I have just announced the 12th year of my annual reading challenge, Big Book Summer Challenge, so I guess I should be the first to sign up!
I always enjoy tackling some big books in the summer, since I first came up with the idea in 2011, and I'm looking
forward to finally reading some of these bricks that
have been collecting dust on my shelf (for this challenge, a Big Book is any book with 400 pages or more).
NOTE:
Don't let my stack below intimidate you! You only need to read ONE Big
Book over the next three months to join in the fun and participate in
the challenge. I like to make a "pile of possibilities," but you do you 😀
I definitely won't get through all of these, but I like to have some options to choose from. These are all currently on my shelves, waiting patiently to be read (along with many others!):
From the top of the stack:
- Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr (574 pages)
- White Teeth by Zadie Smith (448 pages)
- Empire Falls by Richard Russo (483 pages)
- Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (858 pages)
- Trust by Hernan Diaz (402 pages)
- The Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley (488 pages)
- Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon (880 pages)
- The Ferryman by Justin Cronin (538 pages)
I know that looks like a huge stack--and it is!--but as you can see, many of my choices are in the 400-500 page range and several are fast-paced reads.
All of these also qualify for my Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2024.
My shelves are overflowing, so this is good!
I also devote my summer to listening to Big Audio Books (audios and e-books count). I will choose those as I go, throughout the summer, though I know one of them already: I've been saving The Women by Kristin Hannah for Big Book Summer!
And here's my husband's stack for Big Book Summer 2024--he began participating several years ago:
Check out my 2024 Big Book Summer Challenge Video
for more on what I plan to read this summer, plus some great
suggestions that I enjoyed in past summers. You can also find more great
Big Book recommendations on my Big Books! list
on Bookshop. I have read and enjoyed every single book on that list,
and it includes a wide variety of book types and genres--something for
everyone! And visit the Big Book Summer Goodreads group to see what everyone else is reading this summer!
How about you? Are you up for tackling a Big Book (or two or three) this summer?
Join me and sign up for the 2024 Big Book Summer Challenge! The rules, details, and link-ups are on that page.
NOTE: You don't need a blog or YouTube channel to participate--you can either leave a comment on the Challenge page or sign up in the 2024 Big Book Summer Goodreads group. Either way, first read the details on the Challenge page.
I'm heading over after I make up my into page. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteYou were the first blogger to sign up, Anne! Happy you are participating again :)
DeleteI have yet to put together my potential set of reads for this challenge, but I love your list and have read some of them. I really liked Cloud Cuckoo Land, after putting off reading it for way too long, and it was a 5-star book for me. I also thought White Teeth was really good, and Empire Falls. I liked Drums of Autumn okay, but definitely prefer the first 3 books in the Outlander series. I read Lonesome Dove so long ago that it hardly counts as being read. It is on my reread shelf...maybe for this summer! I tried The Firekeeper's Daughter but gave up after 50 pages--just not in the mood at the time, I guess.
ReplyDeleteNo rush, Jane - summer is just beginning :) Glad to hear how much you enjoyed Cloud Cuckoo Land! Yes, join me in Lonesome Dove! A few others have already said they'll be reading it, too.
DeleteThank you so much for hosting this challenge, Sue! Here is my post: https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/2024/05/the-20-books-of-summer-and-big-book.html
ReplyDeleteWonderful, Deb! Can you click over to the Challenge page (linked at the top of this post or in the tabs across the top of my blog) and add your link to the links list? That way, other people can find your blog!
DeleteSo if I joined the group on Goodreads, am I all ready to go, or is there another step?
ReplyDeleteJust leave a comment in the Sign-Up thread in the group, and you're all set! You can also leave comments in the other threads to chat about the books you're reading!
DeleteOh you have the Firekeeper's Daughter on your list; I loved that book (and the sequel). Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteGreat! I can't wait to read it :)
DeleteI have 4 big books on my TBR. I signed up on Goodreads.
ReplyDeleteWonderful, Tanya!
DeleteI don’t blog just use Goodreads but have now joined the GR group
ReplyDeleteWelcome to Big Book Summer!
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