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Hello Hello! How are you?
Today I’m back with a book tag, something I haven’t done on my blog for quite a few months! I always enjoy writing book tags so I’m glad to be back, especially with the Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag!
So far this year I’ve read 52 books, which probably isn’t as many as I want, but I don’t think I’ve done too bad especially since I had my thesis to finish at the start of the year. And I’ve also read some really good books so I feel like I’m on track to reach my goal before the end of the year!
Keep on reading to find out about some books I’ve read this year and others I’m excited to pick up in the second part of the year.
Best Book You’ve Read So Far
I thought this was going to be a tough question to answer but scrolling through my Goodreads Read list of the year and I immediately saw Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney and knew it was the one! I read it right at the start of the year and was blown away by it. I never expected it to go where it went and I was honestly hooked from beginning to end. I’m not usually into this kind of psychological thriller but it was really well-executed and well plotted. You can read my full review of it here!
Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far
I’ve not read many sequels this year so far but the few I have read have been fairly good. My favourite one though has to be A Second Chance by Jodi Taylor, the 3rd instalment in The Chronicles of St. Mary’s series that I already love dearly. This book took place mostly in Ancient Greece around the time of the Trojan War and it honestly was such a captivating, interesting but also at times heartbreaking read. A lot of things happened in this sequel and it went places I never expected, but I loved it and can’t wait to pick up the 4th instalment in this series. I’ll have a review of this book up soon, hopefully!
New Release You Haven’t Read Yet, But Want To
OMG I don’t even need to look at my shelves to know exactly which book is going on this list and if you’ve been paying attention to social media lately, I’m sure you know exactly which one I’m talking about. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros has been making the book community go wild with excitement and I’m definitely one of those excited readers. I recently got myself a copy and I’m itching to start it, but I’m also a bit worried that I’ll be completely hooked and then get into a book slump since I’ll have to wait until November for the sequel. I won’t be able to wait much longer though, as I’m SO excited to read it!!
Most Anticipated Release for the Second Half of the Year
Again, I didn’t even have to think, I already know which book I can’t wait to get my hands on: The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman, the 4th instalment in The Thursday Murder Club series that I’ve been buddy reading with Stephen from Stephen Writes ever since the first book was published 3 years ago. I absolutely love this cosy mystery series and the old age pensioners who crack these mysteries are honestly one of the best rag-tag groups I’ve ever met in books! I don’t even have a favourite character because they are all wonderful in different ways. I can’t wait for this book to be released, and I already know it’s going to be such an enjoyable read, maybe even 5 stars!
Biggest Disappointment
Similarly to the previous questions, I didn’t have to think for very long before I remembered which book disappointed me the most this year so far: Survive the Night by Riley Sager. I buddy read this book with Candyce from The Book Dutchesses and Amy Louise from The Shelf of Unread Books. We were all disappointed by this one and I was also very surprised by it because I fell in love with Riley Sager’s Home Before Dark. Survive the Night was so badly plotted we literally saw the whole thing coming a mile off and absolutely hated the ending. I thought Riley Sager was going to become an auto-buy author for me after Home Before Dark, but now I’m nervous about the rest of his books.
Biggest Surprise
On the other hand, the biggest surprise I had this year was with a book I recently read from my library: Les facétieuses by Clémentine Beauvais. I tried reading some of her other books previous years but really couldn’t get into the stories, so when I heard good things about this book I was also worried it was going to be a big flop. But when I started it I was immediately hooked and very pleasantly surprised! This book is about the author’s search in finding who was Prince Louis the XVIIth’s fairy godmother and why she let him die during the French Revolution. It was a great book and SO enjoyable!
Favourite New Author (Debut or New to You)
Ohhhh, without a doubt Tracy Wolff! Last week, I finally discovered the amazing Crave series by this author and fell in love within the first chapter. If you know me, you know I love anything with witches, vampires and wolves and this series has the added dragons to the crew. I don’t know why it took me so long to get to this series, but now I’ve found it, I know it’s going to be a favourite series and I’m already itching to binge the rest of the books!
Newest Fictional Crush
And going along with the previous question, my newest fictional crush absolutely 100% has to be Jaxon Vega from the Crave series by Tracy Wolff. Jaxon is like the new version of Edward Cullen but like a million times more handsome, charismatic and dangerous. In other words, exactly my kind of character. He sort of comes across as the villain but he is also the one everyone is rooting for. I can’t wait to read more!
Newest Favourite Character
This question was a bit challenging but once I scrolled through my Goodreads Read list, I realised that one character I adored reading about lately was Ernest Cunningham from Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson. I buddy read this book with Candyce from The Book Dutchesses and I was so surprised by how good the story was. My favourite part was probably Ernest’s character though because he seems like a really unreliable character, which I suppose in a sense he is, but also isn’t. I loved the way he narrated the book and how he always included the reader in everything. It was a really unique and subversive book and Ernest literally made it incredible!
Book That Made You Cry
At the beginning of the year, I read Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren. It was a surprise for me because I absolutely loved the whole book and it’s not my usual genre, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. But, I also wasn’t expecting to cry so much throughout it either. This book literally made me sob so much. And it also made me have a bit of a book slump afterwards. I will reveal one kind of spoilery trigger warning: a parent’s death. That’s what made me cry the most, but probably also the pain and solitude felt by the two main characters and the extent of their heartbreak. I’m not selling it very well, but I honestly loved it and I’m sure my review will explain all the elements better than this weird paragraph!
Favourite Book to Film Adaptation You’ve Seen This Year
I haven’t seen any book to film adaptations this year and it’s honestly not really my thing, so I’m afraid I don’t have an answer for this prompt!
Most Beautiful Book You’ve Bought or Received This Year
I haven’t bought or received any limited or special editions of books so far this year since I stopped my Fairyloot subscription (but I might start it up again soon!). However, the book with the prettiest cover I’ve bought this year has to be Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. This edition is absolutely gorgeous. And I think it’s even prettier when you look at it closely and take in all the various details on the cover. I’m so excited to read this book, and I’ve managed to squeeze it into my August TBR, so I’l very excited to read it soon!
What Book(s) Do You Need to Read by the End of the Year
Ohhh this is a tough question, but here are 5 books I really want to read before the end of the year and I really hope I’ll be able to read them all, as they all sound wonderful and unique! Wish me luck!
That’s all for now. This post was so fun to write, although some questions were a bit challenging! I hope you enjoyed reading it.
See you soon, stay safe,
Ellie xx
The Witches, Salem 1692 really caught my attention..
I can’t wait to read it!