I can not believe that it is that time of year already! This is the third year in a row that I am posting the Mid-Year Freak Out tag. It is interesting to go back and not only reflect on the books that I have read so far this year, but also to see how I answered the questions in years past. If you are curious you can find my other posts here and here.
BEST BOOK YOU’VE READ SO FAR IN 2019
Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller
Answering this question was so difficult this year- there are so many books that I could have chosen. I have read so many fantastic books this year! In the end I settled on Bitter Orange because it is the book that I think about the most and have come to appreciate more and more as time has gone on. It has so many elements that I love in books and Claire Fuller has become a favourite author. I can not wait to read more from her in the future!
BEST SEQUEL YOU’VE READ SO FAR IN 2019
Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children #2) by Seanan McGuire
This may be cheating because technically this book is a prequel, but so far Down Among the Sticks and Bones is my favourite book in the Wayward Children series. It is so dark and twisted and I loved every second of it. I have quite a few twins in my life and I always love reading about that complicated relationship. This series is something special!
NEW RELEASE YOU HAVEN’T READ YET BUT WANT TO
Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
There are so many new releases that I really hope to get to soon, but I had to go with Once Upon a River. I started reading it and was loving it but had to put it down to read an ARC. I can not believe I haven’t returned to it yet! I absolutely adored her other novel, The Thirteenth Tale, and this book has so many of my favourite things- it is atmospheric, there is an element of mystery, and there is magical realism!
MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR
The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) by R.F. Kuang
If you have been around my blog for awhile you will know how much I adored The Poppy War and I am counting down the days until the release of the sequel, The Dragon Republic. Full disclosure, I have the eARC and I am waiting to read it closer to the release date, but I will definitely be running out to buy a beautiful finished copy. I just adore these characters and this world!
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT
Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
I am just starting to dip my toe in to all of Christina Lauren’s novels and after absolutely loving their latest release, The Unhoneymooners, I was left feeling disappointed by Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating. On the surface, this is a book that I should have loved as it has one of my favourite tropes- friends to lovers! It is strange though, because I never found myself connecting to the romance and I think I preferred the two main characters as friends. Also, the ending is questionable. Many people have told me that this is their weakest novel so I would let my disappointment stop me from reading more from them!
BIGGEST SURPRISE
Peter Darling by Austin Chant
I hadn’t heard much about Peter Darling when I decided to pick it up on a whim. I thought it would just be a sweet Peter Pan retelling but it ended up being so much more than that. What Austin Chant has done with this story is just so beautiful and I want everyone to experience this version of Neverland!
FAVOURITE NEW AUTHOR
Sally Rooney
Now, granted, I have only read one of her books but I adored it and she instantly became an auto-buy author for me. Normal People was so brilliantly written and her characters felt like real people. I can not wait to read more from her and Conversations with Friends is very high on my TBR.
NEWEST FICTIONAL CRUSH
I say this every year, and I will say it again- the only book crush I have ever had is Mr. Darcy.
NEWEST FAVOURITE CHARACTER
Daisy Jones from Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
There were so many potential answers for this question until I remembered Daisy Jones and instantly knew that she was my newest favourite character. She feels so real and is flawed and raw and I just thought she was an amazing character to read about. She is a badass while also being vulnerable. There are just so many layers to her character.
BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY
The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
This book! The feels! I do not want to say much more than to tell you that The Travelling Cat Chronicles is one of the most charming and bittersweet novels that I have ever read.
BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
There is so much about this book that brought a smile to my face. I adored the characters and the fact that they took their time getting to know each other and eventually accepting each other, flaws and all. It was just so sweet and I had a huge smile on my face the entire time I was reading it.
FAVOURITE BOOK TO FILM ADAPTATION
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
I hate to admit it but I haven’t read Good Omens yet! I did watch the first episode on Amazon Prime and really enjoyed it so I decided to stop and try to read the book first. Hopefully I get to it this summer because so far the TV show is really good and I want to finish it!
FAVOURITE POST YOU HAVE DONE THIS YEAR
Books I Love That Have Low Ratings on Goodreads
I had so much fun putting this post together and I was surprised by some of the books that have low readings on Goodreads. I think my favourite thing was the discussion that was had in the comments!
MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK YOU’VE BOUGHT THIS YEAR
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Illustrated by Alice Pattello
This was actually a gift, but it is just so beautiful! I can not stop flipping through it because the illustrations are just so lovely. One of the most stunning books on my shelves!
WHAT BOOK DO YOU NEED TO READ BY THE END OF THE YEAR
Pachinko by Jin Min Lee
Pachinko has been sitting on my shelves waiting for me to pick it up for awhile now. I have this feeling that it will become a new favourite and I just can not let the size of it intimidate me! I am determined to get to it soon!
That is it! It has been an amazing reading year so far, one of my best, and I hope that continues in to the second half of the year.
What is the best book you have read so far in 2019?
ugh… so hard to choose because I’ve given 5 stars to a few so far!
I feel this!
My mid year freak out tag is going up tomorrow, but my favorite book so far this year was a tie between The Priory of the Orange Tree and Foundryside!
Can’t wait to read it! I have a copy of Priory. I really need to get to it!
Great answers! I really need to get on the Wayward Children bandwagon, but there’s just so much fantasy I want to read it’s really hard to prioritize!
Thank you! I definitely understand that. So many books, so little time.
I’ve been wondering if to pick up The Travelling Cat Chronicles… I think I’m adding it to my TBR. Great answers for this tag! 🙂
Yay! Such a great book!
I so want to read Peter, Darling. It looks like a wonderful book. I also really am dying to read the Wayward Children books, but they’re super expensive in my bookstore for how tiny each book is. I can’t justify the cost. Gotta find them on sale!
Peter Darling is fantastic!
I completely feel the same way about Wayward Children. I have been listening to the audiobooks on Scribd.
My favorite book I’ve read so far this year has been Between Hello & Goodbye by Jody Clark.
Just looked it up on Goodreads! I love finding hidden gems like that.
It is truly a hidden gem. And was such an unexpected emotional, touching read.
This is next on my list of tags.. I gotta fill this out soon I suppose :] Is it weird to say that I don’t really have a favorite book I’ve read this year? I honestly don’t feel “blown away” by any of the books on my list so far. I mean if I had to pick I would probably say either On the Come Up (Angie Thomas) or Thunderhead (Neal Shusterman) but they deff aren’t new favorites, you know?
I totally get this! Some reading years are better than others and it can be really frustrating.
I am really glad that you seem to be having a good one though! :] I put Normal People back on my TBR because of your review. :]
Ah, that makes me happy to hear! I hope you enjoy it. Maybe it will become a new favourite!
ooo so glad to hear you’re reading Good Omens! I totally agree it’s worth reading first. It’s one of my favorite books ever, so I hope you love it!
That is so awesome to hear!
Awesome post! I also loved Down Among The Sticks and Bones!
Thank you! Such a great little book!
I watched the first two episodes of Good Omens and I am loving the direction they’re taking the story. I think the showrunners are capturing the humor and whimsy of the book so well!
That is so great to hear! Can’t wait to read the book so I can finish the show!
I came across this post and had to take a moment because oh my god, it’s the middle of the year already, we’re all going to die.
I’m not mad tho, I love this tag so much. And, same! I’ve got a weird relationship with Christina Lauren books- I LOVE their blurbs because they sound so interesting with all the exciting tropes but I just lose interest after a certain point. And the ending of Josh & Hazel totally ruined the book for me.
I know! I can’t believe it!
I was so surprised with the direction they took Josh and Hazel in the end. Was such a strange choice!
Wow this was a great tag. Can anyone do this one? Also for some reason I have Once Upon a River in my list to listen to but I don’t remember why! Seeing it on your list makes me want to listen to it sooner rather than later.
Yes, of course! Can’t wait to see your answers! I think Once Upon a River is going to be beautiful.
Defintely All The Light We Cannot See, it was so amazing. Totally get your book crush – don’t we all have a crush on Mr. Darcy!
Sally Rooney is also my new favourite author this year. Love this tag, I’m definitely going to do it soon 😉
Sally Rooney is brilliant, isn’t she? Can’t wait to see your answers!
Uuh, my copy of «Normal People» should arrive very soon! Can’t wait to read it.
Yay! Can’t wait to see what you think!
I just need to make sure that I actually read it when it arrives (and not put it on my shelf to read 2 years later…) lol
The Travelling Cat Chronicles… Hmmm, been hearing a lot of good things about the book lately. Curious, makes me want to delve into it. I have a copy of Pachinko as well and been sitting on my bookshelf for some time as well. I am looking forward to reading it too.
I highly recommend The Travelling Cat Chronicles, but you will need to have a box of tissues handy!
I hope we both end up loving Pachinko!
I think this is one of my favorite tags! I love reading everyone’s answers!
(Www.evelynreads.com)
Same! I look forward to it every year!
I like how you do this every year. What a great idea! I would still like to read The Bride Test. Agh! I don’t know if I can choose just one book that was my favorite this year!
It is so fun to look back on every year!
The Bride Test is so adorable!
I’m watching Good Omens too and it’s definitely made me want to read the book. It’s just so different, and if the book is as good as the series I think we’re both in for a great read 😀
I think so too!
Good Omens is so good! Sheen and Tennant are perfect!
Ah, I am so exciting to finally read it!
How are we at the middle of the year already, Kristin?
I can’t believe I haven’t read Once Upon A River either. The Thirteenth Tale was such a favourite, and I read it long before the adaptation (which I also love).
Here’s to the next six months.
I know! It blows my mind.
I hope that we both get to Once Upon a River soon!
Am I just dumb or am I missing something? I’ve seen a couple of these posts so far and all of them for the first two questions it has the year as 2018. I’m so confused😅
Hahah probably because everyone just copy and pastes from last year and we missed it. Thanks for pointing it out! Lol
Lmao I was real confused.
I’ve read some pretty great books so far, this year. The Poet X, Dear Martin, A Man Called Ove and Helium were some of my favorites so far. Is this a general book tag or something specific to your blog?
The Poet X and A Man Called Ove are two of my favourites! It is a general tag. I’d love to see your answers!
I JUST BOUGHT POPPY WAR TODAY! (Then proceeded to spill London fog all over it … sigh … ) The first chapter was amazing! I can’t wait to read more! 😄
Oh no!! At least it sounds like it’s still readable. I hope you love it!
Currently drying out 🙂 It’ll be a bit crispy, but is definitely still readable.
Ahh I love seeing this tag around so much 🙂 I can’t WAIT to read Daisy Jones, it sounds way too good and I’m so happy you loved Daisy so much. I just can’t wait to be able to get a copy 😀
I really think you’ll love it!!
ahh great post!! everyone seems to have loved daisy jones and the six this year 🙂
Thank you! It is a good one!
I just got Once Upon a River. Can’t wait to read it.
I have a feeling we will both love it!
I definitely want to read the wayward children series 🙂 And I’m curious about once upon a river 😀 Daisy Jones is so so layered- completely agree!
I think you’d love the Wayward Children series!