2023 Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag

Whew - this year is flying by! According to Goodreads, I'm behind in my reading, and this is not a surprise to me. I've read some amazing books this year, though, so hopefully I have enough to share in this tag today. I love the mid-year freak out tag so consider yourself tagged, and please leave me a link if you have posted yours or come back to me and give me a link after you've posted!

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2023?

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty - I can't imagine this book will be topped this year. It's wonderful.{My review of The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi}

 

2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2023?

In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire - This is book #4 in the Wayward Children series and a reread. I really need to get back to my reread of the series! {My reread review of In an Absent Dream and my original review of In an Absent Dream.}

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

Ugh! My list of books I haven't read just continues to grow. Here are a few highly anticipated books I still haven't read.

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo - I really enjoyed Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo and even reread it at the beginning of the year so I would be ready to read Hell Bent, but I still haven't read it!

Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire - I'm planning to read this as soon as I finish my reread of the Wayward Children books which I just mentioned I need to get back to!

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig - This was just released the last week of May, and I can't wait to read it!

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of 2023?

Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison - I think Black Sheep is probably the release I'm most looking forward to reading!

5. Biggest disappointment?

In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune - Oof. This one hurts because it just didn't meet my expectations. I know there is an audience for this. T.J. Klune is such a great writer, and I love the messages in his books. I just don't personally like the types of tropes that were used in In the Lives of Puppets. {My review of In the Lives of Puppets}

6. Biggest surprise?

Chlorine by Jade Song was the biggest surprise for me. It's a literary fiction/horror novel which is absolutely what drew me in, but the structure and the experience was such a surprise for me. The horror was late to emerge, and the way the story disturbed me and captivated me made it such a great read. {My review of Chlorine}

7. New favorite author?

I'm going to have to say Emily Henry. I've read two books by Emily Henry that I loved this year and I plan to read more!

8. Newest fictional crush?

Once again I have no idea how to answer this one! Most of the books I read have characters that I shouldn't be crushing on.

9. Newest favorite character?

I struggled with my answer to this one because I've read several amazing books with amazing characters this year, but I'm going to go with Luffy from One Piece. I honestly need to devote a lot more of my reading time to One Piece. Luffy's dream is to be the King of the Pirates, and he's out in the world being a pirate, gathering his crew, and living his dream. His loyalty to his crew is something I love. (This is the third pirate book on this post 😆)

10. Book that made you cry?

Both of these! I don't have a clue how Emily Henry does it, but she made me cry reading both Book Lovers and Beach Read and I don't think they are supposed to be sad!

11. Book that made you happy?

The The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty made me so happy. So, so happy. Every word was perfect for me. {My review of The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi}

12. Favorite book to movie adaptation you’ve seen so far this year?

I'm cheating because this was a video game not a book before being adapted, but it's so good! I'm obsessed with The Last of Us.

13. Favorite review you’ve written this year?

Not a review, but my favorite post so far this year is my Most Anticipated Debut Novels of 2023 post.

14. Most beautiful book you bought this year?

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson is absolutely the most beautiful book I have bought so far this year.

15. What books do you really need to read by the end of this year?

I think my goal right now is to not have any need to read books. I want to get back to extreme mood reading and using my TBR jar. No review copies, no new releases pressure... Just me and a stack of books that sound good at the moment.

And that's it for my 2023 mid-year freak out! I can't wait to read yours if you post one!