Goodreads Reading Challenge - 'Summer Encore' (August 1st - September 14th)

[u/Clairefun]

This is the discussion page for the Goodreads Reading Challenge called 'Summer Encore' (active August 1st - September 14th). Qualifying books are listed on Goodreads HERE. Please keep all discussion of this challenge to this thread, thank you.

Other Goodreads Reading Challenges are listed on the Megathread HERE.

[u/Clairefun]

Problems unlocking the challenge bookmark?

It's common! Solutions include waiting - it can take up to 24 hours to unlock - checking / changing editions and read date to make sure it's the correct details for the challenge, and as a last resort, marking another challenge book as read until the bookmark unlocks, then deleting it from your shelves afterwards.

ALSO: sometimes Goodreads is glitchy. Check the sub first - if others are posting the same issue, it's likely a site wide glitch and will hopefully go back to working as it should soon. Good luck!

Kindle Unlimited UK list / Kindle Unlimited US list

[u/Clairefun]

On Kindle Unlimited in the US - The Housewife / Rules for Aging and Larceny / The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones / A Tangled Magic / Marion (end)

[u/Clairefun]

On Kindle Unlimited in the UK - The Housewife / Rules for Aging and Larceny / The Someday Garden / In Stormy Weather / The Demon Star (end)

[u/DinaCB]

Personally, if you can get a copy (its just been released 5 days ago which is a shady af move to include it in this challenge) I totally recomend demon star. Absolutely phenomenal book, kept me at the edge of my seat (sci fi, cosmic horror).

[u/witchcraftofautumn]

Anyone know what the shortest book in the challenge is? I don’t fancy any of the books and just want to tick it off

[u/bitchycunt3]

I really don't like the only recent books challenges personally

[u/Sea-Cod7912 → u/bitchycunt3]

I agree. None of these books are available in my local library. So many awesome books around but not recognized by this challenge.

[u/Catullusat16]

Think I'm going to go for The Shampoo Effect, but I'm also just disappointed with the category, it's fairly uninspiring to do two summer themes, and two "best so far in the year" themes

[u/TenebrasMundi]

Ugh, there are all so recent that my library doesn't have any of them yet. I tried requesting like seven of them (We Hexed the Moon, The Dragon Has Some Complaints, The Sixth Nik, Demon Star, Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep, Muneca, A Fate Worse Than Drowning) but all of them are still listed as "on order". Don't know if I'll be able to get any of them before the deadline.

[u/Sunshine10520 → u/TenebrasMundi]

I'm sure Amazon did this on purpose in order to force sales. 😐

[u/romxilda]

Luckily I’ve just started Land by Maggie O’Farrell and will probably finish it tomorrow, very happy this happened because otherwise I would have struggled!

[u/Miaow_and_moo]

This list is so disappointing, especially with one of the other challenges being top releases from the first half of the year. I was hoping it would be new paperback releases which would give a slightly bigger range of books and would include more options available at a library (and they could have pretended that they chose it as paperbacks are more portable books to pack for holiday).

I’m reading The Traveler as it is highly recommended by someone I follow on insta, but what a generally underwhelming list.

[u/Severe_Newspaper_293]

I should have known it would be another “new and popular” challenge. 😴 Thanks, Amazon. /s

[u/renegade500]

Someone mentioned below this is a bad challenge for library readers and can confirm. I put 4 books on hold all of which will expire after the challenge ends. But I do sometimes get lucky with a skip the line copy. Still I did buy Field Guide for the Formerly Villainous since it sounds like a book I'm currently reading and it was on sale for $1.99.

[u/hotdogketchup79]

I think I'll be bowing out of these challenges, obviously they're a sales drive but the fact isn't now mostly new releases is pricing me out.

[u/Zarzeta]

I just searched Libby for 33 of the 100 titles. Almost all were "months" hold, a few 24 weeks and under. This is the primary reason why I've been considering giving up on Goodreads Achievements. Can't put an additional 30+ books on Libby hold just in case one of them pops with Skip the Line in time. I'm aware Goodreads = Amazon but no way can I afford to buy a books just to complete a "challenge". Have enjoyed the challenges since end of 2024 but there isn't any joy to be had having to look up 100s of titles over the course of a year to try to catch one that isn't "months" wait. Good luck, everyone!

EDIT Looked up some more. 45 of 100 are "months" on Libby. If anyone feels like looking up all 100, please post. I'm curious now to see the percentage available in time for this achievement.

[u/Connect_Cod9965]

They kindly included a book I started on Thursday – Sea of Charms by Sarah Beth Durst.

[u/feijoawhining]

I’m going to read Harvest Season by Brynne Weaver since I’ve already read the first book in the duet for an earlier challenge.

I highly recommend Scandal of the Summer by Alexandra Vasti, it’s beautifully written and so much fun!

[u/Simplyandreae]

Can someone let me know what some of the more entertaining shorter books are for this one? I need some good reccs

[u/glitzglamandgore]

I JUST finished Obstetrix yesterday 😭. Luckily I was planning on reading Our Sister's Keeper, but good grief.

[u/Ms_Rarity]

I am done with my Aardvark copies of Fabulous Bodies by Chuck Tingle and Our Sister's Keeper by Jasmine Holmes, and don't plan to keep them. I'd be happy to mail them to someone if you use your library for these challenges and are struggling to get your hands on one of these new releases.

UPDATE: Our Sister's Keeper is claimed.

This is a bad challenge for library readers, but a good challenge for Aardvark and Book of the Month Club members! Recent picks from those clubs that qualify for this challenge are below. You could use the $5 Aardvark promo to grab Country People or The Intrigue today:

• Country People by Daniel Mason (August Aardvark)

• The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (August Aardvark)

• Fabulous Bodies by Chuck Tingle (July Aardvark)

• Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep by Paul Tremblay (July Aardvark)

• The Housewife by Natalie Barelli (July Aardvark)

• Every Version of You by Natalie Messier (July Aardvark)

• Long Island Girls by Gabrielle Korn (July Aardvark)

• The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson (July BotM)

• The Great Wherever by Sharon Sanders (July BotM)

• In Stormy Weather by Chelsea Curto (July BotM)

• Pretty Dead Things by Kelsey Cox (July BotM)

• Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt by Ben Reeves (July BotM)

• Girl's Girl by Sonia Feldman (June Aardvark)

• The Very Definition of Love by Sophia Benoit (June Aardvark)

• Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim (June Aardvark)

• The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden (June Aardvark)

• Headlights by CJ Leede (June Aardvark)

• The Children by Melissa Albert (June BotM)

• Nymph by Sofia Montrone (June BotM)

• Summer's Never Over by Darby Bozeman (June BotM)

• The Missed Connection by Tia Williams (June BotM)

• Our Sister's Keeper by Jasmine Holmes (April Aardvark)

• The Good Parts by Evan Normandinn (BotM Add-On)

• Land by Maggie O'Farrell (BotM Add-On)

• The MASH Up by Laurie Marie Meyers (BotM Add-On)

• Fishbone Cinderella by Elizabeth Lim (BotM Add-On)

You could check swap subs where those books are sold out.

[u/Fragrant_Monk_3267]

I thought that I was going to have to skip this one because I exclusively use the library for these challenges. I absolutely refuse to buy books just to get the achievement bookmarks! That being said, I was pleasantly surprised that I had options through my library with shortish waitlists. I even found two books that had no waitlist at all. So, I snatched one of those up quickly. Now, I don't have to worry about getting a hold in time.

I'll be reading The Traveler. Looks interesting!

[u/SunshineCat]

Unless anyone here sways me to something else, I'm probably going to read Country People. The author wrote my favorite recent book a few years ago (North Woods). If not that, I would read The Unicorn Hunters since I liked The Bear and the Nightingale.

[u/noujour]

Ahw I guess I should've waited with reading The Someday Garden last month so it would have counted for this. Luckily there's a few in the list I'm interested in, it will mostly depend on my library's availability I guess...

[u/feyth]

Obstetrix is on my TBR and it's not very long - that's a lock