Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag

Now that we are 6 months into the year, it's time to look back on everything that I have read... I have been seeing this tag come back into play full swing on BookTube, but actually found the questions I will be using today from a fellow blogger. Check her out here http://yabookaholic123.blogspot.com/2015/07/mid-year-book-freak-out-tag.html.

Just for statistics before we delve into this, I wanted to put out there that I have read 36 books so far this year, so I have a decent amount to choose from. You can always check out my Goodreads to see what I am reading currently- https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/44687877-abigail-woodruff

1.) Best book you've read so far in 2018

- Wow they really start this tag off with a doozy. I think if I had to choose, I would pick "A Man Called Ove" by Fredrik Backman, but I also really loved "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green, and "The Female of the Species" by Mindy McGinnis. I am about 3/4 of the way through "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett, but it might even overtake my top pick if it finishes strong!

2.) Best sequel you've read so far in 2018

- This is bizarre, but out of my 36 books I don't have any sequels! They are all first books in a series or stand-alones. I guess if I had to pick one, I would choose "Simon vs. The Homosapien's Agenda" since that is a companion novel to Albertalli's other works. Brilliant and heart-warming book that focuses on an LGBTQ+ character.

3.) New release you haven't read yet, but really want to

- This is really easy for me and piggybacks off of question #2- My answer is "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli. I have bought it already, but it's sitting on my shelf and waiting for me to get done with the half-dozen other books that I need to get to first.

4.) Most anticipated release for the second half of 2018

- "Two Dark Reigns" by Kendare Blake which is another installment in the The Dark Crowns series. The first two books were absolutely incredible, so I can't wait to see where the story goes. Also, let's give a shout-out to the first non-contemporary book on this list.

5.) Biggest disappointment

- I have had a few flops this year, but the one that disappointed me the most was "Blood Rose" by Danielle Rose. I was really excited to support a lesser-known author and a newer publishing company, but this book really let me down. The writing was mediocre and I was completely bored during the second half of the book. I have the sequel sitting on my Kindle, but I highly doubt that I will ever pick it up.

6.) Biggest surprise

- I have a few for this: "Dark Matter" by Blake Crouch is so far outside of my comfort zone. I like my YA contemporaries and adult historical fiction, so you can imagine my surprise when I fell in love with a sci-fi story that took me so far outside of my element. This is one of those books that truly blew my mind and made me think about life. I have since recommended it to multiple people with varying reading tastes that have all loved it. "The Female of the Species" by Mindy McGinnis is definitely up there as well. I had never heard of the author, or even the book before, but I thought that it was absolutely superbly written. There's a reason why it's in the running for the best book i've read this year.

7.) Favourite new author

- I think I would have to say Nicola Yoon for this, even though I have read so many incredible stories from new authors this year. "The Sun is Also a Star" was the second book that I read this year and I can still picture it clearly in my mind. The characters were complex and fun to read, the setting was so detailed that I could picture the streets on which they were walking, but most importantly is how memorable of a story she was able to write without slowing down the pace at all.

8.) Newest fictional crush

- I haven't really had a fictional crush in a long time due to the fact that I just married the love of my life and he ticks all those boxes for me. It doesn't help that I tend to read YA most of the time and am sitting comfortably in my mid-twenties now. I think if I had to choose a character that high school Abby would have crushed on, it would be Rishi from "When Dimple met Rishi". He is the definition of a gentleman and a romantic, which is something I would have totally fallen for. I'm not the "bad-boy" type.

9.) Newest favourite character

- Oh my goodness, there are so many. Mr. Bennet from "Pride and Prejudice" actually made me laugh out loud a few times, so I think that he deserves a bit of a mention. Ove from "A Man Called Ove" reminded me so much of my husband that I felt like I had to read him multiple passages, minus the fact that Ove is older and suicidal of course. Also, I am not finished with it yet, but Aliena from "The Pillars of the Earth" is such a resilient and strong female character and I love her!

10.) Book that made you cry

- For how emotional of a human I am, I do not cry very easily, but "A Man Called Ove" had me in tears twice. I cannot recommend it enough!

11.) Book that made you happy

- All of the cute contemporaries had me grinning these past 6 months: "The Sun is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon, "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon, and "Love and Gelato" by Jenna Evans Welch.

12.) Favourite book to movie adaptation that you've seen this year

- I am definitely going to be following the crowd with this one, but "Love, Simon" based off of "Simon vs. The Homosapien's Agenda" was amazingly done. I can't wait to see "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" and "The Hate U Give".

13.) Favourite review you've written this year

- I will have to send you over to my older blog for this one. I had originally planned on bringing some of my older blog posts over to this new site, but formatting turned out to be a nightmare. That being said, I still have great content from the past few years over there, so you should check it out. I got "Children of Blood and Bone" as an ARC this year, which is one of my highlights as a blogger and I am proud of the review that I posted the day before it's release. https://justyouraveragebookreview.blogspot.com/2018/02/children-of-blood-and-bone-review-non.html

14.) Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year

This cover of "Pride and Prejudice" makes me swoon whenever I look at it. Not only are the drawings pretty, but the colour scheme is super interesting and unique as well.