We are already a month through the 20 Books of Summer/Winter event! Can you believe how quickly that has gone?
Our hosts, Emma from Words and Peace and Annabel from Annabookbel have come up with some fun questions for our end of month recaps.
I am pretty happy with my progress so far. I read 7 of the books that I nominated on my original lists which puts me on track to finish the list. I did read 19 books in total in June so I do have some opportunities for swaps should I need them later.
Here's my full list. The ones in bold are the titles I have read.
20 Books of Winter
Beartown by Fredrik BackmanThe Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn - Review
A Bakery in Paris by Aimee K Runyan
Over the Seas to Skye by Sue Moorcroft - Review
Three Juliets by Minnie Darke
A Secret Garden in Paris by Sophie Beaumont
The Midnight Bakery by Emma Davies
Half Truth by Nadia Mahjouri - Review
The Village Cafe in the Loire by Gillian Harvey
The Storytellers by Sue Heath
The Story Collector by Evie Woods
French Rhapsody by Antoine Laurain
The King's Jewel by Elizabeth Chadwick
The Butterfly Women by Madeleine Cleary - Review
The Last Love Note by Emma Grey
The Library of Heartbeats by Laura Imai Messina
Emily Wildes Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
Butter by Asako Yuzuki
The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson
Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee
If your #20BooksofSummer25 TBR were a beach, what’s the most surprising thing you’ve unearthed so far – a hidden gem, a total shipwreck, or something unexpectedly delightful?
Thinking about the books I have read collectively, it has been quite the road trip so far. I have visited the Ukraine and US, Scotland, Paris (twice), Morocco, Britain and historical Melbourne.
If one of the books you’ve read this month was turned into an ice cream flavor, what ingredients would it have, and what would it be called?
I would turn Half Truth by Nadia Mahjouri into a pistachio and saffron ice cream. The colour of the pistachio could represent the green and gold of Australia and the saffron the flavours and cultures of Morocco. I feel like an ice cream would be very welcome in the heat of Morocco.
“Plot twist!”: If your summer reading challenge were a book, what unexpected event just happened to shake things up? Or did life get in the way of your reading plans?
Whilst I did think a lot about what books to include in my original list, only two from the original list were from my list of committed blog tours, and I also didn't really take into consideration all of the books that I already had out from the library. This means that I have several reading lists going with due dates looming! That could become a problem over the next couple of months.
I think the book that surprised me was The Butterfly Women by Madeleine Cleary mainly because of the light it shone of the hidden or forgotten history of Melbourne!
Imagine your reading progress as a summer road trip. Which book has been the scenic route, which has been the highway, and is there a rest stop book you’re looking forward to?
Imagine your reading progress as a summer road trip. Which book has been the scenic route, which has been the highway, and is there a rest stop book you’re looking forward to?
The book which was the scenic route was Over the Seas to Skye by Sue Moorcroft because it took us to the Isle of Skye in Scotland and was the final book in the trilogy, so we got the opportunity for all three stories to be wrapped up.
The highway was The Storyteller by Sue Heath, because once I started it, I just could not put it down!
The rest stop book that I am looking forward to is The Village Cafe in the Loire by Gillian Harvey which I am reading soon. I really love her books and have high hopes for this one. It will also bring back memories of our visit to the Loire a couple of years ago.
Thinking about the books I have read collectively, it has been quite the road trip so far. I have visited the Ukraine and US, Scotland, Paris (twice), Morocco, Britain and historical Melbourne.
If one of the books you’ve read this month was turned into an ice cream flavor, what ingredients would it have, and what would it be called?
I would turn Half Truth by Nadia Mahjouri into a pistachio and saffron ice cream. The colour of the pistachio could represent the green and gold of Australia and the saffron the flavours and cultures of Morocco. I feel like an ice cream would be very welcome in the heat of Morocco.
If you could swap places with a character from one of the books you’ve read this month, purely for the summer, who would it be and what items would you absolutely take with you?
My answer to this one will surprise no one I am sure. If I could swap places with a character from one of the books I read it will be Charlotte from A Secret Garden in Paris. Why specifically Charlotte and not one of the other characters. She is staying rent free in her aunt's house in Paris! And the item I would take with me would be the hand drawn map of the garden tour that Emma's grandmother Mattie drew so that I can wander all over the city finding hidden and lesser known gardens.
“Plot twist!”: If your summer reading challenge were a book, what unexpected event just happened to shake things up? Or did life get in the way of your reading plans?
Whilst I did think a lot about what books to include in my original list, only two from the original list were from my list of committed blog tours, and I also didn't really take into consideration all of the books that I already had out from the library. This means that I have several reading lists going with due dates looming! That could become a problem over the next couple of months.
And now, onto July!
No comments:
Post a Comment