This is my 9th year doing the Mid Year Freak Out Book Tag! The tag was created by Ely @ Earl Grey Books and Chami @ Read Like Wildfire.
This is my favorite tag of the year! As in previous years, I’m choosing three books for each prompt, since it’s hard to pick just one. And I’ll link to my reviews for the books I’ve read. I’m cheating a bit and including two July releases, but I’m giving myself a pass because this post is so late, lol.
Best Books I’ve Read So Far This Year:
It’s been an excellent start to the year, and I’ve read some REALLY good books! These three stand out at the moment: A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James, The Children by Melissa Albert and A Widow’s Charm by Caitlin Paxson (the big surprise here since this is a debut!)
Best Sequels I’ve Read So Far This Year:
The best sequel of the year will surely be The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley, it was outstanding! Other standout sequels are Three Hitmen and a Baby by Rob Hart and Nobody’s Baby by Olivia Waite.
New Releases I Haven’t Read But Want To:
The first two are very late review books, and Daytide is a purchase that I fully intend to read before Summer of Horror is over. I just barely started The Hive, and right away it grabbed me, so it’s just a matter of committing to an 800 page book. And I’ve read some great reviews for The Temptation of Charlotte North. All of these are a case of requesting more review books each month than I can read. I swear I’m working on that!
Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of 2025:
I have way more than three most anticipated books releasing in the next six months, but if I could only read three, these are the ones I’d pick: Exit Party, Off the Reservation and Kiss Slay Replay.
Biggest Disappointments:
I’m very sad that these are all horror! Headlights by C.J. Leede had some good ideas, but the execution utterly failed for me. Crawlspace by Adam Christopher just wasn’t that scary, and Morsel by Carter Keane was full of promise but lost me with some very unsavory animal violence.
Biggest Surprises:
Nothing Tastes as Good by Luke Dumas was (in my opinion) much better than his last book, and this one has made me a fan for life. I just don’t read much historical/epic fantasy these days, so I was surprised how much I enjoyed The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan. And Strange Animals by Jarod K. Anderson was delightfully weird with a fun plot.
Favorite New Author:
I loved Japanese Gothic, and Kylie Lee Baker is a new “must read” author for me. Likewise with Johnny Compton. His latest, Dead First, was such a surprise and I can’t wait to read more of his books. And I’m counting Jeff Rake as the new author of Detour (I’ve read many of Rob Hart’s books!). This was such a fun book, and the sequel will be out next year.
New Favorite Characters:
My review for The Farewitch of Foxe Holler will be up later this week, but I couldn’t resist highlighting this book, since the main characters, Honey and Mr. Knight, are simply delightful.
As in all of T. Kingfisher’s books, the characters take center stage, and that’s no exception with Wolf Worm, which manages to meld a horrific plot with lovable characters.
Finally, A Forest Darkly by A.G. Slatter brings readers the character of Mehrab, a middle-aged witch who refuses to be defined by her age.
Books That Made Me Cry:
On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah Yah Scholfield is both brutal and emotional, and the last part especially had me in tears.
The Girl With a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean put me through the wringer emotionally. This is a complex story with lots of surprises.
We Burned So Bright by T.J. Klune is an end of the world story with a tender romance at the center of it. It’s hard not to cry when you know what the characters are in for.
Books That Made Me Happy:
The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer was a wonderful surprise! This “book within a book” story had an absolutely fabulous twist that elevated this to the next level, and if you love books and reading, this is seriously a must read.
In Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter, the shelter cats steal the show, and the whole ambiance of the story made me happy.
Stephanie Burgis made this category last year too! This year, book two in her Queens of Villainy series, Enchanting the Fae Queen, was another delightful book that kept a smile on my face.
Biggest WTF Books of the Year So Far:
I added this category last year, and I’m keeping it this year because I’ve read plenty of WTF books!
Marcus Kliewer made it last year too. This year The Caretaker was the first WTF book I thought of!
In Teddy Bears Never Die by Cho Yeeun, a boy’s consciousness is magically transferred into a teddy bear, who ends up saving and befriending a young girl.
Bodies of Work by Clay McLeod Chapman is very hard to describe, but let’s just say it definitely deserves a place in this category.
Favorite Post I’ve Done This Year:
Here are a few posts I’m very happy with:
Celebrating 15 Years of Blogging
Favorite Books By My Favorite Authors
April Showers – Covers With Rainbow Colors
Most Beautiful Book I’ve Bought This Year:
These are just a few photos of the beauty that is Daytide by Chris Panatier. This is a limited edition by Rapture Publishing (which I believe has sold out), and it’s gorgeous on every level.
You’ve got some good ones on here (even though I haven’t read them yet ). I’m particularly interested in STRANGE ANIMALS and Klune’s latest. I almost bought A WIDOWS CHARM a couple weeks ago, but decided against it simply because I don’t know when I’d get around to it.
The Book Witch is one I really need to read. You always have all the best covers on the books you read too! This is a fun tag to do, and letting yourself pick 3 definitely helps. Like you I always have so much trouble narrowing down. I think it’s because I DNF, so if I finish a book, it’s usually because I liked it!