que Perdemos no Fogo (Things We Lost in the Fire) by Mariana Enriquez
- As Mãos Pequenas (Such Small Hands) by Andrés Barba
- Cada Homem é uma Raça (Every Man is a Race) by Mia Couto
- Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
- Geografia by Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen
- Glass Town by Isabel Greenberg
- Human Acts by Han Kang
- Lady Susan by Jane Austen
- Memento Mori by Muriel Spark
- Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
- Os Cus de Judas (The Land at the End of the World) by António Lobo Antunes
- Passing by Nella Larsen
- Rapture by Carol Ann Duffy
- Strike Your Heart by Amélie Nothomb
- The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan
- The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield
- The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter
- Weight by Jeanette Winterson
Are you also taking part in 20 Books of Summer? Have you already chosen the books you plan to read? Tell me in the comments!
Oh Susana, so many here that I love. The Cement Garden, Carol Shields, A Clockwork Orange, Mrs Dalloway, Such Small Hands – you are in for treats with all of them! Thanks so much for taking part x
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That’s so great to hear! 😀 Thank you for organising!
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Convenience Store Woman is great. I’ve read others too and several of your list I don’t know.
I’m doing it too, it’s going to be a challenge but I’ll try.
Let’s have a great summer of reading!
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I’ve only heard great things about Convenience Store Woman. It’s good to know you like it too!
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