2024 Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag

Hey hi hello friends, and welcome back to my blog!

It's that time of year again, folks! I've done the Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag for the past four years, and now it's time for the fifth year in a row. This is one of my favorite tags ever, so of course I'm always super excited to answer the questions. Let's see what my answers are for 2024, shall we?

Let's get right into it!

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1. How much have you read this year?
    As of this moment, I've finished 75 books, which I think is pretty damn good. It's not the most I've ever read in a six month period, but it's also not the least, so I'm okay with my pace. If I keep it up I'll get to 150 books by the end of the year, though I'm not sure if I will, since I read a lot of manga in the first half of 2024 and now I'm caught up with a series that I was binging, so that might bring my number down in the latter half.

2. What have you been reading?

    Aside from manga taking the number one spot (26 volumes read so far this year, whew!) I think you'd be surprised to learn that horror has been my top genre, with 10 books. Next is fantasy, classics, and historical fiction, and then trailing in afterward are sci-fi, literary fiction, and poetry. I'm definitely sticking to things I know. I'm pleased that horror is my top genre, since last year I was having trouble keeping up with my goals of reading more horror. My average CAWPILE rating so far this year is a 6.72, which translates to a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

3. Favorite book of the year so far?
    Mm, the big question! Can you guess?

    If you said The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, then you'd be correct! Who would've thought that the best book I've read in 2024 so far would be a 1000+ page classic from the 1800s? Not me, that's for sure. But it's the truth! Edmond Dantes wormed his way into my heart and then set it on fire. I'm already thinking about rereading it, and annotating the copy I've since bought for myself.

   

    I also have to mention I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman. It's the year of the French translated works, apparently. I'm not usually a fan of vague and open-ended books, but there's an exception to every rule, and this book is mine. I can't quite describe why I loved this novel so much, just know that I haven't stopped thinking about it since I read it last month.

4. Favorite sequel of the year so far?

    That would be The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo, which is the fifth book in the Singing Hills Cycle. I really loved the gothic atmosphere of this novella. It felt very different from the other books in the series, but a good different. I wouldn't complain at all if this signals a changing tonal shift for the rest of the books.

    (I feel like I also have to mention Crucible of Gold by Naomi Novik, which is the seventh book in the Temeraire series. I'm in the middle of it right now so I can't tell you for certain if it's a favorite or not, but it didn't feel right to omit it from this question.)

5. What new release have you not yet read, but want to?
    I've been pretty good at staying on top of new releases this year, mostly thanks to my library, but of course there are always a few that have slipped through my fingers so far.

    First is A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur. I've read all of her books save her newest release, though I do own a copy. She writes YA historical mysteries set in the Joseon era of Korea, and she writes them well. I always come away from her books having learned something new, which is usually what I look for in historical fiction. I like reading her novels in the winter time, however, so it might take me a few more months before I pick this one up.

    I also have a copy of I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle. I've never read anything by him before so this was more of an impulse purchase than anything else, but I see dragons and I'm in. Right now I'm reading two dragon books, so who knows? I might slot this one in right after finishing my current reads.

   

    From the library I currently have After 1177 B.C. by Eric H. Cline out. I read Before 1177 B.C. last year and really enjoyed it, so I've been looking forward to picking up the sequel (can you call it a sequel if it's nonfiction? A continuation, perhaps?). I've actually had it out from the library for a good while, but I've been getting distracted by other shiny things (i.e. books) that it keeps falling to the wayside. I'll pick it up soon, though! 

6. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year?
    Well, obviously it's Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson. The fifth book in the Stormlight Archive, and the final book in this arc. I'm sure millions of other fantasy lovers share my feelings on this book. It comes out in December (there's not even a cover I can show you) so I still have a ways to wait until I can read it, but it's without a doubt the biggest fantasy release of 2024.

7. Biggest disappointment?
    This year has been full of disappointing reads, unfortunately. I've DNF'd 5 books so far, and have had a handful of 1 and 2 star reads. Plus, on the other end of the spectrum, only 5 out of the 75 books I've read in 2024 have turned out to be 5 star reads. I was incredibly disappointed in Charlotte McConaghy's novels in particular, Once There Were Wolves and Migrations. I owned both of them and I thought they would be the type of literary fiction that I like, but alas, that wasn't the case. I have since unhauled these books from my shelves, and I hope whoever finds them likes them more than I did. 

    I also have to talk about Beauty is a Wound by Eka Kurniawan, because holy hell was this book bad. This writing was some of the most gratuitous and pointless I have ever read, violent for the sake of being violent. I am honestly appalled by this book and I really wish I had never read it. I beg of you, if you've been looking at this book, to save yourself the pain and pass it by. 

8. Biggest surprise?
    For a much more positive note, I was very pleasantly surprised by the manga series My Dress Up Darling by Shinichi Fukuda.

    I've read 6 volumes so far, and I hope to read the rest of the series this year (there are 12 or 14 volumes in total, I believe). I loved the art style, and the premise is right up my alley, as it's all about cosplay, costumes, and passion for the arts. I don't much care about the romance, but I can tell it's well-written and genuine. Keep in mind this is an explicit seinen series, so don't give it to young children!

9. Newest favorite author (either debut or new to you)?
    Let's try for one of each, as I usually do!

    I was thoroughly impressed with Eilish Quin's debut novel, Medea. You could tell how much she cared about the subject, especially when reading the author's note at the end of the book. I will definitely be keeping an eye on her writing career, and am eager to see what she comes out with next.

    As for an author that's new to me, of course I half to talk about Jacqueline Harpman. I Who Have Never Known Men was the first of her works to be translated into English, but she wrote over a dozen books before she passed in 2012. Nothing else has been translated yet, but I will absolutely read whatever is as soon as it's in English. It's times like these where I curse my inability to retain new languages.

10. Underrated gems you've discovered recently?
    I had to do a little digging for this question, but imagine my surprise when I saw that Night Shine by Tessa Gratton has only 500 ratings on Goodreads, and it's sequel Moon Dark Smile has only 86!

    I am seriously shocked by this. Night Shine came out in 2022, and it's a YA fantasy romance full of queer love and gender acceptance. I don't see how it could've flown under the radar so much! I adored Night Shine. I admit that Moon Dark Smile did not elicit the same feelings, but it was once again more of a continuation than a direct sequel. Tessa Gratton is a phenomenal writer and their work definitely deserves more hype.

11. Any rereads this year so far?
    I've reread 3 books so far: Erased vol. 1 by Kei Sanbe, so I could finally read the entire series; What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher, in anticipation for the sequel, What Feasts at Night; and I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn, which was just for funsies. I wanted to reread the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson this year, but I don't think that'll happen anymore. There are too many books I need to get through for the first time.

12. Newest fictional crush?
    I think I might have to skip this question once again, since I don't really form crushes on fictional characters much these days. Partly because I feel like I'm much older than nearly every character I read about, and partly because there aren't many good people in the books I read. I don't know about you, but in order to have a crush on someone, fictional or otherwise, I kind of have to like who they are as a person.

13. New favorite character?
    All of my favorite characters this year come from classics. Firstly, I can't not mention Edmond Dantes from The Count of Monte Cristo. He's clever and calculating, but also so obsessed with revenge that it makes it hard for him to look past the future he's been planning for 20 years at this point. I loved reading about his character journey, but I don't think I'd ever want to meet him in person. I feel like I would be scared of him, if I'm being completely honest.

    Another character I simply must talk about is Alyosha Karamazov from Fyodor Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov. He has such a pure heart, he's definitely the kind of character you just want to wrap up in a blanket and protect from the world. I also want to protect his brothers Ivan and Mitya, but less to the extent I was to help Alyosha. 

14. A book that made you cry?
    Well, The Count of Monte Cristo did make me cry, but I'll try and pick something different so I don't keep talking about the same books over and over again.

    I had more than teary eyes when I read As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh. I was, for all intents and purposes, bawling my eyes out. This novel was a tearjerker in every sense of the word, but it's also incredibly beautiful. Not only did it talk about the cost of war, but it also handled PTSD in a very tasteful way. I highly recommend anyone read this novel, especially if you're wanting something emotional and powerful.

15. A book that made you happy?
    We all know that happy books aren't really my preferred type of literature. I like books that are emotional, dark, and painful. But there have been a couple books I've read so far this year that were just meant to make me smile. I Love You So Mochi for one, since I specifically reread that book because I needed to read something with a positive word in the title, and I had nothing on my TBR. I would also say Yona of the Dawn by Mizuho Kusanagi, because even though the story is rather harrowing and stressful, at this point I've grown so attached to the characters that I'm just happy to be reading about them. 

16. Favorite adaptation of the year so far?
    I think this will be a fairly obvious answer: clearly it's the Haikyu!! adaptation! I talked about it last week for Manga Mondays if you want more in depth thoughts.

17. Most beautiful cover you've bought or received this year?
    I'll pick two - one book I've read, and one book that I haven't yet read.

    For the read book, I'll choose the new cover for Radio Silence by Alice Oseman. I had a copy of the US paperback previously, but once I saw the new illustrated cover that Alice did herself, I knew I couldn't pass it up. Not only is it beautiful, but it also matches all of the other Alice Oseman books I own, and we all know how much I love things to be matching.

    As for the book still on my TBR, I'll go with Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura. I don't have the pink cover (which is definitely my favorite of the two because hello, pink!) but this blue cover is still stunning. I love all of the detail you can pick out, the longer you look at it. I'm hoping to get to this book soon!

18. What books do you want to read before the year is over?
    There are so many books that I want to read before 2024 is over, and I know that I won't get to all of them, unfortunately. I really wanted to bring my physical TBR down below 50 books this year, but with how much I'm using the library, I don't see how that will be possible. I'll only mention books on my physical TBR right now, just to maybe motivate myself into actually reading them.

    I really want to get to The Book of Not and This Mournable Body by Tsitsi Dangarembga, which are the second and third books in the Nervous Conditions trilogy. I read book one a couple of months ago and really enjoyed it, and immediately ordered book two. I would love to get another series under my belt this year.

    Another series I want to finish in 2024 is Becky Chambers's Wayfarers. Book three, Record of a Spaceborn Few and book four, The Galaxy and the Ground Within, are sitting on my shelves, mocking me as I speak (well, write). I didn't love the sequel, A Closed and Common Orbit, but that was more of a companion novel than a direct sequel, so I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as the first book. 

    Lastly, I would very much like to read Paradise Lost by John Milton. I've read so many classics this year and I've been rather enjoying my time with them, even if they might not always be the classic for me. I have a copy of Milton's Complete Poems, but I will just focus on Paradise Lost for now. I'm sure some day I'll read the entire collection.

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And that's a wrap on the 2024 Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag! I hope you enjoyed reading my answers as much as I did writing them. Feel free to say I tagged you for this tag, as I would love to know your answers to these questions! If you don't feel like making a post or video of your own, comment down below some of your own answers.

Until next time!