Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag because it’s somehow already July

Hello, friends! It has once again been a while. But since it’s already the middle of the year and I haven’t updated you on my reading for the past three months or so, it seemed like a good time for the Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag.

(Yes, I’m still sort of on hiatus, and no, I don’t have a plan for what this blog will look like going forward. I’m just vibing.)

I’ve read 49 books so far in 2021—many of which have been rereads because that’s just where my brain is at right now—and probably a good half of those I haven’t talked about at all on this blog. Let’s fix that!

Best book you’ve read so far in 2021?

So I think this might be the only non-reread book that I’ve rated 5 stars in 2021?? Hmm. But anyways, Picture Us in the Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert absolutely blew me away and it deserves every bit of praise that it gets.

Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2021?

As usual, I have read shamefully few sequels in 2021, but there have been a few that I’ve loved. Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert, book 3 in the Brown Sisters series, was an absolute delight and might?? be my favorite of the series?? It’s impossible to choose, though. And Winterkeep by Kristin Cashore, the fourth Graceling Realm book, was just beautiful! Cashore knows how to tug at all of my heartstrings and make me fall in love with characters.

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

As usual, so many. Here are a few that I definitely want to get to soon:

The Tea Dragon Tapestry by K. O’Neill

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

The Unbroken by C.L. Clark

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year?

I have loved everything that Alix E. Harrow has written, so I have no doubt that her next novella, A Spindle Splintered, will blow me away too! (Also, I may or may not have begged an advance copy off the publicist and it’s on its way to me now AHHHH.)

Here’s to Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera, the sequel to What If It’s Us, comes out literally the last release day of the year, which means I’m basically going to spend the rest of 2021 counting down the days. And I’m okay with that.

Biggest disappointment?

Can I say that Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur was a disappointment if I didn’t have high expectations going in? Regardless, this is the only book so far this year that I’ve rated 1 star. I did not enjoy it At All.

I feel like I might be hunted for sport for this, but…I was disappointed by Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Saenz. I didn’t hate it—I rated it 3 stars—but considering that Ari and Dante #1 was such a formative book for me, this sequel just wasn’t it. I am so sorry.

Biggest surprise?

Maybe it shouldn’t have been a surprise, since I loved The Weight of the Stars last year, but The Wicker King by K. Ancrum grabbed me by the throat and did not let go. This was one of the most stressful reading experiences I’ve had all year, and I mean that in the most complimentary way possible.

Favorite new author (debut or new to you)?

Shelley Parker-Chan, author of She Who Became the Sun, became a new favorite with their debut book! This one was such an intense and heartbreaking rollercoaster, so I cannot wait to see what they do next.

Newest favorite character?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I would die for Adventure Fox from Winterkeep.

Newest fictional crush OTP?

As always, I’m changing this to my favorite fictional couple(s), since I don’t tend to get crushes on fictional characters.

Isobel and Rook from An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson were such a delightful surprise. I did not expect to get so swept up in their love story, yet there I was by the end weeping at how perfect they were together.

Carmen Farooq-Lane and Liliana were one of the best parts of Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater. I genuinely have no idea where this series is going next, but I hope we get lots more of them!

(Also shoutout to my fellow Margarets for writing some great romances.)

Book that made you cry?

This was far from my first time reading The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien, but man, that ending always hits me right in the heart. Lord of the Rings manages to do things to my emotions that almost nothing else can.

The Ship We Built by Lexie Bean is such an achingly beautiful book, I’m not sure it’s possible to read it without crying. Pack some tissues when you pick this one up, friends.

Book that made you happy?

Becky Albertalli’s books always make me happy, and Kate in Waiting was no exception. I love theatre nerds and friendship books, and this was the perfect combination of the two!

Favorite book to movie adaptation?

I sat here for a full minute trying to remember if I’ve seen any movie adaptations before I remembered that Shadow and Bone came out like three months ago. Technically not a movie adaptation but an adaptation nonetheless, and one that I have watched four times now! So yes, that is easily my favorite.

Favorite review?

I’ve been terrible about writing reviews this year, but I am really happy with the hybrid recipe-review I wrote for One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston.

Most beautiful book you’ve bought this year?

Too many to choose from! I do love both of the graphic novels that I’ve bought this year, though.

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen and The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag are both absolutely gorgeous. Even though I haven’t yet read the latter, I’m sure it’ll be just as lovely on the inside as it is on the outside!

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

I never have any idea how to answer this question, because there are just too many. All of them. I need to read all of the books by the end of the year. (But no pressure.)

I have not been keeping up with my fellow bloggers lately (I’m sorry!), but if you haven’t already been tagged for this, I hereby tag you now!

What are the best books you’ve read in 2021? What’s a book that’s made you happy and a book that’s made you cry? What are you planning to read in the second half of the year?

x Margaret

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