SUMMER 2020 READING CHALLENGE

[Rachel]

Please post all comments/updates/questions about the summer 2020 challenge in this thread. :)


The Summer 2020 Reading Challenge starts June 3rd and ends August 31st. Since the first challenge was posted during the summer of 2012, I thought it would be fun to post some of the tasks from past summer challenges along with some new ones.

Rules of the challenge:

Read 3 books (or more)
Complete 3 tasks (or more)
All genres okay
Rereads okay

So this summer, complete 3 (or more) of the following:


1. Several authors celebrate their birthdays this season.

So this summer,

READ A BOOK BY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING AUTHORS:

Louise Erdrich- June 7th
Lisa Jewell- July 19th
Madeline Miller- July 24th
Celeste Ng- July 30th

2. TBT (2012) August is National Immunization Awareness Month.

So this summer,

READ A BOOK IN WHICH A CHARACTER GETS SHOT.

3. The movie ET was released in theaters June 11th, 1982. I loved this movie when I was a kid and when I saw it again a few years ago I thought it still held up (and yes I cried lol).

So this summer,

READ A BOOK ABOUT FIRST CONTACT WITH ALIENS
OR
READ A BOOK THAT FEATURES A CHARACTER TRYING TO GET BACK HOME/OR IS HOMESICK
OR
READ A BOOK IN WHICH THE KID(S) SAVES
THE DAY
OR
READ A BOOK PUBLISHED IN 1982

4. TBT (2013) Summer = Water.

So this summer,

READ A BOOK WITH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING WORDS IN THE TITLE/SUBTITLE:

POOL
LAKE
SEA
BAY
OCEAN

5. Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp first began to air on Netflix on July 31st, 2015. It was a prequel to the movie which came out several years earlier. The series reunited many of the former cast members and features an all star cast. It’s set in the 80’s and pokes fun at the movies and tv shows of that time.

So this summer,

READ A BOOK SET (AT LEAST IN PART) AT A SUMMER CAMP
OR
READ A BOOK IN WHICH A CHARACTER GOES ON A CAMPING TRIP
OR
READ A BOOK WITH THE LETTERS C-A-M-P IN THE TITLE/SUBTITLE
OR
READ A MULTI PERSPECTIVE NOVEL

6. TBT (2013) International Friendship Day is celebrated during the summer although the date seems to vary.

So this summer,

READ A BOOK IN WHICH FRIENDSHIP IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE STORY.

7. Random task- This counts towards the challenge but is not inspired by the season. King’s new book was released in the spring.

So this summer,

PARTICIPATE IN THE GROUP READ OF IF IT BLEEDS BY STEPHEN KING.

WISHING YOU ALL A SAFE SUMMER.
XOXO

[Christine]

Yay for the new challenge and summer! Thank you Rachel!

[Rachel]

Christine wrote: "Yay for the new challenge and summer! Thank you Rachel!"

You’re welcome! Glad you like it! :D

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

This is Fantastic! Happy Summer! :-)

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

I've already found 3 titles that I was planning to read this Summer anyway which all have the letters C-A-M-P in the title/subtitle - so that's one task I've got covered :-)

A Special Place: The Heart of a Dark Matter
You Can Be Happy No Matter What
The Replacement

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

I've had Stephen King's new book on hold at the library since March. Hopefully I'll get it by August.

Otherwise, I'd consider buying it. However, I bought some books online during this pandemic and they take up to a month to arrive - books are given low priority when Amazon is fulfilling orders.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

This evening I'm finishing Strangers by Dean Koontz. This was the May Group Read in the Koontzland-Dean Koontz Group. This is a very long & good book from 1986 which would work for no less than 3 tasks featured on this Summer Reading Challenge. So, if you haven't read this one recently, here's my suggestion :-)

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

I've decided to read The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell

[Rachel]

Thanks for the updates, Dustin! Happy Summer! :)

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

I'm quite intrigued by this one.
The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich


I'm considering buying a used copy. We'll see if I get there.

I might read The Round House also by Louise Erdrich, maybe I'll read both :-)

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Rachel wrote: "Thanks for the updates, Dustin! Happy Summer! :)"

Thanks for introducing me to new authors & new possibilities!

[Rachel]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Thanks for the updates, Dustin! Happy Summer! :)"

Thanks for introducing me to new authors & new possibilities!"

You’re welcome! :D
I haven’t read her before but have heard good things. Look forward to hearing your thoughts if you pick up those titles.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

I'm for sure gonna have to watch E.T. this Summer. I have E.T. on VHS.

[Christine]

The Round House is excellent. I highly recommend that one.

I'm so excited that you included Stephen King's latest. I treated myself when it came out. I have quite the collection of his novels.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Christine wrote: "The Round House is excellent. I highly recommend that one.

I'm so excited that you included Stephen King's latest. I treated myself when it came out. I have quite the collection o..."

Good to hear :-)

You know, I'm old school so I haven't advanced to Kindle or Audible. I was looking at Louise Erdrich novels available as a used audiobook on CD or Mp3 CD . I was shocked by how many of her titles were available on Cassette but not CD. Roundhouse seems to be the first one released on CD. Goodreads described Roundhouse as her most accessible novel to date.

At this point I'm gonna try for both Roundhouse and The Last Report by Erdich.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Alright, I've set my Summer Goal to 10 and Christine's is 7.
Who else is in?

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Saw this and thought of you :-) Happy Summer Reading!

[Rachel]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "I'm for sure gonna have to watch E.T. this Summer. I have E.T. on VHS."

It’s a classic :)

[Rachel]

Christine wrote: "The Round House is excellent. I highly recommend that one.

I'm so excited that you included Stephen King's latest. I treated myself when it came out. I have quite the collection o..."

I did read the first novella when the book first came out but decided to wait till summer to finish it so I could read it with the group- look forward to chatting about it! :)

[Rachel]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "Saw this and thought of you :-) Happy Summer Reading!

"

I f*ing love this! :D

[Rachel]

Just a heads up-I forgot to mention that King’s new book is part of the Holly series so at least one novella will feature her and a character from the outsider. I’m not sure if there will be spoilers from the other books she’s been in (which are the Mr. Mercedes trilogy and the outsider).

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Rachel wrote: "Just a heads up-I forgot to mention that King’s new book is part of the Holly series so at least one novella will feature her and a character from the outsider. I’m not sure if there will be spoile..."

I've already read those books and met Holly :-) So no worries from me.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

My first book that I used for Summer Challenge is a short story collection called Bloodchild and Other Stories.
This works for task #3.
This is one of those books in my Summer line up anyway, and hopefully as I get into some of these others I'm planning to read, I'll find out if they'll fit in to the Summer Reading Challenge. It will be a fun surprise.
I recommend Bloodchild. Octavia Butler preferred to write novels, so this is a rare short story collection. The only other one is Unexpected Stories, were stories found and published after the author's death. Unexpected Stories is a little less readily available as well - ebook and audible.
In Bloodchild, the author writes a short afterword for each piece and I found it very enlightening. Bloodchild is a great way to get to know Octavia E. Butler whether or not you've read any of her work previously.
The first book I read of Butler's was Fledgling. I read it because of a seasonal challenge in this group :-) Next, on my Octavia Butler reading list is DAWN, the first book in a trilogy. I'll be reading that book this summer. Not sure that it will fit into the challenge, but we'll find out soon!

[Rachel]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "My first book that I used for Summer Challenge is a short story collection called Bloodchild and Other Stories.
This works for task #3.
This is one of those books in my Summer line up..."

Thanks for the update, Dustin! :)
I added Bloodchild and Other Storiesto my tbr when I saw your review. Thanks for the recommendation. I read Dawn a while ago so I can tell you whether or not it works for the challenge (unless you would rather be surprised).

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Oh, you can tell me! Does Dawn work in any way for the Summer Challenge?

I started my VHS rewatch if E.T. last night before I went to sleep Sunday night. Will finish tonight (Monday).

[Rachel]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "Oh, you can tell me! Does Dawn work in any way for the Summer Challenge?

I started my VHS rewatch if E.T. last night before I went to sleep Sunday night. Will finish tonight (Monday)."

It works for #3. :D

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

So far all the books I'm planning to read are #3, C-A-M-P or author birthdays. Well, that's 3 tasks, so I'm good. Might still get that Stephen King book in too.

I would think Friendship and getting shot would be pretty common place too - those are the two I'm expecting to find randomly.

[Christine]

I finally finished The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle It is a fairly complicated mystery, someone gets shot over and over, its part Groundhog Day.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Another intriguing title you've found Christine !

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

So far, there seems to be only 3 of us participating in the Summer Reading Challenge. Hope more more people join us. We don't want to be the only ones having so much fun reading this Summer!

[Rachel]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "So far all the books I'm planning to read are #3, C-A-M-P or author birthdays. Well, that's 3 tasks, so I'm good. Might still get that Stephen King book in too.

I would think Friendship and getti..."

I think you’ll probably find one or the other in many of Dean’s books. :)

[Rachel]

Christine wrote: "I finally finished The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle It is a fairly complicated mystery, someone gets shot over and over, its part Groundhog Day."

Thanks for the update, Christine! :)
I keep going back and forth about whether to read it. I’ve heard mixed things about it. Do you think it’s worth it?

[Rachel]

I finished The Guest List - it’s a multi perspective novel. Not a bad book but not one I’d recommend either. I was hoping for a knives out type story but this had a different vibe.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

FYI: Dragon Tears is the June Group read for Koontzland-Dean Koontz and it would work for the Summer Reading Challenge. No aliens in this one.

[Christine]

Rachel, with this in mind, "so many books, so little time", I will say that the Evelyn Hardcastle book you could pass on. I set it aside right in the middle of reading it. I did finish it eventually and it is inventive but..............just not that good.

[Rachel]

Christine wrote: "Rachel, with this in mind, "so many books, so little time", I will say that the Evelyn Hardcastle book you could pass on. I set it aside right in the middle of reading it. I did finish it eventuall..."

Thanks for the info, Christine-I’m going to skip it and read something else. :)

[Danell]

I finished my first book of the challenge, Lake of Sorrows.

Got moved in and adjusting to life.

Thank you for another great challenge!!!

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Danell wrote: "I finished my first book of the challenge, Lake of Sorrows.

Got moved in and adjusting to life.

Thank you for another great challenge!!!"

Glad to have you with us! :-)

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

I bought If It Bleeds, so will be reading that in the near future!

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Danell wrote: "I finished my first book of the challenge, Lake of Sorrows.

Got moved in and adjusting to life.

Thank you for another great challenge!!!"

I will probably be skipping that body of water task. Haven't come across a POOL, LAKE, SEA, BAY, or OCEAN title that I want to read. I've got enough books through the other tasks to reach my goal, but I did consider re-reading Starvation Lake when I was looking at Summer Reading options.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Danell wrote: "I finished my first book of the challenge, Lake of Sorrows.

Got moved in and adjusting to life.

Thank you for another great challenge!!!"

How many books are you planning to read for the Summer Reading Challenge?

[Danell]

Hopefully 4.

A Lisa Jewel book
The Color Purple......works for 1982
If it Bleeds

Currently listening to Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and think that will work for kids helping kids.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Danell wrote: "Hopefully 4.

A Lisa Jewel book
The Color Purple......works for 1982
If it Bleeds

Currently listening to Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and think that will work for kids helping kids."

Which Lisa Jewell? I'm going to read The Girls in the Garden and Watching You!

[Rachel]

Danell wrote: "I finished my first book of the challenge, Lake of Sorrows.

Got moved in and adjusting to life.

Thank you for another great challenge!!!"

Thanks for the update, Danell. Glad you’re settling into your new place. Wishing you all the best. You’re an awesome person So glad you’re joining us for the challenge! :D

[Rachel]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "I bought If It Bleeds, so will be reading that in the near future!

"

Awesome! :) I’m still waiting on my ebook from the library.Says another month but sometimes the book becomes available earlier. Look forward to chatting about it.

[Danell]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "Danell wrote: "Hopefully 4.

A Lisa Jewel book
The Color Purple......works for 1982
If it Bleeds

Currently listening to Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and think that will work for kids helping ki..."
The House we Grew Up In or Then she was Gone. Both books I own.

[Janet]

Yikes! Summer already???

I did manage to squeak by and finish 3 books for the Spring challenge ( The Scent Keeper=#7 Stamped:Racism, Antiracism, and You=#3 The Southern Book Club's Gulde to Slaying Vampires=#5) I also read Upright Women Wanted ==> would that one pass for #6? Women instead of Woman? Let me know, please...if so, that would be 4 for Spring!

I Don't know how to set each season's goal...advice?

For the summer, I've just finished The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle => which works for #2 Am planning on reading If it Bleeds soon, I've had it since day 1! =>#7

Sorry, I've been MIA...just when I thought I had gotten my read back on...those darn protests started...threw me for a loop again. Couldn't read, but I did finish a 5000 piece puzzle! Go figure! I will try to get my act together here soon, and hope to be able to keep up once again.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Welcome Back Janet !

To join the Summer Reading Challenge and set your reading goal:

https://www.goodreads.com/challenges/...

You will need to create a shelf to tag books you are reading for the challenge. I use Summer2020 without a space because I had trouble with GR formatting when I used a space.

Good Luck!

[Rachel]

Janet wrote: "Yikes! Summer already???

I did manage to squeak by and finish 3 books for the Spring challenge ( The Scent Keeper=#7 Stamped:Racism, Antiracism, and You=#3 The Southern Book Club's Gulde to Slayi..."

Great to see you post, Janet! :)
2020 has been a crazy year. Hope the protests continue to bring about much needed change.

Sounds like you might be experiencing one of goodreads famous glitches if you’re being prevented from signing up for the challenge. If Dustin’s tip doesn’t work- you can just post everything in this thread-goals, what you’re reading, asking for and/or giving recommendations or just to say hi and let us know how you’re doing.

Women in the title is close enough so I say count it. Thanks for all the updates! Look forward to hearing your thoughts about the King book.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Here is book I've owned for 9 years and finally got around to reading this Summer :-) This book relies on multi-perspective and friendship.

A Dark Matter by Peter Straub


before reading A Dark Matter, I read a related novella by the same author which also works for the Summer Reading Challenge with the letters C-A-M-P in the title/subtitle.