Hello everybody!
Hope you’ve all had a fabulous weekend 😊. Today I’m taking part in the Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag, for which I was tagged by Meri from Life Stained Pages.
Let’s just ignore the fact that I’m technically 2 months late in doing this, please 🙈
On with the tag!
1. Favourite book of 2017 so far– I’ve read some amazing books this year, and I have a whole host of favourites. One that sticks out is Running on the Roof of the World by Jess Butterworth. VERY few books make me cry. This managed it several times over, and I couldn‘t have been more blown away by it‘s absolute brilliance in general. If you haven‘t read it, I can‘t recommend it highly enough!
2. Favourite sequel– Some sequels which have really impressed me this year are Beetle Queen by M.G Leonard (I’ve finished both of these in one sitting, and I couldn’t be more excited about the 3rd book coming out next year), Confetti and Cake by Laurel Remington (look out for my review of this soon!) And Forever Geek by Holly Smale. I’ve just read Simply the Quest by Maz Evans over the weekend too, and it’s also a superb sequel.
3. Recent release you haven’t read yet and want to- Too many! I’m especially excited for Chris Russell’s Songs About Us and the Secrets of Supernatural Creek by Lauren St John (it has been a LONG 4 years since the last Laura Marlin Msytery, but I want to wait until I have time to reread both the White Giraffe series and the other Laura Marlin books). Also, Piglettes by Clémentine Beauvais and Being Miss Nobody by Tamsin Winter
4. Most Anticipated Release for the 2nd Half of 2017- I’m looking forward to quite a few, but I’ve had my eye on The Empty Grave by Jonathan Stroud and Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend for AGES.
5. Most Disappointing Book of the Year- I’m a pretty big Sarah Mlyknowski fan, so I was devastated by how much I disliked her newest release, The Girls’ Guide to Summer. I actually found it so bad I didn’t finish it, and I’m now unsure about whether I’ll bother with any of her other new releases after this. I honestly can’t think of a single thing I enjoyed about this book.
6. Biggest Surprise– I was so pleasantly surprised by Girl Out of Water by Nat Luurtesma! It’s the closest thing in humour I’ve ever read to Geek Girl (I think I’ve made it pretty clear how much I love Geek Girl), and I’m unbelievably excited to read the sequel next summer 🌞
7. Favourite new author- the best debuts I’ve read this year have been jaw-dropping levels of amazingness, and they are Prisoner of Ice and Snow by Ruth Lauren (I don’t want to say too much about this yet, as it isn’t out until September, but it’s so original/clever/phenomenal) and Running on the Roof of the World by Jess Butterworth.
Both of these authors are definetely new favourites of mine, and if their debuts are anything to go by, I’ll never stop reading their works! I Was also lucky enough to win a proof copy of A 2018 book by Laura Steven called the Exact Opposite of Okay, which I couldn’t have loved more! Laura is lovely too, so she is also a new favourite author of mine.
8. Newest fictional crush- I don’t really go in for these too much, but I do have a soft spot for Étienne from Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. I also loved Max from The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord, and Jones from The Names They Gave Us, by the same author.
9. Newest favourite character– I love a lot of characters! Some particular favourites this year include Noah from Noah Can’t Even, Alex from See You in the Cosmos, Elliot from Who Let the Gods Out, Wing from Wing Jones and Izzy from the Exact Opposite of Okay. I adore so many more though, these are just a couple!
10. Books that made you cry- I‘m not a big crier. As above, Running on the Roof of the World managed it, and I was tearful at a few points of the Exact Opposite of Okay too. I also cried at a certain part of the Start of Me and You. I sobbed while reading Forever Geek as well, as I was so sad about the series being over. The end pages of The Hate U Give also made me cry a little bit.
11. Book that Made You Happy- I feel like I’ve already mentioned most of the books that have made me really happy this year! Don’t want to keep naming the same books over and over 😂
12. Favoutite Book to Movie Adaptation- I can’t actually remember seeing any this year.
13. Favourite Review of 2017 – I’m proud of all my reviews, mainly. I loved writing one for Running on the Roof of the World though, as I couldn’t heap the praise it deserves on it if I live to be a thousand. I think I’ll feel similarly with my reviews for Prisoner of Ice and Snow and Exact Opposite of Okay.
14. Most Beautiful Book You’ve Bought this Year- This one is hard! I picked up Emery Lord because of her covers, which I’m really pleased about. I also bought Sea by Sarah Driver partly for the cover, but I didn’t love it, so I slightly regret that one. I’ve not read it yet, but Alice Broadway’s Ink was also choose from the cover! I buy based on covers more than I should… 😂
15. Books You Need to Read by the End of the Year- I have, like most bookish people I know, got a slightly out of control TBR. I need to read as much of that as possible, and I’d also like to slot in some rereading of favourite books like the 39 Clues series, Pony Club Secrets series and Lauren St John’s 2 middle grade series. I’d also like to read some more children’s classics. Some particular priorities are the Wolves of Willoughby Chase, The Starlight Barking and Gobbolino the Witch’s Cat!
Thank you so much for reading! I hope you’ve enjoyed the post. I’m tagging my friend Louise from Book Murmuration! I‘d love to hear about some of your favourites of the year so far in the comments!
Amy xxx
