Friday, August 8, 2025

Discussion - Midyear Book Tag


I am a little late to the game, but I have posted this for several years and really enjoy reading everyone else's mid-year check-ins as well. This is always hard for me, but I will make an honest attempt here. 

First and foremost, let's see how many books I have read so far this year.  I am ahead of schedule which is always great, but same as previous years, my audiobook listening is down.

Honestly, something is wrong with the count on Goodreads. The widget shows 159, the landing page shows 292, but by my count, it's 194. It looks like books are being counted twice when I mark them read on my kindle and then they are marking themselves. I don't know, but I am right on track to making my goal of 250 books. 


OTHER CHALLENGES

I am confident I will finish all my challenges this year. I actually checked off my last state recently for the Literary Escapes challenge. This is the earliest I ever finished this challenge, and all the books rated 4 stars or higher. I even had a few 5-star surprises in there. 

I only have two letters left for the A to Z challenge. I do have books picked out, but if I see something else for V and Q, I may switch it up. 

The other challenges are monthly, and I have had no problem finding great books for those prompts. 

I just want to start this tag by saying I have read so many great books this year. In the first half of the year, I racked up 24 5-star books. Many were by authors who never fail to deliver for me but some were new-to-me. I did limit myself to three books per prompt - such self-control! But I know I could have gone on and one with some of the incredible books I read. 

Best Book

I really struggled with how to feature these books, and I wanted to showcase as many of my 5-star reads as possible. I have to be honest, any of my 5-star rated books fit this category. Lange and Bastone are authors who always earn high marks from me. Their books were emotional and hit me right in the feels. The same could be said for PS: I Hate You. Connolly is new-to-me, but I was very impressed and absolutely enjoyed every second of my roadtrip with these two. 

Best Sequel

I don't really read true sequels, but I have read quite a few companion books. Again, so many wonderful ones to choose from. 

New Release I Want to Read

I am the queen of CWW and Most Anticipating, but I have a habit of not reading those books. I have previously featured these three and all are available at my library - no excuses! 

Biggest Surprise

All three of these were a little outside my norm, but I am so glad I gave them a try. I was especially impressed by Capote's short stories. They packed quite a punch. 

Favorite New-to-Me Author

I was shocked to see I have read 70 new-to-me authors this year. Several also hit my 5-star shelf giving me a lot to pick from. I wanted to feature these books because they stood out to me in some way. I am still deep in my Asian Lit era and loving all the translations. Curious Kitten was very moving. The Favorites was amazing! I listened to the audiobook for this one, and it was well done. They had a great story and really breathe life into it. The concept of All the Signs was intriguing and well done. 

Favorite Debut Author

These three books were delightful! The survival adventure of Crash Landing coupled with a second chance romance was a winning formula for me. I loved the literary trip I took via Work in Progress which also featured some wonderful senior ladies. Life Hacks was so interesting, and I adored meeting that little alien. 

Made Me Cry

When does Backman and Jimenz NOT make me cry??? Their books are always moving. Damoff is new to me, but the book was an amazing family drama that span 60 years. I felt like I knew them all, and it pained me when trouble found them. 

Made Me Happy

We All Live Here and It's a Love Story was fun books packed with humor, and that always makes me happy. One Golden Summer made me happy because I loved seeing the other brother find love. I am so grateful that Fortune revisited this world and let us know how Charlie made out. 

Need to Read by End of 2025

Both Crow Talk and Twyla and Frank were anticipated books, AND I own copies. No excuse for not getting them read by year-end. Under the Southern Sky is a library hold that I have delayed 7 times. I need to commit and read it. Harvey has yet to disappoint, but I need to make sure it fits my schedule since it is a loan. 

What is the best book you have read this year?
Let us know in the comments!
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