Pack Some Classical Reading Fun into Your Summer*

*Or winter, if you are in the Southern Hemisphere…

It’s almost summer here in the northern part of the world, and we are happy to delight in the warm sunshine and timeless hours of summer with books. There are lots of ways to enjoy some reading time this summer. Here are a few you might try.

Happily, it’s the tenth anniversary of the wonderful celebration of reading, 20 Books of Summer, hosted by Cathy at 746 Books.

There are very few rules…make a list of ten, fifteen, or twenty books…post the list…try to read them all starting on June 1st and finishing up on September 1st…drop a book from the list, if you wish, and replace it…change your goal from twenty to ten mid-summer, if you wish…

Big Book Summer Challenge is hosted by Book By Book

The Big Book Summer Challenge is an annual challenge that Sue at Book by Book hosts each summer. It begins on Memorial Day weekend (at the end of May) and runs until Labor Day (the first Monday of September). The idea is simply to read bigger books (400 or more pages)–just one or two or as many as a person wants to read. And readers have the whole summer to do it! Join in the fun here.

Paris in July 2024

With sister blog France Book Tours, Emma at Words and Peace is preparing to welcome all to
Paris in July 2024. The event will run through the month of July.

Emma suggests we prepare our luggage: think about what you could read, cook, watch, listen to, etc.
The recap post from last year has tons of great suggestions!
Readers and bloggers, stay tuned!

The Summer in Other Languages Challenge is three months of reading and sharing about adventures, as we read books originally written in languages other than our own. Summer in Other Languages is hosted by Lory at Entering the Enchanted Castle.

Here are some levels to get you started:

Level 1: Tourist
Read one book in or translated from a language other than English.

Level 2: Long-term visitor
Spend an entire month reading books in or translated from another language (total of two or more).

Level 3: Immersion
Spend the whole summer (June-August) reading books in or translated from another language. (total of three or more)

By the way, Lory knows there are lots of amazing multi-lingual bloggers out there, so if English is not your mother tongue, feel free to decide how you want to challenge yourself. Maybe you want to explore some unfamiliar territory in English literature, or maybe you would like to read and share with us some works written in your native language.

On the other hand, if English is your only language of fluency, reading books in translation is still a wonderful way to expand your literary horizons.

Emma at Words and Peace will be hosting a summer readalong of Madame Bovary from June to August at Discord. All the reading and discussions will be in French, but Emma urges us not to worry about making mistakes. Join in here.

Do you know of other reading challenges I should add to this list? Please share in the comments.

Are you participating in any of these challenges?

How do you hope to spend your summer (winter)?