I know I am coming to this a bit late, but having been encouraged by some fellow bloggers to join the 20 Books of summer challenge hosted by 746 books. I was hesitant about joining – 20 novels in three months might not seem too much of a tall order, but I am working my way through the Guardian’s ‘top 100 novels written in English’ list and most of the novels remaining on the list are challenging (‘Ulysses’, for example). But I have decided to give it a go, but revisted the target to dozen from the TBR list, as follows

1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte – a re-read, but a novel that really rewards a careful read rather than a rushed approach;
2. Zuleika Dobson by Max Beerbohm – I know nothing about this novel, but the whole point of the challenge is to get me reading things I wouldn’t have previously considered, so that’s a good thing;
3. Of Human Bondage by W Somerset Maugham – I have bought my copy of this and sampled the first chapter – looks interesting
4. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner – I remember Faulkner being quite tough when I tried him a few decades ago, so about time I returned
5. Party Going by Henry Green – Green is someone I have read a lot about, but never read. You can’t buy this novel in a standalone edition in the UK, so I think I will try to find it second hand.
6. All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren – another one I know nothing about!
7. Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry – I have tried to read this several times, and never got further than a few pages. Definitely time to do something about that.
8. On the Road by Jack Kerouac – looking forward to re-reading this one.
9. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller – and this one.
10. A Bend in the River by VS Naipaul – I haven’t read any Naipaul before, so don’t know what to expect here.
11. The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald – I am slightly worried that this might be a romance, to which I have an aversion, but only one way to find out.
12. Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler – it’s really about time I broke my Tyler duck as well.

I’ll keep you posted on progress, of course!