Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag {2016}

I’m doing the Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag because — gasp! — we seem to be halfway through the year? HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE??? (See me freaking out here? Ahem.)

Anyways, this is a tag which went around a bit LAST year around the mid-way mark and which Cait @ Paper Fury did one time and left open for people to grab — so I’m stealing it and using it! A year later. But still. 😉

I’ve read 47 books this year! Yay! 🙂 Which means there’s only a baker’s dozen of Dwarves of a number of books left for me to hit my “goal” of 60. Obviously I hope to read more, but that’s my minimum goal. 🙂

See the books I’ve read here if you’re curious, with handy links to books and all that. ^_^ (I loveth Goodreads and their reading challenge usefulness.)

Now on to the questions . . .

1. BEST BOOK YOU’VE READ SO FAR IN 2016.

*squirms* HOW CAN YOU ASK ME THIS. Ahem. Mmm… probably Paper Crowns by Mirriam Neal, and Fire and Hemlock and Deep Secret (both by Diana Wynne Jones).

2. BEST SEQUEL YOU’VE READ SO FAR IN 2016.

Defying Shadows by Ashley Townsend. Yessssss. It’s a really fabulous sequel. 😀

3. NEW RELEASE YOU HAVEN’T READ YET BUT WANT TO.

The Crown’s Game by Evelyn Skye. Cuz Russian fantasy sounds yum.

4. MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR.

I can’t pick just one. THESE THOUGH! Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter, The Silent Songbird by Melanie Dickerson, Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo, King’s Blood by Jill Williamson.

5. BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT.

Wolf Tower by Tanith Lee because… ARGH I AM SAD. D: It was good overall, but I really really really liked a character who turned out… not likeable. And that left me kinda crushed.

6. BIGGEST SURPRISE.

Hmm. Maybe The Castle Corona by Sharon Creech, or The Map: A Jackaby Story by William Ritter. Both of which I expected to be fun, but I did not expect to really love. Or possibly Defying Shadows by Ashley Townsend…

7. FAVOURITE NEW AUTHOR.

I’m going to take this as “new to me” author, since as far as I know, not a single author I’ve read this year has debuted this year… Ahem.

Aaaand… I’m going to go with Hazel B. West and Terry Pratchett!

Specifically because I read Blood Ties by the former (a review book; my review), and Guards! Guards! (for March Magics) by the latter, both of which were amazing, and I want to read more by them! 🙂

(BUT ALSO CAIT @ Paper Fury. Because I read a whole (unpublished) book by her this year finally (and hadn’t before) and WHAT she needs to be published ASAP.)

8. NEWEST FICTIONAL CRUSH/SHIP.

Hmm… I’m not the best “shipper”… but I will say that Hal & Ginny from Paper Crowns by Mirriam Neal, and Will and Sarah from the Rising Shadows trilogy by Ashley Townsend, are both SO adorbz. ❤

(I found this on pinterest and it reminded me of Will and Sarah, even though it’s not official or anything. :P)

(And there’s Ginny and Hal themselves! ^_^ …He’s a shapeshifting cat. 😉 HOW COOL IS THAT.)

Aaand I wouldn’t say “crush”, exactly… But a few characters I’ve read this year who I think are really awesome would include Jackaby from the Jackaby books by William Ritter, Tom Lynn from Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones, and Halcyon and Azrael from Paper Crowns by Mirriam Neal. Cuz they’re the best, obviously. 😉 There are MANY awesome characters though so I will stop now and not be here all day. XD

(Jackaby from the cover of Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter. HIS SCARF THOUGH. <3)

(This reminds me of Tom Lynn and his cello. ^_^ Pinterest)

(I can’t find a satisfactory picture of Halcyon’s face since I have a particular image in my mind which doesn’t exactly match the author’s new images on pinterest. XD But this is totally Hal from behind at least, so. Pic from pinterest.)

(AZRAEL. THAT IS ALL. Pinterest)

9. NEWEST FAVOURITE CHARACTER.

Newest as in recentest? Ummm… probably Snufkin from the Moomin books by Tove Jansson. Snufkin is fabulous. 😀

10. BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY.

I don’t actually cry at books all that often… Buuuut… The Golden Braid by Melanie Dickerson. Happy tears. ^_^ Also, pretty much, Defying Shadows by Ashley Townsend.

11. BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY.

Paper Crowns by Mirriam Neal. SO MUCH HAPPY. ❤

12. FAVOURITE BOOK TO FILM ADAPTION YOU SAW THIS YEAR.

Goodness, have I SEEN any? o.o I… don’t always keep track of movies I see, either. But I’m going to go with the Jeeves & Wooster TV show because it’s fun, and Sherlock: The Abominable Bride, because while it may have been very different, it was at least chock-full of references and nods to the book and I just really really liked it. 😀 (And before you complain “Those aren’t films, they’re TV!” — well, even though Sherlock is a TV show too, this one totally counts as a “film” because I saw it in theaters. So there.) …These also both happen to be some of my favorite “buddy-film” buddies. Can’t beat Holmes and Watson and Bertie and Jeeves. ^_^

13. FAVOURITE POST YOU HAVE DONE SO FAR THIS YEAR.

Here are a few from around here that I’m moderately fond of…

• My Diana Wynne Jones Journey (So Far)
• Top Ten Tuesday: Books and Songs
• Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones
• The Skin Map by Stephen R. Lawhead
• Foreword (first post)

14. MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK YOU’VE BOUGHT SO FAR THIS YEAR.

The Thaw books by E. Kaiser Writes, Paper Crowns by Mirriam Neal, A Spy’s Devotion by Melanie Dickerson, and Songkeeper by Gillian Bronte Adams. They are my PRECIOUSSSS. *strokes covers*

15. WHAT BOOKS DO YOU NEED TO READ BY THE END OF THIS YEAR.

OH, SO MANY. But a few include:

The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde, The Healer’s Apprentice, The Merchant’s Daughter, and The Silent Songbird by Melanie Dickerson, King’s Warrior and Second Son by Jenelle Schmidt (and perhaps the final book??? If it’s moving toward publication this year or next??? Speaking of which, if An Earthly King by Hazel B. West, sequel to Blood Ties, comes out later this year, I need to read that one too!), the Thaw and Five Gems books by E. Kaiser Writes, Twinepathy by C.B. Cook, Sabriel by Garth Nix, Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter, Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo, and finish the Bright Empire Series by Stephen R. Lawhead.

That’s only the tip of the iceberg… So much reading I want to do! *flails excitedly* (No delusions I’ll actually get to everything I want to read, but still. ;))

AAAAND I TAG:

(I’m bad at tagging people and tend to tag the same people over and over, for which I apologize… Obviously no pressure to do it if I tag you and you don’t feel like doing it. 😉 And if you’d like to be tagged with bookish tags around here in the future, tell me in the comments! In the meantime, I tag…)

Shantelle // Sarah Taleweaver // Jenelle // Madeline // Lauri // Abi // Mary Horton // Savannah // Victoria Nightsky // YOU if you want to!

Or answer some of the questions in the comments! 🙂

How about you, fellow page-dreamers? Are you freaking out at the year being half over (!!!)? Have you read a lot of good books this year? What are your summer reading plans? What’s the best book YOU’VE read this year? Tell me all! 🙂

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TTT: Book Categories to Read More Of In 2016

I’m linking up with Top Ten Tuesday (from The Broke and the Bookish) because I love lists and I love books and this weekly meme is all about both. So join in if you like!

Today’s prompt is: Top Ten Resolutions We Have For 2015, which I’m putting a slight twist on.

I want to read more of these ten categories, and I’m listing some books in each category that I want to read soon if I can. (Yes, this makes for over 50, and I’m only scratching the surface… What can I say? There are a lot of books I want to read…)

Here they are, in no particular order. (Also, I’m too tired to link to all the books, but they’re all on my Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/DeborahOCarroll)

Steampunk

I discovered Steampunk last year (I’ve read three so far) and I really want to continue with the genre!

The Mark of the Dragonfly // Airborn // The Locket Thief // Larklight // Leviathan

Heists

I also discovered heists/con-artist-y books last year, and they’re fun to read, just for the cleverness of them. I have some I’d like to read that are contemporary, and some medieval fantasy… a bit of everything.

Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident // The Heist // The Thief Lord // The Thief // Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman?

High Fantasy

I really miss medieval/high fantasy. I used to read a lot of it… Most of what I read used to be in this category, but I haven’t in awhile, so I’d like to get back into it.

The Riddle // Ranger’s Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan // In the Hall of the Dragon King // King’s Warrior // Moonblood

Historical Romance

I’m not much of a historical/regency-type romance reader, but I’ve gathered a few that I’d like to get around to. (Especially Georgette Heyer and Melanie Dickerson!)

Northanger Abbey // Wuthering Heights // Mist of Midnight // The Healer’s Apprentice // Devil’s Cub

Mysteries

I do love a good mystery — especially short stories — and don’t read enough of them.

Father Brown (reread) // Double Sin // Sherlock Holmes (reread) // The Red House Mystery (reread) // Lord Peter

Flintlock Fantasy/1700s/Historical Fantasy

This is rather thrown together with a lot of categories, but I love the eighteenth-century setting with muskets and all, and if it has fantasy thrown in, all the better. I’m not real particular about whether it’s set in our world or another, just give me all the muskets and tricorn hats! (Pirates or Highwaymen are, apparently, a plus.)

Thieftaker // Piratica // The Highwayman’s Footsteps // Captain Blood // The Accidental Highwayman

Retellings

I love a good retelling, whether it be of a fairytale, or Robin Hood or Arthurian.

The Ryn {snow white and rose red} // Cruel Beauty {beauty and the beast} // Hood {robin hood} // The Perilous Gard {tam lin} // The Night Dance {arthurian/twelve dancing princesses}

Favorite Authors

Sometimes in a rush for the new, I put off books by authors I already love… even though I’m already fairly certain the books will be fabulous, especially when they’re by authors such as: Diana Wynne Jones, P.G. Wodehouse, Geraldine McCaughrean, Eleanor Cameron.

Julia’s Magic // A Tale of Time City // The Tough Guide to Fantasyland // The Glorious Adventures of the Sunshine Queen // The Code of the Woosters

Tolkien (Yes, this is a category in itself.)

As my favorite author, I have several books by or about J.R.R. Tolkien which I’ve not read yet, and I’d like to read some of them soon.

The Maps of Tolkien’s Middle-earth // Sauron Defeated // The Fall of Arthur // The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien // Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Rereads

There are so many good books I’ve read that I miss and want to revisit, or don’t remember. These are just a few…

Westmark {Westmark Trilogy} // The Book of Three {Prydain Chronicles} // The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet {Mushroom Planet series} // The Dark Hills Divide {Land of Elyon} // The Dark is Rising {The Dark is Rising Sequence} // The Gammage Cup // The Chronicles of Narnia // Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter // Mara, Daughter of the Nile // The Lord of the Rings (and the Silmarilion) // By Darkness Hid {Blood of Kings Trilogy}

Bonus

I’d also like to read more non-fiction, more e-books, and a few Star Wars, as well as go to the library more often.

Are there book categories you’d like to read more of?

What are your 2016 bookish resolutions?

~

Dream away in those pages!