Hey bookworms, this is my first time doing the Mid-Year Freakout book tag! I’m excited because I’ve been seeing it all over Booktube and Bookstagram for years and I decided to join in now that I have my blog😁!
The Mid-Year Freakout tag was created by Earl Grey Books & Chami.
Best Book You’ve Read So Far in 2024?
I answered Assassin’s Apprentice for the 5-star prompt in my last tag post but you know what? I’ve read 51 books so far this year; this one is still my favourite!
Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far in 2024?
I haven’t picked up that many sequels this year but I did read Lore Olympus, Vol. 4 which I enjoyed so much. I’m in love with this series and flew through this installment like I’ve done for all the others! Hoping to pick up Vol. 5 soon-ish (though not too soon so I can stretch it out 💕)
New Release You Haven’t Read Yet But Want To?
I’ve had Someone You Can Build A Nest In on my anticipated reads list since the start of the year and I’ve seen many positive reviews for it. Even though I haven’t picked it up yet, the premise sounds fascinating and I still intend to check it out.
Most Anticipated Release For The Second Half of 2024?
I have a whole post on this planned for next week’s Top Ten Tuesday so I don’t want to answer this 🤐. Instead, I’ll switch up the question to: “A book on my anticipated release list that I did read”
Moonsoul (My Review)│Lost Ark Dreaming (My Review)
(Edit: Anticipated Releases Post)
Biggest Disappointment?
Perfume had been on my TBR for years. For some reason, I was expecting a serious historical fiction so when this book veered off into wild magical realism territory I was so thrown off and I was unable to suspend my disbelief. I also didn’t feel the murderer’s motivations were in any way compelling. All I wrote on GoodReads was just: THAT’S NOT HOW SMELL WORKS and that’s how you can tell this book pissed me off.
Biggest Surprise?
I Who Have Never Known Men is the book that’s the most outside of my comfort zone that I’ve enjoyed the most. I am both astonished and pleased with myself, lol.
New Favourite Author?
I’ve tried books by many new-to-me authors this year but the one with the most books I’ve read so far this year is Seanan McGuire. I read her whole Wayward Children series & I’m interested in going through her backlist as she has the potential to become a new favourite.
Newest Fictional Crush?
Stoker from the Veronica Speedwell series is easy to love despite his grumpiness. He’s loyal, handsome, intelligent, kind of a maverick, and always supports Veronica no matter how wrong he thinks she may be! In real life, the fact that he hunts would really make me hate him but in a story, he’s entertaining to crush on!
See my review of A Curious Beginning.
Newest Favourite Character?
This one is easy, I can answer with one resounding: MOSSCAP!
The sweet, innocent, and hilarious robot deserves all the hype it gets 💚
Check out my appreciation post for the Monk and Robot Duology to see me ramble on about Mosscap.
Book That Made You Cry?
Heartstopper, Vol. 5 is one of the few sequels I’ve read this year and it had me choking up! I typically cry more at heartwarming or bittersweet things rather than outright depressing things so the way Nick and Charlie were taking care of each other just got me with this one.
Book That Made You Happy?
I was happy to finally be catching up on Witch Hat Atelier with Volume 11. The incredible art brings me so much joy, even when the story beats are dark. I love this manga a lot and I was happy to be reading it again after a long wait.
Most Beautiful Book You’ve Bought This Year (Or Received)?
I’ve been very good at not buying many books this year so my options are limited but I do enjoy the cover for The Dark Queens (which I bought on a trip at the start of the year).
What Books Do You Need To Read By The End Of The Year?
I will be happy with myself if I finish the Farseer Trilogy this year and I’m working on it so there’s a chance! Additionally, I’m hoping to finish all the 12 books that were recommended to me by friends at the start of the year. I’ve made a small dent in that list (4/12) so I’ll have to buckle down in the second half! Disregard the terrible quality of my screenshot; the books are all listed on my Reading Goals page but this will give you a visual idea of what I have.
Let’s chat in the comments!
If you read to the end of my post I tag you to do this challenge! 😉 Have you read any of the books I mentioned?
I can definitely understand your affection for Mosscap! I’ll probably post mine closer to the end of June.
BTW, thank you for making me realize the there’s a ToC block in WordPress. Honestly, I’ve used WordPress for years but have NEVER really explored the block system or its potential. Will give ToC a trial run when I do my version of this post, but I can see it being very helpful for end-year wrap-ups, too.
OH my pleasure, but also it’s not a block it’s a plugin I had to download but I have found it easy to use and you can change the settings to display your ToC however you like. It would be simpler if it was just a built-in block on WordPress but this works just fine. 🙂 & Yes I have been wanting to organize my posts better so I’m trying with ToC in my posts even if some of them might not need it.
Haha I knew you would appreciate my affection for Mosscap and okay sounds great I can’t wait to see how your mid-year recap goes 🙂
There are only two of the books you’ve tagged that I have read – but also only two of them that I have interest in reading, though I can understand what pulls people to the others. Assassin’s Apprentice and I Who Have Never Known Men are both favourites for me.
Of your 12 to read in 2024, Curse of the Chalion is in my TBR too.
I’ll think about whether I will take up your challenge for the tag, as I don’t tend to do any lists/tags type posts. Who knows, maybe I’ll make an exception here 🙂
Interesting, the two you said are favourites for you have been my top 2 reads of the year so far and I can see them easily becoming all-time favs!
I discovered Bujold last year and adored her Penric and Desdemona series so I am really looking forward to reading more from her.
Haha okay no problem, you gotta do what feels right for you and your blog 😉 If you do though I’d love to see it.
I can’t believe it’s already mid-year tag time. 😂 The year has gone so fast! The Six Deaths of the Saint is one of my favourite books and I hope you enjoy it. I’m excited to check out The Dark Queens and I Who Have Never Known Men. I’m a bit worried the latter will go over my head but I’m very curious about it! I hope you continue to find amazing reads for the rest of the year!
Right?! I’m not quite sure where the first half of the year went haha.
Oh My Gosh The Six Deaths of The Saint is STUNNING and it’s what made me want to give other short stories a try (I don’t typically read many of those).
I don’t think it’ll go over your head, if you go in expecting it to be the kind of book that doesn’t answer all questions and you’re just there for the ride, you very much should be fine understanding-wise if maybe not feelings-wise 😅
Thank you, I hope you find excellent reads in the second half of the year too 😀
Wow 51 books is impressive and Assassins Apprentice being your favourite of them is high praise indeed. Another reason to make sure I finally pick up a Robin Hobb book soon.
I haven’t tried any webtoons or graphic novels or comics but I’m glad you’re enjoying the Lore Olympus series and hope the fifth one proves to be another hit.
I’m sorry that Perfume annoyed you so much. I know there’s a movie of it but for some reason I thought it was a historical murder story too rather than magical realism.
I really need to read the Wayward Children series. I’ve heard such fantastic things and it’s sounds like a really intriguing premise too. I hope you enjoy whatever else you read by the author. Did you know she has books under two others names as well? I haven’t read any of them 🙈 but remember seeing someone mention it about one and spotting it on the blurb of another.
Omg snap on the heartwarming things making you cry thing. Generally that’s what affects me most in films too.
I’m definitely going to have to look up Dark Queens on Goodreads.
Good luck with the books that you want to read. City Of Brass is one of mine too (especially as I own all the ebooks) & I’m hoping to get Dowry Of Blood out of the library sometime. Curse Of Chalion is one of the fantasy books I wanted to get out of the library but they don’t stock it 😒
Anyway I hope you have a wonderful rest of 2024.
Thank you, I think it means a lot when you read a lot of books and there’s one that obviously stands out! Definitely high praise for Hobb.
Ah, are you interested in trying any graphic novels or are they not your thing? Because I would definitely recommend Lore Olympus, they are so bingeable!
I heard about the Perfume movie and I can’t decide if I want to watch it or not. I think I might need some distance first though 😂
Yes Wayward Children is fantastic, I just got accepted for the next book on Netgalley so I’m excited to get to it too but it comes out in 2025! I know she writes under Seanan McGuire and Mira Grant but I did not know there was yet another name! She is so wildly prolific, it’s nuts!!
Oh wow that is so funny, we both cry in similar situations, that’s what gets me in movies and books most too!
I’ve lately been on a medieval history kick in terms of podcasts and watching videos so I figured I’d try some history nonfic too hence why I bought The Dark Queens.
Cool that we have so many of the same books on our tbrs, I hope you enjoy those when you get them from the library and too bad they don’t carry the Curse of Chalion 😢 I love that author and I wish she was in all libraries!
Thanks Charlotte, wishing you the same for the rest of this year and I hope your books treat you well ♥
Very true. Especially if it’s within a genre you read a lot of.
Maybe one day. I’m always wary as I love words and they have so few. But I’ve always been curious about the Buffy & Charmed comics. And I know there’s a sort of prequel to the Grisha books that’s a graphic novel so I do want to give them a chance one day. If they work for me I’ll try to remember it.
I definitely get that after having a bad experience with the book. I don’t really know what it’s like tbh, just that it’s got Alan Rickman in it.
Ooh well congratulations I hope you love it. I saw the cover for it earlier and it looks lovely. The other names A Deborah Baker she’s only written one series under it but I remember the premise catching my eye.
Sometimes the truly sad things get to me too but there’s something about heartwarming ones and warm acts of kindness that melt me.
Ah makes sense. It sounds like an interesting time to explore too.
What have you read by her? I’m going to look into getting it sometime. Although probably after I’ve crossed a few more things off of my physical TBR 😂
Thank you 💗💗
Yeah true, it’s wild because Fantasy is the genre I read the most of and I feel like I still haven’t read a lot of the seminal ‘classics’ or iconic ones of the genre. lol
I feel like reading graphic novels in worlds you already know and love might be a good way to try them for you so that you can enjoy the medium without worrying that you’re not getting enough because you already have the background from the novels you’ve already read so that’s smart. I also didn’t know there were Charmed comics :O I love Charmed, that’s so cool! I read quite a few of the Buffy comics but there are so many I eventually lost interest when I thought the story was just going off the walls in a not good way lol However there are so many different Buffy comic series that maybe I should give another one a chance.
Ah okay well honestly Alan Rickman is the only selling point for me at this point then lol!
Interesting okay I’ll go look up A Deborah Baker…oh my gosh turns out that series is already on my tbr! I had no idea haha thanks for the info!
Yeah I agree, truly depressing things either make me angry or numb instead depending on the situation.
The only thing I’ve read by McMaster Bujold so far is The Penric and Desdemona series, it’s mostly novellas and the newest one came out this year though I haven’t gotten to it yet. But it’s an absolute fav of mine.
I feel exactly the same and could kick myself for not getting to some of the major authors in the genre by now.
That’s true. I know a few series that I’ve read also have graphic novel editions too. So there are plenty of options for within that range.
I think it’s how they did another season after the actual show ended. But I don’t think they’re still being published so I need to try and find some second hand copies. I haven’t tried any yet but I have heard that some of the storyline were pretty crazy. So I guess I’ll have to see how I find it. Ooh I didn’t know there was more than one series of them. I hope you have better luck with another.
I think that’s why I noticed it, as he was in it and it was around the same time as Sweeney Todd with him in too.
To be fair I know it’s on my TBR and it really intrigued me but I can’t remember what it was about now 😂😂
Oh that numb hollow feeling is awful.
Ooh I hadn’t heard of those ones. I’ll have to look them up in a minute. I hope you get a chance to read the next one soon.
haha yeah but there will also be too many fantasy books to read, we can’t kick ourselves over it forever 😂
Oh nice, yeah well if you find a graphic novel you like cool and if you don’t that’s totally fine too 🙂 There’s preferences for everyone.
Yeah it was like a graphic novel continuation of the show which I liked for a while but let’s just say eventually I was glad that wasn’t in the tv show :S lol
That makes sense Alan Rickman does stand out I see him in any project 🙂
& Yes oh Penric and Desdemona is basically about Penric who is on his way to his wedding when he comes accross and old woman dying on the road and turns out she was carrying a demon inside of her and it jumps into Penric so now he has to deal with that.
Yes true, and at least I’m now a bit more aware of which I want to prioritise.
Very true. I’m hoping I’ll like them, at least for the Grisha prequel I mentioned 😅
I’m not entirely surprised based on what I heard. I remember seeing it said that it was used to share all these weird ideas that never would have made it on TV. Yet it’s one of my favourite shows so I’m curious regardless 😂
He was a wonderful actor and so convincing in all of his roles.
It sounds really intriguing. I checked the full blurb out before replying and I definitely want to check it out. As its set in the same world as Chalice I think I’ll probably read that first but it’s nice to know there’s such a fascinating novella series to devour afterwards if I enjoy it.
That’s a good point, the more mindful we are about what we want to prioritize, the more chances we have of finding books we love!
Yes I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you so you enjoy the Grisha ones!
Ohh I see that makes sense and kind of a good idea. It’s one of my fav shows too! 😀
So true, RIP Alan Rickman ♥
Ah that’s a good point, for me I heard lots of bookish friends talk about it and that’s why I tried it out before Chalice though I’m sure I’ll love that one too now! Plus the audiobooks for Pen & Des were SO good, I enjoyed the narrator’s voice a lot, so soothing which I think worked well for the vibe.
I just need to make sure I remember it’s there to help me remember & be aware of where I can get the books from library wise. Not a to do list, as that’s what overwhelmed me once in the past.
Thank you 🥰 I think it’s a villians backstory so I’m pretty hopeful for it.
I’m glad you love it too.
It was such sad news to hear. And seemed to come out of nowhere. As he must have wanted his privacy I’m glad he managed to keep his illness to himself though.
I somehow hadn’t heard of the novellas before but I’ve seen the other one listed on a couple of fantasy lists. Novellas can be a great way to dip your toes into a world and try out authors though. And I’m glad the audio books worked so well for you. It’s a format I really need to try & get into.
hah yes too many to-do lists are overwhelming for sure.
oh Villain backstories can be super fun!
Yeah it certainly surprised me when I heard and it was so sad but you’re right. Better that he had his privacy. It must be tough enough to handle being so sick let alone in the public eye.
So true!! I’ve only recently started appreciating novellas, I used to avoid them because I thought they were too short but now I see their many benefits! I find audiobooks let me read in so many more situations and bumped up my reading #s so much, I love them!
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Definitely.
I do love a good villian so I’m always intrigued by them.
I was shocked too and you’re definitely right there. The last thing you want is people hounding you when you’re seriously ill. I don’t usually feel affected by celebrity deaths (I think they’re sad obviously, but it’s not like it’s someone I actually know) but his and Matthew Perry were both so unexpected (and I’d seen them on screen so much) that they truly shocked me.
It’s amazing what some authors can do with so few words. Some of those short stories are so powerful. And I’ve heard that a lot with people using them whilst doing other things. I should try them really tbh, especially as I suffer from headaches and those might allow me to read more when those get to me. Plus they could be alternative to Friends & Charmed as background noise whilst doing puzzles or cross stitch.
Yes I know exactly what you mean, I try not to get too attached to celebrities and their deaths are sad in the way that it’s a human life ended but they don’t typically affect me much either unless it’s one that has impacted my life more deeply. Matthew Perry was also quite a shock, also because of how young he was.
Yes it takes a special set of skills to tell a good story in a short space! Oh I’m sorry to hear about your headaches 🙁 But they are definitely worth trying and I enjoy them as background for cross stitching too. Also, Friends and Charmed are both excellent background shows too!! 👏👏👏
I feel for the person’s loved ones a lot too as they’re the ones who truly knew them and are going to be most impacted. It must be quite an odd feeling really to have loads of people who never met someone feeling grief for your loved one. Yes the age did make it even more of a shock. I was looking at the news one day and saw that one of the actors from the Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina had died and they were only 27.
Thank you. It’s good to know you can still focus on them whilst doing that then. Yay. Definitely going to have to give that a try. I’m glad you think so as well.
I really want to read something by Robin Hobb, but I’m intimidated! Would you recommend their books for someone who mostly reads fantasies with romance (though not necessarily romantasy, bc I do still like it when the romance aspect is very minimal)?
And the reading recommendations challenge sounds so fun! It’s an interesting way to get to know your friends and their reading tastes too. The City of Brass and Dowry of Blood are both on my TBR, and I also want to try something by Alex E Harrow. 🙂
Oh great. Ok so I’ve only read one book by Robin Hobb so far and I am mostly a fantasy reader (only recently started dipping my toes in romantasy a bit) & here’s what I would say: the romance aspect is very minimal if nonexistent so far. I don’t know about future books but I’ve never heard people talk about these books in a romance context. Robin Hobb is known for putting her characters through a lot of trauma. So I would say, try Robin Hobb if you are looking to maybe dive into a Fantasy world that focuses on character work and world-building and be ready to be sad and mad. lol
Thanks, yes I thought it would be fun to have them give me suggestions though I’m not doing the best job of reading them all yet! I hope you like Alix E. Harrow if you pick up any of their works! 😀