TandeWrites

We’re already halfway through the year and I’m surprisingly ahead on my reading challenge, but my TBR pile has also doubled in size. I’ve rediscovered the joy of re-reading some of my old favourites via audiobook, and have finally committed to tackling that doubling physical TBR pile.

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. You wouldn’t think that this is one of my favourite tags because I haven’t done it in three years but, trust me, it is.

Let’s begin!

Best book you’ve read so far in 2024

‘Nettle & Bone’ was one of the first books I read this year and it remains one of my favourites. It’s a fairytale-esque quest fantasy with found family elements, and there are so many elements here that make me feel like the book was written for me specifically. The imagery and the setting were immaculately described, and the tone in places was almost blunt and very to the point, which was quite refreshing. I fell in love with it from the first page, and it’s my favourite read of the year so far.

Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2024

‘The House for Lost Things’ by C.G. Drews is the third and final book in the ‘The Boy Who Steals Houses’ trilogy, and I think it might be my favourite. This one is a lot more emotional to me than the previous two – the De Laineys are being forced to sell the yellow house and their family is crumbling – but Drews is a master at handling the complexity of these emotions, especially the introduction of angry autistic representation that they’ve dabbled in in the past, but have really explored in this book.

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

‘Dear Wendy’ and ‘Where the Dark Stands Still’ are both releases that are a little less new at this point in the year but, as someone who usually takes around two years to acknowledge that a book exists, they are still incredibly new to me. ‘Dear Wendy’ for the asexuality representation and having vibes that are adjacent to my current work in progress, and ‘Where the Dark Stands Still’ for my first foray into Polish folklore and a return to my beloved spooky forest settings.

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

‘A Dark and Drowning Tide’ is a book that I’ve had saved to my Goodreads shelves since the moment it was added to the website. I barely remember what this book is about anymore other than some surface-level information and knowing that the covers are gorgeous, but it is in the September Illumicrate box and I look forward to fawning over my physical copy then.

Biggest disappointment

My thoughts on ‘The Salt Grows Heavy’ can best be summed up by a quote from Kelsey Noah’s Goodreads review: “This would have been such a fantastic story if it wasn’t used as an opportunity to test out every Scrabble word in existence.” The story was unique, and I wanted to read it badly enough that I waited weeks for a library hold and also didn’t put it off when it was my turn which is the epitome of praise from me, but the vocabulary choices meant that I couldn’t understand what was going on for the bulk of a very small story.

There’s also one book this year that was an advanced copy and unfortunately I couldn’t even force myself to finish reading it, and I think it’s the only time I’ve ever had to DNF an advanced copy.

Biggest surprise

‘Junker Seven’ was a book that, under most circumstances, I probably wouldn’t have picked up with eagerness because it’s science fiction, a genre that I usually don’t foray into except under extremely specific conditions. It’s a romantic, queer sci-fi epic about changing the galaxy, one girl at a time, and honestly, I picked it up because I was a judge for the Indie Ink Awards where this book was a nominee, and it won’t stop consuming my social media feeds. And I’m glad I did pick it up because it was wonderful. It’s set in space. It’s T4T. There’s sapphic yearning. It has an autistic and disabled main character. It’s perfect.

Favourite new author (debut or new to you)

T. Kingfisher is an author whom I read for the first time in January, and I’m now on a quest to devour every single word she’s ever written. I fell in love with ‘Nettle & Bone’ the moment I laid my eyes on the first word. ‘The Hollow Places’ was like if Annihilation (2018) and Kate Alice Marshall’s Rules for Vanishing had a child that was funny and gave me nightmares. ‘What Moves the Dead’ is gripping and atmospheric, and I was engaged for every word of unravelling the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes us all.

Newest favourite character

Effy from ‘A Study in Drowning’ was a standout character earlier in the year. She’s like other Ava Reid characters I’ve read in the sense that she’s an outsider to society and within her own life. Many people should look forward to reading a character like Effy. She’s not like other Young Adult protagonists, and I don’t mean that in a derogatory ‘not like other girls’ way, but she’s not snarky, she’s not witty, I wouldn’t call her very strong or necessarily very brave, but I would call her a survivor.

Book that made you cry

No tears yet this year, but there are a few scenes in K. Ancrum’s ‘Icarus’ that are full of so much tenderness and an aching longing that I was hurt emotionally. Ultimately, ‘Icarus’ is a book about opening yourself up to weakness and vulnerability. There are so many books written about the weak learning to be strong, and less so about how hardening yourself to survive has a cost, and the bravery of beginning to remove that protection and allowing yourself to grow. But this one is a love letter to the value of emotional intimacy and human connection, as all Ancrum books are, and it never gets less heart-wrenching to read about.

Book that made you happy

It’s probably a bad choice given the subject matter, but ‘Icarus’ was an expected favourite. K. Ancrum is someone who I always describe as a ‘once in a lifetime’ kind of author, and the release of Icarus continues to prove it, so that gives me immense joy. This book is presented with such sincerity, consideration, and a deep understanding of our relationship to history and art. It’s about found family, neglect, generational curses, and figuring out a way to escape your circumstances and chase the freedom you deserve.

Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)

‘Junker Seven’ was a surprise beautiful book. I got a special edition as part of a Rainbow Crate box that I purchased mostly for Icarus, so seeing such obvious love and care given to an indie book was very special to me. Every element of this book design is so clearly and complexly thought out, and I desperately want a print of the endpaper art.

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

‘Where the Dark Stands Still’ is a book that has been on my TBR since it was announced, so it’s pretty unbelievable that I have a physical copy on my shelves and still haven’t opened it, other than to admire the design. And ‘Dear Wendy’, for its relevance to my current writing project. And every single other book on my seemingly endless physical TBR. I’ll conquer it someday.

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 2024
• Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2024
• 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 fictional crush
• 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?