Big Book Summer Reading Challenge 2024 discussion

Let us know what Big Books you are reading this summer! Share your plans or which Big Book(s) you pick as you go.

My "Pile of Possibilities" video is going up on Monday, but I have quite a few. I do have 11/22/63 on hold, but I don't know when my copy will arrive.

I have several BIG book possibilities but I might go the traditional Stephen King route (Under the Dome & IT have been calling to me from my dusty bookshelf for years).

Terms and conditions by Lauren Asher, Final Offer by Lauren Asher, lock and key by Sarah Dresden, A Court Of Wings And Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

I usually prefer shorter books, but after watching your video i realized i have Trust by Hernan Diaz on my shelf, so i think I'll give that one a try :)

Two that I'll definitely get to because they're for book clubs are The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah and The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (my copy is 402 pages).

I'm seriously considering Lonesome Dove as my Big Summer Book.

Melinda wrote: "My "Pile of Possibilities" video is going up on Monday, but I have quite a few. I do have 11/22/63 on hold, but I don't know when my copy will arrive."

ha ha You're doing it like I do! Wait till you see my giant stack - P.O.P. - on my video ha ha. I hope 11/22/63 comes in soon for you - it's SO good! And as a history major, you'll especially love it.

D.L. wrote: "I have several BIG book possibilities but I might go the traditional Stephen King route (Under the Dome & IT have been calling to me from my dusty bookshelf for years)."

Stephen King is always a great choice for Big Book Summer! I read IT years ago but never read Under the Dome (though my husband did) - we both enjoyed the Dome TV show.

Allie wrote: "Terms and conditions by Lauren Asher, Final Offer by Lauren Asher, lock and key by Sarah Dresden, A Court Of Wings And Ruin by Sarah J. Maas"

Sounds like some great summer reading, Allie - enjoy!

Sabrina wrote: "I usually prefer shorter books, but after watching your video i realized i have Trust by Hernan Diaz on my shelf, so i think I'll give that one a try :)"

Oh, great, Sabrina! It's just over 400 pages, so not TOO long :) And I've heard it's excellent. Come back to post in the Big Books Completed thread later to let me know what you think of it.

And I didn't see your post in the Sign-Up thread. Unless you plan to link up a blog post or YouTube channel on my blog, just add a quick post to the Sign-Up thread, so I'll remember to count you at the end of the summer for the giveaway!

Jayne wrote: "Two that I'll definitely get to because they're for book clubs are The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah and The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (my copy is 402 pages)."

Ooh, The Nightingale was outstanding, Jayne - keep the tissues nearby! I love when a reading challenge fits into other reading things going on in my life. My book group has one more selection for June, and then they take the summer off.

Karen wrote: "I'm seriously considering Lonesome Dove as my Big Summer Book."

Join me, Karen!! I'll be reading it in June because there's also a June on the Range challenge on Booktube (to read Westerns) - so it's a twofer for me :)

ok.

Finally, I will be able to read The Love Songs of WEB dubois.


A little Life

Same As it Ever was by Claire Lombardo

may through some others in, but those are my top 3

Allen wrote: "ok.

Finally, I will be able to read The Love Songs of WEB dubois.


A little Life

Same As it Ever was by Claire Lombardo

may through some others in, but those are my top 3"

Great list, Allen! Love Songs of WEB Du Bois has been on my list for years. It seemed like everyone read it for Big Book Summer 2 years ago :)

Well, I'm listening to The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
In addition, I started a book on January 1 which I read 6 pages every day with the expectation I will finish on December 31. I'm on page 858 and will read an additional 600 pages by Labor Day.

I just bought Icebreaker by Hannah Grace for my kindle. I will try to fit in with the rest of my books for the summer.

I am starting out with The Weight Of Ink By Rachel Kadish. I have heard good things about it and it won the National Jewish Book Award.

I will be reading The Bonehunters by Steven Erickson. It is book 6 in the Malazan Book of the fallen. 1203 pages! Also Witchy Eye series by DJ Butler. First book is 561 pages.
This probably doesn’t count, but I’ve already started Count of Monte Cristo and War and Peace. Reading a chapter or two each day to get through them.

I’m starting with Table for Two by Amor Towles because it’s a library book, then I’ll probably read Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perrin. We’ll see what else I get to after those two…

I plan to start with Lonesome Dove. then, I'm going to read Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.

This group is just the push I need to get some of the bigger books knocked off my TBR. Books I'm planning to read because they also fit another challenge I participate in are Missing You by Harlan Coben, A Prayer For Owen Meany, The Only Plane In The Sky, the duology The Sparrow and Children of God and We Band of Angels. I feel that Only Plane In The Sky and the duology are going to be emotional and draining. The Big Book Summer Challenge fits perfectly with my personal goal to read at least one big book per month this year.

Starting with One Summer in Savannah

Possibly;
The Covenant of Water
East of Eden (re read)

Happy to join this challenge. My pile is:
Alaska: Four Inspiration Love Stories from America's Final Frontier, Tracie Peterson (456 pages),
The Book Thief, Markus Zusak (550 Pages) and
The Woman in the Window A J Finn (427 pages).

I’m going to start with The Women by Kristin Hannah, as it’s been recommended to me by two family members. Since Someone at a Distance by Dorothy Whipple is already in my queue, I will probably read that one too. I’ll have to see from there. Most of my TBR pile are shorter books. And I’m definitely a mood reader.

Starting with The Awakening by Nora Roberts (new to me - for The Book Cougars second quarter read along); then The Secret Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab (re-read in memory of Jenny Colvin of Reading Envy).

On my “definitely will read these this summer” pile are: As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto (re-read); Legendborn by Tracy Deonn (new to me); and Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date by Ashley Herring Blake (new to me but I’ve read the other two books in the series)

Plenty of other options already checked out of the library, with multiple holds working their way to me…..oh the joy of having so many possibilities to choose from!

I'll probably start with Lonesome Dove, which I am planning to read for June on the Range. I'd also like to read The Three Musketeers and possibly a Dickens or a Trollope. Or maybe The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly. 🤓

I will for sure read Emma and The Ferryman. After that I am not sure.

I just started with The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory. 433 pages. Honing up on my history (through historical fiction) for my upcoming trip to Scotland.

I'm starting with The Way of Kings (Brandon Sanderson | 1137 pages) then moving on to Lonesome Dove (Larry McMurtry | 864 pages).

Just started Swans Way by Marcel Proust, 497 pages.

The book I am currently reading fits the bill, but- I started it prior to 5/24 LOL!!

I have a few on my list, in my pile or on my kindle so I am not sure at this moment which book I will pick first

So far, my picks are:

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (finished yesterday)
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (to be finished today)
The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky (started today)
You Like It Darker by Stephen King (to be started today or tomorrow)
Sandman Book Four by Neil Gaiman and various artists (to be finished on Monday)

Gerri wrote: "I’m going to start with The Women by Kristin Hannah, as it’s been recommended to me by two family members. Since Someone at a Distance by Dorothy Whipple is already in my queue, I will probably rea..."

I just read The Women and loved it. It is an intense but important book. Hope you enjoy it.

I am about 70 pages into The Weight of Ink and am really enjoying it. It took a while to get used to the writing style but I am happily immersed in the story now. I have been wanting to read this book for some time and am so glad Big Book Summer got me reading it.

I'm reading "The Crossing" by Cormac McCarthy, and will be starting "The Women" by Kristin Hannah soon.

Ive already started Miss Austen Investigates by Jessica Bull before i had joined. Rest of the pile are as follows.
The Lollipop Shoes. By Joanne Harris
The Love Letter by Lucinda Riley
Homecoming by Kate Moreton
The Ferryman by Justin Cronin
The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

I am planning on reading Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space. I just happened upon it in the bookstore yesterday and it was an immediate buy and read.

I will probably add a few others, but they will probably be whatever I’m in the mood for at that moment.

Excited for this challenge. Summer is the best time for Big Books. I am hoping to get through 3 big books this summer. My choices are:
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
The Magus by John Fowler
Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark

I must be weird, because MOST of the books I read are 400+ pages. Maybe because I like to get my “money’s worth”? I know that’s irrational. But it is what it is.

Started yesterday. Also pulled off of my shelf and . Lots of upcoming good reads!

My online book group is reading a book that I was able to borrow as an ebook from my library by Kristan Higgins So I am starting with this one!

Eric wrote: "I must be weird, because MOST of the books I read are 400+ pages. Maybe because I like to get my “money’s worth”? I know that’s irrational. But it is what it is."

I like hefty books!

I’m going to tackle:
1. The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
2. Egg & Spoon by Gregory Maguire
3. The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
I’ve got big hopes as of today. But I haven’t started yet.

I have just started Anna of Kleve Queen of Secrets, book #4 in the Six Tudor Queens by Alison Weir. Not at all what I was "planning" on reading! 😆 I'm sure I'm not the only mood reader in the group, though! 🤓

These books are on my radar to read for this challenge.

I’m reading

Oh, I forgot that one. Adding it to my long list of possibilities. Thank you (I think.) Enjoy. I hear its amazing.

The two I feel pretty sure I'll get through are: Marjorie Morningstar (H Wouk) and Look Homeward, Angel (T Wolfe). If I read only these two, I will be delighted.

Also in the queue probably for future challenges or for YOUR benefit, in no particular order:
Portrait of a Lady (H James),
JD Salinger: A Life (K Slawenski),
The Warmth of Other Suns: America’s Great Migration (I Wilkerson),
Four Hundred & Forty Steps to the Sea (S Alexander),
All the President’s Men (C Bernstein),
Shirley (C Bronte),
Christodoro (T Murphy),
The Goldfinch, (D Tartt),
The Love Songs of WEB Debois (H F Jeffers),
Chasing Beauty (N Dykstra),
Esther Waters (G Moore),
The Moonstone (W Collins),
Cuddy (B Myers),
The Way We Live Now (A Trollope),
Daniel Deronda (G Eliot),
Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France (L Frieda), and
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (A Bronte).

Linda wrote: "Well, I'm listening to The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
In addition, I started a book on January 1 which I read 6 pages every day with the expectation I will finish on Decemb..."

Wow, I'd say that counts, Linda! What book is that long?