20 Books of Summer – 2026

The 20 Books of Summer is a reading challenge meant to identify books you've been putting off (in a good way) or to make a dent in your TBR pile. Participants make a pledge to read and review a list of 10, 15, or 20 books during the summer months (typically June 1st through August 31st). 

It was created by Cathy of 746 Books, and is now hosted by Annabel of AnnaBookBel. Here are my 20 books, plus an extra:

The Steam Whistle Theatre Company by Vivian French – 15/20 Books of Summer

The Pringle Players are down on their luck and decide to head north from London for new opportunities. Inspired by the train that will take them to the small market town of Uncaster, Pa Pringle gives the theatrical troupe a new name for their new venture: The Steam Whistle Theatre Company.  

Niccolò Rising by Dorothy Dunnett – 14/20 Books of Summer

It’s hard to know where to start with this dazzling book but, after a slow start, it became so compelling I had to switch from the leisurely pace of the audiobook to a trusty paperback. That also helped with the typically Dunnett vast array of characters, as the actual book has a proper list of those involved, most of whom are “recorded in history,” as is noted a bit smugly. Her best known series, the Lymond Chronicles, is set during the 16th century. In Niccolò Rising, which turned out to be book one of eight, she sets the scene in 1460 and her hero is not a member of the landed gentry like Francis Crawford but a lowly 18-year-old apprentice for a Bruges dyer. 

The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan – a WWII historical novel from my 20 Books of Summer

Unexpected friendships and a cooking contest bring together four women in an English village during WWII in this enjoyable historical novel. The story begins with in 1942 with Audrey Landon, a widowed mother of three boys whose husband was shot down by the Germans.

Desperate not to lose their home, Audrey has eking out her pension with baking for the neighborhood, as well as humbling herself by asking for a loan from her affluent but unsympathetic sister and brother-in-law.

The Hanging Wood by Martin Edwards – 10/20 Books of Summer

In the fifth Lake District mystery by crime fiction expert, Martin Edwards, a cold case becomes linked to a present-day disappearance, and Daniel Kind and DCI Hannah Scarlett join forces again to investigate.

Past Tense by Catherine Aird – 9/20 Books of Summer

Janet Wakefield is very surprised to be notified that her husband’s Great-Aunt Josephine (not known to either of them) has died in a nearby nursing home. Bill is in South America for business so she reluctantly tries to organize a funeral and reception:

Old Baggage by Lissa Evans – 8/20 Books of Summer

Mattie Simpkin fought valiantly for women’s right to vote as one of Mrs. Pankhurst’s militant supporters: speaking in public, arrested five times, force fed at Holloway Prison, but now, years later, with a small independent income, lives with her devoted friend, Florrie, near Hampstead Heath.

Crooked House by Agatha Christie - 7/20 Books of Summer #ReadChristie2025

In this standalone mystery, which she described as one of her favorites, Christie used a nursery rhyme as inspiration:

There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile,
He found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile;
He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,
And they all lived together in a little crooked house.*

Books 5 and 6 from my 20 Books of Summer

Two books featuring troubled young women from my 20 Books of Summer:

The Fifth of March by Ann Rinaldi (1993)

Rachel Marsh is an indentured servant to John and Abigail Adams, minding their children and becoming involved in the events leading up to and following the Boston Massacre on the Fifth of March in 1770.

The School Run by Ali Lowe – 2/20 Books of Summer

Someone from my school story enthusiasts group recommended this book about three mothers eager to get their 12-year-old sons into a prestigious secondary school in Australia and I knew it would be a fun read for my sister, who works in admissions at the Catholic school I attended.

20 Books of Summer – 2025

When Cathy of 746 Books announced last year that she would not be hosting 20 Books of Summer this year after ten successful years, Emma of Words and Peace and Annabel of AnnaBookBel both volunteered to take it on, so thank you to Cathy and to them and welcome to the Summer of 2025 with my choices:

Mrs. Hart’s Marriage Bureau by Sheena Wilkinson 18/20 Books of Summer

In this historical novel set between the wars, an outgoing young woman finds a new career as a matchmaker. When April McVey’s father dies, she and her mother are disgraced and practically penniless and leave Ireland to live with an aunt in Manchester. It’s a roof over their head but April knows she needs to establish her independence and applies for a position with Mrs. Hart’s matrimonial bureau, a short train ride away. 

My August 2024 Reading

No 5s this month: I liked The Briar Club but not as much as Kate Quinn's other books. I enjoyed Long Island and will suggest my book group reads it but his style is very understated and I wasn’t sure I understood the ending. The Rom-Commers was fun and I’ve decided I like Center’s books much better than Emily Henry’s: although their styles are not dissimilar, I think Center demonstrates more sense of humor.

Good Night, Irene by Luis Aleberto Urrea - 17/20 of Books of Summer

Title: Good Night, Irene
Author: Luis Aleberto Urrea
Publication: Little, Brown & Co., hardcover, 2023
Genre: Historical Fiction
Setting: WWII

There are books about wartime nurses and an abundance (at least, recently) of stories about female spies and even a few aviators, but this was the first book I came across about Donut Dollies!

The Vanishing of Carolyn Wells by Rebecca Rego Barry – 16/20 of Books of Summer

When a former colleague, Deb Englander, mentioned this book early in 2024, the subtitle – Investigations Into A Forgotten Mystery Author – immediately caught my attention and I asked the Boston Public Library to order a copy.

Two More Mysteries from My 20 Books of Summer

Gunpowder Plot by Carola Dunn

The Honorable Daisy Dalrymple is now married to Alec Fletcher, whom she (and we) met in Death at Wentwater Court, and is now a Detective Chief Inspector at Scotland Yard. She has not forgotten her first love, who died in the Great War, but she has built a new life with Alec and his daughter. 

The Song of Hartgrove Hall by Natasha Solomons

This dual timeline novel moves back and forth from post WWII to the early 21st century, following the youngest of three brothers over the course of his life as he seeks love and music.

The Secret Stealers by Jane Healey - Review

In this historical novel set during World War II in the United States, England, and France, a lovely young widow from Boston is determined to show she can contribute meaningfully to war effort, using her language skills and experience living in Paris.

Since Anna’s doctor husband died near Pearl Harbor, she has taught French in Washington, DC and resisted her family’s efforts to get her back to Boston.

The Last Apple Tree by Claudia Mills

Description: Moving to a new state, a new school, and into a house with family she barely knows is challenging for twelve-year-old Sonnet, especially when she begins to worry about Gramps’ memory issues, in this absorbing story by veteran author Claudia Mills.  Sonnet, her little sister Villie, and their mother moved to Indiana from Colorado recently to live with her grandfather after his wife died. 

Two Historical Mysteries From My 20 Books of Summer

Many books from the Golden Age of Mysteries involve a detective analyzing all the witnesses’ stories and alibis to determine who is lying (although that does not necessarily mean that person is the killer). I am not very good at this although I read attentively and look at maps, if they are included.

It is helpful if there are characters discussing these issues (this is why Watson and his ilk exist; in The Word is Murder, Daniel Hawthorne refuses to discuss, just tells the Anthony Horowitz character how obtuse he is).