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Wednesday, May 15, 2024

20 Books of Summer (but not really summer) 2024 #20BooksOfSummer24




Yay, #20BooksofSummer24 is back! I have first joined last year, and it’s a blast. After a long monsoon season that felt like forever (I hate humidity!!), and then the transition to dry season with its heat, I can’t wait to get to June. June and July are usually the best weather of the year here, the air is cooler with gentle breeze. When August come, it usually begins to be drafty and drier. Therefore, June always feels like a new life to me. With it, a new excitement, reading wise. I thank Cathy @ 746 Books to host yet another 20 Books of Summer (but not really summer for me) – and it’s the 10th year (bravo, Cathy!) Here’s my list:

My 20 Books of Summer:

Blitzcat by Robert Westall – for #ReadingtheMeow2024
The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lilian Jackson Braun – for #ReadingtheMeow2024
The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency by Mandy Morton – for #ReadingtheMeow2024
The Wheel Spins by Ethel Lina White – for A Century of Books (1936)
Death Comes As the End by Agatha Christie – for A Century of Books (1944)
Snow by John Banville – for #johnbanville2024
Madame, Will You Talk? by Mary Stewart – for #ParisInJuly2024
Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley – for #ParisInJuly2024
The Girl Who Reads on the Metro by Christine Féret-Fleury – for #ParisInJuly2024
The Rest of Their Lives by Jean-Paul Didierlaurent – for #ParisInJuly2024
Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson – for #MoominWeek
The Moomins and the Great Flood by Tove Jansson – for #MoominWeek
The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald – for A Century of Books (1978)
Sparkling Cyanide by Agatha Christie
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo – for A Century of Books (1982)
Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson
Excellent Women by Barbara Pym – for A Century of Books (1953)
Our Spoons Came from Woolworths by Barbara Comyns
The Mystery of the Peacock's Eye by Brian Flynn – for A Century of Books (1928)
A Far Cry from Kensington by Muriel Spark - for #CCSpin

Alternatives – just in case I fail with the original list, or simply change my mind…


Parisians: An Adventure History of Paris by Graham Robb
The Cat Who Caught a Killer by L.T. Shearer
Toucan Keep a Secret by Donna Andrews
The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas

Spot a favorite or two from my list? Or books you have read or are in your TBR? Let me know in the comment section!

11 comments:

  1. Madam, Will You Talk is one of my all-time top-ten favorites! I know it practically by heart I have read it so many times. I hope you love it too. I have pictures on my blog of some of the locations from visiting Provence about two years ago.

    I like Miss Buncle and Blitzcat too.

    Constance

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    1. I'm excited to know that you love it so. I picked it at first because of the Provence (I am a Francophile), but now I really can't wait to read it for Paris in July!

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  2. Ohhh I forgot Moomin week & I saved a book especially - now I just have to find which box it is packed in! I tried to find a cat book too, but it was too hard to work out at this point.
    Happy 20 Books of Dry Season to you :-)

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    1. Ha! I should have titled that, right? LOL
      I wish you'd find a cat book while rummaging for the Moomin one... :D

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  3. Making the list is half the fun! I'm still struggling with my selection....so many good books to read. I have to squeeze in something from Alice Munro...we've lost a great writer yesterday.

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    1. Yes, I heard about Munro's passing. But I'm no fan of short stories, so I might skip her at this moment. Have fun with your list-making! ;)

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  4. Great to see a couple of John Banville in there Fanda. Thanks for taking part again!

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  5. That's a great variety of books. I loved Madam, Will You Talk? and the two Christies are good too. I'm also hoping to join in with Reading the Meow and Moomin Week, but haven't decided what to read yet.

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  6. I did spot a few favorites on your list! I really liked Sparkling Cyanide and Cranford. And I loved Excellent Women, Miss Buncle's Book and The Girl Who Reads on the Metro. Happy summer reading. :D

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  7. There are any number of books on your list that I have read---Madam, Will You Talk? plus the Jane Smiley book (meh, imo) as well as The Girl Who Reads on the Metro, the Moomins, and War Horse. Good luck!

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  8. Excellent, I got near the end and saw a load I have read, Miss Plum, Excellent Women, Miss Buncle, The Bookshop. Is Moomin Week coming up that quickly, for Paula's wedding???? I must get a book. I have my list up and it's a bit daunting but I hope I'll manage it. Have fun with yours!

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