End of the Year Book Tag | 2024 Edition

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

September is upon us, everyone! I wish that meant that cooler weather was, too. But alas, it's still well over 100 degrees every day. I'm hoping beyond hope that when Autumn begins (September 21st), the triple digit days will be over. I'm okay if it's still in the 90s, you can't have everything, but if we know longer pass 100 degree days, I will be a very happy camper.

Anyway, today I'll be doing another staple tag on this blog, the End of the Year Book Tag! This was created by Ariel Bissett in 2015. I can't believe it's almost ten years old! I love this tag just because it really sets the stage for the last quarter of the year. We're in the home stretch and it's time to evaluate how things are going!

Okay, let's get into it!

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1. Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?

As per usual, the answer is no! So instead of just moving on to the next question, I'm going to tweak it a little bit and make it "Are there any series that I need to finish?" and of course, that answer is yes. 

First up, I need to finish the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik. Not a want, but a need. I only have two books left in this series, it's more than reasonable to decide I'm going to read them both before the year ends. I also need to read the last two books in the Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers. I have them, I need to read them. I'll be seriously disappointed in myself if I let this series fall by the wayside. Lastly, I really want to read the rest of the Howl books by Diane Wynn Jones. Once again, I have two books left. Clearly I have a problem with finishing the last two books in a series.

2. Do you have an autumnal book to transition you into the end of the year?

I'm a big seasonal mood reader, so I particularly love this question because it allows me to highlight some of my anticipated spooky reads. Especially since I've really delved into the horror genre in the past few years. 

I feel like it's a no brainer to mention T. Kingfisher. I have two of her backlist titles on my physical TBR (The Twisted Ones and The Hollow Places) but I also have her newest release, A Sorceress Comes to Call, on hold from the library, so I think that is where I'm going to start. I also have a few other horror or horror-adjacent novels on my TBR, like Bunny by Mona Awad and Perfume by Patrick Suskind, but I'm most looking forward to reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I know it's more literary than horror, but for some reason it just screams to me an Autumn read.

3. Is there a new release that you're still waiting for?

Yes! A thousand times, yes! There are quite a few books that I'm still waiting on, actually. 

At the end of the month, the next installment in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, Wrath of the Triple Goddess, is coming out, which of course I will be buying immediately. Stephen Fry's Odyssey is also being published on the same day, so that will be a nice twofer at Barnes & Noble. Also in September is the 42nd volume of Yona of the Dawn, which I am so excited for.

And then my most anticipated release of 2024 doesn't come out until December! Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson, the fifth novel in the Stormlight Archive, arrives at the beginning of December. I don't actually know if I will be buying it right away since I have the paperbacks of the other books, but the paperback might come out at the same time as the hardcover? I'm not sure. If that isn't the case, I'll probably enter in a gladiatorial battle for my library's copy.

4. What three books do you still want to read before the end of the year?

This question is always simultaneously the easiest and hardest question to answer in this tag, because it's so difficult to narrow down my TBR to just three books! But I will try my best.

Firstly, I really want to read I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle. I bought it months ago and planned to read it in the summer, but obviously that didn't quite pan out the way I wanted it to. I'm hoping that it will still be a good winter book.

Next I want to read Carmilla, specifically on Halloween. I've been enjoying the little tradition I've had going of reading gothic classics for Halloween (last year was Frankenstein, the year before Dracula), and I think Carmilla is the perfect addition. Plus it's super short so I'll absolutely be able to read the entire thing on the day. I'm pretty set on this, so even if I don't get to anything else on my TBR, I know that I will be reading Carmilla on October 31st.

And lastly, I'd love to read The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss before the year is up. I know I've said that for the past three years (at the very least) but I really truly mean it! It's the book I've had on my physical TBR the longest, and I really need to just suck it up and read it. Even my mom's already read it, and she hardly ever reads big fantasy books like these. It's become an actual issue for me, and I must rectify it soon.

5. Is there a book that you think could still shock you and become your favorite book of the year?

I'm sure there is. This year hasn't been the greatest, star-rating wise. I think I've only had four or five true five-star reads, and I've read well over 100 books at this point. While the five-stars were magnificent, of course, it is a little frustrating that this reading year has been so mediocre. 

I don't think it would be too far of a stretch to say that Wind and Truth could easily become my favorite book of 2024 (if I get to it, that is). There are also a handful of books on my shelves that I think have the potential to become a favorite, like The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison, or The Road. Hell, even Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky seems like a good candidate. You never know!

6. Have you already started making reading plans for 2025?

Absolutely. I've had my goals lined up pretty much since June. I always love planning for the new year. It makes the disappointment of seeing my goals fly past even funnier.

I kid.

Sort of.

Of course I will have a full breakdown of my 2025 goals and plans in a post next year, but I will tease a little bit right now. I will be putting more emphasis on my "Read Around the World" Challenge, and I am putting myself on a book-buying limit. Not quite a ban, but this year really opened up my eyes on my spending habits and it needs to change.

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I really do love this tag. It's such a good way to see how I'm doing.