The Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag

Although we have a whole bunch of other backlisted tags that we’ll be getting through in the next few months, when Ellyn @ Allonsythornraxx tagged us to do the Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag  created by Chami & Ely  we figured we’d better do it before the end of the year came around! And so here you have our answers, with our typical shenanigans when we’re having difficulty answering a question. As always, all covers link to Goodreads! Now, onto the questions!

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2019.

Malka: Wow. This one starts with what is usually a difficult question. But I actually have an answer this time! Red, White, & Royal Blue completely won my heart when I read it last month! I want everyone to read it and can easily see myself rereading it! Possibly even this year!

I’m also going to give a disclaimer that from here on, every positive question listed in this tag – favorite new author, favorite character, book that made you happy – I wanted to answer with this book. I didn’t because that would be boring. You’re welcome.

Chana: I’ve read so many fantastic books so far this year, but I’ve decided to mention a book that I haven’t mentioned in a tag before  The Binding was definitely one of the best books I’ve read in 2019. The story and concept was so interesting, and I loved the structure of it as well.

2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2019.

Malka: I actually have not read very many sequels. Most of the sequels I did read were companions in actuality. And none of those particularly stood out to me. So I’m going to cheat for this answer and go with the second book I’ve read by a particular author. With the Fire On High is not a sequel or companion to The Poet X, but it was just as wonderful. I cannot wait to see what Elizabeth Acevedo writes next!

Chana: Legendary!! I really was not a fan of Caraval, but Legendary really redeemed the series for me. It was a great book by itself, but as a sequel it was even better.

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

Malka: If I’m Being Honest! I’m really excited for that book, but for some reason I haven’t picked it up yet. Although, with the weather getting nicer each day, I’ll probably pick it up sometime soon!

Chana: Hahaha, so many. Where to begin. King of Fools, Here and Now and Then, Once & Future. These are just few of many.

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.

Malka: WAYWARD SON! This will be my answer until I have the book in my hands and have read it!

Chana: I’ve had my eye on House of Salt and Sorrows for awhile now, and I’m reallyyyy looking forward to that one. Dark retelling of a classic fairytale? Sign me up!

5. Biggest disappointment.

Malka: Ooof. Unfortunately I have a few of these I can pick from. I’m going to choose The Unhoneymooners. I know that a LOT of people loved this one, but disappointed is exactly the right words to describe my feelings about this book. I was enjoying it for most of the book, but some things happened at the end that I don’t think were handled well. Thus my disappointment.

Chana: I was a lil’ bit disappointed with The Meaning of Birds. Don’t get me wrong though, it was a good book! I just think that I was looking forward to it for so long that I hyped it up in my head like crazy, and then it just didn’t live up to the hype.

6. Biggest surprise.

Malka: Things I’m Seeing Without You. I got this book at BookCon 2017 and tried picking it up a while back, but I didn’t like it. So imagine my surprise when I tried again in an effort to catch up on my old BookCon books before BookCon 2019, and I started enjoying it! This book is definitely not for everyone and I’m not even sure if I’d recommend it? It’s a mess. A messed up, messy mess. But I had a really fun time as I was reading the mess unfold, so it definitely fits for this prompt!

Chana: A Curse So Dark and Lonely really surprised me! I wasn’t expecting it at all. I only vaguely knew that it was a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but it was so much more than that!! I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would.

7. Favorite new author. (Debut or new to you)

Malka: This is one of the questions where I have to physically restrain myself from giving Casey McQuinston, author of Red, White, & Royal Blue as my answer. But instead I’m going to go with Lana Wood Johnson. She wrote Technically, You Started It, and I really enjoyed it! I would definitely read her next book!

Chana: Alice Oseman is SO AWESOME. I only started reading her books this year, but they’re all so good. I’m literally in love with all of them.

8. Newest fictional crush.

Malka: My answer is kind of cheating, but I’m going with Quan from The Bride Test. It’s cheating because technically I already met Quan as a side character in The Kiss Quotient. And even though he remains a side character in The Bride Test, he got more page time in this one. I really love him now and hope we get to see his story soon!

Chana: I’m not really a fictional crush type of person, so I’m going to leave this one blank and hope Malka’s answer can suffice.

9. Newest favorite character.

Malka: Penny from Lucky Penny was so much fun to read about. I have learned this year that I really like characters that are hot messes, and Penny definitely fits the bill! I mean, she’s a twenty something year old living in a storage unit and working for a 12 year old, to give you some idea!

Chana: Y’all know I hate picking favorites. But if forced, I’m going to choose Sam from The Boy Who Steals Houses. He’s so well meaning and sweet, and he’s just doing his best! Which I appreciate.

10. Book that made you cry.

Malka: Have you not heard? I’m a heartless monster that rarely cries because of books. This might also be because I don’t like reading sad books. Which means I don’t have any sort of answer for this one. Ooops!

Chana: Welllll, I don’t really cry while reading books 🤷‍♀️

11. Book that made you happy.

Malka: Kiss Number 8 had me laughing out loud multiple times! This book is also filled with LGBTQ characters and is the perfect read for Pride month! As for a book that made my happy by giving me the warm and fuzzies, I’m going to go with another LGBTQ graphic novel, Bloom!

Chana: Heartstopper was sooooo cute!! The art style was adorable, and I loved the storyline. The whole graphic novel just brought a smile to my face.

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

Malka: THIS IS SO DIFFICULT! HOW DO I CHOOSE? I’m going to go with a book that is the definition of a cover buy. My mother offered to buy me a book from the independent book shop where I live. There was a small selection of YA books, and I wasn’t interested in most of them. I ended up picking Five Feet Apart because the cover is just so pretty! The shininess and detail up close is absolutely beautiful!

Chana: Darn it, I’ve already answered The Binding for one of the questions, but OMG that book is GORGEOUS. Master of Sorrows also has a pretty cool cover. Both of these books were cover buys for me, but to be completely honest, most books are cover buys for me.

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

Malka: Kingdom of Ash. I meant to get to this one MONTHS ago but my re-read of the series got a bit stalled. Hopefully the summer will have me zipping through my re-read and finishing up this series!

Chana: The Ask and the Answer!! I started the series last year… and still have not finished it.

14. Favorite Book Community Member

Malka and Chana: It’s really difficult to pick a favorite community member! There are so many people who interact with all our posts and we love you all! We couldn’t choose just one so we’ve decided to list a few of our favorite blogs and bloggers who we frequently interact with!

Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane Books

Ellyn @ Allonsythornrax

Olivia @ Purely Olivia

Dani @ Perspective of a Writer

We tag:

The wonderful bloggers we’ve mentioned that haven’t already done this tag!

The questions are listed in the drop down below for you if you’d like to do this tag!

The Questions

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2016.
2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2016.
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?
14. Favorite Book Community Member

white divider

What book do you need to read by the end of the year? What’s the most beautiful book you acquired this year? Would you be able to pick a favorite for 2019?

Advertisement