Mid-Year Freak Out

Mid-Year Freak Out Tag!

I was tagged by the fabulous Maddie from Munch Reviews. I stumbled across her blog just recently but formed an instant connection – she has the heart of a true blue beautiful nerd and I have found more than a few fantastic reads on her blog. If you haven’t been to her site yet – take a moment and check it out. Thanks for the tag Maddie!

This is such a fortuitous tag because I really need to stay organized with my reading, challenges, logging my books, and reviewing for the year. This tag was such a swift kick in the butt to make sure I was staying on top of the organization part of my love of reading.

Below are responses to the mid-year freak out tag but if you are interested in how my 2018 Challenges are going feel free to check out my Challenges page.

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Best Book So Far This Year

I have read a LOT of children’s fiction in the first half of the year but these two have been my favorites so far. The Seventh Most Important Thing and Bob are sweet and true like fantastic books need to be.

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Best Sequel So Far in 2018

Penny Reid is my go-to recommendation for contemporary romance. Her books are smart, funny, and filled to the brim with women I would gladly pay money to be my friends. I have been waiting for Dan the Security Man’s story since her very first book. Scenes from the Hallway are short stories between Dan and Cat and Marriage of Inconvenience is their whole story finally told. I read Scenes several times and Marriage twice because Ms. Reid’s writing is just that good.

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The New Release I Haven’t Read Yet but Want To

Madeline Miller’s first book remains as one of my

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Most Anticipated Release for 2018

Are you sensing a theme here? Penny Reid has another book in a different series of hers coming out at the end of July. I cannot wait to read Roscoe’s story! And, Kill the Farm Boy debuts mid-July and I feel like I have been waiting for this book for a year.

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Biggest Disappointment of This Year

Ashley Poston’s Geekerella was one of my favorite books of 2017. I was beyond excited about her new re-telling of Anastasia but I think I out-hyped myself. This is the first in the series and I am really hoping that the second and third book will bolster this first book. It was far from bad but I was disappointed.

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Biggest Surprise

Tim Peake’s Ask an Astronaut is so far outside of my comfort zone but it is such a fantastic non-fiction space read that I had a really hard time returning it to the library. I have also been reading a lot of graphic novels and The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang came out of no where (for me) and really affected me. It is such a gorgeous and heartfelt story that I cannot stop talking about it.

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Favorite New to You or Debut Author

I first picked up Sandhya Menon’s When Dimple met Rishi to fulfill a challenge choice and just adored her first novel. I have been looking forward to reading her second novel From Twinkle, with Love but the book buying ban (and the wagon I’m back on) has kept me from picking it up. Thankfully, my June OwlCrate just arrived – with Twinkle inside! I’m finished it quickly and the review is coming soon. Both books are quick cute reads (perfect for summer) but I deeply appreciated the cultural references that gave the tried and true romance genre a lovely kick.

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Newest Fictional Crush

While I love reading romantic interactions, typically what works for a romance story would make me insane in reality. The drama!!!  I just don’t have the energy.

Instead of fictional crushes I experience a third-wheel excitement for the couple itself. So, I can only give you all my favorite couple from this year:

Melanie Summers’ Crown Jewels trilogy is adorable and I really enjoyed watching Arthur and Tessa’s relationship develop. Similarly, The Hating Game by Sally Thorne had a swoon-worthy male and female character relationship but I wouldn’t have been able to handle that much drama and upset in real life. This book though is a must read for all romantic hearts.

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New Favorite Character

This category has another tie between Keita Mori from The Watchmaker of Filigree Street and Amari from Children of Blood and Bone.

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Book That Made Me Cry

All three of these made me happy cry.

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Books That Made Me Happy

Every single book I review on SilverButtonBooks is a book that makes me happy because I don’t do negative reviews. But, here are two that surprised me by making me happy.

My Lady’s Choosing is an interactive romance book that took me right back to the choose your own adventure books of my childhood. Brazen is a graphic novel that highlights rebel ladies. Both books struck an unusual chord with me – My Lady’s Choosing for reminding me why I loved those crazy adventure books and Brazen for inspiring me to read more biographies.

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Favorite Book to Film Adaptation

I don’t have a new one from this year! I have Simon on my shelf to read and I suspect that it will be high up there and Crazy Rich Asians was such a fun book but I haven’t seen the film yet.

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Favorite Post You Have Done This Year

This would be my favorite post of the year. The Watchmaker is such a special book and the review flowed and I felt, for once, that my review actually encapsulated my love for this story.

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The Most Beautiful Book You Bought This Year?

These two books I held and wandered around the store promising myself I would put them back. But, in the end, I just couldn’t. And, like any art form, I can’t really explain why these books appeal to me so much but they are my favorite from the first half of 2018.

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Books to Read By The End of the Year?

Oh Lord, so many books! And they just keep publishing new wonderful books that I am desperately excited to read. And then I head over to the library to escape this wretched heat and I find more books to read.  I direct you again to my challenges page where I see that I really need to start on more historical fiction.

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And there is it! My mid-year freak out. Sincere thanks to Maddie for tagging me and getting me to organize my thoughts with this tag. In return, I tag

Ryan,

Cathy (my favorite blog for historical fiction) and

Molly!

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Tell me, please!

How is your 2018 reading going? Are you rock steady or freaking out?

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