…aka Failure Guaranteed…
Since I’m already so far behind in all my challenges for 2021, it makes absolutely no sense to take part in Cathy’s 20 Books of Summer challenge, so obviously I’m going to do it – sense is so over-rated, don’t you think? I usually have some kind of theme for this, and this year it’s to read twenty books I’ve received for review, either at my own request or unsolicited from some of the lovely publishers out there. I currently have 40 review copies outstanding, which is the highest it’s ever been, but loads of them are crime – contemporary, vintage, historical and thrillers – and a sprinkling of science fiction. Quick reads, in other words – so I’m going for a high octane, murderous summer!
So here’s what my initial list looks like, though there’s a good chance other review books will arrive over the summer and I may swap them in if the fancy takes me!
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- Spaceworlds edited by Mike Ashley
- Two-Way Murder by ECR Lorac
- Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka
- The Killing Kind by Jane Casey
- The Pact by Sharon Bolton
- Mother Loves Me by Abby Davies
- Scorpion by Christian Cantrell
- False Witness by Karin Slaughter
- The Drowned City by KJ Maitland
- Due to a Death by Mary Kelly
- Worst Idea Ever by Jane Fallon
- The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman
- Yesterday’s Tomorrows by Mike Ashley
- Letters from the Dead by Steve Robinson
- The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
- The Goodbye Man by Jeffery Deaver
- The Final Twist by Jeffery Deaver
- Risk of Harm by Lucie Whitehouse
- The Twisted Wire by Richard Falkirk
- Don’t Let Go by Harlan Coben
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Well, I think they look pretty appealing! It’s a fairly even split between authors I’ve enjoyed before and authors who will be new to me, so I may even find some new favourites. I’m currently tired of massive novels and factual books, so an immersion in lighter reading sounds like a perfect way to spend the summer even if I’m almost guaranteed to fail!
Do any of them appeal to you? Are you joining in the challenge?
(PS Apologies for disappearing again – life keeps getting in the way of blogging at the moment. I’ve given myself a serious talking-to and should catch up with comments, etc., over the weekend and be back in the swing next week!)
Hope the challenge it a success for you. That’s the beauty of this one, the rules are so relaxed we can find a way to bend them to succeed 😊👍🤞
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Thank you! yes, that’s what makes Cathy such a great hostess – she lets us do whatever we like! my final list is rarely exactly the same as the one I started with – three months is a long time in book world… 😉
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Great post!! The challenge seems fun!
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Thank you! Yes, it’s always a fun challenge this because you pick any books you like – no rules! 😀
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Yeah!! Would you mind telling me how does this challenge work?
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Yes, you basically pick 20 books that you want to read over the summer, from the start of June to the end of August, and do a post listing them all. Then you review each of them before the deadline of 1st September. But if twenty sounds like too many, there are also options to do fifteen or ten. And Cathy, the host, is very relaxed about people breaking the rules any way they choose! Here’s a link to her post explaining it all… I do hope you’ll join in!
https://746books.com/2021/05/02/announcing-20-books-of-summer-21/
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Thank you so much for explaining! I get it now and it seems like a lot of fun so I’ll definitely join in! Thanks for the link, I’ll check it out!
Thanks a ton!
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It’s a fantastic way to get to know other bloggers too – Cathy gives us a place to link all our reviews so we can see what everyone else has been reading. Enjoy! 😀
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Oh! That’s great! Thanks for sharing! Stay safe!
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I’m looking forward to seeing what you think of The Wife Upstairs. I really want to read it but it has had some pretty mixed reviews from what I’ve seen so I’m in two minds. Good luck with the challenge!
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The Wife Upstairs was one that I was sent by HarperCollins at random, so I don’t really know anything about it. But I’ve found that I often enjoy these ones as much as books I carefully select for myself, so fingers crossed! Of course, sometimes I hate them… 😉 Thank you! 😀
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I agree, some of the books I get sent randomly really surprise me with how enjoyable they are. I hope you do like this one 😊
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Thank you! We’ll see… 😀
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It looks like you are going to have a very exciting summer! I’m just in the middle of planning my list and enjoying it tremendously.
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My adrenaline levels are going to break all records! 😉 Haha, I always think planning the list is the best part of any challenge – hope you find loads of books that inspire you! 😀
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I love how every year you say you aren’t going to do it and then you do it anyway! That’s the way to live! Great list, would love to read the Jane Casey and Bullet Train is on my radar. Enjoy! THIS IS OUR YEAR 🙂
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Haha, I didn’t bother to struggle too hard this year, since I know I always give in eventually! Plus it gives me a great excuse to throw all the heavyweight stuff into a corner for a while and indulge my murderous instincts… 😉 We can do this!! 😀
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Excellent selection. I’m currently working on mine but the pile gets higher not lower! I always fail so I’m not expecting a success this year. I usually cheat and have wildcards so I can read what my mood dictates. Good luck!
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Haha, yes it’s odd the way that book pile grows no matter how hard we all work away at it! My final list is almost never the same as the one I start with, but that’s the fun of this challenge – breakable rules! I succeeded last year by reading the twenty shortest books I had, so I’m hoping going for a lot of quick crime and thriller reads will work this year…. we’ll see! Looking forward to seeing your list… 😀
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That’s a great selection of reading material. There’s a few I’ll be checking out. Good luck!
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They do look good, don’t they? Let’s hope they all live up to their blurbs and covers! 😀
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From what I remember, you managed to read all of your 20 books last year, choosing shorter titles seemed to work for you, so hopefully the same strategy will pay off this year too. Good luck!
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I did indeed! I looked to see if I had twenty short books on my TBR again this year but there weren’t quite enough of them, so I’m hoping going for genre stuff will work just as well – I always read crime and SF much more quickly than “proper” fiction for some reason.
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I think your logic makes perfect (bookish) sense! I hope you enjoy your summer reading as we move into colder months on the other side of the globe. I haven’t read any of these books, though some authors are familiar and favourite. The review I will be particularly curious to read is for The Drowned City, I think I might end up reading this one. Have an interesting challenge!
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Haha, I usually try to resist this challenge but I always break down in the end, so this year I didn’t put up too much of a fight! 😉 The Drowned City sounds very appealing, and I quite fancy a historical crime set in the Stuart era rather than the Tudors for a change, although my grasp of Stuart history isn’t as good, so I hope she explains it well!
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I’m working on my selection. I’ve never managed to read 10 or 15, let alone 20. I have one of yours on my list – The Killing Kind – looking forward to reading that. Good luck with your 20!
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Ha, I’ve failed a few times on this one too, but it’s still always fun trying, and I’m hoping sticking to genre fiction will help – I always read them more quickly than “proper” fiction for some reason. But my final list rarely looks the same as the one I start out with. Looking forward to seeing what’s on your list… 😀
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Happy reading!
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Thank you! My adrenalin level will be off the charts with all these thrillers! 😀
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You’ve got some excellent choices there, FictionFan! There are some authors (like Casey) whose work I’m fairly sure you’re going to really enjoy. And it’s always fun to explore some new-to-you authors, even if you end up putting them on your not-again list. I give you credit for doing this challenge; it’s not one I’ve dared to take on…
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I’m looking forward to the new Casey, and there’s an ECR Lorac in there too! Sometimes the ones I get sent at random by publishers quietly disappear from my list after the first couple of chapters, but I’ve had some really excellent surprises among them too – it’s like a game of roulette! Let’s hope these ones all land on a winning number… 😀
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Wow! Enjoy! Two Way Murder appeals to me!
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Me too, since it’s by ECR Lorac who has become one of my favourites of the authors the BL is bringing back to prominence! 😀
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Some of these look really good and I have confidence you’ll complete the challenge! What’s the worst that can happen? You’ll fail and we’ll forgive you. 😉
FYI, I finished Way Station by Clifford D. Simak last night and really enjoyed it! I might try another of his.
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Haha, but will I forgive myself? I may have to punish myself and that means no chocolate… too awful to contemplate! I shall simply have to succeed… 😉
Oh, that’s great to hear! I’m so glad you liked it – you must tell me if you do try another and if it turns out to be just as good. Did you spot Yesterday’s Tomorrows in my list? It’s going to do terrible things to my sci-fi TBR, I suspect… and maybe yours too… 😀
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I’ve got Highway of Eternity, Simak’s final novel, tagged at the library. I’ll let you know once I’ve read it! Just don’t hold your breath since I seem to have a backlog of books to read. I hold you partially accountable for that! 😉
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Me??? It’s not my fault if you have no willpower!!! 😉 I shall look forward to hearing what you think of it! 😀
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😂😂
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Cheers to your high octane summer FF – sounds fun!
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Thank you – my adrenalin levels will be off the chart! Must stock up on medicinal chocolate…
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I know what you mean. I probably won’t be successful reading (and definitely not reviewing) a list of 20 books, but I have to try anyway. I am working on my list now and have whittled it down to 23 and don’t want to leave off any of them.
Yesterday’s Tomorrows: The Story of Science Fiction in 100 Books sound very interesting. Right now it is too expensive for me but I will wait and see how long I can put off reading it. My husband is a fan of Steve Robinson, but I don’t know if he is that far along in the series.
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It’s the reviewing that always causes the problems for me too – the last few are always extremely rushed! But making the list is so much fun. 😀 Looking forward to seeing what books you end up with!
I have a feeling something has gone a bit wrong with the publication date for Yesterday’s Tomorrow – lockdown related maybe. It was supposed to come out a while ago, but I don’t think many copies hit the shelves. So I’m hoping the price drops when it comes out properly – and there’s bound to be a Kindle version of it too at some point. It does look great – going to be a killer for my poor TBR… I haven’t read any of Steve Robinson’s books – this is one I got years ago from NetGalley and never got around to reading, so I’d like to clear it off my conscience!
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Looks like an interesting list, FF, but I know what you mean about “life” interfering with reading challenges! I’ve got the same problem, and it doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. And now that things are opening up (gee, we’ve got the pandemic solved already??), things promise to be even more crazy.
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Ha, yes, sometimes I go for ages in a routine and then somehow everything gets all out of kilter and it seems to take ages to get back to normal! We were supposed to move to Level 2 tomorrow (which means nearly free) but there’s been a slight uptick in cases again so we’re back on Level 3 – still no bookshops for poor FF… 😥
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Browsing online just isn’t the same as actually walking into a bookstore … or the library. There’s something special about holding a BOOK in one’s hands!
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I know, and it feels like a lifetime since I was in a shop other than a supermarket! I’m not usually the world’s most enthusiastic shopper so I’ve been surprised at how much I’ve missed it.
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I just took Bullet Train back to the library. It needed more concentration power than i have right now.
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I noticed it’s been getting pretty mixed reviews so I’ve lowered my expectations a bit. But I need a train journey for one of my challenges, so I’ll just have to grit my teeth and struggle through… 😉
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I don’t know why I had the urge to do this, but here goes:
My scorpion Mother Loves Me and assures me There’s No Risk of Harm, but The Wife Upstairs is the Killing Kind. Together, they’ve written The Pact for committing a Two-Way Murder, using a Bullet Train and The Twisted Wire. I’m trying to sleep on the train, feel a jerk, but cannot yell out. I hear them saying Don’t Let Go before they give it a Final Twist. And then Good-bye Man. But this is their Worst. Idea. Ever. Due to a Death (mine), I’ll send them Letters from the Dead. Their Disappearing Act (of me) won’t work, as my Yesterday’s Tomorrows will haunt them from the Drowned City where my soul has landed. I swear I bear no False Witness, as this saga plays out in Spaceworlds: Stories of Life in the Void. Stay tuned for more of my revenge…….
Happy Summer Reading!
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Hahahaha, superb!! I bet this is a more exciting story than most of the ones in the books will be! 😀 Now just imagine if I’d picked twenty romances rather than crime novels – your story would have either been hot and steamy or sickly sweet… I prefer the murderous kind myself, though I’m so sorry you turned out to be the victim. Keep those Letters from the Dead coming – I’d love to know what happens afterwards… 😉
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Looking forward to hearing all about your murderous summer! I think I’ve been talked into challenge this by Cathy and Emma and am mulling over my list now…
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Making the list is always the best part, so I do hope you’ll be joining in! I’ve learned my lesson from early failures – I used to include all kind of chunky books but now I try to stick to shorter books or quicker reads… that way I can get through the summer without losing my sanity. Well, any more than usual anyway… 😉
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I am! Just working on a post and ‘finalizing’ the list and as for sanity I think the last few years here has sent mine wandering off somewhere else.
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Haha, sanity is over-rated anyway, I always feel… 😉
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The more challenges, the merrier! I think 20 Books of Summer is a good one to combine with others though.
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Ha, I can never resist making booklists so these challenges have a fatal attraction for me! A few of these should fit into some of my other challenges, but I’m feeling rebellious anyway, so I don’t care if I achieve my targets anymore… 😉
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Good luck, I admire how you embrace challenges like this! I know, it’s boring, but knowing my own limitations, I’ve decided to stay far away from challenges like this.
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Haha, I used to be driven to achieve any target I set myself but I’ve realised that success is optional! Since I always enjoy making booklists, then I win even if I end up only reading half the books… 😉
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Good luck! You forging ahead and joining in has given me the nudge I needed to join in too! I was on the fence but oh, what the heck? Why not try? I do have the best time making the list. 🙂
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Oh, good – do join in! Haha, the best bit is always making the list, and we can always sneakily change it at the end so it looks as if we succeeded… 😉
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Great TBR! It sounds like a thrilling summer indeed. 😉 Good luck with the challenge! xx
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Thank you! My adrenalin levels should hit the roof! 😉
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A great selection. Of course I’m even MORE doomed to fail as have left out review and project books – what a fool! Have fun with these!
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I did that a couple of times and spent the rest of the year frantically trying to catch up, so never again!
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As far as I know, I’ve done it before, so we’ll see … the NetGalley list might go by the wayside though!
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Ha, the NetGalley list can take on aspects of the albatross around the neck sometimes… 😀
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This looks like the perfect summer read list! I haven’t read a single one of them, so they will all be new to me too. I hope to pick up some books I’m more excited about as the weather grows warmer too, it feels like the season to indulge 🙂
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Because they’re review copies lots of them aren’t out yet, although a couple have been sitting on my NetGalley list for far too long. I feel I’ve overdone it with factual and heavyweight fiction recently so the idea of lots of murder appeals greatly! 😉
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Yes I agree!
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I’m looking forward to your murderous summer! Hopefully they’ll be quick reads with a few rubbish ones thrown in for some jolly 1* reviews!
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Hahaha, the way I’m going with abandoning new releases these days I think a few 1-star reviews are pretty much guaranteed… 😉
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If you are already behind in your other challenges, perhaps this challenge can overlap the others? Or just give up on the others and take on this one?
I’m hoping to read twenty of my 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up.
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A few of these should feed into my other challenges, and anyway it’ll clear the decks of outstanding review copies a bit, which will let me concentrate on other stuff afterwards without feeling guilty!
Ha! That sounds like fun! And it’s nice to know that if we haven’t read them all we can’t be adults yet – very liberating! 😉
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FF, I hope you enjoy your high octane, murderous summer of reading! And sense is definitely over-rated! 😁 This summer I am again going for the lower level of 10 books of Summer.
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Ha, I think you’re very wise! I spent last evening sorting out my reading schedule for the summer to fit all these in, and I’m now having my usual summer panic attacks! Bah – that Cathy!! 😉
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it’s not an easy task you undertake and you seem to be doing it with consistency and commitment. special thanks coming your way to let you know that you’re doing a great service to the tireless authors, writers, readers and the entire fraternity. stick with it. blessings. will be following your posts and hope you follow mine and share a thought sometime.
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Thank you for popping in and commenting. I’m afraid I’m not a religious person, so won’t be following your blog but I wish you all the best with it.
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Nice challenge, certainly going to give it a go.
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It’s always fun, especially making the list! 😀
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Where would life be without a challenge? There are some interesting looking books on your list. I have just finished The Drowned City and really enjoyed it. Hope you get round to reading at some point over the Summer.
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Where indeed? 😀 I’m managing to stay on track with this challenge so I should get to The Drowned City soon – good to hear you can recommend it!
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