2021 Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag
Hi y’all! Since the pandemic started, I have been absolutely obsessed with Booktube, and this is one of the tags many of my favorite creators have participated in. See below for a non-exhaustive list of some of my favorites. So, since this is (kind of) the middle of the year still, I figured I’d jump on the trend, blog style!
1. Best Book You’ve Read So Far: It’s a toss-up!
The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
This was the second Bennett book I’ve read (picked specifically because of how much I loved The Mothers, and the first Gyasi novel I’ve read. But I will definitely be adding Homegoing as soon as I can.
2. Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far: So this is kind of cheating because I haven’t read the first book, and this is the only sequel I’ve read so far this year, but it’s also really good! And that is Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert. I will definitely be picking up the rest of these books in the future.
3. New Release You Haven’t Read Yet, But Want to: So. Many. To. Choose. From. But I think I’m going to have to go with Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenins Reid. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo got me out of a major reading slump last year, and I’m hoping its follow-up is just as good!
4. Most Anticipated Release for the Second Half of the Year: Candidly, I don’t really keep up with new releases all that much. But the second I found out Louise Penny and Hillary Clinton were collaborating on State of Terror, I knew I would be counting down the days.
5. Biggest Disappointment: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab. So, this was the first book I read in 2021, and honestly, it did not set a very good tone for the year (although things have definitely improved). A friend of mine is a Schwab fan, so I’m definitely going to give her other works a try, but I just wasn’t feeling this one.
6. Biggest Surprise: Consent by Annabel Lyon. This was the biggest surprise for me because I didn’t expect to like it. I read the description multiple times and just didn’t strike me as something I would like. But I gave it a try, and I’m so glad I did. The dual storyline came together in such a fascinating way that I just wasn’t anticipating.
7. Favorite New Author: Yaa Gyasi
8. Newest Fictional Crush: I’m not big on fictional crushes, but I did really like Reese’s character in The Vanishing Half.
9. Newest Favorite Character: Dani Brown
10. Book That Made You Cry: Surprisingly, I haven’t read any of those yet this year, even though they’re often my favorites. I’ll keep you posted!
11. Book That Made You Happy: Heartstopper Vol. I by Alice Oseman. I’m not a big comic/graphic novel reader, but this made me want to explore the genre more.
12. Most Beautiful Book You’ve Bought So far This Year: Probably Consent by Annabel Lyon.
13. What Books Do You Need to Read by the End of the Year: I’m probably too much of a mood reader to answer this question with any conviction, but I am hoping to finish Middlemarch by George Eliot and A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James.
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