This “Mid-Year Freak Out Tag” was created by Early Grey Books on YouTube, and I picked up this idea from Keeper of the Wood Between Worlds and Bookwyrm Knits. It seemed like a fun way to acknowledge the midpoint of the year and sum up what I’ve read so far.
Total Books Read So Far: 56
Best Book So Far:
It’s always tough to pick one, but the one that stood out was The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden. I find World War I fascinating and this book combined history, fantasy, and family relationships in a striking way.
Best Sequel:
I have a few picks for this one. I loved Karen Odden’s Under a Veiled Moon, the second book in the Inspector Corravan series. Isn’t it Bromantic? by Lyssa Kay Adams turned out to be one of my favorites of the Bromance Book Club series, and I was very happy to read Vengeance of the Pirate Queen, the third in the Pirate King series by Tricia Levenseller.
New Releases I haven’t read yet:
There are tons of new releases I haven’t gotten to. Some of the ones I’m looking forward to are Mirrored Heavens, the newest by Rebecca Roanhorse, and Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo. I also keep hearing about Sandwich by Catherine Newman, and Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe.
Most anticipated book for the remainder of the year:
I don’t pay a ton of attention to what’s coming later this year, but I’m looking forward to A Witches Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna, who wrote The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.
Disappointment:
I wanted to like Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?, a story about a black actress in the 1950’s, recommended by Modern Mrs. Darcy. I disliked most of the characters and the story dragged. I expected more from this one.
Surprise:
I hadn’t given much thought to Sophie Kinsella until my sister recommended her. I figured a writer known for her “Shopaholic” series would be too “chick lit” for me. This cover also does nothing for me. so I was surprised how much I liked You Owe Me One, a romance that had a lot of character development and complicated family issues.
Favorite New Author:
I didn’t expect much from this one, but I loved Cascade Failure by L.M. Sagas, and I’m excited to read the sequel this month. Fans of Firefly will enjoy this one!
New Fictional Crush:
I’ve got to go with James (Iwan) in The Seven Year Slip by Ashey Poston. I don’t like too-perfect guys in books, but he was just the right mix of endearing, sweet, talented, sexy, and insecure (and he cooks). I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did. The time travel story was weird but it somehow worked.
Book that Made You Cry:
Horse by Geraldine Brooks. Such a good book.
Book that Made Me Happy:
This one was easy. I smiled the entire way through That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming. I can’t wait to read the next one.
Book to Screen Adaptation:
I really liked the Netflix adaptation of One Day by David Nicholls. I read the book a long time ago, so I can’t compare the two, and I don’t think I ever saw the movie version.
Beautiful Book Acquired This Year:
I’m addicted to cookbooks. I love the beautiful illustrations, learning more about cooking, and of course the comfort of good food. Two books I bought this year are by favorite British Baking Show contestants — Cook as You Are by Ruby Tandoh and Crave by Martha Collison. Tandoh’s book is full of cute illustrations and Collison’s book has gorgeous photos and detailed spreads about things like spices, nuts, and chocolate.
Favorite Post or Review:
I’ve really loved reviewing the Oz books this year for Ozathon 2024. Here’s the one for The Emerald City of Oz.
Books I Still Need to Read this Year:
I have these ARCs to read: Navola by Paolo Bacigalupi, Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djeli Clark, There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak, Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliott (this book had me at the title), and Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers.
I hope you enjoyed this mid-year book tag, and hope your year of reading is going well so far!