Cathy at 746 Books is hosting the 20 Books of Summer challenge yet again, and since I have seen this challenge around, but never participated before, I have decided to give it a go. The challenge involves reading and reviewing a certain amount of books from 1 June to 1 September 2023, and there are options go for 15 or even 10 books (instead of 20). Since this is my first time participating, I am going for the modest goal of 10 books, and below is my provisional, fiction-only, list of selected-for-this-challenge books.
I. The Other by Thomas Tryon
II. Trust by Hernan Diaz
III. Fraud by Anita Brookner
IV. The Golovlyov Family by Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin
V. Foster by Claire Keegan (may swap)
VI. The Assault by Harry Mulisch
VII. The Silence of the Sea by Vercors
VIII. And Then by Natsume Soseki
IX. The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot (may swap)
X. The Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo
📚 Since I am a “mood” reader, and it is generally difficult for me to stick to a specific list of books, some of the titles above may be swaped for others in the course of this summer. Are you participating in the 20 Books of Summer reading challenge this year? Do we have books in common, or have you read or want to read any of the books listed above?
Thoughts on Papyrus 
Some of these I’d find challenging, so hats off to you, Diana, for contemplating them. I too am by inclination a reader swayed by mood so would be easily persuaded to swap if any of these appeared on my list! But then I’m also a cautious reader and averse to challenges… Good luck with all these, ten is a good number to at least start off with. 🙂
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Thanks! I hope I manage to read at least eight of these without swapping them or abandoning. And, good luck with your selections, too!
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There are three on your list that I LOVED – The Other, Trust and Foster (which you can read in a day!) – thanks for taking part Diana, good luck and happy reading x
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Thank you, and I am looking forward to participating!
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Of those I’ve only read The Mill on the Floss which was very good, though I can understand why you might consider swapping. Good luck in your reading endeavours. It should be an interesting experience
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Thanks, and, yes, I am looking forward to The Mill on the Floss. I have only read Eliot’s Middlemarch, but I believe there are other great novels to discover.
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I found “The Mill on the Floss” totally compelling. Great, disturbing novel!
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That’s very encouraging! I cannot wait!
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I must admit I’m a bit surprised that you put the horror novel ‘The Other’ by Tom Tryon on your list along with the rest of the more literary novels.
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🙂 Why? I believe it is a very literary horror. It is part of the New York Review Books Classics series, so I do have high expectations. The theme of “existential duality” is also one of my favourites in literature.
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NYBR…I guess ‘The Other’ is moving up in the world.
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Toilers on the Sea was Hugo’s biggest success when it came out. He wrote it while in exile from Paris. Besides being an incredibly stirring read, it is a fascinating look at life on the Channel Islands where he was exiled.
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That’s very interesting. I have to prioritise it, thanks!
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I’ve only read the Eliot. I also made a list of 10 which leaves me plant of room for mood reading too.
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10 is the safe number 🙂
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Bonnes lectures et bonne chance dans la réussite de ce challenge 🙂
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Merci beaucoup!
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Fun list!
oops, haven’t read The Golovlyov Family yet, nor The Toilers of the Sea!
But I have read Soseki’s trilogy (Sanshiro; And Then; The Gate), and really enjoyed this one:
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Thanks for sharing your review. That’s encouraging to hear. I loved Soseki’s The Three-Cornered World too, which I read last year.
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Yes, I loved it too! Try The Miner, so good too
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I love The Mill on the Floss! Much easier a read than I expected, as well.
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That’s a relief to hear. It looks like I should prioritise the classics on my list seeing that I have such positive feedback about them.
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The only one I’ve read is The Mill on the Floss which is very good. Foster is one I mean to get to as well. Good luck with your 10 books!
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Thanks! I am not sure if Foster is a good place to start with Keegan, but I have heard only praise for it.
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Likewise; both for Foster and Small Things Like These.
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Good luck! I haven’t read any of these, but The Mill on the Floss has been on my radar for a while because I really enjoyed George Eliot’s Middlemarch. So I’d love to hear your thoughts when you’ve finished it!
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Thank you! Hopefully, I’ll get into it soon.
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An interesting list! I think I read The Mill on the Floss in school, but that was long ago and I don’t remember anything about it – not even if I enjoyed it! I very much enjoyed Trust though – one of my favourite books last year. Hope you find some new favourites from your list!
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Thanks! I know that Trust featured as favourite on many people’s lists last year, so you could say I finally gave in to all the peer pressure! 🙂
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I’ve read Foster which is wonderful and can be read in one sitting it’s so captivating and The Mill on the Floss is one of ‘my’ books! Maggie Tulliver is a great character, I hope you enjoy.
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I am now positive I will, thanks!
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Nice list! I’ve heard such good things about Foster, though haven’t yet read it, and Mill on the Floss is wonderful. I’ve gone for the 20 again, and, as usual, have only given myself paper books from my TBR shelf and not included review books that have come in and might come in, or ebooks. Enjoy!
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Thanks, and yours is also amazing. I also chose not to include some books, but for me it is non-fiction.
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