Mid-Year Book Freak Out!

It's that time of the year, kids. That halfway point, where it's time to assess our reading so far. Why not do so via The Mid-Year Freak Out Book Tag. I was tagged by Tânia over at My Lovely Secret. This tag is always so difficult for me, yet I keep coming back to it.  NOTE: Any book that made this list, which I have read, is a favorite of mine and has most likely been featured in one of my Five Star Friday posts. 

It's Magic Time! Harry Potter Book Tag

I know you must be surprised to see me doing a tag inspired by the boy wizard, but although I am not a fan of his, I am a BIG fan of Tânia, who tagged me. 
(FYI: This tag was created by Book Roast, the NEWTs host)

Book Tag: Mid-Year Book Freak Out

It's that time of the year, kids. That halfway point, where it's time to assess our reading so far. Why not do so via The Mid-Year Freak Out Book Tag. I was tagged by Tânia over at My Lovely Secret. She did a much better job with this tag, than I did, because I can never pick just one of anything without some real inner struggle. NOTE: Any book that made this list, which I have read, is a favorite of mine.

Book Tag: What's On My Bookshelf?

I was tagged by the Aimee @ Aimee, Always to tell you What's On My Bookshelf?, a tag which was  originally created by Naty @ Naty's Bookshelf.

Book Tag: Mid-Year Book Freak Out

We are halfway through 2017, and I have read a lot of books, which I would like to reflect on. This tag is based on the books I read between January and June of this year. I have really been enjoying seeing others bloggers' answers for this tag, and now I submit mine.

THE MID-YEAR BOOK FREAK OUT TAG

Best Book You've Read So Far

I sort of do terrible with superlatives, because it is so hard to pick just one. I have been so book-blessed this year! Here are a few of the best books I have read so far (in no particular order)

• Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett
• A Million Junes by Emily Henry
• Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley

Best Sequel You've Read So Far

We all know I have issues finishing series, so it should come as no surprise that I have only read about 5 YA sequels. I would say the best of the bunch was Sparks of Light by Janet B. Taylor. I enjoyed this second trip into the Dim, and found the time period they visited quite interesting. Tesla is actually in this book, and he is one of my favorite scientists. That sort of gave this book an edge over all the others.

New Release You Haven't Read Yet, But Want To

I feel like a broken record, but this is an ARC I had wanted sooooooooo bad, and was not lucky enough to get. I have only read stellar reviews for this book, so it just makes me want it more. I really hope to read What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum, and gosh darn it, I am determined to read it before the end of this year.

Most Anticipated Release for the Second Half of 2017

There are so many incredible books coming out from many authors that I love. These are a few I am excited about, which I hadn't already mentioned in my Top Ten Tuesday

• Warcross by Marie Lu - I am a solid Lu fan. She authored one of my favorite series (Legend) and early reviews are great for this book. 
• Turtles All the Way Down by John Green - Oh, how I missed Green! It's been quite a while since we have had a new JG book or movie. This one sounds like it is going to be great. 
• Not Now, Not Ever by Lily Anderson - This is the sequel to The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You and is inspired by The Importance of Being Earnest. So, based on its predecessor, I am hoping for great things. 

Biggest Disappointment

This book was still good, but it was disappointing in that it did not have the same magic for me that the previous book did. I really loved Passenger, and part of what won my heart, was the dynamic between Etta and Nicholas. They were apart for most of the second book, Wayfarer, and I really missed them being together. Again, it was still good, but it could have been better for me.

Biggest Surprise

I had a few nice surprises, mostly in the form of books I liked a lot more than I expected. One that I want to show some love to is Zenn Diagram by Wendy Brant. This book surprised me, because I had zero expectations going in, and ended up reading a story that I loved so much and left me extremely happy.

Favorite New Author (Debut or New to You)

I have been trying to read a lot of debuts this year, and I have been delighted to get to know some of these new authors. I also finally discovered the greatness of an author, who I had heard so many good things about. So, here are two new favorite authors:

• Bonnie Pipkin - I read her debut, Aftercare Instructions and was so impressed with the story and the writing. It is among one of my favorite books this year. 
• Cath Crowley - I had seen a lot of love on blogs for Crowley, and now I finally get it! Words in Deep Blue is another of my favorite reads. Crowley won a part of my heart with that book, and I now have a mission to read her back list. 

Newest Fictional Crush

I read a ton of romance novels, so there is practically a daily crush, but here are three that came to mind first. They all seem to have a similar precious-cupcake vibe to them, which is probably my type since I was burned by all those bad boys when I was younger. 😆

• Lipton from How to Disappear by Sharon Huss Roat
• Jake from Love and Other Alien Experiences by Kerry Winfrey 
• Sam from Artificial Sweethearts by Julie Hammerle

Newest Favorite Character

This one was easy for me: Alosa from Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller. She was such a standout heroine for me. A complete package! Smart, sassy, and a pirate to boot. Loved her and cannot wait to read more of her adventures.

Book That Made You Cry

I am a super sensitive reader. I cry a bunch, both happy and sad tears. Some of the books that reduced me to tears have already been mentioned, and here are a few more books that moved me. All were stories dealing with grief, with the exception of The Radius of Us.

• The Last Thing You Said by Sara Biren 
• Everything All at Once by Katrina Leno
• Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer
• The Radius of Us by Marie Marquardt

Book That Made You Happy

I love books that make me happy, so I have a long list, but two instantly popped into my head.

• When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
• Geekerella by Ashley Poston

Favorite Book to Movie Adaptation You Saw This Year

Confession: I think it has been over two years since I last saw a movie. I find the theatre expensive and I always fall asleep as soon as the lights go out, so I just don't go. I do really want to see Before I Fall based on the book by Lauren Oliver. It's my favorite Oliver book, and when LO was talking about it at BookCon back in 2016, she seemed really excited about the adaptation. Maybe I will catch it on cable or something.

Favorite Review You Have Written

My favorite is probably one of my shortest. I like it, because it was fun to do. It was my review for Maud by Melanie J. Fishbane. I wanted to do three gifs and three quotes that captured my reaction to this precious book, and I was really happy with how it turned out.

Most Beautiful Book You Have Bought/Received This Year

I don't get a lot of physical books. My haul really comes from BEA every year. I would say that Whichwood by Tahereh Mafi is one of the most striking books. I was really caught up in that cover when I saw it.

Books You Need to Read By the End of the Year

Well, I just did a whole post about some books I want to read by the end of this year, and there are a bunch of sequels I hope to get to soon too, but I cannot think of a specific book I need to read.

How is your reading year so far?

Let us know in the comments!

Book Tag: The Lunar New Year Book Tag

To everyone who is celebrating

I am happy to be celebrating with The Lunar New Year Book Tag, which was created by Tiff@Mostly YA Lit and  Joey @ Thoughts and Afterthoughts.

There are so many books being released by authors I love, but since I am forced to pick one, I would pick Fall Boys & Dizzy in Paradise by Jandy Nelson. Both of Nelson's previous works, I'll Give You the Sun and The Sky is Everywhere, were exquisite, and I cannot wait to read more from her.

Confession: I am not a re-reader. I don't re-watch TV shows or movies, and I do not re-read. So, I am going to go with an author who's books always give me comfort. I have a short of list of authors who fit this bill, but I am going to say Kasie West and I am really excited because KWest has two new books coming out this year. Yeah!

For me, it would be attending a bookish event. Back in 2015, we just could not get enough of cons and book festivals. On a whim, I decided to go to YALLFest. The actual festival is free, and the ticketed events were very cheap, but the airfare and the hotel were $$$$$$. I am so glad I went, because it is a fantastic event. Charleston is beautiful, the crowd was awesome, the panels were fantastic, and I even brought back some amazing ARCs. All in all, an amazing experience.

This is such a hard question. One author, who's work I really enjoyed and I heard she will soon give us the third book in her series, is Shana Abe. Her writing is gorgeous and her storytelling is amazing. I totally love all her books.

I am a big fan of Rae Carson, because she writes these phenomenal female characters. I loved Lee Westfall from The Gold Seer Trilogy. She was strong, resilient, and self sacrificing. Another kick ass heroine to add to the list. 

I am going WAAAAY back for this one, and selecting Go Ask Alice.  I read this book almost 30 years ago, and can still remember how gritty, real, and powerful the book was. **When I was looking this up on GoodReads I just had my mind blown by finding out it was actually written by a therapist and NOT an actual teen diary. 

Gosh. I love sweet romances, and have read tons of them. One author I can count on for an adorable romance is Jennifer E Smith. One of my favorites is This is What Happy Looks Like. I just looked at my original review, and it was simply: "I did not want it to end. I want more of G and E!", and then JES went and gave me a follow-up novella, which was touch and go, but ended up making me warm and fuzzy in the end.

I love books with royalty, and one of my recent faves was My Lady Jane. This book was so witty and fun. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. 

The Thousandth Floor was filled with manipulative characters. This book had that soapy appeal with characters that you love to hate, but a stand out in this book was Leda. She was so damaged. I am looking forward to the next book in this series. 

Three of my top five 2016 books were standalones, but since I can only choose one, I will pick one that I want to get more love - We Are Still Tornadoes. This book hit all the right notes for me. It made me laugh, cry, and sigh. It was just a beautiful story of love and friendship and I want everyone to experience it. 

This is the true struggle for me, because I am such a cover-ho. I unabashedly judge books by their covers, and am totally attracted to beautiful ones. There are A LOT of lovely covered books on my TBR, but I shall select one I read, and I select the entire Starbound series. Every one of these covers is a veritable feast for the eyes, and the series was incredible as well. 

This is not even a recent character, but one that stands out nonetheless. I loved Hassan from An Abundance of Katherines. He was so funny and stole every scene he was in. 

This was a challenge and a lot of fun to do. Yay! I completed my first book tag, and if you are reading this, I invite you to participate in this wonderful book tag.

Pokémon Go Book Tag with Bayram from Never Ending Books (SBPT)

This summer, We Live and Breathe Books (Kiersten in particular) is participating in the Summer Blog Promo Tour hosted by The Book Bratz! That means, every Sunday in July and August, we'll be hosting a different blogger to spread the love.

Today, Bayram is here from Never Ending Books, and we decided to come up with a Pokémon Go book tag! We both love playing Pokémon Go, so it seemed like a fun idea for this post. If you enjoy this book tag, we tag YOU to complete it! Go catch 'em all!

The Pokémon Go Book Tag

Pick your starter Pokémon

Squirtle: a book set near a body of water

Charmander: a book with a warm, fuzzy romance

Bulbasaur: a book set in nature

Bayram: Charmander, ACOMAF may not seem like a fuzzy romance movie but it certainly had it

Kiersten: Squirtle (I'm a sucker for water types) - I think I'm going to have to go with Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Since they sail across the ocean in the book, it definitely counts. (On a side note, I also just wanted to say that I think Squirtle is possibly one of my favorite named Pokémon - It's a turtle with a squirrel tail, and squirt also refers to water type moves. Just brilliant.)

Pick your team

Mystic: a book with an educational theme

Instinct: a book you picked up because of the cover
Valor: a book with a kick-butt heroine

Bayram: TEAM VALOR, definitely Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Kiersten: TEAM MYSTIC!!! (It's ok, we don't let our team differences get between us) - Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins is such a fun book about a magical boarding school.

Pokéstop
A book you bought recently

Bayram: I didn’t buy this book but the latest one I received was Reawakened by Colleen Houck

Kiersten: I feel like I never buy books anymore (I'm trying to read books I already own and use the elibrary), but I did receive an ARC of We Know it Was You by Maggie Thrash at Blogbound Con last weekend!

Pikachu
A book that shocked you

Bayram: Riverkeep by Martin Stewart

Kiersten: I'm normally not a huge fan of contemporary romance, but I was shocked by how much I absolutely loved Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum.

Psyduck
A book that you don't understand the hype about

Bayram: This is a bit of an old movie but definitely the Twilight movies

Kiersten: And I Darken by Kiersten White is a book I really wanted to love but I just couldn't get into it. It's not that it was bad, it just didn't work out for me.

Magikarp
A book that was hard to get into but you ended up loving

   

Bayram: Illuminae was a bit confusing at the start but I ended up LOVING it

Kiersten: I'm going to cheat a little and do this one as a series. The concept for Cinder by Marissa Meyer put me off of reading it for a long time, but I ended up really loving the series!

Snorlax
A slow paced book that was still great

   

Bayram: Its been a while since I read Passenger but it did seem to be slow throughout but still amazing

Kiersten: The Diviners by Libba Bray is definitely a slow paced book, but the way Libba Bray builds up all these layers in the story makes it so wonderful.

Gastly
A book with ghosts

   

Bayram: I think The Archived by Victoria Schwab had ghosts in it but thats the only one I can think of

Kiersten: The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle is not only perfect for this category but is also one of my favorite books.

Dragonite
A book with dragons

   

Bayram: Talon by Julie Kagawa

Kiersten: The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abé. Hands down.

Prestige
A book you'd consider a new classic (released in the 2000s)

Bayram: Any of the Harry Potter books

Kiersten: I feel like The Hunger Games are already starting to be taught in schools. I feel like it's definitely a staple of the YA genre and especially dystopian as a whole.

Revive
A book that you had to recover from

Bayram: ACOMAF!!!!

Kiersten: Definitely A Court of Mist and Fury. All my feels, man. I also remember being a pathetic heap after Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare.

Poké egg
An upcoming release that you're dying to get your hands on

Bayram: Nevernight by Jay Kristoff, it sounds AMAZING

Kiersten: I'm dying to get my hands on Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas! Also, these aren't upcoming releases because there is no news on when they will come out, but I would love the sequel to Courtney Eldridge's Ghost Time and the final book in The Sweetest Dark series by Shana Abé (please happen soon please).

Lure module
A book you want everyone to read

Bayram: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, everyone needs to read it

Kiersten: The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone by Adele Griffin is basically always my go to for things like this. It sounds like a strange book, but it's so good.

About Bayram

I am a senior in high school who LOVES to read, especially YA and sci-fi genre books. I started my blog more than two years ago and regularly post reviews of books I have enjoyed and received to review. I have had a passion for reading ever since I was in kindergarten and have only strengthened it ever since. I love talking to the book community and discussing various books with them.

Do you play Pokémon Go?

We'd love to hear your picks for this book tag!