This week for 'Tag Time', we are going to be doing something a little different, seeing as we are now halfway through the year. And, you know what that means? It means that it is time for the 'Mid Year Book Freakout Tag'! The tag where I reflect on everything I have read so far this year.
Exactly like last year, because of the amount of reading challenges I participated in from February to April, I got a good amount of reading done. Also like last year though, the amount I read after the fact slowed down since it puts me right into a bit of a slump. Thus far though, according to Goodreads, I have read 128 books out of my goal of 180.
My reading goal for last year was to get through 120 books, and by the time I did this I had already read double. This year I upped my goal a bit seeing how much I ended up reading last year, but Goodreads isn't the best reading tracker. That is because I end up reading a lot of manga/manhwa/webcomics, which don't necessarily count as books (but I add it to the total anyway). I read a lot of short stories last year, so my total isn't as big, but I have still gotten through quite a lot so far.
Enough about my reading goals, let's move on to the questions!
BEST BOOK READ SO FAR IN 2022
As it seems to be the case for me, my favourite reads always end up being of a graphic medium, and it is no different this year. I have two reads that I would consider to be my favourites so far, but that is not including rereads like The Boy & The Wolf or ongoing series like Be My Villain.
Oh, man,, did I love this. There are currently two seasons complete from this series, and I am kind of kicking myself in the head for starting something that wasn't finished. I can't say I regret it though, because this is equal parts wholesome and tense.
I finally bit the bullet and read this webtoon. It took a lot longer than I was expecting to get through it, but I enjoyed every second of it. This was just constant action and progression that kept building up the further you got into it.
BEST SEQUEL READ IN 2022
I have been reading a lot of standalones so far, so I haven't really been starting or finishing many series. I have been rereading Jujutsu Kaisen though in order to continue on where I left off, so I guess that would count. Some webtoons I have read probably would count as well, but I am going to go with Before They Are Hanged.
I ended up finishing the rest of the main three books in The First Law series this year (even though it took me a while because they are chunky audiobooks). I did end up liking the second book more than the third book though, mainly because even though not much was happening, I was still having a good time listening to it.
A NEW RELEASE YOU HAVEN'T READ YET BUT WANT TO
As you know, every month I put out a list of all the upcoming books that are on my radar, and I am making my way through a bunch of ARCs, so there are plenty of new releases that I have already read or really need to get to. One that I have yet to read that I seriously need to, would be Curse of Shadows.
The first book in this series, Crown of Bones, ended up on last year's tag as the most surprising book, because I ended up really liking it. So, needless to say, I have been anticipating this book ever since then.
MOST ANTICIPATED UPCOMING RELEASE
My most anticipated release of the year was Curse of Shadows, but seeing as that came out already, I need to pick a different book... My runner-up book would be The Drowned Woods. This author wrote The Bones Houses, which is an absolute underrated gem of a book, so I am expecting another one with this book.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT
I haven't been having the best luck with the vast majority of the books I have been reading, as they all ended up being disappointing. So, in order to make things easier for myself because I can't narrow it down, I am going to go with The Atlas Six.
This book was hyped up so much, so I was expecting it to be at least decent. Unfortunately, it ended up just not giving me much, which was a huge letdown.
MOST SURPRISING
This book surprised me, it really did. I didn't expect to enjoy it, but I am glad that it managed to put a new twist on the 'small town, strange occurrences' plotline. I would definitely consider this to be a hidden gem.
FAVOURITE NEW AUTHOR
I don't read multiple books from the same author often unless it is a series, so I don't really have a new favourite author... I have read a lot of Junji Ito, but I wouldn't say he is a favourite author of mine.
NEWEST FICTIONAL CRUSH
In all honesty, my newest fictional crush is from a show and not a book. Like most people, I binged my through the newest season of Stranger Things, and I have two words for you - Eddie Munson. Also Sang-wook from Sweet Home, who is different from his character in the webtoon, but I really liked Lee Jin-wook's portrayal of him.
Those are shows though, and if I were to pick anybody, it would probably be Sung Jinwoo from Solo Leveling. You get to read 179 chapters full of his gorgeous face, and no one was complaining about it. I also liked Goto Ryuji as well but uh well...spoilers.
NEWEST FAVOURITE CHARACTER
This question is a bit more complicated because I don't tend to like characters. Also, they are either from series I have already gotten into, and therefore aren't new favourites, or I have mentioned previously. After browsing through what I have read, I did find a character who I rather liked.
While I did find this book to be a bit disappointing, we did end up getting the Princes of Hell, who were the highlight of the story for me. In all honesty, though, I did forget the one I liked most (Apollion maybe?) but give me a dark prince and I am here for it.
A BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY
I don't have a new answer for this since I have already mentioned them. Solo Leveling made me surprisingly emotional at moments, which I wasn't expecting.
A BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY
This was a reread for me, but I read it this year so I am counting it. Because the Netflix show came out, I thought I would reread Heartstopper in order to compare the two. It is already a great read if you are in the mood for a bit of a pick-me-up, because who doesn't love a fluffy, healthy, romance.
MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK BOUGHT OR RECEIVED
Well, I don't have a new answer for this one...because this is still the prettiest cover not only out of the books I have read this year but of the new releases in general. Again though, a pretty cover doesn't guarantee a good book, because I did DNF this...
BOOKS YOU NEED TO READ BY THE END OF THE YEAR
Tons...so many books left to read. I have a list of the 22 books that I need to read in 2022, and I am also trying to make my way through last years releases as well as to read more manga/manhwa in general.