Mid Year Book Freakout Tag ⭐ 2022 Edition

Hello fellow bookworms ⭐ It’s time for my favorite Tag of the year again! While I’m always surprised that half the year has passed already I love reflecting on how my reading has been going so far 💛 It’s so much fun to be looking back on favorites, least favorites, and other remarkable books of the first six months of the year which is why I’ll, of course, be doing the Mid Year Book Freakout Tag again! The Tag was originally created by Earl Grey Books and ReadLikeWildFire (who has since taken down the video though). This time I was tagged by the lovely Morgan @ morganisreadingagain, thank you!! 💕

I’m Tagging … 💗

• Marie & Nyx @ drizzleandhurricanebooks
• Sabrina & Veronika @ wordyandwhimsical
• Abi @ Scribbles & Stories
• Destiny @ howlinglibraries
• Lais @ thebookishkies

You Might Also Like 💗

• Mid Year Book Freakout Tag ⭐ 2021
• Mid Year Book Freakout Tag ⭐ 2020
• Mid Year Book Freakout Tag 💖 2019
• Mid Year Book Freakout Tag 🌷 2018

Best Book you’ve read so far in 2022?

How to Disappear (Sharon Huss Roat) ⭐  Unlike in the last years I didn’t have a clear contender (apart from the Nevermoor books) as I have loved all eleven 5-star reads I had so far this year 💖 My most recent favorite book is How to Disappear! It’s a fantastic book about a girl living with social anxiety and really gripped me with its authentic main character. There’s also a social media element that is handled really well and not portrayed as negatively as these things usually are. I would consider this a pretty underhyped book, so I wanted to recommend it, as it was a fantastic contemporary about Mental Health 💖 (I’m begging the author to release another book, it has been 5 years 😭)

Honorable Mentions

• I also recently read What’s Not to Love (Emily Wibberley, Austin Siegemund-Broka) and Between You, Me and the Honeybees (Amelia Diane Coombs) which definitely deserve a spot here as well 🥰

Best Sequel you’ve read so far in 2022?

Wundersmith & Hollowpox (Jessica Townsend) ⭐ I am once again talking about the Nevermoor books 😂 I read books 2 and 3 at the beginning of the year after getting all the books in beautiful Hardcover editions! I love the whimsical world of Nevermoor and found family in these books so much 🥺 The sequels were just as great as the first book and I loved getting to see more of the world and politics! I think this is supposed to become a very long series, so I’m hyped for even more content in the future ✨

Honorable Mentions

• I finally continued the Shadow Game Series and King of Fools (Amanda Foody) is a top tier sequel! 💕

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

Witchlings (Claribel A. Ortega) ⭐ SO many good books have already come out and I definitely haven’t been able to catch up with them all. I have a good feeling about Witchlings, as ever since loving Nevermoor I have been craving magical Middle Grade Fantasy books 🥰 Witchlings is about young witches, covens, and being afraid of losing your magic. The premise sounds fantastic and I hope I get to read this book soon!

Honorable Mentions

• Anatomy: A Love Story (Dana Schwartz)
• One for All (Lillie Lainoff)
• The Marvellers (Dhonielle Clayton)

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year?

Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow (Jessica Townsend) ⭐ I’m counting down the days until I can finally read the next Morrigan Crow book!! I got obsessed with this MG Fantasy series at the end of last year and I’m in luck as I read them just as the next book is on the horizon 🥳 I caught up with the Nevermoor books this March! EDIT: It looks like this got pushed back to 2023, NOOO!! I’m heartbroken 😭

Honorable Mentions

• These Fleeting Shadows (Kate Alice Marshall)
• Empty Smiles (Katherine Arden)
• The Luminaries (Susan Dennard)

 Biggest disappointment?

Strange the Dreamer (Laini Taylor) ⭐ Normally, I would have mentioned The Song of Achilles, but as I already mentioned it during my Quarter Year Book Tag, I decided to go with another unpopular opinion 🍵 While I did enjoy Strange the Dreamer (I rated it 3 stars), I was disappointed after hearing all the hype for years 😅 The main character Lazslo was interesting and I loved that he was a librarian/book lover … but the story was SO slow. The pacing was definitely off for me and I didn’t always vibe with Laini Taylor’s extensive descriptions, at times they distracted from the plot. I won’t be reading the sequel/conclusion, but I’ll give the Daughter of Smoke and Bone books a chance!

Biggest surprise?

Anxious People (Fredrik Backman) ⭐ In this section I only mention the good surprises 😄 I read Anxious People because Veronika recommended it for the 12 Books in 12 Months challenge & I trust her recommendations! I hadn’t technically read a book by Backman before, though I did a try a chapter with his most popular work ‘A Man Called Ove’ and immediately disliked it. Therefore, I was nervous about this book. Turns out: Anxious People worked really well for me! The characters could make you roll your eyes but there were also many profound and sweet moments between them. The mystery and plot were really well-written – I love books that have unexpected and surprising connections 👀 The audiobook was fantastic as well and made for an amazing reading experience!

Honorable Mentions

• Six Crimson Cranes (Elizabeth Lim)
• Daisy Jones & the Six (Taylor Jenkins Reid)

Favorite new author (Debut or new to you)?

Alexis Hall (Boyfriend Material) ⭐ I have discovered some great authors so far, so this was a hard choice. I feel drawn most to Alexis Hall right now! I loved Boyfriend Material so much, it was funny, dramatic, and romantic – exactly the kind of book I love to read 💖 I’m not only very excited for the sequel but many of Hall’s other works as well, including Something Fabulous and A Lady for a Duke (I even preordered this) 🥰

Honorable Mentions

• Ijeoma Oluo (So You Want to Talk About Race)
• Sara Barnard (A Quiet Kind of Thunder)

Newest Favorite Character?

Jupiter North (Nevermoor series) ⭐ Normally I only include characters I discovered in the current year, but I read Nevermoor towards the end of 2021 and didn’t get enough chance to gush about Jupiter 😄 I have been adoring the Nevermoor books and he’s by far my favorite character! Jupiter is this charismatic and chaotic hotel owner and basically the protagonist’s adoptive dad 🥺 I find him to be super fascinating, his charm is infectious but he also hides secrets and we don’t know much about his background so I’m intrigued 👀 I definitely hope we find out more about his past in the fourth book, that’s coming this year!

Honorable Mentions

• Quinn & Carter (Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry)
• Robin & Edwin (A Marvellous Light)

Book that made you cry?

My Brother’s Husband (Gengoroh Tagame) ⭐ This manga really got me emotionally invested, so I had to mention it! I binged the first two volumes within days as I was touched by the story of found family, grief, and trying to move on. What hit me the hardest was definitely the ending, it was bittersweet even though you always knew how it had to end. The last couple of pages really made me sob, as I had grown so attached to the characters and their journey 😭

Book that made you happy?

Act your Age, Eve Brown (Talia Hibbert) ⭐ Listening to romance books on audio is just always a good experience! I love the Brown Sisters books, but Eve Brown’s story is by far my favorite 🥰 I related to her insecurities and loved how positive she was. The romance is also my favorite out of all the books: grumpy x sunshine is an amazing trope 🥺 I just had such a good time reading this book, there was great romantic tension and lots of banter that made me grin!

Favorite Book to Movie Adaptation?

Heartstopper!! (Netflix, S1) ⭐ There’s no doubt that Heartstopper is the best adaptation of the year!! I love the graphic novels and was so happy when they announced the Netflix series (and now two more seasons 🥳). The casting was on point and I like how close they stayed to the source material – though there were of course changes as well. You could really tell that Alice Oseman was involved in the writing and show, as the adaptation had the right feel! Afterward, I of course had to reread the graphic novels 😄

Honorable Mentions

• Little Women (2019 Movie)
• The Darkest Minds (Movie)
  

Favorite Review?

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

All of Us Villains (Foody & Herman) & Queen of Volts (Amanda Foody) ⭐ There are too many books to name here, but I’m dedicating June to ClearUrSht and reading some of my Owned books, so that’s good. I hope I have read or I’m reading King of Fools by now (idk yet at the time of prewriting this post 😂 EDIT: I did it!! Very proud that I finally read this book!) 🙏🏻 I would definitely love to finish the Shadow Game Trilogy by reading Queen of Volts and Amanda Foody also had a new book coming out last year that I really need to read 💖

What is the best book you’ve read so far? What is a new release you haven’t gotten to yet? What books do you need to read by the end of the year?⭐

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