Big Book Summer Sign-Up and Update
During the Big Book Summer Challenge, the “what are you reading” part of the Monday post doesn’t change much from week to week.
The Big Book Summer Challenge is hosted each year by Sue at Book by Book, and each year it starts in May — when I’m never ready for summer stuff — and ends on Labor Day — when I’m still trying to catch up on summer stuff! I think this year’s official sign-up post in August is the latest ever, though.
My timing may be off, but I do love reading big books and this challenge is my favorite!
So far, I’ve completed two audiobooks for the challenge:
- Katabasis by R.F. Kuang (18.5 hours on audio)
- King Sorrow by Joe Hill (26+ hours on audio)
Currently Reading
The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett
“Just as transporting as [The Pillars of the Earth] . . . A most welcome addition to the Kingsbridge series.” —The Washington Post
This huge historical novel is definitely a Big Book Summer read! At 928 pages, The Evening and the Morning (a prequel to The Pillars of the Earth) should really count as two! 😉
Currently Not Reading
Whistler by Ann Patchett
A moving, luminous novel that reminds us of the sweetness and impermanence of life and the power of connection to defy time.
Ann Patchett is one of my favorite authors, so I had hoped to read her latest before hearing spoilers, but it’s not long enough for BBS (only 295 pages), so I’ve set it aside for now.
Currently Listening To
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
Collecting books can be a dangerous prospect in this fun, time-traveling, fantasy adventure—the first in the Invisible Library series!
The Invisible Library is first in a series of fantasy mystery/adventure novels by Genevieve Cogman. (See the whole list of books in order here.) The audiobook is narrated by Kristin Atherton, a new narrator to me but she’s great!
I had thought The Invisible Library counted towards the BBS challenge, but I must have seen the page count for The Untold Story (the eighth and last book in the series, which really IS 400 pages) and mistaken it for this one’s page count, which turns out to be only 352! (I did think the audiobook was too short for BBS, at just under 12 hours.) Boo hoo!
I’ll be more careful selecting my next audio after this, which is going to be either The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy (romantasy) or The Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa Johnson (historical fiction) – whichever is ready first from the library – or, if neither is ready, Babbitt, a classic novel by Sinclair Lewis, which I have in my Chirp library, and which the publisher says is exactly 400 pages long.
Recently Listened To
King Sorrow by Joe Hill
Joe Hill is Stephen King’s son, but he keeps the plot tighter and the dialog less folksy! Here he tells a gripping story about a demon dragon and a group of friends who invite him in as teenagers without realizing the horrible nature of this beast they call King Sorrow.
This one definitely counted for BBS at 896 pages and over 26 hours on audio!
This post is linked up to It’s Monday, What Are You Reading, hosted by The Book Date. It’s s a place to meet up and share what you’ve read and are reading each week. Visit today’s link-up for more books to add to your groaning TBR pile.
