The Mid-Year Freak Out Tag

Hello Everyone!

It’s Thursday, which means it’s book tag day! Today I’m doing the Mid-Year Freak Out Tag! I’m a little bit shocked that we’re already halfway through the year, but I am impressed with my reading so far.

I’ve read 32 books this year so far, which puts me on track for another excellent reading year.

Some of my reading goals this year were to read more middle-grade books, more indie books, and to improve my NetGalley ratio. So far, I’ve read 7 middle-grade books, 4 indie books, and 8 NetGalley books, which isn’t great, but it’s a step in the right direction.

Now for the questions!

What Is the Best Book That You’ve Read So Far in 2022?

I’ve read a lot of great books this year so far and picking a single best book is nearly impossible. On Tuesday, I posted my Top 5 Reads of 2022 so far where I talk about Revenge of the Beast by Jack Meggitt-Phillips, Winterhouse by Ben Guterson, Undercover Princess by Connie Glynn, Twelfth by Janet Key, and With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo. If you’re interested, here’s my Top 5 Tuesday post.

What Has Been Your Favourite Sequel of The First Half of The Year?

I’m bad with series in general, so I haven’t read a lot of sequels this year. Of the ones I’ve read, I think Judgement Day by Josie Jaffrey has been my favourite. Judgement Day is the sequel to May Day, which was the winner of the 2021 BBNYA competition. If you’re interested, here’s my review of Judgement Day.

Is There a New Release That You Haven’t Read Yet, but You’re Really Excited To?

It seems like new releases keep on piling up around me and I really need to take some time to catch up on them. One of the many new releases that I want to read soon is Café Con Lychee by Emery Lee. The premise of this book sounds like a lot of fun and I’ve been wanting to read something by Emery Lord for a while now. Fingers crossed that I’ll be able to find time to read it soon.

What Is Your Most Anticipated Release for The Second Half of The Year?

There are two upcoming releases that I am super excited for. The first one is Amari and the Great Game by B.B. Alston and the second one is The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Amari and the Night Brothers was one of my favourite reads of 2020 and I have been impatiently waiting for the sequel for a while now. I also adore Avery and the rest of the Hawthorne brothers from the Inheritance Games trilogy and I can’t wait to see how everything unfolds in the last book. If you’re interested, here’s my review of Amari and the Night Brothers and here’s my review of The Inheritance Games.

What Is Your Biggest Disappointment So Far?

I think my biggest disappointment so far is Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris. I’m a fan of David Sedaris, but this book just didn’t work for me and I found that in a lot of the essays, David Sedaris came off as more grumpy and judgemental than usual. If you’re interested, here’s my review of Happy-Go-Lucky.

What Is Your Biggest Surprise So Far?

I think my biggest surprise so far was Twelfth by Janet Key. I was a little bit skeptical when I picked up this book because I wasn’t sure if a middle grade mystery would be too young for me, but I ended up loving this book. The mystery was interesting and the characters were amazing. If you’re interested, here’s my review of Twelfth.

Twelfth

A Book That Made You Cry?

Technically, I haven’t finished reading this book yet, but The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah has made me cry a few times.

A Book That Made You Happy?

The Heartstopper books by Alice Oseman brought me a lot of joy. The characters are all so wonderful and even though the books deal with some heavy topics, they still make me incredibly happy.

What Books Do You Want to Read by The End of The Year?

There are so many! Ideally, I’d like to finish the Winterhouse Trilogy by Ben Guterson, and Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q Sutanto. I also want to get my NetGalley situation under control and read some of the excellent indie books that are hanging out on my kindle.