I seriously contemplated not taking part in #20booksofsummer this year, given the recent chaos which resulted in me posting only 3 proper book reviews during the past two months. However, summer may just be a little more predictable (no guarantees, of course). Besides it would be rude not to play along in what is the 10th year of 20 books.

A little nostalgia is no bad thing, and so I’m opting to use Cathy’s original event badge.

My plan for 2024 is based around phrases that come to mind when thinking about the current state of personal affairs and without too much effort I have a starting list of 32 to choose from! A cancelled vacation means I am #stuckinscotland for another few months at least, needing to #catchupwithspring by reading books acquired for the European Literary Festival (which I couldn’t attend) and the online Indiepress Network Spring Showcase (which I could).

#stuckinscotland (Books 1-9)

  • Flora Carr – The Tower (EIBF)
  • David Greig – Columba’s Bones ✔️
  • Leslie Hills – 10 Scotland Street (EIBF)
  • Val McDermid – Queen MacBeth ✔️
  • Philip Miller – The Hollow Hills
  • Alaistair Moffat – Scotland’s Forgotten Past
  • Isabelle Schüler – Lady MacBethad
  • James Hogg – The Private Memoirs and Confession of A Justified Sinner (EIBF)
  • Lesley McDowell – Clairmont (EIBF)

#catchupwithspring (Books 10-16)

  • Claire Caroll – The Unreliable Nature Writer
  • Gemma Fairclough – Bear Season (e-book)
  • Milena Michiko Flašar – Mr Kato Plays Family
  • Roppotucha Greenberg – Getting by in Tligolian
  • Jogvan Isaksen – Dead Men Dancing
  • Andrej Kurkov – The Silver Bone (EIBF)
  • Bee Rowlatt – One Woman Crime Wave

I also have a backlog of #completistreading requiring attention. (Asterisked titles in this section are pre-orders, because I’m not waiting till autumn to read these!)

#completistreading (Books 17-23)

  • Ewald Arenz – One Grand Summer *
  • Oliver Bottini – The White Circle ✔️
  • Catherine Chidgey – The Axeman’s Carnival
  • Ayelet Gundar-Goshen – The Wolf Hunt
  • Claudia Piñeiro – Time of The Flies *
  • Monserrat Roig – Time of The Cherries
  • Dorothy Whipple – Young Anne

Moving forward, I am going to start a new project to coincide with the centenary of Kafka’s death (3.6.2024). Lots of people are #krazyaboutkafka, but I’m not sure I am. 2024 is the year I’ll find out for certain.

#krazyaboutkafka (Books 24-26)

  • Franz Kafka – (A selection of) Short Stories
  • Peter Kuper – Kafkaesque (Graphic Stort Stories)
  • Nishioka Kyodai – Kafka (Manga Short Story Adaptations)
  • Nikolas Mahler – Completely Kafka (A comic biography) ✔️

#audiobooks are integral to my summer consumption as I drive around sightseeing and attending literary events.

#audiobooks (Books 28-30)

  • Charlotte Bronte – Villette
  • Joseph Hone – The Book Forger
  • Hilary Mantel – Bring Up The Bodies

#events (Books 31-43)

  • Alexander Kluge – Airraid (June Book Group)
  • July Book Group (To be determined)
  • Velia Vidal – Tidal Waters (Author Reading) ✔️
  • The Edinburgh Book Festival Programme ✔️
  • Atlas of AI – Kate Crawford (EIBF 2023) ✔️
  • Kate Atkinson – Death at the Sign of The Rook (E-book)
  • Linnea Axelsson – Ædnan
  • Maylis de Kerangal – Canoes
  • R F Kuang – Babel
  • Paul Lynch – Prophet Song
  • Jeferson Tenório – The Dark Side of Skin
  • Itamar Vieira Junior – Crooked Plow
  • Charlotte Wood – Stone Yard Devotional (E-Book)

Anyone who knows me will immediately recognise the flaw in this plan. Only one spot for The Edinburgh Book Festival? I will be going but I suspect my attendance this year will be much reduced, and so there should be no need to increase the TBR massively. I will, however, allow my options to expand to 35 42 for a little lots of wriggle room. Other substitutions – interlopers, as I call them – must adhere to my existing hashtag categories.

Edit 4.6.2024

Italicised titles have been added as a result of the EIBF program, all but two already in my TBR. And just like that my options expand to 43!