2019 Mid-year Freakout Tag! (a.k.a. making up for my laziness last year)

Long time no see blogosophere citizens! I was poked last year by another blogger to do this tag, but in typical “me” fashion, I forgot to publish my answers on time. Hahh. Can’t say this is the first time (nor the last), but I really must do a better job of chugging out my posts on time; being so slow makes me anxious at all the shite in my drafts section!

That being said, I’m on vacation right now, and so on (unannounced) semi-hiatus. Thus, I am blasting this tag out into the world before I ooze further off the web. It’s really just an excuse to finally catch up on some posts, but I’ll be taking it, thank you very much. 😉

So without further ado, let’s jump into this bad boy!

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BEST BOOK YOU’VE READ YET IN 2019

Not to ride that hype train, but The Night Circus truly is one of a kind. It is not perfect by any means (the finale had potential to be much more satisfying in my opinion), but I honestly cannot stop thinking about it–the writing is heavenly.

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BEST SEQUEL YOU’VE READ SO FAR IN 2019

The only new sequel I’ve read this year is The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden. Best installment in the trilogy, solidified the series as one of my all-time favorites. ❤

I also re-read Crooked Kingdom. (Bow down to Leigh Bardugo, ye peasants!)

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NEW RELEASE YOU HAVEN’T READ YET BUT WANT TO

Tentatively, The Descendants of the Crane by Joan He. I keep hearing via word of mouth that this book is surprisingly nuanced, so I’m eager to see if it lives up to the hype. (And it better be; I’m picky about my YA nowadays, so this dare not let me down!)

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MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR

Dead Voices, the sequel to Small Spaces by Katherine Arden. I’ve heard that this is even more spooky than the last, so I’m strangely dying to read it? Not to mention, Katherine Arden is an auto-read author for me, so there’s that. *Edit: Finished it! It was fun. :)*

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BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

*groans* Look I’m sorry ya’ll, but I really can’t with this one. I picked it up when I was in a reading slump as it promised a good enemies-to-lovers romance trope, but not only did it fail to deliver on that front, the dialogue was trying so hard to be hip and edgy and relevant that I was legit gnashing my teeth together in attempts not to cringe.

So yeah, hate this book. 🙂 Another one of my verrry popular opinions I’m sure.

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BIGGEST SURPRISE

Easy, A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge. I went in with relatively high expectations after hearing that this author is underrated, yet even then I was floored. From prose, to originality, to world-building, to political intrigue, I don’t think I have read something so weird yet enjoyable in years, so this is definitely an author I’m keeping an eye on.

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FAVOURITE NEW AUTHOR

Besides Frances Hardinge, I am adding Erin Morgenstern to my list of auto-read authors. (I can’t believe I waited so long to read The Night Circus! I’m so skeptical of hype, whyyy).

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NEWEST FICTIONAL CRUSH

Allistair from We Hunt The Flame. Mind you, I am not recommending this book since I nearly listed it as my most disappointing read of 2019, but I haven’t read many books this year that has hotties in it, so here we are: Allistair has a flirty sense of humor, some angst, a good intrigue, and most importantly, a hot bod (probably).

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NEWEST FAVOURITE CHARACTER

A minor character, sure, but The Grand Steward from A Face of Glass made me super jazzed at one point in the book. He is revealed to have separated his left and right brains from working cooperatively, so one side of his body sleeps while the other side tries to upstage the other…though they’re literally the same person! What a wild premise. 👌👌👌

For my favorite protagonist though, Zachary from The Starless Sea probably takes the cake. There is nothing that particularly “wows” me about him, but he has a likable demeanor with just the right amount of wit and snark to give him some pizazz.

“Is this the Starless Sea?”
“No, this is only a Harbor,” comes the answer. “And as I have already mentioned, it is closed.”
“Maybe you should put up a sign,” Zachary says before he can bite his tongue and the statement earns him a more withering glance than any of his math teachers ever have managed and he mumbles an apology.

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BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY

Props to The Road to Avalon by Joan Wolf for being the only new book to squeeze a few tears out of me. This is a romance-driven Arthurian retelling that reads relatively modern, so it was quite easy to relate to its characters and their woes.

I also am re-reading The Song of Achilles. What does it say about me that I’m weeping already and it’s only chapter two? 🤔 (Answer: That I’m a total and utter sap.)

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BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY

Mr Willowby’s Christmas Tree is a picture book that brings me pure joy (it’s so cute!), Small Spaces by Katherine Arden is a creepy MG book that is super fun, and lastly, the Tsubasa Chronicles is a manga I re-read for the first time in a decade, which made me happy because I was finally able to figure out what that weird finale meant. 😂

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FAVOURITE BOOK TO FILM ADAPTATION

Good Omens. I watched the show after reading the book, and it is surprisingly faithful? The two main leads have incredible chemistry (it’s exactly how I imagined it from the books), and though it’s tad extra for my taste, it’s ineffably cheeky. 😉

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FAVOURITE POST YOU HAVE DONE THIS YEAR

Hmm, either my review for The Kingkiller Chronicles or An Ember in the Ashes. It is always really cathartic for me to gather the balls to finally publish my unpopular book reviews, and oh boy were these bookish opinions unpopular. 😂 Still, catharsis!

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MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK YOU’VE BOUGHT THIS YEAR

I’ve bought only 5 books this year as I’m trying to downsize, but this cover of Uprooted by Naomi Novik is too orgasmically beautiful not to buy.

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WHAT BOOKS DO YOU NEED TO READ BY THE END OF THE YEAR

Roughly this lot? To be real though, don’t know, don’t care; any time I feel like I need to read a book, I won’t, so I try not to have a set TBR. 😉 *Edit: About to start City of Brass!*

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So those are my answers!

I have been on and off blogging due to mental exhaustion, so apologies if you don’t see me popping in often. I’ve been too busy sleeping in, devouring food, reading a lot of books, marathoning movies (namely Lord of the Rings), and falling over my feet playing badminton, so I haven’t had much time for blogging.

I’ll come oozing back as always though, so until then, happy July. 😎