Halloween Reads

Summer reading challenges 2024

Adult summer reading programs are getting going (at least up here in the United States…) As I’ve done twice before, here’s a list of my books that fit into specific categories. If you’ve got another category, let me know! Sometimes it’s a lot easier for me to pull a list than it is for readers to figure out all the books that might fit quickly.

For example, I recently added a list of characters by age to my wiki. Easy for me to pull together, involves more math for everyone else!

You can find previous related posts at Up for a 2024 reading challenge? and Summer (any time) reading for lists from 2023. Jump down to specific kinds of bingo squares with the links here.

Author | Type of book | Colours on the cover | Title | Characters | Setting | Other

If you’re looking for a challenge, I’m drawing from items on the following lists:

The 2024 Carterhaugh School Summer Reading Challenge (that’s a public post, but more resources for patrons). The Boston Public Library 2024 bingo card (fillable PDF)The Westbrook, Maine adult reading bingo card Upon A Summer's Day displayed on a tablet in a sunset scene looking out across water to fields beyond, all of it glowing golden and sparkling with magic. The cover of Upon A Summer's Day shows a man in a suit silhouetted over a map of northern Wales in a muted green. He is gesturing, holding his cane in one hand, a cap on his head. Behind him is an astrological chart, with Jupiter and Saturn highlighted in the sign of Taurus.

About the author

If you’re looking for an author from New England (Massachusetts, specifically), or an author who is disabled or neurodivergent, or a female author, all my books count.

Type of bookA historical book

All my books are historical fantasy. You can browse books by when they’re set in this handy list. Books are chronological by when they begin within each section. If you click through to the book’s page, the field that says “begins” in the section with tags and other metadata tells you when that is in more specific detail.

A novella / under 200 pages The cover of Ancient Trust has a man in silhouette with a monocle leaning on a table piled with books on a background of bright spring green and golden yellow, with an owl looking down from an inset in the top left. Ancient Trust Cover of Complementary. Two women in Edwardian dress in silhouette stand talking with each other. One is taller and calmer, the other is shorter, gesturing. They are on a green background, with an artist's palette in the bottom right. Complementary Cover of Winter's Charms, a seasonal novella collection. Three figures are silhouetted on a blue background with snowflakes, in front of a roaring fireplace decorated with a red and green garland. One man is sitting in a chair, gesturing, a woman stands wearing a transluscent shawl, and another man leans his hand on the mantlepiece. Oranges and cinnamon sticks are inset in the top left. Casting Nasturtiums Cover of Winter's Charms, a seasonal novella collection. Three figures are silhouetted on a blue background with snowflakes, in front of a roaring fireplace decorated with a red and green garland. One man is sitting in a chair, gesturing, a woman stands wearing a transluscent shawl, and another man leans his hand on the mantlepiece. Oranges and cinnamon sticks are inset in the top left. Country Manners The cover of Four Walls and a Heart has a bright red background with a blue door. Two men are silhouetted against the background, one of slighter build in a Victorian wheelchair, missing his lower left leg, the other standing and talking, one hand at his side. Both are wearing hats, and they are intently focused on each other. Four Walls and a Heart Cover of Winter's Charms, a seasonal novella collection. Three figures are silhouetted on a blue background with snowflakes, in front of a roaring fireplace decorated with a red and green garland. One man is sitting in a chair, gesturing, a woman stands wearing a transluscent shawl, and another man leans his hand on the mantlepiece. Oranges and cinnamon sticks are inset in the top left. Chasing LegendsA mystery Cover of Forged in Combat. A man and a woman in silhouette on a teal green background. She is wearing a Victorian bustle dress, his clothing fits with military uniform of the time. A bright red hibiscus highlights the top corner of the cover. Forged in Combat Cover of Complementary. Two women in Edwardian dress in silhouette stand talking with each other. One is taller and calmer, the other is shorter, gesturing. They are on a green background, with an artist's palette in the bottom right. Complementary Cover of Winter's Charms, a seasonal novella collection. Three figures are silhouetted on a blue background with snowflakes, in front of a roaring fireplace decorated with a red and green garland. One man is sitting in a chair, gesturing, a woman stands wearing a transluscent shawl, and another man leans his hand on the mantlepiece. Oranges and cinnamon sticks are inset in the top left. Country Manners Nothing too horrible can happen in a fortnight. Charlotte is worried. Her friend Victor - the man everyone expects she’ll marry - has fallen in with a new circle. Growing up in the family she has, Charlotte knows there’s something odd going on. The new friends are older, united in a passion for ancient legends, and there’s something just a bit too intense about all of them. When Charlotte and Victor are invited for a fortnight at a remote country house with the rest of the group, she goes along to keep him out of trouble. It’s hard to get by as a working alchemist. Lewis hopes his arrangement with Morgen will let Lewis keep his brother in a much-needed potion and begin to build up his own business as an alchemical perfumer. He doesn’t mind being stuck in an isolated cottage on a rural estate while he does it. But when Charlotte appears in his kitchen - an impossible idea - they have to figure out what’s going on at the main house and how to stop it without causing more problems. All they have to work with are the skills they already have and whatever is stocked in the alchemy lab. Perfect Accord takes place in the magical community of Great Britain in 1923, as Charlotte is preparing for her older brother Gabe’s wedding. Third in the Mysterious Arts series, it can be read in any order. Join Charlotte and Lewis for a short tour through mangled Arthuriana, a long stint of forced proximity, and a sensual romance full of perfume, cooking, and time in bed. Perfect Accord Cover of Goblin Fruit. A man and woman in 1920s dress are silhouetted on a glowing red and golden yellow background. She turns toward him and he holds her hand. A bottle of golden liquid is inset in the top right corner. Goblin Fruit Cover of In The Cards. A man and woman in 1920s dress silhouetted on a pale purple and blue cover. She turns away from him, and they are looking at something to the right of the image. A set of divination cards are inset in the top right. In The Cards Cover of Magician's Hoard. A man and woman in 1920s dress silhouetted on a teal background shading to sandy brown. A hedgehog is inset in the top right. Magician's Hoard Cover of Mistress of Birds. A man and woman in 1920s clothing silhouetted on a purple and deep blue-grey background. He holds a walking stick as tall as he is and wears a cap, she wears a hat and long sweater. Apples are inset in the top left. Mistress of Birds The cover of Three Graces has three women in silhouette, two standing and one sitting, her hand resting on a cane. All three are wearing clothes from during the Second World War, against a deep brown cover with a map. An astrology chart to the back left has the Moon and Venus picked out in brighter gold. Three Graces Four students in silhouette on a blue background of a map off the west coast of Wales. Three stand around a table, the fourth is perched on the near corner, leaning forward and gesturing. The Magic of FourColours on the cover

(Yellow wasn’t actually on any of the lists I was looking at, but the other four colours here were, and why not make a rainbow…)

A book with a red cover The cover of Four Walls and a Heart has a bright red background with a blue door. Two men are silhouetted against the background, one of slighter build in a Victorian wheelchair, missing his lower left leg, the other standing and talking, one hand at his side. Both are wearing hats, and they are intently focused on each other. Four Walls and a Heart Cover of Wards of the Roses. A man and woman in 1920s clothing silhouetted on a red background that shades to vivid orange-peach at the bottom. A rose is inset in the top right. Wards of the Roses The cover of Best Foot Forward has a deep red background with map markings in a dull purple. Two men in silhouette stand, looking up at a point in the top left. An astrology chart with different symbols picked out takes up the left side of the image, with glowing stars curving up to the title. Best Foot ForwardA book with a yellow cover The cover of Ancient Trust has a man in silhouette with a monocle leaning on a table piled with books on a background of bright spring green and golden yellow, with an owl looking down from an inset in the top left. Ancient Trust Cover of Point By Point. A man and woman in 1920s dress silhouetted on a terra-cotta and deep red background, with a Mesopotamian lion with bright blue wings inset in the top left. Point By Point Cover of Illusion of a Boar: Two silhouetted men and women standing at a table, on a ground of deep gold with an astrological chart behind them. Illusion of a BoarA book with a green cover Cover of Forged in Combat. A man and a woman in silhouette on a teal green background. She is wearing a Victorian bustle dress, his clothing fits with military uniform of the time. A bright red hibiscus highlights the top corner of the cover. Forged in Combat Cover of Pastiche. A man and woman in Edwardian dress silhouetted against a bright teal background, with a stained glass window in golden yellow and muted purple behind them. Pastiche Cover of Complementary. Two women in Edwardian dress in silhouette stand talking with each other. One is taller and calmer, the other is shorter, gesturing. They are on a green background, with an artist's palette in the bottom right. Complementary The cover of Bound for Perdition has a man and woman silhouetted in dark brown on a green and brown background, with the woman holding a book while the man gestures. An open blank book and pen are inset in the top right corner. Bound for Perdition Cover of Outcrossing. A silhouetted man and woman in 1920s clothing standing next to each other, silhouetted on a green background. A chestnut pony's head is inset in the top right. Outcrossing Nothing too horrible can happen in a fortnight. Charlotte is worried. Her friend Victor - the man everyone expects she’ll marry - has fallen in with a new circle. Growing up in the family she has, Charlotte knows there’s something odd going on. The new friends are older, united in a passion for ancient legends, and there’s something just a bit too intense about all of them. When Charlotte and Victor are invited for a fortnight at a remote country house with the rest of the group, she goes along to keep him out of trouble. It’s hard to get by as a working alchemist. Lewis hopes his arrangement with Morgen will let Lewis keep his brother in a much-needed potion and begin to build up his own business as an alchemical perfumer. He doesn’t mind being stuck in an isolated cottage on a rural estate while he does it. But when Charlotte appears in his kitchen - an impossible idea - they have to figure out what’s going on at the main house and how to stop it without causing more problems. All they have to work with are the skills they already have and whatever is stocked in the alchemy lab. Perfect Accord takes place in the magical community of Great Britain in 1923, as Charlotte is preparing for her older brother Gabe’s wedding. Third in the Mysterious Arts series, it can be read in any order. Join Charlotte and Lewis for a short tour through mangled Arthuriana, a long stint of forced proximity, and a sensual romance full of perfume, cooking, and time in bed. Perfect Accord The cover of Old As The Hills has a man with a can and a woman silhouetted on a green ground with a map. She holds out her hand, he is putting something into it, forming a doorway between them. An astrological chart behind them shows the symbols for Venus, the Sun, Jupiter, and Saturn highlighted behind a splash of glowing stars. Old As The Hills The cover of Upon A Summer's Day shows a man in a suit silhouetted over a map of northern Wales in a muted green. He is gesturing, holding his cane in one hand, a cap on his head. Behind him is an astrological chart, with Jupiter and Saturn highlighted in the sign of Taurus. Upon A Summer's DayA book with a blue cover Cover of Sailor's Jewel. A plump woman in flowing artistic dress and a man in an Edwardian suit are silhouetted against a blue background. An ocean liner is behind them, bow facing the viewer. Sailor's Jewel Cover of Winter's Charms, a seasonal novella collection. Three figures are silhouetted on a blue background with snowflakes, in front of a roaring fireplace decorated with a red and green garland. One man is sitting in a chair, gesturing, a woman stands wearing a transluscent shawl, and another man leans his hand on the mantlepiece. Oranges and cinnamon sticks are inset in the top left. Winter's Charms The cover of Shoemaker's Wife has a man and woman in silhouette on a vibrant background of green shading through blue to purple. The woman is standing on one foot with one hand in the air, lifting the other and looking over her shoulder at the shoe while the man looks on. A purple 1920s shoe with a big blue ribbon bow is inset in the top right corner. Shoemaker's WifeCOMING SOON Cover of Facets of the Bench: a man and woman in silhouette. She shows him a necklace as he sits in a wheelchair with forearm crutches propped against the chair. Facets of the Bench Four students in silhouette on a blue background of a map off the west coast of Wales. Three stand around a table, the fourth is perched on the near corner, leaning forward and gesturing. The Magic of FourA book with a purple cover Cover of Carry On, a nurse and man in silhouette walking together, her arm through his on a mauve background. Yarn and knitting needles are inset in the top left. Carry On Cover of Seven Sisters. A thin angular woman and man in 1920s dress silhouetted on a background of lavender and grey. Bright green curling vines are inset in the top right. Seven Sisters Cover of In The Cards. A man and woman in 1920s dress silhouetted on a pale purple and blue cover. She turns away from him, and they are looking at something to the right of the image. A set of divination cards are inset in the top right. In The Cards Cover of Mistress of Birds. A man and woman in 1920s clothing silhouetted on a purple and deep blue-grey background. He holds a walking stick as tall as he is and wears a cap, she wears a hat and long sweater. Apples are inset in the top left. Mistress of Birds The cover of Nocturnal Quarry has Alexander silhouetted seated in a chair, leaning forward, one leg crossed over the other against a purple background with a map of Manhattan. An astrological chart to the left has the symbols for the Sun, Mercury, and Mars in close conjunction in Leo and Virgo, glowing against the pale grey of the chart. Nocturnal QuarryWords in the title

Listed in the order in which they take place, for chronological tidiness.

A book with a number in the title

Four Walls and a Heart, Seven Sisters, Three Graces, and The Magic of Four.

An animal in the title

The Hare and the Oak, Mistress of Birds, and Illusion of a Boar.

One word title

Pastiche, Complementary, Outcrossing, and Eclipse.

Title starts with B

Bound for Perdition and Best Foot Forward.

CharactersMain character over 60 Seven Sisters  : Vivian is 63 (but looks younger).The Hare and the Oak : Mabyn is 62. Best Foot Forward  : Alexander is 64. Nocturnal Quarry  : Alexander is 67. Upon A Summer’s Day  : Alysoun is 63, Richard is 68, Alexander is 69. Three Graces  : Alysoun is 67.Character who is a musician

It’s not as obvious as in some other places Geoffrey appears, but Best Foot Forward is full of musical references, and Geoffrey plays piano and harpsichord.

Character who is a detective

It depends a little how we’re defining detective here, but Goblin Fruit, and any of the books dealing with the Guard or Penelopes listed below.

The cover of Four Walls and a Heart has a bright red background with a blue door. Two men are silhouetted against the background, one of slighter build in a Victorian wheelchair, missing his lower left leg, the other standing and talking, one hand at his side. Both are wearing hats, and they are intently focused on each other. Four Walls and a Heart Cover of Pastiche. A man and woman in Edwardian dress silhouetted against a bright teal background, with a stained glass window in golden yellow and muted purple behind them. Pastiche Cover of Complementary. Two women in Edwardian dress in silhouette stand talking with each other. One is taller and calmer, the other is shorter, gesturing. They are on a green background, with an artist's palette in the bottom right. Complementary Cover of Wards of the Roses. A man and woman in 1920s clothing silhouetted on a red background that shades to vivid orange-peach at the bottom. A rose is inset in the top right. Wards of the Roses Cover of Winter's Charms, a seasonal novella collection. Three figures are silhouetted on a blue background with snowflakes, in front of a roaring fireplace decorated with a red and green garland. One man is sitting in a chair, gesturing, a woman stands wearing a transluscent shawl, and another man leans his hand on the mantlepiece. Oranges and cinnamon sticks are inset in the top left. Country Manners Cover of The Fossil Door. A man and woman in 1920s dress stand silhouetted on a bright burgundy and glowing orange background. An illuminated book is inset in the top left corner. The Fossil Door The cover of Old As The Hills has a man with a can and a woman silhouetted on a green ground with a map. She holds out her hand, he is putting something into it, forming a doorway between them. An astrological chart behind them shows the symbols for Venus, the Sun, Jupiter, and Saturn highlighted behind a splash of glowing stars. Old As The Hills The cover of Upon A Summer's Day shows a man in a suit silhouetted over a map of northern Wales in a muted green. He is gesturing, holding his cane in one hand, a cap on his head. Behind him is an astrological chart, with Jupiter and Saturn highlighted in the sign of Taurus. Upon A Summer's DayCreature feature / Magical creatures

The description on this one from the Carterhaugh challenge says: “Pick your poison: vampires, zombies, witches, werewolves, sea monsters, fairies, whatever floats your supernatural boat, and go nuts.” So! Picking books where it’s a significant focus, here…

Shapeshifters: Magician’s Hoard, Illusion of a BoarFatae (fae) descendants: Seven Sisters, Fool’s Gold Other fae beings: Goblin Fruit , Old As The Hills Merfolk and other sea creatures: Sailor’s Jewel SettingSet at or by the sea

Four Walls and a Heart takes a holiday at Brighton and Sailor’s Jewel is an Atlantic crossing in 1901 in an ocean liner.

Set somewhere specific

There are various location options that turn up in these lists – set where you live, set in a different country, or set or some place you’d like to travel. I don’t know where you live or want to travel, but here’s some help with what’s set where:

United Kingdom: Most of my books are entirely set in the UK, obviously. You can explore different locations through the list at the top right of the sidebar on the places page on my wiki.

United States: Nocturnal Quarry takes place mostly on the East Coast of the US, including Washington, D.C., Providence, Boston, and mostly New York City. Sailor’s Jewel has a few chapters in Boston.

Europe: Magician’s Hoard and Three Graces both have a chapter or so in Paris. Best Foot Forward has several chapters in Vienna, Austria and about a third of the book in or near Berlin, Germany.

Other First in a series Cover of Outcrossing. A silhouetted man and woman in 1920s clothing standing next to each other, silhouetted on a green background. A chestnut pony's head is inset in the top right. Outcrossing Cover of Carry On, a nurse and man in silhouette walking together, her arm through his on a mauve background. Yarn and knitting needles are inset in the top left. Carry On The cover of Bound for Perdition has a man and woman silhouetted in dark brown on a green and brown background, with the woman holding a book while the man gestures. An open blank book and pen are inset in the top right corner. Bound for Perdition The cover of Best Foot Forward has a deep red background with map markings in a dull purple. Two men in silhouette stand, looking up at a point in the top left. An astrology chart with different symbols picked out takes up the left side of the image, with glowing stars curving up to the title. Best Foot Forward

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Published on June 19, 2024 07:00
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