#20BooksofSummer Wrap-Up

Well, since September is nearly halfway finished, it’s high time I shared a wrap-up of my 20 Books of Summer experience!  In my second year of participating in this reading challenge, hosted by the lovely Cathy at 746 Books, I stretched my wings a bit and tried to read 20 books instead of last year’s 10.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained, I thought.  Well, I don’t regret it, but I failed to read all 20 titles.  Despite swapping out several titles (to include book group picks and Anne of Green Gables Readalong that I’d forgotten) I still couldn’t stick to the list, and ended up with 14 books.

I’m not discouraged, though!  Being a staunch mood reader, I pretty much knew sticking to a list was impossible.  I knew the number of books would be a stretch too, since I do watch some television and have a job and a kid and sometimes I want to do yoga at night and just WHEN am I supposed to write these blog posts?!?  So I think I did pretty well considering.  I reviewed all 14, which I think deserves a gold star, or at least an extra piece of chocolate!  🙂

Here’s what I DIDN’T get to from my list (Note:  I did read Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give, which was AMAZING, but I didn’t finish it before the deadline of Sept. 3, and I still have to write my review…)

Books I didn't get to from 20 Books of summer

Expect a review of The Hate U Give soon!  (OMG I loved that book!)

I still plan on reading these.  I own five of them (the only one I’ll be borrowing from the library is The Cutting Season.)

So how did you do with 20 Books of Summer?  Is it challenging (or nearly impossible) for you to stick to a reading list, even one you make up yourself? Or do you do well with that kind of structure?  Will you participate in 20 Books of Summer next year?  Have you read any of the books from my list that I didn’t get to?  I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments.

 

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26 thoughts on “#20BooksofSummer Wrap-Up

  1. I probably read too much praise for The Hate You Give before I read it. It wasn’t that great, if you ask me; it was kind of like those novels Jodi Picoult writes about topics from current events. Maybe I’d have liked it better if I still had a young adult in the house.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Ha ha – I admit I avoid those Jodi Picoult books. Read one (My Sister’s Keeper; it was alright) and that was enough for me.

      I get what you’re saying about THUG. What I loved about the book was the family it portrayed. Those people felt real to me, which is a quality I always appreciate in a book. I also kept in mind the audience this is really intended for (probably not 40 year old librarians.) A white fifteen year old reading this, it might blow his or her mind. I just really appreciated what I thought was the nuanced discussion of social issues for a younger person.

      Like

  2. I think I’ve failed every year, and this year I abandoned it because I was so far behind it was getting ridiculous. But no doubt I’ll join in again next year anyway! I can’t find a gold star and a piece of chocolate but here… have a doughnut and a round of applause – you deserve it! 🍩👏 😀

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Great job this summer!! I didn’t participate in the challenge, but have enjoyed your posts about it. I doubt that I’ll participate next year either because of exactly what you said: I’m also a staunch mood reader and cannot be trusted to follow a list!

    I can’t wait to see what you say about The Hate U Give – I’m on the waitlist for it!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks! I understand about not wanting to participate in 20 Books. When I do it again, I’ll stick to the much more manageable 10 Books option!

      I really enjoyed The Hate U Give – it was thoughtful and kept me wanting to read. I’ll try to review it in the next week!

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Both Passing and At Mrs. Lippincote’s are great reads and I loved Attica Locke’s Black Water Rising enough to read it twice (which hardly happens for me with mysteries unless there is enough time between readings to forget completely) so I’m really looking forwrad to her others. I’d say increasing from 10 to 14 is significant. Do you feel like any of the overlooked ones had something in common, or was it just a matter of changing moods?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Honestly, if I had remembered about my book group picks and the Anne Readalong – that’s 6 books right there – I wouldn’t have even had them on the original list. Also some of them deal with heavier topics (racism, immigration) and maybe subconsciously I was reaching for easier reads this summer.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I know what you mean. You get into a groove making a certain kind of reading list and then you forget about all the other times you’ve been making reading lists (even if it was just earlier the same day)!

        Liked by 1 person

  5. Wow! You did great on your stretch goal for this year, Laila! You should be so proud of all your accomplished. And I’m totally with you– sometimes I want to do yoga or sleep at night instead of read or blog. 😉 I can’t wait to read your review of The Hate U Give— that’s been on my TBR for so long.

    Do you think you’ll try for 20 again next year?

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Congrats! You’re absolutely right nothing ventured nothing gained. I read American Street for Bout of Books and loved it. I’ve heard such great things about the Hate U Give. Glad to see you endorse it and I look forward to your review.

    Liked by 1 person

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