Mid Year Freak Out Tag!

1. Best book you’ve read so far this year.

2. Best sequel you've read so far this year.

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

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.

5. Biggest disappointment.

6. Biggest surprise.

7. Favourite new author. (Debut or new to you)

8. Newest fictional crush.

9. Newest favourite character.

10. Book that made you cry.

11. Book that made you happy.

12. Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year (or received)

13. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

WHERE TO FIND ME:

[JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

“I don’t read happy books” took me out 😂😂😂😭

[keravnos]

Nervous for stormlight 5?! Blasphemy! And I finished a wizards guide to defensive baking last week, gotta say definitely a rainy day read

[badfaithu]

"I don't read happy books." Makes complete sense.

[ApolloLP]

The Martian Chronicles is really good! I will say since it's a collection of short stories, it's a little hit or miss. But the ones that hit REALLY hit.

[rad]

I can't believe it's already been a year since we last did this. Here's my list:

1. Best book: Tied between Solaris by Stanislaw Lem and Extreme Makeover: Apocalypse Edition by Dan Wells

2. Best sequel: The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu. Was somehow even better than the first book. Death's End was also good, but the Dark Forest was my favourite of the trilogy.

3. New release: Honestly, I've been trying to steer clear of looking at new releases until I finish my TBR although I think the newest release on my TBR list is The Otherworld by Abbie Emmons, which was released late last year

4. Most anticipated release: Again, I'm focussed entirely on finishing my TBR list, especially as I suspect I'm going to have a lot less time to read in the second half of 2024. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

5. Biggest disappointment: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carre. Has an amazing reputation but bored the pants off me.

6. Biggest surprise: The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. I'd been putting it off because I was daunted by the length and didn't really think Mistborn was anything to write home about but it turns out Way of Kings DOES live up to the hype and I ended up reading the entire book in less than a week because I couldn't put it down.

7. Is it favourite new author or new favourite author? If it's the latter, I'm gonna say John Swartzwelder, whose Frank Burly series is absolutely hilarious. If it's the former... I haven't been reading a lot of new books or authors this year. I'm beta reading for someone in my writing group and they've got something really good coming but I can't mention it publicly yet and I don't know how the finished product will look.

8. Newest fictional crush? Not book related, but I randomly started watching the 90s cartoon Gargoyles a few weeks ago and I definitely have a thing for Elisa Maza. And Fox, actually - she's evil but she's awesome.

9. Newest favourite character: I think it's Kaladin from Way of Kings. Either that or Frank Burly from the Frank Burly books... although I've got a sinking feeling I said the same thing in 2023.

10. Book that made you cry: I don't think anything made me cry this year. The Left Hand of Darkness definitely came close at the end but, you know, I'm too British to get genuinely emotional about anything.

11. Book that made me happy: How I Conquered Your Planet by John Swartzwelder. That book is too damn funny.

12. Favourite book to movie adaptation: Dune Part 2. Which is also the only movie I've seen this year.

13. Most beautiful book I bought? The edition of Solaris I bought was pretty nice. It had a shiny cover.

14. What to read by the end of the year: Can't list them all, but I'm pleased to report I'm 75% of the way through the list and need to finish by around August, before my free time likely evaporates.

[e.matthews]

Omg i didn't know you started Ambergris! Gotta go back and watch all your Vandermeer videos! What a guy 🦑

[Talking_Story]

Loved Annihilation as well. The wife and I will be getting into it on our book club this Thursday video. Changes! Service Model was my pick as well. Great Minds. We have so much in common with our Freak Out and that makes me very happy.

[ade]

I enjoyed Service Model - it's pretty different to most of Tchaikovsky's other books, which might be where people are struggling. It's more like Gulliver's Travels, and explores the nature of sentience in a more whimsical and absurdist way, rather than a deeper hard sci-fi dive like Dogs of War or Children of Time.

[bookum]

Always love how your videos are shot! Thanks for the book recs

[donkevinbrown]

i thought the Reapers Gail portion about a Particular Character who saved everyone made me cry a little. My favorite books so far this year have been The Justice of Kings - Richard Swan.

[IndustrialQueue]

I read Service Model and was delighted by the humorous speculative odyssey that is his take (roughly) on Douglas Adam’s iRobot.

[thatsci-firogue]

Guy Gavriel Kay's A Brightness Long Ago, Robin Hobb's Fool's Errand and Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove would be my favourites of the year so far. There's more I could mention but Robin Hobb would dominate that list.

[mndrew]

Given all the love for "The Dresden Files" and that you enjoyed "The Aeronaught's Windlass" I'm wondering when you're going to read the follow ups: "Warriorborn" and "The Olympian Affair"?

[HabitualBlood]

Dead Astronauts is Vandermeer's best book though!!! You gotta go through it again. And don't worry about needing to understanding it, just FEEL it.

[mariareadsssf]

I am so grateful to you. I finally had the courage to read "Annihilation" and I can't stop thinking about it. I wish I knew about it before the movie as I was spoiled for some reveals.
I am looking forward to read more books by VanderMeer.

[jordytubman]

Absolutely love Jeff Vandermeer! Can't wait for Absolution, and I need him to release that book The Stone Shed about the development along the ravine (I think that's what it's about *haha*)

[taecelle]

Hope you already heard, that in autumn comes out "Absolution" - part 4 in Vandermeer Annihilation-cycle😊

[bleachelf]

Oh, the not buying tons of books struggle. Yeah, I have strict rules about what books I buy these days, especially with libraries just being awesome.

I too am nervous for Stormlight 5. 3 was my least favorite, but followed pretty closely by 4. Worldhoppers do be stealing the spotlight and I want them gone. Just ... yeah, nervous. That's a good word for it.

Love the "pass" on the fictional crush question. <3

[shiningyoonie]

I read Annihilation this January and it's the only 5-star book I've read this year, which is sad because my reading year has been so mediocre, but great because at least there was a book that I fell in love with.

[yura_riabov]

Neverwhere (biggest surprise as well), Going Postal, Men at arms, Of War and Ruin, Sword of Kaigen and Last argument of kings are probably my favourite so far this year