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I can't believe that we've entered the month of July; which means that we're entering the second half of 2021. The last time I did this
Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag was back in 2015 (you can check it out
here); and I thought this is the perfect time to do it since we just passed the mid-year mark.
In this post, I will be answering some questions that will summarize my reading in the first half of 2021—including some of the best books that I've read so far. However, I've only read 17 books so far, so I don't think I'll have a lot of options to choose from; but hopefully this post will still be interesting enough to read anyway 😊. I'll answer the same questions that I did back in 2015; so without further ado, let's get into it! 🥳
1. Best Book You've Read So Far in 2021?
Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1) by Leigh Bardugo
I read a lot of great books so far this year but I think my choice would be Six of Crows. If you've read my review for it, you'd know that I had such a wonderful experience reading this book. I was pleasantly surprised by all the twists and turns that happened throughout the story and it will definitely be one of my favorite books of all time. It truly feels like watching an action-packed heist movie 😎.
I only have two options for this category: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo or The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan; but I ended up choosing Siege and Storm because I thought this book was a significant improvement from the first book. Furthermore, I was introduced to Nikolai Lantsov's character in this book, so it became quite memorable to me. At this point, I was also immersed in the Grishaverse and was able to enjoy the story a little bit better than the first one.
Ever since reading the books from the Grishaverse by Leigh Bardugo, I'm on a bit of a fantasy kick at the moment; and so I'm specifically drawn to the new released fantasy books. These books caught my attention due to some reviews that I read on Goodreads, and I'm really looking forward to read them ;) I'm especially draw to A Master of Djinn's book cover—it looks stunning!
I am always excited whenever Rick Riordan announced that he's going to publish a new book; and I'm especially thrilled for his upcoming standalone fantasy book because I've only read his series so far. I heard the other two books from reviewers and they sound pretty interesting :)
When I discovered that Ilana Tan published a new book, I didn't think twice and immediately purchased the book. When I got it on my hands, I read it right away because I was really excited for it—since Ilana Tan is one of my favorite Indonesian authors. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. I was quite disappointed because the plot and the characters didn't fit my taste 😥.
6. Biggest Surprise?
I was aware of The Midnight Library because some people who I followed on Instagram read this book and the premise really intrigued me. I ended up enjoying this book and the message behind it was thought-provoking and the whole story warms my heart. I initially didn't expect much because this is the first time I'm reading a book written by Matt Haig.
7. Favourite New Author? (Debut or New to You)
Leigh Bardugo — So far I've read 4 books by her this year and am really enjoying her writing. Can't believe I waited this long to read her works. Still have more books by her that I'm looking forward to read in the future!
8. Newest Fictional Crush?
Out of all the characters that I've met through several books, I'd choose Nikolai as my newest fictional crush. He's not your typical prince because even though he's cocky and brash, Nikolai have the respect of his crew due to his leadership. Nikolai is so charming and witty; every single one of his dialogue just made me adore him more and more.
I applaud Leigh Bardugo for creating Kaz's character because he's amazing! He's brutal, savage, and incredibly smart. Despite his cold personality, I was able to sympathize with him due to his dark past and heartbreaking childhood. He's an intelligent human being and I am amazed by his ability to plan and strategize well, predicting his enemies' moves and outsmarting them.
This semi-autobiographical book was such a heartwarming read and the personal stories that the writer shared bring tears to my eyes :') His life stories reminded me about a lot of simple truths that I sometimes forget during my busy day-to-day lives.
This is the only comic book that I read this year so far and it made me incredibly happy because the characters are finally graduating from elementary school! I've waited so long for this moment and the author finally made my dream come true. Hopefully the romance will start to bloom during their junior high school years 😆
I didn't watch a lot of book-to-movie adaptation this year, but among the ones that I watched, I think
The Woman in the Window was the better one (because
Chaos Walking movie adaptation was a total chaos
—pun intended). This movie had a Gone Girl vibe to it with the unreliable narrator / main character and also the plot twist at the end. Unfortunately, I only watched the movie and didn't read the book so I decided not to write a review for it.
I always love writing reviews on non-fiction books that I read because it serves as a way for me to summarize the main points—which then helps me to remember the important parts better. I especially want to constantly remind myself of the strategies that I read in this book because we all have wars going on in our minds and we need to intentionally win them.
It's been a while since I last purchased a physical book, but out of all the books on my to-be-read list, I think the cover of this book stood out to me the most. The 3D effect on the roots and branches of the tree seems to pop out as if they're real. Even though the color is pretty monotonous, I think it's beautiful nonetheless.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. KluneI have a TON of books that I want (and need) to read! So many books, yet so little time :( But out of my huge pile of to-be-read books, I think I want to prioritize these two books before this year ends. I don't want to put too much pressure on myself, that's why I only chose two 😆
That's it for this year's Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag! It's fun to look back at my reading progress during the first half of 2021, and I tried my best to choose a variety of books to answer the questions even though I only read 17 books so far. If you happen to also have a book blog on your own, feel free to do this tag and mention it in the comments section below—I'll be sure to drop by and check it out 😉
by.stefaniesugia♥ .
P. Djeli Clark's books have been getting rave reviews lately, I'm really excited to read them too! And I can't believe Miiko and gang is finally graduating elementary school, it feels really bittersweet :')
ReplyDeleteTasya // The Literary Huntress
Yesss agreed! :')
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