20 Books of Summer is back again this year! Created by Cathy of 746 Books, it’s now hosted by Annabel of AnnaBookBel and you can find all the details on Annabel’s blog here, including some beautiful new graphics and a book bingo card. There’s also a winter version depending on which part of the world you live in!

This year’s event runs from Monday 1st June to Monday 31st August and once you’ve signed up for 10, 15 or 20 books (even 5 if you prefer), 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.

I’ve been trying to decide how to approach this year’s challenge. I usually try to stick to a list of 20 books, but I’ve taken part every year since 2017 and have only actually completed my list once – last year, when I allowed myself more flexibility by just listing 14 books in advance and keeping the other six slots free. So, this year I’m going to take the pressure away even more and only list 10 books, with the rest to be chosen as I go along.

First, there’s my Classics Club Spin book, The Persian Boy by Mary Renault, and then there are two books I have lined up for the Read Christie challenge in July and August. I also hope to join in with some of the other events taking place this summer, such as Reading the Meow, Paris in July and Women in Translation Month. I have some books on my NetGalley shelf that have recently been published or are due to publish over the summer, and as most of my reading tends to be fiction, I’m going to aim to read at least two or three nonfiction books for the challenge as well.

Here’s my (partial) list:

BOOKS 1-10

1. The Persian Boy by Mary Renault
2. The Rose and the Yew Tree by Mary Westmacott
3. By the Pricking of My Thumbs by Agatha Christie
4. The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden
5. The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett
6. The Lost Château by Dinah Jefferies
7. This Immortal Heart by Jennifer Saint
8. The Crownless Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick
9. No Fair Maidens by Kim Willis
10. This Dark Night by Deborah Lutz

BOOKS 11-20

The remaining ten books will be chosen later and could be anything – but I do have two rules: for a book to count towards 20 Books of Summer it must have already been on my shelf (or Kindle) prior to the challenge starting and I must write and post my review before the challenge ends. I’ve created a page to keep track of my progress which you can see here.

I’m looking forward to getting started. Are you taking part in 20 Books of Summer/Winter this year?