The Mid-Year Freakout Tag

Greetings,  long time no see! 

I am back after having an absolutely crazy, chaotic, and amazing June, and I’m ready to start posting a bit more regularly again!

A few mornings ago, I was reading Maya’s post about the Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag. I read through it and kept thinking about all of the books I’ve read this year. At the end of her post, Maya wrote that us readers were totally a-okay to steal the tag. So I decided to become a tag thief and look back on the books I’ve read so far. 

Numbers and Math 

In the past six months,  I have read just about 30 books. I have no idea how other people read 50 or 60 books in half a year, but I’m happy with the amount of books I’ve read. I’m not filling up all of my day with reading (honestly, I don’t really enjoy it when all I do is read) but I’m still reading almost every evening for an hour or two. Overall, I’m content with my reading numbers. 

For Christmas, my dad gave me a handy dandy Literary Journal to keep track of the books I’ve read and what I thought about them. That’s basically become the holy grail for this post because I have a horrible memory. I’m using little snippets of my book reviews in this post. I also bought myself a Kindle in February, which has slightly revolutionized my reading. I’m sure you’ve heard me talk/write about it, but it really is pretty awesome.

Best Book So Far 

Oh my, this is going to be hard. 

• Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech- (reread) My journal review says “The unreliable narrator is amazing and I want to write something like this.” 
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak-  “The book spoils itself and works so gosh darn well.” (I wept at the end)
• Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han- “This book got to me on such a deep level and I am a waterfall of emotions.”

Best Sequel 

• Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han- I liked the first To All the Boys book, hated the second, and had no idea what to expect for the last. I was quite pleasantly surprised.  “This was a memoir of change.”
• Ivy Introspective by Kellyn Roth- I really enjoyed reading about Ivy and honestly I think this book is better than the first. She’s one of my new favorite characters. “So much music awesomeness and Jordy was amazing.” 

New Releases you haven’t read, but want to

• Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olson – LOOK AT THE GORGEOUS COVER… AND IT’S A PHANTOM RETELLING OH MY GOODNESS I NEED TO GET IT
• These War Torn Hands by Emily Hayse- Another amazing cover!!!!! I haven’t read any westerns but this book sounds so cool!

Most anticipated release for second half of year 

• Shadow by Kara Swanson – I got to read an ARC of Shadow and people, July 13th is going to be a special day. I can’t wait to hold the physical book in my hands. “Not as shiny and pretty as Dust, but the darkness contrasted well and allowed the truly shining things to shimmer!” 
• At Her Fingertips by Kellyn Roth – I’m in the middle of an ARC for this and I’m really enjoying it! 

Biggest Disappointment 

Honestly, I hate it when I’m disappointed with a book. But I guess without these disappointing books, the shining ones wouldn’t shine as much? 

–House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig- “The cover was so much prettier than the actual story.”  I liked the beginning, but then it just seemed to get progressively cliche and scattered. 

–P.S. I still Love You by Jenny Han- Peter was a jerk in this book, and I was sad that I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first book. “It didn’t have the same charm as the first book, but I think that’s because of all of the Peter Kavinsky-ness happening.” 

Biggest Surprise

• To all the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han- Honestly, I wasn’t expecting this book to be so fluffy and fun, but it also explored some family themes that made it really meaningful. “Contrary to the blurb, the romance wasn’t a super duper huge focus. Lara Jean actually had a life beyond her boyfriend *much celebrating*.” 
• Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han- After being disappointed in the second book, I wasn’t sure what to expect for this book. I’m happy that it was a good surprise, but honestly I didn’t expect it to be at the first book’s level.
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak- “The ending wrecked me.” I honestly just wasn’t prepared for this book. I don’t know how you can be emotionally prepared for this book. 

Favorite New Author 

• Emily Hayse – So far, I’ve only read Seventh City, but I loved it and I can’t wait to read These War Torn Hands. Seventh City was awesome, “The companionship and cold mountain adventures made for such a fresh read.” 

New Fictional Crush 

• Honestly, I don’t really have any fictional crushes. But if I had to put any on this list, it would probably be Gansey from The Raven Boys. Most definitely NOT Peter Kavinsky, but maybe John Ambrose? 

New Favorite Character 

• The DeLaineys from The Boy Who Steals Houses by C.G. Drews. They were so chaotic and realistic, and honestly I liked them more than the main character. “The way this book is written is so unique. The DeLaneys were a great portrayal of a huge family. Moxie needs her own book.”
• Ivy Knight from The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy by Kellyn Roth. I’m so happy we got to read more about her in Ivy Introspective. “Ivy is my favorite and I really liked seeing her make friends with Jordy and Violet. Yay for friends!”  

Book that Made You Happy 

• The Raven Boys– I really enjoyed the semi-creepy, magical realism thing that was happening and am so ready for a reread in the fall. 
• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – reread for the Shadow and Bone show, and I enjoyed returning to the world of Ketterdam. 

Best Book-To-Film Adaptation

Honestly, I haven’t watched a ton of book to film adaptations this year. The only one I can think of is Shadow and Bone, which I ended up really liking. I’ve only read Six of Crows, but I think the crows need their own show or season. I also didn’t like the way they pronounce Kaz’s name, but that’s partly due to my inability to read things and actually look at the letters of the word. The S&B story line was interesting to see, but I’m still going to love the crows no matter what.

Favorite Post You’ve Done This Year 

• I really liked writing  my musical posts – Hamilton, Anastasia, Hadestown
• The YA Romance, Mushrooms, and Valentine’s Day post was really fun to write, and I’m a bit proud of the mushroom metaphor I made. 
•  The Stack Has Fallen post was so relaxing and enjoyable to write. I really want to write more things like that. 

Most Beautiful Book You’ve Bought/Received 

• I haven’t bought a ton of books this year, but my brother gave me a gorgeous edition of Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. I also really like the cover for Lovely War by Julie Berry. 

Books You Want to Read by the End of the Year 

• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
• Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
• Pax by Sara Pennypacker
• A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
• Scythe by Neal Shusterman
• A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 
• The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein 
• Out of Time series by Nadine Brandes 

Well, there you have it folks! It was really fun to look back at the books I’ve read. If read this and suddenly think about the books you have read, and then decide that you want to do the Mid Year Freakout Tag, feel free to go ahead and steal it.

What have you read lately? What are some of your favorite reads so far? Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a great rest of your day!

-Hannah

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