Mid-Year Book Freak-Out Tag [2021 Edition]

 Hello! So, the lovely Katie said that anyone interested in this tag could fill it out, and, well, I'm interested.

I know that nearly September isn't exactly mid-year, but it's close enough, right? 

Anyway, let's do this. *cracks knuckles*

Best book you've read so far in 2021?

Well, ah, that's a hard one. I'm just going to talk about standalones here, to make things easier for myself.

I read a lot of really fantastic books in 2021, but my favorite just might be The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe. I don't know if that's the definitive best book I've read this year, but I love Tess Sharpe's writing style, and the story was super intriguing, and the characters were fantastic. 

I would highly recommend this, but there is a fair amount of tension, since the main characters are caught in a hostage situation, in addition to mentions of sexual abuse, child abuse, and abortions [none of which is graphic, but it's there, so if any of that triggers you, maybe skip this one].

Best sequel you've read so far in 2021?

The Lady's Guide to Petticoats in Piracy by Mackenzi Lee. 

Both this and The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue are fantastic, but I'm focusing on The Lady's Guide here. First of all, I love the pirates and adventure aspect, in addition to some great strong female characters [and a great female friendship]. Oh, a canonically  aro/ace character, because it's always great to have queer representation in books [especially since so few books have ace characters].

New release you haven't read yet, but want to?
Sweet and Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley. 

It's high fantasy with a f/f couple. I'm shocked, shocked I tell you, that I haven't read this yet. Also, the summary just sounds so interesting. 

Most anticipated release for the second half of 2021?

The Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl.

A sapphic, feminist vampire revenge book with girl gangs? Sign me up!

Biggest disappointment in 2021?

Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst. It wasn't horrible, it just relied really heavily in cliches for the fantasy world, and the characters were flat and one-dimensional, and the romance honestly wasn't that great in my opinion.

Biggest surprise in 2021?

These Witches Don't Burn by Isabel Sterling. I was expecting a cute, witchy book, which was not what I got. It turned out to be way more intense than I expected, but I did really like it. 

Favorite new author in 2021?

Jane Austen. 

I made it a New Year's Resolution of mine to read more classics, and I started with Jane Austen's, and I loved pretty much all of them. All of her heroines are so unique, her writing style is incredibly witty, and I just love her books, and can absolutely see why they're classics. 

I've actually been thinking of making a post about my Jane Austen opinions. Would anybody be interested in reading that?

Newest fictional crush/ship?

Ummm.....well, from a book I haven't mentioned before, I really do like Simon and Blue from Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. Or maybe Sophie/Howl from Howl's Moving Castle.

 As for characters with books that I've already mentioned, Nora/Iris from The Girls I've Been. Blue/Gansey and Ronan/Adam from The Raven Cycle Lizzie/Darcy from Pride and Prejudice.

Newest favorite character?

Only one? I love too many of them. 

Well, not mentioning any of the books above, The Raven Boys + Blue from The Raven Cycle. Each one of them is great in their own way, and I adore all of them.

Book that made you cry in 2021?

Umm....I don't know if any of them actually made me cry? I didn't read a whole lot of sad books. 

I mean, I guess the closest thing to a sad book that I read in 2021 was Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia. It didn't make me cry, but there were some things in it that really hit hard.

Book that made you happy in 2021?

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde. It has so much well done representation [a Chinese-Australian bisexual girl and a plus-size autistic girl with social anxiety are the main characters, and their love interests are, respectively, a black, queer woman, and a Hispanic boy], plus there are a LOT of movie references and geekdom, which made me very happy.

Favorite book-to-film adaptation you saw in 2021?

The 2019 Little Women! It was very different from the book, but in a good way, and I love the focus on each of the different sisters. 

Favorite bookish post you've done in 2021?

Mmmm....I haven't done a whole lot of bookish posts besides reviews. Maybe my Pride Month recommendations? 

Here's the link.

Most beautiful book you bought in 2021?

I think Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco has a pretty cool cover.

Also, Far From You by Tess Sharpe.

Book you need to read by the end of the year?

This Coven Won't Break by Isabel Sterling. 

Also, Dracula by Bram Stoker. I will read almost anything with vampires [not Twilight, though]. 

Alright, since it's past mid-year, I'll just nominate anyone who wants to do this. 

So, let's chat. Do we share any bookish opinions? Have you read any of these? Feel free to talk about them in the comments below.