Hey everyone! We’re already halfway through 2019, and I have a pretty good reason to freak out about my reading this year. It’s looking more and more like I’m not going to hit that goal of 50 books read, considering I’ve only read 13 and it’s June. In light of that, I figured it only made sense to do this tag. Plus it seems like a cool way to kind of size up my reading so far this year. Maybe I’ll try to make this a yearly tradition, if I think of it this time next year.
Also, be warned, there are 13 questions, and like I said, I’ve only read 13 books so far this year… so depending on what the questions are, there might be repeat answers. I’ll do my best to mix it up, though.
#1: Best book you’ve read so far in 2019.
Out of the 13 books I’ve read so far this year, only one has received 5 stars, so I guess I have to go with that one. That book is Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor, which was just a beautiful reading experience. I want to read Muse of Nightmares soon, but I don’t own that book, so I’m going to have to figure out a way to get my hands on it.
#2: Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2019.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I’m finally getting around to reading this series, and so far, each book has been better than the last. I’m hoping that trend will continue as I read the rest of the series (which, if you were around back when I posted my reading/blogging goals for 2019, then you know that I hope to do that by the end of the year).
#3: New release you haven’t read yet but want to.
Again, but Better by Christine Riccio. I feel like I’ve talked about this book a lot so far this year, for not having read it yet. This was probably in the top 2 or 3 of my most anticipated releases for this year, it came out over a month ago and I’ve had it in my possession for at least a month. And yet it’s still sitting unread on my shelf. I need to get to it as soon as possible.
#4: Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.
This one’s a no-brainer for me. My answer is Starsight by Brandon Sanderson, the sequel to Skyward that comes out in November. You all know about my not-so-subtle obsession with Brandon Sanderson’s novels, so of course I need to read this book as soon as it comes out.
#5: Biggest disappointment.
Even though I rated it 4 stars, I’m going to have to go with The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale for this one. I still really liked it, of course—I mean, I gave it 4 stars—but I had thought I would love it. It’s a fantasy set in a kingdom that’s based on a fairytale, all elements that I love. Even though it was still a good book that I would generally recommend, it’s not a new favorite. I don’t think I’ve even thought much about it since I finished reading it. I do plan on eventually reading the rest of the series, though.
#6: Biggest surprise.
Definitely The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson. I originally read this book a few years ago and I didn’t like it very much, so I never bothered to continue with the series, but since then, I’ve had this nagging feeling that I needed to give it a second chance. Last month, I finally did, without high hopes, and I was blown away by how much I ended up liking it. It wasn’t a 5 star read, but it was still really good, and when I finished, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t liked it the first time I read it.
Moral of the story? I guess sometimes books deserve a second chance.
#7: Favorite new author.
Evelyn Skye, hands down.
While I was in France studying abroad, I really struggled to push myself to read. I was in a major reading slump that still hasn’t entirely lifted, and it was taking me weeks to read a single book. Then, on a whim, I decided to try Evelyn Skye’s The Crown’s Game—and I blew through it in like 2 days. Then I picked up the second book in the duology, The Crown’s Fate, and read that whole book in 2 days, too. I don’t know exactly what it was, but something about the writing and the characters drew me in, and I couldn’t stop reading. I feel like I haven’t had that easy and enjoyable of a reading experience in a long time, not even for Strange the Dreamer, even though that was a 5-star and both of Evelyn Skye’s books were only 4 stars.
I think any author that can do that should be considered a favorite.
#8: Newest fictional crush.
I’ve talked about this a little before, but I don’t get crushes on fictional characters (I also don’t get them very often in real life, but that’s beside the point), at least not in the way everyone else seems to. So this question doesn’t really apply to me. If you want to talk about my newest fictional platonic crush, though, I can do that. That would be Lazlo Strange from Strange the Dreamer because he loves stories and he’s super imaginative and even if he might be a little distant sometimes, I feel like he and I could be pretty good friends.
#9: Newest favorite character.
Nikolai, particularly in The Crown’s Game. He’s such a smart guy, and his powers are so unique, and he uses them in such creative ways. I have some issues with some (okay, a lot of) the decisions he makes later on, but I find him to be such an interesting character that it kind of makes up for it. A little.
#10: Book that made you cry.
Wow, you’re learning a lot about me today. First you learned I don’t get fictional crushes and, here’s fun fact #2, I don’t cry while reading books (or watching movies, or TV shows, or whatever). The closest I’ve ever gotten to crying over a piece of media was getting a little misty-eyed, which to me, doesn’t count.
It’s not that I don’t get emotionally invested, because I do. I guess I just don’t get as emotionally invested as most people do. Maybe there’s something wrong with me—I don’t know. I just know that it takes a whole lot for me to even get that misty-eyed feeling, and none of the books I’ve read so far this year have done that.
#11: Book that made you happy.
I read a lot of high fantasy, which isn’t exactly a fun-all-the-time kind of genre. I don’t know that there are any books I’ve read this year that I only felt happy while reading, but the closest one would probably be My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick. This book is a YA contemporary romance, so it’s got a lot of cutesy scenes. The characters also go through some struggles, but overall, this book has a really happy tone.
#12: Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year.
I really love the cover of Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston. I like the purple and the blue and the space vibes. I also like the weird bulb-shaped object in the middle. I presume that has something to do with the story, but I’m not entirely sure what, which makes the book even more intriguing.
#13: What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
Oh my gosh, so many. Apart from the ones I’m currently reading (3 books, His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik, I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson, and Part of Your World by Liz Braswell), which, since I’m reading them right now, I have to hope I’ll finish them before the end of the year, I also still need to read the last 4 books of the Harry Potter series, Thunderhead, The Bands of Mourning, and my French-language edition of A Winter’s Promise, to name a few.
In case you can’t tell, I’m a little frazzled over all the things I still have to get to.
Okay, that’s all I had for this tag! Let me know down in the comments what upcoming release you’re most excited about, because I’m always looking for new books to add to my TBR!
Thanks for reading, everyone! I’ll see you next time!
-Ariel