We’re already halfway through the year and I’m somehow slightly ahead on my reading challenge, but my TBR pile has also doubled in size. I’ve rediscovered the joy of my local library – even though their selection is quite limited – and I’ve been picking up books that I’ve never seen before or would’ve never thought to pick up otherwise. In a few months, I’ll be in university and have unlimited access to their h u g e library, and my TBR will continue to grow and grow and grow.
Today, I’m doing the Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag, which is great because I’m currently looking at my reading challenge to remind myself what I’ve read, and I have no memory of reading any of them.
Let’s begin!
Best book you’ve read so far in 2019
I have a Goodreads shelf dedicated to the best books I’ve read each year which I update throughout the year and narrow down again at the end, so I can actually answer this question, even if I haven’t got round to reviewing everything and can’t remember why I liked it. I currently have four books on that list:
- The Wicker King by K. Ancrum – I saw Paper Fury raving about this book and picked it up and I’m in love with everything about it
- Autoboyography by Christina Lauren – I’ve had it on my TBR for a while and saw so many good reviews all at once that it became a priority for me to read and it broke me and put me back together again and broke me one more time
- More Than This by Patrick Ness – I fell in love with a lot of his books last year, and I’ve been on a mission to read all of them. Spoiler alert: I loved this one too
- The Boy Who Steals Houses by C.G. Drews – I’ve reviewed this one here!
Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2019
I’ve read a few sequels and series finales this year that were incredibly underwhelming to me, so there is probably only one sequel I’ve read and genuinely loved.
New release you haven’t read yet, but want to
Honestly? I have no idea what books have come out this year, and I have very limited knowledge about what books will be coming out this year.
Most anticipated release for the second half of the year
CALL DOWN THE HAWK. I’m obsessed with everything Maggie Stiefvater has ever written, and I’m obsessed with everything to do with Ronan.
Biggest disappointment
I don’t want to say this because I loved the first two books so incredibly much, but Finale was the biggest disappointment for me because I had my expectations so high. I don’t think this was the best book out of the series, but I do think it was pretty good for the final book in a trilogy. Everything ended too perfectly: the plot had very high stakes but no one lost anything. The characters I used to love were faded versions of themselves and overshadowed by characters I used to love.
Biggest surprise
The last two books in the All For The Game series. I loved the first book a lot, so it was a great surprise that the final books lived up to that standard and exceeded it. I think it’s one of the first trilogies where I’ve loved each book more as I’ve read them.
Favorite new author (debut or new to you)
Christina Lauren aka the duo who wrote Autoboyography. The premise of the book is basically: Tanner is writing a book for his school class and Sebastian is a high school graduate come back to help mentor the students. It’s about writers. I am a writer. This pleased me immensely.
Newest favorite character
Adam from Release is precious. He’s lost and he feels like he isn’t loved. Well, actually worse: he feels like he doesn’t deserve to be loved. My heart broke for him, because, sure he doesn’t have the “worst life ever” on the outside, but he has a highly religious family who believe being gay is a choice and a sin. And the boy he loved the most just broke his heart. And the pain and heartache was so raw on the pages. He’s not whingeing the whole time, but you can see pieces of him cracking as everything in his day goes from bad to actual hell.
Book that made you cry
THE WICKER KING. My heart beats messily all over the place for this book and these boys and their illnesses and their story, which is part magic and part poison. It’s really brutal and sad and yet beautiful. It’s about mental illness and co-dependency and unhealthy relationships and neglect and kids just trying to cope the best they can.
Book that made you happy
This is also a book that broke my heart, but The Boy Who Steals Houses is also one that made me incredibly happy. This book made me feel so much. Lots of it hurt me to the core, but the rest of it was so wonderfully real and made me welcome the pain. This is a book that makes me want to live and breathe, slightly ironic as I spent a majority of it holding my breath and just hurting for Sam.
Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)
FINALE. Although I wasn’t a huge fan of the story, the physical book is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. It’s red and white and gold and shiny, and the hardcover has one of four potential quotes written on the front. It’s a stunning book.
What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
I haven’t read a single book from my TBR so far this year, so I’m hoping to just read one of them. I might to a TBR tag on this blog and maybe that’ll inspire me to pick one up. But I think I want to reread Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus, as well as The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices. Maybe The Hunger Games, too. There’s a lot of books I love but don’t remember, and a lot of books I read a few years ago and still think about a lot.
What is the best book you’ve read so far this year? Which was the biggest surprise? Have there been any disappointments?
Full list of questions:
- Best book you’ve read so far in 2019
2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2019
3. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to
4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year
5. Biggest disappointment
6. Biggest surprise
7. Favorite new author (debut or new to you)
8. Newest fictional crush
9. Newest favorite character
10. Book that made you cry
11. Book that made you happy
12. Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)
13.What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
TandeWrites 