2020 End of the Year Freak Out Book Tag!

I wanted to do some kind of “end of the year” book tag, but I didn’t want to do the one that I’ve seen floating around. So I took the Mid Year Freak Out Book Tag and twisted it into the End of the Year Freak Out Tag, simply because I like these questions a lot. Because I’ve already covered the first six months of the year, all of the books mentioned here are books I read from July 2020 to the present. This is not my definitive “Best of the Year” list, but many of the books listed here will also be on my “best of” list at the end of this month. Also, I’m only allowing myself to pick a book once, even if it fits in more than one category. Let’s get started!

Best Books I’ve Read Since July:

I have way more than three favorites since July, but these are definitely standouts! Call of the Bones Ships by R.J. Barker blew me away, as did Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse and The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow.

Best Sequels I’ve Read Since July:

It’s a fact that sequels often don’t live up to the first book in the series, but these authors have all proved that’s not always the case. All three were excellent sequels! The Trials of Koli by M.R. Carey, Random Sh*t Flying Through the Air by Jackson Ford, and The Hive Queen by Robin Kirk.

New Releases I Haven’t Read but Want To:

Oh, the never-ending list of books I haven’t been able to fit in! These are three I’m going to try to read by the end of these year if possible: Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline, Betty by Tiffany McDaniel and Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman.

Biggest Disappointments:

I’ve had a really good reading year, and I can’t say I’ve hated anything I’ve read. But there are always books that don’t live up to your expectations, and these three fall into that category. The Factory Witches of Lowell by C.S. Malerich, because I loved the idea and I wanted to love this so much. The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry because it’s probably my least favorite Henry book. And The Rush’s Edge by Ginger Smith because I really wanted to love this, but the execution just wasn’t there for me.

Biggest Surprises:

I don’t know what I was expecting when I starting reading The Phlebotomist by Chris Panatier, but it surpassed all my expectations and then some! The cover is a little misleading and doesn’t give anything away, so that added to this being a wonderful surprise. I was also surprised by how much I loved The Bond by Robin Kirk. Again, the cover doesn’t really give you a good idea of what to expect, and it was completely different and also much better than I thought it would be. Finally, I knew The Residence by Andrew Pyper was going to be a horror story that took place in the White House, but it was so much more than that! Such a fantastic read.

Favorite New Authors:

I love discovering new to me authors, and I’m so happy to have read books by Jeremy Szal (Stormblood), P. Djèlí Clark (Ring Shout), and Clay McLeod Chapman (The Remaking)!

Books that Made Me Cry:

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab was simply amazing, and so emotional! So was Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones, a book that was tough to read in many ways.

Books that made me happy:

I loved Fangs by Sarah Andersen so much! It’s the sweetest graphic novel about the romance between a vampire and a werewolf. Just read it! Deal with the Devil by Kit Rocha was a lot of fun, and it put a smile on my face. And The Raven Lady by Sharon Lynn Fisher made me smile because I loved being back in Sharon’s magical, romantic world.

Most Anticipated Books for the 1st Half of 2021:

I mean, you may as well ask me who my favorite child is, lol. I decided to pick six highly anticipated books that come out January – June: In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce, because I can’t wait to see what she does after the amazing You Let Me In. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, because it’s Andy Weir! And The Fall of Koli by M.R. Carey because I’m both excited and terrified to see how Koli’s story ends! The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman because I loved his last book. Day Zero by C. Robert Cargill, because look at that cover! And The Eye of the Sh*t Storm by Jackson Ford because I love this series!

Feel free to do the tag yourself! And stay tuned for more “best of” lists:-D

Posted December 8, 2020 by Tammy in Best Books of the Year, Book tags / 41 Comments

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41 responses to “2020 End of the Year Freak Out Book Tag!”

  6. todd

    This list gives so much to look forward to for those of us who haven’t yet tried anything on it. And I love how almost all of it was extremely positive, showing how great a reading year it’s been.

    Reply
    • Tammy

      I really had a good year, just a few books that didn’t work that well, but overall I was pleased:-)

      Reply
  7. sjhigbee

    This is a fabulous tag – far more manageable than the End of the Year tag I’ve seen going the rounds – and I love how you answered it… I’ve noted The Phlebotomist and The Bond – not for immediate consumption, but for when I’m not feeling quite so fragile. Post-apocalyptic worlds aren’t doing it for me right now… But thank you, Tammy – great post:)) And if you don’t mind and I namecheck you – can I use this myself?

    Reply
  9. Jordan @ Forever Lost in Literature

    I like what you did with this tag! You’re really making me want to get to The Bone Ships soon since I haven’t even started it fully, and I’m SO intrigued by The Phlebotomist. I also STILL haven’t gotten to The Trials of Koli, I think I need to prioritize that soon. Unfortunately, I have to agree with The Ghost Tree being my least favorite Christina Henry book as well. I really enjoyed going through this tag, I feel like it covers a lot of great topics!

    Reply
    • Tammy

      I love this tag and I didn’t want it to just be the “mid year” version, because I had a lot of books to talk about the second half of the year:-)

      Reply
  12. Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature)

    I remember when you did the Mid Year Freak Out Tag, and I think I wanted to do it but ran out of time. So I am thinking now I want to do this one! We’ll see if I have the time. :-). Now, of the books you posted, I will also want to read REady Player Two, but I will have to listen to the audiobook as that is how I did the first one and I heard Wil Wheaton is the narrator again. Yay! I also have a copy of the The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and I need to get to that one soon! I hear such great things about it, but I tried to read The Near Witch by that author when it first came out and couldn’t get into it, so I’ve been cautious about picking it up.
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    Reply
    • Tammy

      Some readers aren’t enjoying Addie LaRue, but most of the reviews I’ve seen are good ones. I hope you get the chance to read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

      Reply
  16. Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum

    Lots of great books on here! And it’s a great idea to do an end of the year book tag! I think I might stick with a 2020 round up, or otherwise I suspect I will double up on books too much.

    Reply

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