Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag

Alrighty. I got bored. So, I thought, I’ve read 270 books so far this year, what better way to entertain myself than forcibly pick single books out of that to answer a bunch of questions!

….Yeah

But. It’s not like I have a whole lot else to do, is it.

Best book you’ve read so far in 2020?

Ha! So this is going to be fun, since I’ve read a…fair few books to say the least. I may have only given 22 full 5-star ratings, but that really doesn’t help me one bit here. I narrowed it down to 8 and it still didn’t help. So, here are seven of those eight because I can’t not mention them: Do You Want to Start a Scandal, Weak Heart, After the Wedding, The Bone Shard Daughter, Picture Us in the Light, King and the Dragonflies and Felix Ever After. I think the book I’d say was the out and out best of this year though, would be The Space Between Worlds because it’s an all-round great sci fi that combines action, social commentary and an excellent romance. So.

Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2020?

The Empire of Gold. I didn’t even need to think about this one. It was the perfect end to the series, for me. I even liked the direction the ending to Dara’s storyline, which I wasn’t expecting to (him being my least favourite character and all, of the POV characters). I mean, really my only wishes were for more Muntadhir/Jamshid scenes and more of Zaynab. But, as much as I loved them, they were always secondary characters.

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

Again, so many! In between trying to keep up with ARCs, and get through some backlist books, things that get released along the way tend to drop by the wayside. Probably This Town Sleeps though, because I was really excited about it, then never got to it. Doesn’t really help that it wasn’t easily available here, but one day I will read it.

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year?

Okay firstly, anything on this post of July-September sapphic releases, but if I had to pick just one release at all (which is virtually impossible at the best of times), then probably The Final Child. I love mystery stories and Fran Dorricott writes such good ones. And, of course, it’s also sapphic so, double the love. Oh and that cover is really creepy.

Biggest disappointment?

A fair few, but probably the biggest one was Crier’s War. Part of it was my general ability to dislike any book that people hype up, part of it was my growing dissatisfaction (I guess) with YA fantasy. It has a lot of very similar plotlines, and a tendency to have nothing happen for the first two thirds of the book. And that was what I felt to be the case here too. So for me, even the sapphics couldn’t save this one.

Biggest surprise?

I don’t really think I was surprised by liking any books, honestly. I don’t wanna say I’m good at picking books I like, because I am blatantly not as evidenced by the number of disappointing reads, but it’s like, I don’t generally choose to read books I don’t think I’ll enjoy. So in that sense, no real surprises. I guess, if I were strict on “surprise”, then I enjoyed You Should See Me in a Crown more than I expected to.

Favourite new author (debut or new to you)?

Sherry Thomas. I read The Luckiest Lady in London and immediately was like, I have to read her entire backlist, I had that much fun reading it. Like, I’m very very picky when it comes to historical romance, and I have a tendency to stick to the four I know I like, so to find a fifth author to add to that was great.

Newest favourite character?

Zaf Ansari, the only valid man in all of existence, and one of the protagonists of Take a Hint, Dani Brown. He reads romance novels! He is about the polar opposite of the damn alpha male heroes you see so much in romance, it’s so refreshing. I mean, one of the things I’ve loved most about Talia Hibbert’s Brown Sisters series has been that the heroes are refreshing like this, I don’t think I’ll ever tire of it.

Newest fictional crush?

Jane Fairfield from The Heiress Effect. Like, I don’t want to be a cliche here, but she can absolutely step on me. Genuinely, I do not see why Oliver had such trouble deciding whether to ruin her or not for the sake of some fake political friends, I would absolutely have said fuck them and married Jane as soon as I could.

Book that made you cry?

And the Stars Were Burning Brightly. Easily. Like this book had me almost sobbing within the first chapters. And then I kept having to put it down while reading it because it made me want to cry. Like, in the best way, but wanting to cry nonetheless.

Book that made you happy?

Beach Read!! I read this one and then immediately went back to reread the best parts, I loved it that much. Slowburn, second chance romance with enough angst to keep you interested and they developed a friendship before it went anywhere near a romantic relationship. Basically, I couldn’t stop smiling throughout.

Favourite book to film adaptation?

I mean. Does The Half of It count, because it’s basically an adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac. Also, I don’t watch very many films full stop, so it’s gonna have to do here.

Favourite review?

My review of The Court of Miracles. Ha.

Most beautiful book you’ve bought this year?

I’ve bought hardly any books, but probably The Animals at Lockwood Manor. I mean the cover is gorgeous as an image, and it’s doubly so in real life.

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

Okay, so I try limit myself on setting concrete TBRs, because I am absolutely terrible at keeping to them. But, besides the ARCs I have currently, I want to read at least Stormblood and The Book of Lost Saints. I mean, I sort of randomly picked these two, but yeah.