Big Book Summer Reading Challenge List 2023

I read five out of ten for last year’s Big Book Summer Reading Challenge, which is laid down each year by Sue Jackson at Book by Book, and I was the lucky prize winner! (I listened to Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir after the Labor Day deadline, so it didn’t count.) Every year, I start late, and this summer is no different!

I’m carrying over three from last year’s list, and adding seven new books/audios to complete this year’s list, in order of when I hope to get to them. (To qualify for the challenge, a book has to be 400+ pages long.)

Find out more about this year’s Big Book Summer Reading Challenge at Book by Book. Or check out Sue’s YouTube video!

I’ve read four from Sue’s pile, and two were big favorites – The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles and Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr.

1. Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (512 pages)

The challenge began before I started Harrow the Ninth, so I’m counting it, even though I’ve already finished it. This book is second in the Locked Tomb sequence, the sequel to Gideon the Ninth. I recommend reading, rather than listening to this one (even though the narrator, Moira Quirk, is still great.) Because of the shifting timeline and multitude of characters with multiple names and designations, I kept wishing I could flip back for the date at the start of a chapter or who the “Saint of Duty” was again. (I think you can download a PDF of the introductory matter to go with the audiobook, but I never remember to do that.)

2. Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (480 pages)

I wasn’t sure about listening to Nona the Ninth, but I’m kind of hooked, so I’ve placed a library hold. We’ll see if it comes in time to count towards the challenge!

3. World Without End by Ken Follett (1264 pages)

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett was my biggest of big books read for last year’s challenge, so I bought the even longer sequel, World Without End, and saved it for this summer’s challenge. These two historical novels have always been daunting due to their length, but intriguing because of the setting and their being family sagas. While I dithered over the past several decades, the author came out with two more Kingbridge novels – another sequel, and then a prequel.

4. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (400 pages)

At 400 pages, People We Meet on Vacation just makes the cut! I wanted at least one funny and light summer-themed book on last year’s list, but somehow forgot to get this one and read it. I’ve read and enjoyed other books by this author that came before (Beach Read) and (Book Lovers) after this one.

5. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (560 pages)

A Pulitzer Prize winner and Oprah Book Club selection, Demon Copperhead has gone on and off my TBR list since it came out, and I keep postponing my library hold when it comes available. (Should I read it or listen to it, or neither?) Since the 21-hour-long audiobook won an AudioFile Earphones award, I’m putting the audiobook on my challenge list for Big Book Summer.

8. The Fragile Threads of Power by V E. Schwab (656 pages)

The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab is an advance copy from the publisher through NetGalley. It’s set in the same universe as the Shades of Magic trilogy, but has a completely different cover, so could be the start of a new trilogy?

The original trilogy is getting re-released with new covers to match this one. I don’t like photographic covers – I’m older, though, than the demographic the publishers are trying to reach. I own the three Shades of Magic books with the original covers, but won’t be buying all new copies.

It’s been a while since I read these, so I had planned on listening to the audiobook editions of the original trilogy to refresh my memory before reading the new one. I listened to the first one, A Darker Shade of Magic, last month, but the audiobook narrator sounded older than the voice of the main character, Kell, sounded in my head. I’ll give A Gathering of Shadows a try, though, because at 16+ hours (512 pages), it counts as a Big Book!

7. A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab

8. Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante (400 pages)

9. The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante (480 pages)

These two Neapolitan novels by Elena Ferrante are repeats from 2020, 2021, and 2022! Will 2023 finally be a Ferrante summer? It’s shaping up to be an extremely busy summer, so we’ll see.

10. NW by Zadie Smith

NW by Zadie Smith is on my TBR Pile Challenge for this year, too, so maybe I can get a two-fer. (It’s unlikely that I’ll get to it this summer, but I have my own copy, and I have until the end of the year on the other challenge!)

It’s not too late to get in on the Big Book Summer Reading Challenge yourself and check out other Big Book Summer lists at Book by Book: https://bookbybook.blogspot.com/p/big-book-summer-2023.html!