The Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag

How is your reading going?

At this moment, it feels like my reading has been all over the place but I think some of that is because June was such an odd month for me and it is clouding my judgement. I have dnfed more this year than I ever have before but I actually think that is a good thing. I have the same amount of five stars as I do three stars, which I don’t really know what to gather from that but I thought it was interesting.

Best book you’ve read so far

Every year that S.T. Gibson publishes a book, I have a feeling that it will end up on my list of favourites. There is something about her writing that works for me. Evocation is no exception! I love the way that she writes characters and the complicated relationships between them. The sign of a true favourite for me is when I continue to think about a book for months after reading it, and that is certainly what happened to me in this case.

Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower snuck up on me! It is a novella that I read for a readathon sort of randomly and I ended up absolutely adoring it. I love that is subverts the “girl in the tower” trope in ways you would not expect. I just wish it wasn’t so expensive to own a physical copy!

Best sequel you’ve read so far

Normally I only have one option for this question so that book ends up winning by default, but I have been pretty good about reading sequels this year, so that is a win! I finally finished the Winternight Trilogy and it was a five star series for me but The Girl in the Tower was definitely my favourite. No one does atmosphere better than Katherine Arden!

I was finally ready to finished the Burningblade and Silvereye trilogy and I am happy to say that Django Wexler stuck the landing with Emperor of Ruin. This is a series I feel comfortable recommending to just about anyone, which is always a great feeling!

Favourite re-read

I normally skip this question, but I have embraced rereading a little bit more this year and I have been having a great time. I first read The Bear and the Nightingale in 2018 but never continued on with the series (surprise, surprise!), so I thought I would start 2024 with a reread and I am so glad that I did. This holds up and was the perfect start to the new year!

I was a readathon cohost in June and we had to share five of our favourite books and A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking was on my list. It was so much fun to see people reading and loving it, so I decided to give it a reread. It is definitely still my favourite T. Kingfisher!

Genre you’ve been loving/reading the most.

I think the reason that my reading year has felt a little lackluster is that I have not been diversifying my reading in terms of genre as much as I have in the past. I have read primarily fantasy and romance (with a large portion of that being fantasy romance) and I can feel myself craving horror and weird fiction. I have been embracing that feeling in July and it feels good!

New release you haven’t read yet, but want to

There are obviously so many but Where Sleeping Girls Lie is the book that first came to mind because I think it fits in with what I am currently in the mood to read right now. It is a dark academia/thriller YA novel from an author who I have loved in the past!

I thought that I would read The Book That Broke the World the moment it came out but my reading has been a little off the last few months and I just never felt the urge to pick it up. I have a feeling the mood will strike soon though considering how much I loved The Book That Wouldn’t Burn!

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

Obviously, if T. Kingfisher has a new book coming out it is going to be my most anticipated books of the year! I actually have an eARC of A Sorceress Comes to Call and I am so excited!

CJ Cooke tends to release a book every fall and I always read them as soon as they come out and they end up on my list of best books of the year. I have a feeling The Book of Witching will be no exception because it sounds like it was written for me!

I adore Tasha Suri and The Jasmine Throne is one of my favourite fantasies, so I am thrilled that the finally book, The Lotus Empire is out later this year!

Biggest disappointment

I do not read a ton of thrillers, but Simone St. James has become a go-to author for me because I love how she does supernatural thrillers. The Broken Girls and The Sun Down Motel are books I continuing to recommend, so I was sad that Murder Road ended up not working for me. I think this is the first book I have read from her that didn’t have dual timelines and I think it needed it. There was also too much focus on the couple and not enough on the murders!

I should have loved The Honey Witch! It is cozy fantasy with witches and has my name all over it. I was into it at first, but it took too long to meet the love interest and when we did I didn’t understand why our main character was drawn to her. Also, a lot of the reveals were super predictable and there were some moments that were just too ridiculous for me to suspend my disbelief!

Biggest surprise

I don’t have a ton of surprises this year, which is another sign that I need to be reading more out of my comfort zone! I do have a couple romances that I picked up randomly that really surprised me. Ready or Not was a cover buy and I was nervous because I am not a fan of the surprise pregnancy trope. However, I appreciated the way it was handled in this case and I thought the romance was the sweetest thing!

Carley Fortune’s debut, Every Summer After, was a mess but I had such a good time with it. I was excited when Meet Me at the Lake came out, but it ended up being a DNF for me. I thought maybe I would only liker her debut and didn’t plan to read This Summer Will Be Different, but it was available as an ALC on Libro.fm so I figured I would try it. I listened to this while I was sick and it was exactly what I needed. A pleasant surprise!

Favorite new author (debut or new to you)

I think I have to go with Danielle L Jensen because she is the only author I have read from for the first time this year and then read and loved more than one book from. The Bridge Kingdom is up there as one of my favourite fantasy romances and I love finding new authors who write in the genre who I can rely on!

Caitlin Rozakis is a debut author and I thought that Dreadful was absolutely fantastic! We have gotten a few of these novels where the main character is a villain and I have read a lot of them but this is my favourite. The humour is fantastic and I cannot wait to see what she writes next!

Newest fictional crush

I don’t think this will be a surprise, but I adored Justin from Just for the Summer! I also adore Abby Jimenez’s heroes and they will be forever favourites. I even have bookmarks of her heroes!

Larran from The Spellshop doesn’t have a ton of page time but I had a smile on my face anytime he was there! I just adore a good cinnamon roll love interest.

Newest favorite character

Gav from Dreadful is definitely my favourite character of 2024! I love that he is a villain who has forgotten his past and is now trying to be a good person and loathes his old self. It just worked!

Shesheshen from Someone You Can Build a Nest In is another villain main character but she does not apologize for who she is or what she does but she is also falling in love. Adorable!

I had to include a non-human character and there is nothing better than Caz from The Spellshop, who is a sentient spider plant. Need I say more?

Book that made you cry

Honestly, if I read a Kennedy Ryan, I do so knowing I am going to end up in tears. Actually, I finished a book by her just yesterday and let’s just say I should have known better than to wear mascara. That said, I think Before I Let Go is the one that got to me the most. She has this way of tackling difficult topics in such an honest way. It never ceases to amaze me!

Tia Williams is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me! I love the direction that she went with A Love Song for Ricki Wilde and it surprised me and I was in tears by the end. It is one of those romances that moved me!

Lit fic can really get to me sometimes and Remarkedly Bright Creatures reminded me why it used to be my favourite genre. This tears wouldn’t stop!

Book that made you happy

I have read a lot of books this year that have made me happy but The Undermining of Twyla and Frank stands out to me. It is so sweet that my cheeks hurt while reading because I could not wipe the smile off my face. I am giggling just thinking about it!

Most beautiful book you’ve bought/received this year

An online friend surprised me by sending me this stunning copy of Pride and Prejudice! I about cried when it showed up on my doorstep. I have quite a large collection of different editions of this book but this is now my favourite because not only is it stunning, it was also such a lovely gift. Just another reminder of how incredible this community is!

What books do you need to read before the end of the year?

I know, I know! As a huge T. Kingfisher fan, it is shocking that I have not read Swordheart. So many people tell me that this is their favourite book of hers and I am just not ready to have a new T. Kingfisher but it is getting ridiculous at this point.

The Jasmine Throne is one of my favourite books and I meant to read the sequel when it came out, but with the final book coming out in the fall, my plan is to reread book one and then marathon the trilogy. I cannot wait!

The Questions

• How is your reading going?
• Best book you’ve read so far in 2024.
• Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2024.
• Favourite re-read.
• Genre you’ve been loving/reading the most.
• New release you haven’t read yet, but want to.
• Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.
• Biggest disappointment.
• Biggest surprise.
• Favourite new author. (Debut or new to you)
• Newest favourite character.
• Book that made you cry.
• Book that made you happy.
• Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)
• What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

I would love to know what the best book you have read so far this year is!

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