20 Books of Summer
Big Book Summer Challenge
Goodreads Summer Reading Challenges
Paris in July
Here is how I did on each of them:
I was an overachiever, far exceeding my goal.
My list of books read (✔ were the books on my initial list which I read) :
Legend: A=Audiobook; C=Classic; P=Poetry; NF=Nonfiction; GN=Graphic Novel/Comic; MG-Middle Grades; CL=Children's Lit; YA=Young Adult; M=Memoir; E=Essays; SS=Short Stories; BC=Book Club; N=Novella
- Abscond by Abraham Verghese -- SS
- The Antidote by Karen Russell ✔ A
- Banned Together edited by Ashley Hope Perez -- M; E; SS; GN; NF
- Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten ✔ M; NF
- The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel ✔ BC
- The Briar Club by Kate Quinn -- BC
- Bring the Magic Home by Sunny Chanel -- NF
- Candide by Voltaire -- C; A
- Catch-22 by Joseph Heller ✔ C; A
- The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Osterman --GN
- The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami ✔ A
- The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong -- BC; A
- The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemison -- A
- Final Solution by Michael Chabon -- N
- The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson -- NF
- Go Tell It On the Mountain by James Baldwin ✔ C
- Grimm's Fairy Tales -- C
- The Hearing Test by Eliza B. Callahan
- How to Read a Book by Monica Wood ✔ BC; A
- How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell --MG; A
- The Imitation Game by Jim Ottaviani -- GN; NF
- The In-Between Bookstore by Edward Underhill
- A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson -- NF
- Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico
- The Names by Florence Knapp -- BC; A
- North American Maps for Curious Minds by Matthew Bucklan -- NF
- Now in November by Josephine W. Johnson -- C
- Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout ✔ A
- The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley -- A
- Poems for Tortured Souls by Liz Ison ✔ P
- Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton -- M
- A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean -- A; N
- Road Home by Rex Ogle -- M; A
- Say Nothing: Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe -- NF
- The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer -- NF; A
- So Long, and Thanks for the Fish by Douglas Adams -- A
- Someone Builds a Dream by Lisa Wheeler -- CL
- Song of the Blackbird by Maria van Lieshout -- GN
- Teaching with Fire by Sam Intrator -- P; NF
- Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy -- C
- Three Days in June by Anne Tyler ✔ BC; A
- The Tie That Binds by Kent Haruf
- The Vegetarian by Han Kang -- N
- Watchmen by Alan Moore ✔ GN
- Water, Water by Billy Collins ✔ P
- We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson -- N; A
- What It Means When a Man Falls From the Sky by Lesley N. Arimah -- SS
- When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller -- 453 pages
The Briar Club by Kate Quinn -- 432 pages
The Antidote by Karen Russell --432 pages
Watchmen by Alan Moore -- 416 pages
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemison -- 468 pages
The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Osterman -- 480 pages
The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong -- 416 pages
Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy -- 508 pages
Say Nothing: Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe -- 560 pages
Whew!
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Goodreads hosted a summer challenge to read books nine categories. They didn't open up each challenge at the beginning of the summer, maybe two at a time, and then would close categories through the summer. I finished my last book today! Colorful bookmarks means I completed that category.
I kind of lost track of which books went with what challenges but these are what I think I read for each:
1. Page Turner: Collected 7/4/25 How to Read a Book by Monica Wood
2. Speed Reader: Collected 7/4/25 A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean
3. Book Boss: Collected 7/11/25 Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
4. Challenges Favs: Collected 7/23/25 The Briar Club by Kate Quinn
5. Poolside Puzzler: Collected 7/9/25 The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
6. Chart Toppers: Collected 8/13/25 The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong
7. Acclaimed Toppers: Collected 8/3/25 What It Means When A Man Falls From the Sky by L. Arimah
8. Debut Darlings: The Names by Florence Knapp, collected on 8/31/25
9. Lightning Round: The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer, collected on 8/16/25
A new set of challenges will open up in mid June, I think, if you want to join for the end of the year challenges.
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Paris in July French-related activities |
My first year with this challenge and I found lots of fun activities, including attempting to read a book in French. I baked, I listened to French music and made playlists, I watched the Tour du France.
Read about all my activities:
and
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Adult Summer Reading -- Book Bingo King County Library System |
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Goodbye Summer! I had a great time.
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