TAG: Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag

Hey there bookworms,

today I have my first tag for you! The Mid-Year Book Freak Out tag has been around various social media sites for years (I actually did it on my (now inactive) booktube channel once), and this year I was tagged by one of my tumblr friends, Anni from libri-et-coffea.

So let's get straight into the questions!

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2020: Definitely Skyward by Brandon Sanderson. I loved everything about it and it's clearly one of my new all-time favorites.

2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2020: That honor has to go to Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff, the final book in the Nevernight chronicles, which is one of my favorite fantasy trilogies. It's just such a creative and masterfully told story!

3. New release you haven’t read yet: Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, the sequel to their ya sci-fi Aurora Rising, and also Vengeful by V.E. Schwab, the sequel to the adult sci-fi/superhero novel Vicious.

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year: I haven't really given this much thought, since my most anticipated book for the entire year is already out (The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes). Maybe Skyhunter by Marie Lu because she's one of my favorite authors, and this book has gotten a cover recently which made me excited for it. I’m also excited for Seven Devils by Laura Lam & Elizabeth May, a queer, feminist space opera!

5. Biggest disappointment: There really wasn't a book I've been disappointed in so far. I didn’t rate any book lower than 3 stars yet (which was The Game Master by James Dashner), but I only read this as a filler book, not expecting anything special anyway, so I can’t say I was disappointed.

6. Biggest surprise: I guess that would be Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas. I initially hadn’t planned on reading this book and I knew nothing about the characters going into it, so I didn't expect to have so much fun reading it!

7. Favorite new author (debut or new to you): Brandon Sanderson. I’ve only read one book by him so far, but I’ve heard nothing but great things about his other books, and I can't wait to check for myself!

8. Newest fictional crush/newest favorite character: Surprisingly, I don’t have a new fictional crush (at least not from books, cough cough). (How has this happened? I usually fall for characters faster than I can say "I like love you")
But Spensa Nightshade from Skyward is definitely among my new favorite characters!

9. Book that made you cry: I have to mention Darkdawn again. This book destroyed me in more than one way!

10. Book that made you happy: And here again, it's Skyward. (Yeah, this one also made me cry and that more than once, but it also made me incredibly happy. I might dedicate a post to these books once I've read the sequel, who knows.)

11. Favorite book to film adaptation you saw this year: I don’t think I’ve seen any adaptations this year yet. I've been mostly watching tv shows, and I haven't been to the movie theater in ages because, surprise, they're all closed at the moment...

12. Most beautiful book you’ve bought or received this year so far: Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. I impulse-bought the German edition (one of my talents btw), and while the English editions are pretty too, I prefer mine!

13. Books you need to read by the end of the year: I need to finish The Hobbit asap because I started it months ago and I haven't been making any progress in a long while. Other than that, I finally need to read Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas, the 7th and final book in the Throne of Glass series, and, most importantly, I can't wait to read Starsight by Brandon Sanderson. I've recently ordered it and hope it arrives soon!

This was it for today! I've read 28 books so far this year (and a couple of fan fictions, yes) and they were all decent, if not great reads! How many books have you read? Did you discover any new favorites? And what are some books you can't wait to read in the second half of 2020? As always, feel free to reach out to me, and happy reading!

~ Anni