20 books I will be reading this summer

In my last post I said I wanted to read 20 books this summer, several people have asked me what is on my list.  I am going to count the books I am finishing so I am sure to get to 20 (my list, my rules 😉 ). Many of them are Classics simply because I own many books I have not read yet or want to reread with more appreciation than I had in middle or high school. After finishing each book I plan to write a post on it.

1. The Best Yes by Lysa TerKeurst

   Just finished this one yesterday.  LOVED IT.  I think every overbooked woman should have to read this book.  I have trouble saying no and I want to be involved in everything which usually puts a strain on me and my family. This book uses scripture and Lysa’s method of choosing The Best Yes for all your endeavors. Post about this book coming soon.

2. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

   I am 200 pages in and can’t put it down.  I was inspired to read it by 101 Books, if you don’t read his blog,  you should. He is reading through and reviewing Time Magazine’s list of 100 greatest novels since 1923 plus Ulysses.

3. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

   I am almost finished with this one.  I have only read one of Stephen King’s books (11/23/63) and I really liked it. Obviously the man is good at writing being he has been on the best seller list countless times, I wanted to see what he had to say about writing.  So far  I really like and have taken many of suggestions to heart in my fiction writing.

4. Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charity Hurt Those They Help by Robert D. Lupton

   I am about a third of the way through this book.  As Director of Missions at our church, I want to be extremely mindful of the ways we help those in our community, our country, and abroad.  I never want to be a hindrance for the Gospel and I definitely do not want to do anything to hurt another person intentionally.

5. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

   I have had this book for a while and I vaguely remember reading it some years back but I wanted to freshen my memory.  I am a little more than half way through and I love Anne’s imagination!  I definitely see AK reading this in the next five years, her imagination is so much like Anne’s even at the age of three.

6. Don’t Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Plowman

   Another book I am about half way through.  (I just can’t read one book at a time!) My sister-in-law gave me this book because I have a threenager living in my house.

7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

   I read this in middle school but I want to reread before I read…

8. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

   I loved To Kill a Mockingbird in middle school, very interested in getting my hands on this one!

9. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

   This was a book I read in high school and hated but I have wanted to reread it for a while.

10. 1984 by George Orwell

    I am not sure how I missed out on reading this one in high school, I feel like it is required reading for most 16 year old students.  I know a lot about this book but have never read it.

11. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

    I don’t know how many times I have started this book and then picked something else up.  Time to add it to the read list.  I think the names get to me, it will be one I think I will have to have the character list as a bookmark to get through it.

12. The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards

    A friend loaned me this book early in the semester and it has been sitting on my nightstand ever since waiting to be read!

13. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

    Has been on the reading list for a while. Who doesn’t want to read a story about an amazing Christian woman during WWII?

14. Please Remain Calm by Courtney Summers

    In one of my classes we read This is Not a Test, which is not your typical zombie book…it is kind of like The Breakfast Club meets zombie apocalypse.  When I finished the book, I immediately went to the internet to find out if there was a sequel because I had no closure! I had to find out what happened to them! At the time, nothing was published which was devastating.  If you are a booknerd like me, you understand my pain.  I was thrilled to see on Good Reads that she published this sequel early this year.

15. Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

    This is another one that has been on my reading list and bookshelf.

16. Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption by Katie J. Davis

    Story of a girl who moves to Uganda and adopts enough children to make a baseball team.  Yes please!

17. F. Scott Fitzgerald: Classic Works : Two Novels and Nineteen Short Stories

    Obviously this is more than one book but I bought this compilation over a year ago and haven’t opened it yet.  I love The Great Gatsby and could read it over and over again.  I hope his other novels and short stories are just and descriptive.

18. Emma by Jane Austen

    Another book that has been on my shelf for quite sometime but I haven’t picked up.  I love Austen, just have to make time to read it this summer!

19. The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis by Alan Jacobs

    C.S. Lewis in hands down one of my favorite fiction and non-fiction writers. There are not many writers that successfully publish wonderful fiction and non-fiction works!  The Chronicles of Narnia, Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity, Surprised by Joy, Out of the Silent Planet, … I could go on for days about how much I love him.  It drives my husband crazy, just ask him what I think about C.S. Lewis if you want a good laugh.  In college I read Tolkien and C.S. Lewis: The Gift of Friendship by Colin Duriez and LOVED learning about their friendship and how they influenced one another.

20. The Princess Bride by William Goldman

    1. I recently read this article on 6 reasons why you need to read The Princess Bride.  I grew up quoting the movie on the regular basis but reading the book never crossed my mind for some reason.

So there it is, my list of 20 books I am going to try to read this summer…not to mention that I am taking British Romanticism and British Literature up to 1660, so if I don’t get through this list I am sure I will have read 20 books between my classes and this list.  Most of these books I already own and are sitting on my shelf begging to be read!

What are you reading this summer?

♥ Elizabeth