It’s nearly June, which means it’s time to get ready for this year’s 20 Books of Summer! Having been hosted by Cathy of 746 Books for the last ten years, the challenge now has two new hosts: Annabel of AnnaBookBel and Emma of Words and Peace. Emma has designed a beautiful new logo – and for the first time, there’s a 20 Books of Winter one for those in the Southern Hemisphere! As usual, there are also 10 and 15 book options.
This year’s challenge runs from Sunday 1st June to Sunday 31st August and once you’ve signed up for 10, 15 or 20 books, the rules are very flexible. You can make a list in advance or read at whim – and if you do make a list, you can change it at any time.
My list
Books for other events or challenges:
1. Come, Tell Me How You Live by Agatha Christie (Read Christie book for July)
2. One, Two, Buckle My Shoe by Agatha Christie (Read Christie book for August)
3. To be confirmed – a book for Mallika’s Reading the Meow
Books for review/NetGalley:
4. A Schooling in Murder by Andrew Taylor
5. The Stepdaughter by Caroline Blackwood
6. The Rush by Beth Lewis
7. These Wicked Devices by Matthew Plampin
8. Sinners by Elizabeth Fremantle
9. Strange Houses by Uketsu
10. The Spiral Staircase by Ethel Lina White
11. The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson
12. Love and Other Poisons by Lesley McDowell
13. How to Lose a Lord in Ten Days by Sophie Irwin
14. The House at Devil’s Neck by Tom Mead
The rest:
15 – 20. For the remaining six spaces on my list, I’m going to take advantage of the flexibility of the rules and just pick books at random depending on my mood at the time. However, I’ll only count them towards the challenge if they were already on my TBR prior to January 2025. That should mean I’ll be reading a good balance of newer and older books this summer.
I’m looking forward to getting started! Are you taking part in 20 Books of Summer/Winter this year?
She Reads Novels 
All your titles are new to me but hope you have a great summer of reading!
Thank you, Cathy! You too.
I haven’t read anything on your list and I like your idea of keeping 6 spaces free, very sensible! Happy Reading
Thank you! I thought keeping some spaces free would give me more freedom and help me to actually complete the challenge!
Happy reading! 😀
Thank you! I hope you enjoy your summer reading too.
I always like seeing what other people pick from Netgalley but we have absolutely no crossover, haha. The Uketsu looks really intriguing.
I read another book by Uketsu earlier this year and enjoyed it, so I’m looking forward to that one.
Happy summer reading 😎☀️📚
Thanks, Joanne. Happy summer reading to you too!
I sometimes think about doing this challenge, but I think I prefer not having to choose that many books to read ahead of time, especially in summer. I’ll read that many books during the summer, but I’ll be more random in choosing them as I go.
I take part in this challenge every year, but I think I’ve only completed my list once. I usually find myself drawn to other books instead.
That’s what I assume would happen to me.
Good luck with all these (including the as yet unnamed ones)! I’m being doubly cautious, just 10 Books of Summer and no official list — just in case…
That sounds very sensible! I’m hoping that reading partly from a list and partly at random will work for me.
Great idea to build in some free spaces! Looking forward to seeing how your summer of reading shapes up.
I thought leaving some free spaces would make it feel less restrictive. I don’t usually have a problem reading 20 books during the summer, but I do struggle to stick strictly to my list!
Good luck! I usually end up cutting and pasting new titles onto my list.
Thanks! Yes, it’s very difficult to stick to a list without making any changes.
I am so glad that Emma and Annabel are continuing Cathy’s lovely challenge! I am looking forward to taking part again this year, I will be trying for 15 books. Happy reading to you! Isabella Ann 📚✨️
Yes, I’m pleased Emma and Annabel have taken over the challenge too. I look forward to it every summer. Good luck with your 15 books 🙂
Yet another list that is more sensible than mine! Enjoy!
Thanks! I’ve only ever completed my list once, so I need to be as sensible as possible, I think!
With so many review books on your list, obviously I haven’t read many of them. But I did enjoy The Spiral Staircase, and I have a copy of Love and Other Poisons which I’ll be reading myself at some point over the summer. Hope lots of your reads turn out to be goodies—have fun!
I thought it was sensible to put all my upcoming review copies on the list, rather than have to read them on top of another 20 books, which I would never manage to do! I’m glad you enjoyed The Spiral Staircase and I hope we both like Love and Other Poisons.
Hi Helen, I have signed up for 10 Books of Summer again this year. I hope you enjoy your summer reading! 😎
Blessings, Jessica 💌
Thank you, Jessica! I’m looking forward to getting started with my list. Good luck with yours 🙂
I really like your idea of leaving a few open spaces! It makes it even more fun. Hope you enjoy it all this summer. I’ll be over here struggling to finish those Penman books, lol!!
I don’t know what I’ll read to fill those open spaces yet, but I thought it might be easier to complete the challenge if I gave myself some freedom! I hope you enjoy your summer reading too 🙂