I have not done this tag regularly, but a lot of my friends are apparently way more devoted to (book) blogging than me and are blessing my timeline with their takes on the Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag every single year, which is a look at our reading so far! So, I wasn’t technically tagged this time around either, but I saw so many people do it, that I just decided to join in on the fun (as I tend to do bi-annually). I have seen the questions vary a bit, but simply went with the ones I used in my 2018 version of this.
BEST BOOK YOU’VE READ YET IN 2020
I didn’t give Normal People the highest rating, but it sure is the one book that just sticks with me. I’ll just go about my day and be reminded about it in some way and then find myself thinking about the characters for hours again. It sure has made an impact. (Read my review here)
NEW RELEASE YOU HAVEN’T READ YET BUT WANT TO
Alright, let’s not pretend that I am not always perpetually late to the party when it comes new releases. I almost want to call myself the queen of backlisted reads, but that would also not be entirely correct. I just don’t keep track of when things release, but just trust that I will find the right stuff eventually?
Anyway, I want to read A Song Below Water! I mean, yes please, set it in one of my homes away from home (Portland, Oregon) and fill it with sirens. I am so here for that!
MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR
There are a couple, but not a huge amount, of auto-buy authors out there for me. Nina LaCour is someone I’d read anything from. Give me a shopping list and I’d gladly take it. However, we are getting lucky and will have another emotionally charged and character driven release of hers coming up this year – Watch Over Me! I seriously cannot wait!!
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT
It wasn’t the worst thing on the planet, but I really expected more from Again Again by E. Lockhart. Having read several of her previous books, this was such a letdown in comparison. Something about it just didn’t connect. (Read my review here)
BIGGEST SURPRISE
Describing why this was a surprise is a little difficult, but having neither watched or read Anna Karenina before and associating with an old-timey classic had me surprised how much I liked Anna K. But it was always obvious to be set in modern day and just be a fresh take in general, so I don’t know why I was a bit nervous? (Read my review here)
FAVOURITE NEW AUTHOR
Ben Philippe totally charmed me with his Field Guide to the North American Teenager and had me fall in love with his easy-flowing style of writing. He has another book scheduled to release later this year (Charming as a Verb) and yet another one for early 2021 (Sure, I’ll Be Your Black Friend) and I am just here for all of it. I am so glad I picked up his book!
NEWEST FICTIONAL CRUSH
Sorry to have to double down on an answer, but I kind of fell hard for Connell from Normal People. He was quiet and kind, genuinely just wanting people to like him and being afraid of what others might think of his choices. Sure, he had his flaws, but that just made him more real. The fact that they cast him perfectly in the TV adaptation with newcomer Paul Mescal was just the cherry on top.
NEWEST FAVOURITE CHARACTER
I don’t make character aesthetics (except for my own peeps) very often these days, but Darlington from Ninth House got one. That means A LOT in my book! I just like charming boys with the potential for darkness they don’t want.
There’s a lot of other characters I liked too, such as Serefin from Wicked Saints, Madison from The Field Guide to the North American Teenager, Pepper from Tweet Cute … I am bad at picking faves.
BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY
I don’t think I cried because of a book this year yet, but Tyler Johnson Was Here had me close to tears multiple times. The subject matter is bound to do that to you for sure. (Read my review here)
BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY
Tweet Cute made me so happy. I found it during my peak obsession with Bon Appetit videos, so, the food component, twitter feud and flirty banter was EVERYTHING to me. The characters were so funny and I just had a great time with that book. (Read my review here)
FAVOURITE BOOK TO FILM ADAPTATION
I watched Little Women this year and even if I haven’t read the book, it’s my favourite adaptation and film and overall story. I just love it with all my heart.
FAVOURITE POST YOU HAVE DONE THIS YEAR
I loved doing a series of posts where I talked about which book, movies and TV shows I made you watch and read. It reminds me that what I am doing here isn’t just shouting into the void, but actually talking to people and sharing interests. It warms my heart every single time.
MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK YOU’VE BOUGHT THIS YEAR
Excuse me while I lust over the cover for Aphrodite Made Me Do It. Poetry collections often have the prettiest designs! Obviously, this book is also great on the inside, but I find the cover to be a real eye catcher.
WHAT BOOKS DO YOU NEED TO READ BY THE END OF THE YEAR
As always, I continue to work on the physical copies I have at home. There’s books that might remain unread on my shelves forever, but some I REALLY want to get to this year are If We Were Villains and Dark Age. Let’s hope that Dark Age doesn’t actually take me the entire year …
I TAG THEE
I tag whoever wants to do this as well! YOU!!!
What did you think of my answers and the general mid-year reading recap? Let’s chat!
Life and Other Disasters 
Ooooo, thanks for reminding me about The Field Guide to the North American Teenager! I had added it to my tbr way back when it was released, then removed it because, I don’t know?, then decided I wanted to add it again but never did. Moral of the story: I just need to be okay with my tbr having more than 100 books like everyone else…
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Anyway, I added it now. lol
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Ahahaha I love that you clarified this after your previous comment. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did!
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Omg I so need to read Wicked Saints sometime. It sounds incredible so it was definitely one of my most anticipated books last year but I never got around to reading it. I also saw kind of mixed reviews (although I wasn’t going to let them put me off as it 100% sounds like a me book) so it’s nice to see it mentioned so positively. I hadn’t heard of Watch Over Me but I’m definitely looking it up. The covers too attention grabbing to ignore. Plus I’ve heard good things about the authors previous work. And I love Darlington too 😍 I so can’t wait for book two!!
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The reviews for Wicked Saints really do differ a lot. I think it’s a matter of either hating or loving it, but if you feel it could be for you, definitely don’t pass it up!
Nina LaCour is so great. I’ve loved everything I read by her so far, so I think Watch Over Me will break my heart again.
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I definitely don’t plan to. I’ve been meaning to get a copy of it for ages now.
Aww well I really hope that it lives up to your expectations (: and look forward to finding out what you think of it.
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I’m going to check out Ben Phillippe now! Thanks for the reccommendation! I have had Normal People on my TBR for a while now, which is extra frustrating because the adaption came out and because it is so short but I never find time to try it out…Yours is yet another positive review pointing me toward this stroy
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Always happy to spread the word about some authors and books 😀 ❤
Normal People is something you really have to be in the right mood for though, because it leaves you SO miserable. It’s great, but also .. heavy.
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I LOVE this tag, and your answers! x
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Thanks, Meggy! I may not do it regularly, but when I take it up again, it’s always fun.
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Darlington is quite a confusing character for me. I don’t know if Iike him, love him, dislike him, or just not care about him. I wanted to know more about him, that’s for sure and the next book might deliver that.
I love the cover of If We Were Villains. Honestly I haven’t read it nor I fee inclined to it but that cover seems so mysterious and I would love to have a physical copy of it just to take photos of it lol
Really enjoyed reading your answers!
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Darlington was more or less my instant fave. Then Dawes really grew on me. I don’t know why, but I found it so much easier to connect to them instead of Alex.
My cover for If We Were Villains actually looks different haha I don’t know if it’s a UK/US thing or a hardcover and paperback, but it has a bird on it haha
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Alex was a different character than I expected tbh. I had previously read (and loved) the Six of Crows duology and some years ago I started the Grisha trilogy yet I never finished it (but I plan to!) and while I knew this was going to be a very different book in every possible way it still took me by surprise. The whole book I must say was a surprise. It has been month and I’m still not entirely sure of how I feel haha But for me the characters were kind of a middle ground. I must say that at least for 60% of the book I didn’t care about them 🙈 which made the whole book feel a bit less likeable for me and by the time I did care, I was in the last pages 😆 I think that has made me want to read the next one a bit more!
Ohhh, well good thing is the content inside is the same haha! Hope you enjoy it! ✨
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I didn’t really like all the characters in Ninth House either. It took a long, long time until I got used to them and even at the end, this is not my favourite Bardugo book. But Darlington just kind of stuck with me.
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Good to know I wasn’t the only one haha!
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Oh, I also want to read Watch Over Me when it comes out! I loved Nina LaCour’s We Are Okay, so I have been wanting to read more from her 🥰 I also want to read Ninth House, mainly because I have heard great things about Darlington! I have to be in the mood for something dark though 😱
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Nina LaCour is magic! I adored all the books I’ve read by her so far and if you want to read something happier and quick, I’d recommend You Know Me Well.
Darlington is THE character for me in Ninth House 😂 but I’ve struggled with the book as a whole. I think I prefer Bardugo’s other works, but now I’m hooked.
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Dark Age is your challenge for the year. The sci-fi gods demand it be read haha. As soon as I read about the Portland setting I knew I’d have to get my hands on A Song Below Water. Sirens in Portland just seems like a winning combination.
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I have so many books I want to read before Dark Age, just because it is SO daunting. But I shall try to get to it eventually haha I might have to implement some sort of “reading more than one book at a time”-rule though, because otherwise, I think it will swallow me.
Portland is weird and therefore the perfect place for sirens.
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Cool that Normal People made such a big impact. It’s a shame about Again Again, cos I really liked We were liars and want to check out more Lockhart books. I really like the sound of anna K- I was a bit nervous, but your endorsement makes me optimistic 😀 Also really want to check out tweet cute!!
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Normal People left me with a void inside of me that I’ll likely never know how to fill, but it sure had an impact haha
Again Again was just overall … meh. I loved We Were Liars too, so I get it, but this wasn’t really it for me.
I hope my endorsement of Anna K will make sense to you once you read it haha and Tweet Cute is just ADORABLE!
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haha oh wow.
Oh pity.
haha I’m sure it will! Brilliant!
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