Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag
I always love reading and watching this tag when it rolls around this time of year. And when fellow book-content creator Sel (@onthebooksel) wrote their first blog post with this tag, I was inspired to finally do this for myself. So, without further ado, here is my mid-year book freak out.
Best Book You Have Read so far in 2021
This was difficult to choose because I have read over 100 books so far this year, so I chose one book I loved (that I would consider a favorite) is a new release for 2021 and an older release that I just read this year. My 2021 release that is so far my favorite was so tough to choose, but I am going to have to give it to Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. If you know anything about me, you know how much I adore Taylor Jenkins Reid, and this book did not disappoint. My previously released favorite was not difficult to choose. I read this back in April (I think) and I still cannot thinking about it. This book is Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.
I loved staying within the Daisy Jones and Evelyn Hugo world- the little easter eggs are just heartwarming and fill me with so much joy. I loved being in the 1980’s in Los Angeles as well. While I was not alive in the 80’s, I am a Los Angeles native and it filled me with such happiness reading about Malibu, which is one of my favorite places in the world. I found these characters so intriguing. I couldn’t help but fall in love with the family and I could not stop trying to unspool the threads that make up each character. If you loved Daisy Jones and the Six and/or The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, then I can almost guarantee you will enjoy this book. It is a perfect summer read.
Previously to reading this, I had no interest in reading this novel. But my roommate could not stop raving about this book, so I had to pick it up. And I am so glad I did. This had heart, it had love, it had struggle- it had everything you could ever look for in a coming of age novel. It seriously may be the best coming of age story I have ever read. The characters felt so real to me; every emotion they felt I also felt. I feel like this was more of an amusement park of emotions, not just a singular roller coaster. This book even unlocked my love of Southern (American Southern, but i would be interested in reading about other countries “southern”) setting novels. If you have not yet picked up this book, I highly recommend it.
Best Sequel You Have Read so far in 2021
I have not read too many sequels this year, so I had a smaller pool to pick from. But my favorite I have read so far is Darius the Great Deserves Better by Adib Khorram. I read the first book in 2o20 and it was one of my favorites of the year. While I did not enjoy this book as much as the first, I still loved it tons.
I love that this is queer, authentic, and humorous. It deals with issues that every person, whether young or old, goes through. I loved how the author was able to weave humor and joy into the sadness and the heaviness of the story. I think it was a beautiful conclusion and a beautiful story overall.
New Release You Have Not Gotten to Yet
There are SO MANY new releases I haven’t gotten to yet, so narrowing this down was a real struggle. That being said, there is one book that stands out amongst the rest. This book would have to be Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim.
I love this author’s previous duology, the Blood of Stars duology. I know that the duology has mixed reviews, but I absolutely love it. So when the author announced this book, I immediately added it to my Goodreads TBR. The fact that I haven’t gotten to it yet is honestly a crime against myself.
Most Anticipated Release for the Second Half of 2021
I’m excited for tons of the titles coming out the second half of this year. But this title I’m excited for in particular for two reasons: one being that the author is amazing. I interacted with them during a panel at YallWest and they were so kind and funny I instantly fell in love. Secondly, the premise sounds like it was made just for me. It’s a sapphic, dark academia, mystery, thriller. Seriously, it sounds perfect. The book I’m talking about is A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee.
A gay dark academia is just perfect. And Victoria Lee is just so smart, funny, and talented that I literally cannot wait to pick this up.
Biggest Disappointment of 2021
Most of the books I have read this year have actually been quite good. But of course, there will always be books that don’t live up to the hype- whether that hype is from the internet or your own internal hype. This author always ends up on my favorites list, but this time I was very disappointed. This book is, of course, Later by Stephen King.
I just found this story dull and unoriginal. From an author with the notoriety of Stephen King, I am expecting a lot more out of this than what I got. To be perfectly honest, this was mediocre at best.
Biggest Surprise of 2021
I read this for a 24-hour readathon because it was available at my library and it was a quick audiobook. I was expecting a cheesy YA high school story, but I got so much more. This book is Rules for Being a Girl by Candace Bushnell and Katie Cutugno.
I was shocked by the content in this book. I was truly expecting a vapid protagonist, and I got more. Of course, it was still a bit shallow and it barely touched the surface of feminism and what feminism actually is. But this was way darker than expected. And as you know, I love a dark book. I don’t necessarily think this book is for everyone, but it is definitely the most shocking book I’ve picked up this year.
Favorite New Author
I have only read one of her books, yet I am obsessed with them. I am talking about the fabulous RF Kuang, the author of The Poppy War series. I love her writing style, I love following her on social media, and she has quickly become an auto-buy author for me.
A Book that Made You Cry
Black Girl Unlimited by Echo Brown broke me for a long, long time. But broke me in a good way (I know that makes no sense but trust me).
The writing style is what got me. This mix of magic and real is just poetry. I cannot even fathom how much this book shook me to my very core and really opened my eyes to the reality of so many young, Black women.
A Book that Made You Happy
While this had its moments of being heavy, Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers made me smile. I’m usually not a romance person, but this romance really just hit me right in the feels.
A cute gay romance is always a good recipe to get me happy, and this did not disappoint. I either absolutely love romance stories or despise them. Sometimes they are just way too cheesy, but that was not the case. This had the perfect mix of cheese and realness. If you’re looking for a sapphic romance with mental health representation, I highly recommend this.
Most Beautiful Book You Bought this Year
As a reward for hitting my Goodreads goal, I got myself some clothbound books. And of all of the clothbound books I bought, I find this one the most beautiful. And I will always be a sucker for Sherlock Holmes.
What Books Do You Need to Read by the End of the Year?
My TBR stack will forever be endless. And because I had such a problem finding just one book of a new release I want to read, I chose two more books from that. While these books could not be more different, I could not be more excited to get my metaphorical paws on these books. I have heard nothing but amazing things about these books, so I am so excited.
I really enjoyed Emergency Contact and the premise just really sounds so interesting. Chloe from @bookswithchloe and Jaysen from @ezeekat both recommended it, which is very promising because I have very similar tastes to both these creators, so I have HIGH hopes.
A dark academia thriller featuring Black excellence? Sign me the f*ck up. I have only heard glowing reviews about this book, and while I know almost nothing about this book, I have a great feeling that I am going to love it.
Favorite Book to Movie Adaptation of the Year
I haven’t watched a ton of book to movie adaptations this year, so I really had to search my brain to find one. Moxie is my choice because it is the most memorable and I did have a good time watching it.
I actually like the movie better than the book. I think it just does a better job with the overall concept in general.
Well, this is the end of the road! I was not tagged to do this, I just really wanted to write this. Thanks for reading!