2018 Big Book Summer Challenge discussion

Use this discussion thread to chat about the Big Books you are reading or planning to read. You can also add your Big Books to the group Bookshelf.

I'm kicking off my Big Book Summer with The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey, a YA post-apocalyptic novel I've been meaning to read for YEARS! Big Book Summer always helps me tackle some of my older TBR's. It's great so far - a bit confusing as to who are the good guys and who are the bad but very compelling.

Currently reading The Outsider. I have a ton of Netgalley ARCs, library books, and Booktopia books to read, so what did I do? Bought and started the new Stephen King. Shiny things attract me.

Victoria wrote: "Currently reading The Outsider. I have a ton of Netgalley ARCs, library books, and Booktopia books to read, so what did I do? Bought and started the new Stephen King. Shiny things a..."

ha ha - I hear you! We have an entire bookcase now of books waiting to be read, but we still give each other more books on every holiday. AND, we have another bookcase filled with the books we inherited from my dad when he died a few years ago - including his Stephen King collection!

I think I'm going to jump on the 5th wave bandwagon with you, Sue! I've got a lot of books going right now, but a good YA usually keeps me reading!

I am also reading the All Souls Trilogy. I just finished A Discovery of Witches, and I'm about 25% through Shadow of Night.

Maria wrote: "I think I'm going to jump on the 5th wave bandwagon with you, Sue! I've got a lot of books going right now, but a good YA usually keeps me reading!"

Sounds good, Maria! I found The 5th Wave totally compelling - fast-paced and hard to put down which was just what I needed last week! Hope you enjoy it, too.

I’ve moved on to The Hypnotist. Purchased used at Booktopia, thanks Charles! I’ve only read about 50 pages but I’m finding it a lot like the Jo Nesbo/Harry Hole series, which is right up my alley. I still like reading e-books better these days, but I guess I will muddle through.

Ooh - sounds good! Thanks for the tip - my husband loves the Nesbo Harry Hole books! I almost never read e-books, though I have a bunch waiting on my Kindle :)

Enjoy!

It might be out of print, but I know it’s coming out in a Kindle version this summer.

Victoria wrote: "It might be out of print, but I know it’s coming out in a Kindle version this summer."

Thanks!

My 1st summer read that I’ve just finished was 13 Dates by Matt Dunn, it was only 334 pages. Now I starting Tempting (inked hearts book 1) by Crystal Kaswell. I know that they aren’t as long as the Deborah Harkness trilogy which Has reminded me I haven’t finished the last one in the trilogy.

Sounds good, Alex! So, is Tempting a Big Book? Enjoy!

I have a pile of big books to get to, so I'm happy to have the nudge this summer. I'm starting with An Ember in the Ashes tomorrow (Lord willing). If I happen to finish that one then I'll pick up another from my pile. When I'm used to being able to easily finish a middle grade or YA novel in a day or two, it feels a tad overwhelming to hit a big book. LOL

Starting with Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Cant believe I havent read it before. Was a big child reader but somehow missed this one.

Shaye wrote: "I have a pile of big books to get to, so I'm happy to have the nudge this summer. I'm starting with An Ember in the Ashes tomorrow (Lord willing). If I happen to finish that one then I'll pick up a..."

Ha ha I know what you mean, Shaye - my first Big Book of the summer WAS a YA, so even 500 pages went pretty fast. Enjoy your first Big Book!

Welcome to the Big Book Summer Challenge!

Robin wrote: "Starting with Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Cant believe I havent read it before. Was a big child reader but somehow missed this one."

Sounds like a great start, Robin! Reading it for the Book Cougars read-along? I read it and loved it as a kid and then re-read it about 5 years ago...and enjoyed it just as much! Hope you enjoy it, too.

I just started my 2nd Big Book of the Summer! It's Dragonfly in Amber, book 2 in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series - I think this is the 3rd summer I've planned to read it for the challenge, so I;m glad I'm finally getting to it. The timing is good because although I read Outlander 6 or 7 years ago (one of my very first Big Books of Summer!), I just finished watching season 1 of the TV show, so it;s fresh in my mind. I just started last night but am already totally into it and LOVING it!

Someday I’m going to read Outlander....I think I have it on my kindle.

Robin wrote: "Starting with Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Cant believe I havent read it before. Was a big child reader but somehow missed this one."

Love that book! X

I've started with a big book on Audible which i finished last night, Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling) , which was excellent.
I have two big books to read this summer, firstly The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova , 704 pages, which i started last summer and basically had to stop due to migraines, well i now have reading glasses so i am back to it!
After that i have Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan, 554pages, which should be fun, i haven't read one of his for a few years now.
Hope everyone is enjoying the start of the challenge. Xx

Victoria wrote: "Someday I’m going to read Outlander....I think I have it on my kindle."

It's very good, Vicki - and the 2nd book is excellent so far, too. An unusual mix of historical fiction, time travel, and romance, but she's an excellent writer and pulls you right into the story. Besides I like any story that involves time travel!

Claire wrote: "I've started with a big book on Audible which i finished last night, Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling) , which was excellent.
I have two big books to read this summer, firstly The His..."

Glad you got the headache thing figured, Claire - that must have been awful! I find I am needing reading glasses more and more these days!

I think Vicki here in the group just finished The Historian. And a Rick Riordan book is always a good one - enjoy!

Ha ha - not the Historian, but the Hypnotist! :-)

Robin wrote: "Starting with Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Cant believe I havent read it before. Was a big child reader but somehow missed this one."

I loved Little Women- although I've only read an abridged version. I'm sure you'll love it!

I finished reading The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. It took me much longer than it should've to get around to finally reading it- but this challenge gave me the extra incentive to pick it up!

I'm also looking forward to reading "The President is Missing" by Bill Clinton. It's not in my normal wheelhouse but it sounds really interesting and I know my mom or dad will want to share it once I'M done!

The Hate U Give was so great.

My first Big Book of the Summer will be The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

A Little Life will be my first big one. I just finished 4 3 2 1. Highly recommend it. I have a few ARCs that will likely qualify as well.

Reading The Gulf: The Making of An American Sea, 608 pages. So far very interesting.

A little late to the game, but I'm going to attempt to read:
The 5th Season by N.K. Jemison
Bear Town by Fredrik Backman
The Hate U give by Angie Thomas
We'll see if I can get them finished by Labor Day!
Heard about you and this challenge on The Book Cougars Podcast - sounds fun!

Victoria wrote: "Ha ha - not the Historian, but the Hypnotist! :-)"

ha ha - I knew it was some 1-word title starting with H...

Poem Fanatic wrote: "I finished reading The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. It took me much longer than it should've to get around to finally reading it- but this challenge gave me the extra incentive to pick it up!

I'm ..."

Ah, so glad to see you joined the challenge again!! I got a bit behind - several family emergencies this weekend (and one big one still continuing), so I am trying to catch up.

The Hate U Give was SO amazing! I listened to it on audio, and it felt like Starr herself was telling me her story - I loved it. So powerful. It's being made into a movie that should be out soon!

The President Is Missing looks great! I laughed when I heard about it and saw the cover! Hope you enjoy it :)

I did see you left a link to your blog on the challenge page - I'll get to catching up there next!

Leah wrote: "My first Big Book of the Summer will be The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson"

Hi, Leah! Great to have you along for the challenge! Please leave a quick comment under the Sign-Up discussion thread - makes it easier for me to keep track of you signed up:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Thanks! Enjoy!

Robin wrote: "Reading The Gulf: The Making of An American Sea, 608 pages. So far very interesting."

Sounds interesting, Robin - I hadn't heard of this one before.

Kim wrote: "A little late to the game, but I'm going to attempt to read:
The 5th Season by N.K. Jemison
Bear Town by Fredrik Backman
The Hate U give by Angie Thomas
We'll see if I can get them finished by Labo..."

Hi, Kim, and welcome! Yes, I was surprised & thrilled to hear Chris & Emily mention the Big Book Summer Challenge on their recent episode :) Glad to have you along as well. Please leave a comment under the Sign-Up discussion thread - you can just copy & paste the one you left here - makes it easier for me to keep track of who is participating:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

My son loves NK Jemisin books, and The Hate U Give is just amazing - so powerful - sounds like it will be a great reading summer for you!

Sue

I am still reading Dragonfly in Amber (book 2 of the Outlander series) by Diana Gabaldon and am absolutely loving it! I'd forgotten what an engaging writer she is. We had a really rough weekend here with several family emergencies (one ongoing with a son stuck in Europe with a concussion), so I REALLY needed a good escapist novel, and this one was perfect! Love when a book is just what I need at the time :)

Read Part 1 of” Buddenbrooks”...all those pages for a dinner party? I have enough knowledge to know that abundant food usually equals wealth in the post-Napoleonic era but I could get gout just reading about these rich dishes ;).

And have started *God,War and Providence*, an Edelweiss+ galley about the Narragansett Indians( the ones that met the Pilgrims). Hsorically, these are my ancestors, and I grew up in RI. It’s 305 pages, so it doesn’ count For the challenge, but proves how eclectically I read

Alex wrote: "My 1st summer read that I’ve just finished was 13 Dates by Matt Dunn, it was only 334 pages. Now I starting Tempting (inked hearts book 1) by Crystal Kaswell. I know that they aren’t as long as the..."

Well since I made my last post. I have now read another 6 book:
Tempting by Crystal Kaswell - 438 pages
This is the plague of days (season2) by Robert Chazz Chute -300 pages
Club shadowlands by Cherise Sinclair - 380 pages
The good widow by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke -302 pages
The virgin and the beast by Stasia Black -233pages
Can you keep a secret by Sophie Kinsella - 372 pages

Wow I’m impressed with myself as so far that’s 2,359 pages, but the down side is that it shows how much I’ve not been sleeping. Well I guess you can win them all lol.

And today I’ve just started the final instalment of the Plague of days by Robert Chase Chute - 414 pages.

I finally started reading An Ember in the Ashes on Sunday evening and now I’m wondering why I waited so long! I’m just over halfway through and realizing I need to either purchase book #2 or hunt it down in a local library. Really enjoying this fantasy world!!

Andrea wrote: "Read Part 1 of” Buddenbrooks”...all those pages for a dinner party? I have enough knowledge to know that abundant food usually equals wealth in the post-Napoleonic era but I could get gout just rea..."

The RI book sounds interesting, Andrea - have you read Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks? Also deals with the Narragansett Indians and their interactions with white settlers & the first Native American to attend Harvard - all based on fact - Brooks does an incredible job with historical fiction.

Alex wrote: "Alex wrote: "My 1st summer read that I’ve just finished was 13 Dates by Matt Dunn, it was only 334 pages. Now I starting Tempting (inked hearts book 1) by Crystal Kaswell. I know that they aren’t a..."

Wow, that's a lot of reading, Alex! Good for you! And now you have another Big Book - enjoy!

Shaye wrote: "I finally started reading An Ember in the Ashes on Sunday evening and now I’m wondering why I waited so long! I’m just over halfway through and realizing I need to either purchase book #2 or hunt i..."

That's so wonderful when a longly anticipated book exceeds your expectations, Shaye! Glad you're enjoying it - hope you can get your hands on book 2!

Sue wrote: "Shaye wrote: "I finally started reading An Ember in the Ashes on Sunday evening and now I’m wondering why I waited so long! I’m just over halfway through and realizing I need to either purchase boo..."

All three ebooks are available via our library...I put a hold on Ember

Sue wrote: "Andrea wrote: "Read Part 1 of” Buddenbrooks”...all those pages for a dinner party? I have enough knowledge to know that abundant food usually equals wealth in the post-Napoleonic era but I could ge..."

Caleb’s Crossing? I hadn’t even heard of it before. BTW, it’s about the Wampanoag,not the Narragansett...same church (Algonquin).. different pew (tribe)...now added to my library queue

I’ll be done with God,War and Providence possibly today. I highlight eBooks- and underline in my paperbooks- and this book is a rainbow of highlights...and a lot of quotes in my updates too. Read another 50 pp in Buddenbrooks last night too

Andrea wrote: "Sue wrote: "Andrea wrote: "Read Part 1 of” Buddenbrooks”...all those pages for a dinner party? I have enough knowledge to know that abundant food usually equals wealth in the post-Napoleonic era bu..."

I actually mis-spoke - Caleb's Crossing is also about the Wampanoag - hope you enjoy it!

Sue, I enjoyed Outlander and Dragonfly. The first time I read it was maybe 10 years ago, but then shortly before the Starz series started, an acquaintance told me I HAD to listen to them audible version because all the accents and pronunciations were amazing. So the second time through book #1 was an audiobook. And WOW did I learn a lot of words I’d been mispronunciating in my head when I read. LOL!! I don’t believe I finished book 3 (though I know at least the beginning of it). I think I started it around the time baby #4 was born and had to stop since I barely ever had more than 5 minutes to myself. But I’d love to get back to that series.

Shaye wrote: "Sue, I enjoyed Outlander and Dragonfly. The first time I read it was maybe 10 years ago, but then shortly before the Starz series started, an acquaintance told me I HAD to listen to them audible ve..."

I read Outlander for one of my first Big Book Summers and really enjoyed it. We don't get Starz so I am behind on the TV show but recently got the DVDs from the library and finished watching season 1 - so that was fresh in my mind as I started Dragonfly - perfect! I agree - watching season 1 of the show has put the accents and pronunciations in my head now as a read! Sometimes the actors' looks, too, which is helping me keep the large number of characters straight! Really enjoying it so far - after I finish, I will watch season 2.

Just finished book 1 of Our Mutual Friend, by Charles Dickens; 215 pages into it, and it's great!

Jane wrote: "Just finished book 1 of Our Mutual Friend, by Charles Dickens; 215 pages into it, and it's great!"

I read that as part of my senior comp in college and really enjoyed it.