Summer is a great time for those of us who like to try a challenge or two.
Big books. A lot of people like to take on a big book for summer.
And fortunately for all of us who enjoy big books, Sue Jackson of Book by Book hosts a Big Book Summer Reading Challenge.
Here's a little about the challenge.
The idea behind this reading challenge is simple: Use the ease of summer to tackle a Big Book (400+ pages) or two or ... however many you want! You set your own goals. And if it is the start of winter where you live, then it's your Big Book Winter Challenge. Everyone is welcome to participate.
The Details:
Hey, it's summer, so we'll keep this low-key and easy!
- Anything 400 pages or more qualifies as a big book.
- The challenge runs from the Friday of Memorial Day weekend (May 22 this year) through Labor Day (September 7 this year).
- Choose one or two or however many big books you want as your goal. Wait, did you get that? You only need to read 1 book with 400+ pages this summer to participate! (though you are welcome to read more, if you want).
- No sign-ups are necessary! All readers are welcome to participate.
My potential reads:
- Dangerous Liaisons by Pierre Choderlos de Lacios - 400 pages
- The Death of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen - 418 pages
- Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel - 482 pages
- The Earth by Émile Zola - 512 pages
- Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser - 557 pages
- Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy - 592 pages
- Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett - 992 pages
Two are book club reads---Pillars and Beyond Words---so those are the two I'm most likely to read.
When Cathy of 746 books announced in 2025 that she would not host 20 Books of Summer this year after ten successful years, Emma of Words and Peace and Annabel of AnnaBookBel both volunteered to take it on. This year, Annabel will run the challenge alone.
- The 20 Books of Summer2026 (#20BOS26) challenge runs from Sunday June 1st to Sunday August 31st
- The first rule of 20 Books is that there are no real rules, other than signing up for 10, 15, or 20 books and trying to read from your TBR.
- Pick your list in advance, or nominate a bookcase to read from, or pick at whim from your TBR.
- If you do pick a list, you can change it at any time – swap books in/out.
- Don’t get panicked at not reaching your target.
- Just enjoy a summer of great reading and make a bit of space on your shelves!
Annabel will have monthly summary posts where you can add progress reports and recommendations. The final one at the at the beginning of September will stay open for a while to catch all the last reviews.
Here are my (planned, but subject to change) 20 Books of Summer:
Previous years' posts about summer reading:
Right now I am re-reading everything I have that Charles Darwin over wrote. That’s enough for one summer!
ReplyDeleteI read on a whim. I take up a pile of books to the lake and when I finish one start one of the others, depending on my mood. Of course, there are many mysteries, but also a fiction or two. I'm going to slowly work my way through the first of Follet's generational series that begins (I think) around WWI or the turn of the century. There are three books in the series, all long, and I don't expect to finish it for awhile. I have a hard time reading more than one book at a time unless they are very different (biography and mystery or non-fiction work together if I must), but I think I can manage that (much as people did the "War and Peace" chapter a day challenge!)
ReplyDeleteI love big books and that Follett book is in league with everything James Michener wrote. Love him and have a couple Michener's on my Classic Club list. Also like the looks of your list.
ReplyDeleteCurrently I am making a short term goal for a few books on my shelf/Kindle....then we will see where that takes me. I am about to celebrate my 70th trip around the sun and so "many books, so little time" is a real thing now!
Good luck with your reading challenges, Deb. As I've shared, I'm on a quest for a 'comfort book' summer, whatever that ends up meaning. Ha!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great list! I would love to read The Death of the Heart, but I did not even realise it is so huge (418 pages!) The Good Earth has been on my TBR for ages too - someday, someday. I also would love to know how you would get on with Zola.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of great reads on those lists. I remember many of them fondly. I was interested to see "The Glass Bead Game" listed. It's another book that had a profound effect on me when I read it in my twenties.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to joining the 20 Books of Summer this year! I've read a few on your tentative list. Your other challenge looks interesting, too. I never shy away from "big books"!
ReplyDeleteInfluenced by Ann Patchett last Friday, I started The Death of the Heart over the weekend. Tess of the D'Urbervilles was a Classics Club spin selection several years ago and I loved it! That book redefined my idea of a tragedy. Good luck with the challenges!
ReplyDeleteWow.. that is quite the list. Happy reading.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get through all of them.
ReplyDeleteI forgot I want to read Is a River Alive. And now I need to go back and adjust my list to account for Big Book Summer. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteVery nice lists ! Good luck with the challenges and have fun!
ReplyDeleteI love your 20 Books of Summer list and there are 3 titles I can see immediately that I would love to read too: The Resurrection, The Glass Bead Game & A Walk in the Woods. My TBR is going in the wrong direction!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with both of these challenges Deb! I very much enjoyed The Shippers and hope that you do too.
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